Member Reviews

This is another book that has been on my TBR for a while. It is the first book that Megan Miranda wrote for adults. I have read two subsequent books by her, but just now got around to reading this one.

Nicolette Farrell escaped backwater Cooley Ridge ten years ago and is a counselor in Philadelphia, engaged to a wealthy, handsome attorney. She is called back home by her brother to help prepare her childhood house for sale, as her mother is long deceased and her father now in a facility, afflicted with dementia and in need of the money. Nicolette left home right after her good friend, Corinne went missing, never to be found. Now that she is back home, another young woman has gone missing after contacting the local police saying she had information about Corinne’s disappearance.

Suspicion falls on Nicolette, her brother, her father, and her high school boyfriend, Tyler, whom she can’t seem to stay away from. The story is told in reverse, from day 15 to day 1 and then jumping back to the present for the resolution.

There are twists, turns, red herrings throughout. A slow burn, I didn’t really engage with the book until about the 70% point when it finally drew me in. It certainly was a mind exercise following a story backwards; I really needed to be attentive! I didn’t find the ending all that satisfying. The book certainly raises the question: How far would you go to protect someone you love?

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This was my first Megan Miranda and I was NOT disappointed! From what I was seeing it is either you love it or you hate it, there’s no in-between. I fell in the love it category. The timeline is what is throwing most people off. This is told with a backwards timeline, which I thought was unique and inventive. We start with the event then jump into the future and crawl backwards with each thing that happened prior slowly revealing itself. Genius. You keep having to fill in the gaps in what you already know with what you think you know.
The FMC is so unreliable and isn’t that really the best kind??
Check it out.
4.5 stars.

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Let’s see…….Good story that will keep you wanting to read more. Some twists and turns and but at times confusing.
I love to read to take my mind away from everyday life but when I have to work to follow a story line it takes away from the enjoyment.

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Thank you to Simon and Shuster and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Good murder mystery. iS about a woman returns to hometown to be caught up in a murder mystery but otherwise interesting and will keep your attention.
Recommended to fans of Crime thrillers and murder mysteries.

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I wasn't sure how this was going to work - a woman goes missing and then we learn the story in reverse order from Day 15 to Day 1. Great format! Loved the mystery and the characters. There are actually two mysteries here - one in the present day and one that happened 10 years earlier. I really liked the way the stories intertwined and telling it in reverse order worked well.

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Nicolette Farrell has to return to her hometown to help her brother sell their homeplace. Their father is ill, and they need to sell. A young woman has gone missing - and this isn't the first time. Years before, a friend of Nicolette's went missing too. When Nicolette's father mentions the missing woman, everyone is baffled - does he know something? And are missing women connected?

This Thriller was different in that it starts at the end and works its way back. I found this initially hard to get into, But ultimately it worked!. This was a unique take! I enjoyed trying to guess what had happened to the missing girls.

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I thought I would really enjoy Megan Miranda's, All the Missing Girls since it was compared favorably to The Girl on the Train. In my opinion, it was nowhere close to living up to The Girl on the Train.

The title was misleading , All the Missing Girls leads me to think there were in excess of five missing girls, when there were only two.girls who went missing, ten years apart. I also did not feel like the characters were well defined enough 5o really even care about what happened to them throughout the novel. The way the story was told made it very difficult to follow & seemed unnecessary..I will confess that with all these problems, I did want to continue reading to find out what really did happen to these two girls. Unfortunately, that was the worst part of the story, the totally unbelievable and unsatisfying ending.

I would not recommend this book as I feel like I just wasted several hours of my time, I can never regain.

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The reverse-timeline plot of a mystery/thriller isn't a new concept and since I've read several of them by now the novelty has worn off. In the case of All The Missing Girls, it didn't help the story as much as I was hoping. I've read other books by Megan Miranda, so this was a bit of a let down.
I've also noticed she has a habit of writing her female protagonists to have some troubling character traits; i.e. brushing off a male character's explosive anger or verbal abuse and repeatedly making the SAME poor choice in dangerous situations etc.

All in all, while I'm not angry that I read it, I don't really recommend this book either.

I was given a free copy of this book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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The mystery begins early in the book and the story unravels backwards in a period of two weeks. I admire the author for her ability to make this work! I couldn’t put the book down and on Day 14, I kept wondering why and how Nicolette had the missing girl’s key. Down the rabbit hole I went. Nic (Nicolette) travels to her hometown to help with her father’s estate. When she arrives, she walks back into her past. Toxic acquaintances, loyal friends, twisted and changing relationships morph into one big mystery that’s lasted a decade. One mystery turns into two and somehow the mysteries are connected. Megan Miranda creates an ominous atmosphere with characters who readers are unsure of trusting. This is the second book that I have read by this author and she’s a capable and talented writer of mysteries! Highly recommended, couldn’t put it down, 5 stars!

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Thank you to Simon and Shuster and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Good murder mystery. A little bit of your typical woman returns to hometown to be caught up in a murder mystery but otherwise interesting and will keep your attention.
Recommended to fans of Crime thrillers and murder mysteries.

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Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will. Enjoy

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This book had me paying attention to every little detail! So well told, in reverse, which made for a unique reading experience I couldn't quite get enough of. There's really not much I can say without giving things away but READ this book and cancel all plans while doing so, you'll need to keep your eyes open so you don't miss a thing.

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I really enjoyed this book.

You really have to concentrate with this one, the book works backwards. But at the same time, it works really well!

There are twists and turns throughout all of the chapters and it had me engrossed!

This will not be the last book by the author that i read!

Thank you for the copy!

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Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy. I was really excited about getting this one yet it fell flat. I couldn’t finish this one. Sorry.

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Review placed on Goodreads

3.5/5 Stars

Ms. Miranda writes an interesting story with All the Missing Girls. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the format was unique. The story is told "in reverse" so one knows the crime and its relation to the past. One doesn't know how the crime came to be a crime.

While I found myself having to pay closer attention to this book because of how the "storylines" intertwined with one another, once I got into the groove, I found the story highly enjoyable.

A recommendation: Have this be the only book you are reading at the time. I normally have 10 books going at a time due to my reviewer status. I found it took me longer than usual to get into the groove of the book due to not devoting my time to it and following the storyline a tad closer than what I normally do.

Reviewed for publisher via Netgalley

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This is definitely a story you read in reverse.
It’s practically a page per day in the life of........
But told backwards leading up to the present day.

It really was a case of concentrating too much with this. So any interruptions could throw you off in the beginning few chapters.

The concept of it all was really rather good.

The eagerness of me wanting to know the why, where, how, and OMG what happened was real. I was wanting to flick past the lead up to scan the outcomes and who and what.

So that was a plus.

To be honest, I really had to use my brain far too much to keep recalling the past. Lots of hard work.
Should it be that hard reading? Or should I be just edge of seat enjoying this thriller?

Great concept but the almost everyday lead up back to front done me in.

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I have read a hand full of the whole "count down to day 1" mystery books.
This one didn't really work for me.
First of all the main character was completely disgusting to me. Not in the 'I write edgy unlikeable characters' kind of way. Just 'you are an annoying person and I don't like you' kind of way.

Nic was selfish and none too bright. She expected her brother and (to my unending and utter annoyance) Josh to save her any time anything came up. Let us remember she is engaged....but not to Josh, her ex boyfriend, that she abandoned 10 years ago.
Several times during the events it is also explained to the reader that 'it isn't a man's fault when he explodes/punches the wall/ throws something at you/ pushes someone down the stairs (no joke)'. Because they are just reacting to the 'overly passionate woman'. I am not sure if this is the view of the author or a reflection of this character's beliefs (which didn't seem to have any part of the story line so I am guessing the former??). It grated on my nerves and made me want to scream. Men are not animals. They have the basic human ability to choose how they react to anything.
I could just hear the excuse 'you made me do it' rolling off the tongue. It made me sick.
While this was a relatively small part of the book (mentioned several times) it made me despise Nic.

Over all the 'life understood backwards' theme didn't really work for me. I kept expecting little details to be brought into the light and made to be some big 'ah ha' moment. In large, this did not happen. It was a fairly basic run of the mill plot. I have to respect telling a story that didn't depend on 'twists' and shock factor. It just didn't really work for me in this case.

What did I like? The last 10% or so started to pick up the pace. But it also left me wondering what the hell was wrong with Nic the other 90% of the story. She already knew what happened for the most part...why the hell was she running around like a crazy chick the rest of the time?
I guess we are blaming it on the sleep deprivation and starvation? *shrug*

I was going to go with 3 stars on this one but writing this review made me realize the story did just irritate me in the end so I am sticking with two. It was ok. I didn't hate it. I just didn't really like it either.

Thanks Netgalley for sharing this with me in exchange for an honest review.

also posted to Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2803493915

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I cannot imagine how hard it was keeping up with the order of things with the reverse part... but I will say how easy it was to enjoy it! You’ll disappear in to the world and be checking behind you!!

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An engaging, suspenseful tale that’ll keep you guessing! The characters are relatable & the storyline is perfectly placed - looking forward to more with this author!! Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read & review.

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Great mystery book. Reads fast and keeps you guessing right up to the end. Would be a good book group choice with all the twists and turns. Be aware that the book is told in reverse order. I personally liked the change up, but I can see how others would find it a little challenging, as some other reviewers have mentioned. When it was all said and done and I think this is the kind of story that can only be told in reverse. The author convinced me of the unusual format for sure! The ending was very satisfying to me and all the questions I had as I was reading along were answered. I do think the format helps to keep the reader engaged and it's the kind of story that keeps me thinking about the book, even when I'm not reading it. I would read more by this author.

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