Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher Atlantic Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.
Expected: 2 July 2020
Everyone knows the story of the girl from widow hills...
When Arden Maynor was six years old, she was swept away in a terrifying storm and went missing for days. Against all odds, she was found alive, clinging to a storm drain. Fame followed, and so did fans, creeps and stalkers. As soon as she was old enough, Arden changed her name and left Widow Hills behind.
Twenty years later, Olivia, as she is now known, is plagued by night terrors. She often finds herself out of bed in the middle of the night, sometimes streets away from her home. Then one evening she jolts awake in her yard, with the corpse of a man at her feet.
The girl from Widow Hills is about to become the centre of the story, once again...
The review
I loved this – such a fascinating, unique plot with an ending I could never have guessed. A real page-turner.
Narrated by Olivia in the present, transcripts, newspaper reports and book excerpts help us piece together a fragmented version of the past. It was one of those stories where anyone could’ve been the murder and I truly suspected pretty much everyone at one point or another. Some characters I liked and some I didn’t so there were lots points when I was like ‘oh no please don’t let it have been them’ – you just never knew from one minute to the next. For example, main character Liv didn’t seem the type but as she said herself: “Not unless I felt trapped, cornered. Then, subconsciously and truthfully, I couldn’t say for sure what type of person I’d become.”
And, this book tested that premise over and over again, how we never truly know how we’d react in an extreme situation until we tested. Ordinary people in extraordinary situations and the lengths they’d go to protect themselves and/or those they love. And, not only ourselves but do we ever really know anyone or just the person people want us to see.
I became totally invested in Liv. Her mum (or mom in this case) calls her a “survivor” and that’s what she is – smart, tough, brave, resilient, and intuitive. I enjoyed the constant sense of unease and worry as Olivia attempts to unravel her past and questions her own innocence. I also really liked her stoic, loyal, sensible neighbour Rick and was glad his story wasn’t what it seemed.
My only negative was that I really wanted an epilogue – I would’ve liked to know how things turned out for Liv and Rick, and most importantly whether Liv and Bennett got together (I hope so).
The author
US author Megan Miranda was a scientist and high school teacher before writing her first novel, which came out of her fascination with scientific mysteries, especially those associated with the brain. Follow @MeganLMiranda or find out more at meganmiranda.com
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