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Chloe Cates is Missing is about 13-year old “Chloe” - she and her family are internet/YouTube famous and one day, she disappears. The book unravels the mystery of her disappearance, through the perspectives of her very stage mom-esque mom, the detective in charge of the case (who has a very storied past with Chloe’s mom), and the pages of Chloe’s diary. ⁣
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The book is definitely twisty and the ending was not one I expected. By the end i enjoyed the book but reading it was a bit frustrating given the complete unlikeability of Chloe’s mom and even the more likeable characters (Chloe, her brother, her dad, the detective) weren’t fully formed. The pacing was a little funky - super slow at some points but quick at others. The book ultimately is a pretty engaging mystery that provides an incisive look at the cost of fame, particularly for children.⁣
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This book is out now as of 1/18/22! Thank you to @netgalley and ⁣Penzler Publishers for the eARC.
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I’ve been trying to get more into thrillers/suspense/mystery lately and this one seemed like it would be a good shout for me, thankfully I was right!

This story unfolds over a time period of around 24 hours but there are moments where some of the characters go back in time via their memories, some 20 years back, some not that long ago, but this didn’t detract from the story at hand, for me it only added to it and gave greater insight into the characters and their relationships.

The pace was good and whilst I had many theories, none were entirely correct! I really liked the character of Emiliana but Jennifer was AWFUL, which is exactly what I’m sure McHugh was hoping we’d feel whilst reading this story. Think Kris Jenner or a Toddlers and Tiara mum but on steroids (although maybe some of the things Jen was thinking, they think too…who knows 🤷🏻‍♀️). The four POVs really worked for me and added to the suspense.

I appreciated the insight into the missing character via her diary - that angst, teenage ‘I hate the world, everyone is awful but ohmygod I’m so in love!’ drama that we all experienced was well written.

McHugh also delves into the world of online child celebrity, where to draw the line when showing our children online, especially without their consent and how social media has driven many of us to be driven by clicks, likes, follows.

I really enjoyed this one and the twists and turns but I had a couple of minor issues;
The snipping between the parents was a bit overdone at points and it got a little annoying. There were also some scenes with the police that just didn’t seem plausible, particularly in relation to some interview scenes.

I also have an issue with reference to the Ariana Grande terrorist attack - firstly because the book said it was in London but it was in Manchester and secondly because it just felt cheap to be comparing what the character thought was happening (spoiler) to being shot (which isn’t what happened at that event).

Those issues aside, I did really enjoy this one and would recommend to anyone that loves a good Law and Order; SVU or Criminal Minds binge.

Chloe Cates Is Missing by Mandy McHugh is one of a kind! I've never read a book like this and found the twists to be jaw dropping and captivating! I'm looking forward to reading more of the authors work in the future because THIS was a great read!

Chloe Cates isn’t even Chloe Cates. She was made Chloe Cates by her mother. When she disappears it’s apparent that no one really knows who she is.

This is one of the worst mothers you will read about in a while. She doesn’t care about her daughter. She cares about getting the right number of people thinking she cares about her daughter. She is exploitive in her drive to be a media celebrity. What Chloe goes through is truly terrible.

I liked the book. Sometimes it felt like it was geared toward adults and sometimes to teens. I think the subject matter lea to that. The entire social media business is inherently immature and shallow.

I can't believe that this was a debut novel. Chloe Cates is Missing had me guessing until the very end. Can we also bring up that twist at the very end? Wow! It kind of left me wanting more! Five stars all around for this wonderful debut.

I love a novel with epistolary elements, so I really liked that we got Abby 's journal entries in this book. The author did such a good job, in fact, that I couldn't tell at times whether this novel was supposed to be YA or adult. Like any thriller, you're going to have to suspend your disbelief, but overall this was a solid, quick, twisty read!

A great book - plenty of twists, turns, adventures, and edge of your seat fear. Great characters, great story. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I almost didn’t get through because the formatting on the ARC was so bonkers but wow - what a ride. Couldn't put it down.

*Arc provided courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley

3.5
Jennifer Scarborough is a mommy blogger that controls and exploits her now 13 year old daughter Abby in every way to get enough clicks and likes for financial gain. She has lost touch with reality and built a perfect persona for her family, which is known at the Cates Family. The Cates family seems perfect and is nothing like the Scarborough's. It is completely messed up. Think Kardashians meets Hannah Montana. One day Abby, who her mom only refers to as Chloe, is missing. Add to all that a police detective that has a past with Jennifer and you've got yourself a pretty unbelievable story.
While fairly entertaining, this mom was so horrible that I couldn't enjoy the book fully. It is a dark, family drama that will mostly keep you guessing and scratching your head and wondering, Why?
Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Chloe Cates is Missing is now available.

Very interesting premise to this book - young internet star Chloe Cates (*not her real name - Mom was inspired by Gremlin star Phoebe Cates) has gone missing, likely kidnapped. During the frantic search to find her, we learn more about Abigail’s (*her real name!) life through her secret personal social media account and her ongoing diary. Was she kidnapped by a crazed fan who watched her over-the-top cute online content? Or was it someone closer to home?

I liked the premise and the writing is zippy and interesting, but ultimately reading so many diary entries by a child was not as interesting to me as it could have been. I think the problem with a book like this is that while alternating narratives between the adult and the missing child is a good idea, it’s sometimes hard for an adult reader to relate that closely to the child narrator. WhileI felt sorry for Abby, I just could not really get fully into the headspace and the concerns of a 13-year-old YouTube star. I wonder if this technique might have found a more connected audience if it was done as a full-on YA book. The switch between the police procedural type tone and the child narrator got a little jarring for me.

Overall a talented writer, but a premise and narrator that ultimately did not draw me in as an adult. I’d try another book by this author, though.

Thanks to Penzler Publishers, NetGalley, and the author for the ARC.

Wow! This book will certainly take you on a wild ride. It’s so full of twists and turns that you won’t be able to put it down until the very end. So good!

This was a RIDE. The last 25% like constantly WHAT IS HAPPENING. This was darker than I anticipated, and better too.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

First time author Mandy McHugh’s recently published Chloe Cates Is Missing, is a thriller mystery told from multiple perspectives. Chloe Cates is a teenage social media sensation who is missing, believed abducted. Her mother Jennifer tries social media to assist in finding her and Emilina Stone, a Missing Persons detective is put on the case. As the investigation unfolds, many discoveries are made, including Emilina’s own history and connection to the case. With its engaging plot, plenty of tension and all the characters’ secrets laid bare, this is an enjoyably, engrossing tale. With its final dramatic chapters and their spell binding revelations, comes the multi-twist finale, making it a four-star don’t miss suspense read. With much thanks to Penzler Publishers, and the author, for an uncorrected advanced copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given, unencumbered by external influence.

What must it be like to be the child of a social influencer who constantly uses you to get more clicks? This book tells the tale. Chloe, aka Abby, has grown up in the spectacular spotlight. Her nefarious mother uses every instance to fulfill her own need for fame, frequently at her family’s expense. Where is Chloe?
An easy read with a chilling mother at the center of a mystery. I felt so sorry for her family, especially Abby and JJ. I cannot imagine growing up under those conditions. Juxtaposed is Emilina, a detective assigned to the case, who has her own history with Abby’s mother. Truly a striking contrast of characters.
The suspense and pacing keep the reader engrossed in the story throughout the book. An enjoyable read.
Many thanks to Mandy McHugh, Scarlet, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this soon to be released book.

This book was creepy and excellent. As someone whose kids watch probably too much YouTube, much of which is other kids playing with toys or doing skits, I have often thought about the family dynamic in these houses where the family income is dependent on kids showing up and performing. This book opens up a portal to one of those households to show how it can go horribly wrong. There are a lot of things in this book that stretch the limits of believability, but I think if you can suspend disbelief and just go with it, it is a wild ride and a great read.

Chloe Cates Is Missing by Mandy McHugh is a very highly recommended domestic and psychological drama. This is a wildly entertaining and mesmerizing debut novel featuring a highly-dysfunctional family.

Thirteen-year-old Abigail Scarborough is known as Chloe Cates, a character created by her mother Jennifer for her blog CC and Me. Her mother began packaging, grooming, and filming Abby to be a media star when she was four-years-old. Now it is paying off financially with sponsors and commercial tie-ins. Jennifer controls and creates everything surrounding the image of Chloe. Everything is always full of glitter and everybody knows "CC Spectacular." No one knows Abby Scarborough, though. She's been forbidden to have any presence as herself on social media. Now Chloe is missing. She disappears from her bedroom over night, leaving the window open and her cellphone behind.

No one knows where CC/Abby is or heard anything, and it looks like she may have ran away or may been kidnapped. The police are called in to investigate and Jennifer turns to social and news media. Detective Emilina Stone who is with the Children and Family Services Unit in Albany, N.Y., responds to the scene and realizes that she knew Jennifer when they were children. Emilina fails to disclose her connection to Jennifer. They share a dark secret but haven't spoken for twenty years.

In this very well-written, compelling novel, the plot develops through multiple points of view, mainly Jennifer, Emilina, and pages from Chloe’s diary. This is a highly-dysfunctional family and they are all brimming with secrets, tension, half-truths, anger, control issues, and more secrets. Once you start reading Chloe Cates Is Missing it will be impossible to stop. It is addictive. Sure, you will want to know what happened to Abby, but you will also be totally engrossed in the secrets and sordid information that is uncovered along the way.

Since many of the characters have secrets, most of them are not especially likable simple because you don't know who you can trust. It all shakes out in the end, but the journey reaching the denouement is full of all sorts of revealing information, suspense, and tension.

So, following the main search is irresistible, but there are a whole lot of subplots swirling around the investigation and search for Chloe/Abby. McHugh handles all of the revelations and twists with ease and the tension and drama keep rising. These people put the dys in dysfunctional. If you have a secret enjoyment of novels featuring dysfunctional families, this novel should be on your to-be-read list. It was a just-one-more-chapter novel and was impossible for me to put down.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of the publisher/author via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Edelweiss, Google Books, and Amazon.

YESSSS!!! This is one of those books that grabs your face from the very first chapter and never lets go! I was so annoyed when I had to make dinner (okay so I threw in a frozen pizza but that still took time away from my book!) I easily read this book in less than a day because I just couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! Ohhh Jennifer Cates is a character I absolutely LOVED to hate. I loved that little secrets and bombs were dropped throughout the entire book rather than dumped all at the end. And yet there were still soooo many twists packed into the ending! What a deliciously sinful thriller this book was to read! I cannot wait for McHugh’s next novel! I’ll be snatching it right up without even reading the blurb! Do yourself a favor and BUY THIS BOOK! You can thank me later but I’ll say “you’re welcome” in advance!

*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.*

I. um. Words are hard. This book was insane. It starts out with a mom (momager) realizing that her daughter, internet sensation Chloe Cates (real name Abigail) is missing. She's been kidnapped. The cop who is investigating her disappearance has a history with the mom. The more you go, the POV changes between characters, and the more you realize that NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM HAS ANY REDEEMING QUALITIES. I hated every last one of them. Which, obviously was the author's point, so mission accomplished! I had to see how it ended once I got about 1/3 of the way through, and I didn't put it down until I was done with it yesterday. If you enjoy thrillers with no likeable characters, this one's for you!

Wow, this book was crazy! I had no idea what to expect or who did it. I literally read this book on one sitting because I had to know what happened. The writing was fantastic, the plot and dialogue were very well done. My only complaint with the book is the ending because I loathe ambiguous endings. Otherwise this book was fantastic and I highly recommend! 3.5 stars rounded up.

When I finished this book I literally said “well, shit” out loud. After reading the description I knew I would probably enjoy this because I am fascinated by Instagram influencer culture but I was hooked from the first chapter. I always wonder what will happen to some of these blogger children as they get older and don’t want their entire life (the good and the awful in some cases) posted online and this made predictions about how it could go. So many books have unlikeable characters but this one takes the cake - McHugh does a fabulous job writing horrible people without turning off the reader. It’s told from various perspectives as many books are but does it well and it adds to the story. I’m going to need Mandy McHugh to write some more influencer books (really any books though!)