This is a hard review because there were many parts of the book I liked, but the beginning to the late middle read like a high school romance! The ending seemed rushed but there was a very nice twist at the end. I think if there had been more melding/blending of the story it would have been much better. Overall, I would give this a 4 on the lower spectrum. Thank you to the author and to NetGalley for the opportunity.

“The Girl in the Basement” by Eoin Dempsey is a thrilling 4-star read. Ellie Welsh is just an average high school student until she falls for Josh Thomas, the new guy and star quarterback. Josh had to move to a new school after some trouble at his previous school. Ellie starts to question whether her boyfriend is who he says he is or if he could be the monster others believe him to be. Can Ellie answer that question before trouble finds her?

While this book deserves a solid 4-star rating, the synopsis being used is disappointing and only worth 1 star. If you’re reading this review and haven’t read the synopsis, I recommend skipping it and diving straight into the book. I enjoyed Ellie’s day-to-day struggles with high school life while trying to maintain her relationship with a football star. Josh’s father is pretty out of control and I felt bad for the treatment that Josh receives. There are plenty of surprises along the way, especially if you avoid the synopsis. The ending was satisfying, and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thanks to Storm Publishing, Eoin Dempsey, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

This storyline and plot has been done many many times, but this one was told in such a different way than I expected. The first half of the story is about Ellie and Josh’s lives while in high school, but Josh’s ex girlfriend was murdered and follows him everywhere he goes. Ellie, Josh’s current girlfriend ends up being kidnapped but no one actually knows by who or what happened. Evie ends up escaping and her and Josh go their separate ways. The last half of the book is about Ellie and her daughter and how they have moved on with their lives until Ellie’s daughter, Jess ends up going missing 20 years after it happened to Ellie. The way this story unravels was crazy and I thought I knew who it was every single time but the ending was surprising!! This was a great quick read. If you want drama, suspense, romance, jealousy and sports this one is for you!

First book I have read by Eoin Dempsey and will not be the last. Great story with twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Brilliant finish and in the end I would describe this as a feel good book. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

3.5★s

Seventeen year old Ellie Welsh felt an instant connection to the new boy at school when she met Josh Thomas, but the rumours surrounding him were vicious. Josh was a star quarterback and the team at their school welcomed him with open arms. As Josh and Ellie grew closer, she could see there were problems at home with Josh's parents, especially his father. But when Ellie was abducted after a party, the week that followed was terrifying...

Twenty years later, Josh returned to town and reacquainted himself with Ellie. Josh was divorced, while Ellie had a daughter, Jessica, who was seventeen. Ellie and Jess were very close, having grown up just the two of them, and when suddenly Jess vanished, Ellie's nightmares from the past returned with a vengeance. What was going on? The man who'd abducted her was in prison, so who could it be? Would she find Jess before it was too late?

The Girl in the Basement by Eoin Dempsey is a slow burn mystery/suspense which spent a little too long talking about football, IMO. The actual mystery was great - it kept me on my toes, guessing, trying to work out whodunnit, but I was wrong in the end!! I've read two of his historicals, with another on my kindle, and have to say I enjoy his historicals more than this mystery. But I still enjoyed it enough to recommend it.

With thanks to NetGalley & Storm Publishing for my digital ARC.

'The girl in the basement' was a fast paced page turner! I read this in a day as it kept me hooked. The characters were well rounded and likeable and there were plenty of twists throughout! An Easy to read psychological thriller, I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

Twenty years have passed since Ellie was held captive. The person responsible is in jail. Ellie has always had a nagging feeling that some evidence did not add up. Now her daughter is missing...is this a copy cat case or something else.
Good enough plot but a little too predictable. Everything is revealed in less than a chapter, I wish there had been more development. I'm giving it 2.5 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did unfortunately. It was very slow paced and I didnt love the character development. A little predictable as well - just middle of the road for me.

3 stars

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

Publish date: 07/30/2024

This was a very quick read but totally thrilling! The story flips back and forth from past and to present.. This one is a must read, totally grabs you and won’t let you go!

Thank you NetGalley & Storm Publishing for an advanced reader copy!

Gripping and a definite page turner! I stayed engaged the entire time and could not put this down. Plot twists everywhere and things I never seen coming!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

20 years ago Ellie was saying the quarterback-the most popular boy at school. At an end of season party, Ellie is kidnapped and held for days. Now time has passed and Ellie’s 17 year old daughter is missing.

What a tale. We start with Ellie trapped in the basement and quickly go back and read about the events leading up to her kidnap. Fast forward and we read about present day Ellie. This was really well written. I really enjoyed the detail in the build up. I was really hoping that Josh would turn out to be a decent guy. At first I thought the initial part of the story was too long and I just wanted to get to the kidnap, however I changed my mind as it really added to the story allowing me time to warm to the characters. Present day Ellie is a strong woman and I enjoyed her positive relationship with her daughter. No spoilers but I definitely felt her frustrations. The last part of the book was action packed and so quick, I was a bit gutted it was over. The last scene was perfect and just the ending needed.

First time reading Eoin book, definitely my kind of book, had me hooked kept me guessing who was the kidnapper and murderer and that’s what I want from a book.

4⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an early release of The Girl In The Basement.

Ellie is a high school senior and is dating the star quarterback Josh until she is abducted one night after a party and held in a basement by an unknown captor. Then twenty years later her daughter has met the same fate. The secrets of the past unlock a sinister motive.

I really enjoyed this book and it had be guessing up until the very end. I will say that the first half of the book read a little more young adult because it took place during high school. But the second half had me hooked.

Ellie is in her senior year of high school when handsome new quarterback, Josh becomes smitten with her and they begin dating...much to the chagrin of her friend Julia who sprays "murderer" on his locker after rumors that he killed his previous girlfriend over the summer. And when Ellie goes to dinner at his parents' house, she is "weirded out" by his dad who attempts to fondle her but she stays silent. She remembers all this as she's locked in someone's basement in darkness with only a little food to eat each day. Who is behind this and why? We jump into the future 20 years and Ellie--now a successful real estate agent--runs into Josh and isn't sure if she can trust him or not. It's an intriguing story to say the least with many twists and turns I didn't see comiing!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This one was a bit of a mystery thriller but I also think it could have been two books in the sense that between part 1 and part 2 there could have been more build up and more details about what was happening between the characters.

There was quite the shift between part 1 and part 2 which merited more character development for Ellie and partially Jake. When we see her shift there is a lot that is unknown and it leaves lots of questions.

While this was a fast read I also think it was so fast because it could have been more, I did get bored in the middle of the book and I think is partially because there are details that are left out.

Quite pacey, I enjoyed this book alot. Kind of far fetched at times but it is fiction, so I just went with it! The main characters are all interesting and well written and you are constantly wondering if they are who they seem or if they are hiding something……. It centres around allegations of murder against the star quarterback of the football team but his girlfriend is conflicted about him. Is he sweet like he seems or is there something more sinister going on? Is anyone else in danger? Well, it seems so when she ends up in a basement with no way out…..

This was a great fast paced 'thriller' that was easy to binge. I use the term thriller loosely because a huge part of the book focused on character development and not plot. The blurb of the book was slightly misleading as to me the kidnapping seemed like an afterthought rather than the main focus. I also noticed a few inconsistencies when jumping timelines and believe that if this were refined it could be a great novel.

The writing was great and I feel it would've been a 5 star read if Eoin added a few more plot twists and took out some of Ellie's back story.

Overall not a bad novel and thank you for the arc.

I loved the cover and the description. It seemed compelling and sounded like a thriller that would unearth past secrets.

Sorry to say I struggled with this one. I finished it but it didn't grab me at all. It is far more aimed at an audience who enjoy young adult drama and I could read through the American football scenes but I have no interest in that so found that dragged on a little.

Not the book for me unfortunately.

This book was in two parts, Ellie's teenage story and then fast forward 20 years to the disappearance of her daughter. The first part dragged on a bit for me but the two parts were quite well brought together in the end.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

There's a lot of competition in this field and I don't feel that this particular novel stands out from the rest. It ticked the necessary boxes and would probably be quite compelling to a reader who is new to this scenario.

Considering the title of the book, the focus seemed wrong. There was a very long lead up to the actual girl being in the basement. This was a brief part of the narrative. Then we moved on to the second half of the book, which involved a lot of small talk between the main characters catching up on each other's lives, thereby relaying this information to the reader in the form of dialogue.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.