On Lindsey’s 6th birthday her 19-year-old sister, Jessica disappeared from their driveway. 24 years later, this tragedy has colored every part of Lindsey’s life. As a body is pulled from the nearby lake, interest in the case resurfaces. Lindsey strives learn who her sister was and finally get answers. But Jessica wasn’t the only college girl to disappear in 1999. How are these girls connected and what led them to this watery grave?
The story is told from multiple viewpoints and mediums including a true crime podcast and social media posts. The timeline alternates between modern day and 1999.
If you love Frieda McFadden and are looking for something new, I highly recommend this book. The Lake of Lost Girls delivers a big twist I didn’t see coming!

Such a great psychological thriller! This book had me gripped from very early on in the book! I enjoyed the two timelines which helped unravel this mystery.

A book made for true crime aficionados, podcast premise lovers, or anyone looking for a thoroughly chilling read, The Lake of Lost Girls had me spellbound from the very first page. From the evocatively drawn small town setting to the true-to-life characters, the well-rounded feel of this thrilling tale of dark academia mixed with domestic suspense left me utterly breathless. After all, between the dual POVs and the mixed media format, I was easily sucked into the rising tension and eerie feel that managed to permeate the novel.

This was a really good read. I figured out what was going on fairly early on but that didn't detract from the story line.
I felt sorry for Lindsey because she had such a truncated childhood and was too tethered and codependent on her parents for being 30 years old.
Cara just seemed checked out of the entire thing.
I figured out who Ryan was right away and didn't care for him.
The police really did a horrible job on the original investigation and it was appalling, but then so was the university who covered for a predatory professor.
It had great plot twists and a great cover!

This may be one of the better mysteries I read in the next few months. As much as I wanted to hate the whole simultaneous podcast viewpoint I did feel it put things into perspective. Podcasts often only show the surface. They reveal the key points of an image "blond, smiling, young, in college" but gloss over all the things that aren't seen. The person behind the camera forcing the person to smile, the solo cup held outside the frame, the unfinished homework in the bag at the girls feet. I feel like this book did a good job of creating a true crime story almost in real time. Like we were uncovering this like a podcast or an episode might but the author somehow made us feel above the true crime genre.

Podcast elements usually work well for me in thrillers, but in this case, the podcast portions of the narrative dragged on and didn't hold my interest. I found myself zoning out during those sections, making it hard to stay fully engaged and connected to the overall story. While I’d read more from this author, this one was a disappointment for me.

I would rate this book zero stars, but NetGalley doesn't have that option. Sad.

Initial reaction:

For the life of me, I cannot understand how this book is rated so highly. The writing is so awkward at times and juvenile. The podcast aspect brought nothing to the story. it just seems like the thing to do now in thrillers, and in this case it didn't work at all because it was pointless. It added nothing to the story.

I had a hunch pretty early on who the killer was, and it would've been a fantastic twist had the writing not been so poor. I considered DNF-ing a couple times due to the lackluster and stilted writing, but I wanted to find out if my instinct was correct. It was, hooray for me. But also sad for me because I spent time reading a book that is simply not good.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

I think I dislike the book even more now than when I first finished it. It's bad. So bad. It rivals The Business Trip for one of the worst books I have ever read in my entire life. And if you read that review, you know I haaaaaaaaaaated that book with the fiery passion of a thousand suns.

So, here we go. There will be spoilers.

In 1998 female students at a super small college in North Carolina start going missing. One of them is Jessica Fadley.

Fast forward 24 years and Jessica's younger sister Lindsey is searching for answers to what happened to Jessica. There's a new hit podcast called Ten Second to Vanish, which highlights cold cases. Then the bodies start turning up at a local lake and Lindsey will finally have her answers.

The story is told in two timelines, Jessica's and Lindsey's. Both are idiots and unlikable. Normally, I love an unreliable/unlikable narrator when it is helpful to the plot. Not when the characters and plot are so poorly written, they just turn out that way.

No surprise, Jessica killed the other girls. Dad killed Jessica. It's all very ridiculous and completely predictable because the author does not know how to use red herrings, clues, foreshadowing, or anything necessary to craft an intelligent thriller.

And remember how I said it was a small college. It's so small that only two people in the whole book are connected to all four missing girls. It's ridiculous. No college could be that small and still, you know, FUNCTION AS A COLLEGE OF ANY KIND.

One of the biggest icks ever was the possibility that it was going somewhere incest-y and gross. There are multiple times that there is such a special bond/connection between one of the sisters and their father. Once was okay, but every time after that made me wonder where this was all really going. And in the end, there wasn't, at least nothing confirmed. Why bother hinting at it, then ignore it? OH, RIGHT. Another pointless red herring? Or just another thread that wasn't tied up at the end?

Luckily, we will never know.

Ultimately, I hated everyone. I genuinely did not care what happened to any of them by the end and I wish each one of them would've gotten what they deserved. I didn't care that Lindsey found out what really happened. I didn't care about the pointless podcast that actually could have been used in a meaningful way but ended up just being filler. I didn't care about the stupid social media posts scattered throughout. We get it. You're so cool because you're using the latest societal/cultural trends.

100% DO NOT recommend.

I held off on this book for WAY too long. I wasn’t sure where it was going with the relationship between Jess and her dad and was getting creepy vibes. The end came together beautifully and left no questions unanswered.

Full disclosure - I love true crime podcasts and this book really has me thinking about how I consume this media! The Lake of Lost Girls is a chilling and suspenseful novel that blends mystery, true crime obsession, and the complex bond of sisterhood. Set in 1998, the story centers on Jessica Fadley, a promising student who disappears from Southern State University amidst a string of similar disappearances. While Jessica’s sister, Lindsey, is left grappling with the loss, the story takes a thrilling turn twenty-four years later when Lindsey decides to investigate her sister's disappearance, spurred on by the success of a popular true crime podcast that dives into cold cases.

The novel masterfully intertwines the past and present, using podcast clips to build tension and unravel a disturbing mystery. The slow burn of suspense is heightened by the eerie discovery of bodies in a nearby lake, leading Lindsey into a deep and unsettling investigation. The narrative shifts between Jessica’s unraveling life in the past and Lindsey’s obsessive search for answers in the present, creating a gripping dual timeline that keeps readers hooked.

What stands out is the sharp examination of sisterhood, as the two sisters’ contrasting experiences—Jessica’s descent into darkness and Lindsey’s quest for truth—are intertwined in ways that are both heartbreaking and haunting. The novel also critiques the true crime culture, exploring how it can both exploit and deeply affect those closest to the crimes.

This one was a big miss for me.

The first couple of chapters immediately grabbed me and I had high hopes, but then we got to the first chapter from Jess’s POV and it was downhill from there.

The biggest issue was that there was so much foreshadowing and signaling that the potential twists were fairly obvious. This made the story a lot less suspenseful and enjoyable. [SPOILER] The conversations between Lindsey and Ryan and his reactions to everything made it pretty obvious who Ryan was from the start. Then we have the fact that Jess's plaid comforter was specifically mentioned. One of the dead bodies is then found wrapped in a plaid blanket and, of course, Jess’s new blanket is also mentioned, with Daisy bunching the new comforter in her hands. Could it be any more obvious? [SPOILER] There were several other twists in the story that were treated similarly.

The podcast sections were also disappointing. If done well podcast scenes can add suspense and help advance a story. (Amy Tintera’s Listen for the Lie is a great example of this) Unfortunately, the podcast in this one didn’t really serve any major purpose. A body was found near the lake and an investigation was reopened. The podcast had nothing to do with that, and it didn’t provide any new information or any big reveals. It just rehashed everything we already knew. Removing the podcast wouldn’t have changed very much in the story.

It was also a little off-putting to see how light-hearted the podcast hosts were when discussing multiple murders and a potential serial killer. The author did touch on it toward the end of the book with the podcast hosts mentioning criticism they received about this and vowing to be better in the future, but that took up less than half a page and they seemed to move on quickly to another light-hearted discussion about their next podcast topic. If this was supposed to be a commentary on how social media can sometimes dehumanize victims and their families it missed the mark.

This was a quick and easy read and the underlying idea behind it was a good one. It was just too obvious. I kept reading hoping that I was wrong and that Greene was going to surprise us with some crazy twists in the end. Unfortunately, that just didn’t happen.

Thanks NetGally and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced copy.

Thank You to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley, and Katherine Greene for the free e-arc.

I have never read Katherine Greene before now. After reading The Lake of Lost Girls, I will be reading more by her! A fast paced, suspenseful, and thrilling read of a ride. I thought I knew who did it, but when more details are revealed I kept changing my mind. I did not see the twist of the ending coming. I loved the multiple points of view and they definitely added more to the storyline. I also liked the add-in of a true crime podcast. This is definitely one of those books, I would reread again or listen to. I bet it would make a great audiobook.

Unfortunately I was unable to download this book before the archive date, so I'm not able to leave a review. I look forward to reading and reviewing books by this author in the future.

Lindsey has grown up in the shadow of her missing older sister, who disappeared 24 years ago. Now a podcast has taken up her case along with the three other women who disappeared from her college at the same time.

I really enjoyed this mystery! I like that it was pretty fast paced without being overly full of action. I did find it really predictable, but I do think Greene did enough to make me question whether my thoughts were correct.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Holy moly was this one good! I listened to the audiobook and loved it. I have the physical copy too and that was cool to look at the flyers, news articles, etc. Either or would still be great in my opinion! This book has you second guessing everything. You think you know and then you don’t! PUT IT ON YOUR LIST.

This was a good, enjoyable thriller! This is one of my favorite genres, and I devoured it in one day! I liked the podcast element to the novel & put a modern spin on it. The alternating timelines kept things interesting while proving a profound commentary of families and their dynamics. I wish we got a little more about Jessica's mother, but in all, this was a truly enjoyable read!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Katherine Greene has officially cemented herself as an author to watch. The Lake of Lost Girls was an absolute whirlwind, packed with drama, an unreliable narrator, and a cast of deeply flawed characters that had me questioning everyone. Seriously, I don’t think I trusted a single person in this book.

If you love a slow-burn mystery with eerie small town vibes, this one delivers. It gave me major The Last Time I Lied meets All the Dangerous Things energy. Haunting secrets, buried pasts, and that constant feeling that something (or someone) is just out of reach. The tension builds so well, and just when I thought I had things figured out, Greene threw in another layer of deception that had me second guessing everything.

There’s also something about the way Greene writes that completely pulls me in. The setting is vivid, the atmosphere is chilling, and the emotions feel raw. It’s not just about the mystery, this book dives deep into trauma, relationships, and the messy ways people try (and fail) to protect each other.

This is my second book by Greene (I also really enjoyed The Woods Are Waiting), and she’s quickly becoming a favorite for twisty, atmospheric thrillers. If you’re in the mood for a book that keeps you on edge and makes you question everything, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the eARC!

This mystery/thriller had me hooked pretty quick! I appreciated the dual timelines/POV and how you could never fully be sure what happened and whodunnit. The middle dragged a little bit for me, which is the reason for 4 stars instead of 5. But that twist at the end - was not expecting!

I feel like this book went on a bit too long and lacked the surprise that I'd hoped for. I did love the creative storytelling through the podcast and news segments etc. but I just wished I loved the story as much! Thank you for the read though!

This book had me hooked from the beginning! I dabbled in the audiobook also, and I really enjoyed the narrators voice, and she had narrated a book I previously listened to!
I quite literally never saw the twist at the end coming, I guessed part of it, but surprisingly it wasn't the true ending to the situation! Flabbergasted I truly was! I enjoyed reading from both Jess' POV and Lindsey's, and seeing the mystery unfold in real time/in the past, and Ryan and Lindsey finding pieces of information as they went. I think more of a closure between Lindsey and Ryan would have been nice to see post solving the mystery, however it sounded like they may have both ended up int he same state in the end if I remember correctly, which I suppose offers the reader the ability to guess on what that means for them and their future. What a wild ride it was.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Crooked Lane Books for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this if you like: Podcast style, small town, family secrets

This was good. I love the podcast style of it. The hosts were very interesting. This had everything. It had family drama and small-town creepy vibes. It was a little predictable but had some decent twists. I recommend it!