My heart did not stop racing for the entirety of this book. A real page-turner. One of my favourite debuts of the year. Thank you for this early copy to read and review.

Unfortunately due to some sort of Netgalley glitch this book disappeared from my Kindle library before I got the chance to read and review it.

(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

I wanted to love this book but it just didn’t have me hooked as much as it could have. This is mainly because I didn’t connect to any character other than our MC Iris.

I could however tell that a lot of thought had gone into the plot and making sure it had depth (which it definitely did). I appreciated how there were dead ends in the investigation and how clues/events weren’t conveniently found or handed to the main characters on a silver platter (which can sometimes be the case in YA mysteries). I will say though that the ending and conclusion to the mystery were a little random and didn’t really have any build-up. But the fact that this is a debut novel is super impressive as I've read mysteries from well-established authors that plot all over the place.

This was the sapphic murder mystery book of my dreams. Fast-paced, twisty, and full of surprises without ever feeling too forced, it was a ride from start to finish. I loved how natural the dialogue felt, and the realistic depiction of modern teens without ever falling into cringe territory. The initial sparks of the main romance took me a little by surprise, but it developed so adorably that it didn’t take long to win me over. Start to finish, this book captured my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc.

It definitely gave of Good Girls Guide to Murder vibes but quite a bit different.

I liked how dark and real it felt, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

I loved the ending for the reason above.

Funny? Yes. Exciting? Definitely. Seemingly inspired by Heathers the Musical for reasons I can't quite put my finger on?* Absolutely. (*Aside from the obvious: a cheerleader called Heather!)

I adored How to Find a Missing Girl so much that I rationed myself to consume just a few pages a day, ensuring I wouldn't finish it too quickly and be left upset without it. Victoria Wlosok's writing style is so addictive, however, that it was always a struggle to stop reading! The representation was great, the characters even greater, and I enjoyed picking up on hints and foreshadowing as the plot progressed. Even so, I found myself shocked by the ending.

Following a Sapphic detective agency (come on, surely that's enough to make you pick up the book!), this novel details the disappearance of our protagonist's ex-girlfriend. It also discusses the earlier disappearance of the main character's sister. This isn't just a mystery story, though. It's a tale about friendship, family, arguments and reconciliations. It's the teenage girl experience wrapped up and adorned with one of the pinkest, prettiest covers you've ever seen.

I've recommended this book to my fiancé, my students and my local librarians. And now, I very happily recommend it to you.

Unfortunately, this book doesn't do anything groundbreaking. It definitely felt like it was trying to be the next A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, but it went too far - at times it was as if the author was trying to make Iris into Pippa, and it made it feel a bit... icky? Iris was quite frankly just not that great of an amateur detective - most of the stuff she "discovers" is laid out for her by other people, so it made it feel a little laughable whenever Iris was defining herself as being a detective.

The podcast element also felt completely unnecessary. None of those podcast episodes had anything to add to the mystery or to help unravel the puzzle; the main character didn't even listen to them until halfway through the story even though she's investigating the disappearance of the person making the podcast??

I don't want to be completely negative about this book; it was very easy to read, I was interested to find out how the mystery would unravel, and I did like the romance addition to the story; they were very sweet together and I was happy with how their ending turned out. I do think the author has great potential and I would definitely read from Victoria again. Sadly for me, this book just felt quite predictable and I didn't feel shocked at the reveal.

How to Find a Missing Girl is a sapphic snall town missing persons mystery. Iris’ older sister Stella went missing almost a year ago and was classed as a runaway. Now another girl, Heather, has gone missing and Iris is out to solve this this case, even though she was explicitly told to not.

Full of queer characters, missing ex-girlfriends, and ex best friends who try to help the investigation, things going not according to plan and a group of friends trying to solve both Stella’s case and find Heather. Heather had a podcast, How to Find a Missing Girl, centered around Stella’s case, which makes her disappearance even more odd.

I LOVED this book! I literally devoured it during my plane journey, I beeded to know who did it and where both girls are, what happened to them. The ending did not disappoint and it was so tense!! I am giving How to Find a Missing Girl by Wiktoria Wlosok 5 stars, and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a teenage detective story, perfect for fans of A Good Girls Guide to Murder or A Long Stretch of Bad Days.

i’m sorry i’m advance but the comparison with a good girl’s guide to murder really can’t be helped. some of the story points are soooo similar and i know there are very common tropes in mysteries but liiiiike, yeah, it was reallyyyy similar in some aspects. i liked the idea of a team, especially a team of sapphic friends, that was extremely fun. now iris was a bit stupid, especially when i read agggtm recently, pippa is a very smart character but here, i don’t know, she got caught a lot, there were no clever strategies to get info, etc. the mystery was pretty simple too honestly, it didn’t have my brain cells trying to piece everything together. a fun a quick book but nothing mind boggling or very original. 3⭐️

<b>*4.25 Stars*</b>

It took me a little bit of time to get through this one but I really enjoyed it overall. It was a good mystery story with amateur detectives. i really enjoyed the characters and the intrigue and the friendships and the relationships. Basically, I had a very good time. I wanted to read this so very fast but I had trouble focusing and this was very much on me.
This was a really good debut and I'm excited about what Victoria Wlosok might right next!

I have barely been reading lately therefore my thoughts of this book aren't quite as clear as I would like them to be. I really did love this, and it was so sad too. It really did tug on my heartstrings, and as someone with a sister, I could feel Iris' pain on quite a deep level. The mystery took me on a roller-coaster of emotions, keeping me guessing and flipping that page. I loved Iris' relationship with Lea and the Detective Agency.

I'm sorry I can't review this book any more than this. I've been in a hellish book slump for months and reading is not easy rn.

I might try to come back when I'm in more of a reading mood and write a full review, but for now this is all I can give.

I actually waited to read this as I used an audible credit as I'm obsessed with books that have podcasts in them.

I am currently waiting for my letter to join a Sapphic detective agency, it's due any day now..............

This was soooo good, I'm glad I listened as the podcast element was so well produced, highly recommended.

I read this book in one day. Partly because I had Covid and nothing else to do, partly because it is intensely gripping and addictive.

Iris' older sister, Stella, went missing last year, and after the case grew cold the police assumed she'd ran away. Unable to believe this, Iris has a hard time moving on, especially after her mother dies shortly after in a car accident. Iris takes investigating into her own hands, and is soon responsible for a main suspect disappearing before they can be interviewed, prompting strong cautions from the police. Now, Iris's ex-girlfriend and host of the local true crime podcast 'How to Find a Missing Girl' about Stella's disappearance, Heather, has also gone missing. And this time, Iris isn't going to let the case grow cold. But with only a month until she turns 18 and can face more serious consequences for her meddling in open cases, Iris enlists her best friends in the form of a detective agency to find answers the police can't.

I loved this book so much! First off, I loved Iris, and her friendships with her two best friends. The book also delves into more complication friendships, particularly female friendships, which I always love reading about so much when they're written well. There is guilt and regret in these friendships, as well as a lot of love and compassion, and they were beautiful to read. There's also a LOT of really good LGBTQ+ rep in this book, with a pansexual lesbian main character, lesbian and possibly bi side characters (unspecified), and a non binary/gender neutral side character (again, unspecified, they just use they/them pronouns.) What I loved is that there is no resistance to anyone's sexualities or genders, there is no explanation, they just are.

Now onto the plot. This was fast paced, constantly moving and always had the gears in my mind racing trying to keep up with the characters and jump one step ahead of them. I always find that with amateur teenage sleuth books, I have to take them with a pinch of salt in regards to what is actually plausible for these teens to do and the information they get their hands on. But this was one of the best I've read. The girls are gutsy and outgoing in their attempts for information, and don't always make the smartest choices, but it's all believable.

A very impressive debut novel, and I'm very interested to see what Victoria Wlosok puts out next

Full of fun twists and turns! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

How To Find A Missing Girl is a story in three different parts, and I had different reactions to each one. Part One had a good amount of set up that made me invested in the story, but Part Two felt like a slog to get through. Part Three was pretty messy, leaving me feeling disappointed in the loss of potential.

Part One introduces us to the Sapphic detective agency as they stalk Heather's boyfriend, hired by Heather to prove he cheated on her. Iris, Sammy and Imani made for an interesting, diverse group of friends and I liked the later introduction of Lea as a potential love interest for Iris. Inbetween we get snippets of Heather's podcast, searching for Iris's missing sister, before she herself goes missing.

One of the things that lost me in Part Three was a break up of the friendship group. I felt it was pretty clear that investigating a missing person on the downlow, including breaking into someone's house and putting tracking apps on people's phones was fairly obviously a big no no with the cops, and yet Imani and Sammy suddenly decide to drop Iris altogether when they find out she was warned off by the cops initially.

We end up being left with Iris, who for some reason is fully convinced that she has to solve this mystery before she turns 18, as if being a minor in the US is some sort of Get Out Of Jail Free Card and she can commit any crimes she wants like she's renacting The Purge. Adding in one utterly bizarre on page exit and I was starting to question if the ending was going to give us any satisfactory reveals.

Unfortunately, it didn't. This chooses a villain commonly picked in YA murder mystery books and I didn't feel we got any clues for them until Part Three either, where I guessed it fairly quickly at that point. But while the reveal was slightly ridiculous, I loved Iris and Lea, and the final chapter gave us a good amount of closure.

This book was a super fun YA offering that fans of Good Girls Guide to Murder will absolutely devour. When the police aren't attempting to help find Iris's sister Stella, Iris's ex-gf starts a podcast about it. (sound familiar? luckily that is where the similarities end because it would have been a bit on the nose). When the ex-girlfriend goes missing, Iris and her group of amateur sleuths decide to take matters into their own hands.
The good thing about this book was that it does get a bit dark and gory and the author doesn't shy away from that. Also there is a great spectrum of queer representation throughout.
If there is a sequel - sign me up!

This seemed to be sold as a great read for fans of ‘The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’ - however, it had little of the charm or immediacy of the original. Unfortunately I really struggled to get into the story at all and did not manage to finish the book.

A new YA book about a teenage detective agency. The main character is Iris, whose sister has disappeared. His ex-girlfriend Heather created a podcast about his disappearance. missing case of Heather, Iris's ex-girlfriend, who disappeared shortly after the release of a controversial episode of her true crime podcast, How to Find a Missing Girl. The podcast investigated the disappearance of Iris Stella's sister last year, who has yet to reappear. Between trying to avoid getting in trouble with the police and looking for a possible rekindled friendship, Iris has a lot to do and time is running out.
This book looks so chaotic and it's so brilliant. It's a fast-paced YA thriller that changed my mind about what really happened, but I never would have guessed. The story is beautifully crafted as we learn about the social structure of the town in which it takes place, which provides the perfect setting for the story and its characters. I love Sapphic Detective Agency. It was a great performance and a fun group of friends. I also loved seeing the relationship between Iris and Léa develop. There are a lot of new clues and information in each chapter, but everything ties together perfectly.

I really wanted to enjoy this as the A Good Girls guide to Murder is one of my favourite series, however i just could not get into this, I felt it was dragging and i didn't enjoy the writing format.

Didn’t finish. The formatting was a bit weird and I couldn’t get into it. I WILL try again in the future and will change feedback based on that.