Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Wendy Corsi Staub's "The Fourth Girl" is a psychological thriller that grips the reader from the first page. This story revolves around four childhood friends – Lily, Chloe, Ava, and Grace – whose lives are irrevocably altered by a tragic accident. Years later, as they navigate the complexities of adulthood, a chilling secret from their past threatens to unravel their fragile friendships and expose the darkest corners of their souls.

Staub masterfully weaves a tapestry of suspense, expertly manipulating the reader's expectations. The narrative shifts seamlessly between the perspectives of the four women, each grappling with guilt, grief, and the lingering trauma of the past. Their voices are distinct and compelling, drawing the reader into their inner turmoil and forcing them to question their own perceptions of reality.

The novel delves into the profound impact of grief on the human psyche, exploring themes of guilt, betrayal, and the enduring power of childhood trauma. Staub's exploration of female friendship is particularly poignant, highlighting the complexities of loyalty, forgiveness, and the enduring bonds that can both sustain and destroy.

"The Fourth Girl" is a chilling reminder that the past has a way of catching up with us, and that the secrets we bury deep within ourselves can have devastating consequences. Staub's masterful storytelling and insightful character development make this a truly unforgettable reading experience.

In high school, Caroline, Midge, Talia, and Kelly were inseparable. But when Caroline disappears, the remaining three friends have to keep her secret. Twenty-five years later, Midge, now a detective, has to solve a murder that has something to do with her friend’s disappearance.

Normally I like novels with multiple POVs and timelines, but I found this story harder to follow than other similar novels. I also wasn’t particularly pulled in by the story or the characters. I did think it was interesting that Caroline was in such a religious family she had to go through that creepy vowing-to-be-a-virgin ritual where it looks like she’s marrying her father. It had its moments, but I remember enjoying another Wendy Corsi Staub novel more than this one. (That was quite a while ago).

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this book, which RELEASES MARCH 25, 2025.

The Fourth Girl is a standalone suspense novel. Four friends go to prom and then one of them disappear. Twenty five years later, the missing girl’s boyfriend is murdered and someone is stalking the other girls. The story moves kind of slow in the first two-thirds of the book as it switches between the past and present uncovering the details of prom night. The last third of the book the pace and suspense picks up as danger rears its ugly head for an unexpected twist to the story. I enjoyed the ending of the story but the beginning was a lot slower paced than I expected. The characters are okay but not really ones I would care to visit again in a future book. This story is just okay for me. My voluntary, unbiased, and non-mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

The suspense permeates every page of this, even when I’m not sure what is going on. There are time hops and perspective changes, and sometimes it’s confusing, but the book will hold your interest until the end. I predict it will be a reader favorite for 2025.

The back and forth between the different time lines was really confusing to me, even though it was time stamped under the chapters it seemed to jump around a lot. There not being a wrap up to explain what actually happened was also frustrating it left me feeling like the story wasn’t finished.

The plot was good, i liked how it all came together and said what their life was like before and then the present. Overall I did enjoy the book

I received an ARC of this book from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. I was really expecting to rate this higher, but the ending was just not good!

The part I enjoyed the most was the four women's friendship and history. I am the same age as they are, so the pop culture references were very relatable. I also found their friendship totally believable, with each woman really having her own personality and backstory. Many reviewers mentioned this book dragged; I did not feel this way. I was invested in finding out what happened.

I also loved the description of Haven Cliff, both historically and with Kelly's renovations. I enjoy fiction about the Gilded Age, and the fact that Kelly was painstakingly recreating how the estate looked in the past was very satisfying to me.

But the end really just ruined the book for me. So many unanswered questions! I almost never like books with unresolved issues at the end, and this had multiple. I didn't realize at the time I requested the book from NetGalley that it was going to be a series, so presumably some of the questions will be resolved in the future, but I just found the ending very confusing and not totally believable. I may or may not seek out the other books in the series to maybe get some clear answers...

The Fourth Girl by Wendy Corsi Staub was a pretty gripping read. The story had me hooked as it unraveled the secrets within a group of friends, with lots of twists I didn’t see coming. The pacing was a bit up and down, though, and some plot twists felt a little predictable, but overall it’s a solid, suspenseful thriller that kept me wanting to know what happened next.

*4 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

Secrets eventually come out and not in a good way. Some parents are way too strict on their kids. I found the ending to be interesting.

This was fantastic. I truly had no idea what was going on until the final page. It left me breathless!

Thank you, Thomas & Mercer for the copy of The Fourth Girl by Wendy Corsi Staub. I enjoyed this book and the friendship of the four young women, but it took some time to get used to the multiple timelines and the occasional different POVs. I didn’t love the story of the friends as adult women as much because Midge was the only one who was interesting. The ending fell flat to me because I had it figured out early on and some of the things that would have explained things more were built up but never resolved. It really only occurred to me as I was thinking about what I was going to write in my review! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I loved most of the book!

The Fourth Girl by Wendy Corsi Staub is about teen Caroline who vanished twenty five years ago from the infamous Haven Cliffs on prom night. Her three closest friends have been keeping a secret from that night a long time, but this anniversary is different. A man in the same town shows up dead, and the timing is far from coincidental.

This is a book I really wanted to love, but it just felt like the story didn’t really ‘start’ until the halfway mark. After that point, it was a much faster read and I was able to follow the storyline and become engaged with the plot.

With four main characters and switching between three of their POV’s, there is already a lot of switching narrative voices, to then add in a twenty five year timeline jump, it does get confusing. On top of that, there was an abundance of back story, not just for the girls, but for their families, the town, the Haven Cliff House etc. I understand that to flesh out characters this is needed, though I feel as though it was excessive. Many times I was taken out of the story to be told things like how one of their mothers was declining from dementia ect and found myself wanting to be back in the story of the girls. The ending also still left many questions open ended and I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed.

It was a decent read, but it could have been much stronger and fast paced if the unnecessary parts were cut and the conclusion was as detailed as the backstory.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. Pub date is set for 01/04/25.

Thank. you to Wendy Corsi Staub, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The beginning of this one dragged so bad. I found that it didn't hold my attention.

A 25-year-old mystery resurfaces when secrets buried since prom night—when Caroline vanished into the woods, threaten to unravel the lives of her three friends, Midge, Talia, and Kelly. Now a detective, Midge uncovers chilling connections between Caroline’s disappearance and a present-day murder. With sharp twists and dark revelations, the story delves into the weight of promises and the haunting grip of the past.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and author Wendy Corsi Staub for the opportunity to review the advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a must read! It's a story of friendship, secrets, love, deceit, lies, and finding the truth. The twists and turns will have you on the edge of your seat needing to read more. Wendy Corsi Staub, I don't know how you do it!

I really enjoyed the premise of this book - a group of four friends who are very close, and then one of them goes missing and they drift apart, before eventually ending up back in their hometown to revisit the past. I loved the way each character charted their own path and how they handled the situation with their missing friend differently. However, there were a few things with this story that I didn't love, and I felt like the ending was rushed. I think this book may be setting up for further stories with this same group of women, so I'd be intrigued to see how that progresses.

#TheFourthGirl #NetGalley
An ok read.
On prom night, Caroline Winterfield walked away from the ruins of an abandoned mansion called Haven Cliff and into the woods…never to be seen again. Only her three best friends know what really happened. But a secret is a secret, and a promise is a promise—even when it shatters lifelong friendships. On the twenty-fifth anniversary of that night, Midge, Kelly, and Talia reunite at Haven Cliff, now a gleaming architectural jewel. But they aren’t alone. Someone is watching. Someone who knows what really happened to Caroline—and to the man who now lies dead a stone’s throw from where she was last seen.
Police detective Midge knows she’s dealing with a murder the moment she sees the item clutched in his lifeless hand. Only three other people in the world would grasp its significance. That means Kelly and Talia are either involved or in danger, because Caroline is long gone…or is she?
It was an ok read. It was dragged unnecessarily.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for giving me an advance copy.

I really liked this book. The characters are all beautifully portrayed, including the missing fourth girl. There were several twists and turns to keep me interested to the end. It is a lovely portrayal of young friendships and the way they can knit back together in the right circumstances.

A nail biting story of a disappearance and three friends who know something but will not share what they know. Gives off Pretty Little Liars vibes.

On prom night, Caroline Winterfield walked away from the ruins of an abandoned mansion called Haven Cliff and into the woods…never to be seen again. Only her three best friends know what really happened. But a secret is a secret, and a promise is a promise—even when it shatters lifelong friendships.

On the twenty-fifth anniversary of that night, Midge, Kelly, and Talia reunite at Haven Cliff, now a gleaming architectural jewel. But they aren’t alone. Someone is watching. Someone who knows what really happened to Caroline—and to the man who now lies dead a stone’s throw from where she was last seen.

Police detective Midge knows she’s dealing with a murder the moment she sees the item clutched in his lifeless hand. Only three other people in the world would grasp its significance. That means Kelly and Talia are either involved or in danger, because Caroline is long gone…or is she?

Loved it. Will recommend to others.

This book is an intriguing mystery that involves four women who were best friends in high school. One (Caroline) of them seemed to disappear the night of their prom for reasons she would not tell her friends. Years later, one of the group (Midge) is not a police officer in their hometown. When another of their group moves home to be closer to her mom, she buys the mansion where Caroline grew up and the third decides to come for a visit, the friends hope that Caroline will come back to visit. Mysterious notes and the death of Caroline's former boyfriend.build suspense about her return and what she wants if she is back. The story flashes between the past and present with a surprising ending.