All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
Nicolette Farrell has to return to her small hometown in North Carolina to help her brother get the family home ready to sell. Nic left soon after her high school graduation ten years ago and rarely came home to visit. Too many memories are brought back when she goes home all centered on the disappearance of her best friend Corinne after the annual carnival. Nic and all her friends were questioned and their lives scrutinized by law enforcement and the residents of the small town; their secrets aired to all. Nic isn’t thrilled with being back, she’d much rather be in Philadelphia with her fiance but she knows she needs to be there. Her trepidation of being home is realized when Annaleise, the current girlfriend of Nic’s high school flame, goes missing shortly after leaving a message for police that she has questions about what happened to Corinne.
With that plot summary I’m sure you’re expecting some dead ends, and a twisty plot and secrets being uncovered. Me too, but I got so much more. This is the psychological study of the dynamic of a group of high school friends that examines the mind of not only high school girls, but first love and what it’s like being an adult returning home.
There is one thing that REALLY makes this book stand out. It’s told backwards. Yes, backwards. The first part of the book sets the stage and then the next page is Day 15. You finish that chapter and the page reads The Day Before, Day 14. I didn’t know going into this if the format would work, but it really did. And the tension it builds is great. For those that want to try something new, or enjoy thrillers and mysteries.
