The synopsis of this may have been intriguing, but the execution was very poorly done. In fact it takes until the 59% mark (yes I went back and looked) to jump forward to present day. Which might not have been a problem if the first part of the book hadn't been bogged down with way too many unnecessary details surrounding football, and the mundane day to day of two high school students. I didn't care about their relationship, and honestly, I found it a bit silly that despite all of her misgivings about Josh, their relationship, and his family, she still refused to break up with him even though at times it seemed like she really wanted to. I never felt like we got inside her head enough to understand her motivations, especially when at one point she claims to be in fear for her life.

Also, who goes to a party with their boyfriend who was suspected of murdering his last girlfriend at a different party (although similar circumstances), especially when as I said before she had serious misgivings and fears about him). I understand that there needed to be some build-up so that we got to see just what kind of person Josh's father was and what their relationship was like, but it dragged down the storyline too much, making it easy to set the book to the side and go do something else.

I thought things were picking up once Ellie was kidnapped, as I found the interactions between her and "the voiceless one" as she called them to draw me in. I wondered what their end game was, while also admiring Ellie's determination in figuring out a way out of her predicament (although it's interesting that her kidnapper claimed to be watching her at all times, but did nothing about her finding a potential escape route). Sadly, their interactions only lasted for a short time before things were set in motion and Ellie was able to escape and be rescued.

Cue the time jump where we meet a now grown Ellie who is running a support group for women who are survivors, as well as working as a real estate agent and being a single mom of a 17 year old girl. One day, seemingly out of the blue, she is approached by none other than Josh, you know her ex-boyfriend? They hit it off and start spending time together, once again Ellie has some misgivings, but pushes them aside in order to explore what is between them. And then Jess goes missing.

And the story goes off the rails. Because even though Ellie calls the police, it would seem they have no idea what happened to Jess. In fact, after the press conference where we are told they were "wading through all the tips that had come in", we never see the police involved again. Ellie hires a private investigator, who is only slightly better at his job, but seems to have absolutely no qualms about bringing Ellie with him to interview people, or sending her and Josh off alone into potentially dangerous situations. During one instance of this, Ellie and Josh run into something they both recognize (although where they know the person from neither can put their finger on), and yet it doesn't seem to dawn on them at all that this could be a person from their past. There were a few times when Ellie suggests going to the police with what they know, only to be told they have "nothing but a hunch" and need more "concrete information."

All of the running around and investigating on their own eventually leads them to a suspect. The truth comes out, stuff happens, and everything is wrapped up with a tidy little bow. And yes, it happens about that quick once they realize who they are looking for. Again, a disappointment for me as a reader. I was really hoping we would get some chapters from Jess' point of view so we could see her interactions with her kidnapper, and if what was said would mirror anything from her mother's time in captivity.

At the end of the day, this for me felt less like an adult thriller novel, and one geared more for young adults. Maybe that had something to do with the first half of it being spent more on a teenage Ellie and Josh, their relationship, high school drama, football games. However, I do believe there will be an audience for this book that will enjoy it more than I did.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an early copy. This review is my honest opinion.
For much of the first half of the book, I thought I was reading a YA suspense book.
Talented quarterback Josh has transferred to a new high school in his senior year and falls for Emily, pretty, quiet and an A student. Soon rumors run rampant in the school that the ex-girlfriend of Josh was murdered. Then Ellie disappears. Has she been murdered too?
The story picks up twenty years later and picks up it does. A good mystery with a twist I didn’t see coming.

The title of this book had me immediately intrigued as I love any kidnapping/abduction stories. Ellie was kidnapped as a teen and now 20 years later her daughter has been taken! We’re left wondering who it could be as her kidnapper is in prison!

This was a very easy read, a book you will finish quickly. It’s separated into Ellie as a teen and current day. I didn’t see the end coming. Whoever is responsible will surprise you for sure!

Ellie was kidnapped as a teenager and assumed her kidnapper was safely locked behind bars. But years later her daughter also disappears. This book focuses on the characters of Ellie and Josh, her high school boyfriend whose dad is charged with the crime.

A little predictable in parts and reads somewhat like a YA novel. A quick read, if you like thrillers with a twist you’ll enjoy this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my review.

After catching the eye of the new football sensation at school, Ellie finds herself caught between taking a chance at love and listening to warnings that she’ll only wind up hurt, or worse.
I wanted to root for her the whole time, but part of me was also screaming at her to wake up and get help!
An exciting read where no one can be fully trusted, with a twist I did not see coming

Ellie had a happy childhood,then at seventeen a traumatic criminal event changed the direction of her life. Now 20 years later Ellie is set for more hard knocks. How will she proceed? And can she survive?

While I did enjoy reading this book, it was not the book that I expected based on the description. I thought this would be more of an abduction story, and while there were the two abductions that took place, the majority of the book took place outside of those events. I thought there was a lot of backstory and good character development, but the kidnappings seemed written as an afterthought. There was a good twist at the end, but I felt the author laid out the clues for the reader to catch onto the twist very early on which didn't make the book as believable to me. I did enjoy the author's writing style and character development so I will check out more of their books in the future.

I did receive a free copy of this book from Netgalley and Storm Publishing. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a fast read that begins twenty years in the past, where high school senior and main character Ellie meets and starts dating fellow senior Josh, a new student and star quarterback. Josh's family moves to Ellie's Pennsylvania town after Josh's girlfriend is killed. Josh has been cleared as a suspect, but the killer remains free and questions remain. One day, Ellie's life is forever changed. Twenty years later, Ellie has a teenage daughter of her own and has built a life for them both. Josh returns to town, and Ellie and Josh begin to reconnect. But then Jessica, Ellie's daughter, goes missing. Will history repeat itself? Can Josh be trusted? And just how far will Ellie go to save her daughter? The Girl in the Basement is a gripping summer read, with layered twists and turns that will keep the reader engaged and turning the pages.

While this book was a slow start for the first half for me, once I hit halfway I couldn't put this book back down staying up late because I had to know how it ended. This book had a crazy plot twist I didn't see coming. Although some parts of the story were tragic, the main characters do end up with a happy ending.

I knew that this book was one that would grab my interest and with an intro like that I knew I wasn't wrong. The book starts off with our character, Jess, kidnapped by an unknown person desperate to escape from her captor at any means necessary. Suddenly the plot switches to twenty years earlier. Now main character Ellie is starting back at her school and things are going to be different this year. She is dating the new star quarterback, Josh, and even though there are tons of rumors circling about how he murdered his last girlfriend, Rachelle, Ellie doesn't take any stock in them. While everyone is trying their best to warn her to be careful she doesn't take any of their worries to heart because she know her boyfriend wouldn't be capable of nothing like that, but is that really the case? Ellie is desperate to get to the bottom of what happened with Rachelle and hopefully in turn find out what is really going on with Josh and his family. The book shifts multiple times from Ellie's past twenty years earlier to her current situation where her daughter Jess is kidnapped and stuck in a dark basement by her unknown captor. I found this part to be the most interesting. I loved the characters in this book they were all very interesting and I loved to see their interactions with each other. What I loved the most about this story though was the plot it was very dark and sinister however it was written with a very light teen style of writing. This was great because it gave the reader a serious subject but the flow was nice and simple so it was very easy to follow. I don't normally like time changes but I loved this one for that specific reason. This was a super dark story line that I just couldn't put down. Great read and I consider myself super lucky to be able to say that I got to check it out first. This is the kind of book that everyone will want to read and I highly suggest this one to anyone to likes crime thrillers. This is the kind of book that I suggest you start on a quiet day because once you get started you will be pulled in so deep that it was impossible to put down. I thought the first half was a little long however the nice it jumped to the second half where Ellie's daughter Jess was kidnapped it really took off and I understood why the first half was necessary. Great read unlike anything I have read before I loved this book and couldn't get enough of it. I really liked how you felt all the terror that Jess was feeling not knowing who was behind her cage door. This is one book that is super hard to describe in any from that will do the actual plot any justice. However I know that I will be recommending this book for years to come. Dark readers will love this story but it is also just light enough that normal readers will love this too.

I read this ARC in one sitting. It is a fast read with a twist you won’t see coming. It starts off in a HS setting and then half way through switches to “20years later”. I don’t think the name is very fitting especially since they only spend a very short amount of time on the main character being there. In chapter 13 Josh says he has to go to English class and he will see Ellie later, but they say in Chapter 2 that they are in the same honors English so why are they going in different directions? All in all I recommend this book. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley and Storm publishing!

A high school girl starts dating the star football player who transferred from another school amid a general belief that he killed his previous girlfriend. Though the police cleared him, he still lives under a cloud of suspicion.

I read a few chapters, but not only was it about a high school couple, it seemed a lot like something I would have read back then. There was nothing captivating about the characters, the plot, nor the writing. After a few chapters I skipped to the end, and even then, it was apparent that this was not the complex sort of story that mystery readers generally prefer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book had me guessing the entire time. I was a bit confused at first because the bulk of the book mostly related around a high school aged girl (def YA) and not a mother and daughter as the description suggests. But it will get there. I felt like the story was full of suspense and twists, some I saw coming and some I didn’t. Just when you think you have it all figured out, bam, interception 🏈 See what I did there 😆

I enjoyed the writing style and I really couldn’t put it down. If you’re looking for a quick summer mystery, this one’s for you.

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

3.5 stars

This book was rather a quick read. The way the story was written made me feel like I was reading a YA book and while there’s nothing wrong with that I would have preferred a grittier read, especially with the first half of the book.

The story itself was well written and the characters were developed enough for me to feel for them. I was intrigued by the main character. I found her very interesting.

When the twist arrived I was surprised, which is a big thing for me. I usually guess everything before it happens but this one held some surprises for me.

All in all, it was a good book. Definitely worth a read especially if you are looking for something quick.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this in return for an honest review.

I want to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow this book kept me hooked all the way through!! I did not see any of the twists coming and every guess I had was basically wrong! I did. start to figure it out towards the end, but that was wayyy towards the end which was fine with me! Such a captivating read that kept you on the edge of your seat with such gasping moments!

Eoin Dempsey has been a best-selling author of historical fiction. His attempt at a new genre should deserve applause. Let’s give the author some credit for offering a plot that contains suspenseful episodes that arouse interest and ignite curiosity. However, we have to flip the label ‘psychological thriller’ to more of a ‘romantic mystery’ novel due to the novel’s lackluster characters’ motives, the lack of the right amount of suspense, and the saccharine ending.
This novel really needs more time for development, as it’s really rather short. I would have liked to see the author stretch his characters, making them less sterile and each more compelling and reflective of the diversity of the real world. Dialogue throughout the novel needs a bit of spice to move things into real adult verbiage instead of youthful conversations. The author limits his audience reach by having one main character a football hero and the other his old girlfriend; not every reader will find appeal.
I do hope the author uses this novel as a stepping stone for another attempt at writing a thriller. He seems to have the energy and creativity for this genre, and now he needs to listen to his audience's feedback.
Thanks are extended to the author and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

4.5 stars ⭐

This book starts with a girl named Ellie, who's a teenager who's just living a normal teenager life, with her quarterback boyfriend. A guy who's last gf ended up murdered. Ellie is taken after a light night party, and was held captive for days, until she managed to escape. Over 20 years later, her daughter ends up missing and she's on the hunt for the truth, and her daughter.

This book was a quick captivating read, a lot of times I'll just read my NetGalley reads at bed, this one I couldn't hardly put down. The story line was so enchanting. 4.5 stars because the beginning seemed a bit long, and the ending not long enough. Some questions could've been answered more but overall, loved.
Thanks for such a great book! Looking forward to reading more of your titles.

Oh my gosh this book GRIPPED ME! I have a daughter, and I just had to keep pausing, and remembering it was just a story. It was just so gripping, and kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. Well done!

I'm a sucker for these types of thrillers, and this one did not disappoint. It kept me captivated and guessing up to the very end, I couldn't put it down.
Ellie was in her senior year when she began dating a quarterback named Josh Thomas. Josh was dating a girl named Rachel who was murdered and Josh was eventually cleared as a suspect but many still believed he was involved. But when Ellie goes missing and Josh was the last to see her Josh once again is a suspect. Ellie was being held in a basement but was never able to hear or see her captor, when the house is set on fire Ellie manage to escape. Her kidnapper was caught and convicted, but 20 years later after Josh shows up again up out of the blue and her daughter Jess goes missing doubts begin to take hold.
I really enjoyed this book and Eoin Dempsey is now on my radar!
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review..

Such a great thriller of the domestic type.
A few insane things but still such a good book.

Would recommend to others