Thank you to NetGalley, Verve Books and Heather Young for my arc of The Lost Girls in exchange for an honest review.

Out now!

When Justine inherits a house on a lake from the great auntie she only met once as a young child, she isn’t sure what to expect. But it gives her the excuse to take her two girls and walk away from a relationship that is starting to give her the creeps. But once there it doesn’t seem like the perfect fresh start she’d hoped. Justine isn’t the only one haunted by the past and as the story of a missing girl decades ago comes to light, the mystery might finally be solved.

This was incredibly atmospheric and unputdownable. One of those perfect blends of historical fiction, mystery and modern domestic thriller. The pacing was great deepening the mystery and keeping the reader engaged. I immediately added Heather’s other book to my tbr! I really liked the characters and it was a fantastic slow burn of a read. Highly recommended.

The Lost Girls traces the story of a family of women through time. Told through two timelines, we see the story of Justine in the present day, and the story of Lilith and Lucy, who are Justine’s grandmother and sister. Justine’s mother has always lead a nomadic existence, which has lead to Justine wanting to remain very settled in San Diego. Out of the blue, Justine is contacted by a lawyer acting on behalf of Lucy, who has passed away, leaving everything to Justine, who only has brief memories of Lucy. This spurs Justine on to head to Lucy’s home to discover more about her legacy, but will she be able to unpick the mysteries of the past and find out what happened in the family, that still echos through the present day.

I enjoyed this story - it’s well paced and the characters were interesting. There were no obvious good / bad characters, they all seemed quite real and acted like real people would, with biases and flaws. I really enjoy stories that examine a cross-section of a community that knows each other well, and how everyone can know each other almost too well, and how a shared history can be a negative thing as well as a positive thing. The story was good, I enjoyed it unfolding and thought it was written well. I will definitely look out for more books from this author!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to thank Hollie McDevitt from Verve Books for inviting me to take part in the blog tour. I took part in the cover reveal for this one and was very keen to read it.

The story is told from the POV of Lucy and Justine and switches between different timelines. I found Lucy’s story, set in 1935, very intriguing and desperately wanted to know what happened to her younger sister Emily. From the beginning it was clear that something sinister was going to take place, after all six year old children don’t just wonder off on their own do they? The relationship between Lucy and Lilith, her older sister, shows how deep loyalty can run. Whilst I did question why Lilith treated Lucy in certain ways it does all make sense by the end. Their story is so heart breaking but beautiful at the same time.

In the present day we have Justine’s story. Upon Lucy’s death, as her great niece, Justine suddenly finds that she has inherited the lake house. This gives Justine the perfect chance to sweep herself and her two daughters away from her boyfriend Patrick, who seems a little bit controlling. When they arrive at the lake house it is not quite how Justine pictured it. I felt for her many times when she tried to make the best of a hard situation. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place with no one to turn to.

This was a slow burning read that kept me intrigued throughout. I was desperate to learn the truth about Emily and see what happened with Justine and the house. When the final secret was out I was shocked. Whilst I knew something must of happened to Emily I never pictured it quite being that! Heather Young masterfully unravels the story allowing our hearts to break piece by piece. Set against the dark and eerie lake house what else could one expect from this read?

A brilliant debut that explores the dark side of relationships, family and siblings. If you love a dark and sinister read then this one is for you!

The lost girls by Heather Young.
In 1935, six-year-old Emily Evans vanishes forever from her family’s summer house on a remote Minnesota Lake.
Sixty years later, Lucy, Emily’s quiet and watchful older sister, lives alone in the lake house.
When Lucy dies, she leaves the house to her grandniece, Justine. The lake house offers Justine an escape from her manipulative boyfriend and a chance to give her daughters the home she never had.
But the discovery of a notebook, in which her great aunt has written the story of that devastating summer, forces Justine to realise there may be more to her inheritance than she first imagined.
In a house haunted by the sorrows of the women who came before her, Justine must overcome their tragic legacy if she hopes to save herself and her children.
A brilliant read. I loved it. 5*.

This was an okay thriller but it was just lacking something. I felt like this book had some really good interesting moments in this but it just was a little underwhelming and lacked the gripping nature that I needed from it. The characters were okay but they were a little basic and didn't really jump out at me like other characters in the genre do.

In 1935, in the depths of the Minnesota summer, everything changed. Lucy and Lilith were joined at the hip, bonded by their close age and mutual disdain of their youngest sister, Emily, who was everybody's favourite. But then Lilith starts to change. She starts paying more attention to the boys, and how she looks, much to her religious zealot father's dislike. She begins to leave Lucy behind and Lucy begins hanging out with Matthew Millar, a boy from the lake, and her little sister more and more. But soon, dark secrets begin to emerge and Emily disappears, never to be found. Their mother never leaves their lake house, waiting for the moment her lost 5-year-old wanders out of the woods, and Lucy and Lilith stay with her after their father's death. For 65 years, Emily's story has been lost. Until now. Lucy is the only member of the family left and she knows she doesn't have much time left. She writes her story. Lilith's story. Their story. Then she leaves it, and the house, to her great-niece, Lilith's granddaughter, Justine who uses it as an opportunity to flee from her manipulative and gaslighting boyfriend Patrick. She thinks this will finally be a fresh start for her and her daughters but she soon finds that not all ghosts stay buried...Nor do they stay in the past.

I love stories about generational differences being crossed, grandmothers, mothers and daughters being linked by something. I enjoy the connection of family being used as a device and I did enjoy this story a lot. I liked that it was Lucy writing this story to her great-niece, knowing even before her death and with one wired and weird meeting that Justine would be the only person to help. That I loved. I liked Lucy's character a lot, the spinsterly but not overly resentful voice she presented was interesting and I liked how she told stories, drawing in the fact she told stories at the local library. I enjoyed how the author revealed secrets throughout this book and how they didn't make every single point too obvious.

That being said, I also don't think enough happened in this book. All the main things that drew me into the story happened in the last 25% of the book, I didn't think the story moved fast enough the rest of the time. I actually found it incredibly slow for most of the story. I do think this book could have been a lot shorter and more condensed, the build-up built to something I probably found myself predicting in the first 30% of the book and yet wasn't revealed until near the very end. IT was definitely enjoyable but I don't think it would be a favourite read of mine.

The Lost Girls is atmospheric but very slow paced. I liked start when Justine uproots her girls to escape her partner and flew to a house she had inherited from an aunt she can barely remember. It struggled to hold my interest once they arrive at the lakeside house. When there is action within the story, it’s deeply disturbing and unpleasant and I kind of wish I had DNF. Not a book I would recommend reading - it’s too slow paced to be a thriller for sure.

This is my first book by Heather Young and her writing makes it very atmospheric; slow burning but the characters capitavate you. It did take me a little bit to get into it but once I did it had me hooked. It is told through dual timelines, past day and present day. A book about family, secrets and the past. It is engaging, well written leaving you wanting you to know more until the end, and kind of sad in places!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers Verve books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am no longer interested in reviewing this book - I can see this being a good book for those who will be more interested.

"The Lost Girls" by Heather Young is ok but not brilliant. There were some parts of the story I really enjoyed - the relationship between Justine and her daughters, the ever-present but silent Matthew and some parts of Lucy's story. What I didn't like was having to wait for finding out what had happened to Emily (turns out Lillith isn't particularly nice), and some revelations about their father which for some reason didn't feel really believable. I just felt sorry for Lucy, being stuck with her sister and keeping her secret all those years.

Thank you to NetGalley and Verve Books for the advanced copy of The Lost Girls by Heather Young.

The book centres around two stories in two different time periods. Justine and her daughters are in the present time and we can early on sense the dissatisfaction that Justine has of her life and how it has turned out. Lucy's story is based in an earlier era, and is also the great aunt to Justine. As the story unwinds, we meet the extended family and the sorrow that surrounds the mysterious disappearance of Lucy's younger sister Emily, and how the entire Evans family seems to never have moved away from the lake house since the disappearance so many decades prior. We also meet Matthew who is shown to have been a good friend of Lucy, and possibly have been in love with Lucy although time and circumstances dictated that they would never have a relationship.

At first I found it a little confusing to go back and forth between Justine and Lucy's story, but it is in this dual narrative that the essence of the family dynamics is revealed. Heather Young manages to hold your attention and the awful revelation of the father and his relationship with Lilith, his eldest daughter, is hinted at in the explosive scenario between Lilith and Lucy, which results in the unfortunate disappearance of Emily.

I enjoyed reading The Lost Girls, although it did take me a little longer than usual to get into it, but once I was hooked I was completely engrossed, and would not have foretold the outcome.

A beautiful novel that examines the cost of loyalty, the burden of regret, the meaning of salvation and the sacrifices we make for those we love, told in two voices. Unforgettable women are bound by a decades-old family mystery in a quaint lakeside cottage. Absolutely grip. I can't let go. It's filled with secrets, revelations, hurt, and twists and turns and is a fascinating read

This book was a slow burner, but it did intrigue me, which is why I'm glad I continued to read it through to the end.

The way the story unfolds is both fascinating and somewhat sad, with the struggles that the elder people were going through at the time, and as is always the case the children are unaware.
This story includes many generations of intriguing women, and the writer really draws you in to feeling the sadness at a missing child and how the lives of others are affected.

The writing style of this book was both, surreal, captivating and thrilling!
The character creation was just absolutely amazing, I even liked all the secondary characters!

I honestly really enjoyed this book, even though it was not the usual genre I read, it was easy to read and kept me wanting to find out what happened .

When you eventually find out the sad reality of what actually happened, it was both heart-wrenching and bittersweet. A really entertaining read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for my eARC.

This was an atmospheric story that was told in a mixture of past tense and present day. At times the story was slow but I really liked the relationship between their characters and their personal growth. This wasn't the thriller I was expecting but I do like a story with lots of family secrets! Overall, an enjoyable read if somewhat sad!

This is a story about a family: A mother, father, and their three daughters who spend every summer at a Lake House in Minnesota. In 1935 the summer ends in tragedy as the youngest member of the family, Emily, disappears.

This story is told in a dual timeline. We follow Lucy and her family as events unfold in 1935, and also Justine, who inherits the lake house from her Great Aunt Lucy upon her death. Justine barely knew Lucy, having only met once at the lake house when she was younger, but Lucy has decided that Justine will be the one to find out the truth about their fateful summer years prior.

I will say that the synopsis of the book is quite misleading. I went into this thinking it was going to be a fast paced mystery-thriller and it definitely isn't. I struggled to get into this book as it is a slower paced one, however once I got around 30% of the way through, the plot and the pacing did pick up and I found it easier to read.
Something that added to my enjoyment was the atmosphere in this book. The isolated setting of the lake house that's surrounded by a forest just has a foreboding feel to it, and as well as that, the internal turmoil, bitterness, and sadness of these women's lives pack a punch.

One thing that cannot be excused in this book is the use of derogatory language towards people of colour and people with disabilities. It's insensitive and harmful and I feel like it didn't need to be included.

Content warning: Suicide, sexual abuse of a minor, death of a child, stalking, mental abuse

The premise of this book drew me in and it certainly didn’t disappoint!

The story is told through dual timelines with several layers of stories to unfold. The book was engaging and well written with twists that do surprise and draw you into wanting to know more!

A story about family, secrets and the past.

Thank you to Verve Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review.

A great story that follows a family through the decades. One of the girls went missing at the familys lake house and it was never discovered what happened her. After she disappears the family stay in the lake house. Her sister has died and left the house to her niece who moves in with her daughters to escape an abusive partner. She finds her aunts diaries gets to now her familys history.
This was a great read, very moving but also full of suspense. The house itself holds a lot of stories and the story is told in two timelines which brings everything together. I loved the characters, each had their own flaws which are told brilliantly.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for granting me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

The Lost Girls by Heather Young is a crime thriller that once you start reading it almost consumes you. I have experienced Heather Youngs previous book and I loved that. I knew I would be in for a great read.
The story centres on two timelines from within the generations of one family at their lakehouse in Minnasota, a remote picturesque place. We are taken back to 1935. The youngest daughter Emily disappears, leaving behind her mother and two sisters, who all stay at the lakehouse waiting for Emily to return, almost like they are frozen in time.
Fast forward to 1999, winter, the middle sister Lucy has just passed away and bequeathed the lakehouse to her Great-Niece Justine. Upon learning of her inheritance she packs hers and her two daughters things up and travels to the house, leaving her rather controlling partner behind...this is Justine's fresh start, until she arrives and realises just how remote and rundown it is and the weather well, cold is not the word! Her only neighbours are Matthew and Abe two brothers of Native American heritage and for that have never been quite accepted. When Emily vanished Abe was the first suspect.
The story carries on through Lucy's journal and we learn of the events leading up to Emily's disappearance. We see her relationship with her parents and her sisters too. As the truth of what happened in 1935 slowly unravels it makes for an emotional read. The author has skillfully written it so you can focus on each character and how they felt at the time. As the present day events with Justine come to a conclusion the tension is kept to the maximum. Heather Young has woven the two timelines together so well that neither timeline is any less than the other.
A haunting story with a lakehouse in the centre that is almost a character in itself. There is a mysterious and haunting air to the house that holds many secrets and it adds to the intrigue of this sinister and very unsettling read. Not a fast paced read but a slower pace did create a simmering pot of tension and mystery that had me eager to know it all.
Thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours, netgalley and Verve Books for my copy of the book.
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Wow!! I wasn't captured from the start but it's more of one that will slowly seep under your skin and have you hooked before you even realise. It's really atmospheric and engaging with a lot of back and forth, but it all adds to the progression of the plot and characters so never feels like just filler. I also liked the fact that none of the characters are there just to bulk up the story, they are all somehow relevant. So yeah, slow to start but captivating none the less

An interesting story about a family who's youngest daughter Emily disappeared in 1935.

As Emily's sister Lucy is on her deathbed she decides to document her life and what happened to Emily. The chapters alternate between Lucy's diary and the modern day when her great niece moves into Lucy's empty house.

Personally I found the story a little slow paced. I was expecting a dramatic thriller. In reality the majority of the book is the story of the characters lives and less of a thriller. Although the mystery element does keep readers guessing until the end about how Emily disappeared.