The Girl Who Never Came Home: A completely heartbreaking and utterly gripping page-turner

Nicole Trope

Nov 2020 · Bookouture

About this ebook

‘I loved, loved, loved this so much!!!!!’ Blue Moon Blogger, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Stunning! Impossible to put down!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Oh my!… Just Wow!’ Red Headed Book Lady, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘UNPUTDOWNABLE.’ Book Reviews by Shalini, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

They find her just as the sun is beginning to rise in the early morning mist. They had begun at dawn, the group of searchers keen to get going. A missing child spurred everyone on. In the end, it was a flash of colour, a bright neon pink that caught her eye. They had been looking for pink.

Nothing tests your faith like being a mother. The first time your children walk to school alone, their first sleepover, when they finally fly the nest. As a parent, you have to believe that everything will be OK.

It’s why, when Lydia’s sixteen-year-old daughter Zoe goes on a school camping trip, she has no idea of the horrors that will unfold. It’s why, when Lydia gets a call saying that her daughter has disappeared, she refuses to give up.

As she searches the mountains, her voice hoarse from calling Zoe’s name, she imagines finding her. She envisions being flooded with relief as she throws her arms around her child, saying, ‘you gave us such a scare’. She pictures her precious girl safely tucked in bed that evening.

It’s why, when they find Zoe’s body, Lydia can barely believe it. It is unthinkable. Her little girl has gone.

Something terrible happened, she is sure of it. Something made Zoe get out of her sleeping bag in the middle of the night, walk out of the warmth and safety of the cabin, into the darkness of the mountains. Driven by the memory of her youngest child, Lydia needs to find out the truth. What kind of mother would she be if she didn’t?

A heartbreaking, redemptive and beautifully crafted novel which brings to life a mother’s worst nightmare, questioning how well we ever really know the people we love the most. Fans of Jodi Picoult, Kerry Fisher and Liane Moriarty will be blown away by this stirring, unforgettable tale.

Readers absolutely love The Girl Who Never Come Home:

‘Just like wow! So powerful and sad! I have never read a story quite like this one… I am truly blown away… Lots of twists and turns that I never saw coming… So very emotional that I had to have a box of tissues by my side. I stayed up until 5am so that I could finish this book.’ Red Headed Book Lady, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow, what a heartbreaking book… A real page-turner.’ NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Brilliant… UNPUTDOWNABLE… So powerful that I had to take a few breaths to calm my heart down… A heart-wrenching tale… to read in one go. How could I stop myself? Like the mother Lydia, I needed to know what happened to Zoé. I had to take a few minutes hugging myself before I could write this review… Left me awed. And the emotions… Oh the feelings, they left me overwhelmed. My heart just overflowed.’ Book Reviews by Shalini, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I’ve read many of Nicole Trope’s books and this one was by far the best. I’m telling you this woman does not disappoint… I’m a big fan of Nicole Trope and all her books. I don’t eat or sleep until it is finished. This one was no exception. I couldn’t put this down for the life of me. I had to find out what happened to poor Zoe and why. I can’t say enough good things… Definitely going to be in my top reads of the year.’ Blue Moon Blogger, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Will shock you to your very core! 5+ stars! Another stunning MUST-READ from the mastermind… Masterpiece! It is an emotionally charged, thrilling, and suspenseful rollercoaster read that is impossible to put down!… An unforgettable, mind-blowing experience! Keep the tissues nearby, but every tear shed will be well worth it!… Will fill you with a ferocious and intense need to hug your loved ones and never let go!.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Her heartbreak is shattering. I have lost a son and I can honestly say that the writer hits the emotions perfectly.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Shockingly good!… You just don’t know when it is going to hit you.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Make sure to clear some time in your schedule when you start this. I had to read it all at once.’ Book Worm Down Under, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Breathtaking. Your worst nightmare come to life and I could not put it down… Full of suspense and begged to be read in one sitting. You cannot put this down until you read the final chapter.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ratings and reviews

I argue that justice was not served by the end result as the punishment was too severe and not at all deserved, and I’m referencing the true victim in this piece - and just to be clear – I’m not talking about the dead girl. There were many victims in this tale as the recently deceased teen, Zoe, was quite the heinous little madam. Zoe was vile and vicious and a monster of her mother’s creation by a lifetime of overindulgence. I despised the bratty she-devil while I deeply resented her shortsighted mother, but I had overflowing buckets of empathy for everyone else. The storylines were taut with tension, well-crafted intrigue, and tantalizingly slow revelations. I thoroughly enjoyed the insights reaped from the multiple points of view and although there appeared to be an unending plethora of fractured and wounded people to keep up with who had been brutalized in some manner by the cruelty or repercussions of Zoe’s selfish schemes and reprehensible behaviors, it was easily done once the characters were semi-established. I found it highly interesting how they all suffered from guilt by their limited knowledge of and inactions leading up to and during the main event. This was my second foray into the sly and artful deception and cunning word-stylings of Nicole Trope and I can only hope for many more such unscrupulous outings.

Unique presentation of a story. The beginning of the book sets the stage: Zoe goes on a school camping trip and disappears. Her body is found the morning after. The rest of the book is like a back story, even though it takes place in the present. Various people in Zoe's life explain their relationship with Zoe and their impression of her. In each character you can sense that an important fact is being left out. At one point, it seems that everyone in Zoe's life might know something about her mysterious death. Everyone has secrets that they are holding back. All of us are all viewed differently by people in our lives but when those views are put together they create the whole person. This is how we learn who Zoe was. Zoe is a multi faceted character. She has a nice, sweet side but she also has a mean girl side. Well written, very relevant to our times and culture. And, perhaps there is a lesson to be learned. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance readers copy.

My Review: I loved, loved, loved this book so much!!!!! I’ve read many of Nicole Trope’s books and this one was by far the best. I’m telling you this woman does not disappoint when she writes. This book centers around Zoe and what happened at camp that caused her death. Zoe was only sixteen and what possibly could’ve happened to her on that trip. Did she commit suicide? Did she fall by accident? Or did someone just hate her enough to kill her? You find out this answers and do much more. I’m a big fan of Nicole Trope and all her books. I don’t eat or sleep until it is finished. This one was no exception. I couldn’t put this down for the life of me. I had to find out what happened to poor Zoe and why. I can’t say enough good things about this book. What I really loved about this one was the alternating chapters of each character. You got different perspectives and got to feel what they felt. It was not one sided. I also loved the story line. Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery. That ending though is truly what made this book wonderful. It truly shocked me. I also loved the fact that this author wrapped up everything up in a neat little bow. No stone was left unturned. Nothing was left hanging. This book is definitely going to be in my top reads of the year. Between the plot, characters and all the twists in this book it made it an easy and fast read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️