Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook. I really loved this book. I ordered finished copy for my shelf. The narrator was excellent.

Told in alternating timelines, The Lake of Lost Girls follows the story of Jessica Fadley's freshman year at Southern State University, and her younger sister Lindsey's investigation into Jess's disappearance twenty-four years later. Jess attended college in her small hometown, and during her freshman year four young women went missing from the school. The case went cold with no resolution. Interest has been renewed in Jess's case with the possible discovery of human remains at the lake near the college and the release of a new podcast series about the missing women. A handsome reporter approaches Lindsey for information, but it seems like he may have his own ties to the case as well.

I love a mystery/thriller with podcast elements, and was excited to hear how the audiobook would incorporate these into the experience. I found that the script for these segments didn't flow very naturally, unfortunately, and the narrators struggled to smooth things out with their deliveries.

I appreciated the characters and angles of this mystery, but I ultimately had everything solved fairly early on. The family dynamics at play were very interesting, but I wish that there had been more opportunity to focus on that aspect of the story. There are some reveals very late in the story that I think would have been great to show the reader rather than tell them at the end.

Mystery readers who enjoy multiple perspectives, complex characters, and lots of red herrings will enjoy this one!

🤯 THAT ENDING!

⚠️ TW: grooming, SA, adult/minor relationship, death, toxic relationship, abandonment, grief, murder, sexual harassment, sexism, abuse, victim blaming. ⚠️

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced listeners copy of this novel.
I love a good thriller that has me guessing and drawing my own theory maps and pushes me to the edge all the way up to the end. This novel did exactly that with a bit of mystery.

I won’t spoil it for you but THE ENDING!! The author does a very good job of switching narratives and timelines without missing clues, dropping too many hints or, losing track of the pace. The pacing of this novel is also worth mentioning because everything builds very well and the author doesn’t run into the issue of too much info dumping or not enough information being given.

Overall I really enjoyed listening to this one. I highly recommend for those who enjoy mystery thrillers that have you drawing your own conclusions up to the very end, and fans of DARK thrillers.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for my free ARC of The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene — available Nov 5!

» SYNOPSIS «
In the late 90s, several young women suddenly go missing from a North Carolina university, including Jessica Fadley, whose sister Lindsey is still grieving her 24 years later. When a new podcast starts digging into the disappearances, Lindsey finds herself involved in the investigation, which starts to feel too real when bodies of the missing women are discovered in a nearby lake. Will Jessica be the next body to be found? Or is something even more dangerous going on?

» REVIEW «
This was just okay for me; I enjoyed the story for the most part but I felt the resolution was a bit rushed and eye-rolly. The men in this book are all terrible, but I guessed the main "culprit" almost immediately — though there is some nuance and twistiness to this so I can't claim to have truly guessed the ending. I found the characters to be a little flat but itf you're looking for a popcorn thriller that will hold your attention, give this one a go!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was fantastically gripping from start to finish.

There were the perfect number of suspects in the disappearances of several college girls, each with their own secrets to hide, and it kept me guessing until the very end. There were some plot twists that completely blew me away with how horrifying the answer to the mystery was.

I enjoyed the narration, and thought the tone and cadence fit the story perfectly.

I recommend this one to anyone who likes books with family secrets, murder podcasts and serial killers.

🛶Book Review🛶
*
Summary- It’s 1998, and female students are going missing at Southern State University in North Carolina, but freshman Jessica Fadley, once a bright and responsible student, is going through her own struggles. Just as her life seems to be careening dangerously out of control, she suddenly disappears.

Twenty-four years later, Jessica’s sister Lindsey is desperately searching for answers and uses the momentum of a new chart-topping true crime podcast that focuses on cold cases to guide her own investigation. Soon, interest reaches fever pitch when the bodies of the long-missing women begin turning up at a local lake, which leads Lindsey down a disturbing road of discovery.

In the present, one sister searches to untangle a complicated web of lies.

In the past, the other descends ever deeper into a darkness that will lead to her ultimate fate.
*
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
My thoughts- Thank you so much @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for the advanced copy. I was so excited for this one but it was a bit of a let down. I enjoyed the overall idea of this but there were some major issues. It’s told through alternating timelines and a separate podcast. The podcast didn’t have a purpose or move the story forward, I’m not really sure why it was included. The main issue was the bizarre inappropriate relationship between the father and the missing daughter, it made me so uncomfortable. This was a good but not great thriller.
*
QOTD- what are you currently reading or listening to ?
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This audiobook is so well done I couldn't stop listening. The suspense novel (family drama suspense ) is told from multiple POV, past/present timelines and the audiobook has an entire cast of narrators (Frankie Corzo, Haley Taylor, Helen Laser and Sara Young) that bring this novel to live. I thought all the narrators were phenomenal and I highly recommend you listen to this novel if you are able 😱 I really enjoyed the clips of the podcast woven into the story that added critical details to the case in a way that didn't bog down the story.

A body is found at Dolls Eye lake 24 years after Jessica and three other female college students go missing. Fueled by her desire for answers, Jessica's sister Lindsey, who was only 6 years old when her sister went missing, begins to dig through the new details of the case and connecting with those closest to her sister. The twists and turns of this novel kept me guessing until the very end and at times it felt like I should get out the popcorn to watch the drama unfold 🍿👀

If you enjoy family drama suspense that is face paced and has you questioning everything, this novel is for you!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

(3.5 rounded up to 4) The Lake of Lost Girls scratches the itch for a mystery-thriller; its format moving from podcast episodes to flashbacks to multiple POVs could easily have become muddled in the middle, but it really works for this storyline. I especially enjoyed it as an audiobook! As someone of-a-certain-age who was also in college during the time the murders in the book take place, it was a fun (if eerie!) bit of nostalgia as well. I did guess a lot of the plot twists but Greene paced the story well enough that I didn't care a bit and the characters held my attention as I tried to pull the other threads of the story. Overall a solid read, and I would especially recommend it as an audiobook.

My thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this title in exchange for my honest opinion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Helen Laser, Frankie Corzo, Sara Young, Haley Taylor, and David Bendena doe a fantastic job narrating this book! I highly recommend the audio version if that is of interest.

Its 1999, and four women have gone missing from a small southern college in North Carolina. Fast forward 24 years and Lindsey, the younger sister of Jess, one of the missing girls, is living life still in the shadow of her sister's disappearance. Now, a body has been found at the lake in her small town. Is it Jess? A journalist approaches Lindsey and together they dig into the case to figure out what really happened.

The story alternates between dual timelines and multiple POVs seamlessly. There is also a podcast about the missing girls that is intermittently added in, along with newspaper articles and other police notes. All of this is so well done and engrossing! It really helped keep the suspense on a high alert! There are many secrets, twists, turns, and red herrings, that kept me guessing at who the killer was.

I found this to be a suspenseful, engrossing and fast read! Highly recommend!

The Lake Of Lost Girls is an absolutely gripping, heartbreaking, disturbing and highly addictive domestic drama/thriller. I wanted to read just a little… yeah that didn't happen, I didn't come up for breath and read this in one sitting. Once I started it absolutely consumed me. I couldn't stop, stayed up entirely too late to finish. The way this was written was absolutely engaging, it hooked me right from the start. From the podcast, the multiple POV’s, the past and present timelines everything was interwoven perfectly.

The story unfolded at a fabulous pace, it was never dragging with the chapters mostly all ending on cliffhangers to keep me addicted. The characters were complex, their relationships were complicated and intricate. The author did a fantastic job at portraying the toxicity of said relationships and how it truly affects the person and the surrounding ones. I absolutely loved the storyline, I loved how every detail was important and added at the exact perfect time to keep the building suspense.

I did have my guess about the culprit multiple times, I did get thrown off with the author steering me in different directions. Truly I didn't guess that ending. I thought that hit me with a bang, the conclusion and reasoning was utterly satisfying.

🎧 The narration is by a full cast and it was utter perfection. The voices were all different and easily distinguishable. They all added their personal flair to it and it was amazing. i thought it absolutely brought the story to life and made it feel very real. Highly recommend the audio production!

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @dreamscapemedia & @katherinegreene for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded to 4. When female students disappear from a university in North Carolina, the police and everyone else presume they've just run off. However, Jessica's family is certain that isn't what happened to their daughter, who disappeared while fetching her sister's birthday cake from the car, leaving the trunk open.
Twenty-four years on, Jessica's younger sister Lindsey is desperate for answers. When a podcast named "Ten Seconds to Vanish" spotlights her sister's disappearance, Lindsey finds herself compelled to listen, despite it feeling like a violation of her family's privacy. As bodies start to surface in a nearby lake, each discovery sends the family into a state of dread, fearing it might be their beloved Jessica.
Honestly, though? I think you'll be able to figure this one out.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio e-arc.*

An interesting mystery, though with audiobook there were too many characters. That's a personal issue. I had a hard time keeping up with the story, Towards the middle zoned out as it felt a bit repetitive and wasn't as engaged. Maybe the twisty end saved this one for me. Overall not something I'll remember.

I couldn't put this down. I stayed up until 2am to finish!

Lindsey's life stopped on her sixth birthday- when her sister disappeared in front of their house. Jess was the fourth girl to disappear from her college that year. And the police really didn't do anything about it. Fast forward to present day- a new podcast about the disappearances is about to debut. And a body surfaces near a secluded lake. Now the case is reinvigorated and everyone is trying to solve it. And find all of the lost girls.

I figured out the who pretty early on. I was less sure of the why until closer to the end- I suspected, but was not sure. I missed the first hint of the where, but later figured it out. However, there was enough going on that I had doubts about my conclusions. Plus I couldn't wait to see how it all unfolded in present day.

There were a few things that were frustrating- like the fact that the police basically did nothing until the third girl went missing, and even then, not much was done.

The audiobook has a full cast of narrators- which I love. The narrator for Jess was paced a bit slower than the others, which was kind of frustrating, but bearable.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Such a ride! I loved the storytelling. The way the past and the present weaved together was incredible. The author had me gasping when the truth finally came out. The narrators in the audiobook we top notch. They kept me listening long into the night. Absolutely a must-read!!

The Lake of Lost Girls was such a great book! I loved the pacing and the dual timelines, it gave me the opportunity to get to know each character a bit better. Jess was surrounded by toxic or predatory men and any one of them could have been responsible for her death and the deaths of her fellow students, and I was absolutely shocked by how this book turned out! I also really appreciated the podcast element and because of that, I would highly recommend the audiobook version, though I also read the ebook when I couldn’t listen. I really enjoyed the cast of narrators!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Dreamscape Media for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the second thriller by the best friends writing duo known as Katherine Greene, with the audio fabulously narrated by the cast of Helen Laser, Frankie Corzo, Sara Young, Haley Taylor, and David Bendena. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

It's 1998 and female students are going missing at Southern State University in North Carolina. Jessica Fadley, a promising student who began struggling, is the latest to disappear. Twenty-four years later, Jessica's sister, Lindsey, uses the interest in a new true crime podcast focusing on the case, Ten Seconds to Vanish, to help her own investigations into what happened to her sister. Then bodies of the long-missing women start turning up at a local lake.

Wow - this book was fantastic! I both read the digital version and listened to the wonderful audio, which is my favorite way to get totally immersed into a story. Having a whole cast made the audio production top notch and I couldn't put it down. The story alternates between both timelines as we follow Jessica on the lead up to her disappearance, and in the present as Lindsey tries to put all the pieces together of her sister's life. In between, we get snippets of the podcast to amp up the tension and suspense. There were plenty of suspects and creepy behavior that will keep you guessing, and the ending just totally blew my mind in the best possible way! If you like thrillers, this is an absolute must read!

My one sentence summary - this one falls short in the end. My lengthier review - I really wanted to like this one, and there were elements I did enjoy. I enjoyed the dual timelines, but they weren't always well executed (in that information was revealed in a disjointed manner). I thought the character development was weak across the board, and I really disliked the direction that Greene took with some of the characters, particularly dad. The podcast episodes were unnecessary (and I generally have enjoyed books that have included them). And the ending was......unsatisfying, unrealistic, kind of lame. I think I will wait for solid reviews before checking out more of Greene's work.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were perfect!! I loved the podcast element as well as the dual timelines. There were some twists that I saw coming but others were seemingly out of nowhere! Loved the author’s writing style and I look forward to reading more in the future.

This is my first book by this author and it was middle of the road for me. I quite enjoyed the first half, but then the second half went downhill and the author wasn’t able to pull me back in.

I liked the dual narrators, and am on the fence about the additional narrators at the end. I’m still sitting with whether they were necessary or not … I liked how the author presented Lindsay as never quite having her own life experiences, living instead in the shadow of her missing sister; Lindsay definitely made some questionable choices. Her parents were unlikeable (the mom was a piece of work), Ryan was terrible, and the only character I even remotely liked was the roommate (but only in her younger days).

As many other reviewers have noted, the podcast entries really don’t add anything to the story (except to make me reflect on how victims of crime and their families must feel knowing their experiences have provided fodder for entertainment).

I didn’t mind the pool of suspects, but I didn’t love the reveal. could get on board with who the killer was, but the reasons for the murders didn’t make sense. I don’t care for coincidences in my books, and this story had too many (all four girls being involved with all the suspects seemed a bit much. I also didn’t care for the portrayal of all men as bad / creepy / predatory / incompetent and one female character getting a pass on her bad choices because … girl power, I guess?

Much like the book itself, I enjoyed Jess’ narration the best.

"The Lake of Lost Girls" by Katherine Greene started off strong but quickly lost my interest, unfortunately. The writing and narration were very dramatic and a bit cheesy for me. The characters were hard to root for. They were all pretty obnoxious. I did enjoy the podcast element. I would have loved for more of the book to be the podcast. I think if you like cheesy network drama TV shows, then you'll enjoy this book. There's definitely an audience out there for it, I'm just not it.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC.