Leave the Girls Behind by Jacqueline Bublitz had me very engaged through the whole book, the characters were great, the plot was amazing and the storytelling was very intriguing,
Bublitz grabbed my attention from the start; this became a book that I just could not put down.
The twists blew me away, the ending was brilliant! 


Thank You NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

If nothing else, the writing in this book was on point. The tension remained high through every page. The reader didn't necessarily know why, but the dark foreboding of things to come and things we didn't know was there. And with each page turn and each unraveling of the secrets, the tension didn't let up. It stayed because now the reader knew. Ruth's character development was strong and heavy. I wish we had gotten a bit more on some of the other characters. They were there, they did things, but that was as far as the reader got with them. But, this was already a long slow-paced book. I am not sure there was time to learn more about the other characters, especially since there was so much to Ruth. She, and this whole story, will stay with me.

I gave this one 50% then unfortunately dnf’d. I was really tried to get into it but it just did not grab my attention the way I wanted. Maybe it was a personal thing…idk

An engaging, unique plot with diverse characters and a touch of the paranormal.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Formal review to come. This was such a different spin from your typical serial killer thriller! I enjoyed it. I do think that the “ghost” of Beth was very adult considering she was supposed to be a 7 year old child. I suspected something was up with Gabe pretty early on, it was just how/what/why. This was my first book by this author! I enjoyed it. The first half was a little slow, but it picked up towards the end.

Personally not my writing style. I unfortunately didn’t finish this, I struggled to stay engaged from the start and just too slow paced for me.

This one was DNF for me it was to slow and the plot was not engaging and I just didn’t want to finish
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

To be honest, I had to DNF this book — I wasn’t into it at all. Maybe it was the writing style or the slow pacing? I really liked the premise, which is why I requested this book.

Ruth is an amateur detective, obsessed with true crime, including the case of her childhood friend who was murdered nineteen years ago. When she uncovers new evidence, she’s determined to solve the case herself.

You’ll really need to suspend belief for this one. If you’re okay with that, give it a try. It was a little too out there for me and I had a hard time connecting the threads that seemed to be moving quite fast. I did like the amateur investigation aspect of the story.

“Small truths, big lies. Maybe the only difference is which part of the story gets told.”

Leave the Girls Behind comes out 10/29.

This story centers around Ruth Ann, now an adult, who was the victim of a horrific crime as a child. When a new girl goes missing several years later, she cannot shake the similarities, and has never had closure on her own situation. She starts digging into both the present and the past, taking her down a rabbit hole that spans 3 continents and many interesting characters.

I love a good twisty thriller and this delivers, almost too much. At times it got a bit too complicated and convoluted to the point where I really had to pay attention to keep track, go back and double check what I thought I'd read. While I really loved the idea and would still absolutely read it again and recommend it, I would put the disclaimer that you really need to keep track with this one, it's not a causal read.

3 great premise stars

Ruth Ann Baker is the main character here. She loves true crime and loves to investigate crimes. Is this because her childhood friend, Beth Lovely, was murdered? Ethan Oswald was convicted of that crime, but now he’s long dead. She even started pursuing a career in forensics before dropping out of college.

When another girl goes missing in Ruth Ann’s hometown, she wonders if Ethan really was the killer. Or is this a copycat situation? As Ruth Ann digs into the investigation, she chases down leads around the world. She gets some help from other dead girls who visit her.

This author’s first book, “Before You Knew My Name,” was a strong 4-star read for me, so I was excited when I saw that a new book by this New Zealand author was coming out. Despite some twists, this one didn’t really draw me in like her first book. I was left disappointed that the premise wasn’t executed well, and the characters weren’t as strongly developed.

When a new young girl goes missing in Ruth's hometown, it brings up painful memories of her childhood friend being killed by suspected serial killer Ethan Oswald.

This was a good and twisty thriller! Here's what I liked:

The premise: Ruth was a compelling character to follow. She has flaws and doesn't really hide them. Her looking into the past without being able to speak to Oswald who had died already forces her to seek out the women that surrounded him. Each of them are unique yet were still drawn to the charismatic killer. The fact that they all then moved on to be connected to other killers was an interesting twist that made them even more interesting. I honestly would love to listen to a podcast about the women that are connected to killers.

The supernatural aspect: This one is perfect for October! Added to the twisty thriller, you get the plot twist that Ruth can see the ghosts of the girls Oswald killed. This adds a really cool side to this book.

The side characters: There are so many in this that I really enjoyed. A few really got to my heartstrings. I don't want to give too much away, but you will definitely enjoy them

All in all, a good twisty thriller!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

Leave the Girls Behind by Jacqueline Bublitz follows Ruth-Ann Baker. She is obsessed with true crime.
Even though I really loved the premise of this book, I found it a bit slow.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

📚 PRE-PUBLICATION BOOK REVIEW 📚

Leave The Girls Behind By Jacqueline Bublitz
Publication Date: October 29, 2024
Publisher: Atria Books | Emily Bestler Books

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

👻MY SCARE RATING: 😳

📚MY REVIEW:

Leave The Girls Behind is a captivating thriller that immediately grabbed my attention and took me on a wild ride around the globe! If you're a fan of crime fiction, told from the perspective of an unhinged narrator whose secrets are slowly revealed in the pages of this heart-pounding thriller, you're going to want to add this upcoming release to your TBR list immediately.

Told primarily from the perspective of Ruth Ann, our unreliable - and sometimes unhinged - female protagonist, this book made me feel like I was given a private viewing of Ruth Ann's spiraling as she went down a wild rabbit hole. If you're a true crime fanatic like me, you can understand this: this book is like starting to look into a cold case online and the next thing you know, 2 hours have passed and you have 12 tabs open in your browser. Ruth Ann's spiraling had so many twists and turns in it, it was sometimes hard to keep to with all her theories and plans. But that only made the spiraling feel more authentically real. And once pieces came together that explained her connection to it all, I found myself with a much deeper appreciation of Ruth Ann. The book got off to a riveting start, felt a little slow in the middle at times, but then got really unexpectedly twisty in its conclusions. In fact, the ending is still living rent-free in my head as I try to process everything that happened in the end. No spoilers from me, though!

I enjoyed Bublitz's writing style, especially the way this book was broken up into sections with the viewpoint of each different character. The transition into each character's section began only after or just before the reader was given an unexpected twist. The way Bublitz dripped foreshadowing into the story and then dropped a bomb of a twist...well, it was nothing short of intriguingly masterful.

If you love thrillers that'll keep you guessing and are filled with unreliable characters with oh-so-many secrets, you're going to love this book. I highly recommend this one! A big thank you to NetGalley, Atria | Emily Bestler Books, and the author herself for this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

#LeaveTheGirlsBehind #JacquelineBublitz #EmilyBestlerBooks #CreepyBooksofOctober #creepyreads #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARC #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

I was surprised by how much I liked Leave the Girls Behind. I thought the entire plot was original, the writing was easy to read, and there was a plot point that I actually did not see coming.

Ruth's frantic energy and obsession was so well written and intentionally uncomfortable to read. I also thought the split narrative worked well for the format of this. I was racing through to finish and see if my guesses on what would happen next would come true.

That's not to say it's without its faults. I did find pacing slightly off at times and certain choices left me a bit baffled. However, my biggest issues is the actual ending. I understand what Jacqueline Bublitz was trying to do but I don't think she gave herself enough time for it to come together the way she wanted. Instead, I was left a little confused and felt the ties she made were a bit muddy. I don't know if she just needed to add a few chapters or make it longer, but as it was, I felt it let down the rest of the book.

Overall—I still really enjoyed the novel. It's just a shame the ending took the wind out of its sales.

"The acclaimed author of the "tour de force" (The New York Times Book Review) Before You Knew My Name returns with a fresh suspense novel about a woman haunted by a serial killer and the ghosts he left behind.

Ruth-Ann Baker is a college dropout, a bartender - and an amateur detective who just can't stay away from true crime. Nineteen years ago, her childhood friend was murdered by suspected serial killer Ethan Oswald. Still tormented by the case, Ruth can't help but think of the long-dead Oswald when another young girl goes missing from the same town. And when she uncovers startling new evidence that suggests Oswald did not act alone, she is determined to find his deadly partner in crime.

Embarking on a global investigation, Ruth becomes close to three very different women - one of whom might just hold the key to what happened to the missing girl. And her childhood friend, all those years ago."

I mean, isn't every true crime devotees secret passion to discover a serial killer didn't act alone?

4 ⭐️ This mystery/thriller had me on the edge of my seat! I didn’t want to put it down!

Ruth-Ann “Ruthie” is haunted by the abduction and murder of her friend Beth when they were both seven years old. So much so that Beth’s ghost is a frequent visitor as well as ghosts other missing girls from her hometown of Hoben. Ruth has never given up trying to find out what happened all those years ago to her and the others. Though the killer, teacher Ethan Oswald was caught, punished and has died, Ruthie can’t let go of the fact he had help. When another local girl goes missing, she sets out to find the truth.

This story takes you on an up and down ride from NY, to Melbourne, to Oslo. Great characters and a cute dog too! So many twists and a satisfying surprise ending that I didn’t see coming!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Complex, haunting and bleak. I spent a good portion of my time wondering just what the heck was going on and how it was ever going to come together, but it does. And it packs a punch. It is gritty and raw. Ruth-Ann is portrayed with such care and there is an authenticity about her. Her pain is tnagible and it is often hard to just sit with. All in all, this is a tough subject, but if you can just sit back and let the story unfold, you will be rewarded.

After loving Before You Knew My Name by this author, I requested this book immediately when it popped up on NetGalley.

Nineteen years ago, Ruth-Ann Baker tragically lost her childhood friend to serial killer, Ethan Oswald (now deceased). To this day, she sees and talks to her friend, Beth, and a few other girls whose disappearances may be linked. When another girl goes missing, Ruth-Ann believes it could be connected, and Oswald may not have acted alone all those years ago.

This may be a good fit if you enjoy:
- supernatural light (ghosts, but they're not scary)
- crime fiction focused on victims & their loved ones
- so. many. secrets.

I'll be the first to admit this book was a little chaotic. Maybe the author was trying to include too much. Were all of my questions answered? I don't even know what my questions are. But you know what... I was into it. As the book progressed, I felt more compassion and empathy for Ruth-Ann and her journey for justice. It's a psychological mindf*ck for both Ruth-Ann and the reader through the very last chapter.

Rating: I really liked it! (4)

Leave the Girls Behind is what I would describe as a psychological thriller. Ruth-Ann Baker is a young bartender in New York City who when she sees news of a missing girl from her home town of Hoben, Connecticut and believes it may be related to an obduction that happened when she was younger. Only problem is that the person (Ethan Oswald) responsible for the obduction of Beth Lovely years ago was caught, convicted, and has died. This leads Ruth to believe that he didn't work alone and that there is a copy cat committing this new obduction. Ruth definitely suffers from PTSD and has been down this road of trying to put things together on this cold case multiple times before almost so that it has become an obsession and her life mission. She begins to connect women to Ethan Oswald and develops a story about her doing a podcast so that she can get close to them and try to determine if they played a role in the obductions.

Leave the Girls Behind leaves you asking several questions, especially on the stability of its main character. Also, it never clearly explains why Ruth can see certain victims and whether it is all in her head or if they are real. Also, what ever happened to those other victims and if they were truly connected to the obduction of Beth or did Ruth just believe that they were and therefore continued to see them.

While this book was average at best it wasn't great. It wasn't something that I felt I just had to pick up to find out what was going to happen next. It was more of a slow burn with not much of a reveal at the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #Atria #LeavetheGirlsBehind