Reviews

The Lost Girls by Kate Hamer

Only show reviews with written explanations

fibuzz's review against another edition

4.0

"But one thing I've learned is being unlost is not the same as being found."

This is the sequel to Kate Hamer's book "The Girl in the Red Coat" (which is phenomenal!) and I read it straight after finishing the latter, desperate to read more about how Beth and Carmel's stories unfold. I wasn't disappointed.

The Lost Girls was just as mesmerising from the start. Kate's writing transports me to another world entirely and it's like nothing else exists when I'm reading her books.

I was hoping to see some of the other characters from the first book (Dorothy & the twins) and find out what happened to them but maybe that's for a third book in the future? She says, hopefully!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read.

I love the characterisation in these books. Hamer captures childlike voices, wonder and feelings so vividly, not to mention the American/British "voice" differences.

I didn't find this quite as tense and unputdownable as the first one, hence the four stars, but thoroughly enjoyed hearing Mercy's story and seeing how Carmel sets about rebuilding herself. I can't wait to read more by this author.

bzzkolla's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for my ecopy to review

Having read the first book in the series, The Girl in the Red Coat. I knew what to expect from Hamer.

The book explores how Beth and Carmel try to put their lives back together and heal their broken relationship following Carmel's kidnapping as a child. It is very strained, and they seem unable to communicate with each other. Carmel becomes fixated on finding other lost girls. Ultimately, she ends up finding some answers and is able to grow closer to her mother and father .

Again, it was a very slow moving story, almost tortuous in places and not much is gained by this

cstarra's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.5

robertod2004's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

With thanks to the author, publishers Faber and Faber Ltd., and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I had no idea until after finishing this book that it is a sequel to the Girl in the Red Coat, and in hindsight I think having read that first book would have helped me to enjoy this second one a bit more. As it was, it had an interesting storyline and was no doubt beautifully written, I just didn’t find myself engaged with any of the characters to any great extent, except perhaps Mercy who seemed to see the best in all people and all things, and who I felt sympathetic towards.

The telling of the story through different timelines was interesting, but I found of the pace of the book a little slow at times, especially in relation to Carmel, and often found myself looking forward to the next Mercy section. That being said, having the background of the first book might have made a difference.

tennilles's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

jemmacrosland's review

Go to review page

3.0

The Lost Girls is a sequel to The Girl in the Red Coat, where an 8-year-old child is kidnapped from a storytelling festival as she is believed to have been given healing abilities from God. The Lost Girls centres on the adjustment to life for both Carmel and Beth, after she has been found and returned to her family. I was so excited to read about the aftermath of this colossal event and to see what had changed for this family.
One thing that is important to note is that The Lost Girls takes place when Carmel is 21, but she was returned home at the age of thirteen. I feel as though the storyline has skipped ahead too far and has missed out on the crucial years between 13 and 21. I would have liked their fresh perspectives from straight after the event, rather than another 8 years down the line and I think these missing years were detrimental to the plot.
Similar to the first book, I really enjoyed the depth of Beth's character as a mother and gaining her outlook. In both books, but more so TLG, we don't see how this impacts Carmel's dad very much at all, as the plot is more focused on the mother-daughter relationship and how the kidnapping affected the dynamics of trust and communication.
I grew to really liking Mercy and was interested by her backstory with her parents and finding community and support in the church. As I mentioned before, this book is very content-heavy with religion and this is not something that I am accustomed to or have much interest in, but I don't think it detracts too much from the thrilling story.
Whilst I did think that some of the loose ends from The Girl in the Red Coat were resolved in this book, I was still left with a lot of unanswered questions, surrounding for instance the kidnapping or even Dorothy and her 2 girls. It didn't have the satisfying conclusion that I was hoping for, especially in regards to the pastor. The Lost Girls was a good attempt at carrying on the plot of The Girl in the Red Coat but I don't personally think it was strong enough to be a successful ending to the story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Faber and Faber Ltd and the author Kate Hamer for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.