Thank you for Netgalley.com for allowing me to read this before publication date!
Mother and daughter on the search for the only father Bly has ever known. Gus is a determined mother who passed on her bravery to her daughter.
Awesome story I read in about 4 days only because 2 hours each day is never enough to finish any book. Highly recommend!

Buried Road by Katie Tallo is a haunting, atmospheric thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The story follows a young woman drawn back to her childhood home, uncovering dark secrets buried beneath its surface. Tallo’s writing is vivid and evocative, painting a chilling portrait of both the setting and the emotions driving the characters. The tension builds steadily, with twists and turns that are both surprising and satisfying. At its heart, Buried Road explores themes of family, trauma, and resilience. This gripping, intricately woven mystery is perfect for fans of slow-burn suspense and richly layered storytelling.

While I did feel like there were time where I enjoyed this book I have to say the biggest hurdle for me was how it was written. This book is supposed to be being told from the POV of a 12 (almost 13) year old girl. But it didn't feel like that throughout the whole story. Sometimes it did but the writing at time felt too mature for a kid that age but then at time I felt like it went to the other extreme where it felt too immature.

Overall the story line itself I felt was pretty interesting. A missing man and even his family swears he's dead. I have a bone to pick with his mom though. The rejection that she showed towards Gus? That's something that I don't know if I could ever come back from.

Overall I enjoyed the book. At times I did find it hard to follow. Maybe because I didn’t realize they were two books prior to this. The plot was good though maybe I just need to read the first two.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Katie Tallo has done it again. I could not put this one down and got swept up in the twists and turns not knowing what to expect next. Highly recommended for thriller fans!

I started reading this knowing it was part of a series and I had not read the other books, but it was still an amazing read and was just fine as a standalone book! Tallo kept me on my toes and wanting more!

Gus and Bly live together in Canada. A few years prior, Gus’ significant other Howard mysteriously vanished on a family camping trip. Both Gus and Bly are heartbroken by his disappearance. Howard’s parents made the decision to have a funeral for him when the camper van he was driving was found empty. Gus is determined to find out the truth and what really happened to Howard, and she’s taking Bly with her.

Pros
So easy to get into and not want to put down
Loved the mother daughter duo
So much action happening that there was always something good

Cons
Some of the chapters were a bit long

After starting Buried Road, I found out it was a series so might have benefitted from reading books 1 & 2. Augusta and her daughter, Bly, are out on a mission determined to find Howard, who has been missing for three years.

The first half of the book builds up a lot of context and background. I found this part to be a little slow ; however, after this, the book picked up and it was quite a pager turner. There were quite a few plot lines that made things a little hard to follow.

I liked that the narrator was Bly (the daughter). It was nice to see a mother/daughter pair working together and leaning on each other like these two.

Really enjoyed this one by Katie Tallo. I felt so immersed in the story and loved the detailed character development - especially Gus! The whole story really came together by the end and I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins, and Katie Tallo for an ARC.

These characters were killing me. I think the premise of this novel sounds good, but the characters all seemed to blend together to me. None of them held my attention, or were remotely likeable……with the exception of Howard and Able.
All in all I did have to force myself to finish this. Not to say that a lot of people won’t enjoy it. I just did not find it to be a compelling read.
I recieved an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

Bly Money was only nine when her mother’s boyfriend, and by proxy father, disappeared. Now three years later they go back to the scene to investigate.

This has a strong mother/daughter component to it, which is compelling but makes for a slow beginning as it builds up and displays the relationship. It’s a creeping investigation that builds with time and becomes exciting about halfway through once the antagonist is revealed. While this is part of a series, I read it as a standalone. I didn’t feel that I missed anything but of course typically prefer to read series in order.

“There is no time for peace. This is war.”

Buried Road comes out 12/3.

Gus and Bly are on the hunt for the missing piece in their trio. Three years after he vanished, Howard's parents decide to determine him dead they know they need to get to the bottom of things. The ladies believe in their hearts that he is still alive and out there somewhere. They are determined to find him, no matter the cost.
In the small town of Prince Edward County, there are many secrets and lies. And when they find a body, the girls are determined to prove it isn't Howard's. Will they be proven wrong? Is Howard gone for good? And who is there to help. You're left questioning everybody. Who is friend and who is foe?

Stepping into the third book in a series, I was a bit concerned I would be left behind with questions, but it didn't seem like I was lost at all. The character building in this story was great. I loved Gus, Bly, Dod and Lula the most. And let's not forget the kind, gentle, loving man that Howard is built into through memories.
While I enjoyed the storyline, there were times that I spent wishing they would "just get on with it already." Some of the parts went too far into detail about things I felt were unimportant. I rated the book 3.5 stars for that reason only. Had it flowed more quickly it would have been an easy 5 stars. It is likely great for someone who is good with a slower burn. I will, however go back and read book 1 in the series to see if I can get a better idea of the characters and where they came from.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollinsPublishers for an advanced copy of this book.

This book took me a bit to get into.
I think it had to do with my inability to connect to the characters. I don’t know why, the characters were well developed, but I just couldn’t get into their emotional state.
This book is driven by an emotional search for a missing man, and I wish I could say that it was a satisfying ending, but that was another miss.
The ending was bizarre. I saw the bad guys coming from a mile away, but I don’t think I could have told you the specifics of the ending ever in a million years.
This is a 2.5 ⭐️ for me dawg. I just don’t know.

What a book! one of my top books for 2024

In this book you follow and mother and daughter who are trying to find someone they love that went missing three years prior.

It was very well written and will suck you in from page 1! I wasn't sure i was even going to be able to finish it since it is told through a 12 year olds thoughts and perspective. The character development was very well done and just kept you wanting to read.

I will read more from the author this was a fantastic read.

Thanks NEtGalley for letting me read and review.

This book has a great thriller concept….but has an ABSOLUTELY BIZARRE ending and many randomly inserted… things.

Gus Monet and her daughter Bly are looking for Howard, Bly’s adoptive father and Gus’s boyfriend. Bly remembers Howard going to get ice cream, on their family beach vacation three years ago, and never returning. Since, Gus and Bly have been tracking the clues to find him. The police aren’t really doing their job. They will never give up the hope of finding Howard, even though Howard’s parents are moving ahead with his funeral. As Gus and Bly get closer to finding the answers, they begin to realize that there is a more intricate web of deception in the town where Howard disappeared.

The components that bother me about this book are 1. The ending was so strange and random. 2. There are too many random concepts or lines that make no sense to the plot. Insertions of randomly collected items that Bly hopes to use to find her Dad just had me sincerely confused. Here is an example of another randomly inserted piece of information:

“ She grabs the phone and turns on the power. She can’t wait any longer. She taps Howard‘s passcode onto the screen and unlock the phone. He’s had the same one forever. We both know it. It’s my birthday. I lean close as the screen lights up“

It’s my birthday. HUUUUUUH??!!
There is absolutely no follow up to this! 🤣. And the ending…while I can’t share it…was also random.
And yet….the concept of this book is creative!

Many thanks to Net Galley, Katie Tallo, and Harper for this eARC in exchange for my all too honest review.

Buried Road by Katie Tallo is an intense, fast-paced thriller with a chilling edge. The story follows Gus and her daughter Bly as they embark on a perilous road trip to uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of Gus’s partner, Howard. The premise is compelling—Howard vanished three years ago while working on an explosive story, and his sudden reappearance in the form of a shocking obituary leads Gus and Bly back to the small town where he was last seen.
This is the third book in a series. This is my first read in the series. It can be read as a stand alone and the author introduces the characters and story to the readers very well.
It was so well written, and sucked me in. I have to admit, I was a little leery when I saw that it was written from 12 year old Bly's perspective. But it really surprised me! The character development was really well done, and the way that the clues and breadcrumbs were woven into the story were so well thought out.
**Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial for sending me this book for review.*

Wow! This was definitely a chart topper of 2024 for me.

It's a story of mother and daughter on a mission to find a loved one that went missing three years prior.

It was so well written, and sucked me in. I have to admit, I was a little leery when I saw that it was written from 12 year old Bly's perspective. But it really surprised me! The character development was really well done, and the way that the clues and breadcrumbs were woven into the story were so well thought out.

Every time I thought I had it figured out, I'd be thrown for another loop. I definitely had not figured out the end!

**Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial for sending me this book for review.**

4.5⭐️ I could definitely see how this book may not be for some people as it is a slow burn in the first half. I also don’t think it follows the typical pacing of a thriller. That said, I loved it! The image of grief and the mother daughter duo was written so incredibly well and I never thought any of it was unbelievable.

I did struggle a few times to remind myself that Bly was only 13, because when I was reading it she most of the time did feel older to me in the way she helped solve the cold case with her mom. I will say, I did not read the first two books so maybe that is part of why it was hard for me to recognize she truly was 13.

The last 30% of this book, I was unable to stop reading! I was shocked by the ending and had no idea what was coming. The way this was written I truly feel like I was watching a movie rather than reading through a thriller and it was incredible.

Buried Road by Katie Tallo is an intense, fast-paced thriller with a chilling edge. The story follows Gus and her daughter Bly as they embark on a perilous road trip to uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of Gus’s partner, Howard. The premise is compelling—Howard vanished three years ago while working on an explosive story, and his sudden reappearance in the form of a shocking obituary leads Gus and Bly back to the small town where he was last seen.

The writing really shines in its depiction of eerie, abandoned places and the tension that builds around the sinister secrets of a small town. Bly's voice as the narrator adds a unique layer to the story, giving it a personal and emotional depth as she relives the traumatic events and her search for answers alongside her mother. The twisty final third of the book definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.

That said, while I enjoyed the build-up and the suspenseful moments, I felt the pacing was a bit inconsistent at times. Some sections were slow to develop, and I was hoping for more depth in the exploration of Gus’s and Bly’s relationship. The ending was satisfying but slightly predictable, and while the plot delivered a solid conclusion, I wasn’t as emotionally moved as I expected to be.

All in all, Buried Road is a thrilling ride that kept me turning pages, but there were moments where it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Still, a solid read for fans of missing persons thrillers with a strong mother-daughter dynamic.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc. This was really good and such a fast paced read that sucks you in. Bly is a young girl devastated because her stepdad Howard has gone missing and has been missing for three years. Bly and her mother Gus see that Howard’s parents have given up hope in finding their son and have decided to do a funeral service. So Gus and Bly head to Howard’s home town. While there, they discover information regarding Howard’s disappearance which makes them believe that he may not be gone. Gus and Bly are faced with a lot of opposition and don’t take heed to the danger that they are in as uncover why Howard went missing and who was involved.

Firstly, I read this as a standalone without issue (though I will likely go back to read books 1 and 2 at some point just because). This mystery/suspense follows the story of a mother/daughter team on the hunt for information regarding their missing loved one.

Gus and her teen daughter, Bly, haven't given up hope of finding out what happened to Gus's boyfriend, Howard, who went missing 3 years prior. Despite Howard's family, the police and everyone else in the community thinking they are crazy, the pair continue to search for clues or answers to what may have happened.

When some evidence is uncovered and the family decides it is the right time to have an official funeral, Gus and Bly double down with renewed passion. This leads them into run ins with the law, lots of danger, and uncovering some fairly large issues within the town.

I can see why others have reviewed the book as slow but I really felt like it was because the book was written in Bly's perspective. Bly is a young teen, and seems to be on the spectrum or dealing with major mental issues. She is very dry, has a lot of quirks and struggles to relate to many other people.

Overall, I really enjoyed the read. I thought the suspense was great, the plot twists/revelations were scattered throughout to keep the story moving and the book had a "creepy" vibe to it in a sense. I would recommend you giving it a try!