Cover Image: A Ruined Girl

A Ruined Girl

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Member Reviews

Rob and Paige broke into James Yardley's house. When the police were called, they ran away in different directions. And that was the last time anyone ever saw Paige...
3 years later, Rob is released from prison early, on the condition of completing a special rehabilitation program that means he has to face and apologize to everybody who was affected by his crime.
But Wren, his probation officer, has her own reason for wanting him to be assigned to her, and it has nothing to do with helping him apologize to the victims.

The story alternates between Wren's present point of view and that of Rob's brother Luke's recap of the past.
It was a good enjoyable read, but I found it difficult to get into it, which might have been caused by my inability to connect with any of the characters.
The secrets were revealed steadily and kept my interest. The story picked up towards the end, having me race through the rest of the book.
However, the twist failed to shock me as my suspicions turned out to be right, and the final conclusion was something I had a hunch would happen.
Overall, it was an entertaining read, and I recommend you give it a go.

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A Ruined Girl is a tense and superbly plotted psychological character drama from Kate Simants, a book both of social conscience and of action and consequence.Ā 

The characters are all highly engaging, this author obviously having an intuitive sense of how to breathe life into the page. A robbery, a disappearance and an attempt to make amends is the central story here, it has all the twists of a psychological thriller and all the heart of a family saga - a real page turner that has many thought provoking scenes.Ā 

One to watch. Recommended.

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Two years ago, Paige and Rob broke into the home of Paige's school counsellor, stole a necklace, and victimised the family. Paige hasn't been seen since, but Rob was incarcerated for his part in the crime. Now he's about to be released from prison as part of a trial program, and assigned probation officer Wren Reynolds who will oversee his participation in the program. Wren is convinced that Rob knows what happened to Paige, but Rob isn't talking. When Wren starts digging into the past, it becomes clear that Rob is not the only one keeping secrets. What really happened to Paige? And is Rob as guilty as he seems?

I loved how the story flipped back and forwards between the present and the past, so that we got to see the reported version of events and their aftermath, as well as the real story behind the characters and their relationships. I'm always interested in stories that question the accepted version of events, particularly where juvenile criminals are concerned, and I really felt for some of the characters in this story, Rob and Wren in particular - both are trying to do the best they can with what they have, both have made mistakes in the past that they're trying to overcome.

A well-plotted, well-paced, and twisty novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Thanks to Netgalley for the preview of this book. It was a gripping & fast moving book. I was genuinely surprised at the the end of the book as it is a twist you don't see coming!

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A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, Iā€™m more into romance stories and girlie books therefore am extremely pleased and grateful to them for opening up my mind to something totally different.

I enjoyed this very much. 4 stars šŸŒŸšŸŒŸšŸŒŸšŸŒŸ

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This book that had me glued to the page is about trust. And you can definitely trust Kate Simants that you are in for a rollercoaster ride with A Ruined Girl. Because it doesn't take long to figure out who the characters from the first chapter are, but even when you are almost certain to know who's the bad guy in this book... what happens in the last chapters will take your breath away. Seeing how all the little details you took for granted add up to an unexpected twist that might keep you wondering for days. It did in my case.

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Mixed feelings about this book. I found the story interesting, albeit predictable. I think it is a realistic portrayal of growing up in the care system. However, I found the main character Wren very annoying and completely unprofessional in the way she spoke to Rob. I don't want to say much more to avoid spoiling the story but this aspect made me feel frustrated which made it harder to enjoy the book.

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This book had me hooked, definitely recommend!! The twists!!!
Paige and luke are in care. Luke loves paige. Likes brother Rob has a plan to get luke out of care and their mum out of hospital. However something happens, robs arrested and paige disappears.
Wren is robs probation officer on a new scheme where Rob gets out early. But wren is fixated on what happened to paige.
Great book.
Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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A good storyline though somewhat predictable. So much more could have been added to this book. I just hope that this continues in a second book as it felt there were so many unanswered questions.

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*Ā 3.5 stars

A really decent Read,that has you wondering about every body's motives,actions or inactions in the case of the missing Paige.
It does get to the point where I was almost yelling at Wren who still couldn't spot who the main villain was.
An ending I fully expected,but with some good twists along the way that kept me hooked

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Very good book very tense.. at times you dont know who was to blame for Paiges past. Just when you think you know what is going to happen there is a twist

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