It’s been a while since I picked up a book with this kind of theme. As I finished this book, however, I realized why that was so.

This book has an interesting plot with well written characters and some twists, but they were not enough to hold me. I seem to have moved away from this genre permanently and that is not a reflection on this book exactly.

We have a long ago death and a young girl was put away for it. Only one lady on the outside believes in her innocence. After serving her time, our protagonist is part of a happy family until she sees her daughter in a missing ad. She feels like her past is coming to threaten her and she may be right.

We are given slow glimpses into the past and we can arrive at the possible truth even before the people in the book do. I found it a little anticlimactic but that was probably just me. I think readers of this genre might enjoy this more than I did.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I have read a book by this author previously and liked it. Unfortunately with this one , there is alot of books in the bookworld about missing children. I found it to be unrealistic and the ending was flat.

12 year old Mia’s photo is ciculated as a missing person but she isn’t….a gripping read to find out what happened in the past to get to where they were today but it kind of concluded very quickly ! Decent read.

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓. This has been no different. I have been pulled in and completely adored this one. This is perfectly paced and completely addictive. Everything about this has been superb. I devoured this gem in just one sitting.

This is the kinda book I have needed. It helps that I am a huge fan of the author, I knew I was guaranteed a good read. Carpenter pulled me down a rabbit hole of uncertainty, I doubted myself on many occasions and found I was completely unable to predict this one.

There have been many secrets in this to unravel and I absolutely adored every moment. My heart has pounded as I’ve read this one. Imagine seeing a child missing on the news, only the child is your child.

I raced through this one, with no regrets. This is a book I was excited about immediately. This is unpredictable in all the best ways and I lapped it up. I wish I could experience this as a first read all over again because this is brilliant.

I have no hesitations in recommending this gem. It’s brilliant from beginning to end.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This one is a spine-tingling thriller that will leave readers on the edge of their seats. With its twisty plot and heart-pounding suspense, this novel is sure to keep you up all night turning the pages!

Oh my god this book is absolutely frightening. My heart was pounding throughout. Literally couldn’t put this down till I reached that last page. This book will have you hooked it is absolutely fantastic!

This book had me gripped from the beginning. Why is there be a missing poster of a child who is not missing being circulated on social media? Why is Mia being targeted? Is she in danger? Is Mark the good Dad he claims to be or is he hiding dark secrets? As their family is thrown into turmoil, it becomes clear that alot of people are lying and others, including Mark, are not who they say they are. Really good read. Definitely recommend.

What a premise! What a book! Loved this one so much. Brilliant from start to finish. I could not put it down. Addictive and just wonderful.

This is a story about a terrible rush to judgement when a 12-year-old girl is found dead with her best friend sitting by her side. Rosie was arrested for the crime and served 8 years even though she said she was innocent. Sadie, a journalist has followed the case from the beginning as she has some personal interest in the case. She believes Rosie is innocent. After Rosie is released, she begins her new with a new identity. She meets a man she knew from her childhood (he was a best friend of her brother). She marries him and has a child of her own. For several years she lives an idyllic life.
And Sadie keeps investigating as there are several other young girls who have turned up dead all with some connection to Rosie. There is a mind-blowing twist at the end as the killer is revealed, and it all comes together very well. I'd recommend this book as it keeps you interest throughout.

Rosie McShane was convicted of killing her best friend as a young teenager. A jury believes this to be true and sentences her for the crime.
She is released as a young adult living under a different name. Now married with a young daughter and working as an artist she sees a missing child post being shared with her daughter’s name and picture. Her husband says they are in danger from a bad business deal. Rosie, now Jessie, go to stay with her mom for a few days as the situation worsens. This read was fast paced with a very interesting main character.

Four year old Mia Donovan is safe with her family, so why are there reports on social media that she is missing? Her mother Jessie is worried that her own past may put Mia in danger...
The Girl on the News is a mix of murder mystery, family drama and psychological thriller set in the UK.
Jessie is trying to put the past behind her. She is fiercely protective of her identity and is not on social media for her own protection as well as that of her family. Jessie is the new identity of Rosie McShane, a convicted child killer who murdered her best friend. But someone knows the truth and is ready to expose it to the public, putting Jessie and her family at risk.
It took me a little while to get into this book due to the frequent change in perspective, however I soon settled into the plot and was hooked. There is fantastic emotion in this book as Sadie and Heather deal with their mother's age and illness as well as the historic murder. Meanwhile Jessie's mum is very peculiar despite being sober for 6 months. Her attitutude and behaviour toward her daughter have always been awful. The interviews and diary entries are heartbreaking and Rosie seems so young and innocent that it is impossible to feel anything but sorrow at her unfortunate life before and after her best friend's murder.
The tension is good and there are red herrings to make us suspect a variety of characters. It is clear that Rosie was innocent so who is the real killer? I was absolutely gripped by the plot and the character development. However, I had to suspend my disbelief as there was zero detail on why Rosie was convicted. There appeared to be no evidence whatsoever so I couldn't understand why she was suspected let alone convicted. I found the ending a little disappointing as there wasn't much explanation about how and why.
The Girl on the News is a tense and emotional book, full of drama and heartache.

I will absolutely read something by this author again!!! The mystery held me throughout and I remained obsessed till the end. If you want a mystery to reel you in and hold you there, I definitely recommend this one.

Hook line and sinker! First time reader and will not be my last. The character development is really what pulled me in the most. The suspense was just enough to keep me constantly page turning until I finished.

Thank you for the opportunity to read! Another author added to my favorites.

The Girl on the News is a tense psychological thriller by Elisabeth Carpenter and I raced through it. Elisabeth Carpenter has come up with a really intriguing premise in her latest book that hooked me right away. Jessie is shocked to see a picture of her daughter, Mia, in the news, and she is even more shocked, when the headline says she’s missing, when she is clearly fine and unharmed. But before we get to this point, Elisabeth Carpenter introduces us to Jessie and Mark, Mia’s parents. Mia is Jessie’s world, but there is something intriguing about Jessie. Getting to the bottom of what has happened in Jessie’s life, is what really held my attention throughout the book, and it’s what makes her such an intriguing character to follow.

I could really feel the emotions that Jessie was going through in this book. You can see how much she adores her daughter, and how much she values the life she has now. So why would someone want to try and destroy it? It’s here that we begin to learn about the secrets she has been keeping, and the fact that someone might be targeting her because of this, is devastating for Jessie. I could see how much she has fought to have the life she has now. There are some horrific revelations about her past, but I was desperate to learn more about her, and to understand more about what Jessie did. I kept thinking that perhaps Elisabeth wasn’t telling us everything.

Elisabeth Carpenter does a brilliant job of keeping the tension ticking up a notch as more revelations about what happened in the past are revealed. The final chapters were really tense as we see Jessie fight to get answers, and I could not stop turning the pages. This is where the emotions in Elisabeth’s writing come through really strongly, and she delivers a nail biting and a very satisfactory ending.

Elisabeth Carpenter is a writer who never fails to disappoint and I was kept utterly hooked by The Girl on the News. I’ve always been a massive fan of her writing and Elisabeth Carpenter continues to impress me with her talent. I can’t wait to read what she writes next.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'The Girl On The News' by Elisabeth Carpenter and narrated by Zoe Mills.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley Shelf and NetGalley for Elisabeth Carpenter, Bookouture publishers, Bookouture Audio, Bookouture anonymous and Hachette UK.

Publication date 29th January 2024.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'the Family On Smith Street' which I would also recommend.

This novel consists of 43 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

'The Girl On the News' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Elisabeth discusses neglect.

This book is very well written and narrated and had me hook, line and sinker from beginning to end. The descriptions were so in depth and vivid that the hair on my arms was standing on the ends and my heart was pounding throughout. The synopsis, title and cover were perfect for the storyline.
I will admit that this book was a bit of a slow burn to start as the story starts to build up but I would definitely liken it to a rollercoaster ride. You open the page and then you start going up the ride to the peak and then all of a sudden you are thrown over the top with twists and turns with the speed building up and up until it comes to a fantastic ending. The book is written with both multiple protagonists as well as a dual timeline and Elisabeth weaves the different characters and the different timelines together perfectly building up the larger picture for the readers to see what happened in the past to lead to what was going on in the present. The storyline is ram packed with tension, drama, twists, lies, mystery, friendship, secrets, red herrings and much more! It is a captivating book that once I started listening to it I just couldn't stop and I was playing it through my earphones while doing jobs in the house, in the car when out and even through Alexa until I had devoured it in several hours!! There were several twists throughout the book. Although the book was slow to begin with it did pick up speed quite quickly and I enjoyed the unexpected twists and even the ones that were not a huge surprise. The ending was definitely unexpected and did leave me mind blown and considering how many crime books I have read that is definitely a huge bonus as it is getting harder and harder to surprise me. I am looking forward to seeing what Elisabeth comes up with next!
It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture
This is one of the few books that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Zoe Mills who did a great job bringing this story to life. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity and Zoe did a fantastic job on both male and female characters voices!!! I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Elisabeth but also to listening to more books narrated by Zoe! I have previously listened to several books that Sarah has narrated and she really does do an absolutely amazing job ensuring the story comes to life for the reader. The books I have listened/read that Sarah has narrated and I would highly recommend are The Holiday Home by Daniel Hurst and The Italian Daughter by Soraya Lane.
The characters were all realistic and Elisabeth evocative writing skills and Zoe's fantastic narration brought each of them to life leaving you feel that you are standing next to each of them as they are telling you their stories. They each had their own unique personalities that I enjoyed getting to know as the story was being told. This is a book filled with lies, twists and one where you have no idea which characters are telling the truth or who are hiding secrets. regardless of whether you love or hate the characters they all work together perfectly to create a tension packed psychological drama that will keep you hooked throughout!


Congratulations Elisabeth on yet another absolutely gripping true page turner! I am looking forward to reading more of your books!!

Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the first two chapters of Elisabeth's fantastic 'The Family On Smith Street' which is another page turner and one I have read myself and would highly recommend!!

Overall a captivating and tension packed intriguing psychological thriller!!!


283 pages. 7 hours 4 minutes via Audible.


This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited, £8.99 in paperback and £7.99 for the Audiobook (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Oh man, this one tugs at the heartstrings a bit! I wasn't sure who to trust and couldn't get to the end fast enough. I always love Carpenter's characters...they're well-flushed out and in many ways, entirely relatable (although, they gave me Shameless vibes for sure...). Another great read from Ms. Carpenter!

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the digital copy to read and review!

I felt for Jessie from the start, fully engaged in her truth coming out. I loved that Sadie was so invested in helping her throughout. Sadly, though, Jessie had to go through a parent’s worst nightmare for any real answers to result. This is one heck of a page turner!

Thank you, Elisabeth Carpenter, Bookouture, & netgalley for my copy! All opinions are my own.

I don’t think I’ve read anything by this author before. I very much enjoyed reading this and found it kept my attention fully. Will look out for other books by this author.

My heart is in love, but my head is confused

This isn't the best time of year to bring this up, given that we have, finally, put not only Christmas behind us but January too, but I've just read The Girl on the News by Elisabeth Carpenter and been reminded - a bit - of the carol Silent Night.

Allow me to explain. There can be no argument that the song is beautiful. The words are simple and yet the imagery is powerful. It manages to convey the feelings of peace and goodwill that is the very message of Christmas. But it's also something that, at a time that life gets so manic it starts to feel overwhelming, you can take a minute to stop and listen to and feel those external stresses start to fade. When it was sung across the trenches in the First World War, it must have felt especially poignant.

Lovely, then. Until you start paying close attention to the lyrics, and realise they don't make any sense.

Beginning with the first verse. It sets a wonderful scene of beauty, calm and peace. Except, of course, it can't have been anything like that. For starters, Mary and Joseph were in a stable at the back of an inn, that was full to capacity. So it's probably reasonable to assume that there was a fair bit of drinking and rowdiness going on into the small hours. Quite on top of which, poor Mary had just given birth and couldn't possibly have been sleeping in heavenly peace or otherwise. And no doubt if Joseph had tried to catch forty winks at any point, she'd have been, quite understandably, screaming into his face.

But it's the second verse where things really start to unravel. "Silent night, holy night, shepherds quake at the sight ...". Hang on a minute, what sight? Oh, the sight of glories streaming down from heaven, and heavenly hosts filling the skies? Well then, if that night ever had been silent, that's not the case now, is it? But how does Verse 3 start? "Silent night, holy night ..." oh, give over. I can't do this any more.

The parallels between this and The Girl on the News are, in my mind at least, fairly clear. Because, as a psychological character study, the book is wonderful. I loved the portrayal of the both the adult Jessie, terrified at the thought of losing her four-year-old daughter and confused as to who is doing this to her, and the child Rosie. Alone, confused, with no memory of committing the crime she has been accused of and whose only solace seems to be a journalist who she's never met before. The actions, the words, the thoughts and the feelings of both characters are utterly believable.

But the problem for me is the plot, which just didn't seem to make sense. I'll do my best not to give away spoilers, but how likely is it that someone, after being given a new identity, will reunite with people from their childhood? Would a parent really be willing to send their child to prison just to protect someone else? And if the solution that's offered at the end of the book is the true one - and we're told that scientific evidence suggests that it is - then I couldn't work out why a case of blackmail and murder took place.

My overall verdict on this book then, is pretty much the same as my verdict on Silent Night. Beautiful, provided you don't over-analyse.

My thanks to Bookouture for including me on the blog tour, and apologies that my review is a day later than scheduled. Given its critical nature I will publish on this blog and on Netgalley only, and share elsewhere only if requested to do so.

Ooh a new author to me! I kept seeing this book everywhere and, being a fan of this genre (no-that’s not a strange thing, ok?!), I jumped for it, and I’m thrilled I did.

But I digress! This is the story of … hmm, funnily enough I can’t tell you who this is the story of, because that in itself is integral to the book. I can tell you in this book there’s someone with a past, who did something that meant they had to disappear. Then it seems like someone has been found, but is it the right person? And why is there a social media campaign to find a child that isn’t missing? The premise of that part in particular was so well done. It was scary how people might doubt a child was yours as they’ve seen them reported missing. At the same time there are suspects, and you have no idea where they are or if they’re involved. I loved this book, and literally sat up all night wondering who to trust. There’s a lot of characters and so my trusty notebook came out, and I enjoyed compiling my list. The ending was a bit quick for me, and actually I had to flick back to check something, but it didn’t take away from a thoroughly enjoyable read. I will definitely be reading more of Ms. Carpenter’s books!! Thanks to the publisher for the advanced review copy of this book. All opinions are my own!
Rating: 5/5