WOW! What a twist on a book about an influencer! I thought I figured it out and then I would realize I was missing something and my entire prediction would change. Joy... I loved her and hated her - I was never sure if she was truthful or not... the whole story is crazy but to the point that it is so crazy that it is believable. I loved the characters and the different ways they interacted. It kept me on my toes - it was the perfect book to be my first thriller read of 2024!

First--let me say thank you for Net Galley, Storm Publishing, and the author for granting me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

You Know Her follows the disappearance of social media influencer Joy Maddison whom disappeared on her evening run 5 years prior. On the the 5th anniversary of her disappearance her sister, a DI investigating the criminal underworld, sees a glimpse of a woman whom she believes could be her sister. What ensues is a wild ride full of secrets and betrayals that rock this family unit.

I honestly nearly quit reading this book around 40%. I feel like the plot was too drawn out in the beginning to get to the major point of the plot. I really stuck with it, only for the fact that I do not like to quit a book, I usually always see through them until the end. I feel a lot of the extra inner dialogue and retentiveness throughout the first half of the book could have been cut and would not have had a huge effect on the reader at all.

I will say that the characterization is extremely good and added to the overall appeal of the book. The second half of the book really pulled me in and I couldn't wait to get to the end of find out the final twist and who had done it.

Overall I would give this book 3.5 ⭐. This is my first book by D.E White, but I will be looking for more by this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own opinions.

I'll admit, getting almost halfway through was a challenge as the book starts really slow. I am however so happy I pushed through because the second was a roller coaster of a mystery. Very good in the end, I do however wish that the entire book was at the same level of interest.

This book... Oh my... At first I thought it was predictable, but nothing is predictable at all. It has so many layers, so many secrets and the suspense only increases. Also, the main character couldn't more unreliable. Kudos to the writer, can't wait to read her next book!

Started off super slow paced but about half way through it really picks up and all the twists begin, so on the whole it was an enjoyable read. 3.5 rounded up. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Holy, moly, my head might have just spun right on off my shoulders!

D.E White has done it again!

Lies, Secrets, Deceit.. Well, now you're just speaking my love language!!

Talk about a scandal, this book delivers!

After reading previous publications, Glass Dolls, The Ice Daughters and Remember Me, D.E White, became an auto-buy author. Their writing speaks straight to my little black soul and I just can't get enough!

You Know Her, will stay with you long after concluding and will be impossible to stop thinking about.

White’s talent shines through with the character development and fluid chapters. I was never once bored but in fact, the complete opposite, I was completely consumed within the pages. I could not get to the next chapter fast enough.

Talk about some strong characters!

D.E White, is a literary genius and I am so here for it!

Check out this teaser :

In the last ever video clip of Joy Maddison – a perfect wife and mother – she smiles for the camera, then turns to the woods and sets off on her evening run.

And then she is gone.

I lean forward and touch her face on the TV screen. The evening sunlight catches her long blonde hair, turning the strands to threads of true gold. Her laughter always makes me smile, as though we share a private joke.

Which in a way is true, isn’t it, darling?

I’m watching a documentary, made for the five-year anniversary of her disappearance. She would have loved this, being centre stage on a Saturday night.

She was adored by all of us, but, in the end, I was the only one who loved her enough to make sure she got what she really deserved.

I just didn’t expect her to come back.

An excellent, well written thriller, with twists and turns and an unexpected ending. The storyline keeps you interested from start to finish. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers digital copy of You Know Her written by D. E. White.

You Know Her is a psychological thriller about a social media influencer Joy Maddison who vanishes into thin air. Joys family has spent the last 5 years waiting for the day that Joy pops back into their lives as they believe she is living among them just in a hidden manner.

Mattie Woods is a recovering addict who works undercover with the police as an informant, and even though she has some memory problems due to the alcohol and drug use for many years….she still holds many answers regarding Joy’s disappearance.

This book didn’t do it for me. It felt very slow moving and every chapter felt more repetitive than the last. Most of this book felt very predictable and due to all these factors I was so close to DNFing. I ended up being more intrigued with the growth of Mattie’s character and Joys missing persons case kind of took back burner to that.

A podcaster named Joy has been missing for five years and on the fifth anniversary they’re showing a documentary which is being watched by drug addicted Maggie or at least she was a drug addict until she recently got the flu and decided it was her chance to get clean and so far so good. If not for Maggie‘s best friend Bobby taking care of her through her feverish flu Maggie doesn’t know what she would’ve done. Six weeks ago her boyfriend who was physically and mentally abusive Jono went missing Maggie and Jono were influencer Joy‘s biggest fans and despite Jono gone missing Maggie still cannot get enough of watching enjoys YouTube post and documentaries but now sober or not she still has to go to work for Jono‘s cousin Ned “ a want to be” drug king pin it seems since Jono‘s disappearance she’ll have to take his place at the fishmarket we’re Ned does business but he isn’t the only one wanting Maggie to take Jono‘s place she is also become an informant for a policeman name Add and just by coincidence his boss is Joy’s sister Lucy. Eventually Lucy and Maggie‘s path will cross and it will change everything. Lucy is a detective inspector who will not let her sister case go cold but she isn’t the only one who marks the anniversary eight blogger named Natterring On, also marks the anniversary of her disappearance but this year he changes it up. He makes claims to knowing more than someone uninvolved would know and Lucy wants to find out who this is but I will take a few bad nights and a sketchbook to get to the bottom of the case. What I have written in this review isn’t even the first 20% of the book this book has so much happening and it is so twisty you may need a seatbelt. I had first didn’t like the abrupt change like one minute she’s wrapping up a dead body in the next she is at her friends comedy night But you get used to it and it is so worth it this really was a really great book it took me two days to read it but OMG so worth it! It makes me look forward to the next book by this author I can get my hands on a truly twisty five star read! I want to think the author, storm publishing and net Galley for this great free art please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

You Know Her, a psychological thriller, is really two books in one. The first is Mattie’s story. She is addicted to drugs and alcohol and has recently been abandoned by Jono, a manipulative, abusive man who feeds her addiction. Mattie survives on the cash she makes working at the fish market run by Ned. Ned and his crew are the subjects of a covert police investigation and Mattie is paid for the information she provides her police handler. Of course, this is very risky job.

From the prologue, we know that Joy Maddison, a very popular social media influencer, went out for a run five years earlier. She never returned and her body has never been found. She left her husband, three young children, her father and her sister Lucy behind. Lucy is now a police officer. She has never stopped searching for Joy.

These women are obviously connected. I don’t like spoilers so I won’t say more. You Know Her has surprises until the last page and is impossible to put down. Enjoy! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and D.E. White for this ARC.

3.5 stars

You Know Her by D.E. White  is a psychological thriller about a missing woman.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Storm Publishing for sending me a widget, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 
 My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Joy Maddison, a popular influencer disappeared five years ago, leaving behind her husband Emile, and her three children.   She had set out for her run, despite the heatwave, and was never seen again.

Joy's sister DI Lucy Merry has never fully grieved.  Until she sees the body of her sister, she cannot.  Joy's father Frank believes his daughter s still alive.

Mattie Woods, an addict, has recently been working as an informant for the police.  They are trying to bring down Ned, who has his fingers in everything from drugs to the trafficking of girls.  Mattie and her missing boyfriend Jono were big fans of Joy.  Mattie knows everything about her.

Lucy and Mattie are more connected than they know, and memories will have to re-surface before everything is solved.


My Opinions:
This was very slow moving.  The overall plot was good, if somewhat predictable, but it was slow.

The book centered around a woman's journey through a horrific experience of torture, brain-washing and amnesia.  It looked at strength of character, and love of family.

Character-wise, I felt sorry for Lucy, loved Bobby, and rooted for Mattie, but had a hard time getting behind Joy, Emile, and Frank.  There was something "off" about all of them (some more than others). Jono and Ned were just nightmares.

So, overall, although the plot was good, and the characters intriguing, it just moved too slowly for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for the ARC #YouKnowHer by #DEWhite. This is a very intriguing book with lots of secrets, relationships, abuse and manipulation. I was totally shocked with the twist ending and never expected it. Highly recommend.

This book didn’t quite work for me. I’m not sure if it was because I’ve read some super fast-paced books lately, but this one was a bit slow moving for me!!! I do want to highlight authors writing though. The atmosphere that was created was truly masterful. I truly felt the heat and the claustrophobia of the setting and it definitely had the thrilling effect spot on. I think readers that enjoy extra slow paced mystery thrillers would really love this one.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

3.0⭐️

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an arc of 'You Know Her'. The premise of the story was exciting but sadly I found the first half of the book to be very repetitive. I must admit to not liking the characters much either. The second half picked up speed and it was interesting to reach the finale.

This was the first book I have read by this author. It was a slow burning psychological drama with an intriguing plot and mix of characters and had lots of twists and turns particularly as the book picked up towards the end that hooked me in and wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next.

A suspenseful read which makes you question do you really know anyone that well and who can you trust

This book is very lengthy and descriptive. It took me quite a while to get into because it’s hard to connect with the characters. I was often confused on what was happening and by the time the first ‘twist’ came, nearly half way through the book, I was ready for it to be over. The story is intriguing but the overly descriptive nature of the book makes it overwhelming and boring to read.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book. The author is new to me. Aligning any book to Gone Girl is a bit of a stretch but this is that good. A missing woman, a troubled ex junkie (who has a sideline as an informant) and her missing boyfriend and you have all the elements required for the perfect mystery. Add smooth writing and you have an altogether excellent read.

Vlogger Joy Maddison disappears after her filming her last video. She is going out for a run and waves goodbye to her viewers.

Five years later, Joy's fate is still unknown. Meanwhile, Mattie is trying to escape her dead end lifestyle and stay away from drugs.

A very slow burn of a story. The beginning especially was quite slow. Once you get to know the characters and become interested in them, the story picks up quickly.

The surprise twist kept this from being a slow, boring read. I liked the premise of the book a lot and would have liked the whole book even more if the first half was more quickly paced.

3.5 stars for me

Thanks to netgalley and Storm Publishing for the arc.

Thank you very much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book I really appreciate it. Bad out of the way first, the beginning is mildly confusing and frustrating and as you get through it what you start to assume you would be correct. However once through the first 3rd it all starts to fall together, and that ending! Oh my gosh that was perfect! The perfect and I mean perfect plot twist of everything you least expect and it works so well!!! The ending was an Agatha Christie worth ending. The psychology thriller aspect to this reminds me of some of Alice Feeneys works and I loved it, it was not over done like some can be! Thank you so much for allowing me the privilege to read this book I loved it!

This was a fascinating story and a very complicated storyline that kept my brain fully engaged. A variety of characters who were all essential to the story. Lots of action and variety and an amazing conclusion which I didn't come close to anticipating.