4 ⭐️

this book was 🤌🏻 it has alternate timelines, alternating POV’s, cold case crime, podcast transcripts, instagram posts, and lots of twists and turns! i’m a true crime girlie and this was everything you could you want in a thriller!

i was so invested in this book and looked forward to reading it. there were enough interesting plot points thrown in to keep you fully engaged, waiting to see how it would end. there were plenty of suspects to keep you guessing and wondering which theory would be correct. i found the ending very satisfying, even though i called about 80% of it.

my criticism would be that i think some details could have been more flushed out towards the ending. i felt like i need more from jess’s POV, particularly during the incidents, and i think that may have satisfied the need to know what was going on in her head.

thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for the advanced reader copy and allowing me to give my review!

I really enjoy the true crime/podcast perspective in books.
The book was a little predictable and I felt like more details could have been added to provide depth to the storyline.
The flashbacks were hard to follow at times.
Some of the book felt very repetitive and simple. The foreshadowing from the author easily gave away some of the twists. I prefer to relate or enjoy characters and all of the characters just seemed bland.
Overall the ending did surprise me and I did enjoy the idea of this story.
Did not hate it, but did not love it either.

Really enjoyed this book. Lots of twists and turns. Many great suspects. Loved the setting and creepy lake vibes. A great thriller

Enjoyable read! Very compelling, I finished it in 3 days. Lots of potential suspects. I caught on to the twist halfway through but kept on through the end. The level of police incompetence was borderline overdone… to not call 4 murdered girls from the same school the work of a serial killer?? Come on. Anyway, great book and interesting mixed media format. Free ARC in exchange for my review. Thanks NetGalley!

I honestly can’t put into words how much I enjoyed this book! The storyline is amazing and I was constantly thrown through a loop with the “who done it” vibes of the book. The book is really well written and I am still shocked by the conclusion of this book… I had many different theories but I was not expecting that! Thank you so much for allowing me to read this book it was an easy 5 star read for me!

Some of my favorite reads lately have been focused on solving cold cases with a podcast involved. I was so excited to read The Lake of Lost Girls. The first half started strong and really caught my attention. The second half spent too much time on the point of view of Jess and started to feel repetitive. I feel like so much of the focus being on Jess also allowed me to figure out the twist in this book. I think if more time was focused on Lindsey and her search for what happened the twist could have been more surprising. I am giving the book 3 stars because I do think it is worth the read. I enjoyed many of the characters. Thank you Crooked Lane, Katherine Greene, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

I struggled with this. The characters didn't feel fully fleshed out, nor did their motives. The ineptitude of the police department was really unbelievable. Four college students disappear within months of each other and you don't think these incidents are related? I felt like I had mostly guessed the ending, but that was a twist that was unexpected -- but then it felt rushed and like there wasn't much to explain the motivation.

This book had me hooked from the cover, so I requested an ARC. Boy, it did not disappoint. Just when you think you have it figured out, you're given a 180.
I loved all the characters and the author's descriptions were so good, the locations in the story, made you feel like you were right there watching it

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 indomitable spirit 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 narrative relies heavily on convenient plot devices, which can detract from the overall believability of the story. The most jarring misstep is the handling of Jessica’s corpse’s whereabouts and how it remained hidden for so long—a corpse shrouded in nothing but merely old sheets, undiscovered for years. 💀?!?

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. 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 certain plot inconsistencies, there may still be treasures to be found in the suspenseful undercurrents of Greene’s creation.

Great title and cover! What I liked most about this horror/mystery was the use of different timelines, POVs, and social media posts. The clippings and posts made the story feel more vivid and upped the fear factor. I also liked the many twists and turns the story took and the face that the ending surprised me. Recommended for mystery/horror fans. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

24 years ago, a college student from Mt Randall, North Carolina, went missing and her case was closed without any solution. Lindsay, the then 6year old younger sister of the missing girl, Jess, had spent the better part of her life blaming herself for the 10 seconds that she looked away from Jess before she went missing. Now that human remains were found from the Doll's Eye lake, will she be able to uncover the truth of her sister's fate?

The beginning was quite good but as the story proceeded it became a bit too descriptive and repetitive. While I appreciate that it is yet to undergo editing, some parts were honestly gonna put me into a reading slump. Nevertheless, I'm glad I chose to complete it rather than DNFING because the last half of the book was great. The overall plot is brilliantly imagined and the jumping timelines made it better. The ending was definitely unexpected and to all those who are currently reading this, I would advise them not to give up on the book. The climax is worth the time.

Recommended to everyone who likes crime thrillers and dark mystery novels/serial killer crime thrillers.

Right off the bat with the cover I was really excited to read this book. There was always something happening and it never lingered long enough to get stale. It was a relatively quick read which i really appreciate. Towards the end I had to stop doing to podcasters accents in my head because I wanted to read faster.
I had a handful of endings in my mind that I was anticipating and only one of my many many predictions was kind of right, by no means the biggest one and I did not guess the motive or means so this kept me guessing until literally the very last page.
At the beginning I was a little off put because I felt like the characters were flat and the interactions were based more off of what the authors thought would be convenient rather than actions that a 3 dimensional character would take. After about 25% I didn’t feel like that as much and once we got deeper I was fully invested in the story. It felt nice to feel like I was making quick progress so I really enjoy this length and type of book.
I still think the character development left some things to be desired but it wasn’t totally necessary. I think I just would have liked their motivations in the beginning particularly to feel more natural.

I think a 5 star would develop the characters in some subtle ways that the reader can infer towards the beginning, spend a bit more time showing us Lindsey’s relationship with her parents rather than her telling us about it (although it was shown in a couple places) and give us just one or two more subtle hints to the twist.

I know I don’t always need to understand a characters motivations, some people make decisions that are incomprehensible, especially in a scenario like this where there are incredibly high stakes and emotions, but I needed a little bit more development of the main dynamic to understand why the guy did what he did and for me to empathize as much as I could have.

Most of what I didn’t like was towards the beginning and I don’t know if that’s just because I didn’t know the characters well or what but I had a lot of negatives notes and lack of characterization and some flat feeling writing before I got too enthralled to keep taking notes.

Overall I really enjoyed it and I can definitely say this was a page turner.

This was a pretty good mystery. Between chapters were podcast snippets and posts. The timeline alternates between the vanished girl in the last and her sister in present day.

I thought it was pretty good and kept me guessing for a good while. I figured it out at a certain point, but I always see a mystery through to see the true tale. I prefer to not figure it out until maybe like 75% rather than as early as I did, but I thought this was a fairly good mystery.

I did wish that the main character was more developed. I know mysteries are all about pacing but we seemed to just get thrown in without even learning too much about her

WOWWWW!! What a crazy adventure!! By utilizing multiple different storytelling methods such as podcast transcripts, social media posts, newspaper clippings, press releases, alternating timelines/POVs, this book really brought a unique spin to the classic cold case serial killer trope.

There was no shortage of suspects with this one, and at times it almost gave me whiplash going back and forth with my theories as more and more info was revealed. By about half way through, I felt I had it figured out and was so excited to see it unfold that I could not put the book down until I had all my answers!

While I was about 75% correct in my theory, I still thoroughly enjoyed watching this one play out. It was like peeling back the layers of an onion… the beautifully crafted complexities of each character and the way the story was so masterfully written that it leapt off the page into vivid illustrations in my mind - absolute chef’s kiss! 👌

4.25 ⭐️ I’m calling it now - this thriller will be a huge hit!

Thank you to NetGalley & Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions are 100% my own.

This was my first experience with Katherine Greene, and it definitely won’t be my last! This was a really enjoyable fast paced, page turning thriller with substance - my favorite kind of book. I like well thought out, developed characters, not the ones that make you roll your eyes at all the stupid things they do. I’d been in a book slump for a few months, and I’m finally out!

Told through alternate timelines and multiple POVs, the story was uniquely presented through podcast transcripts, news articles, social media posts, etc.
I was able to figure out most of the whodunnit at about 50%, but it was still an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley, author, and publisher for the original to review The Lake of Lost Girls.

✨Alternate Timelines
✨Multiple POV
✨Podcasts
✨Fast Paced Thrillers
✨Gorgeous North Carolina Setting

This book had me hooked from the get go! I Love Katherine Greene’s writing. I sat down with this book and did not emerge from my reading nook until the last page. I have not stopped talking to my book besties about this book already hyping them up about it!

I love the multiple POV, different timelines, the setting/storyline…I loved everything honestly. This book was so fast paced, so thrilling (it’s a thriller haha…see what I did there…), with it’s transcripts, media posts etc…this book was like you were following right along with all of the characters and it kept your attention the entire time.

What else is the best—even though you will try and figure out what is going on and how this is going to end…you will never figure it out until that very last page and then it will leave you soaking it in for another hour or so. Hands down the easiest 5 stars! Must read…Must have…slap this on your TBR because that will be the best decision you’ve ever made—thank me later.

I have mixed feelings on The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene. It was a definitel page turner as I was so curious to see how it would end. I didn't love it, but I did like and enjoy the story. As soon as I read in the synopsis that a true crime podcast was involved in solving a murder over 20 years ago, as s true crime podcast listener, I was in. That's where the mixed feelings come in. The podcast really was not involved in the story line too much. The podcast and its hosts dialogue was more of an after thought or intro to a new chapter, and was rarely mentioned in the story line. Again, I enjoyed the book, but it has so much more potential to be a 5 star read. I gave it 4 stars, because it was a good storyline and it definitely gave you the twist and turns of whodunnit, but the fell a little flat for me the more I read. I'm interested look for other books by this author, because I do like her writing style. Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. It will definitely be on our library shelf.

When Lindsey was 6, her 18 year old sister went outside to grab her birthday cake, and disappeared. Jessica was never seen again. Three other girls from the local college Jessica was attending also went missing. 25 years later, one of the bodies is found in a lake. So what happened to Jessica and all those girls? Lindsey isn’t sure she wants to know. When a reporter from Chicago tracks her down in North Carolina, she has to face her past. I loved this book. Cold case mysteries are my favorite, plus with a podcast mixed in, this book was made for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley for the ARC. It’s always difficult for me to leave less than stellar reviews especially when I’ve been gifted a copy of a book. It’s also difficult because goodness nerves I could never write anything! I wanted to love this book. I was obsessed with the cover, the excerpts, the premise. Unfortunately, the book didn’t work for me. It’s hard to give a review of what didn’t work without sharing multiple spoilers and I don’t want to do that. Clearly based on the ratings, I am in the minority having not been a fan. So I will just say that I was disappointed in the execution of what could have been a really amazing read.

This book was the best thriller!! It really kept me turning pages till the very end. It's the type of book where everyone is a suspect and you can't make up your mind who you believe. The multiple POVs and the podcast dialogue interlaced throughout really sets this book up for being such a great read. 10/10