If your favoured reading material is a novel with a good sprinkling of suspense, hope, unpredictability, adversity, and a sense of foreboding, then feel at liberty to read this psychological crime thriller by Kate Simants - A Ruined Girl.

Teenagers Rob Ashworth, and Paige Garrett committed a robbery at school counsellor, James Yardley’s house, two years ago, resulting in Rob being sent to prison. That night, Paige disappeared from the care home where she was living, the same place that Rob’s brother, Luke also resided. Rob is due to be released early on a Community Atonement Programme overseen by probation professional, Wren Reynolds. Wren is meant to take Rob to visit those affected by his crime and apologise for the repercussions but, for her own reasons, she decides to delve into the past especially regarding Paige’s disappearance...

The story is told in the past, around the time of the robbery by Luke, and in the present by Wren. Kate Simants gave the reader some excellent characters, most of whom had appeal despite their flaws and I cared about them from the very beginning though of course, there was the odd less palatable one. I appreciated that Wren told part of the story as this enabled me to have more of an understanding of her and the reasons for her probing and blurring the lines professionally, risking her job. I also liked Paige, despite her problems and it was lovely that Luke cared about her and wanted to protect her.

The author released her information in such a way that I did not want to put down my kindle and wait for the next chapter. The writing really flowed and there were wonderfully crafted descriptions of the people and events. A Ruined Girl was a taut read and the author’s great talent made this a wonderful story that I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated for the entertainment it was. The eye-popping ending was something of a surprise.

Overall, I'd say that A Ruined Girl is a little gem and it is a book that I'm so pleased to have read!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my own request from Serpent's Tail / Profile Books/ Viper via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Amazing read so many twist and turns the care system is a very sceptical area and this was shown so well in this read your allways thinking it's going to go one way and the next it's total redirected

Part way through I thought I had A Ruined Girl all worked out; a few minutes from the end, I was just doing a celebratory dance around the ring when Kate Simants landed a right hook and a knockout blow that wiped the smug look off my face. A Ruined Girl is an absolute cracker of a novel; it's fast-paced and gripping with a dark and gritty storyline that grabbed me from the start and didn't let go until I had turned the final page.

The story opens with a girl being buried in the woods by a boy and a man. The boy is so tender with the body that it is clear that he has deep feelings for the girl. Of course you then wonder why he killed her, or helped to kill her. Why else would he be burying her in the woods?

Rob is a prisoner eligible for the Community Atonement Programme, whereby he meets and apologises to those affected by the crime that saw him sent to prison. Rob and Paige, a young girl from a care home who later disappeared, were seen on CCTV after breaking into a house and stealing a valuable bracelet. Rob went to prison and Paige has never been found. Wren Reynolds is Rob's probation officer and she has the unenviable job of taking Rob to meet his victims. With what happened to Paige being the big question on everyone's lips, Wren can't help digging into the past even when it puts a strain on her family life.

Switching between 'Before' and 'Now' we get glimpses into the past where Rob's brother, Luke, is in the same care home as Paige. Luke is obsessed with Paige, watching her movements and buying her gifts, and it's much more than a harmless teenage crush. It tells you in the blurb that two boys loved her and one of them killed her, but I couldn't decide between Rob and Luke. A burglary gone wrong or hormones gone crazy?

Both the before and now storylines had me absolutely gripped. I wanted to find out about events leading up to Paige's disappearance but I also wanted to put together the pieces of the puzzle with Wren. I loved Wren's character; she makes so many mistakes that I felt like slapping my forehead every time she did something stupid, I even hissed through my teeth and said 'noooooo' on one occasion. Her emotions are running high with taking on such a high profile case while her partner is about to give birth. She does seem to have bitten off more than she can chew and if she's not careful she might end up losing her job as well as her family.

Perfectly plotted, A Ruined Girl is dark, disturbing and completely compelling. Kate Simants is definitely one to watch and I can't wait to read more of her books.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Beautifully written. I really grew to care about the characters and was on the edge of my seat in suspense the whole time! The pages turn themselves - a fantastic read!

This is a complex story that teased and prodded in present-day to find out what happened to a young teenager, who vanished one night two years ago. Paige lived in a care home at the time and had committed a robbery with an older boy. Paige had disappeared that night, while Rob had gone on to serve time for the offence.

To ease the overcrowded conditions of the prisons a new programme was being tried out enabling suitable prisoners’ to be released back into the community early. There was a condition though, they had to revisit the people who they had committed a crime against, listen to them stating how the incident had affected them then the offender had to apologise for what they had done. Probation Officer Wren Reynolds makes Rob her priority to get involved with.

It wasn’t long before this story became my bubble with so many of the characters seeming to have something to hide. The failings of a system to protect the most vulnerable in society feels tragically real with the people who do care having to make personal sacrifices to do a good job. I really liked Wren but obsession could be her personal downfall.

With each new chapter, the anger and frustration began to build on every page and soon it rubbed off on me. The further that I read into the book the less hope I had for a good ending to all of this. Paige’s past is complex making her look for what is missing in her life but her emotions are confusing, especially when she has never known what normal is. Is Rob the key to where she is? He was the last person to see her.

A tremendous storyline that won’t be forgotten in a long time. I wish to thank NetGalley, the publisher and Profile Books for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

I read this for a blog tour.

This was a tense thriller, full of secrets and twists. As Wren tries to unravel the mystery of what happened to Paige and keep everything from her wife, she might have bitten off more than she can chew.

The writing is concise and compelling, the mystery of what happened to Paige and why she and Rob conducted their burglary are revealed slowly and add to the mystery, leaving more questions than answers as the plot unrolls.

Clever, gripping and with an ending you won't see coming, this is a smart, modern thriller.

⭐⭐⭐ / 5
𝑻𝒘𝒐 𝒃𝒐𝒚𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓?
𝑻𝒘𝒐 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒐 𝑹𝒐𝒃 & 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂 𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆. 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚. 𝑹𝒐𝒃 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒓, 𝑾𝒓𝒆𝒏 𝑹𝒆𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒔, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒆'𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆. 𝑰𝒔 𝑹𝒐𝒃 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔? 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝑾𝒓𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒆'𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆?

So first of all this book did take me a while to get into which I had to lower the rating as I always do. But after I hit that point, I was so involved in the book. It goes from past to present and once it got going, it was amazing and how both connected. I really got invested in some of the characters - especially Wren and Luke. I loved Wren's personality, but it did take a while for her to unravel.

It was hard reading about the children's homes, as in the news etc you always hear about misconduct and how children have issues later in life. I did guess some of the twists however the main one (for me) I didn't see coming at all. It was brilliant and sucked me into the characters even more!! Especially the ending 😭

Really good book 👏 just wish it was slightly more fast paced for me but the ending etc definitely made up for that.

Thank you to @netgalley and Serpents Tail for allowing me to read this ARC! 😍

The book begins with a shocking scene of a boy burying a girl and the book then flips to the present day and a prison. Wren Reynolds who is a probation officer is visiting a new client Rob. Rob needs to visit the people who were affected by his crimes and make amends for what he did. This includes friends of Paige, managers of the home and victims of their crimes. This is a new scheme and not a popular one.

In the before story it tells of how Rob and Luke are brothers, Luke has been put into care after his mother is sectioned. Rob is desperately trying to get Luke to live with him when he turns 18. Paige is also in the same care home as Luke and Luke is besotted with her and wants to protect her.Paige appears to be involved in something and Luke tries to find out what it is, he thinks she maybe being abused.

I liked the setting of the book as I live in the South West and there were landmarks in Bristol and Bath that I recognised. I quickly got into this book and I enjoyed the fast pace of the story and with the two timelines, there is an underlying feeling of something being very wrong with the system that the young people are in.

It is a sad tale of the care system and the children who are put in it to be safe and it will keep you engrossed until the end as Wren tries to uncover what happened all those years ago and what happened to Paige. It is also apparent that Wren also has issues that she has hidden and she will bend the rules to find out the truth about Paige.

This is a dark read that makes you question the very people who are supposed to protect these young people but also the scars that are left behind for the ones who survive. It has a really great twist that I definitely did not see coming and you will be desperate to find out the truth about what happened to Paige too.

Set over two timelines, the past and the present. Here in the present, Wren is a probation officer working on a rehab program for newly released offenders. She’s helping Rob, who had committed a robbery with Paige. Rob was caught and convicted and Paige disappeared.

As the story jumps to the past, you learn more about Rob, Paige and Rob’s brother, Luke. It deals with some dark moments as you hear of their backgrounds.

Wren begins to look into Paige’s disappearance…

This is a compelling psychological thriller with family drama at its heart. It’s dark, twisty and a thoroughly engrossing read.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC of A Ruined Girl. This is my honest and unbiased review

Lock Me In, the debut novel by Kate Simants was one of my favourite books last year and so I was thrilled when I got a review copy of A Ruined Girl. To begin with I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it as much as Lock Me In (which has a fabulous premise!) as the storyline was very different but gradually this book became a gripping addiction for me and I found myself completely immersed in its cleverly crafted characters and their lives.

There is a very sad, but unfortunately all too realistic, background to A Ruined Girl. The care system contributed greatly towards what happens to Paige, a young girl who goes missing after she commits a burglary. This child has been moved around the system and is desperate for love and attention after being removed from her abusive home. But what happened to her? Her partner in crime from the burglary has recently been released from jail and Wren Reynolds is in charge of his rehabilitation which involves talking to the victims of his crime. But with a heavily pregnant partner and secrets of her own to maintain, can Wren remain true to herself and keep her own family safe from harm?

I found Wren to be a complex character, one I wasn’t sure whether or not I liked to begin with as something felt “off” with her. As with any good protagonist, work seemed to come before her personal life and I just wanted to scream at her at times! But as the threads of the plot started to come together I found myself cheering her on to do the right thing for the young girl that no one seemed to care had gone missing. There’s some distressing themes under the spotlight here but Kate Simants handled them with sensitivity whilst never shirking away from the horror of the storyline.

A Ruined Girl was a twisty and unexpectedly emotional read that kept me guessing until the very end. I loved it!

Such a beautifully written book. I was spellbound by the author's writing-style, which drew me into this dark plot from the first page.

There was no way I was going to miss Kate Simants’ novel A Ruined Girl. Just reading the title gave me goosebumps. So when the blog tour invite came up, I ran, jumped, and grabbed my place on it! Call it gut feeling, but I knew I would enjoy the book.

Was I right?

Do you even need to ask???

Viper Books have quickly become one of my favorite publishers. If you are not following them, do it now.

Now on the book… I went in innocent and sweet; absolutely blind as I had not read the blurb. I find that doing this helps me dive into a story without putting pressure on the story. This time, I was rewarded with an absolutely gorgeous reading time. There are thrillers, and thrillers. A Ruined Girl gives it all – the brain food, the questions, the thrill, the chills. Kate Simants sparkles emotions on every pages. The result is a breathtaking, perfectly wrought tale of intertwined lives heavy with pain and the numbness of grey childhoods.

I have to say it: this prologue is top-notch. You’re plunged in the dark of the night and of hearts with a man, a boy, and a body. No names, no details, but neither are needed to reel you in and hook you. The enthralling writing is enough! I was mesmerized by what I was reading. Kate Simants cast a spell on me!

What’s next?

Wren Reynolds was a probation officer and is now part of a team with a new challenge – rehabilitate offenders through a carefully-laid plan. It allows them to get the ‘you’re out of jail’ card sooner but they have to visit those affected by their crimes and apologize… How do you deal with overflowing prisons? You send some guys home! The author really captured the bureaucracy ensnaring the prisons issue. Tight funds, too few workers, not enough hours in the day, the scrutiny from the population and politicians. I felt the frustration! Wren’s first case is Rob. Two years ago, Rob and another teenager, Paige, broke into Paige’s counsellor’s house. Rob was arrested but Paige was never seen again.

Why? What? How? If Wren’s job description doesn’t include answers to those questions, she is still determined to get them. I immediately felt how personally Wren was taking this case, but I couldn’t figure out her motive.

Slowly, to the rhythm of Before and Now chapters, we are invited into the lives of Rob, his brother Luke, Paige, and all the people involved around Paige’s disappearance. I felt I was running a marathon for answers. The past was catching up with the present, threatening it, and the present was hurling forward in a desperate attempt to escape the scars of the years…

Kate Simants masters the laws of dealing with difficult subjects while maintaining a high tension and strong characterization. She doesn’t use child abuse, drugs, and other atrocities faced by children in care, on top of those feelings of being aloof, apart, forgotten. She delicately and painfully knitted a web around simple needs – warmth, a family, protection, atonement from mistakes.

Wren is a fantastic character. Her partner Suzy is heavily pregnant, and part of the police force. I felt she was the safe line saving Wren from herself. Indeed, Wren goes above and beyond to understand what happened to Paige, putting her life with Suzy, and her job, at risk.

A Ruined Girl is an outstanding read – dealing with some very dark pearls allowed to shine through the author’s excellent writing. A true thriller with that little X-factor that makes it different and unforgettable!

I was really intrigued by the description of this book and I’m pleased to say it totally impressed me. The story follows two narratives, Wren is a probation officer who is dealing with the recently released inmate Rob who was convicted of robbery which he committed alongside Paige, a young girl who grew up in the care system. Paige hasn’t been seen since the robbery. The other narrative jumps back and follows Luke, Rob’s younger brother who lived in the children’s home with Paige in the lead up to the robbery and Paige’s disappearance. We eventually find out how all the pieces of this puzzle fit and how the characters are all connected.

I found A Ruined Girl completely gripping. From the first page I was hooked and wanted to know the truth about what happened to Paige. It is really quite a sad read at times. It gets to the heart of how it feels to grow up in care and how these children often feel they are doomed or even ruined from the beginning and cannot get out of the cycle of being unwanted they are stuck in. My heart broke for both Paige and Luke especially. Luke is an angry boy and a damaged one but he has a overwhelming love for Paige. His obsession with her sometimes leans into possessiveness which is obviously problematic and perhaps even dangerous but the author manages to make Luke feel so real that it is hard not to have some degree of empathy for him. Paige is also such a vulnerable character and it is devastating the way she is used and treated in such a horrendous manner by people who should be protecting her. There is a lot of darkness in this story but it’s not the sort of book you finish feeling depressed. There is a measure of hope to be found in A Ruined Girl which demonstrates strength against adversity and shows that there are also genuinely good people in the world. This is a fantastic, brilliantly written book which gets more and more tense as you barrel towards the heart-stopping climax. The characters are all continuously compelling and memorable. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys an addictive and thought provoking read. I’ll definitely be looking out for the next book by Kate Simants!

After reading Lock Me I could not wait to tuck in to the latest offering from this author. A gripping psychological drama I could not put down. Sat on the edge of my seat, constantly holding my breath and tapping my kindle like a demented wood pecker. Packed with tension and suspense and more twists and turns than a twisty corkscrew. LOVED IT!!!!!
Thanks to Serpents Tail/Profile Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Former undercover investigative journalist and award-winning author Kate Simants returns with her second thrilling crime novel, which won the 2019 Bath Novel Award under its earlier title The Knocks. It follows Bristol probation officer Wren Reynolds as she trials an early-release scheme which sees offenders meet their victims in an attempt to atone for their actions. Rob Ashworth has served 28 months for the burglary he committed with teenager Paige Garrett, who hasn’t been seen since that night. Wren is convinced that Rob knows what happened to Paige, who lived in the same children’s home as Rob's troubled brother, Luke. And Wren has a personal reason for her obsession with the missing girl: a secret she has to keep from her partner, heavily pregnant police officer Suzy. Putting more than her professional reputation on the line, Wren scrapes away the layers of deceit that prevented Paige’s disappearance is solved. But will she work out who can be trusted before her family is torn apart?

This is a compulsive and addictive thriller with a sophisticated almost literary style of writing and some explosive twists. They say to write what you know and Ms Simants has spent time undercover exposing children's homes and their dark deeds and those experiences very much inspired this book. Despite being fictional there is likely a chunk of it that is authentic and true to the often devastating underbelly of the care system. It also addresses the matter of life after prison and poses the question as to whether you truly can redeem yourself after a terrible misdeed you committed as a youngster. There is mystery and intrigue galore as the story unravels revealing long-held secret and lies and the twists, turns and misdirection through implanted red herrings all combine to make this a solid, captivating and superbly executed police procedural. It is a book with heart and emotion highlighting the horrific exploitation experienced by girls in care which often goes completely unnoticed as though society has just cast them asunder.

All in all, this is an exciting, nuanced and perfectly poised read and one I highly recommend. Many thanks to Viper for an ARC.

I read many books, mostly crime fiction, but The Ruined Girl was the first that I have read that concerns a children’s home and the probation services. I was both fascinated and heartbroken. It was a crime novel that really pulled on the heartstrings.

There are two narrators, Wren in the ‘now’ and Luke in ‘before’. It switches back and forth repeatedly and each worked perfectly. But it was Luke who I wanted to read about more. His story portrayed the frustration and hurt he felt perfectly. the loyalty he felt towards his mother, brother and Paige had me reading in silence, unable to put the book down. It was the type of narrative that made me think about the type of society we live in during the times I couldn’t read. How many children are there in this country who experience what the ones in this novel did. And how do they cope with adult life when they are left on their own.

There are plenty of twists, some I saw, many I didn’t but this novel wasn’t about the eventual outcome for me. Instead it was the determination of the younger characters to do the right thing, even if it wasn’t necessarily the better way. Rob wanting to protect Luke, Luke wanting to protect Paige.

It is a long time since I have felt touched by so many. Not just Luke, Rob and Paige. But also the minor characters, some who were determined to put their childhood behind them and those who couldn’t.

A Ruined Girl was the perfect book for me, it made me thing about other events outside of strange world we currently live in.

This is a great thriller with a lot packed in to the story.
The book begins with a body of a girl being buried but the reader is not told who it is or who is burying her.
We then move on to Wren who is a probation officer and is taking part in a new programme to rehabilitate offenders.
She’s working with Rob who was convicted of breaking into a property and stealing, and he was the last person to see Paige alive.
Wren is keen to find out what happened to Paige so works closely with Rob.
Part of the programme is to apologise to those he’s hurt by his crime so Wren goes with him to speak to these people.
She also uses this as an opportunity to find out about Paige.
Wren’s partner is about to have a baby but she’s feeling distracted by this case until Suzy and the baby’s lives are in danger.
This is a complex crime thriller but I really enjoyed it.
The final few chapters were great and hold a few surprises.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Brilliant. This is a story with lots of unexpected twists and turns. It is a compelling read with a lot of suspense. There is a lot to the story and in some ways I was sad to get to the end as I wanted to keep reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Wren Reynolds is a probation officer tasked with helping new release, Rob Ashworth, make amends for his crime and facilitate his rehabilitation. Two years ago, Rob and another teenager, Paige, broke in and terrorised the school counsellor and his wife. No one has been able to figure out why they did it or why Paige hasn't been seen since. Rob is focused on finding his younger brother, Luke, whilst Wren has her own reasons for taking the job.

The book takes place in alternating sections between the present and the past, with the past being from Luke's point of view. It's well written and it was intriguing that characters which the reader starts off having sympathy for, reveal themselves to be not quite what they seemed at the beginning, but the identity of the main 'villain' is pretty obvious. Some aspects of the book were rather far fetched and I didn't really like the story line to be honest.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Serpent's Tail/Profile Books/Viper, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Wren is a probation officer and is working a new rehabilitation programme called CAP. For an offender to be released early, they have to agree to go to everybody affected by their crime and apologise.

Rob Ashworth has been picked to take part in the programme and has to apologise for the robbery he committed with Paige. Paige has not been seen since the burglary and is assumed to be dead. Wren wants to find out what happened to Paige and believes Rob knows more.

The chapters alternate between now and the past, it is in the past where we also meet Rob’s younger brother, Luke.

This story had me hooked from the start, the author sucked me in with all the characters from the present and past.
It is a well written psychological thriller and sensitively handles regarding issues in the children’s care home system. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

My thanks to NetGalley and Viper Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.