An engaging narrative with captivating characters that effortlessly transitions between past and present. It incorporates superb storytelling, effectively portraying the raw, gritty dynamics of generational family dysfunction. Despite its strengths, the abundance of twists and turns diminishes the overall impact of the story.

ARC provided in exchange for honest review. Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher. #GoodHalfGone #NetGalley

The author did a great time with the timelines and I think the story was really well executed. It had that something I’m always looking for when cozying up with a good book. Very enjoyable.

Loved this! Kept me guessing until the end. Takes some common tropes (sisters, kidnapping, mental illness) and puts a new spin on them!

Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher is a tale about a girl who witnesses her twin sister being abducted, but no one believes her. Fisher has this knack for getting under your skin with her characters, and this one's no exception. The main character, Iris, is relentless in looking for her sister and finding justice. She ends up interning at Shoal Island Hospital for the criminally insane and works with the most dangerous criminals. Will she find the man who killed her sister? This book hopped around a lot and had different timelines. Ultimately it was a compelling read, but lacking a little something.

This is definitely a year of awesome grandmothers in thrillers. I enjoyed many aspects of Good Half Gone but Gran stole the show for me. I’m also on a roll with stories about twins

Focus of the story are twins Piper and Iris. At the age of 15, Piper gets abducted but the authorities don’t believe Iris. Now years later, Iris accepts a job at the hospital for criminally insane set on a remote island. She believes she will find the answers about what happened to her sister there!

Though the focus was on solving the mystery of the missing twin, I really enjoyed the fact that the story also explored the complexities and challenges of twin sibling bond. Iris’s relentless drive to find answers made complete sense in light of that relationship. Also intergenerational trauma and the two girls finding a mother figure in their grandmother made me even more invested in the outcome.

The first half of the story is a slow burn setting the stage for what Iris is really doing at the hospital. The last third of the book turns into an action packed page turned. If you enjoy that combo in your thrillers, you’ll want to read this one. Also if you are a fan of Tarryn Fisher, you will want to grab this one. And finally if you enjoyed Cate Quinn’s The Clinic, you should definitely read Good Half Gone!

📚 Dual timeline
📚 Remote location
📚 Slow burn that turns action focused
📚 Exploration of some dark topics
📚 Twin bond

A huge thank you to @harpercollinsca & @htp for my gifted ARC!

I just dove into a novel by Tarryn, who's a fresh voice for me, and wow, it didn't disappoint me! The buzz around this release was impossible to ignore, so I caved and gave it a shot. Right from the get-go, the narrative had me completely engaged.

The plot centers around Iris, who's haunted by the day she saw her sister Piper get abducted. Despite her insistence, the general consensus is that Piper simply left on her own accord. However, the truth unfolds quite differently. Eventually, it surfaces that Piper might be alive, sparking a burning question: what really happened? Fast forward, and Iris, now grown, is hell-bent on uncovering the fate of her sister. Believing the culprit to be confined in a psychiatric hospital, Iris lands a job there, aiming to dig up some truths.

The storytelling absolutely captivated me, weaving seamlessly between past and present, keeping me on my toes with every page. I was particularly drawn to the dynamic between Iris and her grandmother, their relentless pursuit of the truth, and the strength of their bond through thick and thin. Iris's drive to unravel the mystery of her grandmother, who raised them after their mother chose addiction over her daughters, was heart-wrenching and heartwarming in equal measure. Their journey toward closure was as compelling as it was satisfying.

This book is a no-brainer for anyone with a soft spot for thrillers. It's a gripping, twist-filled adventure that promises to keep you guessing—and reading—well into the night.

This book started out strong for me and I was really enjoying it for most of the story. The atmospheric writing was great especially in describing the hospital and the island which housed the criminally insane where Iris gets a job. The premise of Iris trying to solve the mystery of her deceased twin sister’s kidnapping and death was intriguing. It all got a bit complicated and confusing though through the last third of the book with too many things happening all at once which I felt detracted from the initial plot.

I’ll admit the ending twist wasn’t for me, but this was still an exciting read! Tarryn Fisher is generally a truly captivating author, but a small portion in the middle of this book could’ve been cut without any real impact to the plot. Still recommend it for a quick thriller, but not her best work!

I love a good psychological thriller so I was excited to receive an ARC of Good Half Gone. Unfortunately the story was very predictable and I felt the characters were boring.
I do like Tarryn Fisher’s other novels but this one was just a big disappointment.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Nine years ago, Iris saw her twin sister get kidnapped, the only problem … the police don’t believe her. Iris has spent those years trying to find Piper. Is there a chance she’s still out there somewhere, or is she dead? Iris is just about to start an internship at a mental hospital for the criminally insane on a remote island in Washington. Iris has ulterior motives, she believes that she will get the answers she seeks on Shoal island. Unfortunately, everything is not what it seems on the island and soon Iris doesn’t know who to trust and is questioning much more than what happened to Piper. While Shoal Island did have the creep factor, the island mental hospital plot is nothing new, and somewhat tired. This book ended up being just an OK read for me. Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher // Psychological Thriller

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Nine years ago: At fifteen, Iris’ life changed forever when her twin sister, Piper, was abducted. Her eye witness account wasn’t taken seriously by the police, and her sister’s disappearance case turned cold.

Present day: As Iris, now in grad school, begins a paid internship at the Hospital on the Island (for the criminally insane) she has mysterious ulterior motives. What is it that she expects to find on this slowly eroding, eerie island? And how does it relate to Piper? Is she still out there somewhere?

Iris is a captivating, daring character, who will stop at nothing to discover the truth about her sister, especially if it means giving Gran and Cal a much needed slice of closure.

Laced with humor, emotion, mystery, twists, and turns, this book had me in a chokehold. I read the whole thing in one afternoon because I literally couldn’t stop. Around the 70% mark I was certain I knew the ending, but I was wrong!

Solid 5/5, Taryn Fisher does not disappoint.

OMG!! What an amazing read!! I was instantly drawn into this story from the very first page. And I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I just wanted to know how this all played out. I didn’t see that ending coming!! This was so worth the read and I think it’s my favorite book of Taryn’s to date.

2.5 stars!
Iris witnessed her twin sister get kidnapped as a teenager but the police always refused to take the case seriously. Iris has never been able to let go of finding out what happened. As an adult, she has decided to investigate on her own by interning at Shoal Island Hospital after getting a lead.

I thought this book had a lot of promise but I was disappointed. It started off strong with Shutter Island vibes but I found it went off track. There was a weird romance element, and then things just got really carried away. The plot line was hard to follow and by the end, I was ready for it to be done. I am always hoping for another book from this author like The Wives!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Good Half Gone is a good page turner. Once you open the book for the first time you won’t want to put it down until you finish it. I started to figure things out before actually reading them in the book, but it was still really good!

When Piper gets kidnapped while at the movies with her sister, Iris makes it her mission to find out what happened no matter how many years passed. Iris & Piper were raised by their Gran because their mom was a drug addict and their dad was “no one”. When Iris called the police from the movie theater that day they didn’t believe her when she told them Piper was taken. Gran & Iris took it upon themselves to try to find leads and figure out who took Piper. Iris gets an internship at Shoal Island HOTI but she has ulterior motives that no one knows about, or else that’s what she thinks. Iris leaves her son, Cal, with Gran while she works her 3 day shifts on the island. The island where her sister’s killer lives.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Tarryn Fisher for an ARC of Good Half Gone.

What a Twisty Psychological Thrill Ride!
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024
Iris's twin sister, Piper, was kidnapped when they were fifteen years old. Iris has been obsessed with finding answers as to what happened to her sister. And she is willing to put herself in danger to solve this mystery.

This was such a page turner. Fisher kept leaving breadcrumbs that left me reading late into the night.

This was written in dual timelines, when the twins were fifteen and Piper disappears and the present as Iris enters the asylum for the criminally insane on a desolate island to find the answers she seeks. I loved how descriptive the author was writing about the island and its inhabitants. . I could see the movie playing out in my head.

The ending really threw me for loop. This was my first book by this Tarryn Fisher, but it will not be my last. I highly recommend this for those that enjoy a good psychological thriller.

Thank you HTP Books, Graydon House, & Netgalley for an eARC of Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher!

Tarryn's books are always so twisty - And I truly never know what to expect when I pick up one of her novels. This book alternates chapters between past and present from the point-of-view of Iris Walsh - As a teen she saw her twin get kidnapped in broad daylight, but nobody believes her - Piper is presumed to be a runaway by the police. Iris has never stopped trying to find her, even though the case went cold years ago.

In present time, Iris becomes an intern at an isolated psych hospital on an island - And she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for.

The setting is CREEPY - atmsopheric - and I felt a sense of unease with each chapter. The audio on this book is an A+, too. As always, can't wait to see what Fisher comes up with next - The ending was great, but felt slightly abrupt (Could've used some more in my opinion, I was super invested in Iris!)

thank you netgalley and harlequin for the arc. i can't believe something that i read 70% of in a few hours could have such a rushed, incoherent and ridiculous ending. i really loved this book up until it all fell apart.

i felt that it was jarring that all of a sudden iris has feelings for leo and that the name of piper's killer is casually named for the first time in the same sentence. the conversations that iris had, whether it was with leo or with others, were repeated at least once. she described the photo album at least three different ways (in tact, then ripped apart, scribbled on and then the pastor is taken out of the photos? which one is it!). the continuity issues always annoy me.

I needed a second to digest this before I gave my two cents. 4.5 🌟 for me!

First. I love Tarryn Fisher. This is only my second book I’ve read by her, and she’s officially been added to my auto read author list! I am a psych nurse, so this book automatically appealed to me with the remote island setting of a hospital for the criminally insane. Spoiler alert: nothing scares me more than the idea of a patient riot…especially with no outlets!! Sooo there’s that!

Okay. Secondly. I loved the slow build that this book gave. You really got to see the character development and feel the pain of the twin left behind, trying to grapple with so many emotions and understand why her sister was taken and why she wasn’t in her place. Truly well done in my opinion!

While I knew the good doctor was up to no good, I didn’t realize the extent of his ploy, and when it dropped, so did my jaw! My only meh moment was really the far fetched reality of how the deception occurred, but at the same time, I enjoyed the dramatics of it! I truly devoured this book and look forward to another book by Tarryn!

Special thanks to netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!

Another win for Tarryn Fisher! I needed an unpredictable mystery, and this one delivered!! What I love about this author's books is I can never guess the twists!

This was an okay book. This author is a good writer, but something with the execution is always missing the mark. This story was all over the place and the plot was a bit out there for me and unrealistic. For the reader that likes a lot of up and down, this may be a hit. Overall, I was interested in the main character and wanted to see it through to the end, it was the journey there wasn't the best.