I had heard all about this book through Goodreads and various publishing sites, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I was disappointed.
It's a fast paced read, that's for sure. I flew through it in about 3 hours. However, it's not the "must read, forget to function as a normal human" fast paced that I am always excited to encounter. It's more of a "thirty pages in, I think I've got this figured out, but I need to make sure" kind of paced. Spoiler alert: I was right. I can see how it would appeal to a certain subset of the voracious reading community, however it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, Amy Engel, and the publisher, Crown, for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

A darkly intriguing mystery surrounds all Roanoke girls.

When 16 year old Lane is forced to make the move to Roanoke after her Mothers suicide she suddenly has a family, that her mother never spoke of. She is immersed in the silent unspoken drama almost immediately after arriving at Roanoke but she cannot put her finger on what isn't being said.

Where does her cousin Allegra disappear to all the time? And what after a year of living with her grandmother, grandfather and cousin causes Lane to run from.

Eleven years later she gets a call that Allegra is missing and she returns to Roanoke to find her. It's then after years of introspection that Lane is able to bring the families demons to light and the mystery of Allegra's disappearance is solved.

I had hoped that waiting a few days, I would be better able to decide on a rating for this book, as well as a review for it, but I'm still undecided for the most part on whether to give it 1 or 2 stars. Although I did not really enjoy the story, I did continue on to the end because I wanted to know what happened and the book is actually well written. It is the author's 1st adult novel , but she has written at least two young adult novels, previously, of which I have not read as the subject matter didn't interest me. But this book is definitely an entirely different genre from her previous books.

There is a family secret that is disclosed very early on in the story and therefore mentioning it is not a spoiler and can actually be beneficial for those who do not for whatever reason want to read about <spoiler> incest. </spoiler>. Therefore although not graphic, it is an uncomfortable book to read. Even the two main characters in the story, Lane and Allegra, two of the "Roanoke girls" are not truly likable characters. This book is definitely not for everyone, but if you read and enjoyed Flowers in the Attic, you may like this one, Although I enjoyed that one a lot, at least back then I did , how I would feel about it now I don't know. and this one not all that much.

I enjoyed this book. It did bounce around from them being kids to present day. I didn't care for the grand dad at the end but I'm not going to say why. Don't want to ruin it for the ones who have not read it yet. This was a quick book to read and I couldn't put it down.

Favorite Quotes:

Allegra watched me over the rim of her cup. Her eyes felt greedy, like she was trying to drink me instead of her water.

You always had choices, Lane… You just keep making the wrong ones.

We were both silent for a minute, and the sky was so vast, the stars so bright, it was almost possible to believe you could hear them burning.

Guilt, I’m discovering, is an emotion that’s almost impossible to kill. It’s like a poisonous weed that keeps on growing, burrowing into every vulnerable spot.


My Review:

I was captivated, enthralled, repulsed, intrigued, repelled, spellbound, and chilled by this devilishly twisted tale. I could not put my kindle down and felt annoyed by those pesky interruptions of daily life. I had chicken-skin for miles. The story was maddeningly paced, diabolically constructed, and me in like a Sirens’ call to the rocks. I was hopelessly fascinated, my curiosity relentlessly pricked by the slow reveal of several mysteries spanning five decades. I was quickly ensnared and remained rapt throughout this ingeniously erected and cunningly crafted storyline, although I wasn’t sure I wanted the mystery to be solved I feared the outcome. Ms. Engel’s writing was stunning and emotive, with deft and perfect word choices. I could feel the heat and dust of the Kansas summer, taste the horrendous cooking, and hear the cicadas chirping. Her characters were deeply flawed, irreparably damaged, tainted, seldom likable and frequently cruel; yet also magnetic and alluring. Amy Engels has completed a stunning and gripping portrayal of an extremely vexing and disturbing social issue. I have a feeling this one will be gnawing at me for months.

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel is a highly recommended, disturbing, creepy thriller.

After 15 year-old Lane Roanoke's mother commits suicide, Lane leaves NYC to live with her grandparents and cousin Allegra on their farm, named after the family, in rural Kansas by the small town of Osage Flats. All Lane knew about her grandparents was that her mother couldn't wait to leave and never went back. Once in Kansas, Lane learns that her grandparents are wealthy, but she also learns that the Roanoke girls seem to be prone to dying - or running away like her mother did. What she can't figure out is why her mother was so haunted by her life there. When she does discover the truth over the one summer she was there, she also runs.

Eleven years later Lane is living in Los Angeles when she gets a call from her grandfather telling her that Allegra has gone missing and Lane needs to come home. Lane does return to Roanoke to help search for Allegra and figure out what happened to her. Did she run or did something else happen. Lane certainly doesn't care about seeing her grandparents, and makes it quite clear. She even blurts out early on the big, dark secret hanging over the Roanokes, making it clear why she likely ran away. It's disgusting and the book slowly reveals the extent of the family secret. Lane also wonders about seeing her boyfriend from that summer, Cooper.

The narrative alternates between the past and the present. It follows Lane during her summer at Roanoke and then her return eleven years later to look for Allegra. It also goes back in time to reveal what happened to all the other Roanoke girls in the past. As I said, the shocking secret is revealed early in the book, so what you will be looking for are clues to Allegra's fate and more information and clarification about what has happened to all the other Roanoke girls.

Engel does an excellent job keeping the suspense and intrigue going, hooking you into the secrets of the past and present, as she slowly reveals more information. The novel is well-presented, in the writing, execution and the length. I was completely hooked in the story and never had a point in The Roanoke Girls where I thought the story was being stretched out. I read it in one sitting, which is the perfect way to read this page-turner. The ending is rather predictable, although it seems intentional as the focus is more on Lane's emotional state and her search for the reason for Allegra's disappearance.

The biggest drawback to The Roanoke Girls is the subject matter. The subject matter is repulsive and will always be disgusting. Additionally, Lane's self-loathing can be difficult to relate to. In the end, however, Engels pulls it all together, reveals all the secrets, and there is closure.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Crown/Archetype.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/03/the-roanoke-girls.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1942603690

THE ROANOKE GIRLS, by Amy Engel was a novel that started out very promising. I was immediately intrigued, and even more excited to find out what was going on there when we were "shown" the pictures on the wall of all of the girls. The writing style was easy to follow, and never seemed too "jarring"--even when switching time frames.

Unfortunately, I had pretty much figured what was going to happen in the entire book within the first 50 or so pages. Without any real element of suspense, the read quickly became tedious, as I just wanted to finish to confirm my own suspicions on the ending. Sadly, there were no unique, unexpected twists to keep me wanting more.

Amy Engel has some good writing skills, and hopefully her next book will be more unpredictable throughout the course of it.

*I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are uniquely my own.*

“You know your family’s fucked up, right?” he asked. “Like, seriously screwed.”

If you want to sit at the lunch table with Mitchell and me you probably need to buy this. (Also, we wear pink on Wednesdays.) I’ve only read about 40 books so far this year, so declaring this to be “My Favorite Read of 2017” is a bit lackluster at this point. I will say that I bet any of you a dollar it ends up as at least a Top 5 by January 31, if that helps prove my point. I’ve also been forcing this on everyone I know – even though it wasn’t even available for them to buy/check out from the library. I mean, I’ve been telling anyone who would listen, and if no one was around to hear me???? Easy peezy lemon squeezy . . . . I'd pull a Clint Eastwood and talk to a chair.

Here’s the part where I tell you I “can’t really tell you much” because spoilers and blah blah and getting there is all the fun, and although that is so cliché it’s totally true . . . .

“Let me tell you a story. It starts out nice, but it ends . . . badly.”

The story here is about Lane, who goes to live with her never-before-met grandparents after her mother commits suicide. Over the course of a summer she becomes almost a sister to her cousin Allegra who also lives at the Roanoke estate and finds out the history of all of the beautiful Roanoke girls who came before her. Fast forward to the present where Lane is summoned back to the family home in order to track down a missing Allegra.

I notice The Roanoke Girls is being shelved/marketed as a “mystery,” but if you’re a frequent mystery reader you’ll know the outcome pretty much before things even get started. You’ll also most likely pick up on the trail of breadcrumbs that is left almost from the start, but if you’re anything like Mitchell or myself it won’t deplete your reading experience in the least . . . .

“The first time I saw Roanoke was in a dream.”

“Did you wake up screaming?”

“Huh?”

“Was it a nightmare?”

“No.”

“Then it was nothing like that.”

^^^^ That was on page one and right there I was like . . . . dis gon be guuuuuuuuuud.

If your tastes run fairly vanilla when it comes to “mysterious chick litty” types of reads you might end up wishing you had some heroin after you finish this one.

EVERY. SINGLE. STAR. I’ll even go steal some from other books if I have to. Shitty books like The Shack.

In case you couldn’t figure it out from the swoony awkwardness above, an advanced copy was provided to me by NetGalley and Crown Publishing in exchange for an honest review. And now it’s . . . .




ORIGINAL "REVIEW":

I'm taking a mini-vacay, but came on to post this real quick (then I'll see y'all on Tuesday). Today it was 75 degrees and sunny. In flyover country. In the middle of February. I sat outside and got melanoma read this sucker from cover to cover. I don't generally post place-holder types of reviews (especially since the feed changed and I get tired of seeing my own shit up there over and over, let alone everyone else's), but this doesn't come out until next month and there's a tiny chance it's still available over on NetGalley for request. If your idea of a "beachy read" is dark like Mitchell's heart, this might be the winner for you. It gets every single star and people need to get on their library waiting lists pronto before it blows the roof off the joint on release date.

Loved this really good, twisted, disturbing, un-put-downable story. I sometimes wonder where authors get their ideas for their books....this was one of those books. You sort of knew where it was going from early on, the crumbs are sprinkled throughout the chapters which alternate then and now and between each of the Roanoke Girls, but it all comes together at the end. I loved it, and would highly recommend it to most people.

When I first read the synopsis for this novel, I knew I was going to enjoy reading it. It has everything I look for in a novel – the mystery of a missing girl, dark family secrets, and a young woman forced to confront her past. Amy Engel is a new author to me, but after reading this book, I will be picking up all of her other works.

This isn’t an easy book to read. It has some really shocking and disturbing subject matter that made me feel squeamish and sick to my stomach for a lot of the book. It’s extremely dark and twisted, but in my opinion, this book is as close to perfect as any book can get. It’s one of my new favourite novels and that’s not an honor I give out lightly.

There are a lot of shocks in this story, but the first one is dropped about 11% through the book. It’s done without any preamble or preparation, and I was taken completely by surprise even though I knew something big was coming. I just didn’t know what it would be and that it would be done so quickly. I liked that the reader knows what the big secret is right away, but it’s not boring since there are still layers that are peeled back as the story continues. The plot moved at a great pace and even though the novel is quiet, it has moments of drama that keep the reader transfixed.

Additionally, the atmosphere of this novel suits the novel so very well. The oppressive heat of the Kansas summer and the beauty and desolation of the Roanoke house combine to create a setting that mirrors the experiences of the characters. Just like the beauty of Roanoke hides something evil and twisted, every beautiful Roanoke girl was hiding something as well. It’s a marvelously written parallel and handled with such grace and eloquence by Amy Engel.

Lane was one of the best characters I’ve ever read. Even though she’s beautiful and sought after, her experiences have left her a mess. She’s self-destructive, selfish, cruel at times, and yet you can’t help but love her. I wanted the best for her and for Allegra. I wanted the best for all the Roanoke girls, and I loved all of them. The secondary characters were also so well-developed and interesting. I also really enjoyed the writing and the layout of the book because we learned about all the Roanoke girls. We understood who they were and we learned some of their secrets too. The one thing I was unsure about was the romantic subplot. I didn’t think I would like it, but I really ended up loving the way it developed. It was everything I wanted for Lane, and the ending was hopeful, which is the best I think you can ask when it comes to a book this tragic.

This book isn’t going to be for everyone. There are going to be people that are so bothered by the subject matter that they won’t be able to get past it to the beauty within. The darkness of the novel will mar everything else, but I really recommend people try and read past it. I want people to read down to the heart of this book, which is about a damaged protagonist trying to find redemption and a little hope. It’s a beautiful story, and one worth reading.

WOWZER. This book was full of raw emotion, a slightly gothic tale set in modern day Kansas. The story goes back and forth, from the individual stories of each Roanoke girl that has met a tragic end, or disappeared, then to the summer Lane spent with her grandparents and her wild cousin, Allegra, and then fast forward to today, as Lane returns to the farm to help search for the now missing Allegra.

The storyline of this book will not be for everyone. It's pretty gritty and very disturbing. Which makes it hard to review this book without providing spoilers.

No one in this story is innocent. Even those who try to do the right thing somehow stumble and get pulled into the ugliness of the Roanoke reality. The Roanoke's are the town royalty, their money helps keep the entire town afloat, so people aren't interested in looking closely at the tragedy that goes hand in hand with being a Roanoke girl.

This book will not be for everyone and parts of it were really stomach turning, and Lane is probably the only surviving Roanoke girl because her mother cared enough to run away and stay alive as long as she could.

I read it in one day - beause I wanted to find out what happened to Allegra, and I wanted Lane to get away. It was gripping, but disturbing.

3.5 stars, rounding up to 4...Well written! But, very disturbing.

"Look at this tangle of thorns." ~Vladimir Nabokov
The book opens with this quote...and how true!

"The first time I saw Roanoke was in a dream. I knew little of it beyond its name and the fact it was in Kansas, a place I had never been. My mother only ever mentioned it when she'd had too much wine, her breath turned sweet and her words slow and syrupy like molasses. So my subconscious filled in the rest. In my dream it stood tall and stately, tucked among a forest of spring green trees. Its little girl's fantasy of a princess castle."

"The second time I saw Roanoke was a month after my mother committed suicide."

The story is told by going back and forth between then and now. Lane Roanoke is sent to live with her grandparents after her mother dies. She is 15 and it will be a summer she will never forget. She meets Allegra, wild child and her cousin, who is almost the same age and also lives with the grandparents, Yates and Lillian Roanoke, in their home just outside of Osage Flats, Kansas. They are rich and they want Lane to come share their life and home. The girls date and fall in love with Tommy and Cooper that summer. But, something very disturbing takes place and Lane runs away, leaving Allegra, Cooper and Tommy behind and it's not pretty. Later, as an adult, Lane gets a phone call from her grandfather that Allegra (who stayed behind) has gone missing and he wants Lane to return and help find her. So, she returns to Roanoke....

This book was difficult to continue once I got to the center of the mystery. Reminding me too much of a V.C. Andrews - the dark and twisted subject matter with the abusive and demented characters living in a cult- like fashion. I felt disgusted, depressed, sad, and furious while reading this.

The characters are well developed. I loved getting to know Lane, Allegra, Cooper, and Tommy. Some others you hate and you'd like to see their quick demise, some, well, you want to slap over the head and put them in the witness protection program right away!

It was painful to read after a point. The subject matter is very disturbing and before the book was finished I was wanting to leave it behind. Enough. I didn't think I could take much more of it. You will have many clues early on as to why the Roanoke Girls all leave or turn up dead. You will be angry that more is not addressed in the why instead of the how. I still feel outrage over parts of this story.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely brilliant, gut wrenching, addictive reading. (4.5 stars)

This is the story of the Roanoke Girls, as told by Lane as a fifteen year old - first meeting her Roanoke relatives (grandparents and cousin) and then again 11 years later, as a 26 year old who escaped her family only to be drawn back in. The back blurb of this book doesn't do it justice (although there is a love story component to Lane's story - it really is about so much more). We learn that Lane is simply one of a long line of Roanoke girls - Jane, Sophia, Penelope, Eleanor, Camille, Emmeline, and Allegra. All the girls beautiful, all of them very clearly Roanoke's.

This is a gritty story, full of things we as readers don't want to read about. Amy Engel was able to give us such flawed characters, and you may not like them very much, but you are compelled to keep reading. As we discover the secrets to the Roanoke Girls - Lane was raised away from her extended family by a very mentally ill mother who didn't tell her anything about her past - we start to understand the secrets, the lies, the loyalty and the betrayal each girl was faced with.

I loved that the book was divided by "then", "now" and then short snippets of chapters told through each of the other Roanoke's girls perspectives - long enough to give the reader a little clarity as to their personalities and their stories, but not enough to answer questions - still creating tension and mystery until the very end. Even if you guess the ending before you get to it - it doesn't matter. This book is still fraught full of tension.

However I will say that were it not for the writing this story and it's characters would have fallen flat. Amy Engel wrote a beautiful novel. If you read and enjoyed Laura McHugh's "The Weight of Blood", Vanessa Diffenbaugh's "The Language of Flowers", Maile Meloy's "Liars and Saints" and Cara Hoffman's "So Much Pretty" (all recommended reads too) - this book is for you. Just like those other novels, this is about characters who are seeking truth, love, and encountering bitter disappointment from those closest to them.

Highly recommended read.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Sweet Mother of God...this book is like Flowers in the Attic on Crack. Seriously, this book has some serious ick factor...but it was also seriously good. I found that even though it was icky, I could not put this book down. I had to know. What is going to happen? Will the truth come out?

Roanoke girls never last long around here. In the end, we either run or we die.

Fifteen year old, Lane Roanoke moved in with her grandparents and her cousin Allegra after her Mother's suicide. Her cousin, Allegra, is very excited to have another teenage girl living in the house. Lane does not know any of her family members. She has never met them. She had no idea that Allegra existed. Her Mother left the family home in Kansas when she was a teenager and never looked back. Her Mother never wanted Lane to ever know about the Roanoke family or history.

Lane attempts to make a life for herself at Roanoke, spending a lot of time with her Cousin Allegra and forms a relationship with a teenager boy, Cooper, in town. She thinks life on the farms, although sometimes strange, is good. Until one day she goes looking for her cousin and discovers a secret. A very dark hideous family secret. Lane cannot get away from Roanoke fast enough.

Years later Lane is contacted by her grandfather informing her that Allegra is missing. She decides to come home but at what cost? Did Allegra finally run away as some of the other Roanoke girls did? Did she harm herself? Coming home to look for Allegra, also means that Lane needs to face the demons from the past. Demons which are real and lying in wait. Coming home also means seeing an old friend (Tommy) and the boyfriend (Cooper) she left behind without notice.

The story is told through "Then" and "Now" chapters. There are also chapters about other Roanoke girls. This is a twisted family and boy do they have one doozy of a family secret. This book is not like anything I have read before but as I mentioned in the beginning, I thought of the book "Flowers in the Attic" while reading this book. Very original story line which is strangely compelling. The subject matter may be gross but somehow the Author is able to pull off a book which I found hard to put down. I had to keep reading. I wanted to know if this families secrets would ever see the light of day and of course, what happened to Allegra.

Even though this book has uncomfortable subject matter, there are no graphic scenes. There doesn't need to be and I appreciate the Author not including any in this book. I liked the pacing of this book. The writing is wonderful. Everything flowed nicely and as I said, I hated to put this book down.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This book is amazing! I could not put it down and just loved it from beginning to end. The mystery driving this story and my fear for the characters I became so attached to kept me up turning the pages way past bedtime. Haunting, dark, suspenseful, atmospheric.. I finished it in record time and unreservedly give it my highest rating. Disclaimer: This ARC was given to me on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Roanoke Girls
Amy Engel
Crown Publishers, March 2017
ISBN 978-1-101-90666-8
Hardcover

From the publisher—

“Roanoke girls never last long around here. In the end, we either run or we die.”

After her mother’s suicide, fifteen year-old Lane Roanoke came to live with her grandparents and fireball cousin, Allegra, on their vast estate in rural Kansas. Lane knew little of her mother’s mysterious family, but she quickly embraced life as one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. But when she discovered the dark truth at the heart of the family, she ran…fast and far away.

Eleven years later, Lane is adrift in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra has gone missing. Did she run too? Or something worse? Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to help search, and to ease her guilt at having left Allegra behind. Her homecoming may mean a second chance with the boyfriend whose heart she broke that long ago summer. But it also means facing the devastating secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again.

I first encountered Amy Engel with a young adult dystopian duology and, in my review of the second book, The Revolution of Ivy, I remarked, “This is essentially a character study of how people cope with extreme conditions and stress while holding on to their humanity.” The Roanoke Girls is a contemporary adult mystery but I would make that same comment about this book.

When Lane arrives in Kansas to live with her grandparents after her mother’s suicide, she knows very little about these relatives and would have been content to live on her own, something the authorities would never allow a 15-year-old to do. She has few expectations but, even so, her first glimpse of the rambling and mystifying structure known as Roanoke leaves her flummoxed. Moments later, she meets the cousin, Allegra, who will become so important in her life, a life that has just taken a turn for the worse. Much worse.

The core theme of the story is not as uncommon as we would like to think and Ms. Engel handles an extremely uncomfortable and disturbing tragedy in a compelling tale. Near the end, a character asks a question, showing his puzzlement and lack of true understanding. I can’t repeat it here without being spoilery but I think you’ll know it when you see it as it points out very simply how a person can think there’s nothing wrong with his enormously awful behavior. It’s creepy and unsettling while utterly tragic. This is not a book I’ll ever want to read again but Ms. Engel kept me turning the page even after I knew the true nature of this family’s secrets.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, March 2017.

An intriguing but slow-paced mystery that alternates between the present and the past. Most interesting were the characters themselves, how they justified their actions and thoughts, and why they kept their secrets.