Goodreads: The Roanoke Girls.
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Amazon: UK|US
Synopsis: 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.

As it weaves between Lane's first Roanoke summer and her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart.

Review: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and I was really happy that I'd managed to snag it. I want to preface this review with a few trigger warnings for the book, it contains suicide, sexual abuse, child abuse, and toxic relationships. This book is dark, twisted and angry, so it won't be for everyone but I did end up enjoying it.

For me this book was slow to get going, all of the characters were unlikable and I couldn't seem to get invested. I hated Allegra much like most of the characters in the book, and so I didn't really care whether they found her or not; she was mean and vindictive, and Lane had become the same over the past eleven years, if it wasn't for the mystery of Roanoke then I think this book would have ended up as a DNF for me.

The book definitely grew on me though as it pieced together Lane's experiences at Roanoke, and how they had shaped her into the women she is in the present. It's heartbreaking watching the book flit from the past to the present, as you finally realise why the Roanoke Girls never last long. It's an unforgiving story and as I read I grew more sympathetic towards Lane's character, and even towards Allegra who I'd hated for the first five chapters.

I especially loved the changing timelines and perspectives! The novel gave us a glimpse into the lives of every Roanoke girl that had come before Lane, and it kept me reading I wanted too know how this had gone on so long; how had no one realised and protected these girls, it was amazing how well Amy Engel kept me engaged despite it being easy to figure out the big secret early on.

I loved  the second half of this book, once I was into this thriller I just couldn't put it down. It's dark, creepy, and thoroughly enjoyable, if you can make it past the first few chapters it's a fantastic read.

Recommend:  If you love dark and twisted thrillers then this is definitely a damn good one!

Stars  ★★★★

I enjoyed reading this book, although I found it a bit too slow in places; it would have been easy to put down and not pick up again, which would have been a shame, as I enjoyed the ending.

The big secret was quite easy to spot early on, so the reveal did not come as too much of a shock - although I was wrong with how I expected the ending to go.

I enjoyed reading the snapshots of the other members of the family, would have been nice to see more of this.

Overall, a good book, and I'll keep an eye out for others by the same author.

A thoroughly gripping novel.
Seedy, beautiful, dangerous, exciting, mysterious and sick. All good definitions for what happens inside.
The Roanoke girls are rich and beautiful. They are also either dead or have disappeared.
Why? The answer can be found at Roanoke House. The Grandfather and Grandmother have deep secrets which are now threatened by the existence of the most current Roanoke Girl: Lane.

Lane is one of the lucky ones. When she was fifteen she found out what it really means to be a Roanoke girl and so she escaped. But now she is forced to return and unravel what's happened to her cousin and the other girls who once lived there.
Very gripping novel- dark undertones and a real page turner!

The Roanoke Girls is a deeply insidious story told from the perspective of Lane Roanoke, a girl who had grown up with an emotionally abusive mother. When Lane’s mother kills herself Lane is sent to live with her grandparents at Roanoke (the house is named after the family). The book sets us on a journey via two different time frames, the first “Then” gives us the story of Lane’s first summer at Roanoke and how she gets to know the family she didn’t know existed. “Then” should be one of those happy stories of new friends, sun tans and first boyfriends, but there is always something slightly off about this idyll.

The second part of the story is told in the “Now”, not that the parts come one after the other, rather that they twist around each other, giving us more information about events we see in the past and how that ties to Lane’s present-day situation. Both stories tell the tale of how Lane returns to Roanoke, the first as mentioned in the “Then” where she feels like she may finally have a place to call home, in a great monstrosity of a house, which seems to have smashed different kinds of buildings into each other, with her new family comprised of her Grandfather, Yates, who works on the farm to keep himself busy, as the Roanoke’s are rich; her Grandmother, Lillian, who from the start is cold and distant and finally her cousin Allegra, who could almost be Lane’s twin, who, from first appearances seems to live just to enjoy herself.

The second time Lane returns to Roanoke, is when she receives a call from Yates, telling her that Allegra has gone missing and asking her to come home. We don’t know why Lane doesn’t want to return to Roanoke, but she does, as she feels that she owes this to Allegra after leaving her there over ten years ago. What she finds is a house that feels slightly less lived in, as if the light has gone out of it. There is a gaping hole where Allegra should be. Lane gets to see how life has moved on for the people she left behind, as she slowly catches up with her past. It slowly dawns on Lane that she has to be the one who finds out the truth about what happened to Allegra and why she disappeared.

The Roanoke Girls is a grim story that shows how much damage can be done in one family, that is slowly decaying on the inside. Where one man doesn’t even see that he is hurting those he says he loves and no one talks about the family’s dark secret. There is a lot of victim blaming throughout the story, mostly from the victims themselves, not realising that what happened to them wasn’t their fault. It is terrible how one action repeats itself over and over again, until the town, blind to the true events happening at Roanoke, know one thing, a Roanoke girl, either runs away or dies young!

Incest will never be an easy subject matter and therefore this wasn’t an easy read. I have to admit as uncomfortable as it was to readI couldn’t put the book down. I can really see it being adapted into a mini series or film. 5💫

Dark and unsettling, the plight of Amy Engel’s Roanoke Girls is as compelling as it is alarming. Although we guess the form of the abuse and the identity of the perpetrator early on, Engel’s skilful ability to ensnare the reader is deft, creating a late night page turning read. Lane Roanoke’s return to the family home, determined to uncover the fate of her missing cousin, Allegra, contains all the ingredients of the perfect Gothic novel – death, family secrets, twisted romance, the sprawling brooding farmhouse set in the wilds of rural Kansas. One small difficulty I had with the novel was keeping track of the cast of Roanoke girls, particularly those who suffer first. However that same cast, although not necessarily easy to like, are drawn so believably, the reader feels each horrifying tug and as the girls’ confused feelings are jerked and pushed in painful ways. A thought provoking read on the impact of abuse throughout generations and the potentially corrosive nature of the desire to belong.

A very good read hard to put down. The subject matter was quite difficult but I felt dealt with
Well, slightly different from my normal read, but highly recommended

Reading this book was like sitting down in front of Dallas, it had drama and felt like watching a soap opera!!!!! It centres around the world of a family.....and what happens....Roanoke girls have drama and this book has it in spades, we hear the different stories and you want to devour it up whole! It was compared to Virginia Andrews flowers in the attic, and there are similarities but this is an easier read and less dark! Loved it

Thank you to NG for a free copy of this book.

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.

As it weaves between Lane's first Roanoke summer and her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart.

This is a powerfully written book and it is hard to read in places given the subject matter of intra-familial child abuse. It is, however, compelling and difficult to put down. I loved Lane as the lead character; slightly unconventional and not your average female heroine, and Engel shows brilliantly that you don't have to be a carbon copy girl to be a role model - perhaps not in all of Lane's life and choices, but in the way she overcomes and survives. Each new revelation shocks and it's hard to predict how it will all turn out in the end. I'm sure not for all, but I liked the ending; it felt right after everything that had happened before.

Engel isn't someone I have read before but I will certainly look out for future books.

A well written and compelling read but a difficult and unpleasant subject matter.

I can't say I enjoyed reading this book as the subject matter was disturbing to read but something about it captivated my interest and kept me reading to the end. It has a sinister undercurrent throughout the book. A haunting tale of dark family secrets.

An uncomfortable novel which draws you in and keeps you guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow this certainly had my gripped from start to finish ,sensitive subject matter but in my opinion if you we don’t read about how will we know. Highly recommended

A gripping story that keeps you guessing right to the end. Highly recommended.

It does feel as though a common trope in literature about country folk is a hearty slice of good ol' incest and "The Roanoke Girls" is no exception. Set on a the Roanoke family estate in deepest darkest rural Kansas, Lane Roanoke is sent to stay with her grandparents following the suicide of her mother.
Her partner in crime is her cousin, Allegra, whose mother is also absent. Allegra tells her that "Roanoke girls never last long around here. In the end, we either run or we die."
Pretty soon, Lane realises what's going on and runs, but is pulled back years later when her grandfather contacts her to inform her that Allegra has gone missing. Has she run? Has she died? Nobody seems to know the answer, so Lane returns to Roanoke to look for her cousin, and face the past and all its horrors.
Reminiscent of "Flowers in the Attic", this is a fairly unbelievable story. The characters are mostly unrealistic and the "secret" is pretty obvious from the start. The denouement and showdown was just way too over the top for my liking, which is a shame, because Engel obviously has a lot of talent, this just isn't the right vessel for it. It feels like she's deliberately trying to be sensational with a very sensitive subject matter, which comes across as pretty jarring.
I'll be interested to see what Engel does next - hopefully she picks a story that does justice to her obvious talents.

Part coming of age, part mystery thriller Lane Roanoke, following the death of her mother goes to live with her grandparents and cousin Allegra on the Roanoke Estate in rural Kansas.  She stays for the summer and then leaves shocked by what she has witnessed.  Eleven years later she returns after being contacted by her distraught Grandfather, informing her that Allegra has gone missing.
Small town vibes aplenty here as not much has changed since Lane left and so the story is told, part coming of age as in the teenage years - the summer Lane lived in Roanake, part mystery as the story of missing Allegra unfolds and a cast largely unchanged between the eleven intervening years.
Unprepared for what this book was about, I admit I found some aspects of this story shocking, not in a way that detracted from this book which I enjoyed a lot.  The quartet of friends from the teenage years stayed true to their characters in adulthood,  I particularly liked the friendship between Lane and her boyfriend Cooper. Both damaged kids who in their youth struggle to make their relationship work, but maintain a warmth and a spark in adulthood.  I found myself rooting for them second time around.
Written in a then and now format with interludes detailing the fate of past Roanoke Girls - the women in the predominantly female family over three generations.  A lot of what occurs in Roanoke is alluded to, but in a way telling enough for the reader to grasp what relatively early on.  And alongside all of this is the mystery of what happened to Allegra, as I read I didn't know or guess where this was going and while in its essence this was a story of a mystery, there was much more to this book and the story did not end when the mystery was solved.  
This book was extremely well written, capturing the subtly damaging effects of toxic relationships, which build up over time resulting in chaos and dysfunction.  Allegra in her teenage years encapsulated this and it was evident in the story later, after her disappearance that the damage was lasting.  I found myself shocked by this book which detailed one of the last taboos, enshrined in a story of love, what a person will do for the person they love, and what people believe in the name of love and there were several love stories in this book.  Its about the complexity of love in all of its facets, its about damaging relationships and the ways this damage is perpetuated and passed on and its about the role of forgiveness. 
It's a great read and I would recommend it, but suggest, depending on how you feel about taboo subject that you may wish to establish what this book is about prior to reading.

I received a free e-arc from the publisher via Netgalley, with thanks. I also bought an ebook copy because I am a prat and forgot I'd requested it.

Best thriller I've read all year, hands down. Seriously, this is so good. The twists are so unexpected and just FANTASTIC. The story really takes some seriously dark twists and I just love the way it's written. 10/10 would recommend.

I did like this book. Kept my interest all the way through. Storyline may be controversial for some, but I would recommend to select friends and family. I would look for other work by the author in the future.

Something bad always happens to the Roanoke girls. They either die, kill themselves, or run away. After her mother killed herself, fifteen-year-old Lane goes to live with the grandparents she never met in a farm in Kansas. Her cousin Allegra quickly becomes her best friend but when Lane finds out the truth about the other women of the family, she runs away. Eleven years later, Lane lives in Los Angeles but when Allegra suddenly disappears, Lane has no choice but to go back to the only family she’s ever had. The novel is beautifully written and I liked how the author switched the narration not only between the past and the present but also between the different Roanoke girls. The women in this provocative and dark novel are all attracted to the same man, but these relationships are so wrong that I found the novel disturbing and shocking, but at the same time so compelling and captivating that I wanted to see how it ended.

"Roanoake girls either run or die." When Lane goes to her grandparent's house after the death of her mother, this is what her cousin Allegra tells her whilst looking at the photographic family tree in the hall. The girls are all startlingly similar- similar to Allegra; similar to Lane.

Told from two different time perspectives 'then' & 'now' this is an atmospheric, claustrophobic story of family secrets. Lane chose to run many years ago, but when she hears that Allegra has disappeared she comes back.

Amy Engel really captured the hot Kansas summers, the sprawling creepy house and its even creepier inhabitants.

It isn't really a book to love- it's a book that will haunt you. I thought it was brilliantly done. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read & review this memorable book.

I found this book a bit disturbing in places but such a great book, really gripping- I couldn't put it down. Recommended.

I was initially drawn to this book by the cover and the description. For some reason, the book cover and elements of the synopsis really reminded me of Emma Cline's The Girls, which I read recently and enjoyed immensely. When I began reading the novel however, I realised the books are completely different - set in different time periods, written in different styles and follow completely different plots. In fact, once I was reading The Roanoke Girls, it reminded me of a different book completely - Boundary, but Andree Michaud.

I think the similarities stem from the fact that both books follow complicated and passionate female friendships.
On a darker note, both novels explore an extremely sensitive subject - the sexualisation of, and violence towards young girls and women. For that reason, this book is important, but hard read to read at times and for this reason, it may not suit everyone's tastes.

The novel is well plotted, although not an awful lot actually happens and the structure is interesting and easy to follow, despite the fact the narrative jumps from recent past to present. The ending is fitting and all of my questions were answered.

All in all, I'd recommend this book to readers who enjoy compelling yet tough reads, lead by troubled female protagonists. Perhaps, for example, fans of Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects.