Whew, what a wild ride! This book had me HOOKED! I absolutely loved the characters. I felt for Ellie and wondered the whole time what was going to happen. THE TWISTS! Incredible.

I have read some terrific thrillers lately and this for sure is at the top.
Ellie Black went missing 2 years ago, and now she's back.
Casey was the investigating officer, and while she is glad this case seemingly has a happy ending, she feels something is off.
She needs her questions answered, or Ellie might still be in danger.
I don't want to talk about the plot too much more because I want everyone to get the full experience. It is a "locked room" type abduction/captive story. It is a story of survival, it is a story of what you would do for someone you love. It is about how you move forward after a loss, and how you move forward when that loss is rediscovered.
It's also highlights social class and how some missing persons are given more attention than others. It's about how people in positions to help others use their positions to help themselves.
The story arc of Ellie Black is one I will not soon forget. I DID figure out part of it pretty early on, but it didn't take away from the ending. Some may feel it pulled too much in- I thought it was perfect.
All the stars. You will devour it in one sitting.
Trigger warning for violence/SA
Pub date 6/30/24
Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Shuster for my ebook advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this debut thriller from Emiko Jean.

This book drew me in right away. It was written very well, and it had me guessing right up to the end with page turning suspense.

There were lots of twists and turns. I loved the different povs. The pace was very fast, and the book was hard to set down.

Ellie has returned after missing for years. Detective Chelsea Calhoun has been haunted by her case as 20 years prior, Calhoun's sister vanished. Chelsea has been helping search for other missing girls since.

Things are weird and perplexing with Ellie. She doesn't want to say where she was or who was involved or talk about the case at all.

Chelsea just keeps digging and finding out information that threads connections you never see coming. She has more questions than answers and really needs to get more information from Ellie.

The way this all came together in the last 30% or so was so good and shocking and superb!

I really hope Jean continues forays into this genre because she is very good!

I loved Detective Chelsey Calhoun and this story had my attention the whole time. Her sister died at a young age after going missing and she makes it her mission to help others, even at the cost of her own relationships. When a local teenager returns after 2 years, Ellie Black, Chelsey is ready to find the person the took her, but Ellie isn't sharing much. I loved the descriptions of the woods and life in Washington, I could picture the denseness of the area. I also appreciated Chelsey's dedication. We read multiple perspectives in the book that work seamlessly. This is a great thriller! Highly recommended.

This is a missing girls story and while there is tough material discussed (talk of bruises, abuse, neglect etc), there thankfully aren't too many written details or descriptions, but people should be aware of trigger warnings.

Ellie Black was missing for 2 years and suddenly was found in the woods by some hikers. The Return of Ellie black went through many different perspectives (mostly current, but we did get Ellie’s perspective when she was kidnapped). I was trying to think what was going to happen, but my thoughts were wrong. I’d definitely recommend this for an easy to read thriller

I've read Tokyo ever after, Tokyo dreaming, and Mika in real life and I really enjoyed all of them so I was excited to see that the author had a new thriller coming out! It kicks off right away with action and mystery. It's definitely dark, sad, tense, and heavy. I felt like it was a Criminal Minds episode in a book form. Overall, I enjoyed the mystery and alternating between what was going on with the lead detective and the victim helped move the story along at a fast pace. The ending did feel like it wrapped up slightly too quickly, but for the most part there weren't really any major lingering questions or loose ends. I'd recommend this book if you like thrillers and mysteries. I suggest taking a look at content warnings before reading it.

I enjoyed this different take on the “missing girl” plot. In this story we follow Detective Chelsey Calhoun and Ellie Black. Black has been missing for two years when she suddenly appears out of the woods in Washington state. Calhoun is tasked with getting to the bottom of Black’s case, and it’s personal for her since her own sister went missing when they were younger.

The examination of shame and blame that women place upon themselves for what should be regular behavior, but then has a tragic result was so well done in this novel. This story was much darker than the authors previous novels but Jean did a great job of delving into a tough topic without making it feel too traumatic.

Thanks to @simonandschuster and @thoughtsfromapage for the ARC and author discussion. In a fun tidbit I learned last night while chatting with the author – this book has a different cover and title in the UK. I always find cover differences fun to see how publishing houses market things different to different countries.

The author had my attention from the start and kept it throughout this suspenseful and enthralling book. Some parts are difficult to read as the story includes the kidnapping and treatment of teenage girls while held captive. The last few chapters held unexpected twists. Great book! I will look for more from this author.

This made for a fun, engaging and interesting literary suspense novel. I enjoyed the chapter breaks of the detective in current time and Ellie in her past time.

Ellie has been one for two years and one day she randomly appears. She's not open to wanting to rehash all that she has been through but the detective slowly begins to piece the mystery of Ellie's disappearance.

I loved the twists this book took me down. It discusses a dark subject matter but does so in a way that didn't feel too burdensome. I will definitely be interested to read a future Emiko Jean mystery book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advance eARC.

I absolutely love a missing persons story, I never seem to tire of them but I love when the missing person returns even more so this one sounded right up my alley and it was! I was hooked from the start, of course I wanted to know where Ellie had been and who had kept her for two years but I was also very invested in Chelsey as well. She was such a well developed character, really all the characters were well drawn and the way her past shaped her as a detective was so interesting and heartbreaking. This one is pretty dark and disturbing and the psychological aspects on both Ellie and Chelsey were examined in detail making for some chilling reading. There are multiple viewpoints and the audio version had a terrific cast of narrators so if you like to listen to books I can highly recommend that version. Hearing parts of this out loud gave me serious chills and made this one all the more memorable than it already was. If you want a solid and twisty suspense this was excellent.

Atria eARC
I loved Mika in Real Life last year, so I was so excited to see Emiko Jean had a new novel out. This was a grand slam. I wasn't sure how it would go because of how different these two books are, but she just showed with this novel that she has so much range - and I can't wait to read her YA to end up being more impressed. This is a well thought out police procedural with messy, realistic characters. Chelsey was such a strong and flawed detective - which is what I like with these types of books. The crime was well thought out and kept me surprised and guessing and nothing was unbelievable. I thought the voice of the characters was strong and engaging. I am just so impressed with this book and have already told people to preorder because it's that good.

Okay, Emiko Jean. I see you! I could not wait to uncover what happened to Ellie Black. The book opened to a girl found in the woods following a two-year disappearance. Where did she go? Who took her, and what did she endure? Are there other girls in danger as well? Told in alternating timelines, we watch Detective Chelsey Calhoun as she follows the threads to Ellie’s captor, with chapters in between that include Ellie’s accounts of where she went. I really loved how the reader knew what happened to Ellie before Detective Calhoun figured it out. It added a level of suspense that made me sad but also hopeful. While this book contained a twist that was all too convenient, I thought it was thrilling nonetheless. I think I may have enjoyed it more if we had a third timeline re: Ellie’s captor’s life in the “before.” Jean should definitely be awarded for stepping outside of her comfort zone; this author previously dabbled in YA contemporary romance. I hope she writes more thrillers!

“But often, Chelsey wondered if her father, if people in general, should spend less time protecting daughters and more time worrying about sons. The dangerous things boys do. How they might be raised differently.”

This book was good but just not for me at this time. I think it's just the mood I was in at the time. Will try it later in the year. I would still recommend for anyone looking for a good book

The Return of Ellie Black deserves the hype it's gotten for sure. It's twisty, mysterious, and very well executed. I did struggle a little bit with the sister names - I kept forgetting which sister went with with MC, but I have no idea why. I'm weird, I think. But. The twists! The turns! I loved them, and was genuinely surprised by them, which can be tough to do. I'll be looking for more from this author in the future for sure!

Emiko Jean truly does not miss! She's shone in young adult romance, in new adult contemporary fiction, and now with a thriller and mystery. I was unsure what to expect since I was used to the warm hugs of her previous books. However, The Return of Ellie Black was such a pleasant surprise. I think most mystery babes will enjoy this one!

Men preying on young girls. They need to be found. Who can you trust? Nobody.

Detective Chelsea Calhoun’s sister, Lydia, vanishes and is presumed killed in a murder suicide by her boyfriend. Chelsea can’t live with the fact that she couldn’t save her sister. She is determined to rescue and find all other young girls that go missing. She will not stop until Ellie Black is found. I loved Chelsea’s character, I loved Ellie’s devotion and compassion for the girls that were taken with her. I loved Emiko Jean’s writing style. I would recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Shuster for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When a girl is found on a trail by two hikers stating that she is Ellie Black, a girl that has been missing for over two years, it is up to Detective Chelsey Calhoun to figure out what happened. Detective Chelsey has previous experience with missing people. Her sister went missing twenty years ago and believed to be dead. However, Ellie is finally safe and surrounded by the people she loves. When Chelsey tries to get Ellie's story, Ellie is reluctant to help and seems to be hiding the truth about what happened to her. As Chelsey follows the clues, evidence might point to Ellie not being the only victim.

This was a great debut for Emiko Jean. I was invested in Detective Chelsey's character as she figured out what truly happened to Ellie Black while dealing with the death of her father and the disappearance of her sister. I enjoyed the two different point of views, especially Ellie's account of what truly happened during the two years she was missing. Some of Ellie's scenes were very difficult to read, and I highly suggest reading the trigger warnings for this book before making the decision to read this book. The ending was slightly lackluster. The resolution felt rushed and felt that the author could have provider a better conclusion, but I did enjoy the book overall.

The Return of Ellie Black releases May 7th.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to review The Return of Ellie Black. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This will go down as one of my top reads of 2024.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm a huge fan of novels written with strong female leads that violently shake away societal pressures to not listen to our guts.
Domestic(ish) thriller. I didn’t put the pieces together until 77% and even then there were still two twists to come.
Trauma and its ripple effects.
Violence against women.
Injustices within the system.
Police procedural with Nordic noirish themes of heavy trauma backstories, social justice themes, and family secrets.
Dual narrative. Slow going until the second narrative is introduced.
Characters are well-fleshed out. Back stories intermingle well with current narratives.

“I wish this was not a cautionary tale about what happens to girls who wander off in the dark. Who are made to learn there are bad people everywhere. The truth is these people are not strangers. They are men you work with, the men you raise. I wish this wasn’t what it meant to be female - it is not a matter of if something bad will happen, but when.”

17 year old Ellie Black is found by hikers, alive, two years after she goes missing. Chelsey Calhoun, detective of the Coldwell PD and case lead during Ellie’s disappearance, suffered her own loss and trauma 20 years prior. This story follows Chelsey and Ellie, as Chelsey tries to unravel what happened to Ellie during the course of two years, and Ellie attempts to resolve her trauma.

The novel is structured with a first person POV flashback of Ellie’s experience, and with 3rd person present day timeline, mainly following Chelsey’s journey. Unfortunately, I found this structure to be completely jarring and disconnecting the flow of the reading experience. I would have enjoyed this much more if the 3rd person present day POV been in Chelsey’s 1st person POV. There were also instances where the writer broke the 4th wall, which doesn’t make any sense given this story is not written in a journal or retelling format.

My biggest issue with this novel was with the writing style - the story was a conjunction of endless short, choppy sentences. It made it extremely hard to focus on the content and meaning of the words on the page. I would have DNFed had the plot not been interesting enough to keep me going.

From a plot perspective, however, this story was very well developed. The pacing was fantastic and never let off the gas. I thoroughly enjoyed the flashbacks from Ellie’s POV. They gave me that edge of your seat feeling that made me want to continue turning pages. The ending gave shock factor, however I wish there were more Easter eggs in the earlier parts of the book instead of so much information dumping to tie everything together.

Chelsey’s character arc was also developed very well. We got to see her internal battle with wanting to fight for justice, and the way that justice should be morally sought, while also dealing with her own personal trauma. There was also some good commentary on the issues of women’s abuse, and systemic injustice for lower class victims.

Overall, I’d recommend this to those who enjoy strong female leads, and twisty, turny thrillers. Check your trigger warnings!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my ARC of The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean. I loved this one! A thrilling storyline centered around Detective Chelsey Calhoun's investigation into a missing girl, this book was a page-turner. I particularly enjoyed the alternative POVs in each chapter and although it wasn't stated who the narrator was, it wasn't hard to follow. I think it added to the mystery and atmosphere of the book. Where I think there may be some room for improvement is the dialogue and ethics of the therapist's character. While there was more accuracy than most books describing sessions and/or a therapist working with a trauma survivor, I think there is still a bit of room to go in terms of it being genuine, realistic, and an accurate depiction. My only other comment would be that a content warning should be included at the beginning of this book. Otherwise, I really loved this one! I'm rating it 5/5 stars and would recommend this read to anyone looking for a suspenseful, atmospheric, page-turner.