Title: The Girl She Was

Author: Alafair Burke

Genre: Mystery, Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Faber

Publication Date: 13th January 2022 (Paperback)

Rating: 4.5/5

Cover:

Summary:

HOPE CAN BE A DANGEROUS THING…

She calls herself Hope Miller, but she has no idea who she really is.

Fourteen years ago, she was found thrown from an overturned vehicle, with no clue to her identity. Hope started a new life, but never recovered her memory.

Now she’s missing. With nowhere else to turn, Hope’s best friend, Lindsay Kelly, calls NYPD detective Ellie Hatcher.

In pursuit of answers, three women search for the truth beneath long-buried secrets. And when their searches converge, what they find will upend everything they’ve ever known.

Review:

I’m always intrigued by books involved the complexity of memory so I was instantly keen to read The Girl She Was and it didn’t disappoint at all. The story follows three women: Hope, who was found in a car wreck fourteen years ago and has no memory of her life before, Lindsay, the one who rescued Hope that night and has been her best friend ever since and Ellie, the NYPD detective who becomes involved when Lindsay enlists her help after Hope mysteriously goes missing.

The Girl She Was is a completely engrossing and deliciously twisty mystery that I genuinely could not put down. I found all three main characters fascinating and couldn’t stop reading until I knew the truth about who Hope was and how her past connected to present events. I don’t want to give much away about the plot because it takes some really unpredictable turns with some brilliant red herrings along the way and I’d hate to spoil it. However trust me, this is one you don’t want to miss. It is well written, clever, dark and original. I believe there have been previous novels by the author featuring detective Ellie Hatcher which I will definitely be adding to my TBR list because I loved her character! Really though, The Girl She Was is about Hope and Lindsay and their complicated but strong friendship. It is tightly plotted and paced beautifully. Highly recommended!

★★★★.5

I very kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

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