3.5 stars.

Nic Monroe's sister has been missing and presumed dead for seven years, and ever since, Nic's life has been hell. She'd like to try to move on, but can't. When Jenna Connor, sister to Jules, the other of the two Missing Mishawaka Girls, approaches Nic and suggests they look into the case, she reluctantly agrees. But as the two begin to peel back layers, they find secrets that were never revealed, and clues that might lead to the truth.

This is one of those books where, at least for me, you don't like the main character throughout the whole thing. Even at the end, there's no redemption. She's kind of a shit person.
I liked this book. It was pretty basic, with your expected red herrings and secrets. The twist at the end really took me surprise, which was nice. But it felt that it ended soon after. Like, "Plot twist! Ta-da! Then story resolution, and the end." It felt anticlimactic to me.

4 ⭐️

THE MISSING HALF by Ashley Flowers and Alex Kiester

Is this the most unique premise? Probably not, but I thought it was well-executed for what it was. Nicole is struggling with alcoholism after her big sister disappeared 7 years ago. Kasey’s body was never found, and when Jenna - whose sister also disappeared around the same time - asks Nicole to become an amateur sleuth with her, the sleuthing gives Nicole some purpose. Nicole is a messy character, which adds a wrinkle to the sleuthing.

➕ Quick, propulsive read
➕ I really liked the first person narration, and I liked our flawed main character Nicole.

➖ Not a unique premise
➖ Sometimes it felt like it got lost in the weeds, but even when it did, I was still invested.

This is an ideal book for the beach. Not too long, not a complicated plot, not too many characters, not high literature but still well-written, engaging story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

It publishes May 6, 2025.

The Missing Half ⭐️⭐️⭐️
(Suspense/Thriller)
A big thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I was so excited to read this because it’s written by my favorite podcaster, Ashley Flowers (where my Crime Junkies at?). I really enjoyed her first book, All Good People Here. Unfortunately, in my opinion, this one was not nearly as good. Two women team up in search of information about their missing sisters who disappeared around the same time. Suspects emerge and chaos abounds as the story unfolds. I thought the first 80% or so of the book was slow. The twist appears, and I did not see it coming. While it did have an unexpected twist, I felt that the story left a lot to be desired. But no worries, I am forever and always still a Crime Junkie fan.

This was definitely a page turner - two sisters investigating their sisters related disappearances 11 years after the fact. They band together to follow new leads which leads to an unexpected ending. I enjoyed the twists and turns and especially the ending.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC

I truly enjoyed this book. The character development was phenomenal and the plot intrigued me throughout the book. And the ending! Talk about a twist!

This book grabbed my attention from the very start. It is definitely a page turner! I could hardly set it down. The main characters were very well developed so that I felt like I knew them. Just when I thought I knew where the story was going, it took a little twist. While I was still in shock of that new development, another major twist happened. I loved this story. I would recommend it to young adults and up. I do not think the language is appropriate for those who are younger than that. The drinking and sexual content is probably not appropriate for younger readers either. I would have liked to have had a little more insight into how Jenna learned new discovery that was really mind-blowing and how she knew where to go, but maybe knowing that would have blown one of the surprises!

I thought this was an entertaining read with good twists! I didn’t see the ending coming at all. The author definitely makes you suspect various people

This book was amazing at keeping me engaged and unable to predict how it would end. I love following the mystery and all the twists and turns to get to a surprising and amazing ending. Highly recommend!

Really good. Held my attention and kept me guessing what was going on. Enjoyed the characters and the plot. Flew through this book in 2 Days. Definitely recommend for a good quick mystery! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy!

As a devoted fan of Ashley Flowers and her Crime Junkie podcast, I couldn’t wait to dive into this book—and it did not disappoint! Ashley is a masterful storyteller, and that talent shines through in this gripping novel.

The story follows two sets of sisters, both determined to uncover the truth, no matter the cost. At first, I was convinced I had the mystery figured out—so much so that I nearly set the book aside. But I decided to push through, and I’m so glad I did. While I may have been right about one detail, it had absolutely no impact on the shocking twist that left me quoting Crime Junkie co-host Brit: “WAIT…WHAT?!”

This novel is a must-read for mystery and suspense lovers. It will keep you guessing—and second-guessing—until the very last page. Ashley Flowers has truly outdone herself with this one, delivering a thrilling and compelling follow-up to her debut. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for access to the book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I thought I knew where the twists were going but then curveballs were thrown! I liked that the book kept you on your toes the whole time and there were a bunch of different avenues the twists could have gone down - it’s refreshing to not predict the entire plot at the beginning of a novel. And that last line was so powerful! 4.25/5

I was a fan of Ashley Flowers’ previous novel, Only Good People Here, which I know has a controversial ending. It definitely worked for me, though. And so does THE MISSING HALF, which is an engrossing, easy to read mystery/thriller about two women searching for clues in their sisters’ eerily similar disappearances seven years before.

Nic is a bit of a wreck. She works a dead end job, lost her license because of a drunk driving charge, is in debt, and is flirting with alcoholism. Nic uses booze to mask the grief she still feels after losing her older sister Kacey. Then Nic is approached by Jenna, a woman who understands how she feels because her own sister, Jules, also went missing, just a few weeks before Kacey and in nearly the same way.

Flowers provides just enough intrigue, clever red herrings, and suspicious peripheral characters to keep her readers guessing. Yes, there are at least a couple of improbable situations, but I feel like most thrillers have these moments. It would be difficult to predict how THE MISSING HALF ends, and I flew through it in about 12 hours yesterday. It’s well written, the dialogue flows well, and the story went places I didn’t expect.

If you like thrillers, THE MISSING HALF has everything you’ll want!

A big thank you to NetGalley and publisher Random House - Ballantine | Bantam for the early digital copy of THE MISSING HALF in exchange for my honest opinion.

Two young women go missing within the same timeframe leaving no trace of what happened to them. They leave behind devastated sisters  that are still searching for answers 11 years later. In their research they find each other and feel that there is a relationship between the two disappearances and working together they uncover the real reasons their sisters disappeared. 
    Early on in the book you empathize with the characters and how their lives have been affected by their tragedies.  However, as the story unfolds, you realize there is a dark side to sisterly love. 
    An engrossing story and a twisted ending that was both sad and shocking.

Nic Monroe is our 24-year-old MC who has been, and remains, down on her luck. Everything changed for her that one night seven years ago when her sister, Kasey, went missing, her car found over a hundred miles from home. The only slight clue in her case was a similar missing girl who disappeared weeks earlier. With nothing to go on, both cases went cold. When the other missing girl’s sister shows up in Nic’s life, the two take matters in to their own hands to find out what happened to their missing halves.

I enjoyed that this book wasted no time jumping right in to the action; when I read a thriller, I want to be thrilled and The Missing Half delivered. It maintained its pace really well throughout—I greedily consumed the story—and found the characters themselves enjoyable to follow even if they made some pretty bold, unwise, or unrealistic choices at times. I’m not sure how believable a lot of the plot was BUT I liked the writing and it was a fun journey.

Thank you Random House for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available May 6 2025

I want to start off by saying this is not normally the type of book I'll pick up to read. But I am so glad I did! I was intrigued all the way through.  Even coming up with my own theories of what happened to both Kasey and Jules. I ended up being completely wrong and so far off from how it ended.  Ashley Flowers does a wonderful job keeping the reader on track for what she wants the reader to believe and then BAM! Delivers an ending that left me speechless.  I read the last 4 chapters 3 times and still left me in awe and thinking about it.  Ashley Flowers has gained a new loyal fan and I can not wait to read other works by her.  I highly recommend this book!  It will keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this book!

This started out very promising, even though I did not like the MC. However, by the time I reached nearly the end, it went off the rails. There were also so many subplots that went absolutely NOWHERE and characters we never hear about again. This was a very disappointing follow-up to the first disappointing book the author wrote. Maybe she should just stick to her podcast.

3.75 stars - This book opens with a short prologue that instantly grabs you.

Two young women go missing in a small town two weeks apart and they are never heard or seen again. Seven years later the sister of the two missing women join forces to try and solve this unsolved disappearance. Do you really know those that closest to you?

I loved the twists in this story that I did not anticipate, but the ending fell a bit short to me - it was all cleaned up a bit too quickly for me with so many more logistical questions going through my mind. I still raced through this book because the tempo is very fast paced.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ashley Flowers and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine-Bantam for the e-ARC in exchange for my opinions.

Ashley Flowers knows how to hook you in from the beginning. What a solid auto buy author she is becoming which isn't surprising because she really knows how to tell a story, Completely well executed in the best possible ways and definitely one of those reads that sticks with you because of how shocking it felt to read.

First of all… 🤯🤯 Ashley Flowers will always be the Queen of Plot Twists. I could NOT stop reading once I got into the thick of it. This book read exactly how Ashley hosts Crime Junkie and it was such a refreshing take on a mystery/suspense story!

I am only taking off a star because the ‘women drink wine to cope with stress’ stereotype is way overdone and I’m so tired of women being perpetuated as alcoholics when facing stress or trauma.

I was so invested and then I wasn't. It took a turn near the end that I wasn't a big fan of and it lessened my enjoyment of the story as a whole.
I still really liked the writing style and the plot until the first twist is revealed.
I guess I wanted more of the investigation aspect and not what we ended with.
I feel like I'm ragging on this but I'm not I promise. It's a good story and character analysis. Just lost me at the end.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.