Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for the book #GirlFalling by #HayleyScrivenor. This book will have you hooked until the surprise ending. I never saw that coming. Finn feels like she is divided between her girlfriend, Magdu and her best friend, Daphne. They do t really seem to get along. When the three of them decode to go hiking and Magdu falls to her death, Finn is traumatized and wonders who would purposely kill her girlfriend.

Finn tragically lost her sister. And Daphne was there to help her though it. And they became friends. But though the time of their friendship Daphne was the one that always taking advantage of Finn because she knew the real reason how Finn lost her sister. Then Finn fell in love with Magdu and Finn did everything she could think of to not lose her.

Though the whole book I was convinced that Daphne was the one to blame. That Finn was the victim. The ending was a twist and unexpected.

I have conflicting feelings on this book. On one hand, it captured me from the start (especially the narrator's accent!), and on the other, there was just a lot of description that sent me over the edge. Examples include: her period, rotting tooth, and her experience at the dentist. It made me want to scream.

That said, I think this mystery was masterfully done and built. I really appreciated the twists that came over and over. If you like women's wrongs, this is the book for you.

Girl Falling was suspenseful with many brilliant moments. I loved the story, though the pacing slowed down at times. Overall, it was an enjoyable read that I'd love to revisit.

3.5

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this book for my honest review.

Sophie Loughran was the perfect pick for the narrator!

I devoured this one! I think a large number of females that read this will be able to relate to the unhealthy friendship seen in this book, although maybe not to this severe of a degree. The ending was SUCH a surprise, I truly didn’t see that one coming! I really honestly enjoyed this book.

This is a quick read, you’ll find yourself flying through the pages, or the minutes if you consume it in audio form as I did.

This wasn't exactly what I was expecting from this. I'm not sure where I got the idea this was a horror but that definitely effected me when I first started this book. That being said once I realized this was a thriller and not a horror I got really into the story. I will say I found this book a bit predictable but for me with thrillers its more about the journey and boy oh boy was this a journey.
This was incredibly well written and I found the duel time line to be a perfect way to tell this story. Overall this was a really solid book. It was a great thriller and it was absolutely heart breaking.

Girl Falling is the next novel from Hayley Scrivenor.

"Finn is looking forward to a day of rock climbing with her friends, Magdu and Daphne. Tragedy strikes and Magdu falls to her death. Finn searches for answers. Did Magdu die because Daphne did not want Finn and Magdu to be together? Does it go back to the tragic death of her sister?
When the police suspect foul play, Finn begins to see what was in front of her all along."

Lots of unlikable characters in this one. Daphne is a narcissist and expects all of the attention on her. Finn is a mess and can't see what is happening to her and will not listen to any voice of reason. So characters making awful decisions make listening very annoying. You want to yell at Finn and tell her to look. But Finn has her own secrets that make her unlikable.
Lots of internal monologue from Finn

The narrator, Sophie Loughran, does a good job with the story that's available.

The ending is a little vague and open - you, the reader, decide what you think will happen.

So this was rough. Unlikable characters, dumb excuses to be friends and continue being friends, then a small twist to where it didn't make much sense. The twist was thrown in for a reaction to a plot line that was mediocre and sort of boring most of the time. I appreciated the author's exploration in relationships and friendships, but it was so mundane and stayed stagnant most of the way.

I couldn't pinpoint if I cared less about the characters or the plot line. Both were so annoying that I continued to ask why would I care about any of them or how anything would turn out. There were a few moments of wanting to DNF, but I stuck it through only to be even more annoyed by that twist at the end.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

A twisted psychological thriller that will make you remember that the truth can be more terrifying than the lies.

📓Brief Description (Spoiler-Free):
- Finn goes rock-climbing with her girlfriend, Magdu, and her best friend, Daphne but when Magdu falls to her death, nothing will be the same.
- Finn begins questioning everything: her friendship with Daphne, her past trauma, and the secrets that surround her relationships.
- When the police suspect foul play, Finn must uncover the truth before it destroys her.

❤️ What I Loved:
- Queer representation! 🏳️‍🌈 Especially when it’s a key plot point, but there was character depth aside from being queer.
- I love how the story was told with past/present storytelling.

🤔 What I Would Change:
- The ending felt a bit meh - like it was a bit dragged out, and then I didn’t love the “reveal”.

📚 Recommended For:
- Fans of Ruth Ware, Megan Miranda, and Lucy Foley.
- Readers who enjoy gripping thrillers that also explores love, grief, and trauma.

💭Final Thoughts & Rating:
- I’m so appreciative of NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with the opportunity to review an advanced copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ARC

Hayley Scrivenor’s Girl Falling is a quick listen that is a blend of suspense and emotional depth, exploring love, grief, and the complexity of human relationships. The novel follows Finn as she struggles with the death of her girlfriend, Magdu, during a rock climbing trip, forcing her to unravel the tangled web of her past and present relationships including her intense friendship with Daphne.

This story gives the typical dangling of the carrot throughout the entire book and while it feels repetitive at times the reveal was surprising. The narration is excellent, adding an extra layer of immersion to the experience.

Girl Falling doesn’t quite reach the heights of a must-read thriller and it almost lost me early on. Some characters feel a bit underdeveloped, and the pacing, while brisk, leaves certain aspects of Finn’s relationships feeling rushed. Still, it’s an interesting story that will appeal to fans of psychological dramas with a mystery element.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

The novel revolves around a tragic incident during a climbing expedition where a girl mysteriously dies, leading those involved to question whether her death was an accident or if something more sinister occurred.

While the premise was intriguing, I found the book a bit dull at times, and my attention wavered more than usual. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why, but it might have been due to the plot pacing or perhaps the way the characters were developed. However, a significant positive aspect of the book is its inclusion of LGBTQ characters, providing much-needed representation in literature. This element was a refreshing and appreciated addition to the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio!

I am going to preface this review by saying: I am not a usual mystery/thriller consumer and I'm not a consistent audiobook listener.
The audiobook narrator often took me out of this. A lot of background noise like swallowing and breathing. And I will say it again: I am not an audiobook listener, so this may just be par for the course.
The entire time listening to this, I just found myself wanting to skip to the end to know. I guess I'm just not a fan of building suspense, I just want answers haha.
The characters felt somewhat surface level, but I did love the unreliable narrator, and I loved the representation of manipulation and emotional abuse in queer friendships/relationships (haven't seen this much outside of 'In the Dream House').

Despite narrator Sophie Loughran's best efforts, I never really connected to Girl Falling. The characters were not particularly engaging and the story so laden with irrelevant details that listening to the end was a burden. What should have been a surprise ending was, rather elicited, "oh, really? Well, ok then." I hope Scrivenor's next book resonates more deeply with me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audio copy of Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor.

I listened to this book in tandem with reading the ecopy. The narrator was fantastic and perfect for the story. It was a great psychological thriller that kept you guessing with an unreliable narrator.

3.7 stars - Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an ARC audiobook of 'Girl Falling'. This was a quick and engaging read, with an easy-to-follow narrative despite its shifts between past and present. However, I struggled to connect with the characters—Daphne’s manipulation and control over Fin made it difficult for me to fully enjoy the story. That being said, the final twist took me by surprise—I only saw it coming about a chapter before the reveal. While I appreciated that element, I found the overall ending somewhat disappointing. The conversation and reflections on the cliffside left me wanting more—whether it be resolution, accountability, or a big dramatic/tragic moment lol.

Hayley Scrivenor returns after the success of 2022's Dirt Creek. I went into Dirt Creek expecting a thriller and I was met with an interesting character study with a mystery underneath, much like Tana French.

Going into Girl Falling with a better idea of Scrivenor's writing was a huge help because I really enjoyed Girl Falling. After a tragic accident kills her girlfriend, Finn spends a lot of time unraveling her childhood and the affect it has had on her. Finn begins to realize that perhaps it wasn't an accident after all. Twisty and turny, with a lot to think about, Girl Falling is not a rip-roaring kind of thriller, but a much quieter mystery willing to dig deep into it's characters. For those patient and willing to give it the time, this is a great read and Kayley Scrivenor is once again showing us she's got lot to offer.

Thank you to Hayley Scrivenor and MacMillan Audio (#MacAudio2025) for the ALC!

Finn and her best friend, Daphne, share a special bond, both having lost sisters to suicide. They are so close that when Finn begins to see a girl named Magdu, Daphne has a hard time sharing her friend. What a dark tale of mean girls, lost love and how well can you really trust those closest to you. I also really enjoyed the concept of rock climbing, which was deeply woven into the story. I loved Finn’s personality, her quirkiness made her very endearing. Told in dual timelines, we see how Finn met Daphne and Magdu, and then he aftermath of a terrible accident - or was it?

“Girl Falling” releases March 11, 2025. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy of Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor. I really enjoyed this book but was a little disappointed with the ending. I appreciated the twist and was not expecting it, but it felt a little rushed. The toxic friendship was well written and an accurate portrayal of narcissistic abuse.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book at all. I didn’t connect with any of the characters, and I went in thinking it would be a thriller but it was more of a friend drama with romantic suspense.

And the overexaggerated details about getting her period, and then also about having dental work, literally each and every step was just so strange and unnecessary to me.

I didn’t care for the narration either, as you could hear the narrator swallow between most sentences.

If I had read the physical book and not been expecting a thriller, my review might have been different. Unfortunately, this was a DNF at 56%

It wasn’t for me, but maybe it will be for you!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC.

I loved Dirt Creek so I was beyond excited to read this one. Scrivenor doesn't disappoint. Beautiful narrative. Beautiful writing. Dark and twisted story. She isn't afraid to dive into the dark areas of human psyche. Highly recommend.