A slow burn. Dark and introspective.

Don’t Forget the Girl by Rebecca McKanna explores the complexities of friendship, and focuses on the lives of the victims, both direct and indirect—instead of the serial killers—who are often forgotten about. The premise was interesting and I enjoyed learning about the relationships between the three women across two timelines. The multiple POVs was engaging, and the suspense leading up to Abby’s death kept me turning the pages. It was very introspective and the use of the crime podcast, along with the online commentary, broke up the text making it easier to read. I enjoyed the online media snippets regarding the crimes and thought it was a nice creative touch, breaking up the structure of the novel, rather than through dialogue or character narration. The best part of the book (for me) was the friendship between Chelsea and Bree, and how it strengthened over the course of the story.

That being said, I definitely prefer more pulse pounding action, and I would have liked to learn about the other victims to fully understand the extent of Jon Allan Blue’s crimes without going into too much detail. An aspect of the book that didn’t work for me came at the end. After learning about Bree’s major character flaw early on—having a sexual relationship with her student—I think the final repercussions weren’t severe enough given the nature of the crime. It made for somewhat of a dissatisfying ending to her character arc.

3/5⭐️⭐️⭐️
For readers who enjoy complex characters, strong female protagonists, and dark topics.

I enjoyed the mystery, but it was a slow burn rather than page-turner. This book dealt with so many complicated & multilayered topics: faith & religion, the popularity of true crime as a form of entertainment, complex female friendships, discovering one’s sexuality, and taking responsibility for how your actions impact others.. It was thought-provoking, and with short chapters interspersed with social media threads, podcast transcripts, & news articles.

Thank you to NetGalley & Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Abby Hartmann disappeared from the University of Iowa one night, never to be seen again. There are strong suspicions that current death-row inmate Jon Allan Blue killed her, but Blue never confessed to his crimes and Abby's body was never found. Until twelve years later...

Chelsea and Bree were Abby's closest friends, and they have been estranged in the years preceding her disappearance. There are unvoiced secrets, misunderstandings, resentment, and identity crisis, all underlying the profound grief and guilt of losing Abby. Both have unknowingly grown in their grief and it has defined them in their roles as an Episcopalian minister and college professor. Until Chelsea reaches out to a popular podcaster to tell Abby's story, it feels like Abby's story will never be told and the reality of her death will be lost when Blue is executed in a few short days.

The shifting POV helps create a clear portrait of the three women. They are all selfish in the way that all college freshmen are but are beautifully flawed and self-aware. There were many twists and turns that truly surprised me, but everything truly fit in with the character's personalities and the overall plot.

Rebecca McKanna does not rely on cheap shock value or the glorified true crime genre to create a startling and profound book. She really wants us to evaluate whether we do forget the victims of crime and if we ever truly can know someone.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Don’t Forget The Girl releases June 20, 2023

<i>“Crime stories show the best and worst of humanity. There’s nothing more compelling than that.”</I>

Twelve years ago, the friend group between Bree, Chelsea, and Abby was torn apart when Abby went missing the night of Halloween. Not long after, a series of girls from their college sorority groups were murdered, and Abby and Bree’s acting teacher, Jay, was sentenced to prison as a serial killer. But was he the one responsible for Abby’s disappearance as well?

Bree and Chelsea’s story picks up just as there’s 25 days left until Jon Allen Blue’s execution.
This is told in triple pov, with Abby’s pov set in the past and written in second person narration.

The media is honed on to Jon Allen Blue — with books written about him, a new tv series in the works, and a podcast that will focus on him for their upcoming season.
Bree and Chelsea are determined to not let the public forget about Abby, who was a victim.
With 25 days to go, will they get the answers they’ve been searching for all these years?

This debut is definitely a one sitting read, with writing that is really fluid. There was just some content that wasn’t my cup of tea, like the teacher/student relationships, pregnancy, and multiple instances of cheating that prevented me from rating this any higher.
I thought the use of all three pov’s were done well and the diversity was interesting as I’ve never read about a woman priest who was bisexual before.

I like how the readers were given clarity from Abby’s pov, and although both of her friends were able to achieve some sort of closure in their own ways, I do wish they could have had that final piece of information as well.

The incorporation of mixed media was a nice touch, too!
One thing I think could have been developed a bit further was the red herring where Daniel had information about Abby’s case file stored in their attic.

Wow! I absolutely love anything with the true crime feel. I also enjoyed the aspects of the podcasts and interviews.

What really stood out for me was that this has underlined tones for the found friendships. Even in the wake of tragedy Chelsea and Bree were able to connect and share their past and make a future within themselves.

"We never remember the dead girls. We never forget the killers." As someone who has studied Criminology, that has always been heartbreaking to me. This book did a great job in telling the story of 3 girls, one who went missing in college and the two friends left behind. I wouldn't quite classify this as a thriller. There weren't any huge plot twists or big reveals. The story is told in 3 POVs along with podcast and interview scripts, each friend has their own unique story and how they have dealt with their friend disappearing, also Abby, who went missing, has her POV leading up to her disappearance. Abby has never been confirmed as a victim of the serial killer, and the book does a great job in making you question what happened to her. I would've enjoyed more of a suspenseful story or a more exciting ending, but that is just my preference. This is a beautifully told story of how a victim's friends and family cope in the years after lose and how the media glorifies serial killers and desensitizes murders.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"Don't Forget the Girl" is a debut novel by Rebecca McKanna and my head is still in awe from this fantastic book. I can't believe this is a debut book. This book was amazing and I was constantly under the spell of this author. There was a total "Oh Shit!" moment late in the book when a masterful piece of misdirection is presented and I totally fall for it. Never again, Rebecca McKanna. I'm on to you.

You have already read the synopsis so I'll throw that real quick because just go in blind. Three young adult female friends attending the University of Iowa (And you feel like you're there) One goes missing. Two weeks later there is a brutal slaying at a sorority house by a serial killer. Serial Killer is caught. Fast forward twelve years. Said Serial Killer is getting executed. A book has been written about him. A "netflix" type show is also released about him. A popular podcast has a season dedicated to him. The remaining two women go through the all the fallout.

I'm not sure what to even write at this point. Secrets come out that have been hidden for years. These women bravely confront demons they have hidden for years. Friendships strained face even more adversity as the execution date of the serial killer grows nearer.

This is not a light beach read. There are layers and layers of plot that slowly get peeled. We never really know what direction this book is headed and how it is going to end but I couldn't stop reading. It's not perfect..... After a strong beginning there was a slight lull in the middle. It got pretty slow but then found it's pacing again.

Just a fantastic book if you love the serial killer genre and want a different take on it. Highly recommended.

I really appreciate Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free for my honest opinion and it has a publication date of June 26, 2023.

4.5 Stars

We never remember the dead girls. We never forget the killers.

How do we resolve the grief of losing a close friend at a young age? What parts of ourselves do we keep hidden to cover our trauma? How do we reconcile relationships lost with the living after a shared anguish of losing someone close? To what lengths will we go to uncover the truth, and will it put our life back together again? Don’t Forget The Girl by Rebecca McKanna is a stunning debut thriller that wrestles with all of these questions and more.

After an argument with her two best friends, Chelsea and Bree, Abby Hartman, an 18-year-old freshman at University of Iowa, disappears without a trace on Halloween night in 2003. Two weeks later the police and public’s attention are pulled away from Abby’s disappearance when two sorority girls are brutally murdered and another maimed nearly beyond recognition in the middle of the nigh as the slept. Local graduate student and university drama instructor Jon Allan Blue is suspected in the sorority house murders and presumed murder of Abby, but twelve years later he sits on death row in Kentucky, found guilty of the murder of yet another young girl. A media frenzy builds as his execution draws near and his popularity sores.

Torn apart by their own guilt over their last meeting with Abby and unable to acknowledge each other’s grief, Chelsea and Bree have been estranged for the better part of twelve years since Abby went missing. When Abby’s remains are finally discovered, the women reunite as guests on a popular true crime podcast in an effort to find answers to what really happened to Abby and ensure she doesn’t become the forgotten victim of Jon Allan Blue. They must face their past and find forgiveness for each other if they are going to obtain justice for Abby.

The story is told through a mixture of third person point of view for current day (2015) Chelsea and Bree and second person point of view for 18-year-old Abby. I have read quite a few recent novels mixing first and third person POV, but this is the first I’ve come across that uses second person POV and I feel it was done incredibly well. Since Abby’s character is the source of much of the conflict throughout the story, using second person POV, you, positions the reader as the center of conflict. It’s almost accusatory. You created all the chaos and turmoil in Bree and Chelsea’s lives. You are the reason your mother committed suicide. You are the source of all this grief and guilt. It’s unnerving and, in my opinion, very effective.

There is a lot to unpack in this story as it explores themes of sexuality, jealousy, self-loathing, betrayal, grief, trauma, and celebrity. Even though these characters are, at times, overly dramatized, I found the coming-of-age story relatable. Everyone experiences some sort of transformation as they age and discover more of who they are. Everyone wears a mask at some point, in some situation, to cover a truth about themselves.

Don’t Forget The Girl is a thriller that has just enough tension and drops just enough conflicting clues to keep the reader guessing if Jon Allan Blue is truly Abby’s killer. There were no fantastical plot twists and it didn’t take anything away from the story being told. If you like psychological thrillers like <i>Girl on the Train</i> then you will enjoy Don’t Forget The Girl.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Rebecca McKanna, and Sourcebooks Landmark for and advanced review copy. I am already eagerly awaiting McKanna’s next novel.

I liked the premise of this book, giving attention to the victims rather than the serial killer. It makes a valid point. But I didn't find the actual storytelling to be compelling or intriguing in any way. I guess I was really put off once it became apparent that one of the three main characters would be written in the second person. I found this even more irritating than the recent phenomenon of omitting talking marks.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am now a fan of author, Rebecca McKanna. Just wow. Right off the bat, we have a thriller that goes not to just the crime, but to those left behind. We know the serial killer is caught and we know about the crimes but there is one girl, Abby, that no one is talking about as they couldn't connect her disappearance to the suspect. But her friends, Bree and Chelsea remember Abby and who she was to each of them. A dozen years since Abby's disappearance and the imminent execution of the person they believe is responsible, along with a well-known crime podcaster looking into the crimes, has stirred it all up for Bree and Chelsea. The guilt and blame each feel towards themselves and each other has kept them apart in their grief since shortly after Abby goes missing. Their romantic relationships are damaged and each is just a shadow of what they could have been. Trauma in the extreme. A good exploration on how much damage is done to family and friends who experience loss with no answers.

I'd like to give this 4.5 stars but will round up to 5 stars.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for an early copy. All opinions are my own.

I loved how different this is from most thrillers! Placing the girl who disappeared at the front of the story instead of the murderer is the way it truly should always be, as far as true crime goes. I know some people are fascinated by the minds of killers, but they’ve done so much harm and overall, they can be glamorized. This book gets it right, showing how harmful that is and what a detriment it is to the healing process of those who’ve lost someone. The story kept me completely engaged with sympathetic characters and a fast-paced story. This delivered the thrills, while also reminding the reader of a very important thing to remember: don’t forget the victims 💔.

In a world that devours true crime, Don’t Forget the Girl gives a unique aspect on how a murder affects everyone surrounding the victim. At 18, Abby is murdered by a notorious killer who’s days are numbered twelve years later as he faces death row. Abby’s fiends Chelsea and Bree are left to pick up the pieces after their young, charismatic friend disappears. Twelve years later, Abby’s body is found and the estranged friends are brought back together when a podcaster accosts them to tell Abby’s story. Soon enough, the secrets come out.

I found the characters to be very interesting as they are clearly not perfect people, but are going through situations that they try to keep to themselves. I did like how the story is back and forth from 2003 to 2015. However, I didn’t care for Abby’s chapters in first person; third person would have read better as Chelsea and Bree’s are in third person. For being a first time author, Ms. McKanna knocked this book out of the park! I can’t wait to see what she write next.

Twelve years ago college freshman Abby Hartmann disappeared. Everyone believes serial killer Jon Allan Blue killed her but it was never confirmed. Now, in the present, he is about to be executed for the crimes he waa convicted of. News stories are brought up again and someone wants to make a podcast about him. Abby's best friends, Bree and Chelsea, are asked to participate. While they would rather forget about Blue they can't and there are still answers they need.

There is a past and present timeline and we get chapters from each of their perspective. This helps us get to know about what was going on in their lives. There are secrets that were not told twelve years ago and the impact continues into the present. We also learn about Bree and Chelsea's lives today.

Bree and Chelsea have never gotten over Abby's death, naturally. It's hard to say how much it's impacted them. Bree, especially, is going through some personal matters. Her life is a mess. As the story continues things are increasingly messy for both of them.

Don't Forget The Girl is described as a thriller but I don't think the description is accurate. There isn't any tension or suspense in the story and nothing much happens. The story is focused on the personal lives of the three young women. A lot of time is spent on their internal feelings and struggles. There is also an overwhelming focus on sexual relationships and content. Much of it is disturbing and overkill. The identity of the killer is not shocking and is the only real thriller element. Also, the secret that was kept for twelve years doesn't seem big enough for a story.

I think readers will appreciate the idea behind the story. It just wasn't for me.

"We never remember the dead girls. We never forget the killers.

Twelve years ago, 18-year-old University of Iowa freshman Abby Hartmann disappeared. Now, Jon Allan Blue, the serial killer suspected of her murder, is about to be executed. Abby's best friends, Bree and Chelsea, watch as Abby's memory is unearthed and overshadowed by Blue and his flashier crimes. The friends, estranged in the wake of Abby's disappearance, and suffering from years of unvoiced resentments, must reunite when a high-profile podcast dedicates its next season to Blue's murders.

Tense and introspective, for readers of Megan Goldin and Heather Gudenkauf, Don't Forget the Girl is an astonishing debut thriller that mines the complexities of friendship and the secrets between us that we may take to the grave."

Sadly it's true, the victims are often forgotten in the spectacle.

This is a story with a really important message that we should focus more on the victims and how the true crime wave shines a light on and even sometimes glorifies killers whilst leaving behind the victim and the ones that are left to grieve. I like that tis is a unique take on serial killer thrillers but I didn't like this version on multiple POV's because the writing also changed from 1st person to 3rd person which was a bit annoying and disorientating, taking away from the experience of the book and I didn't enjoy it as much because of that.

Don’t Forget the Girl is one of THEE BEST serial killer plot-centric books that I have ever read, and that is saying something.

This absolutely brilliant debut takes the serial killer on death row trope and turns it on its head, reminding us it’s the victims who should be remembered, not the killers.

I knew nothing about this book before starting, and I’d suggest doing the same - go in blind and find yourself utterly addicted to devouring it. I could not set it down, the pacing perfect, shifting character POV, present and past views unravelling the story of what happened leading up to the murder and the final ditch efforts for two friends to not have the memory of a girl they loved so much disappear without answers as the man accused of murdering her is put to death himself.

Truly this is a MUST HAVE for summer if you love a mystery, but love a beautifully told story of friendship and the tragedy of life as well. I cannot recommend it enough.

Get it on your pre-order lists, I promise, it’s not one to miss.

Thank you @bookmarked for the copy! I cannot wait to see what the brilliant @rebeccamckanna does next.

This book annoyed me that some of it, Abby, was written in the second person. I don’t know why but the switching between third person from Bree and Chelsea and Abby just really grated on me and I couldn’t get into the story. I did really enjoy the idea of the storyline; it was just the execution that threw me. The inclusion of the serial killer podcast was really interesting and my favorite part of the book. This was a slow burn suspense novel, and the author did do a good job of keeping you engaged and wanting more. I just didn’t like the writing style, or the characters.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love any story based on Iowa so this was automatically something to look forward to! This was a really complex book about a woman who was murdered and her two friends left behind. It was great!

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley, but all thoughts are my own.

I tried so hard to like this book. But I just couldn't. It felt like a chore to finish it. Super close paced and the story and characters are very confusing and go back and forth a lot. I had such high hopes and I just didn't enjoy this book.

We never remember the dead girls. We never forget the killers.

When Abby was 18, she went missing on Halloween night after an argument with her two best friends. 12 years later, no trace of her has been found. A serial killer is about to be executed for similar murders in the area. But was Abby once of his victims as well?

I really enjoyed this book and the story of Abby, Bree and Chelsea. I liked how it went back and forth in time and from perspective to perspective. This was more that just a mystery/thriller. It was also a story of friendship, of love, and of loss.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.