All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

All The Missing Girls | Author: Megan Miranda | Rating 10/11 |

Release Date: June 28, 2016

Hindsight is 20/20. That is something which is often said when looking back at a situation. But what if you start at the end and work your way back to the beginning? How would that change things, your feelings, your interpretation, your loyalty, your perception?

Such is the case for All The Missing Girls by author Megan Miranda. This is Miranda’s first foray into the adult fiction world having previously written several young adult novels. All The Missing Girls is a very ambitious book because instead of the traditional narrative, it’s telling the story in reverse and, additionally, interjected with scenes from the past in the process. Although it can be a bit hard to follow at times, especially when new names are thrown out as part of a story, it’s not a difficult book to read. In fact, it’s a highly compelling read.

The story itself is centered around two girls who go missing, a decade apart. Nicolette (Nic) Farrell left her home of Cooley Ridge after her best friend Corinne vanished ten years ago, the case had never been solved. Now, Nic is back in town to help with her ailing father and to tie up the loose ends of her former and hopefully forgotten life in Cooley Ridge. However, fate intervenes when her younger neighbor Annaleise goes missing. Nic is forced to confront the events of her once buried past and open up old wounds to solve her best friends disappearance. Solving one disappearance is the key to figuring out the other. Lies and truths about Nic’s various friends and family are uncovered as each chapter progresses and you quickly realize everyone has secrets and trades in lies.

With each chapter the reader literally steps back in time but moves forward in the slow unraveling of a multi-layered story. The book itself is similar to an onion with each layer coming off, it exposes a kernel of truth but also brings about more questions with each answer it gives. Just when the reader suspects their working theory to be correct, there’s a new twist and everything seems to go out the window. Pay attention while reading All The Missing Girls because you never know what truths will be uncovered and what seemingly insignificant object actually has the most importance.