Have You Seen Her? By Catherine Mckenzie
Thriller/suspense — 267 pgs
Pub day: June 27th 2023
3.2/5 ⭐️


“Equipped with a burner phone and a new job, Cassie Peters has left her hectic and secretive life in NYC for the refuge of her hometown of Mammoth Lakes, California. There, she begins working again with Yosemite Search and Rescue, where a case she worked a decade ago continues to haunt her. There, she meets Petal, a young woman living in a trailer with her much older wife, and Jada, a recent college graduate on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend. When these three women cross paths, Cassie's past catches up with her, and the shocking consequences ripple out far beyond what any could have imagined. “

I did like this book: I liked the suspense and I couldn’t wait to find out about Cassie’s past life (both about her husband and her deceased best friend). When the twist dropped and you learn the connection between the three girls… my eyes widened! It was obvious if you payed attention to the clues but not so much at all. The mystery was awesome and learning more about how Search and Rescue teams work had me reeled in. The setting was perfect. This book makes you think about heroes and anti-heroes and whether you agree or not with “taking matters into your own hands.”

Here’s what I wasn’t so sure about: I honestly felt like this book might have been a lot of things thrown together that seemed like it may have had a connection but didn’t. I didn’t like Jada (except that her Instagram posts/comments section were actually hilarious and spot on), and didn’t care that much for Cassie either. My thoughts and emotions about petal are all over the place! I did love her diary entries though. They scream: unreliable character, sneaky, devious. It gave her some more depth, even though I ended up hating her. The dual timeline could be confusing at times.

The beginning scenes really hooked me in and I think because of that, parts of the ending fell a bit flat for me (except for the twist of course).

I find by the time I got to the end of the book I realize that there were just random elements thrown into the story that are only discussed for a page or two before they were never discussed again (racism, poverty, etc). These elements could have tied into the story at more length and detail if it was longer. But I do love that the book was short and to the point: no Dilly-dallying and beating around the bush. Just enough clues and suspense to keep you on your toes and want to know what’s next and what happened.

& This is so picky but I really didn’t like how the nickname for Bryan was Bri… to me that’s like Br-ee instead of Br-eye.

A big thank you to @netgalley, @atriabooks @atriathrillers &
@catherinemckenzieauthor for an advance digital copy of #HaveYouSeenHer in exchange for my honest review!

Have You Seen Her
By Catherine McKenzie
Pub Date: June 27; 2023
Atria
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Clever thriller that explores deep themes of trauma and revenge, very satisfying story about secrets and survival.

*SAR provides perfect backdrop in the Yosemite National Park
4 stars

SARS (search and rescue), secretive, and storylines you want to follow.

This book was nothing like I expected it to be. I really enjoy books, where the wilderness is a theme. Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for introducing me to a new mystery/thriller author! This was a great ARC!

WOW. I LOVED this. Cassie has fled her abusive husband and gotten a job on the search and rescue (SAR) team across the country at Yosemite. Back in her old stomping grounds, she’s still haunted by the events of her first summer on the SAR team 10 years ago. The story follows Jada and Jim, Sandy and Petal, and Cassie and the SAR team. Jada and Jim are a couple, spending their summer in the park and documenting their travels on Instagram. Sandy and Petal have settled down in a nearby trailer park, Petal befriending Jada. Cassie is trying to put the events of 10 years ago and her abusive husband Kevin behind her and start fresh, but is Kevin the type to let go of his control that easily?

Y’all this story was a wild ride! I loved it. I was instantly hooked and it kept the fast pace, with plenty of twists throughout. I love when I don’t see twists coming. I didn’t find this predictable but also still found it believable.

My only criticisms are the constant misspelling of “y’all” as “ya’ll” and that I read to escape social media. When there’s instagram posts and hashtags in a book, it’s generally a turn off for me. That being said, it was pertinent to the story and that’s just my own opinion that I need to get over in this day and age.

HIGHLY recommend this one!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. I always enjoy McKenzie’s books. She’s definitely one of the better thriller writers out there right now. This one wasn’t necessarily my favorite of hers. I felt like the ending was a little contrived and unbelievable. I also didn’t really care about the main character and found some of the other characters (Petal, Jada, etc) to be a lot more interesting. All in all, this will probably be a popular thriller this summer.

This book was everything I wanted and more. I liked the unique nature of using multiple narrators but having one of them communicate only through Instagram posts, one through a diary and one through first person narration. I think that aspect of the storytelling brought something really unique to it. I also really enjoyed the switching between past and present timeline to add suspense. This story kept me invested the whole time wand I enjoyed the multiple twists I did not predict. This was a great thriller read! I would have liked a little bit more character development from some of the side characters, but besides that I thought everything was very well done.

Why would a Search & Rescue worker deliberately “get lost” in the woods?

Cassie Peters left her home near Yosemite National Park behind a decade ago in favor of a seemingly glamorous life in New York City. When she decides to return to Yosemite with only a burner phone & one backpack of belongings, she re-joins the Search & Rescue (SAR) team that she was a part of right after high school. Cassie runs into several people she previously knew but also starts to make more & more new acquaintances over the course of the summer, including Petal (a young woman living out of an RV with her significantly older wife) & Jada (an aspiring travel Instagrammer documenting her & her boyfriend’s summer adventures).

These three women are the focal points of the story, and we slowly learn more about their individual lives through diary entries, social media posts, threatening text messages, multiple timelines, and short chapters that keep the pages turning. I loved all of the rock-climbing scenes in this book, & learning about how the park service handles over-friendly bears gave me a healthy respect for nature’s predators & the impact that we have on them. Also the various SAR missions were really interesting to read about - it’s amazing the amount of foot traffic that goes through a national park, especially around holiday weekends. In the end there were several characters with secrets that I never would’ve guessed they had - though the various forms of domestic violence depicted in this story were difficult to think about, I believe this book is worth the read.

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

I am a fan of Catherine McKenzie’s writing. Her novel Six Weeks To Live was superb. Have You Seen Her, however, was extremely slow moving and bland. The “wanna-be” instagram entries and diary entries throughout the novel were kind of cringe. I tried to read as much as possible to leave a thorough review, but at 17% through I had to give up on this book out of complete boredom.

I loved this! As soon as I saw that it was set in Yosemite I knew I had to read it. The whole time I was very curious about where this was going and I really didn't know even as I read it. I didn't see the end coming but I really enjoyed it.

My biggest complaint is that Jada and Jim were camping in Yosemite the entire summer. Even if that was allowed (most have a 28 night per year maximum), the chances of being able to do that are like, negative 100.

If you like thrillers and national parks, this is definitely a good one to read.

Three women riddled with secrets wind up at Yosemite. Cassie leaves her NYC life behind to join the search and rescue team in Yosemite, where she worked ten years prior. She meets Petal, an innocent young woman with a much older girlfriend. Then comes Jada, a social media obsessed girl who is capturing every moment on instagram. People go missing and Cassie is on a mission to find them with the search and rescue team. Of course, a body is found. Who did it? How are the characters connected?

Overall, the middle was a lot of fluff. Hiking and rock climbing, looking for missing people, coming back to camp, repeat. A lot of storylines and twists in the latter half of the book had me hooked. Didn’t expect the twisty ending.

Thank you Net Galley and Atria books for the ARC! Pub date 6/23/23

I really liked this. The story takes place mostly in Yosemite National Park, and has a lot of outdoorsy aspects as well as a lot of stuff about climbing culture–things I am totally intrigued by but too scared to try! I liked Cassie as a character, and was so interested in her backstory. The author reveals it slowly, and I could not stop reading to find out more. I loved the twists and was shocked by how it all turns out.

Cassie peters wants to leave her Husband and life in NY , so she goes back to her first job as a SAR in Yosemite National Park. She crosses paths with Jada and petal who have secrets of their own. It is full of twists and turns. I definitely did no see the end coming.

I was looking forward to reading this book and so excited to receive the arc early but it didn’t live up to my expectations.

The biggest draw for me was Yosemite, it’s literally one of my favorite places on Earth, so a big plus in the setting category, however the nonlinear timeline was confusing to follow. Besides the obvious triggers (domestic abuse) the characters didn’t have too much depth to them, I did not connect with Cassie, our main protagonist, or the second protagonist Petal as certain chapters are bookended by her journal entries. The plot seemed uneventful and dull. The buildup to the main story took much too long to unravel and it wasn’t very satisfying, just odd. There’s a weird manifesto at the end that puts me at 2 stars for this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an early copy of the ebook, this is my honest review.

I was drawn to this book because I personally have a love for hiking and the outdoors. I loved the pace of this book, and was pleasantly surprised with the ending. I thought I had it figured out, but I was way off.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this ARC that is set for release on June 27,2023. I appreciate the opportunity to read Have You Seen Her by Catherine McKenzie. I enjoyed this book. I think the cover is pretty. The book itself had a slow burn. I had a little trouble sticking with it, but about in the middle of it, I could not wait to see what was going to happen to Cassie!! Cassie ran away from her husband. I thought he was going to be a nasty, abusive man, but he wasn't. I'm going to stop right there, I dont want to give too much away! You'll have to read it to find out what happens!

What's this book about? Here's the description:
"Equipped with a burner phone and a new job, Cassie Peters has left her hectic and secretive life in New York City for the refuge of her hometown of Mammoth Lakes, California. There, she begins working again with Yosemite Search and Rescue, where a case she worked a decade ago continues to haunt her.

She quickly falls into old patterns, joining a group of fellow seasonal workers and young adventurers who have made Yosemite their home during the summer. There, she meets Petal, a young woman living in a trailer with her much older wife, keeping a detailed diary of the goings on of the park, and Jada, a recent college graduate on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, documenting their journey on Instagram.

When these three women cross paths, Cassie’s past catches up with her, and the shocking consequences ripple out far beyond what any could have imagined in this unputdownable thriller."

This book had so many twists and turns and it was beautifully written! Don't pass this one up!

Finished ✔️ Have You Seen Her by Catherine McKenzie

4 ⭐️’s
Publish Day: June 27th, 2023
Kindle Unlimited: No

Enjoyed all the characters
Loved that it talked about NYC
Enjoyable story that is well written
Beautifully and brilliantly written
It’s my first book by this author but won’t be my last
Yes, I’d recommend it

#DeesReading #DeesRecs #DeesBookRecommendations #BookNerds #BookNerdProblems #BookNerdsUnited #BookProblems #BookProblems101 #BookNerds101 #Bookworms #BookwormProblems #BookwormProblems101 #BooksOfFacebook #DeeTheBookReviewer #DeesReadOfTheDay #DeesBookOfTheDay #DeesBookReviewsOfTheDay #BookReviewer #NewToMeAuthor #CatherineMcKenzie #ReadOfTheDay #BookOfTheDay #HaveYouSeenHer #NetGalley

This one definitely started out slow with different time lines and and multiple characters to follow. I wanted so badly to continue to find out who or what Cassie was running from and what was going to happen with this couple posting on Instagram. It follows 3 women with different backgrounds and secrets.. and has a unique setting in Yosemite following a search and rescue team. The layout was different then other books so I believe you’ll love it or you’ll hate it. It’s a slow burn but stick it out you may love some of the twist!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this read in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a great thriller. It kept me entertained and interested the whole time! I was up all night reading it and could not put it down. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, there was a plot twist. I also loved how the book alternated between then and now. That was one of the ways it really sucked me in — knowing what happened — yet not knowing. I highly recommend you check it out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC which is set for release on June 27, 2023. This was my first read from Catherine McKenzie and it was an amazing slow burn! The story transports you to Yosemite and does an amazing job making you feel like you are at the campsite with the characters. I enjoyed the flawed protagonist and the different points of view, including the instagram posts. I am very excited to read another from this author. Well done!

WOW! I loved this book. The story kept giving twists and turns and made me want more.I enjoyed how the story was written as well as the characters. This was a solid 4 star read for me!