The Girls in the Basement is a fast-paced, chilling thriller that had me on the edge of my seat from the very first chapter.

Jillian Harper thought she was starting a new chapter—moving her family to a peaceful town in Montana, settling into a picturesque farmhouse surrounded by friendly neighbors and wide-open fields. It was supposed to be the perfect fresh start. But that dream quickly unravels when bodies are discovered buried deep on their land, hidden for years.

As the police descend and the town begins to whisper, Jillian’s perfect life begins to fracture. Her husband Tucker, who has always been her rock, suddenly becomes distant and evasive. His phone is off, his stories don’t add up, and he won’t even look her in the eye. Jillian knows something is wrong—terribly wrong—and it’s not just what’s buried outside.

Holmes masterfully builds suspense as Jillian peels back the layers of deception and realizes that the real danger may be far closer to home than she ever imagined. The tension never lets up, and every new clue adds to the unease, leading to a finale that’s both shocking and unforgettable.

If you love psychological thrillers that are dark, emotionally intense, and impossible to put down, The Girls in the Basement is a must-read. It's a terrifying reminder that sometimes the scariest secrets lie behind closed doors.

I cannot recommend this story enough. I’ve been underwhelmed with popcorn thrillers that have so many twists you lose plausibility. I anticipate this to be a crowd favorite among thriller readers!

Loved the writing style, I loved how this author creates tension whilst depicting daily life struggles. Very engaging read.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book, and the fast-paced plot kept me engaged throughout. That said, the ending felt a bit rushed and left quite a few things unresolved. After such an intense buildup, I was hoping for a more fleshed-out conclusion—it felt like it ended just as things peaked.

With a strategically slow start, this author is trying to line up all the pieces on the board before making their first move. The pace of the narrative picks up once everyone settles into their storyline and after some character development.

I found it difficult to understand and accept Jillian. Despite being told clear, hard cold facts by direct sources that answer her questions, Jillian still has moments of ‘how’ and ‘why’ about Tucker and his family. It’s hard to tell if she was in denial, or if she refused to listen to the facts. I know no one knows how they’d react in certain situations until they have experienced them, but she frustrated me.

The story picks up at about 60-65% when the darker storyline is explored in more detail, and the background to their horrid ‘business’ begins to emerge. I won’t give too much away about their ‘business’ but it is vile, and highlights the depravity of some people.

Even with the tension and drama building, I found the parts with Jillian, or Jillian and Tucker, tedious and repetitive. There comes a point when her disbelief or uncertainty wasn’t adding to the story, it just made her seem oblivious and nearly forgetful at times. I know she was turning a blind eye to most things for the sake of her son but her inner dialogue didn’t reflect her confusion well.

The storyline about her missing friend, and about the Red House, was interesting, tense and gripping. Jillian’s narrative lets the book down. Her storyline only developed when more interesting characters came into her life. She, and her husband, fell flat as lead characters. Even Ethan was more clued in at times.

Jillian finally grows a backbone about 70% in and decides to stop turning a blind eye to things. This is when you can finally appreciate the seedy storyline and how everything plays out.

A great slow burn thriller than ends suddenly which unfinished storylines, leaving you wanting more.
Jillian, Tucker and Ethan are like any other family, apart from the fact they keep moving. There is something fishy about Tucker, that Jillian can’t put her finger on. Has it got to do with her best friends disappearance?
Then in comes Meri, an FBI agent who is part of a team looking for a sex-trafficking ring.
So what does that have to do with Jillian and her family and her best friend?
And who is Mother? Several side stories are in play, and unfortunately one of them goes unresolved.
I did enjoy this, but left me wanting more and felt unfinished.
Thank you netgalley and Joffe Book for this advanced copy.

I enjoyed this book, but it didn't keep me on the edge of my swat. The characters weren't memorable and there was no emotional attachment to them. The story itself was different to the normal though.

I really liked this book it was very quick and kept me wanting to know more with each chapter. This is my first read by this author and I will be picking up more to read from her. I loved the different perspectives through out the story. I did find the wife a little clueless and I don't know if she was just that wrapped up in her own life to know that something wasnt just right about her husband. A good read for anyone that likes a good mystery. I listened to this audio book.

Jillian has been married for over twenty years but does she really know him? They had entered a witness protection programme but left voluntarily with her husband explaining it was for their own protection. They move to a rural farmhouse in Montana and start building a new life. That life is shattered when bodies are found on their land. They’ve clearly been there a while but how much does her husband know.

I found the lead character to be infuriating. She had a strong moral compass yet was happy to gloss over the things she really didn’t want think about. There were numerous loose ends and I found the ending unsatisfying. A fast paced read though if slightly infuriating.

This was ok, it didn’t really grip me like I was expecting which was disappointing as I’ve heard other people LOVE this book so maybe just wasn’t my cup of tea!
I would say If you’re a thriller fan and love suspense give this a try as you may love it, it was just very average for me!

I love a good thriller and this did not disappoint. Plenty of twists and turns. The characters were great and it had a really good plot, although it does cover some very disturbing topics.
My only complaint is that after all the build up, the ending was a bit disappointing.

Otherwise a good read

The Girls in The Basement by Steena Holmes is a slow burn thriller that slowly divulges secrets of the Harpers. Jillian and her husband Tucker have just moved to town when bodies were discovered on her property. Jillian puts 100% faith into her husband but can he be trusted? Is he telling the truth?
The story is very hard to get into in the beginning. It is repetitive with Jillian suspecting Tucker of something and Tucker brushing her off with an excuse that he doesn't want to talk about it. Then there is the side stories of the girl in the house and the FBI investigation into an another suspect. You wonder what all of this has to do with each other but if you stick it out you will see the connections and it will all make sense.
I enjoyed the story and I think it is worth a read if you enjoy slow-build thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Book for the advanced copy.

DNF. Unfortunately I really couldn’t get into this book. I got to about 35% of the way through and not a lot had really happened between the start and where I got to. I found Jillian boring, she knows her husband is dodgy but asks about it, he doesn’t tell, she moves on, gets upset again and then the cycle repeats. Also, this is supposed to be a standalone but it refers to the past a lot to the point I feel like I’m reading in the middle of a series. There’s thinking about things that have happened but making it out like we’ve been dumped half way though a story is just too much.
It had the potential to be gripping but it was too slow for me.

🏠 The story follows Jillian and her husband Tucker who have moved to Montana with their son. They are hoping to start a new life leaving the past behind until two trailers full of dead bodies are found on their property. Tucker claims that he has no idea about the bodies. Is he telling the truth? Does Jillian really know her husband?

🏠 Pick this up if you like/ don’t mind:
📌 psychological/ dark thriller
📌 slow burn
📌 multiple POVs
📌 addictive read/ binge worthy
📌 UNLIKEABLE characters
📌 hidden dark secrets/ missing girls
📌 rushed ending/ unanswered questions
📌 human/ sex trafficking ⚠️

🏠 Did I initially struggle to engage with the plot? Yes. Did I later on become totally “hooked?” Yes. Did the story keep me on the edge of my seat? Yes. Did I lose track of time while engrossed in the story? Yup, I stayed up late to finish it. Did I finish it in two sittings? Yup, I had to know what was happening and what dark secrets everyone was hiding. Did the ending answered all my questions? NO.

🏠 Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

Very good read, it's written from different perspectives and that makes it so interesting. You can really feel the pressure the police, the wife who is worried her husband is not who he seems. I especially loved the relationship between the main character and her mother. Their bond is so strong, and they've got each others backs no matter what. I love that. A good angle from the FBI agent too. That was really well written too.

Jillian and her husband Tucker, always moving around until they moved to Montana where Jillian believed it was to be their haven. That is until bodies are found in containers on their land. The containers had been hidden on the land for years. As a police investigation begins Tucker starts acting more and more shifty. Jillian knows Tucker is covering something up but nothing can prepare her for the truth.
It is a brilliant read, tense, nail biting and riveting. There are twists the reader does not see coming. I would recommend this to any reader who loves a twisted thrilling ride.

Very interesting story and plot line. You never truly know people even sometimes family. It’s scary how deceitful people can be!

This was not a top read for me- it felt anticlimactic with unbelievable characters. The story centers on Jillian, who has moved to a tiny town in Montana with her husband after they were involved in something that made them have to start over somewhere else. Jillian is also still constantly on the lookout for her friend Becky, who disappeared as a teen, and is laser focused on doing what is best for her young son. Almost as soon as they arrive, they are caught up in another scandal when bodies are found on their newly purchased property, causing Jillian to question how much her husband Tucker really knows. We also get some chapters throughout the book told from the POV of Lola, a young girl living in a house where it seems that there is human trafficking happening.

The story felt unbelievable to me. I couldn't believe how Jillian could be so far in the dark about things going on around her while also telling the reader that she is not the kind of woman who can be pushed around. There were also decisions that other characters made which felt like they were for either shock factor or to tie up a loose end versus what a reasonable person would really do. That being said, I did appreciate how far all of the mothers in the book would go to protect their children. There also wasn't any real mystery in this story- it all felt straightforward to me with the reader knowing more than the characters and just waiting for the characters to catch up. The ending tied the story up but nothing really came as a surprise.

Overall, while this was a quick read, it didn't really do it for me, with unrealistic characters and not much suspense. Rounded up from 2.5 starts. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All through this book I was so sure I would be giving it 5 stars. It is probably the most exciting book I have read in a long time. From the very first page I was hooked. The description of Lola and the fact that she had to hide from some mysterious people who were coming to her house was such a great start. I didn't know if this was happening in the best, present or future. Or if it was all in someone's mind. All I knew was that I had to find out more and the scattered chapters about her had me racing through the book. So why the lost star? At about 90% of the story I was sure there would have to be a sequel, there was no way this story could be wrapped up in the last couple of chapters. Unfortunately the author thought otherwise and crammed the ending into them. It was such an anti-climax. Even the little hint of a cliffhanger couldn't save it. I had been planning to seek out the author's back catalogue but now I probably won't bother. Just a few more chapters would have eased my frustration but it wasn't to be.. Such a disappointment .

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ

Jillian Harper sees her family’s move to an idyllic town in Montana as the fresh start they all need and a chance to give her son the life he deserves.

Whilst navigating a lingering trauma and trying to rebuild her life, the discovery of multiple bodies on the grounds of their new farmhouse throws her back into a turmoil she was hoping to leave behind.

Police enquiries uncover secrets that stir up Jillian's growing suspicion of her husband, Tucker. Does he know more than he's letting on? And how much can she really trust the man she shares a life with?


This thriller was such an engrossing read. I was always eager to dive back into it and find out what was going on!

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 explores some heavy themes but they ar handled in a delicate manner, with both hopeful and heart breaking conclusions.

Told from multiple perspectives, the flawed characters and their imperfect choices make them relatable and realistic, their human errors making the twists in the plot more unpredictable.

In some ways, the ending felt a little rushed but I was still satisfied with the answers I received.

An easy, cosy read for anyone who likes mysteries