A review by momobookdiary
The Girls In The Basement by Steena Holmes

5.0

A Solid, Slow-Burn Thriller with Emotional Depth

The Girls in the Basement by Steena Holmes is a psychological thriller that weaves a dark and twisty narrative through multiple perspectives, exploring the secrets people bury and the emotional costs of betrayal. While it didn’t fully immerse me or hit the emotional highs I hoped for, it’s still a compelling, well-crafted story that fans of slow-burn suspense will likely appreciate. 
 
Holmes does a great job building an atmosphere of unease, threading a steady sense of dread throughout the story. The pacing is deliberate, but the tension never drops, and the way the secrets unravel keeps you intrigued. Jillian’s emotional journey—especially her reckoning with betrayal and trust—is layered and complex, even if I didn’t always feel deeply connected to her or the other characters. There’s a certain distance in the storytelling that made it hard for me to fully invest emotionally, but I was still pulled along by the unfolding mystery. 
 
Though the plot leaned a bit predictable at times, there were still moments that shocked me—twists that felt chilling and deeply unsettling. The story dives into dark subject matter and isn’t afraid to explore how far people will go to protect their secrets. Despite not being a fully immersive read for me, I appreciated Holmes’s ability to create tension and deliver emotional stakes. 
 
In the end, The Girls in the Basement is a solid, well-executed thriller with a disturbing undercurrent that lingers. While it didn’t captivate me completely, it’s still a strong choice for readers who enjoy emotional, psychologically driven suspense.
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