I'm quite conflicted about this book. The central situation is rather a challenging one. The characters are well developed, with believably limited life chances, in terms of drop out from education and so on. Their physical risk taking, difficulty with mature relationships and emotional need are well realised. The sense of place, with oppressive heat foreshadowing the centrally oppressive relationship, is well handled. The missing girl and the mystery around her keeps the pages turning.

However, for me, there is something slightly off, something not quite right about the whole novel, which I just can't put my finger on. In general I'm starting to have concerns about books with central characters who are vulnerable young women who are, essentially, predated upon in one way or another. I can't decided if this reflects or prompts similar situations in the lived experience of actual vulnerable young women. Why do we find this so alluring and fascinating? Should we allow this to fascinate us? Read the novel and reflect.

"The first time I saw Roanoke was in a dream." From that first line onward, there are definite shades of Daphne du Maurier here.

The Roanoke Girls came garlanded with praise. Compelling... addictive... disturbing... challenging. And dark. Always the dark.

Lane is not quite sixteen when her mother - a deeply damaged woman incapable of normal mothering - takes her own life, leaving only a baffling note: "I tried to wait. I'm sorry." Luckily for Lane (or so she's told), her hitherto unknown grandparents Yates and Lillian Roanoke, who are already raising her similarly-aged cousin Allegra, are keen to offer her a home, and Lane is duly dispatched from New York to the old family home in a remote part of Kansas. After one hot summer, she's gone - returning ten years later for the only reason which could draw her back - Allegra has disappeared.

This family is full of damaged girls and Lane is no exception, angry and prone to verbally lashing out at those who care for her. As Allegra tells her on her first day, "Roanoke girls never last long around here... In the end, we either run or we die." And the litany of lost girls... Jane, Sophia, Penelope, Eleanor, Camilla, Emmeline.... proves the truth of her words.

There aren't a lot of surprises here - the dark, never-spoken secret at the heart of the Roanoke family is revealed early on, and the rest of the book mainly expands on that. There is an element of mystery around Allegra's disappearance, but this is low key and the resolution is no real shock. Nonetheless the novel is compelling, atmospheric and haunting - and yes, it's dark - and will, I suspect, remain in the minds of most readers for a long while as a horrifying portrayal of some deeply twisted relationships and the harm caused as a result.

Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

A simmering and mysterious book which intrigues the reader from the opening page. The ending was not as climactic as I was led to expect, and I found it was a little too voyeuristic for my taste, but despite that it was compelling.

Just finished this in less than a day, couldn't put it down! Great dark, twisted thriller! 5 stars !

This really reminds me of Virginia Andrews and the Flowers in the Attic type books. But more modern. I loved Lane and Cooper! Really enjoyed this book and will look forward to more from this author!

Unfair to leave a review on a book I could not finish

This book delves into a dark subject - well actually several dark subjects! I pretty much guessed the secret that underlies the whole plot (which I won't ruin by mentioning!), but felt compelled to continue reading as I couldn't quite believe it could be that. Most, if not all, of the characters are edgy, and it was hard to feel much empathy with some of them. The book made me feel sad and also angry - things could have been different if certain people had the courage to speak up and change them. It made me think that similar things are no doubt going on in the real world - and that made me even sadder and angrier. A thought-provoking read alright...

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book (Kindle edition) in return for my unbiased and honest review.

Oh My God - I loved this book, It was a little creepy and disturbing but brilliant with it. I was so content to let the storyline flow I wasnt questioning the whys, hows, or whodunnits - or even the genetics. this is a real page turner that makes your toes curl!

would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read an review this book
this one wasnt for me...i gave it a go but i just couldnt get on with it...i think the format of the then and now chapters that then left you thinking where am i now...
the subject matter didnt bother me i just couldnt get on with the flow of the book to disjointed for me...sorry

This book is absolutely phenomenal! Probably my favourite read of the year so far.

Amy Engel has created a well ravelled mystery (although I guessed the ending and several plot twists) and I loved reading about Roanoke. Even though I guessed right a lot of the time it didn't take away from my enjoyment of this incredibly well written story.

Every character felt vibrantly real, especially Lane and Allegra. They are explored in such depth and their stories are totally heartbreaking. I loved the snippets we got of each of the girls in the flashback chapters so much too. Gran and Grandpa are so well crafted it's ridiculous. Cooper is lovely and perfect and I love him. Tommy is an incredibly character and not at all what you first think.

I honestly think you have to read this and experience it first hand to even slightly appreciate the genius of this novel.

Opinion sent direct to the publisher to explain why I will not be posting any reviews about this book.

So much hype surrounded The Roanoke Girls: "the most addictive thriller of the year". Well, it did not keep me enthralled. This tale of small town America and one family cloaked in a long running secret spanning decades. It is a disturbing story line but all too soon it became obvious what had occurred in the Roanoke family. The constant switching between 'then' and 'now' began to irritate and I breathed a sigh of relief when I had completed the book, particularly as I had figured out who had been doing what well before the end. A bunch of characters with no redeeming qualities, save perhaps Cooper and, at a pinch, Lane Roanoke. Amy Engel writes well and I am sure there are readers who will enjoy this more than I did.

With thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an ARC.

A disturbing and yet irresistible read. One that will haunt your thoughts long after you reach the end of the novel.

A beautifully written book that deals with some extremely difficult issues in a sensitive way. There's no dawning realization for the reader as to what's going on, we are slapped in the face with the truth quite early on. The realization of the depth and horror of what is going on in the Roanoke family comes more slowly however. There are no heros in this book, every character is weak and damaged in their own way but even so I felt uplifted and hopeful at the end. A great read that I devoured in one sitting.

This book really does push boundaries, but you know what? I love it when an author is brave enough to approach subjects that others wouldn't dare touch. And there were so many other unique elements too, such as Allegra's tendency to carve words into word - and while on the subject of Allegra, what a beautiful name! Both Allegra and Lane are so flawed as people, but I don't think this book would have been the same without their flaws, which do make sense as the book goes on. I did at the beginning wonder what the point of introducing Lane's mother into it was and thought it should have started with her turning up at Roanoke and purely using flashbacks, but by the ending I could really see the need for her to be shown. The only reason I marked this book as four stars instead of five is because I found the clues too obvious, so the family secret wasn't a particular shock to me, as I'd suspected it throughout.

Wow this book was absolutely fantastic. It took a while to actually get into it but once I did it floored me. It's one of those books that you think of even when your not reading it. It's always on your mind as to what is going to happen next, how it's going to happen and with who. Definitely a 5 star read. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. It is brilliant

I actually started recommending this book to friends about 5% of the way through. The gothic horror that pervades the contemporary mystery is just fantastic. It's well written and compelling, blowing contemporaries like The Girls out of the water. Roanoke is vividly drawn, and the characters are distinctive and well drawn. The one down side for me was that there is a list of Roanoke girls and they're quite hard to keep track of, I kept confusing which one was Sophia and Lillian, and when we had their chapters I had to double back and try to remember who was who. That's a quibble though because the book is mesmerising enough to forgive a few flaws. I read most of this in a single sitting, just could not stop.

Thank you NetGally for this book.

Although it is very clear from the onset what is happening here, it was a very interesting book to read. I liked the characters and the description of the horrible little village. I wouldn't want to live there so I can fully understand why people are trying to 'flee' from to other parts of the country.
The story is a sad one and what I missed in this book was a little more explanation about why the Yates does what he does.
But all in all, a compelling book and I'm happy to have read it.

A deeply disturbing psychological drama. I would not consider this a conventional thriller as it was understandable that the ending would play out in such a way. But it is a harrowing, horribly grim perspective on intergenerational sexual abuse and incest. It raises questions about how such acts can continue to happen over long periods of time, how abusers manipulate their victims to make them feel they are to blame in their trauma as well as the complicity of outside factors such as the other parent and the outside community. A horrifying look at patriarchal structures.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy of The Roanoke Girls, a stand alone thriller set in rural Kansas.

Lane Roanoke was 15 and living in New York when her mother committed suicide and her grandparents offered her a home with them and her cousin Allegra in rural Kansas. She only lasts a few months there before she runs away but 10 years on Allegra has gone missing and her grandfather begs her to come back.

Told in the first person by Lane the novel switches between "then" and "now" as it unfolds a chilling tale of family secrets and what makes 3 generations of girls in the family "special". The secret is revealed early in the novel so it's more the ramifications of the secret and a few others that Lane is keeping that meld it together. Normally I prefer a linear timeline but the mixture of past and present works well here.

It is a beautifully paced novel and extremely well written but I, personally, would find it hard to describe it as a thriller, more a family saga. Having said that I was glued to the pages wondering what was coming next. This is surprising as very few of the characters are likeable but I think it has to do with Lane trying to make sense of the insensible. She is damaged and self destructive but determined to do her best by Allegra whom she feels she let down.

I particularly liked the portrayal of Yates and Lillian Roanoke, Lane's grandparents who are a study in manipulation with their twisted view of family.

The Roanoke Girls may not be the thriller the blurb promises but it is a page turner which I have no hesitation in recommending.