Overall this was a very good book, very well written, insightful and poetic at moments with two interesting, damaged main characters , that stole my heart. Ellie is returned/returns after being missing for two years, traumatized with many unanswered questions. The book both explores what happened to her and how she copes after and the story of the detective who is trying to understand what happened and if the case is connected to other missing and killed girls. Relationship issues ,between family members, sisters in particular, as well as parent and child, husbands and wives as the story unfolds. A new author for me, but will read her other books for sure.

“My name is Elizabeth Black. I think I’m missing.”

Two years, two weeks, and one day. That’s how long Elizabeth Black has been missing when she is found on a hiking trail near Olympia, Washington. Detective Chelsey Calhoun should know. She’s been a detective exactly two years and two weeks, making Elizabeth Black’s disappearance her first case. The fact that Ellie was never found, like Chelsey’s sister Lydia, has haunted her every day.

Ellie is bruised, broken, and just wants to go home. She’s also not talking. Not about the case, her captors, or how she escaped. In fact, it seems as if the case will close when a desperate Chelsey discovers a link that ties Ellie to another girl, a girl who disappeared several years ago, and whose body was found on accident, buried in a forest. As Chelsey begins to dig deeper into these cases, she begins to question why Ellie refuses to cooperate. Is she protecting herself, as her parents and psychologist claim, or someone else?

“I wish this was not cautionary tale about what happens to girls who wander off in the dark. Who are made to learn there are bad people everywhere. “

The Return of Ellie Black is a story that is fast paced and will pull you in from the very beginning. Although it is told mostly from Chelsey’s perspective, this story does have multiple viewpoints. The most fascinating to me was Ellie’s. Ellie gives us in depth details about her life before and after her abduction, letting you fully immerse yourself in the mental and emotional changes that occur over the time she’s held captive. The way she talks about everything from the invulnerability we have all felt as teenagers to the fear that takes over as you fight to survive is so compelling. It can be heartbreaking at times, but it's worth every page.

“… a dollar figure was attached to each case. A careful calculation multiplied by parents’ wealth, then divided by race and religion.”

Emiko Jean does not stint on the details of missing persons cases in this book, especially when it comes to victims who are minorities or from lower income families. I knew that there were disparities in the amount of time and attention these cases were given, but this book opened my eyes in several ways.

More often than not when read psychological thrillers I ruin the ending for myself, trying to constantly guess the “surprise twist.” That was NOT the case with this book. There was so much to this plot I didn’t’ see coming. To quote Stephen King the “last fifty pages are magnetic.” I loved this read and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

After reading everything else Emiko Jean has ever published, when I saw The Return of Ellie Black, I realized I had to request it!

This book took me on quite the ride and although some points of the story were to be expected, there were many that surprised me so much I had to instantly stop and tell my boyfriend all about it. Quite honestly, he could probably tell you about this book for how often I would pause and tell him what was happening.

I often feel hesitant when authors jump around to different genres, but Emiko Jean wrote suspense like a pro. Jean highlights the treatment of the white, well-off, and loud folks versus those who are of color, less affluent, and often from homes where their loved ones are already spread thin. I thought the way she brought attention to the resources allocated to some versus others was not only an honest representation, but a true criticism of our society that hit home for me. Additionally, it covered sexism, gender roles, the traditional expectations of women, and the horrid judgments made by men when "bad things happen to women because of..." (insert whatever ridiculous they make up to justify a man's actions).

This novel questions what defines innocence versus guilt and complicity versus survival. It also questions nature versus nurture. All in all, I found this novel to be beyond a mystery and left me contemplating so many of the themes raised by the author. The social commentary in this novel begs for real discussion with the people in out lives and calls to action the disruption of harmful narratives.

I cannot wait to read what's next! I suspect this was a standalone, but feel like it could also lend itself well to a series.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster from granting me access to this title.

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean is a fantastic debut thriller.
I was excited to read this new title by Jean after loving Mika in Real Life.
A real page turning suspense novel. A plot that moves along at warp speed, and my Kindle pages seemed to turn themselves. With a unique protagonist, an interesting setting, and a story that grabs you from the beginning and keeps on building.
I thoroughly enjoyed and was hooked for the entirety of this story and can only commend the author on writing a very intriguing book.

Thank You NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I liked the switching perspectives between them but at times I felt like the book was written to be shocking and that cheapened the story a bit. There was some social commentary but the kidnapping portions were a lot and seemed out of place at times. I don't like it when they take you out of the book to show you how horrible things are. It didn't flow.

This book is near impossible to put down, it begs to be read in one sitting. It is haunting, it is chilling and it is a nail-biter.

When Ellie Black reappears after vanishing two years earlier, the whole town is talking. The lead detective on the case, Chelsey Calhoun, is desperate to find Ellie’s abductor, but she must tread carefully as Ellie is fragile and traumatized. But Ellie isn’t speaking. She won’t give the detective any information. Once Chelsey discovers clues to other missing girls, she becomes laser focused on solving this crime, without Ellie’s help.

This book is slow, but in the best possible way. The author depicts trauma and tragedy in gentle prose, which makes it is easy to understand why a victim reacts in certain ways. The characters are very well developed, the plot is intriguing, and the ending is perfect. This easily rates 5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced copy. Publication date is May 7, 2024.

Detective Chelsea Calhoun lost her sister as a teenager, so she's spent the last twenty years searching for answers and looking for other lost girls, including local teenager Ellie Black, who vanished two years ago. When Ellie suddenly returns, she won't say where she's been or what happened to her, but Chelsea won't back down until she knows the truth.

I loved a lot of this book - the dual perspectives (Chelsea and Ellie) and the slow unraveling of Ellie's story was tense and upsetting and very well done. What I didn't love were the twists -- I guess the first one worked as a stretch explanation for what happened, but the second one was an eye-roller. That said, I overall really enjoyed reading this debut and am excited to read future books by Emiko Jean!

(3.5 rounded up)

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. "The Return of Ellie Black" delves into the mysterious reappearance of Ellie Black, who had been missing for years, raising numerous questions for Detective Chelsey Calhoun, the original investigator on the case. As the narrative unfolds, multiple storylines intertwine to shed light on Ellie's experiences.

This thrilling novel sets itself apart with its human element, delving into the raw emotions and trauma faced by its characters. While I found some aspects of the subject matter challenging, I appreciated the unique twist the story took on. The well-paced narrative held my attention throughout, allowing me to read it in one sitting. I'm delighted to have discovered a thriller that resonated with me. I highly recommend "The Return of Ellie Black" to both thriller enthusiasts and fans of contemporary fiction.

A Thrilling page turner you will not won't to put Down. Ellie Black returns home after missing fir two years. The detective assigned the case has more than a vested interest as to what happened to her. Full of huge twists and turns this book is absolutely engrossing from page one. Add to it the most likeable character Chelsey Calhoun I have read in a long while .

I’m such a sucker for a good cover, lemme tell ya! 😍 Many thanks to @NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the gifted eARC to read and review this new-to-me-author.

This one started off pretty well; I liked the multiple POVs and was really intrigued by the storyline. The multiple POVs alternate between a wide mix of characters—all done in third-person—but then the victim, Ellie’s POV is done in first-person. I’m seeing this a lot in thrillers lately and unfortunately, can’t say I’m a fan of it. Pick a POV? 🤷🏼‍♀️ That said, Ellie’s was definitely the strongest and most engaging, but I’m a sucker for first-person POVs, so…

Overall, a solid 3 stars. I enjoyed this one for the most part, but the word repetition throughout (flicker/flicked/flick/flicked) drove me crazy and the ending was a bit too outlandish for my taste.

This was a twisty and tense read, focused on the disappearance and subsequent return of a teenager named Ellie and the detective (Chelsey) who is trying to figure out what happened. The author did a great job in telling the story from their different POVs.

While we know Ellie has returned, the book takes the reader back though the happenings while she was missing, and weaves that story in with the current timeline. Ellie is a believable character, as were her family and friends. Chelsey is also believable and her flashback chapters give great characterization into understanding her current decisions. There were a couple great twists in the book, though without giving anything away, I kind of felt that the author tricked us with one of them. The ending wasn’t as memorable as the rest of the book but I thought it was ok.

Overall, this was engaging read that I had trouble putting down. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow - this was a great, spooky, quick thriller! The storyline is exactly what it sounds like...Ellie Black returns after years of being missing. I was expecting a typical "who done it" type of YA thriller, but this one dove into much deeper topics regarding trauma, mental health, and relationships. I liked the alternating POV and felt that it really added to the suspense and horror-like mood of this story! The ending of this one caught me off guard, and I know my students will love this one (I'd recommend it for more of my older/mature readers due to some of the topics). Thanks so much for this arc!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. The Return of Ellie Black is about exactly that— the mysterious return of Ellie Black, who had been missing for several years, and who has sparked a great many questions by Detective Chelsey Calhoun, who was initially assigned to her case. There are many things that are odd about Ellie’s return and slowly, we come to see how several different storylines twist together to help us understand what happened to her.

This was an excellent, propulsive thriller! I usually struggle with this genre, as I often find it difficult to move past the trite cliches and the drama. But, this one had a human element to it, with the author exploring many of the real, tough emotions and trauma that both Ellie and Chelsey have experienced. I’d definitely recommend looking into trigger warnings before diving into this one; I did find the subject matter difficult to read at times. However, even with that said, I’m glad I pushed through and enjoyed the fresh, unique twist that the story took on. The book was very well paced and didn’t drag on— I was engrossed enough in the book to read in a sitting, very glad to have found a thriller here that worked for me!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this story to thriller lovers and contemporary fiction fans!

I flew this book in less than a day. Emiko Jean knows how to pull you in until you are so immeshed in the story it's almost a part of you. I wouldn't call this a thriller, more literary suspense. The writing style is sharp, poetic, and captivating. The mystery is fascinating. And that twist in the last twenty pages? WHOA. Didnt see that coming. Bring a sharpie and don't start this one at bedtime! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for my ARC

Chelsey Calhoun has been haunted by her younger sister's disappearance for over two decades. Following in her father's footsteps, she enters into the police force in her hometown with hopes of helping other's escape danger.

Two hikers come across a girl while hiking in the Washington State woods. The girl? Ellie Black has been missing for two years. Chelsey spearheads the investigation determined to find justice for Ellie, yet Ellie remains quiet and refuses to participate in the investigation. As Chelsey digs deeper into the evidence, she discovers Ellie still remains quiet. The clock is ticking and Chelsey desperately needs Ellie's help to save the other girls.

This gripping story alternates between third person and Ellie's POV, which was brilliant. Seeing the world through Ellie's eyes really allows you to feel and see how fragile she is and how determined she is to do what needs to be done. This story gets darker and darker as more of what Ellie went through is discovered. However, throughout the high drama, high intensity chapters are softer, quieter scenes that give us a glimmer of hope that Ellie's life could be normal again, despite all that she gone through.

The twists and turns in this book are jaw dropping, but provide closure for not only the Chelsey and Ellie, but also the readers. This was so well written, I look forward to reading more from Emiko Jean.

Thank you to Emiko Jean, Netgalley, and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchance for an honest review!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Review: wow, this was one fascinating read. As some of you know, I love books that have some sort of captive part to it (think The Quiet Tenant or Room). The unique setting of this book is that Ellie Black was held captive and we can see her story unfold in the present and past.

What I found so interesting was the POV of Chelsey the detective. I loved her story and her determination to figure out what happened to Ellie. I felt she was so well developed. The author did an amazing job weaving the past and present together and really had me stumped multiple times. There were so many plot twists, with the book ending with a phenomenal twist that I didn’t see coming and wish it was flushed out a little more.

Ellie’s story was hard to read at times. I ant fathom what she went through. Despite that, I enjoyed reading about her time at the camp and all the connecting parts. I stayed up until 2am reading this. It was an excellent thriller that left me in disbelief!

A big thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review.


Pub date: May 7, 2024

It's been a lot of fun watching Emiko Jean explore different genres as an author. Going from her YA duology to her adult romance and now this thriller. I always enjoyed her previous works because of the joy and fun personality infused in her writing and main female characters. So to suddenly read something so bleak and dark was a little disappointing. I was hoping she'd put her own spin on thrillers by still maintaining her buoyant prose, but the style she went for is a lot more stilted.

Even though a lot of this story is high intensity, high drama (sometimes bordering on melodrama), my favorite parts were the quieter scenes. Ellie and her boyfriend having a tender moment when they first see each other again or Chelsey and her husband Noah sharing in a bit of lightheartedness. That's where Emiko Jean shines in my opinion and we just didn't get enough of it.

Great missing person mystery and police procedural!
A missing teenage girl is found after being gone for two years and Detective Chelsey Calhoun is charged with leading the investigation. Not only is Calhoun leading the investigation but she is extra invested because years ago her older sister was missing from the same town and was later found dead. There seem to be ties to Ellie Black, the found missing girl, and possibly other missing teenage girls from Washington state.
The author, Emiko Jean, very clearly gets both into Ellie’s mind as well as detective Calhoon’s. The reader gets good details on the two main characters’ backgrounds and emotions and there are quite a few surprises along the way with a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this upcoming thriller!

I’m going to make a prediction, this will be. Reese’s book club pick. The story unfolded cinematically and kept me entertained.

This story was so good! The author did an amazing job with character development and bringing the characters voice to life. I highly recommend.