This was a stunning debut by Emiko Jean with short, clipped chapters that kept me hooked from the start. The story dives deep into the gripping world of loss and the haunting aftermath of trauma.

Detective Chelsey Calhoun has been searching for her sister, who vanished two decades ago. Then she receives a glimmer of hope: local teenager Ellie Black, missing for two years, is found alive in the woods of Washington State.

But something feels off. Ellie has returned, yet she’s veiled in silence about her captivity. What horrors has she endured? As Chelsey investigates, her quest transforms from bringing closure to her past into a race to protect other potential victims.

The narrative is expertly crafted, creating a tense atmosphere that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Chelsey's journey is not only about uncovering the truth but also about confronting her pain. The emotional depth and development of the characters added layers to the story that had me engaged from the very beginning.

However, the book does present a few too many coincidental elements that stretch credibility. Still, these do little to undermine the overall gripping tension and strong emotional core of the novel.

It’s a must-read for mystery lovers. It encapsulates the dark themes of trauma and the relentless pursuit of truth, reminding us that happy endings are rare. Prepare to be hooked from the first page to the last!

I raced through this book. Set in Washington state we follow Chelsey, a local detective who is battling her own demons, whilst she investigates the return of Ellie Black. A young local girl who has returned after being missing for two years. Small town secrets will be revealed and sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.

A very well written book. It kept me enthralled from start to finish and the ending was great. Lots of twists and turns. Recoomended.

Emiko Jean is a New York Times best-selling author of adult and young adult fiction and this is my first book by her, although I have got Mika in Real Life sitting patiently on my kindle and will bump it up my toppling TBR pile . Originally published as The Return of Ellie Black, it’s been retitled The Next Girl and is available to buy now.

This is the tragic and uncomfortable story of Ellie (Elizabeth) Black. A young girl who was abducted at the age of 15 and held captive for just over 2 years before managing to escape. Found wandering in the woods miles from home, she’s traumatised and won’t talk about where she’s been or who took her.

Detective Chelsey Calhoun has been looking for Ellie since she disappeared without a trace from a party and now that Ellie has been found Chelsey isn’t going to stop investigating where she’s been and who is responsible, because this case is personal to her.

Digging deeper into the abduction she finds there are other missing girls and when a body is discovered and linked to Ellie, Chelsey knows she has to find the perpetrator before any more girls are killed.

This is a tightly plotted thriller which kept me glued to the pages. The characters voices were so authentic and powerful. Ellie’s story is brutally raw and uncomfortable when she recounts her life up to and including the abduction. It’s harrowing and disturbing and in places really difficult to read.

If you are looking for a tense thriller which will keep you guessing throughout, then grab yourself a copy of The Next Girl which is available to buy now.

This is so well written and very different to the ‘missing girl comes home’ trope. You will like all the main (good!) characters. The author has really made them come alive. It’s a hard read but I’ve read in one sitting! Literally looked up and list 6 hours!!
Recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Detective Chelsey Calhoun is thrust into a harrowing investigation when she learns that Ellie Black, a missing teenager, has been found. As Chelsey dives into the case, she is haunted by the unresolved disappearance of her own sister. Despite Ellie's silence and reluctance to divulge details, Chelsey relentlessly pursues every lead in her quest for answers.

The narrative explores themes of depravity, captivity, manipulation, and trauma, presenting a story that is both intense and unsettling. The portrayal of certain scenes can be quite distressing, so readers should be prepared for a challenging experience. The novel is filled with unexpected twists and culminates in a shocking revelation that caught me completely off guard.

Wow, wow, wow! What a debut!

When seventeen-year-old Ellie leaves a party in search for a bathroom she disappears without a trace for two years. Finally reunited with het parents it becomes apparent that Ellies time in captivity has taken huge emotional toll. She is unresponsive with police and not much better at home.

Told in alternating timelines, we hear of the pure horror Ellie had to endure - it’s not easy to read nor is it for the faint hearted, in fact it down right disturbing! Fast paced with an incredibly clever plot, it’s a book you won’t be able to put down, I devoured it.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for an advanced e-arc 🙏

Really good, very tense and gripping. A great lead character, in Chelsey, a detective who solves cases to help families get closure because she never got closure when her own sister disappeared so many years ago. Suddenly, this girl who disappeared two years ago comes back to town. She is in a state of shock and is clearly traumatised but Chelsey thinks she is holding something back. And it turns out, that yes, she is and its going to cause a whole lot more trouble. A gripping story of girls and women being brainwashed and tricked by abusive men and a detective who is hell bent on solving everything.....very good!!!

A story that I'm still reading but I want to say it's great: gripping and twisty
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
A more extensive review will follow
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you Penguin- Hamilton, Hamish, Fig Tree and NetGalley for this e-ARC of the Next Girl by Emiko Jean.

This is my first book of Emiko Jean’s and this has me guessing right till the end. The plot is told from a dual POV, a police officer Chelsea and a girl who’s been missing for two years-Ellie.

I was so gripped, as nothing is as it seems and the more we got into the story, the more we realise that nothing is as it seems… the twists, the end. All of it made this psychological thriller such a fantastic read.

The Next Girl is a clever psychological thriller /mystery. Ellie has been missing 2 years and suddenly turns up, a shadow of her former self but unwilling to talk about her experiences to the Police or anyone .Detective Chelsey Calhoun is investigating the case and the story is told by her POV and Ellie's .The story becomes darker and darker as Chelsey tries to unravel the truth and is afraid there are other girls as well. The reasons for Ellie's abduction and who were the abductors is quite a shock and really twisty .A gripping and compelling story .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC

certainly a buzzy read but (in my eyes) really terrible. the plot is ridiculous and the twists are cheesy. it is puzzling how it has been so well received...i guess i am an outlier so read it and make up your own mind about it

An enjoyable well written detective story with a strong female central character. Lots of unexpected twists at the end.

Twenty years ago, Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s sister went missing. Since then, Chelsey has done her best to solve the cases of other missing girls in the area. One such case: The disappearance of Ellie Black. Now, two years after her disappearance, Ellie is found alive. But something isn’t right; is behaving strangely and won’t tell anyone where she has been or who took her. Chelsey is determined to get to the bottom of it, before the next girl is taken.

I really enjoyed the mystery Ellie’s disappearance; who took her and what happened to her while she was missing. Possible trigger warnings required for abduction, murder, sexual and physical abuse, but none of it is described in any great detail so not too shocking or unbearable to read. Chelsey’s investigation of the disappearance mostly made sense to me (apart from only triangulating the location of each missing girl so late in the process – seemed like an obvious thing to do as soon as she realised there were multiple victims), but the twist at the end (no spoilers) did not work for me. It just didn’t make sense and Chelsey’s connection to the case was already personal enough without adding such an absurd link right at the end.

Chelsey herself could have done with a bit more development for me. Her entire personality is based around what happened to her sister, which, while possibly quite realistic, made her feel quite one dimensional. In contrast, Ellie Black was a very complex and well developed character, which made Chelsey’s lack of personality stand out more. I would have liked to know more about Hannah, Gabby, and the other missing girls.

This was a mostly excellent mystery/thriller novel, just missing the mark on a couple of key areas.

I really enjoyed this book, I wanted to watch the story unfold and see how the plot and the characters developed.
The main character was likeable and had so many sides to her.
The story itself was intriguing. I wanted to know more but I also wanted to hide behind my hands at some parts too.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A suspenseful, page turning thriller covering the reappearance of a missing girl, Ellie Black. Detective Calhoun leads the investigation trying to piece together what actually happened to Ellie, however it isn’t as straight forward as it looks.

This is a story you’ve probably read before, but this is done better. I’ve read 3 cop suspect thrillers this month and this outshone them.

I really enjoyed the writing, it flowed really nicely and kept me wanting to read on. There was a few messages in this book regarding women and how we have to navigate the world of sexism and oppression, however some elements of this were used too much I would say. Less is more.

The pace of the book was really good, and didn’t drag on which I really appreciated when reading. The chapters were perfect lengths and I enjoyed the multiple POVs, as they added more depth to the story. I feel you really get a sense of the characters in the book, and the characterisation is very well developed.

Overall a real good read, and thoroughly enjoyed.

This was a thrilling read, I enjoyed it (hard to say that.. it was a good story and effective, might be a better way to explain my thoughts. I say this as it is very heavy / depressing in parts).

I was curious throughout and it didn’t seem predictable to me.
I’m glad for the moments of hope and happiness in the book or I’d likely have DNF’d.
This is a book that made me sob when I finished and made me have to take a break from thrillers.
Effective for sure, it really made me feel something.

Wow! I could not put this down and barely breathed for the last hour. What an explosive and troubling read. Ellie Black, who has been missing for two years is found by hikers in Washington State Woods. Obviously traumatised and sexually assauted, something isn't right with her return. Detective Chelsey Calhoun has never given up hope of finding Ellie, haunted as she is by the disappearance of her sister Lydia at age 15. Lydia was assumed victim of a murder/suicide with her boyfriend. Chelsey's doggedness has much to do with solving the case which becomes more convoluted by the day. Ellie is clearly hiding something - but why? The story is told in two timelines, the present day and Ellie's account from the day she went missing through her time in captivity. When we discover the perpetrators I was not ready for that revelation. What an explosive ending. #netgalley #TheNextGirl

The Next Girl is a chillingly gripping thriller that intrigued me from the start. The characters are convincing and the story, although dramatic in some ways, is scarily believable...

We follow two key characters: Ellie, who is abducted one day after wandering off outside to find a toilet during a party, and Detective Chelsey, haunted by her sister's disappearance 20 years ago. When Ellie suddenly resurfaces after 2 years, a determined Chelsey takes charge of the case, desperate to uncover the truth.

The novel excels in its suspense. We, along with Chelsey, really want to understand what really happened to Ellie. Her memories - revealed through alternating chapters - keep us guessing about her escape and the secrets she seems to be keeping.

There are some dark parts to this story, as you'd expect from the subject matter, but also in the way we experience Ellie's memories during her time in captivity. The novel also addresses the different ways victims are treated by the police depending on their race and socioeconomic status. The ending ties up some different threads interestingly but it did feel a bit rushed to me.

Overall, The Next Girl is a gripping and thought-provoking read. It's perfect for those who enjoy dark, suspenseful thrillers with a touch of social commentary. I highly recommend it!

Brilliant. I could not put this book down until I had finished it. It open with a prologue of a girl running through the woods, she is dirty and frightened and she tells two hikers that find her that her name is “Elizabeth Black. I think I’m missing.” Detective Chelsey Calhoun is given the case. Two really well fleshed and complex characters with the story told from their dual POV’s, both of which were compelling.

Briefly, Elizabeth ‘Ellie’ was a rebellious teen who went missing after leaving a party she arranged at a local motel. That was two years ago and Ellie is now 19 years old. Chelsey has always been affected by missing girl cases since her own sister went missing 20 years ago, murdered by her boyfriend who then killed himself. Now she’s back Ellie is completely withdrawn and doesn’t want to tell the police anything, the only person she seems at all at ease with is her psychiatrist. But Chelsey is determined and starts to review other missing girl cases, with shocking results.

I don’t want to ruin the story by telling anymore, for fear of spoilers. This is a tense and shocking story with some quite upsetting narrative around the kidnapping so do be aware. That said it is not gratuitous. The writing around the effects of the prolonged incarceration is very good, my heart went out to the victims. The twists and turns and red herrings in this were so good, I was completely fooled, I didn’t have a clue! Fabulous read.