4.5 stars.

7 years ago two girls disappeared unexpectedly from small towns in Indiana. The police believe their case to be linked but have no leads so the cases remain unsolved. The sisters of the missing girls team up to find out what happened to their sisters.

This book was so good! It was supposed to be my treadmill read on my kindle but I couldn’t put it down. I totally binged it. The first half is more of a slow burn. The girls find bits and pieces they think are connected to their sisters’ cases and it’s definitely enough to keep you engaged. The second half contains completely unexpected twists. Like I said “what?!” out loud at one point. My only negative is the final ending is one of those that leaves you with unanswered questions and you want to know what happens next. I definitely wanted more. I’m a reader who likes everything tied up in a nice bow at the end but to each their own. I 💯 recommend picking up this book!

Ashely Flowers is also the host of a crime podcast, Crime Junkie, that covers unsolved and solved murders, missing persons, and other infamous cases. I will be checking that out next!!

Thanks to @Netgalley and @Bantam for the ARC copy of this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

This was such a gripping, fast-paced read ! I’m always drawn to missing persons stories, and this one had me hooked. Two girls vanish without a trace and years later, their siblings decide to dig into what really happened—and what they find is darker than they ever imagined.

I really enjoyed how the story slowly peeled back layers of each character’s life, especially Nic’s. Some parts felt a bit slow initially, but once things picked up, I couldn’t stop reading. The ending definitely surprised me—it was intense, emotional, and totally not what I expected. While it did seem a little far-fetched , it was still powerful and satisfying.

If you like stories with strong sister dynamics, buried secrets, and jaw-dropping twists, this one is worth the read.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review

When two girls come together after their sisters go missing two weeks apart and are never found. The way I thought I knew what was happening so many times, yet actually had no idea. This book was dark and twisted and I ate up every second of it. I started reading Ashley Flowers because of Crime Junkies, but she has quickly become an author that I will pick up every book she puts out.

As both a reader and a fan of Ashley Flowers' Crime Junkie podcast, the moment I heard about this book I knew I needed to read it. With her knowledge of true crime and telling stories in a way that keeps listeners' attention, I had pretty high hopes for this and I wasn't disappointed.

There were times throughout, fairly early on in fact, when I thought I knew where it was going. And a couple of twists I definitely called a while before they happened. Or at least partially called them, because more twists kept coming and I did not expect the real ending to be what it was. That completely took me by surprise, and yet it was done in such a way that it made sense and didn't feel like it had come out of nowhere purely for shock value.

There are some ends I would have liked tied off a little more, but overall this was a fantastic read and if you love crime stories, I would definitely recommend this. Flowers has a great writing style, and crafted characters that felt real and layered, and that I genuinely came to enjoy reading about.

🕯️ A hauntingly beautiful story of what’s lost, what’s found, and everything we carry in between…

The Missing Half is one of those books that quietly slips into your soul and lingers there. It’s tender and tense, full of aching silences and thunderous reveals. The story unfolds like a photograph in the darkroom—slowly, deliberately, revealing truths piece by piece until the whole picture stares back at you and takes your breath away.

The characters feel deeply real, like they’ve lived a whole life before the first page and will go on living long after the last. There's something so heartbreakingly relatable in their journey—because haven’t we all, at one point or another, felt like a part of us was missing?

With prose that cuts gently but deeply and a storyline that pulls no punches, The Missing Half is both a mystery and a mirror. It’s not just about finding what’s gone—it's about rediscovering who you are when the pieces don’t quite fit like they used to.

Highly recommend if you love emotional depth, compelling twists, and stories that make you feel everything.

This book was so good! It was creepy and mysterious which kept me engaged. I loved the sister aspect of this and derp it went into the complexities of sibling dynamics. This was such a good read for SUMMERWEEN! I will definitely be watching for more from this author!

Very disappointing. I was ready to give this 3 stars (it was fine) until I got to the “twist.” That dropped it straight to a 2 for me. Implausible and frustrating.

Nic's life has been on pause since her sister's disappearance - work, volunteering at the animal shelter, AA meetings, and repeat - nothing can get Nic out of her own way since Kasey's car was found abandoned by the side of the road. After work one day, she is approached by Jenna, who's sister went missing two weeks before Kasey, with a potential lead to uncover what may have happened to the missing sisters. Jenna gives Nic's life a well-needed shake up as the two pair up to uncover how deep the connection to the cases goes.

The story took a turn I was not prepared for. Jaw dropping twist. Very suspenseful and I could not put it down!

Thank you to the author and netgalley for this ARC! Spoilers ahead. I really wanted to love this book but it was just okay. It felt super slow going into it and then about the last 25% of the book is where things started to pick up and get kind of good! I did not like the ending, almost felt like a cliff hanger the way it ended not knowing if they were ever caught for murdering Jenna. And the fact Kasey was alive this whole time and was only 7 hours away. I will say it was a good twist that Nik was who killed Jennas sister.

✨Book Review✨
🌗The Missing Half 🌓

Synopsis:
Two girls go missing within a few weeks of each other in a small Indiana town in 2012. Each of the missing women leave behind a sister. Years later, the missing girls’ sisters find each other and team up to solve their sisters’ disappearance.

My thoughts:
🤔 Well that was a wild ride! If you enjoy twists and turns, you are surely going to enjoy this one!
🤔 There were so many loose ends. I was wondering if it would be possible to tie them all up, but by the end, everything came together.
🤔 I thought the ending was super unexpected! I had it all wrong, and I love it when that happens!
🤔 I liked the fast pace and the short, quick chapters - most of which ended on a cliffhanger.

Read this one if you like….
🔎Mysteries/Thrillers
🌪️Twists and Turns
🏡Small Town Settings
👩Sister Stories
🧙‍♀️Mature sleuths
😢Themes of navigating grief, identity, and self-rediscovery

🥰Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Bantam and @NetGalley for this gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this book. This book had lots of twists and kept me on my toes. Happy to say I did not see the ending coming. I would say of her two novels, this is Ashley Flowers' best.

The ending was unexpected and perfectly crafted! The characters are all unique and memorable. The mystery was masterfully put together and I would highly recommend this! Special Thank You to Ashley Flowers,Random House Publishing Group Ballantine and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

So. I’m disappointed. I loved Flower’s first book and the mystery she wove. Here, we have an instantly unlikable main character who only
Got worse as the story progressed. And that ending. What was that!
Not a good follow to All Good People Here

Two women went missing two weeks apart in 2012. It's almost like they vanished in to thin air. The leads have dried up and the cases have gone cold.

Each of the missing women left behind a sister -- who are now beginning to work together to review all of the evidence from the case to see if they can discover the truth to what happened to their sisters.

The police think it was someone on the periphery of their lives - so they focus on any potential overlaps in the past. They spend time reanalyzing clues, talking with old friends and family members to see if new conversations bring forward anything that might have been missed back then.

As expected, emotions run high and not everyone is happy to be relooking at the past. As Nic and Jenna continue their search for their missing sisters, I became more and more engrossed into solving the mystery.

I thought I had figured it out a few times, but, I was wrong! I was so impressed how the story kept me guessing even when I thought I would outsmart the author.

I had read some reviews that weren't in love with the ending but I really enjoyed it so this might be a great book to read with a book club and discuss whether the group had split opinions!

Thanks again to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @netgalley @ballantine for my ARC.

“I’m calm because I have to be. Being calm is the only way we’re gonna find anything out.”

The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers is a mystery thriller that will have you gripping your book with anticipation trying to figure it all out.

I have said this before and I’ll say it again: I either watch too much Forensic Files or I am destined to become a detective because I guessed that ending within a third of the way.

The chapters are short with cliff hangers and right when you think you solved it, another clue is thrown at you. So many twists and turns with an ending you may or may not see coming.

Overall, it was a fast paced read and I think any crime junkie should read it.📚

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: crime thriller 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
An addictive psychological suspense but I was not a fan of the ending

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Psychological thriller
Dark family mysteries
Two women haunted by their sisters’ disappearances
Themes of loyalty an grief
Small town gothic atmosphere
All the twists
Mature sleuths
Strong female leads

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Short chapters
Fast paced

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Unbelievable ending

Twisty and fast paced. I found the storyline to be a bit predictable/I wasn’t super invested in the characters.

My first time reading Ashley Flowers and this was phenomenal! Full of twists and turns that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last page. I enjoyed the shorter chapters and pacing of this for a thriller. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this book!

As a fan of true crime stories, I was excited to dive into Ashley Flowers' latest book. Having read her first book, All Good People Here, with my book club, we enjoyed the story but were left disappointed by the ending.

I would rate this book 3.50 stars. While it was entertaining, I felt it lacked substance and character development.

What I liked about this book:

The pacing was excellent. It was a short story with many loose ends that kept me engaged. I finished it in just two days because it moved at the right pace.
As the story unfolded, I enjoyed trying to piece together the loose ends. The twist was unexpected, and most of the loose ends were tied up by the end.
I felt sympathy for the character, although I had little sympathy for the main character, who consistently made poor decisions.
What I didn't like about the book:

The story was quite simple with very few characters. Some elements of the main drama didn't make sense to me, leaving me with unanswered questions.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and will likely read Ashley Flowers' next release.