𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓...𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇*𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏'𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒔.

My favorite types of thrillers are ones that completely immerse me in a fictional world, and this book did exactly that. Told in two timelines, one in present day and one in 1998, the story primarily focuses on Southern State University freshman Jessica Fadley. Jessica came home for her younger sister Lindsey's birthday, told Lindsey not to look as she was taking a birthday cake out of the trunk, and simply vanished. All Lindsey remembered was that she looked away for only ten seconds...and she didn't celebrate her birthday.

It's 24 years later, and thanks to a true crime podcast called Ten Seconds to Vanish, new interest is being generated in the cold case, especially after a link was established between Jessica and other missing female students.

The red herrings were plentiful, and I didn't know what to believe or who to trust. The empathy the reader will feel for Lindsey, who only had her sister for a few years before losing her, and the abject heartbreak of her parents who keep their missing daughter's room a shrine blazes through the pages. I thought I had everything figured out by the last 25%, but I was in for a shock. THE LAKE OF LOST GIRLS is more than a thriller; it's a tightly woven net of deception that will have you questioning loyalty and love, and just exactly who deserves them. Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this early copy. This title will publish November 5, 2024.

The Lake of Lost Girls was an excellent read! This book was comprised of multiple POV’s with different time lines as well as podcast and social media posts interjected throughout. I loved how everything came together and the twist 😬😬😬 it was a good one. Not anything I saw coming at all. I am definitely recommending this to my friends and any true crime junkies! Thank you NetGalley for the arc!!

I received a free copy of this for review from NetGalley.

The Lake of Lost Girls took me for a ride. I would think I had it figured out and something would come along and change that. Over and over. Truly a twist I didn't see coming. A great read to unwind with.

i mean WOW. i had my suspicions on the boyfriend all throughout for it not to be him!! best thriller always has the unexpected endings. love it. although i wasn’t really a fan of the true crime podcast throughout i did enjoy “the last episode” of the podcast at the end, feel like it really brought the story to a complete end

Rating: 4 our of 5

I was interested in reading this after reading Amy Sheppard’s “Beach Party” - another crime thriller that involved a podcast following the cold case. I finished this within 24 hours because let’s be real, I wanted confirmation on my suspicions…was I correct? Pretty much. Now, it might really be the time to quit my job and open up my own detective agency. This review has spoilers!!!

The whodunnit:
So I guessed the culprit correctly. It was so odd when Jessica would deflect concerns from her fellow female classmates on missing female students. I couldn’t imagine doing that and it was the easiest reason to believe that Jessica was involved. The author kept bringing up 3 male suspects, each of whom who had serious connections to the victims but it’s usually never the obvious ones who did it.

The writing:
It pains me to say this and makes me question myself as a woman but I hated how the author wrote all these women to be in such desperate need of male validation. Like “daddy issues” took on a different level in this and it made me not like either Jessica or Lindsey.

I’m usually very good at guessing a whodunnit mystery but I do think the author laid on the herrings a bit too thickly because I knew right off the bat to not trust the dad. Having a daughter’s POV describe her father as exceedingly handsome and used to getting what he wanted was uncomfortable to say the least.

Overall, this was an interesting read - it was nice to read alternating timelines and have different POVs. I do feel the writing could’ve been a bit cleaner because I was still left feeling uncertain about Jessica’s relationship with her father - this should’ve been developed more because there were moments where it seemed like they had an inappropriate relationship beyond Jessica hiding her father’s affairs.

I don't know what I was expecting for this book, but BOY did I get more than i bargained for!

This book was so well written, and every time I thought I had the twists figured out, i got thrown for another loop. The character development and the story lines that ran concurrently were not confusing at all, This is 100% a book I will be recommending to all my friends who love a good thriller!

On the day of her 6th birthday, Lindsay was the last to see her older sister Jessica right before she disappeared from her childhood home and has not been seen since. Now over twenty years later, still living at home and working in the same town, Lindsay’s search for her sister continues. Picking up steam brought on by a new true crime podcast, Lindsay begins to unravel what led up to her sister’s disappearance.

Told through the lens of two sisters over twenty years apart, “The Lake of Lost Girls” follows Lindsay in present day and Jessica in 1999 as Lindsay searches for answers and Jessica’s life falls apart. The novel is quite fast paced and leaves the reader guessing until the last few pages. The only downside is the twist and final reveal, which leaves the reader wanting more after what feels like a lazy explanation. 3/5 stars for a great concept, good pacing, and excellent world-building.

This book was amazing! The back and forth storyline was perfect and I really enjoyed the small details at the end of each chapter. The plot twist was definitely not something I saw coming. I cannot wait for more people to read this when it comes out!!

Such a great book. I couldn’t put it down. The characters were relatable and likable.. The story was interesting and suspenseful. Loved the twists and turns and it kept me guessing.

As soon as I saw the cover I was intrigued. This book is dual pov and has an alternating timeline. the story follows both lives of Lindsey in the present day and Jessica in the past before she went missing. One day bones are discovered in the lake in a small college town, evidence of a crime that occurred 24 years ago. The story continues by way of alternating between sisters, giving the entire timeline.

I am such a huge fan of this book, While I did enjoy it, especially at the end with the plot twist, I found myself struggling to get through it. It wasn't until 50% through did I really get invested by the story.

The main characters were well written and really showed how quickly a person can spiral. Overall, I'd say that this book deserves its 4 star rating and I can't wait for it to be released!

My review will be posted on Goodreads on 3/31.

If you love true crime podcasts, unsolved murders, and a protagonist with a ton of baggage (none of it her doing), then you’ll love this novel.
Lindsey Fadley was only 10 years old when her sister Jessica disappeared, and she’s always felt guilty; she WAS the last person to see her. And now, years later, human remains have been found in Doll’s Eye Lake, the same lake where her sister was last seen. Lindsey’s past has literally come back to haunt her in the form of reporters harassing her for information, an old boyfriend that may have ulterior motives and memories that seem nothing but unreliable.
At first, I found this novel VERY predictable. I figured out a guilty party within the first 30 pages. However, there was a twist that made the plot redeemable and, in fact, quite intriguing. I did find Lindesy gullible to the point of annoying; however, the other aspects of Green’s writing keep me engaged. Overall, it is an engaging mystery. I will be reading more of Green’s writing.
This novel will be available to purchase in November 2024
Thank you to Crooked Lane and Netgalley for the free copy.

This was a solid suspense sorry. Set in both present day and in the 1990s, the flashbacks were pretty seamless and added to the story. Lots of twists and turns, with just enough withheld to keep you turning the pages. Definitely recommend.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

The Lake Of Lost Girls is a thriller with the backdrop of a small town college and the missing girls that attended it. Through multiple POVs in alternating timelines, the story follows 30y/o Lindsey, sister to one of the missing girls from 24 years before. Through her narration, it’s discovered that Lindsey was the last to see her sister alive- on her 6th birthday, and highlights some of the trauma she endured by not living up to her sisters legacy.

The flashbacks are told from the POV of Jess as she starts her freshman year of college, experiences freedom for the first time, and learns how to navigate life on her own. As girls from campus start going missing, Jess’ narration starts dropping bit of information for you to play detective. As the book goes on, this information becomes so crossed- it’s hard to stay focused.

Overall, I enjoyed this read- my first from this author. I felt the character development could use a little help and the attempts to build up a great twist fell flat and muddied the water. I really enjoyed the podcast scripts to break up the chapters, but I also felt they could’ve been better developed, provided better clues versus recapping what was previously read. I anticipate this book making a big splash on booktok when released this summer.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this advanced copy. As always, this review is my own unbiased opinion.

"The Lake of Lost Girls" is a psychological thriller that explores the complexities of family dynamics, trauma, and the search for truth amidst a haunting mystery. I enjoyed the flashbacks and multiple narratives throughout the story and was pleasently surprised by the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC! Loved this book and could not put it down. Spanning several decades this book explores 4 missing girls from a small college. They have several things in common but which one lead to their disappearances?

Whatever happened to Jessica Fadley and how does this affect her baby (now adult) sister, Lindsay? After decades, the body of one of the girls who went missing around the time she did, is finally retrieved by Doll’s Eye Lake and it awakens a flood of memories. We take turns with chapters from Jessica’s POV in 1998/9 to Lindsay’s in the present day, and how they each add details to the mystery. The story moves fast and there is enough mystery to keep you intrigued until the (unexpected) end. I quite liked how the quite recent True Crime obsession was treated, with many people getting sucked into stories without realising that it’s not just entertainment.

“The problem was that in the excitement to hash out every detail, everyone seemed to forget that there were real people impacted by it. … It was easy to lose sight of the humanity of those involved in an effort to feel part of a community that seemed, on the surface, to have good intentions—to solve a decades-old unsolved case.”

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this ARC for review.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat, guessing til the end!
With podcast features, multiple timelines and character POVs, the story unfolds seamlessly!
I kept thinking I had it figured out, then changing my mind! The end was not what I predicted!
Don't want to say too much and spoil anything because it's an exciting ride to take trying to figure this mystery out along with the main characters!
Highly recommend!

Lindsay has spent her whole life in the shadow of her older sister Jess, who went missing 24 years ago. The investigation was handled terribly, and as such there has been no updates on what happened to Jess. Enter the new true crime podcast that is focusing entirely on Jess' case, as well as the other 3 girls that had gone missing that year (and from the same school!). With the additional eyes on the case, and the impending popularity of the podcast, new information begins to come to light. Flipping between Lindsay in the present day, and Jess in the past, you get to know both sisters in a way they never knew each other.

I am always skeptical of the "missing girls" trope. Because it can SO be overplayed. But this was a good one. I had literally nothing figured until until the truth came to light, and it all made sense! I just hadn't gotten there on my own. Lindsay was likable enough, maybe too trusting. Jess was ... complicated. I spent the entire book trying to figure out what was up with her. I found myself thinking about this book even when I wasn't reading and trying to put the pieces together. I couldn't wait to finish and see how it played out!

I really enjoyed this book, I don't think I've ever come across a read that's made me change my mind on the killer about 275 times. I really couldn't pin down who it was going to be as there were so many clever additions to the writing that literally could have made it any one of them.

The writing overall was great and I feel this book is such a step up compared to The Woods Are Waiting, which I loved anyway. I can't wait to see what else comes from this duo.

The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene plunges readers into the chilling depths of a cold case mystery, promising a blend of suspense, intrigue, and the unbreakable bond of sisterhood. Yet, as the murky waters of the narrative ebb and flow, the novel struggles to keep its head above water, particularly in the execution of its plot and the development of its characters.

Set against the haunting backdrop of Southern State University in 1998, a series of student disappearances casts a long shadow over the campus. Among the vanished is Jessica Fadley, whose life’s downward spiral becomes the vortex of the story. Fast-forward two decades, and we find Jessica’s sister, Lindsey, desperately searching for answers, with a true crime podcast providing her with a new lead.

The novel’s suspense is its lifeline, with true crime podcast snippets lending a modern edge to the tale, even though their presence more irksome than insightful. The most jarring misstep is the handling of Jessica’s corpse’s whereabouts and how it remained hidden for so long.

In its essence, “The Lake of Lost Girls” is a narrative that yearns to captivate with its fresh take on the thriller genre, weaving in the allure of true crime podcast. Yet, the tapestry it weaves is frayed, the execution of key plot points needing a more meticulous hand to render a story that resonates with authenticity. For those who can navigate past the shoals of unlikable two-dimensional characters and particular plot inconsistencies, there may still be treasures to be found in the suspenseful undercurrents of Greene’s creation.