I was biased with this one since my name is Lauren , it’s not typically a cover that would draw me in. But I’m so glad I gave it a chance! This was truly thrilling.

Gripping right from the very first page I couldn't put this book down and read it in one short sitting. Full of suspense, atmosphere and twists it kept me guessing until the end which was definitely helped along by the multiple pov within the book.

This is one of the hardest reviews I have ever had to write. Looking at other reviews from various readers everyone seem to have loved this book. I guess I am one of the few who did not. I just could not get into this book. There were different characters going back-and-forth and I got confused. Once that happens, I totally shut it down yet. I did finish it and I have to say the last three or four chapters were the best that has the whole book.

Lauren is missing who could’ve taken her? There are so many people looking for her yet all the police really looking into who could have taken her? Her family life seem to be a mess yet she spoke about her sister Renee as if she was with her. Then there was Jane, who is in the present tense and I just got very confused. I love a great who done it but this book just did not do it for me. I am so sorry.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm publishing forARC. I ONLY WISH I COULD’VE GIVEN IT A BETTER REVIEW. S J King in the future.

This was a page turner book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did guess one of the twists, but the second big twist was a surprise. The book touches on many important aspects that could be linked back to real life occurances so, while it was fiction, it didn't seem unrealistic which I really appreciated about this book.

Lauren Is Missing is an emotional rollercoaster of the human condition.

Following the disappearance of sister Lauren, her family starts to slowly fall apart.

Her sister, Rene, has increasingly vivid visions and dreams about the what could be possibly currently happening in Lauren’s world, confusing the reader alongside her.

Not for the faint of heart, this book uses In Media’s Res to keep the story going at a whiplash speed, and is entirely worth the sleepless night I had, desperately trying to finish it so it wasn’t playing on my mind!

I found this novel rather disjointed, so wouldn't rate it amongst my favorites. It was OK. I didn't like the jumping back and forth in time or the multiple POVs. It was all very confusing

oh my gosh can you give a book more stars!? ive still got tingles and even more tense tingles now talking about this book. wow. what a stellar book and this book needs to be read, applauded and winning awards pronto. because gasping, gripping and brilliant it was. just yes yes yes success in a thriller!
this book goes dark and emotionally deep. we get a dual timeline so it can reveal just what happened then and where we are now.
i loved how Rene never ever gave up on searching for her sister. she was strong, and capable and isn't going to stop until she knows or finds her. the bond there was just so impactful. and of course we get to know just what happened to Lauren in the before timeline. and boy do we get given a tale of hard hard events.
i also really enjoyed the different Pov. so we really do get to see what happens and what did happen through all the different points of view. its gives such a broad and harder hitting view of the events and characters. you feel it so much more. and then how slowly the arcs and POVs come careening together to meet. to stop. to be together and we get revealed it all in the 'now' and just where our woman are and how. and the unveiling of it all really does grab your heart and pinch your emotions tight.
this is going straight to the top of my thriller books for a while. and yes i might say that to something else next week or even tomorrow. but for now, come on , let lets this book have its pride of place because books like this are inspiring in their brilliance. and deserve every second of praise they get.
it feel such an honour when books come across your life like this. we truly are lucky lucky people.
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A dark, and hauntingly tense psychological thriller, that kept me guessing right to the end.

This story has an interesting premise - told through multiple perspectives, before and today timeframes, as well as clever exploration of a fragmented mindset. The storyline had me questioning everyone's motives and perspectives.

This is the second story I have enjoyed from S.J. King and I am keen to read what she writes next.

This book kept me guessing and kept me questioning every character! I was thoroughly impressed by the twists in this story!

"Lauren is Missing" by S.J. King was a great psychological thriller that makes you want to keep reading.
Lauren lives a happy life with her family, until tragedy strikes and she goes missing. While Lauren is trapped her family never stops looking. Rene keeps looking for her sister even when she thinks no one else is. Enter Jane who finds Rene digging in her garden. As the story unfolds more trauma comes to light.
Highly recommend for those that like to be keep guessing until the very last page.

3.75/5 rounded up! Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the electronic ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book was really confusing at times and kept me guessing throughout, but had such interesting, well-developed characters. There’s not much to say without spoiling it, but I definitely recommend to all mystery and thriller lovers.

WHAT?!!!!! did I just read? I did not see that coming! Edge of my seat from the first page to the last. Could not put this down.

Lauren is Missing is a dark, atmospheric psychological thriller that really puts you in the head/mindset of the characters. A brilliant take on trauma and psychology, I kept flipping the pages until the end, wanting to know the outcome. Was it worth it? Yes! I'm looking forward to reading more by S.J. King.

I really wanted to like this book more. The premise was good, but it felt slightly predictable. I was not a fan of S.J. King's writing style which made it harder for me to get through. There is a lot of choppiness in the writing and I feel it didn't flow as well as it could've.

Overall, definitely not a bad book; I was entertained and wanted to find out what happened!

My favourite genre but I found this book a little slow and lacking in content. I really enjoyed the authors debut 'Where You Belong' but not so much this one with its dark storyline and now and then skips. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

Told from different POVs within different timelines, Lauren is Missing delves into the aftermath of a teenage daughter going missing, as well as what led to the events and how it began to twist and turn the relationships and the people in the family apart.

There is a lot of disorientation in this book, and the alternating POVs can be confusing at times. The pacing of the story works in that it makes you want to read more, to understand and solve the mystery of what happened to this missing girl. However, the change in POV frustrated me at times because it slowed things down. It also felt difficult to follow sometimes because of the order in which we are told about certain events. Arguably though, this adds to the disorientation and mirrors the fragmentation of the character's POV, who is unreliable due to being often confused, losing track of time and struggling with her memory.

It was a slow start at first, but as I read further, I was a lot more gripped by the story. The writing got particularly more dark and disturbing, as well as exploring some themes about familial betrayals and life-shattering miscommunications that ultimately make you feel very sad. There are many twists to this book, some that you can predict and some that will really take you by surprise! The characters in this book were complex and had many layers that were exciting to see peeled back. There is a lot more to this story than a missing teenage girl.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this book a lot and was impressed with the shocking developments. If you love a thriller/mystery with lots of twists, then I would highly recommend giving this book a read on July 2nd! Thank you to NetGalley for the early access to this book! 4 stars from me!

this read is my first official ARC from netgalley and it was such a gripping psychological thriller, reminding me of the book “the last house on needless street”.

it has a very dark setting and is told in a “before” and “today” format. i loved the entire build up and the ending was both, shattering and beautiful.

it does have some trigger warnings, so be on the lookout for those.

“lauren is missing” is expected to publish on July 2, 2025 and i want to thank s.j. king and netgalley for allowing me early access to this one, im definitely looking forward to reading more from s.j. king.


rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

I really enjoyed S. J. King’s last book, so I was excited to read this one and it was definitely a solid, fast-paced read that kept me engaged throughout. The writing is strong and the story unfolds in a way that’s easy to follow without ever feeling slow.

That said, I found myself picking up on some of the clues a bit early. While I didn’t predict every detail, I had a pretty good idea of the general twist well before the reveal. For me, that took away a bit of the tension, since I prefer twists that feel more unexpected.

Still, it’s a well-written story with an interesting premise, and I’ll absolutely keep following S. J. King’s work going forward.

Interesting, but a bit slow at times. Certainly has some twists that keep you guessing.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Wow. So well written, I loved how it was written, I’ve never read a book like it.

My one and only dislike was at some places in the book it seemed to go really slow and in some chapters I felt some information wasn’t needed however this didn’t impact the book, just interrupted the flow a little.

I loved how it was written, the different POV’s, the explaining things in real time how it was unfolding, the fact the author kept making subtle sentences so you never really figured out exactly what was going to come.

This author is extremely talented and I can’t wait to read more.

*full disclosure I was given this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley*