
Member Reviews

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

Thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately I really didn't enjoy this! The "missing white woman" syndrome is real and I thought this had the chance to be an interesting commentary about it and it fell very short. Underdeveloped characters, very little actual action (or resolution), and a "twist" that I guessed from the very beginning of the book.

It was supposed to be a romantic getaway weekend in New York City. Breanna’s new boyfriend Ty took care of everything. But when Bree comes downstairs the final morning, she’s shocked. There’s a stranger lying dead in the foyer, and Ty is nowhere to be found.
A Black woman alone in a new city, Bree is stranded and out of her depth. There’s only one person Bree can turn to, her ex-best friend, a lawyer who shares a very complicated past. As the police and a social media mob close in, Bree realizes the only way she can help Ty, or herself, is to figure out what really happened that night.
This was a compelling read with an interesting premise. I loved the characters, Bree and her relationship with Ty, then getting to know Adore was also a lot of fun. I found the later relationship to be the primary focus of the book and rather nuanced and complex. I also loved the tie ins with the Instagram live episodes. They added some levity to a heavy topic and really helped break the book up and make it a fun read. The problem I had with this one was the pacing. I just can’t see how others are saying it was fast paced, as I found it to be quite the opposite. I found it slow and easy to put down. I struggled with it because it just felt like hardly anything was going on. I hate it when I am trying to get into a thriller and my mind wanders all over because I’m just not pulled in. I wanted to like this one more than I did, because it had so many elements going for it that would work, however, just in the end, the pacing is what did it in for me and made this a four and not a five-star read.
I think that this is a solid thriller, albeit on the slower side pacing wise, and it is a good read.

This might turn out to be one of my favorite thrillers/suspense novels of 2024! Garrett has a fantastic, convincing writing style that brings the reader along for the ride. There were moments when I found myself cheering for Bree and Adore, while in other scenes I wanted to hear another perspective (like the neighbors, or Billie's inner thoughts). The pacing was more rapid at the beginning, but the slower unravel of the mystery was solid. I would recommend to fans of Alyssa Cole, Lisa Jewell, and Gillian McAllister.

I really enjoyed this fast paced, twisty thriller! Bree and her boyfriend Ty take a weekend trip away and stay in an Air BnB. The blissful weekend takes a terrifying turn when Bree wakes up in the morning to find the body of a local missing woman dead in the kitchen, and her boyfriend nowhere to be found. This book is written by a Black author, and (obviously) the missing woman is white, so race is definitely a prevalent topic throughout the story. I feel like the author did a great job of discussing race in a nuanced way that didn't overshadow the thriller element, but made it known why it's such an important aspect in the situation at hand. The pacing of this book was so quick, making it hard to put down. The twists were well thought out and completely took me off guard, which is always something I appreciate in a thriller book. The only aspect of this book that I didn't completely love was the use of social media. Although it is 2024 and social media is a part of mostly everyone's everyday life, as well as a big part of how this story unfolded, I felt like this book was a bit oversaturated with the references to Twitter and TikTok. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to thriller readers!

Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett
This BOOK! I could not put it down! Filled with twists and issues of today. Our main character, Breanna finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. She has to deal with race, social media and the police. I will definitely be checking out Kellye Garretts other titles. I recommend giving this book a read, available April 30th!
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me read this ARC

The cover and concept immediately grabbed my attention. But then…The synopsis is more interesting than what actually happened in the book. It was basic. Bree (MC) had no depth and was quite flat. The beginning dragged. While the ending blazed through much too quickly. Abruptly it ends and then I was left questioning what the hell actually happened. I would have liked to get more definitive answers on how the murder took place. I appreciate the social commentary on the missing white woman syndrome and internet trolls/vigilantes. Overall, this lacks depth on all fronts for me though. Thanks to NetGalley & Mulholland Books for my ARC!

📜Missing White Woman
✍️Kellye Garrett
📠Mulholland Books
📚Mystery/Thriller, Fiction
🗓️Pub date: April 30, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨Thank you @NetGalley and @mulhollandbooks for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
✨Breanna is whisked away to Jersey City for the weekend by her new boyfriend, Ty. The Airbnb he rented is gorgeous and has sweeping views of the New York City skyline.
✨Admist what is supposed to be a romantic and relaxing weekend turns into Ty constantly on his phone or working, and Bree left wondering if she should have come at all. She is left to her own devices and goes for her daily runs by herself.
✨With flyers at every corner, everyone is on the hunt for a local missing white woman, a popular dog-walker in the area. Splashing across all news and social media outlets is the woman’s face—Janelle Beckett.
✨So it comes at immense surprise that on her spontaneous extended weekend and the last morning of her trip, Breanna comes downstairs to find a woman dead on the floor—none other than the missing white woman—and Ty nowhere to be found. Breanna must turn to the only person who can help her, her ex-best friend.
✨This book fell somewhat flat for me. I felt like the writing was a bit basic, and character development could have been stronger. It does touch upon sensitive racial divide issues, which I felt permeated the book, rather than letting the plot speak for itself.
#netgalley #missingwhitewoman #kellyegarrett #mulhollandbooks #advancedreadercopy #arc #bookreview #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #ivegotbooks #killmewithwords #idratherbereading #thrillersandkillersofig

Hard to put down. Very good read.
Thanks to the good folk at NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC.

Many thanks to Net Galley for the advance reading copy of this stunning eBook.
I would recommend this to people who enjoy crime thrillers or people looking to get into crime thrillers with a strong book. I also think this is a great match for people who have complicated relationships with true crime, particularly the community around it. I think the strongest aspect of this book is the fact that the writer knows what she’s talking about: the social issues surrounding true crime are the foundation of this book, are the foundation of this book rather than scene-dressing, and she’s clearly well-versed in her genre, so the meeting of those two elements is practically perfect. The only thing left to be desired here is a pinch more character development—and a lot of that is because I enjoyed these characters so much that I wish we got to spend maybe 25 to 50 more pages with them. I think extending the ending just a little bit would have been nice—I loved the final shot we’re left on, but I would have loved to see one more scene of Bree and Adore. I’m very interested in seeing what Kellye Garrett writes next, and I’m hoping to read her already published works in the future.
As someone who grew up over-exposed to true crime and still consumes it in as conscious and critical a way as I can while also being very alarmed by certain aspects of the community, especially in conjunction with the way we as a society are conditioned to think about crime, this book really spoke to me. The narrative is very compelling. It’s both a quintessential twisty thriller and overall very believable, something that I really appreciate in the genre but often feel isn’t executed well—this, however, is a book that pulls it off. There’s an interesting throughline about trust and the unreliable ground it stands on: both interpersonal—trust in one’s loved ones and trust in strangers, in community—and systemic—trust in the establishment, in news media, and in social media. The way it intertwines with themes of identity and betrayal is potent and effective.
The cast was very memorable to me, each character’s dynamic with Bree being compelling and unique. The complicated friendship between Bree and Adore spoke to me; losing close friends and finding your way back to them is something I don’t see enough in books. The chemistry built up at the beginning between Bree and Ty was believable and electric, even in moments of tension, lending to the effectiveness of the mystery. I appreciate that the secondary narratives are tied into the overarching plot so well—for example, Bree’s backstory is used not only to explain her internal conflicts about persons of interest, but it anchors her relationships with Adore and her mother.
The pacing is straightforward and mostly linear, with some backstory exposition peppered through it when necessary, and it’s an incredibly quick read, easy to get sucked into. Repetition is occasionally utilized here for dramatic effect, but it’s not overdone. Conflict is built well: the plot and backstory threads are woven together well to create recurring tensions. The resolutions, while leaving room for a little mystery at the end, are well-earned and satisfying. The stakes are well-established and remain consistently high throughout.
There’s a stylistic element of fragmenting sentences, with a reasonable amount of structural and length variation to balance them out. Visual and sensory description are well-employed, and not overwhelming. Character voice is captured well throughout dialogue, being consistent, natural, and without sacrificing characterization. The e-ARC itself was a little buggy, but the construction of the book itself is solid: lucid grammar and word choice paired with strong, clear syntax. The style is persistent and congruous to the narrative, and the third-person limited perspective captures Bree’s way of thinking well.

Missing White Woman was a very engaging book! Kellye Garrett has done it again! There were plenty of twists and turns. Just when I thought I knew what was going on and who did it there came another awesome plot twist! I literally couldn't put this one down. A for sure bestseller!

I had an absolute BLAST with this book. The twist and turns were so fun and at no point did I guess how this was going to end. I found Garrett's writing to be fun, quick and to the point. She hit her plot point perfectly. In terms of thrillers, this was solid and quite a fun ride. I would highly recommend it.

This is an important topic and an important book. Anything that sheds light on the issue of the disproportionate treatment of missing black women versus white women is a book that needs to be written and read.

If I could give this book 10 starts I would this book was a page turner I was obsessed with Bree she was my kind of Main Character did feel like at times she was a little to trusting in ty but my goodness what a plot what a whirlwind I loved every second of the book I will say once we got towards the ending I felt like I was dragged out a tiny bit dragging but overall I enjoyed the book so much and the plot twist at the end is one I didn't see coming . i enjoyed how the past caught up with the present .

This book was real fun! It’s messy and tense and a little stressful. It also mixes in the real life “missing white woman” problem as well as how social media has so much power over who is prioritized. The influencer pieces of this were a wild ride and gave me a lot to think about.
I also loved the twists - some felt predictable but for the most part I was just along for the ride.

Breanna and her boyfriend Ty decide to go on a romantic getaway in a beautiful Airbnb. Breanna wakes up to find a dead woman in the entry way and her boyfriend gone. She tries desperately to reach him but he isn't answering his phone and he didn't show up for work.
Now, Breanna's past is coming up again and someone she hasn't seen for years comes to her rescue.
This was interesting because of how social media played a part in the investigation and media and how it can portray someone as victim or hero.

As usual, dove into this one with almost zero information on the plot or what it was all about. That's the way I do it – no spoilers, no nothing. I can't stand knowing a book has twists because then I spend the entire time trying to play detective instead of just enjoying the book.
It starts as a cozy romantic getaway in an Airbnb and then takes an unexpected turn into a full-blown murder investigation. It starts out a bit slow, and the characters could use a tad more fleshing out, but it kept me entertained.
Things get wild as the story develops. It sheds light on how crimes involving white and black women get treated so differently. It's got some solid social commentary without beating you over the head with it. It really makes you think while keeping you hooked.
I will surely check out more of Garrett's novels.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.. I love that this book kept me engaged and kept me in suspense but I did not like the main female character. I felt like she was so naive. This book was good but a lot of it was predictable.

MISSING WHITE WOMAN is stunning. It’s a blistering insight into the day-to-day microagressions Black people deal with + a smack down of internet vigilante justice. It’s also a tightly paced mystery with lived in characters. She’s the urban twin of SA Cosby.

Missing White Woman is fast-paced, full of well-timed twists and turns, and thoughtful in its exploration of Missing White Woman Syndrome and traveling while Black. The incorporation of Bree’s past, and how key events shaped Bree’s adult life, is perfectly woven into the story. Loved it!