Scan barcode
duskx's review
3.0
How far would you go to find your daughter? And what if you didn’t like what you found?
This is the premise of The Girl Outside, a gripping psychological thriller that explores the secrets and lies that lurk beneath the surface of a seemingly peaceful small town.
Mandy Knox is a single mother who loves her teenage daughter Callie more than anything. But when Callie goes missing one night, Mandy's world is turned upside down. She becomes desperate to find her daughter, but the more she digs, the more she realizes that Callie had a secret life that she kept hidden from her. And she is not the only one. Everyone in the town has something to hide, and some of them will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.
The Girl Outside is a fast-paced and suspenseful read that will keep you hooked until the end. The author creates a dark and tense atmosphere, with vivid descriptions and realistic dialogue. The characters are well-developed and flawed, each with their own backstory and agenda. The plot is full of twists and turns, as it reveals more layers of deception and betrayal in each chapter. The themes are relevant and thought-provoking, as they touch on parenthood, secrets, guilt, and identity.
This is not a book for the faint of heart, as it deals with some disturbing and sensitive topics, such as child abuse, domestic violence, drug addiction, school bullying, kidnapping, etc. The book also contains some graphic and violent scenes that may be triggering for some readers. However, the book also offers some hope and redemption for the characters who try to overcome their demons and find closure.
The only drawback of the book is the ending, which is a bit disappointing and leaves a lot of questions unanswered. The emotional and heart-wrenching message could have been more powerful but it falls short because of the last chapter.
The Girl Outside is a riveting and compelling read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. If you are looking for a psychological thriller that will keep you glued to the pages, then you should definitely check out The Girl Outside by James Caine.
This is the premise of The Girl Outside, a gripping psychological thriller that explores the secrets and lies that lurk beneath the surface of a seemingly peaceful small town.
Mandy Knox is a single mother who loves her teenage daughter Callie more than anything. But when Callie goes missing one night, Mandy's world is turned upside down. She becomes desperate to find her daughter, but the more she digs, the more she realizes that Callie had a secret life that she kept hidden from her. And she is not the only one. Everyone in the town has something to hide, and some of them will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.
The Girl Outside is a fast-paced and suspenseful read that will keep you hooked until the end. The author creates a dark and tense atmosphere, with vivid descriptions and realistic dialogue. The characters are well-developed and flawed, each with their own backstory and agenda. The plot is full of twists and turns, as it reveals more layers of deception and betrayal in each chapter. The themes are relevant and thought-provoking, as they touch on parenthood, secrets, guilt, and identity.
This is not a book for the faint of heart, as it deals with some disturbing and sensitive topics, such as child abuse, domestic violence, drug addiction, school bullying, kidnapping, etc. The book also contains some graphic and violent scenes that may be triggering for some readers. However, the book also offers some hope and redemption for the characters who try to overcome their demons and find closure.
The only drawback of the book is the ending, which is a bit disappointing and leaves a lot of questions unanswered. The emotional and heart-wrenching message could have been more powerful but it falls short because of the last chapter.
The Girl Outside is a riveting and compelling read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. If you are looking for a psychological thriller that will keep you glued to the pages, then you should definitely check out The Girl Outside by James Caine.
bexdoesbooks's review
4.0
Really enjoyed this one. It was short and sweet, I think it would have made a brilliant full story. The only reason it’s lost a star is because the editing is the worst I’ve ever seen in a book, there are words missing, extra words and characters being called the wrong names at the time.
panicatthebookstore's review
3.0
"Kneeling now, she noticed it wasn't black, but a dark shade of red. Mandy covered her mouth while the flies aggressively buzzed around her."
This was a short thriller that was fast-paced and had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, I feel like there were still a few too many unanswered questions at the end, if you could call that an ending. Having read a few books from this author this year, I was a little disappointed with this one as it could have been so much better. However, that's not to say this wasn't a good book, it was, the story was good, it just needed a little more.
This was a short thriller that was fast-paced and had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, I feel like there were still a few too many unanswered questions at the end, if you could call that an ending. Having read a few books from this author this year, I was a little disappointed with this one as it could have been so much better. However, that's not to say this wasn't a good book, it was, the story was good, it just needed a little more.
carlysgrowingtbr's review
3.0
The girl outside delivers exactly what you expect from a multiple series mystery/thriller. The plot was intriguing but I found the characters to be lacking in a little bit of development.
Mandy is a mother who is trying to write her past wrongs between her daughter and herself. Healing from a fresh break up with her long-term job she realizes that her daughter is missing. While trying to solve the murder by contacting teachers and friends she realizes just how much she does not know about her daughter. Being caught up in her own mess she has missed a ton of warning signs that her daughter is no longer what she used to be. You get multiple points of view throughout the story between the mother and the detective on the case. The mother is definitely the main plot line while the detective has a somewhat of a sub plot line, however that sub plot line is severely lacking and seems to come super easy. The detective makes correlations between a decades-old case and the current case of the missing daughter within sentences. And resolves it almost immediately. I feel like this book could've been a lot longer and a lot more developed. Overall I feel like the story was a little rushed and could've been developed a lot more to make a better and more enthralling storyline.
That being said, I give this thriller/mystery a 3/5. It was entertaining and I didn't have a problem finishing it, but it just left me really wanting more out of the story.
Mandy is a mother who is trying to write her past wrongs between her daughter and herself. Healing from a fresh break up with her long-term job she realizes that her daughter is missing. While trying to solve the murder by contacting teachers and friends she realizes just how much she does not know about her daughter. Being caught up in her own mess she has missed a ton of warning signs that her daughter is no longer what she used to be. You get multiple points of view throughout the story between the mother and the detective on the case. The mother is definitely the main plot line while the detective has a somewhat of a sub plot line, however that sub plot line is severely lacking and seems to come super easy. The detective makes correlations between a decades-old case and the current case of the missing daughter within sentences. And resolves it almost immediately. I feel like this book could've been a lot longer and a lot more developed. Overall I feel like the story was a little rushed and could've been developed a lot more to make a better and more enthralling storyline.
That being said, I give this thriller/mystery a 3/5. It was entertaining and I didn't have a problem finishing it, but it just left me really wanting more out of the story.
gizmo_42's review
5.0
Really interesting book, a great read the detail as you read keeps you gripped, as you meet each character you learn about each one. You reading to find out what happens and you get so drawn into the story ... Clever written book . Will be reading more from this author
amybookworm1's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
rmunch93's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Alcoholism
maddiesara's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
cariadreads's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0