I haven’t read anything by Amy Engel before and I got pulled in by the synopsis of the book but I went in pretty much blind. I didn’t read any reviews as I didn’t want to know what was going to happen. I am attracted to books that are thriller/mystery that revolve around families and their dynamics – so for me this was a sure read.

The Roanoke Girls follows Lane Roanoke, Lane is only 15 but is being sent to live with her Grandparents after her mother committed suicide. Lane’s mother was a very troubled young woman who suffered from a mental health illness, she had trouble bonding with Lane, was always crying and never talked about any other family members.

Lane never knew she had grandparents, let alone met them. Lane arrives at this huge remote estate of the Roanoke’s and there she meets Allegra. Allegra is her Cousin and also living with her grandparents as her mother went missing years ago never to return. After a few days of staying there she realises something is not right in this household. It’s only a few years later when Allegra goes missing that things start coming out of the woodwork!

I had a hard time reading this, not because the writing was awful – the writing was in fact pretty good. It was the subject matter and again it wasn’t because it triggered me in any way it’s just that I read something similar before reading this that was phenomenal that this could not even contend with it.

I felt like not a lot happened in this book, there did feel enough emotion in the book for me. The characters didn’t have enough depth to them, they were annoying and none of them really grew on me. The plot twist was disappointing and predictable. I liked the small chapters about how the past Roanoke girls went missing but overall this book just left me feeling very unsatisfied – it had loads of potential to be something amazing. This is supposed to be adult fiction but I would still put this in the Young Adult genre.

My opinions might have been different if I hadn’t of read a certain book that had the same subject matter so close together.

I would still like to give Amy Engel a change and would like to read ‘The book of Ivy’ duology.

I rated this 2 out of 5 stars.

Beautiful.
Rich.
Mysterious.
Everyone wants to be a Roanoke girl.

But you won't when you know the truth.

Lane Roanoke is fifteen when she comes to live with her grandparents and fireball cousin at the Roanoke family's rural estate following the suicide of her mother. Over one long, hot summer, Lane experiences the benefits of being one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls.

Eleven years later, Lane is adrift in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra has gone missing. Did she run too? Or something worse? Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to help search, and to ease her guilt at having left Allegra behind. Her homecoming may mean a second chance with the boyfriend whose heart she broke that long ago summer. But it also means facing the devastating secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again.

As it weaves between Lane's first Roanoke summer and her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart.

But what she doesn't know is being a Roanoke girl carries a terrible legacy: either the girls run, or they die. For there is darkness at the heart of Roanoke, and when Lane discovers its insidious pull, she must make her choice…

This book is well written, but for the first 3/4 of it I was bored. I didn't bond with any of the characters at all. The last quarter did go in a direction I hadn't expected, and was a bit better than the earlier part of the book.

Without giving any spoilers I can say this book wasn't for me and I can only give it 3*

Oh what a sad book, but not all sad also a book of strength and character and how you can overcome the hardest of times.

I hated having to put this book down I didn't want it to end and wasn't in a rush to finish it, from the blurb I thought it was going to be great, by the end of the first few chapters I knew it was going to be unforgettable and it was....

Loved the lead character and how strong yet fragile she was, her grandad was just delusional and it was sad in places just how much this must go on in so many homes unbeknown to anyone....

Not gonna spoil it for anyone just read this book you'll not regret it and you'll remember it for quite some time to come!

I first heard about this book on Twitter, and it was getting a lot of buzz around it quite early on. It sounded so mysterious and the synopsis gives so little away that I was completely desperate to read it. The tag line of ‘most taboo thriller of 2017’ also definitely piqued my interest. However will all the hype I was a bit concerned it wouldn’t live up to expectation. I can safely say after about two chapters I was completely hooked and all productivity went out the window as I always dying to know what was coming next.

The story is told mostly from the point of view of Lane, and alternates between the summer she spent in Roanoke, and the current day. I sometimes found this a little jarring, not quite being sure whether we were in present day, that fatal summer or sometimes a flash back to Lane’s life before she moved to Roanoke. There are also chapters from the other Roanoke girls, telling the story of what happened to them. These were really fascinating, even if I had to flip back to the family tree in order to work out which girl was which. Despite the plot really kept me hooked, giving you little hints and ideas about what is going, and really drops some bombshells early on, grabbing you hook line and sinker.

Lane returns to Roanoke because of her cousin Allegra – all the Roanoke girls disappear, and Lane comes home to find out why her cousin has disappeared. I developed loads of ideas about what had happened to her. I did guess correctly, but it took me a while to figure that out, and my knowing that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the ending at all. It’s fantastically written, and the dark, foreboding atmosphere continues to build and build, making for a really tense story.

One of the most stand out things about The Roanoke Girls are the complex characters. From Lane and Allegra to Tommy and Cooper, everyone has their own dark motivations, and each character is very well thought out and introduced. They’re complex three dimensional characters and really bring the story to life.

The Roanoke Girl is dark, with some seriously messed up characters. I know the taboo aspect will put some people off, but this is a powerfully written and haunting story that makes for one hell of a read.

As you may have noticed, I read a lot of books on my holiday. But actually this week's BotW was an easy choice because Him Indoors read The Roanoke Girls after me and really enjoyed it too - and he doesn't read anywhere near as many books as me and our tastes don't always coincide.

Lane Roanoke goes to live with her grandparents and her cousin Allegra after her mother's suicide. They live on a large estate in Kansas and are top of the town hierarchy. But Lane only spends one summer there. 11 years later, Lane returns to the estate after Allegra goes missing. Roanoke girls have a history - they either run away or they die. Which has happened to Allegra and what is the dark secret that threatens the Roanoke girls?

I can't say any more than that about the plot - because it will spoil it. This has been billed as a provocative thriller - and I'd agree. It's dark and shocking and won't be everyone's cup of tea. But I was absolutely and totally engrossed and gripped. I couldn't stop turning the pages, even if on occasion it was from between my fingers with horror. The Roanokes are by turns fascinating and horrifying and it is a great book to read on the beach. In fact, it's a great beach book - because if you read it on the sunlounger it will help chase the darkness away. Although rural Kansas is fairly hot and steamy, so that might not work.

I'm still thinking and digesting it a week on - but I think it might be my go to summer holiday book recommendation. For people who can cope with the darkness...

I lucked into an advance copy, but the Roanoke Girls is out now in hardback from Amazon, Foyles and Waterstones and on Kindle and Kobo. The paperback is preorderable - but it's not out until September, which might be too late for your holidays.

Happy Reading!

Part Flowers in the Attic and part Sharp Objects, this is a great book for those who can stomach it. Be warned it contains some pretty grim themes but if you don't mind your escapism coming with a coating of messed up, then you'll manage just fine here. Shifting between past and present, fifteen year old Lane Roanoke goes to live with her grandparents after the suicide of her mother. She's immediately welcomed by her cousin Allegra but the relationship with her and her grandparents complicates as the summer goes on and Lane flees. Years later she's called back after Allegra goes missing and the family's fragile truce is shattered as the secrets come to the surface.

Lane is a less than perfect character, her upbringing and fateful summer with her new found family have left her with a divorce behind her and a drinking problem. There's the classic small town problems too. Everywhere she turns there's an ex boyfriend there and the whole town seems to frequent the same bar and the same store which adds to the feeling of claustrophobia. The whole small town feeling is really well described, nobody moves on and anyone who does escape is soon drawn back. This a really good book and a real page turner, the difference between the characters as teenagers and adults is noticeable and back and forth in time works really well as a device here. A gripping story, but not for the faint hearted.

I received a ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I’m going to start with something that might be considered a spoiler but I think it’s important to mention something that’s not included in the blurb in case it’s a trigger for anyone. Sexual abuse is a core theme of this novel. So while I read this as a twisted thriller I can completely understand why some people would prefer to avoid this.

Having said this I really don’t want to give anything else away regarding the plot, other than what’s already in the blurb, which means this is going to be a bit of a mini-review. Don’t take this to mean I didn’t find the book well worth reading!

For me the book was a really interesting read, the narrative was split between Lane’s first arrival at Roanoke following her mother’s suicide and the present day, called back to Roanoke by her grandfather following the disappearance of her cousin Allegra. It’s clear that Lane didn’t have the best of childhoods, growing up with a mother who was clearly depressed and struggling to deal with her past, before finally committing suicide when Lane was in her mid teens. Lane is then sent to Kansas to live with her grandparents, where she meets her cousin Allegra for the first time and is also introduced to some of the local teenagers including Tommy and Cooper. The then and now sections feature many of the same characters and I really liked seeing them both as teenagers enjoying the summer and getting up to mischief in the park and then later in life, seeing the adults they had become. The Roanoke Girls also features short sections on each of the past Roanoke Girls, I found these to be great additions that I felt added to the horror of what was happening at Roanoke in the present day.

Would I recommend it?

Yes, I’m not sure given the subject matter I should describe it as an enjoyable read, it’s certainly quite dark, although none of the abuse is explicitly described. The Roanoke Girls is well written, the different points of view and periods of time covered are handled well, so for me they weren’t confusing. Although I had strong suspicions throughout the book Amy managed to keep me doubting myself until the reveal. I also really liked the ending, it was good to have something a little lighter and positive amongst all the darkness.

To be published at the below blog 28th March. Will also be posted to Goodreads, Amazon and Waterstones

A very dark and twisted story dealing with the intricacies of the inner lives of the Roanoke family.
The Roanoke girls are beautiful and rich but they hold a very dark secret Even with all that they have they either die or run.
Something sinister happens in that house.
A fantastic engrossing novel that at times I found uncomfortable to read it but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I found this book so compelling that I stayed up for hours to finish it. The subject matter is a difficult one but it's handled carefully and with respect. I would definitely recommend this book.

If ever there was a book I didn't put down then it's The Roanoke Girls. Fascinated by the blurb I requested it months ago, but then somehow it ended up at the bottom of my TBR pile. Then, on a whim, I started it on a random Tuesday in February and I didn't put my Kindle down till the very last page had been read and devoured. Sometimes a book just hits you at the right time, resonates will all the darkest and best places in you. This happened with The Roanoke Girls and I absolutely loved it. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Quite some time has passed between reading The Roanoke Girls and now reviewing it, which is good because reading Engel's book had my head swimming. There are certain novels out there which simply have the ability to make you sit back and go '...no way. I mean, right? That did not just happen.' The Roanoke Girls is definitely one of those books. I had to go rant and rave on Twitter straight after reading it and there is still a part of me that simply wants to screech about it. I'm guessing it's quite obvious that I loved this book, although it s very difficult for me to pin down exactly why. So please follow me in the paragraphs below as I try and make sense of it!

At the heart of Engel's novel are the three generations of Roanoke girls. The novel largely follows Lane's story, intermingling her present with moments from her past, but also takes little forays into the lives of the other Roanoke girls that have come and gone. It was quite fascinating to see Lane's present through the prism of her own past and the lives of the other girls, as each new addition made everything make a little bit more sense. Lane is a very interesting character, clearly deeply scarred by things that have happened in her past but also unwilling to face those demons. On returning to Roanoke, however, it becomes impossible for her to avoid these demons since they're all around her. Without wanting to spoil anything, I think it is fair to say that the trauma at the heart of this novel is not for the fainthearted. The lives of the Roanoke girls are incredibly fractured and complicated, with a lot of darkness and misery. Combine this with the relative isolation of rural America and you have the perfect recipe for a high-intensity novel that packs an emotional punch.

Engel's writing is perfect for this novel. Her characters come to life in a way that feels gritty and real, yet she also never tones down on the drama that makes this novel so addictive. Dialogue in novels can feel forced sometimes, especially if an author wants to get across a character's complicated feelings. The way Engel addresses some of the quite, to extremely, controversial topics in her novel, however, never feels forced or awkward. Sure, it's shocking and there is also the excitement of reading something scandalous, but The Roanoke Girls never feels like an exercise in sensationalism. Engel manages to combine the stories of the Roanoke girls with a whodunnit-story, which keeps the pace high and means you never get tired of exploring Lane's mind and history. This is the perfect book to get yourself excited again, to feel the rush of wanting to turn every single page and miss absolutely nothing.

I loved The Roanoke Girls and I still can't quite do it justice when I talk about it. Engel creates fascinating characters and a story that grips you by the throat and doesn't let go. The last page is both a relief and a disappointment. I'd definitely recommend this to everyone who like mysteries and thrillers and don't mind taking a trip to the dark side.

I actively went out of my way to access an ARC of this novel, and after finishing it, I'm not really sure why. Maybe it was the cover, maybe it was the mention of Roanoke (hi, American Horror Story fans), or maybe it was the promise of a taboo storyline that would be done as well Forbidden or Flowers in the Attic (the latter of which still freaks me the heck out). However, that's not what I got.

You could tell the author went through the motions of what a good book should be: build a beautiful protagonist with a tragic storyline > send her to a rural town where she's the new girl and all alone > enter a crazy new best friend and bad boy love interest > insert a dark, terrible secret that threatens to undo everything the protagonist knows > put in a bunch of sex scenes > add a few false suspects > reveal the horrible truth > plot twist - BOOM. Sure to be a good read, right?

WRONG. Everything was so cliche and so done. Nothing surprised me, the writing was mediocre, and the taboo nature of the plot felt incredibly forced. Most of the characters were pointless and were just there for the sake of it - Sharon? Sarah? Charlie? Jeff? Even the more major characters seemed pointless! Did I give two hoots about Cooper or Tommy? Nope. And I literally just forgot the name of the main character for a second, which just goes to show what an impact she made on me.

(This paragraph contains a spoiler, even if it's obvious) So if this book has no redeeming qualities, why 2 stars? Well, as awful as it was, I didn't hate it. From 10% in I knew it would get 2 stars max, but I carried on reading because I needed something simple and easy to clear my head. Not what you expect to hear from a book about incest, but it's how I felt - it was kind of a palette cleanser. And to be honest, I did want to know the ending - was it obvious? Yes. Was it anticlimactic? Yes. But now I know how the story ends, and it gets 2 stars for keeping me reading. I'll be interested to see what people think when it's released.

The Roanoke Girls is brilliant. It’s atmospheric, tense, visceral and blistered by the heat of the South.

Engel lines up a series of subtle reveals that unravel the horrors and secrets of the Roanoke Girls, indicating how their troubled adult lives were formed by their unusual childhoods. The information comes thick and fast, and Engel never drops the pace of this tense and absorbing thriller until the very end.

The novel moves between past, present and Lane’s teenage summer with her family to create a distorting sense of time where pieces of the puzzle seamlessly entwine.

Characters are well formed and believable – even those whose actions you deplore. Those characters are never painted with sympathy, though, and Engel manages the pitch the balance between insight into their motives and condemnation of their crimes perfectly.

About 3/4 of the way through I longed for more information about Gran and her role in the story but Engel delivered that (massively) in the last quarter of the novel.

The subject matter of the book is harrowing and some readers will find the detail of it difficult to read. It is an uncomfortable read at times but it’s none-the-less mesmerizing.

The Roanoke Girls is a unique and troubling read that is delivered with great style and subtly. I was drawn into the world of the girls immediately, and Engel didn’t let me go until the book concluded.

This novel isn’t for the fainthearted but it’s well worth reading for it’s pace, gripping narrative and intriguing thrills.

this book was one of the most anticipated spring publications and after reading it I didn’t feel disappointed. The main characters of this book were two girls, Lane and Allegra. Both of the girls are uneasy personalities. They have got troubles since they were little. Both had a lack of parents love which affected their lives and personalities. The plot of this book is happening at two different times. Lane is telling the story of her summer in Roanoke which happened when she was fifteen, and there time spent together with Allegra. And then the chapters take us back to the present and how lane is feeling at present. It is very interesting to read these time travel stories, because Allegra doesn’t participate in the present one, so the author introduced Allegra by telling the story of the past. I really liked that the author told the story not only of Lane and Allegra, but also let the dead Roanoke girls speak and tell their story. That, I believe, allowed me to understand the characters better and made the whole book way more interesting to read. At least for me, Allegra’s character had a lot of similarities to Alaska from the book “Looking for Alaska” by John Green. Both of them were attention seeking little brats, who were hiding big secrets.
The plot of the book was quite interesting and original to read. However, I think that the author gave away the most important secret in the book too early. I didn’t feel any building suspense to find out what the family was hiding. The chapters of the past were the most interesting to read for me, as Allegra was participating in them and she is very charismatic character to read about. I think author of this book didn’t go very far from young adult genre; she still kept the teenage girls with their interesting story in the book, and added adults to it to make it richer. The chapters of present kind of plodded along, and I missed more suspense in them. There were some interesting twists in this novel which made it livelier, but there could’ve been more. The writing style used was easy to read and I really liked that the chapters were not long in the book. It does contain some rough language and swear words, which might not be suitable for young readers. There were some interesting topics discussed in this novel, such as how lack of good parenting influence kids’ personality, how children try to hide their true pain and sorrows by putting on extravagant behaviour ect. The ending of this book didn’t really leave me impressed. It was quite predictable and not very fair. To conclude it was a nice book to read, filled with teenage love which hasn’t faded and lots of different type, sometimes even disturbed and nasty feelings between the characters.

Its not long into the story, before you start to wonder, and then quickly realise, what has been going on with the Roanoke family. A very disturbing subject, but written with such depth and sensitivity, which in turns, helps you understand, or try to understand, what happened and why. Every single person on the story is flawed in different ways, and although the story is full of such darkness and sadness, it wasn't a difficult read. In fact, I read it in about three days, keen to find out what happened at the end. I won't say more, or this will become a spoiler alert, but if you can cope with the subject matter, then its well worth reading. At the end, I almost felt guilty, because actually I did understand what had happened and the reasons behind it.

Ok... So I have literally - about 10 seconds ago - finished this book and honestly? I have no idea what I think about. I've got no clue as to how many stars I should give it and I have absolutely no idea if I recommend it or not. But there was something... Something about this book that made me want to read til the very end so that has to be worth something, right?

After her mother's suicide, fifteen year-old Lane Roanoke came to live with her grandparents and cousin, Allegra, on their vast estate in rural Kansas. Lane knew little of her mother's mysterious family, but she quickly embraced life as one of the Roanoke girls. But when she discovered the dark truth at the heart of the family, she ran…

Eleven years later, Lane is in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra has gone missing. Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to help search, and to ease her guilt at having left Allegra behind. Her homecoming means facing the devastating secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again.

I'm going to review this book as best as I can, but I'm already finding it very hard to put my feelings about this book into words. So let me start with the basics...

The Roanoke Girls flits between 'then' - when Lane is sixteen years old - and 'now' - when Lane returns to help with the search of her missing cousin. At first, I didn't really like the use of the different time periods because it became really irritating and I thought that the story would work better if Engel has just stuck to writing in the 'then' time frame. As the book progressed, I could see why Engel used this form of writing: it helped a lot with shrouding the whole plot in mystery, but the previous thought was still stuck in the back of my head - I kept wondering what the book would be like if it was just written all the way through from the perspective of sixteen year old Lane.





“You can't outrun what's inside of you. You can only acknowledge it, work around it, try and turn it into something better. I may not know exactly where I'm headed, but this time I'm choosing my own destiny.”
― Amy Engel, The Roanoke Girls





I also didn't really like any of the characters apart from Cooper - but even then, his 'bad boy' antics just annoyed the hell out of me, so I got bored of him very quickly. Lane just irritated me; she was so self centered, she was a bully, arrogant and stupid. Allegra was just... way too wild for my liking and Tommy was two-dimensional. However, I do understand that with Allegra living in the home life that she did, she would want to be as wild, adventurous and care-free as much as she could. She needed to get all of her feelings out of her system. Even when we skipped forward to the 'now' part, I just wanted to shout at Lane and tell her how stupid she was.

Ok... so far, we have a weird form of writing (but it makes sense) and stupid characters.

The one thing that made me carry on reading this book until the very end was the plot. We know from quite early on what the secret is that the Roanoke family bears, but Engel writes the story in a way that still cloaks the known secret in a dark veil. Even though we know the secret, we don't know why, who, and what is going to happen. (Which is where the 'now' and 'then' way of writing comes in handy). This book was an absolute page-turner and even though it's just over 200 pages, it took quite a long time to read it. Engel was exploring such a dark topic, that I had to make sure I was concentrating on every single word just in case I missed any sight detail.

If you are looking for a comfortable, quick read, then this is not the book you're looking for. I finished this book and I felt very very weird. I started this review not knowing how I felt about it because it's a topic that isn't spoken about in reality or fiction. I still don't know what star rating to give it so for the time being, I'm going to set it at 3 stars. Then, I'm going to give the book some more thought and see whether I should change the rating or not.

The Roanoke Girls is a dark, gripping story with flat, stupid characters. But its plot and the mystery and how Engel creates a discussion about the subject of the book is what makes this novel good. I guess I do recommend it... Just know that you're in for a dark, depressing read.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Released 9th March

I have to admit that I didn’t really know what this book was about when I received a surprise copy in the post. I’d seen photos of the book cover, which is gorgeous, on social media but I hadn’t really taken in what it was about. I’m actually quite glad that I didn’t know what it was about as the secret running through this story is a topic that may have led me to thinking this book wasn’t for me and that would have meant I’d have missed out on this brilliant novel.

The Roanoke Girls is a really intense, dark and claustrophobic read. The dry heat that stifles Lane when she moves to Kansas emanates from this book so that even though I was reading it on a cold winter day I could feel the heat on me. I felt like I was trapped in this small town with Lane, that I was almost in her head and could almost see what had happened to Allegra but couldn’t quite shake it free from the recesses of my mind.

This isn’t a fast-paced thriller; it’s more of a slow-burn noir that builds and builds until you feel like you can’t breathe (in a good way!). I was suspicious of everyone; there are lots of secrets in this book that are waiting to be discovered.

The cover of this novel is so perfect. It seems like a fairly innocuous, albeit very pretty and retro wallpaper that seemingly belies what the novel is actually about BUT that tear across the cover is so brilliant – the sneak peak of what lies beneath is just utter genius. The idea that something perfect and pretty can be damaged and ripped apart really does encapsulate what this novel is about.

The Roanoke girls seem to have a power over everyone they meet, they just captivate people, and they will get to you just the same. This book (and these girls) will weave a spell over you, it will pull you in and it won’t let you go until long after you’ve finished reading.

This book is disturbing and dark and twisted yet utterly brilliant! I highly recommend The Roanoke Girls and I already can’t wait to read whatever Amy Engel writes next.

I received a copy of this book from Hodder and Stoughton in exchange for an honest review.

From the beginning, there is something mysterious and fairytale-like about Roanoke, where the main character Lane is taken after her mother commits suicide. The house is a maze of corridors and turrets, and Lane spends a long, sizzling summer with there with her grandparents and cousin Allegra, before she runs away. Years later, her grandfather calls her to tell her that Allegra has gone missing, and so she returns to the place she tried to put behind her. The Roanoke Girls weaves together these two storylines, that of teenage Lane as she settles into Roanoke with easy after her mother’s death, blind to the secrets being harboured by her family, and falling into a heated relationship with Cooper, a local boy, and that of the older Lane, reluctantly dragged back to Roanoke to try and save her cousin and herself, to free herself of the hold that Roanoke has on her, and see if she can escape the same fate that all the Roanoke girls before her have.

With regards to pacing, the story in The Roanoke Girls doesn’t develop quickly, but I don’t think that it’s an issue. The atmosphere in the novel is so palpable that I felt there was so much to read out of descriptions of the setting and small exchanges with characters that I was entertained. There are also hints and suggestions from really early on at what the deep Roanoke secret is. I’m not sure if it was intended to be so clear, but I pieced together what the secret was very early on, but I think that added an extra layer of suspense to the novel, because I knew what the secret was, but Lane didn’t. I was reading and waiting for her to figure out. Would she figure it out and save herself, or would she fall into the same trap that so many before her had? Would she be able to save Allegra too? How many people knew? The layers of the secret are peeled away one by one so that we gradually, over the course of the novel, from the very start to the very end, discover the answers to these questions. I really liked the way that the secret wasn’t revealed with a big bang, and rather sort of fades into our consciousness as we read it, and that of Lane. It was also interesting to read about how so many people kept the secret,or suspected but didn’t say anything, and I felt that this was a very interesting exploration of how secrets like the one in this novel are kept for so long, and how people are manipulated into keeping them. It felt like, apart from Lane’s story, the Roanoke house, the Roanoke family, and the Roanoke secret had their own stories to tell, and I loved these various intricate layers to the novel.

I was a bit apprehensive about this novel when I started it because I don’t read a lot of adult contemporary, and the description didn’t give a lot away. However, Engel’s writing is brilliant, and makes everything feel real. In the first of the two storylines, she flawlessly creates an atmosphere of hazy summer days all blending into one, with moments of teenaged fun interspersed with tense moments that hint at the secrets beneath the surface of the happy Roanoke veneer. In the second storyline, the atmosphere is that of intense heat, pressing down on you from all sides so you can feel oppressed the way that Lane does, surrounded by the people she ran away from and afraid for her cousin. I loved the contrast between these two storylines, and even better, the individual chapters dedicated to each of the Roanoke girls that had passed through the house before Allegra and Lane, which really upped the creepiness factor. The chapters telling the stories of the other Roanoke girls, in my opinion, gave the novel a magical feel, like there were more lives and stories present in the house than just that of the characters still living. The fact that these chapters tell us solely about the fates of the Roanoke girls, either their deaths or their decisions to leave Roanoke, also adds tension as I was eager to find out what Allegra and Lane’s fates would be.

One aspect of the book that fell flat to me was that of the relationship between Lane and Cooper. While I enjoyed their flirtation in the early stages of the novel and when they initially meet again years later, I often didn’t understand their moods in the later stages of the relationship. This was put down to their pasts both making them incapable of settling down, but sometimes it felt too ‘Nicholas Sparks’ for my liking. However, this wasn’t too much of a downer for me. What felt really out of place for me was a revelation towards the end of the novel, a secret that Lane has been keeping since she has left. It was only discussed in passing, all in all I think around 3 times, but I felt like it was done too superficially for the nature of the secret. If it was going to be such a minor point, I would have preferred to not be mentioned at all, especially considering the fact that the novel is already sad enough as it is.

I was swallowed right into this story within sentences, and I liked that, although the Roanoke secret is shocking, it didn’t feel sensationalised or intrusive, and the ending that she gives to the Roanoke family and their secret was a satisfying one. I also liked the way that this novel seemed to toe the line between different genres. At times, it felt like a YA contemporary, and at others, like an adult suspense novel. I genuinely believe that this novel would appeal to many different types of readers.

The book alternates between Then and Now with a few chapters from the other Roanoke girls. The story is good but the writing is what makes this book special, the author really knows how to build suspense and keep the reader’s interest. The Then chapters are set one summer when she was just a teenager and the Now chapters are set 11 years later.
Lane Roanoke grew up with her mum in New York city. Lane’s relationship with her mother was kind of unconventional, her mother wasn’t one for overt displays of affection. Her mother never really talked to her about her childhood other than vague comments about her childhood home Roanoke being a nightmare.
“The first time I saw Roanoke was in a dream. I knew little of it beyond it’s name and the fact it was in Kansas, a place I had never been. My mother only ever mentioned it when she’d had too much wine, her breath turned sweet and her words slow and syrupy like molasses. So my subconscious filled in the rest…it’s red-brick façade was broken up by black-shutters, white trim, delicate wrought-iron balconies. A little girl’s fantasy of a princess castle.
When I woke up I started to tell my mother about it…
‘Did you wake up screaming...
‘Was it a nightmare?’
I shook my head, confused and a little scared.
‘No.’ She looked back out the window. ‘Then it was nothing like that.’
The second time Lane sees Roanoke is in person after her mom committed suicide by her hanging herself using her bathrobe sash. Next to her she left a note scribbled on the margin of the Sunday Times. I tried to wait. I’m sorry.
Lane’s social worker informs her that he grandparents Yates and Lilian Roanoke are rich and not only are they willing to take her they actually want to.
“I knew my mother came from Kansas, of course. Grew up in a house that had a name, like a person, like a living thing. But I’d never met any of her family. They never came to visit, never phoned, never wrote. I’d assumed they were either dead or wished we were.”
The author’s description of the house really brings it to life for the reader.
“Roanoke had clearly started out as something resembling a traditional farmhouse – white clapboard, wraparound porch, peaked dormers. But someone had tacked on crazy additions over the years, a brick turret on one side.
It was like a handful of giant houses all smashed together with no regard for aesthetics or conformity. It was equal parts of horrifying and mesmerizing.”
Lane’s cousin Allegra is wild and unpredictable but also more vulnerable than anyone realises, except for maybe Lane. From the first time they met Allegra and Lane were as much like friends as they were cousins.
“I noticed the girl standing there balanced on her tiptoes, as if she was about to fly down to greet me.
‘Hi!’ she called out, waving frantically with both hands. Her hair was arranged in two long braids tied at the ends with blue and white gingham bows. She wore cutoff jean shorts and a tank top, but teetered on sky-high red glittery pumps. ‘Welcome to Oz!’ she yelled, flying her arms wide.”
When Allegra is showing Lane around she stops in front of a framed portrait of all the Roanoke girls all of whom look incredibly alike.
‘Who are they?’
‘Us!’ Allegra screeched. She stabbed at the top two pictures. ‘These are Grandad’s Sister’s, Jane and Sophia. Then this row are Gran and Grandad’s girls. Penelope. She was actually June’s daughter, but Gran and Grandad raised her. Then my mum, Eleanor. Your mum, Camilla. Who totally got the best name, by the way.’ She jabbed at me with her bony elbow. ‘And the baby, Emmeline. We can take a picture of you and put it right here.”
Then Allegra tells Lane one of the family secrets Roanoke girls never last that long around here…In the end, we either run or we die. She then begins to discuss how all the girls died or ran away.
Roanoke is near a place called Osage Flats in Kansas and soon she and Allegra are hanging out there whenever they get the chance.
It’s the type of place where you can easily believe Obama was never elected, women never earned the right to vote, and gays still hide in the closest. That nothing has ever moved nothing ever will.
At the end of that summer Lane discovers a horrifying family secret and flees as fast as she can with no plan to return.
Eleven years later in the middle of the night Lane gets a call from her grandfather telling her she needs to come home because Allegra is missing. Lane knows there is no way Allegra would willingly leave Roanoke so she drops everything and returns.
Not only does she have to contend with unusual family dynamics but she also has to deal with a charismatic ex and the ghosts of the past. On top of it all she can’t shake the feeling that she is home.

The roanoke girls by Amy Engel.
This was a very disturbing read.
The story is about a particular family especially the girls in the family. They hold a dark family secrets. I didn’t like to read about it but I was captivated I wanted to know what happened. I liked the characters Lane and allegras I was captivated by them. A very good read if you can overlook the disturbing bit. 4*. Thanks hodder and Stoughton and netgalley.