What an enjoyable read! I loved the audiobook, the narrator was very good. I wouldn't necessarily call this a thriller, but definitely a mystery and it was fascinating.

This book was not for me. I appreciate the publishers and netgalley giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and RB media for the audiobook. I had high hopes for the book but did not enjoy the audio very much. The plot itself had a lot of scope and maybe if I read it instead of listening, I would have enjoyed more. The narrator should be different for the various characters, or there should be some change in pitch or tone to reflect that characters have changed. I had to focus a lot on who's POV I am listening to and that ruined the fun. Overall, the plot was ok but audio book did not do any justice.

Holy shit. I cannot believe this title is McKanna’s debut novel. Don’t Forget The Girl is much more than your run-of-the-mill thriller. It is a love story to the complexity of female friendships, a reminder to focus on the victims of heinous crimes rather than the perpetrators, and an exploration of the early 2000s culture. If you can get your hands on the audiobook of this title, do it! The narrator, Jennifer O’Donnell, really brings the story to life. I cannot wait to read whatever McKanna writes next.

Maybe this is a narrator issue but the narrator, i wasn’t a fan of for this read. It was a bit too slowly read. I just wasn’t a fan of this one. I’m also not really a fan of 2nd person point of view so i think it’s just preference. It takes me out of the story

I received an ARC of this audiobook! I really enjoyed the narrator and the story. I felt like it was a little longer than it needed to be, but overall it kept me interested! I would recommend it to others :)

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC!

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version.
I was looking forward to this book. The synopsis sounded like it would be entertaining but it was just blah. . the narrator read extremely slow. Annoyingly slow. I think her voices were fine but wow her speed.
The characters were just not likeable and I will say that in the first 30 mins of listening you get slapped with liberal feminist crap about white male privilege. And how men are threatened by women in authority. Just eye roll. Nothing really happens! This book should have been cut in half.

I started this book with high hopes. I must say the beginning was good.
But It wasn't easy for me to follow after a while. it was so confusing. So after some few hrs in i gave up. It just wasn't for me.
Maybe an ebook would have made it less confusing for me than the audiobook.

Thanks NetGalley & Rb media for this Audiobook.

This book started off strong, but I had such a difficult time staying engaged during the earlier timeline that was written in 2nd person. It wasn't easy to follow and confused me. I think this book would've worked so much better for me if it had been written in 3rd or 1st person the whole way through.

There are readers who enjoyed this book more than I, and I would encourage anyone thinking about reading this one to check out the higher reviews. This was just one of those writing styles that didn't work for me.

I received an audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars rounded up

I struggled with this one. It’s told in alternating POV’s which I always love. Unfortunately in this book the characters were so incredibly unlikeable, even the victim Abby. For a lot of the book, I wondered why they were even friends to begin with. The bitterness, insecurities, secrets, and resentment between the 3, and then the remaining 2, became repetitive after a while. It was easy to forget at times that a man was being put to death and we were still waiting on answers about Abby. I’m glad I finished it though; I did appreciate the way it wrapped up.

This book ended up pretty forgettable for me. I don't like to DNF books so I only finished this because of that.

Thank you to Netgalley for a ARC of this book to review.

This book was really gripping from the get-go, but then had the tendency to drag a bit. While, I do appreciate multiple POV and timelines, this one was hard to follow at times. I am not sure how I feel about the narrator, I felt like at times her reading was very rushed? .

I didn’t connect with this one. Too much language. Too dark. And just not enough of the story to hold me there.

It may hit someone else just right, but I had to DNF at 50% and don’t really desire to know the end which means I need to let this one go.

My rating: No rating since I didn’t finish it but I felt like I read enough to count it in my list.

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this gifted audio book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Don't Forget the Girl by Rebecca McKanna.

This is a story centered around the victim of the town's notorious serial killer years after her death, and specifically the fact that often the victims are unforgivable overshadowed by the fame of the killer. Through the eyes of the victim, Abby, as well as her two surviving friends Bree and Chelsea, we find out what really happened all those years ago.

As far as thrillers and crime genres similar to this, it's pretty easy to rank this somewhere in the middle. I did enjoy it, although it did have a tendency to draaaag. However, I really appreciated the message that while it's so easy to remember names of prolific serial killers, how often do we talk about the lives of the victims, often women? Who were they, what were they like, and the tragedy of their all too soon ending. We need to change our culture around that.

For the most of the novel I have liked it immensely. Told in the dual timeline, the three characters explore the murder of the of one of them (including the thoughts from the POV of the murdered girl). It is well-written and interesting, as the nuances of the characters, their secrets (including the secret lesbian love story between the two of them in the past and the forbidden sexual relationship between the teacher and her student in the present time) and motivations.
But...the last chapters show that this is really not mystery at all. It is some kind of liberation manifesto for one character and the story of guilt and redemption for the other character. And the injustice towards one character is what gets me irritated (and also the very clichey journey of the other character). Because the very modern kind of morality is at play here, and the selective morality is always wrong in my opinion.

The narration is fine - good job!

Many thanks to Net Galley and RB Media for an audio copy of Don't Forget The Girl for an honest review.

This is about a12 year old case, Abby was kidnapped and murdered. Her killer is in jail about to be put to death. Her two best friends are the main characters.

I liked this week enough. It jumped back and forth. Because of that, it was a little hard to follow.

Narrated by Jennifer O'Donnell's ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Don't Forget the Girl by Rebecca McKanna ⭐⭐⭐

This was a really interesting premise having it from 3 POV especially having one of them being the the victim.

The story itself is a very slow burn, for me personally it was too slow which made it difficult for me to get into. But I definitely recommend this book to other readers.

This was my first time trying this author and while this one was a bit average for me I would definitely try Rebecca McKanna again.

Wow! What a brilliant debut! True crime buff’s this one is for you.

Following the perspective of three girls - Bree, Chelsea and Abby. What makes this book unique, is it’s from the victims point of view rather than the killer.

Written from a duel time line - the past to present - we gain significant insight into the characters and place. Bree and Chelsea’s narrative is written in (present) third person while Abby is in 2nd person (past). As the girls reunite, they must address past resentments and search for answers from that tragic night. Beautifully atmospheric and captivating, the novel weaves a complex plot of secrets, lies, jealousy and ultimately healing.

More than a serial killer story, Don’t Forget the Girls is a tale of the grief left behind after tragedy. It’s a story of love and friendship with a nod to victims and their voices.

Many thanks to @netgalley @sourcebooks @bookmarked #rbmedia for an advanced reading copy and ALC 🥰

Compelling, powerful and gritty, this is McKanna’s debut 👏🏽 novel 👏🏽 and it was everything I love in a crime book: a believable and intriguing plot, authentic characters, captivating storyline and sinister suspense.

Dual timelines + multiple character perspectives from the three friends are woven together seamlessly to create a gripping storyline, allowing the many secrets + crimes to be pieced together. While this book is categorised as a mystery/thriller, it’s so much more: emotional + chilling, it’s not just a serial killer investigation, but a heart-rendering story of grief, faith, female friendship, betrayal, sexuality and first love.

I saw this described by @gareindeedreads as a combination of IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE and NOTES ON AN EXECUTION— although I’ve yet to read either, I’ve heard brilliant things about both. I loved the varied media throughout the book, from news clips to podcast and interview transcripts, and the eye opening, raw light shone on the culture of true crime, and how often the victims are lost in the fascination of the killer.

“𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙤. 𝙄’𝙙 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙮 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙣𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙚?”

Although there are no major, jaw-dropping twists, and it took me a little while to get into, the slow-burn introspective plot + flawless characterisation made for a fascinating, striking and thought provoking read, which I’d highly recommend— do check content warnings first though as there is a lot of uncomfortable homophobia and stalking mentioned in this.

[𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 @𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 (𝘐𝘎), 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩.] —— 𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @ 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 🥀

Don't Forget the Girl by Rebecca McKenna was a very engaging read that delves into the aftermath of a friend's disappearance. This book takes a refreshing approach by shifting the spotlight away from the typical true crime narrative and focusing on the impact it has on the lives of those left behind—Abby's friends, Bree and Chelsea.

One aspect that particularly stood out was the narrative structure. The alternating perspectives and shifts between past and present provided a dynamic exploration of the characters' experiences. Although I enjoyed the alerting perspectives, I would have preferred if the past sections were solely dedicated to Abby's perspective. This choice would have allowed for a deeper understanding of her emotions, motivations, overall experience, and taken me out of the story a little less.

McKenna skillfully highlighted the disturbing reality of how true crime can sometimes overshadow the human side of the stories. By shedding light on how emotionally charged situations for the victim's loved ones can be turned into entertainment, the author really created a powerful message. As a fan of true crime myself, it served as a necessary reminder that behind every case, there are real people with genuine thoughts, emotions, and lives.

"Don't Forget the Girl" offers a much-needed perspective shift, showcasing the ripple effects that a disappearance can have on the lives of those left behind. While the focus on the impact rather than the perpetrator was refreshing, I did find myself wanting to know more about Abby's character. Nevertheless, McKenna's exploration of the emotional toll inflicted by true crime fascination was needed.

If you're a fan of true crime and appreciate narratives that highlights the human aspect of these stories, "Don't Forget the Girl" is a book you won't want to miss. It serves as a reminder of the importance of empathy and compassion when delving into these dark corners of reality.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, RB Media, and Rebecca McKenna for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.