mari_teran's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.75
paracosm's review against another edition
1.0
I completely wasted my time with this book. It more of a romantic drama than a mystery, full of plot holes and lose ends, the protagonist was entirely useless and the ending is crap.
brittany_tellefsen's review against another edition
3.0
Probably closer to a 3.5
10 years ago, Nicolette left her small hometown and never looked back. But when her brother calls her to come help care for their ailing father and get his house ready for selling, she dutifully returns.
Unfortunately, the town holds a lot of secrets, the biggest of which is what happened to Corinne, Nicolette's best friend who disappeared right after their senior year. So when another girl goes missing soon after Nicolette returns, all eyes are on her and the original suspects in Corinne's case. What happened to Corinne? And is that same person at it again?
Alright, so I admit that at first, this story did nothing for me. I found the writing to be average, the plot to be mediocre, and the characters to be only mildly interesting. Combine this with the fact that Megan Miranda made the artistic choice to tell a large chunk of the story backwards, and I struggled with this for a while. I don't mean that I didn't understand the story. I meant that I could not connect with it, or the characters.
The first section of the story, which is fairly brief, is told linearly, which Nicolette returning home to see her father. The second section, is when we start working backwards from Day 15, back down to Day 1. And then the final section reverts to a linear timeline.
For the majority of the section told backwards, I had a difficult time understanding the point and purpose. Although I am sure Megan Miranda had a plan, I did not feel it added anything to the story.
But once we started inching closer to Day 1, when the second girl went missing, I began to understand Megan's reasoning. Do I think this probably could have still been told linearly? Yes, absolutely. But it probably would have been a little bit less interesting. Easier to understand, sure. But less interesting.
I will say, that the story took a different turn then I expected, both for the original disappearance of Corinne, and the second girl. It was blatantly shocking, but I definitely respect the reveal.
Overall, I would say this is fairly solid, and I will definitely read more from Miranda in the future.
10 years ago, Nicolette left her small hometown and never looked back. But when her brother calls her to come help care for their ailing father and get his house ready for selling, she dutifully returns.
Unfortunately, the town holds a lot of secrets, the biggest of which is what happened to Corinne, Nicolette's best friend who disappeared right after their senior year. So when another girl goes missing soon after Nicolette returns, all eyes are on her and the original suspects in Corinne's case. What happened to Corinne? And is that same person at it again?
Alright, so I admit that at first, this story did nothing for me. I found the writing to be average, the plot to be mediocre, and the characters to be only mildly interesting. Combine this with the fact that Megan Miranda made the artistic choice to tell a large chunk of the story backwards, and I struggled with this for a while. I don't mean that I didn't understand the story. I meant that I could not connect with it, or the characters.
The first section of the story, which is fairly brief, is told linearly, which Nicolette returning home to see her father. The second section, is when we start working backwards from Day 15, back down to Day 1. And then the final section reverts to a linear timeline.
For the majority of the section told backwards, I had a difficult time understanding the point and purpose. Although I am sure Megan Miranda had a plan, I did not feel it added anything to the story.
But once we started inching closer to Day 1, when the second girl went missing, I began to understand Megan's reasoning. Do I think this probably could have still been told linearly? Yes, absolutely. But it probably would have been a little bit less interesting. Easier to understand, sure. But less interesting.
I will say, that the story took a different turn then I expected, both for the original disappearance of Corinne, and the second girl. It was blatantly shocking, but I definitely respect the reveal.
Overall, I would say this is fairly solid, and I will definitely read more from Miranda in the future.
angiethedoll's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I disliked the concept of the book, didn't understand why she had to tell it that way. It left me kinda confusedan I'm sure it could have been a beter story if it were told "normally".
I disliked the concept of the book, didn't understand why she had to tell it that way. It left me kinda confusedan I'm sure it could have been a beter story if it were told "normally".
heatherv's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
chrelaine's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed putting the pieces of this story together. The writing style can be confusing at first, but in the end I loved it. It is one of the few Mystery/Suspense type books that I've read recently that actually tied up the loose ends. I didn't find myself saying..."But what about?" Would definitely recommend.
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
ALL THE MISSING GIRLS
Written by Megan Miranda
2016; Simon & Schuster Canada (384 Pages)
Genre: fiction, mystery, suspense
RATING: ★★★1/2
Nicolette Farrell left her hometown of Cooley Ridge ten years ago when her best friend disappeared. When Corrine had gone missing Nicolette's boyfriend, brother and Corrine's ex-boyfriend were all looked at and interrogated.
Ten years later, Nicolette is living in Philadelphia, having gone to college and gained her masters she has a job at a school, and is engaged to a lawyer from a wealthy family. Then her brother, Daniel calls her home because they need to sell their family home to pay for their father's care. Within days, another hometown girl goes missing and Nicolette's ex-boyfriend is again the suspect. Are these two cases, a decade apart, related and who's next?
First I have to give Miranda big kudos on writing this novel in reverse. We start with day 15 and go through each day until we get to day 1. Each day brings us closer to the what happened as clues take us through twists and turns. I liked the way Miranda wrote but I wasn't too into the mystery itself. For me, I felt like the novel never got me in a personal sense. I did not feel for any of the characters or feel like anything was a big surprise. Instead, it felt like a second hand account - like someone telling you something they read in a newspaper. For this reason I would give this book 3.5 stars. I would recommend it for the writing and mystery, but I just didn't think it was mind blowing as other people have raved about. It could be that I also had greater expectations for this one.
***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***
My Novelesque Blog
Written by Megan Miranda
2016; Simon & Schuster Canada (384 Pages)
Genre: fiction, mystery, suspense
RATING: ★★★1/2
Nicolette Farrell left her hometown of Cooley Ridge ten years ago when her best friend disappeared. When Corrine had gone missing Nicolette's boyfriend, brother and Corrine's ex-boyfriend were all looked at and interrogated.
Ten years later, Nicolette is living in Philadelphia, having gone to college and gained her masters she has a job at a school, and is engaged to a lawyer from a wealthy family. Then her brother, Daniel calls her home because they need to sell their family home to pay for their father's care. Within days, another hometown girl goes missing and Nicolette's ex-boyfriend is again the suspect. Are these two cases, a decade apart, related and who's next?
First I have to give Miranda big kudos on writing this novel in reverse. We start with day 15 and go through each day until we get to day 1. Each day brings us closer to the what happened as clues take us through twists and turns. I liked the way Miranda wrote but I wasn't too into the mystery itself. For me, I felt like the novel never got me in a personal sense. I did not feel for any of the characters or feel like anything was a big surprise. Instead, it felt like a second hand account - like someone telling you something they read in a newspaper. For this reason I would give this book 3.5 stars. I would recommend it for the writing and mystery, but I just didn't think it was mind blowing as other people have raved about. It could be that I also had greater expectations for this one.
***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***
My Novelesque Blog
lex_readzalot's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
thegirlwiththebookonthecouch's review against another edition
5.0
All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda surprised me not in how tightly written the suspense was, but with the depth of heart contained within the covers of such a masterful thriller. I knew going into it that it was going to be a page turner, and it did not disappoint, but while I love a well executed plot, in this genre, getting emotionally attached to the characters and finding a deep life truth to flesh out in the process is not commonly achieved. This book was a delicious blend of suspenseful plot and a look into the messy safety found with those who know you best.
Nicolette Farrell grew up in Cooley Ridge, North Carolina, and moved out and away from her small town upbringing the second she turned 18. Ten years later, she receives a note from her father "I saw the girl," and Nic is forced to return to Cooley Ridge to figure out what her senile father means, and to face the events that made her leave her hometown a decade earlier. Nic, her brother Daniel, Tyler, her boyfriend, Corinne, and Corinne's boyfriend Jackson were a tight knit group for years. But one night, Corinne broke away from the group at the fair, walked out the gates and never returned. Cooley Ridge was upturned in the investigation, with everyone as a suspect, but the police could never find any evidence to point to anyone for the crime, and Corinne's body was never found. The investigation fizzled out and everyone moved on with their lives but now, sitting in a nursing home, Nic's father keeps talking about seeing that girl, and Nic and Daniel don't know what to make of it.
Just as Nic returns home, another girl vanishes without a trace, and old secrets from before get pushed to the surface. The story flashes forward to 15 days after the second girl's disappearance, and is then told backwards, suspensefully revealing detail by detail what has really been happening in Cooley Ridge. Along the way, Miranda masterfully creates characters that you latch onto emotionally, and examines the importance and power of those who know our deepest, darkest secrets and still love us profoundly. You won't be able to put All The Missing Girls down, and you won't want to leave Nic and Cooley Ridge by the end.
Nicolette Farrell grew up in Cooley Ridge, North Carolina, and moved out and away from her small town upbringing the second she turned 18. Ten years later, she receives a note from her father "I saw the girl," and Nic is forced to return to Cooley Ridge to figure out what her senile father means, and to face the events that made her leave her hometown a decade earlier. Nic, her brother Daniel, Tyler, her boyfriend, Corinne, and Corinne's boyfriend Jackson were a tight knit group for years. But one night, Corinne broke away from the group at the fair, walked out the gates and never returned. Cooley Ridge was upturned in the investigation, with everyone as a suspect, but the police could never find any evidence to point to anyone for the crime, and Corinne's body was never found. The investigation fizzled out and everyone moved on with their lives but now, sitting in a nursing home, Nic's father keeps talking about seeing that girl, and Nic and Daniel don't know what to make of it.
Just as Nic returns home, another girl vanishes without a trace, and old secrets from before get pushed to the surface. The story flashes forward to 15 days after the second girl's disappearance, and is then told backwards, suspensefully revealing detail by detail what has really been happening in Cooley Ridge. Along the way, Miranda masterfully creates characters that you latch onto emotionally, and examines the importance and power of those who know our deepest, darkest secrets and still love us profoundly. You won't be able to put All The Missing Girls down, and you won't want to leave Nic and Cooley Ridge by the end.
ariiiiready2read916's review against another edition
1.0
This book was written backwards.
It infuriated me
It infuriated me