Seven years ago, two women went missing in similar circumstances within a few weeks of each other. Now, the sisters of the missing women come together to uncover what really happened.

Seeing as I read this book in less than 24 hours, I'd say it was good. One moment even made me clap my hand to my mouth- what a twist, but it worked so well! It's a quick, thrilling read.

Whaaaaat!!! This was so crazy!!! There were constant twists and so many suspects in the abductions of Jules and Kasey. The short chapters kept me hooked because it was so easy to ~ just read one more~. Wow. I’m so shook and all turned around right now because I just devoured The Missing Half in two sittings.

I picked this up because I love Crime Junkie and The Deck, and I want to support Queen Ashley Flowers in everything she does. I don’t really read mysteries or thrillers, so I don’t have much to compare it to. I thought this was superb!! Ashley is such a gifted story teller.

Overall: this is definitely worth a read. Especially if you want a quick thriller that’ll suck you in. And especially especially if you like tales about sisterhood!

My only con at all was that I wanted a little bit more on the outside world or more from some of the side characters. This story is 100% about Jenna and Nic’s search for their sisters. Their investigation starts on like page 6. There is nothing else at all that happens in this and there is no world building at all. I wanted a bit more on Nic’s dad and Jenna’s mom. I wanted a bit more on their town - is it a close knit place? A city size comparison would be helpful.

Nic has made a delicate sort of peace with the fact that she’ll never see her sister Kasey, who disappeared seven years ago, seemingly into thin air, again. But when she is approached by Jenna Connor, whose sister Jules, disappeared under similar circumstances around the same time as Kasey, Nic agrees to take another look at their cases, and soon becomes obsessed. But what if the truth is more painful than not knowing?

I read the author’s first book and loved it, so I was ready for some good reading. And while I didn’t quite adore this book as much as the first, I throughly enjoyed this one as well.

The main character was really interesting and I took to her right away. She finds herself at a crossroads and can’t decide whether to decide whether to fight for a better future or just give up and accept that she doesn’t want to have anything better than the hollow existence she has now. Seeing that push and pull throughout the book as she works through her sister’s case is fascinating.

There’s a lot of twists and turns throughout the novel that kept me guessing. There’s a lot going on, and the author really kept the suspense level high as the book goes on. Each new revelation opens new possibilities and that kept me interested and excited for what was coming next.

The resolution of the mystery is quite…interesting, thats all I’ll say. This is another where I’ll give my caveat to read all the way to the very end, so as not to miss anything.

Overall, this was a great sophomore work by Ashley Flowers, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

This was a good thriller, with some unexpected twists. I enjoyed her writing style and the story kept me interested throughout. I enjoyed following the characters and did not guess the ending. The pacing was great and flowed well. I will be sure to read more from this author, Thank you Net Galley and Ballantine for the Advanced Readers Copy.
4 star

Another hit from out favorite Crime Junkie!? This book hooked me from the beginning I read 50% in one sitting and could not put it down.

2.5 stars, rounded down.
Nic's sister Kasey disappeared without a trace seven years ago. Her case has always been linked to that of another girl, Jules, from a neighboring town, who disappeared a few weeks earlier. When Jules's sister, Jenna, approaches Nic about reinvestigating their cases together, Nic is at first skeptical but quickly falls down a rabbit hole which just might lead to the truth... whether Nic or not Nic is ready to face it.

This book may not be for me. I felt that Nic's characterization seemed a bit all over the place: she hates her alcoholic mother and silent father, but she is an alcoholic and refuses to speak about her sister. She drinks several bottles of wine a night and can't drive due to a DWI, but she suffers no consequences of withdrawal or relapse. Nic is (seemingly) lost and stuck in a rut, but the assumption is that this was caused by her sister's disappearance--until much later in the book when we learn she's always been like this. I never knew how I was supposed to feel about Nic. Is she an unreliable narrator? A compassionate woman trapped in the past? A loyal friend? The authors seem to want us to believe whatever is most convenient for the story. The same is true of Nic's missing sister.

With all mysteries, some suspension of disbelief is required; however, the twists in this book come far, far left of field.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A bit of a slow burn, but the twists toward the end kept piling up. I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending, but it was a wild ride!

I was perhaps slightly less blown away than other reviewers but thought this was a solid, enjoyable thriller. It's fast-paced and suspenseful, the prose is easy to read, and those who enjoy being shocked by endings will be excited about this one I think.

This was such a wild ride! This novel had more than just mystery and suspense but it had a lot of emotional depth to it as well. No spoilers, but the ending wasn't what I'd like but still amazing.

Wow !! What a wild ride. This one was hard to put down. I could not predict how this one would end. There were so many twists and turns at the end that kept me on my toes and so surprised. I highly recommend if you enjoy a thriller that is hard to predict.


Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Two women (Nicole Monroe and Jenna Connor) drawn together to find their missing sisters. What happened to Jules Connor and Kasey Monroe? Were they kidnapped or killed? The detective on these cases has no answers with these girls’ disappearance was two weeks apart.
During their investigation the two women find out things about their sisters in which they had no idea. You speculate a lot as you read this book, of course the more you read the more you question.
You will have on your investigators cap and possibly figuring out the outcome of this story. But then again you may be truly surprised as the truth is told.

This book was easily my favorite book of 2025 so far, I truly could not put it down to the point where I finished it In one day! The twists came consistently throughout the book. There was no slow burn, it was burning from the very start. I appreciated the flashback storytelling intertwined with the present storyline. Ashley Flowers really outdid herself with this one. I really never saw the ending coming, and just when I had accepted what was happening ... BOOM, another twist. The key foreshadowing moments were noted, and it drove me nuts because I knew they were important but I did not have any inkling as to why. HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU READ THIS ONE!

5 ⭐️ I am a huge Ashley Flowers fan! I loved All Good People Here and am a huge fan of the Crime Junkie podcast so you know I had to get my hands on her newest novel: The Missing Half; and it did not disappoint!! The authors suck you in from the very beginning with the cases of two missing girls (that might be connected) and their two sisters who are still looking for answers all these years later. There were twists and turns every step of the way and THAT ENDING 🤯 I never saw that coming! It kept me flipping pages like crazy and I could not put it down! If you are a fan of twisty thrillers, dark secrets, and the biggest reveals pick this one up immediately!

Publishing 5/6/25

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book started out so strong. One thing I love about Ashley Flowers is that her writing is so fast-paced and compulsive, I literally couldn't put this down and read it in one setting. That being said, one thread that seems to tie all of her books together is the inability to wrap a story up successfully. The ending of this book came out of nowhere (negative) and frankly, made no sense. I was so confused that I couldn't even be shocked. It was wrapped up so quickly, much like her debut novel (I will never forget my mom telling me she googled how many pages were supposed to be in All Good People Here because she thought part of the pages had been ripped out). Wanted to love this but the ending ruined it. Will still read her future novels since they're so quick and I believe she can continue to grow - this was a marked improvement from her debut.

2.5 stars, rounded down.

Nic Monroe had been drinking too much before her sister Kasey disappeared. Back then, it was because she was young and having fun. Now, it’s to numb the pain of not knowing what happened. She lives in a dingy apartment working the same low-wage job she had in high school. She has a DWI she can’t afford, and now, the sister of the girl who’d gone missing two weeks before Kasey disappeared shows up, telling Nic she thinks she has more information about what happened to their sisters, their missing halves.

They begin to investigate on their own, leading to some discoveries they may not have wanted to know.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES MAY 5, 2025.

I didn’t think it was possible to live this book more than her last one but I did! I didn’t see the twists coming and the ending just wrapped everything up so nicely. PLEASE KEEP WRITING BOOKS

Absolutely unputdownable. I was gripping my seat the entire time. The twists were perfect and I didn’t see many of them coming. The story was gut wrenching and shocking. The mystery was perfectly executed.

The Missing Half is a poignant and emotionally resonant story about love, loss, and finding oneself. The writing is stunning, and the characters’ growth will stay with you long after you turn the last page. An unforgettable tale of connection and healing.

I really enjoyed Ashley Flower’s last book and was so excited to get an arc of her latest!

This one was a slow start for me but once I got into it, I could not put it down. I don’t love when the main character is a hot mess and Nic is definitely that, yet I found I didn’t mind it as much because she felt more reliable than most hot mess narrators. The chapters were short (as well as the book) and I felt it just flew by!

I did not see the twists coming and found they were pretty entertaining. My main feedback is the end felt abrupt and I would have liked a little more follow up- an epilogue a year down the road would have been perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Seven years ago, 24-year-old Nicole’s sister disappeared. Since then her life has gone nowhere, and is getting worse. She just got a DWI, lost her driver’s license, and is now on probation. Then she finds hope in the form of another young woman who also had a sister who disappeared.

This story will hold the reader's interest until the surprising ending. It is definitely a page-turner.