Lauren is Missing by S. J. King was an excellent psychological thriller and so addictive, especially as it was full of brilliant twists and turns that just had me turning the pages over to find out what happens next! Excellent and a joy to read. I loved it. I ended up reading it in one sitting whilst I sat in the shade in my garden.
Lauren is missing is told from multiple points of view and in parts that are ‘before’ and ‘after’ they are told by Lauren, her sister Rene and Jane who has moved into Lauren's home.

I highly recommend Lauren is missing. A great read. 5 ⭐️

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, SJ King, and Storm Publishing for the eARC. A true psychological thriller that kept me turning pages late into the night! Dark, intense, and absolutely wild—this story pulls you in and doesn’t let go.

Thanks to Storm Publishing for an ARC of this book.
This summary of this book had me wanting to dive in headfirst to the story. However, the story was lacking for me. The back and forth POVs had me so confused and trying to figure out who was who and the time period the character was talking in.

While this book did not do it for me, I’m still open to reading this author in the future.

2.5 ⭐️ for this one

Lauren Is Missing had me hooked from the first page. It’s eerie, emotional, and full of twists that kept me guessing the whole time. I loved diving into Rene’s world and unraveling the mystery bit by bit. The story felt unsettling in the best way, and I couldn’t wait to see how it all came together.

If you're in the mood for a creepy, character-driven thriller with a strong emotional pull—this one's a winner.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

This book tells the story from Lauren and Renes point of views with Jane’s in there a little too.
I enjoyed the storyline and didn’t guess the way it would unfold.
A good read all in all.

Another great read from S.J King!

Eight years ago, 14 year old Lauren went missing, it is presumed by everyone except her sister Rene that she has killed herself but Rene refuses to stop looking for her.

The book is told from the POV of both sisters across two timelines which works to cleverly conceal the plot twist.

Rene’s chapters really draw you in and make you feel sorry for her, as well as her missing sister she is also experiencing her own issues.
The chapters from Lauren’s POV are sometimes hard to read as they have a real claustrophobic feeling to them but really add to the story and help to build the tension.

Overall a fab read which I raced through.

4 Stars – Gripping and Gutsy!

Lauren is Missing pulls you in fast and keeps you on edge. S.J. King weaves a tense, twisty mystery that had me flipping pages like a detective on too much coffee. A few moments felt a bit rushed, but the suspense? Chef’s kiss. A sharp, satisfying read with just the right amount of chill.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own

I found this story to be quite intriguing. Lauren is (gasp) missing (no spoiler there) and this story is told from Lauren’s pov as well as her sister Rene, who is the forgotten and overlooked child left behind. Will Rene put the pieces together and find her sister? Will Lauren manage to escape or get word out secretly as to where she is at? You’ll just have to read it and find out. I’m not telling. But that twist? Did not see that coming.

Since she disappeared, Lauren’s sister has been determined to find her. It’s become more than an obsession and has dictated almost every moment of her life.

The story is also narrated by Jane, who doesn’t know how to react to the young woman who has turned up in her garden, frantically digging a hole and claiming that this is her home.

As the dual timelines and the layers of the story, come together, I was expecting more. I didn’t predict the outcome in its entirety, but I wasn’t far off and I did feel it was quite an anticlimax. Although there was an element of psychological thriller., it focuses primarily on a mother and her daughter’s feelings for each other and how their mental health has shaped their relationship.

Fairly slow and for me, there was too much unnecessary filler, but it was enjoyable enough. This will appeal to those who prefer more of a family drama to a psychological thriller.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, S. J. King and Storm for an ARC of this book.

Every day, in her basement flat in a quiet street, Rene arranges her collection of objects just so. She takes her pills, looks at her photographs and remembers her free-spirited sister, Lauren, before she vanished. But lately the memories are shifting. When a letter arrives out of the blue, the opening words send ice through her veins. Lauren is alive. She’s waiting. And she needs Rene to find her before it’s too late.

This book pulls you in from the beginning and doesn't let go of you. Even after having finished it, it's still living rent-free in my head. That's the highest praise I could give a book. The mystery is compelling, and the thriller side of this is so well done. I highly recommend this one! 5⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Told in multiple time lines this addictive novel will keep you hooked. Lauren is missing a few years before and her sister is tying to remember. Good characters and well paced. Loved it. Thanks to Storm publishing and Netgalley for this review ARC.

Four "my mind is blown" stars to this new release from S.J. King.

Did anyone else get 'Room' vibes from this read? Please tell me I am not alone.

What in the H-E-Double Hockeysticks happened to Lauren? It has been eight years already! Why is she still missing?!

S.J. King gives us the story from two Before POVs and one Today POV. In the past Lauren and Rene provide some strangely coordinated commentary. Lauren is clearly being held captive by a psychopath. Rene is addicated to her little pink pills and delusional about what is happening in her present. In contrast, an empty nester named Jane discovers a girl in her front yard --a girl clearly in need of assistance and calling Jane's house "HOME."

While I was riveted to this story, the Lauren and Rene threads seemed a bit repetitive. Would have liked to see the Jane POV pop up a little more frequently with some additional clues to her place in the timeline.

I did, however, enjoy this one enough to seek out S.J. King's debut title. Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Publication Day as of July 2, 2025!

🥀 Lauren Is Missing; My Book Review‼️ 🥀

Lauren Is Missing,

Written By S.J. King,

Blurb;

November. Wednesday. I think he’s going to kill me.

Every day, in her basement flat in a quiet street, Rene arranges her collection of objects just so. She takes her pills, looks at her photographs and remembers her free-spirited sister, Lauren, before she vanished.

But lately the memories are shifting. When a letter arrives out of the blue, the opening words send ice through her veins.

Lauren is alive. She’s waiting. And she needs Rene to find her before it’s too late.



My Review;

So I've just finished reading this, & to be honest I'm a bit torn over how I feel about this book as a whole. I never include spoilers in my reviews, & due to the way this book is written, & its plot, I can't really comment on specifics without giving it away, so at first I wasn't going to review this book at all, BUT, - from the beginning, it drew me in, '&' it KEPT me reading it through to the very end; despite my mixed feelings about it, - so it has to take credit for that, & i have to concure that it DID keep me hooked; wanting to find out where it was heading, & if my suspicions were right (I kind of guessed right just over half way through), just 'how' it was going to end.

Although the book did keep a good pace throughout, I found it quite 'flitting' / 'jumping' at times; reading the 'before' from Rene, & from Lauren, with intermixed 'today' from Jane, - some of the main characters, - but although I found this, due to its' plot, & how it panned out, I think this was intended in how it was written, - & it did (kindof) work.

I felt it (kindof) came together semi-satisfactorily towards the end, - but I'm still left with mixed feelings & opinions on this book!?!!

Out of a rating of 1-10, where 10 is the highest, personally I would rate this book with a 6. It's a book I'm glad I read, - but would I recommend it??? = sadly, I really dont think I would.

(PLEASE NOTE: This is just my personal opinion on having read this, - I'd be interested to hear from others what their opinion of this is, so please feel free to leave any comments here on my blog!)

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve read SJ King’s previous title and really enjoyed it. King’s storytelling is both engaging and thought-provoking, making it a perfect read for anyone. The pacing is perfect, and the prose is wonderfully crafted, making it impossible to put down.

1⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of Lauren Is Missing.

Renee is determined to find her sister Lauren. She is trying to remember anything that she can to help find her but things are getting mixed up in her mind. She gets a letter saying she is alive and she knows what she has to do.

This book was so confusing. The writing was very disjointed and the jumping back and forth between timelines made it so difficult to follow the story.

Lauren is Missing
by S. J. King
Pub Date: Jul 02 2025

Lauren is Missing is told over three points of view, Lauren's, Rene (her sister) and Jane the lady who now occupies Lauren’s former family home. It is also told in two different timelines which makes it very interesting. Rene's sister, Lauren has been missing for 8 years, ever since she walked out of her family home on her mums birthday and hasn't been seen since.

This book is a mind twisting, page turner, edge of your seat psychological thriller at best unpredictable ending! I highly recommend this 5 star book.

Many thanks to #LaurenisMissing #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for providing me an E-ARC of this fantastic book!

Lauren Is Missing is breathtakingly fast-paced with a multitude of hazy characters that pop in and out of various timelines: Jane, Rene, David, Mum, Dad, Dan, Pete and a handful of others. The story takes place Today, Before and After. Just when you think you have your bearings and know who that character is, when and where they are and what is going on or what actually happened, the chapter and time change as well as the focus to another person. It’s exciting, thrilling and keeps you on edge.

Lauren went missing eight years ago. Troubled teen, fighting with her parents, wanting independence but wanting to be loved and cared for as well. Making bad decisions all teens make at one point or another.

Rene is Lauren’s sister. She’s obviously under a lot of stress and has some mental issues but if there’s one thing she’s clear about it’s that everyone gave up on finding Lauren too quickly and she is the only one now looking for her and determined to bring her home. She’s moved out of home and has a rocky relationship with her parents, blaming them for Lauren’s disappearance and certain they don’t care enough to put any more effort into finding their daughter. Rene’s boss and mentor David is the only one who gives her any support, who seems to understand what she’s saying and be willing to discuss possibilities with her.

As the story goes on questions pile up: is Rene right and Lauren is out there, in danger, waiting for rescue? Did Mum and Dad harm her? Do they just want to forget her? What is David’s story? Does Pete, Lauren’s on- and off-again boyfriend before she disappeared have any role in all this? Is there a kidnapper, who are they, why did they take Lauren? The pace gets more relentless, so many people, so many doubts.

Unfortunately it is at this point that the author seems to be trying too hard to create an elaborate mystery and to also inject some underlying meaning about people and loss and for me the story became a little too frenzied and the actual circumstances of who was who and what was actually happening began to be clear. This book is highly rated so perhaps it’s just me, but I felt compelled to give a lower rating because I was disappointed in how the last quarter or so of the book progressed.

I received an advance copy of Lauren Is Missing from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. It was exciting and interesting. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

Wow, this book had me hooked! The dual pov's, the different timelines, it's all so much, but in the best way possible. I'm a big thriller girly and probably take too much pride in being able to figure out the plots, but S.J King had me guessing and never being right. The end of the book had me so baffled!
I would say this book could be creepy, so be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster you'll embark on.
The premise of the book is that Lauren is missing (obviously), and we are reading the pov of Lauren, Rene which is Lauren's sister and how she is coping with her sisters difference, and then Jane who is the lady living in the family home of the Fishers now.
8 years ago, Lauren left the family home and never returned. Throughout the chapters, we get a look into the life of the Fisher family & how Lauren's leaving transpired. Rene always blamed their parents for not looking enough. Rene is convinced Lauren is alive and waiting for her family to come save her, whereas Lauren is convinced her family wants nothing to do with her and it's just her and this mysterious man for the rest of her days. Jane's chapters are spread out, but she's brought into the story when she discovers a deranged-looking girl/woman digging in her backyard garden. She welcomes her in, trying to talk to her and get her help. I think this book is a good reminder that not everything is as it seems.
This book is right up my alley. It was so psychologically thrilling and mind-twisting that I believe all thriller fans should read! Pick up your copy when it's released July 2, 2025!
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Thank you, NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

I am really struggling with how to rate this book! I found it a bit confusing in some places, a little repetitive in instances, and yet I wanted to know what happened.
The story is told through multiple first person POV's in dual timelines- then and now. There is Rene, Jane, and Lauren. Everything revolves around Lauren who went missing 8 years ago. Rene is her sister, and has agoraphobia due to the abduction of her sister. Rene believes Lauren is still alive, and she must save her- but no one believes her. Jane is a woman that has a strange girl show up at her house one night.
I found when Rene was telling her story, it got very repetitive, and I would skim a lot of these sections- so I may have missed important stuff- but I just could not continue to focus on the lists, memories, etc. that seemed to be hashed over again and again. When Lauren was telling the story, it got very dark. I like dark thrillers and mysteries, but at times this was a little too dark and awful for me. Especially the dog part. The clearest, and most concise narrative seemed to be Jane. I felt that she was the one that actually had the most part in driving the story. Yet, I wanted to see where this was going and exactly what happened- I could not give up!
The twists in the story are surprising, and relevant to the narrative. And the final twist😲- did not see that coming!
This is a difficult, dark, traumatic read. There is loss, family disfunction, abuse, death of an animal, kidnap and containment- so I want to warn about these possible triggers.
Overall, and interesting read, but I felt that there much meandering and repetitiveness in the narratives.
These are only my personal opinions. It has a lot of top reviews, so please check those out!
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I don't really know where to start with this book, it's inappropriate to say I enjoyed it due to the subject matter. It is brilliantly written and at times left me gasping with shock! Totally addictive and bingeworthy. Told from two main POV, Rene struggling to come to terms with the disappearance of her sister. And Lauren whose ordeal is just shocking and brutal. I did guess the twist (which is super clever!) but it didn't take anything away from my experience. This book will leave you questioning your family life and definitely things into perspective. An absolute 5 star from me!