What a plot twist! This was enjoyable to read and kept me going to see who did it. Although I thought this book was a little longwinded and maybe discussed football too much for my liking, the characters and premise were so well described that I got hooked from the start. It seems a little YA in the beginning, but not too much so where I didn't want to skip or not finish.

Lots of twists and turns. Really enjoyed this book and would recommend it. Makes you think twice.
Don’t read it on a stormy dark night alone in the house

The Girl in the Basement by Eoin Dempsey is a gripping and emotional read that masterfully combines suspense with deep character exploration. Set against the backdrop of World War II, the story centers on courage, survival, and the unexpected bonds formed in the darkest of times.

Dempsey’s writing is vivid and immersive, pulling you into the harrowing reality of the characters’ lives. The tension is palpable throughout, and the moral complexities faced by the protagonist add an extra layer of depth to the narrative. The pacing is tight, and the stakes remain high, keeping you invested from start to finish.

While some secondary characters could have been developed more fully, the emotional resonance of the story and its powerful themes make it a standout. The Girl in the Basement is a compelling and thought-provoking novel, perfect for readers who enjoy historical fiction with heart and edge. A strong 4 stars!

Seventeen year old Ellie meets the new boy at school, Josh at a party. Rumour surround Josh as his previous girlfriend was murdered. Ellie is kidnapped and kept in a basement. She is found and the kidnapper is convicted.
Twenty years later, Ellie has a daughter, Jessica and Josh is back in town. History seems to be repeating itself, when Jessica goes missing.
I felt misled by this book, the majority of the book starts with Ellie meeting Josh, an unnecessarily long build to the kidnapping. The blurb didn’t live up to the content and found it tough wanting to finish the book. Quite a slow burner.

The Girl in the Basement by Eoin Dempsey is a gripping and emotional novel that explores the strength of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable hardship. The story follows a young woman named Ellie, who is trapped in a basement for years by a man who controls her every move. As Ellie’s world shrinks to the four walls of her prison, she holds on to the hope that one day she will escape.

The author does a powerful job of showing Ellie’s inner strength, as well as the complex dynamics between her and her captor. The book is tense and heartbreaking, but it also shines a light on the resilience of those who endure abuse and the small acts of courage that keep them going.

While this book gets tough to read at times, it’s also a story of survival and the will to reclaim one's life. It will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading, reminding you of the power of hope and the importance of never giving up.

My eye fell on this book on Netgalley because of the title and the description: "Twenty years ago she was taken. Now her daughter is next."
It sounded interesting and it gave the impression that it would be an exciting book. So I requested an ARC for a review.
When I started reading the book I was a bit disappointed at the beginning because it seemed more like a young adult story than a thriller. But something, maybe the promise of the prologue, kept me reading on and I'm very happy that I did because about a quarter into the book it started getting really interesting. and the tension started to rise.

Ellie Welsh is a senior in high school, who starts her final year and falls in love with the very talented football Quarterback who joins her school after his previous girlfriend has been murdered. At first Ellie has her suspicions about Josh but slowly she starts to trust him, if not his father who is a total creep. Then Josh' mother drowns in a car crash and the football team loose the championship. While everyone, including Josh, is drowning their sorrow in booze Ellie disappears and is hold captive in a basement. She barely escapes.

Then the story skips 20 years forward. Josh and Ellie meet again and start dating. While they are on a date Ellies 17 year old daughter disappears and the nightmare starts again. Is Ellies past haunting her or is it Josh's history that interferes with their lives?

This i a real whodunit and the story kept me on alert. Only drawback, apart from the young adult coming off age vibe in the beginning, for me were the overly long football descriptions. I could have done with less of those.
So 3,5 stars, rounded up because the book got better towards the end.

I went back and forth on how to rate this book. I enjoyed it. I was surprised by it. But it was not what I was expecting. The majority of the book was the backstory which you do sort of need to understand but after reading the synopsis I thought it would be more about the actual kidnapping. I felt that was only about 25% of the story. Even though it was not what I was expecting it still caught my interest and kept me wanting to read more and find out what was going on and had me thinking one way for most of the book and then start to second guess what I thought was going on. I had a hint of it but when the twist finally hit it was not at all what I was expecting and I liked that.

I was interested to check out The Girl in the Basement by Eoin Dempsey due to the interesting blurb and thrilling theme. It’s a quick fast paced read that takes us through the past and present of main character Ellie’s life, and how others have negatively affected it. With topics of domestic abuse, violence, and toxic relationships the book is filled with dark but interesting themes.

Trying to think of the best way to put this… but I honestly didn’t find the blurb for the book to actually be all that accurate to what happens in the book. I landed on giving The Girl in the Basement a 6/10, wasn’t a bad read but definitely not the best either The Girl in the Basement follows Ellie as she takes us through her past, and how it’s affecting her present. Initially turned off by the new star football player at school Josh due to the rumours about him, Josh and Ellie start to get to know each other eventually creating a relationship. It’s an interesting relationship for Ellie to try and work through due to Josh having the death of his ex-girlfriend following him everywhere he goes. Heavily suspected but eventually cleared Josh is well known for potentially murdering his ex-girlfriend Rachel. Ellie thinks that she’s gotten to know the real Josh, however, upon meeting his parents starts to see what Josh may be hiding. When Ellie is kidnapped one night after being at a party with Josh and a group of friends she must figure out how to get out alive, and why she is down there in the first place. Now 20 years later Ellie’s world is turned upside down again when her daughter Jess goes missing. Being the same age Ellie was when she went missing she can’t help but wonder if there is a connection. When Josh shows up back in town looking to help Ellie find her the question becomes is Josh involved in this, or does he really love Ellie and want to protect her?

Now with what I said right there you would assume that the majority of the book covers the past and present kidnappings right? Well kind of wrong. I was a bit shocked that in the 200-and-something page book by page 100 and something we are now just finally getting into Ellie being kidnapped in the past, and still haven’t even touched what happens to Jess yet. That literally does not come until the last 50 pages of the book. I just genuinely forgot at like page 50 that I was supposed to be reading a book about kidnapping and not Josh and Ellies budding relationship. I fully saw the vision for the story and the parts to it are good, but the story itself is just displayed in such a weird way. I just didn’t need 100 pages of background on Josh and Ellie in a 200 page book. Especially when in the grand scheme of it all when it comes to how the book plays out, it’s not that relevant. Some of it is, but we just didn’t need to take that long to get to the point.

I think the book would have been much more enjoyable if the kidnapping scenes once Ellie is taken were periodically dropped in between the 100 earlier pages instead of it all being left to the point of them getting to the party where it happens. It just would help the reader remember what we are actually here for and that’s not a coming-of-age love story. Once we do finally get into what we came for the kidnapping and mystery portions of the book are really enjoyable. I am not totally sure which I preferred more the past or present because both were pretty similar in terms of the intensity it brought to the book. It was a touch lack luster though and that may have just been cause we were speeding through the kidnapping portions so quickly.

Again The Girl in the Basement by Eoin Dempsey is not a bad book, the plot and the twists are quite good. I totally didn’t see the ending and had a different idea on how it was going to play out then it did. I think it was just the structure that was the downfall for this book. If things had been displayed a bit differently it just may have kept my attention a bit longer in the first half. To work through the first half to get to the second is definitely worth it but it’s a bit of trek, especially when you keep wondering “okay when are we getting to the main topic in this book which is the kidnapping?”

This was a DNF. I love thrillers but this one just didn't do it for me. It came across more as YA than anything. The two timelines was a miss as well.

Not for me, sorry.

Really couldn’t get into this, doesn’t give thriller vibes at all, I lost track and DNF’d .. I’ve never DNF’d before.

I hadn’t read a Sarah Goodwin novel before I read this and I wasn’t disappointed. The book starts off slow but quickly amps up the tension with twists and turns, this book is one hell of a rollercoaster ride and you won’t want to stoop reading. I really liked the plot twist and all of the dark secrets within the festival, it definitely keeps you on your toes. Would highly recommend if you enjoy a twisty, engaging read.

Unfortunately I cannot give an honest review as I DNFd this book at 30% I just couldn’t get into it - it might have got better

This book was SO confusing. Don't bother reading the premise, because it isn't a good synopsis of this book.

For most of this novel, we actually read about Ellie and how she falls in love with Josh and this ends up with her locked in a basement. The reason for my confusion is that this book is supposed to be about her daughter disappearing, but we barely get as much of that story as we do of Ellie's. At one point I even reread the synopsis, thinking I'd chosen a different book.

I also found the characters in this novel disgustingly sweet. It was like reading a Babysitter's Club book trapped in adult suspense. I found myself thinking that Ellie and Josh were just not believable characters, although when they're adults I was able to take them a little more seriously.

For such a short book, this novel took me forever to finish. I just didn't want to pick it up. I did finish it, and I guess the end was okay. But I can't really recommend it.

The Girl in the Basement was a quick read with some intense moments. I enjoyed following Ellie’s character arc from frivolous teenager to a determined adult who would stop at nothing to find and save her daughter.

I definitely wasn’t expecting the ending at all, and it was a refreshing turn of events to not be able to predict who the “bad guy” is!

Highly recommend.

This read as a YA novel and not a thriller at all. I found myself skipping ahead through the book because despite the title and synopsis the girl doesn't end up in the basement until 53% in, and she's out in two short chapters. The time jump was mundane and ending pretty predictable. This one just didn't do it for me.

Thank you netgalley and publishers for this arc.

⭐️Book Review⭐️
The Girl in The Basement by @eoindempsey
I saw the title of this book and read the summary and knew I had to read it!
This book was full of secrets, family drama, high school love, an unsolved murder, AND kidnapping!
Slide to read my full review!
4⭐️’s from me! I would definitely recommend!
Check out my bookstagram for full review!
@katie.is.booked

I liked the idea of the two timelines but unfortunately it left me feeling disconnected from the story and characters. It was however, written well, and I wouldn’t rule out reading more from the author in the future.

The Girl In The Basement follows Ellie, a high school student that ends up dating a star quarterback (Josh) of the football team when he transfers to her school. He transfers there after his girlfriend was murdered following a party at a friend’s house. There was a ton of speculation that Josh’s dad was seeing Rachel (the previous gf) behind Josh’s back. Ellie ends up being kidnapped after a party at the same house and escaped, but years later her daughter goes missing while Ellie is out on a date with Josh after they reconnected. The story is Ellie and Josh racing against time to find Ellie’s missing daughter.

I spent the whole book thinking it was one person, only to be completely shocked by the twist. This book kept me engaged the entire time and really made my mind work. I would recommend this to anyone that loves to try to play detective.

The title and blurb really gripped me with this book but it wasn’t as gripping as i expected unfortunately. First half is a slow burn about the teens in school and then second half it started to get a bit interesting and slight twist at the end but it could have been so much more! Probably only 10% if that of this book is about the girl in the basement!!!!
It’s the kind of book I can see as a channel 5 (uk tv channel) movie.

The Girl In The Basement is a good suspense mystery book. It has a slow build in the first few chapters but it is a fast paced quick read story that keeps you guessing until the end. It has some shocking surprising twist in it too. Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review a ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.