The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers is an absolutely gripping read that kept me hooked from start to finish. With its suspenseful twists, rich character dynamics, and unrelenting tension, it reminded me of the best of Karin Slaughter’s work—dark, thrilling, and deeply emotional. Flowers crafts a story that not only keeps you guessing but also builds to a jaw-dropping conclusion that’s as shocking as it is satisfying. The ending floored me in the best way, tying up loose ends while leaving me thinking about the story long after I closed the book. If you’re a fan of chilling mysteries with a pulse-pounding pace, this one is a must-read!

It was just ok to me! Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for n honest review!?

This was a really good thriller. It kept me on my toes! I could NOT BELIEVE the ending!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Missing Half
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Ashley Flowers & Alex Kiester
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: May 6, 2025

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝:
⇥ I appreciated the ending and how it was left open without over-explaining every detail.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝:
⇥ There was a side plot that gave me the biggest ick.
⇥ I didn't connect with the main character, Nic.
⇥ The book had a lot of repetitive words and phrases, including one of my least favorite words: lurch. It was used 11 times!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
★★★☆☆
It's a bit of a strange one... I didn't exactly like this book, but I also did. There were a lot of things working against it—the main character I couldn't stand, the unsettling side plot, and the behavior of a couple of characters. Even the ending wasn’t perfect, but I still found myself enjoying it. It didn’t feel entirely realistic, yet it wrapped up in the only way it knew how.

I'd recommend it to fans of the authors' first book (which, to be honest, I don’t remember loving, but I gave it 4 stars).

One last thing: I’m glad the main author finally credited the ghostwriter, Alex Kiester, this time around. That said, it's unfortunate she didn’t get a chance to include a dedication or acknowledgments because I bet she worked just as hard.

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

Another great book by Ashley Flowers. Flowers is known for her highly popular podcast, Crime Junkie and The Missing Half is her second fictional novel. It seems that she really found her footing with this novel and tells a really interesting story.

Sometimes, you read books that will sit in your skin for a long time. That will make you feel uncomfortable and wrong at your core, this was one of those books. I thought I had this book figured out 4 separate times and I could NOT have been more wrong. What seems like a rather straight forward thriller is actually filled with dark secrets and lies. I am actually struggling to form a review because I honestly can’t believe the last 50 pages just happened.

The Mishakawa girls have been missing for almost a decade when the sisters of the 2 missing girls decide to join forces and find out what happened to their sisters. What they uncover is lies, deceit, and secrets that the people in the town would like to keep buried. Who took these women and where are they now? As you read this you’ll find out everything is not what it seems.

I should probably be sleeping right now but I’m genuinely staring at my ceiling in disbelief like wow. I can’t believe this book. Fair warning it is slow at the beginning but you definitely need to stick with it you won’t regret it.

I loved Flowers’s debut and was so excited for this chance to dive into her sophomore novel. She certainly knows how to tell a story!

This story explores the impact of grief and the enduring bonds of sisterhood. I loved learning about Kasey through Nic’s flashbacks and the evolving sisterhood between Nic and Jenna. I always enjoy amateur sleuth stories, and I thought this was a great deep dive into a case gone cold in a town with minimal investigative resources.

After the ending in All Good People Here, I was expecting some sort of crazy twist/ending, and Flowers did not disappoint! While I guessed some of them, most I did not, especially towards the end. There are so many hints peppered throughout the novel that in hindsight seem obvious. I look forward to rereading the story again now that I am in the know!

This story scratches that true crime itch, and is perfect for lovers of mystery novels where everyone has a secret to hide.

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

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this! I love Ashley flowers & everything she is, stands for. Her last book was incredible & kept me guessing the entire time so when I found out I was accepted for this — I was kicking & screaming!

This book is about two missing women who leave behind two sisters, that take on the challenge of solving their sister’s cases. The beginning to middle felt very dragged out with pieces of info that never came full circle or felt wasted to the story. The big reveals at the end just missed the punch I was looking for. The ending felt rushed & truly out of left field, I get the shock factor attempt but it just fell flat for me. I honestly spent the first 60% bored, waiting for the reveals.

If I could give .5 stars, I would say 3.5.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this digital ARC. This a is a completely predicable thriller that doesn't take much to figure out, however, it is much better than the first book "written" by Ashley Flowers.

I loved this book so much! Ashley Flowers is a genius author and storyteller. Being a Crime Junkie fan, I feel so proud of her. The story started out a little slower than All Good People Here, which had me hooked from page one. But after The Missing Half started taking off, I couldn't put it down. So many twists that I didn't see coming.

The Queen of the Killer Ending returns! OMG, that last line!!! I absolutely loved this authors' debut, All Good People Here and could not wait for this second novel. I was SO excited to receive this ARC and it was well worth that excitement! This one is as good, if not even better! Nic has been going downhill at warp speed since her sister Kasey went missing seven years ago. She has tried to erase her pain and memories with one bad decision after another. Enter Jenna. Jenna's sister disappeared under similar circumstances, and she wants Nic's help to figure out what happened. Nic is reluctant at first then agrees to help. After this, the story is like rolling a snowball down a hill. Small and slower at first then quickly gaining size and speed until the ending collision! And WOW, what an explosive ending! Ashley Flowers is now in my Top List of Must-Read authors! She is already a master at making you think this is another run of the mill, predictable mystery, until all of a sudden it isn't. And did I mention THAT ENDING??? Grab this one as fast as you can and pray Ms. Flowers continues to write for a very long time!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Ashley Flowers and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication date of May 06, 2025.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Honestly, overall I loved this book. The ending, I am conflicted on how to feel if I loved it, or if it just pissed me off. However, we begin with Nic working at her job in Funland on probation and dealing with the aftermath of her sister’s disappearance seven years after the fact. Nic notices a woman watching her who doesn’t approach her until the end of her shift. The woman is named Jenna who also had a sister disappear under the same exact circumstances as Nic’s sister did. Both women team up to try to discover if they missed something from the initial investigation to see what happened to their sisters. Family secrets will come out and they are not pretty. Everyone will feel the betrayal. I’m honestly still shocked about the plot twist because I did guess two things that happened, BUT I never saw the big reveal coming, so that’s probably why my feelings towards the ending is conflicted on my end. However, I do think I definitely recommend and will be thinking about this one for a while.

Ashley Flowers delivers a compelling and emotionally charged narrative in her second novel, The Missing Half. Set in a small-town backdrop that is as enigmatic as it is evocative, this story expertly weaves mystery, family secrets, and the complexity of human relationships into a gripping tale.

The story follows a young woman, Delilah, as she grapples with the disappearance of her twin sister years earlier—a tragedy that fractured her family and left scars she can’t ignore. When new evidence comes to light, Delilah embarks on a journey to uncover the truth, unearthing secrets that threaten to upend everything she thought she knew.

Flowers has significantly matured as a storyteller since her debut novel, demonstrating a more nuanced approach to character development and plot construction. The pacing in The Missing Half is well-balanced, moving swiftly enough to maintain tension while allowing readers to connect deeply with the characters' emotions and motivations. Her prose feels sharper and more assured, capturing the atmosphere of the town and the emotional undercurrents of the story with skill.

Where Flowers' first book occasionally faltered in delivering a satisfying resolution, this novel excels. The twists are clever yet plausible, and the ending ties the threads together in a way that feels earned and satisfying. Fans of psychological thrillers and family dramas alike will find much to admire in this work.

With The Missing Half, Ashley Flowers establishes herself as a writer to watch, proving that she has learned and grown from her debut. It’s a testament to her evolving craft and a promise of even greater works to come.

This book is a must-read for fans of intricately layered mysteries and emotional storytelling. If you were hesitant after her first book, rest assured that Flowers has found her stride in this deeply engaging sophomore effort.

An absolutely wild read, the last 20% was so crazy I had to read it all in one sitting. I definitely did not predict that ending, I don't know how anyone did. Thriller readers will love this story and the writing makes it so easy to binge read. Nic was a tough main character to follow at times- I had to cringe and look away a few times when she was being reckless. But overall, a super solid read!

Thank you NetGalley and Bantam for my early copy. Expected pub date 5/6/25.

I couldn't put this book down! I really liked how it was the two girls working together to figure out what happened to their sisters. There were all kinds of twists that I didn't see coming. Especially one that made me audibly gasp! I think this was even better than this authors previous book. Very well done! I'll definitely be recommending this one to all when it releases!

Enjoyable mystery with a strong twist ending. The writing was solid. I’m just not sure there was anything in this one to make it stand out among a sea of mysteries. Good to pass the time though. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy to review!

WHAT AN ENDING! The end of the story was *chef's kiss* You do not see what is coming and it brings all of the emotions out. Great characters, great plot, and more. READ THIS BOOK!!!

Wow, I definitely didn’t see that end coming. I shouldn’t have expected anything different from Ashley Flowers though! This was a gripping, twisty tale of two strangers trying to piece together their sisters disappearances. I couldn’t put this book down, it kept me guessing until the end!

Thank you NetGalley, Bantam, and Ashley Flowers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I enjoyed this one more than All Good People Here and read it in a day. It’s short and entertaining and I couldn’t wait to know the answers to all the mysteries and questions.

This one focuses on two women - Nic and Jenna - whose sisters both went missing years ago. The cases went cold, but Jenna wants Nic to help her look into the cases and see if they can find any clues as to what happened. There are so many twists and turns that I never knew who to trust or what was going to happen.

If you like true crime, mystery novels, or the Crime Junkie podcast (as I do!), I recommend picking this one up when it releases. I look forward to seeing what else the author writes in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of Ashley Flowers’ The Missing Half. It was a fast read and kept me hooked from beginning to the end. The plot twists kept coming and were relatively unpredictable. I felt the characters are well-developed although I found Nic to be a bit annoying at times. I still felt invested in wanting to understand more. Flowers’ storytelling skills shine, balancing suspense with emotional depth. She can make you angry and upset along with the character. While the pacing slows in some parts, the overall narrative is gripping and leaves a lasting impression.