Wow.

“Sometimes there are things you do for love that go against your instinct.” This quote embodies the whole book.

So first up the characters were so well written, especially Vanessa. I think it’s important in all kind of books to have mental health represented.

The actual plot, so many times I thought I’d cracked it but nothing prepared me for the truth, I was hooked. The amount of twists in the book would have have me whiplash

An amazing book, I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Disappointing, far fetched and not brilliantly edited.

I read it out of curiosity and in hope it would get better but after one too many obvious red herrings I’m left feeling a bit flat.

Not for me, but everyone else seems to love it.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sophie Was Here is a tense and fast paced read that reeled me in right from the very beginning. It’s a tense and fast paced read that didn’t slow down at any time. That’s something I love in a thriller as sometimes this genre can slow down a bit in the middle of the story, this most certainly wasn’t the case with this one. Kathryn Croft has again written a brilliant psychological thriller which contains everything I love in this genre, brilliant well developed characters , plenty of twists and turns and a couple of red herrings thrown in that threw me off track at times. I loved it and give it all the stars

Wasn’t a bad read but was kind of drawn out and easy to predict!
A quick good read but wasn’t something I needed to go out of my way at for

the perfect family or is it? this was a new author for me and the storyline had been intrigued from the start.
so many twists you don’t see coming
i will definitely be looking for other books by this author

Sophie Was Here is a chilling psychological thriller by author Kathryn Croft that blends domestic suspense with small-town secrets, in an atmospheric setting. This is a mystery of a missing girl and a family home that is hiding more than memories.

When Emmie moves into Forest Farm, her boyfriend Charlie’s idyllic family estate, it seems like the fresh start she’s always dreamed of. A beautiful farmhouse, a supportive partner, and the sense of belonging she’s long craved. But from the moment the villagers begin whispering behind her back, Emmie learns that Charlie’s past and the haunting story of his vanished teenage girlfriend, Sophie is still very much alive. When Emmie makes her way down to the basement she is shocked to see scratched on the walls ‘Sophie was here’

This is an atmospheric novel where the tension steadily build and the suspense is fever pitch as it reveals more and more. This is well written and will keep you guessing.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Kathryn Croft delivers a chilling and intricately plotted psychological thriller in Sophie Was Here, a story that unravels the haunting mystery of a missing girl and the dark secrets that refuse to stay buried. When Emmie learns that Sophie—the ex-girlfriend of her current boyfriend—vanished under suspicious circumstances, her life begins to spiral as she receives disturbing messages and is pulled deeper into the shadows of the past.

Croft masterfully builds tension throughout the narrative, weaving in layers of deception, suspicion, and emotional complexity. Emmie’s growing obsession with uncovering the truth keeps the momentum high, while the steady stream of revelations creates a sense of unease that lingers on every page.

What sets this novel apart is its intricate detailing and the way the story escalates, leading to a climax where everything unravels with devastating impact. Just when you think you understand what’s happening, Croft delivers another twist, making the journey as unpredictable as it is gripping.

Sophie Was Here is a dark, twist-filled thriller that keeps readers questioning motives and truths right up until the final pages. With its compelling mystery and emotionally charged tension, it’s a must-read for fans of domestic suspense and psychological thrillers.

Yet another great book from this author. Sophie and her partner were given his family home to move into. Whats not to like it's a five bedroomed house. Not everyone is pleased to see her boyfriend back in the village and when it also comes to light that her boyfriend was the last to see a girl that disappeared years ago she wonders why he mentioned her.
Great book with plenty to keep you guessing.

Happy (day after) PUB DAY! 🎉

Wellll….that was a shocking and twisty four-star read! While I had my suspicions and kept flipping back and forth on the “whodunnit,” I was totally wrong—and I loved that!

After Emmie is made redundant from her job as a child behavioral therapist, she gives up her London flat to move in with her boyfriend, Charlie, into the family home his parents gifted him. Charlie, a corporate lawyer, met Emmie when he accidentally knocked her off her bike - a fun meet cute, right?!

But when Emmie first sees the house, her unease kicks in. It has a basement, and years ago, her father died in a basement while she was asleep upstairs.
Things get even weirder when she finds a message scrawled on the basement wall: “Please Help Me”—with what looks like blood underneath it.
Charlie admits seeing it, then later acts like he has no idea what she’s talking about.
When Emmie checks again, the message is gone… but another one appears: “Sophie was here.”
She snaps a picture this time and becomes obsessed with finding out who Sophie is.
But the more Emmie uncovers, the less sure she is of anything—or anyone.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Kathryn Croft, and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this twisty tale in exchange for a review! 🖤🔍📚

*this is now available to enjoy for free for Kindle Unlimited members!

This was a good book to read, a definite page turner.
Written in the first person, a woman and her boyfriend are given a beautiful family home, no strings attached. It becomes very clear that she has her own secrets, and she soon comes to realize her boyfriend has several secrets of his own, starting with Sophie, his teenage girlfriend that disappeared when she was 17,
This is one of those books where you can't say too much in the review, because it will give too much away. Let's just say the words "Sophie was here" becomes a dangerous warning.
I have never read anything by Kathryn Croft, but I am already going online to see what books of hers I can get.

When Emmie and her boyfriend Charlie are given Charlie's family home called Forest Farm, Emmie feels like she has everything she could ever want in life. Another plus is being accepted into Charlie's family. At first the house is everything and more. With five bedrooms, gorgeous views, and close proximity to Charlie's parents, it seems like Forest Farm is the perfect fresh start they need. But, then the gossip around town starts and the townspeople avoid Emmie and Charlie like the plague. Whispered rumors of Charlie's ex-girlfriend Sophie make their way to Emmie. It appears that Sophie went missing when she was 17 and she was never heard from again. When Emmie tries to talk to Charlie about Sophie, a wall goes up and Emmie instinctively knows not to pry. Then, in the basement, she finds three words that will chill her to her bones.. Sophie was here. What secrets are hidden deep within her new house?

Kathryn Croft is quickly becoming an auto read author for me! This story is an atmospheric thriller with family secrets galore! Split between two timelines, Emmie in the present day and then before Sophie disappeared, Croft seamlessly transitions the two without the story being affected. For the first good half of the book we have a deliberate and methodical slow burn, that in my opinion is necessary to lay a good foundation. Throughout the story the tension ramps up steadily, keeping you glued to the pages! Overall I definitely recommend this story for fans of atmospheric mysteries with multiple POVs and great twists!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kathryn Croft, and Bookouture for this ARC! Publication date was July 3rd 2025.

3⭐️

Started off slow and then picked up a bit in the middle. However, it felt way too dragged out. The twists were quite predictable as well.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for me honest review.

Sophie Was Here by Kathryn Croft is a gripping and compelling page turner from start to finish and I enjoyed every single minute of it!
This was an entertaining and suspenseful story with interesting characters as the threads were woven into place to a satisfying end.
I was completely entranced with how this story would end. I could not get enough.
This turned out to be a great read and I’m looking forward to reading more books from Croft.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture Audio and Kathryn Croft for the Audio Arc of Sophie Was Here.
Narrated by Naomi Frederick

I have been a long term fan of Kathryn's writing style, her character development and her twisty plot lines so I was delighted to be accepted for the audio of Sophie was here.

This was one twisty narrative in which it was very hard to trust anyone! Told in first person, we have our MFC Emmie ,who with her partner Charlie, are moving into Charlie's old family home. This farmhouse is massive and has been gifted to them both but has been empty for 20 yrs while his parents were in Dubai. On exploring the house, Emmie finds 2 messages engraved in the banister and the old door of the cellar. " Sophie Was Here " This sets Emmie on the path of detective as she wants to find out who was Sophie and why was these messages left.

This narrative is told on two timelines from the POV of Emmie in the present and the past leading up to what happened with Sophie. In the present we get introduced to Charlies family and a few friends and it's clear that while most are happy to see him back in his hometown, there is a few that are not. You will form theories and they may be right, or they maybe wrong. One thing is for certain, this book is such an engaging, speculative read in which I binged in a morning!

Naomi Fredrick who narrated this book did a brilliant job in keeping all the characters separate with her male and female voices. I did listen to this book at 1.5 x speed which is a personal preference to me. Naomi's voice is such a pleasure to listen to and ill be looking out for more books from Kathryn Croft and narrations from Naomi Fredrick.

4.5 stars for Storygraph. 4 stars for other review sites

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. Ooh, a former girlfriend disappeared! That immediately made me want to read this one. A great summer thriller, you won't be able to put down because you will HAVE to know what is going to happen! Lots of twists!

Sophie Was Here is a jaw-dropping thriller that will keep you guessing til the very end. With lots of red herrings and surprises throughout, you won’t want to put it down until you turn the last page. The story follows Emmie who, along with her boyfriend, moves into his childhood home gifted to them by his rich parents. But is her new family a happily ever after? From the first day in the home, Emmie is finding things that don’t make sense. She discovers a message in the basement, but later that message has disappeared. Is she crazy or did some nefarious being not want her to see it? It isn’t the only thing that doesn’t add up.. Relationships, neighbors, and the truth are all at risk of being revealed. Will she uncover that truth and answer the questions she has? Be prepared for your jaw to be on the floor when the biggest bombshell in the story drops. Sophie Was Here will be released on July 1, 2025.

I received this as an advanced reading copy in exchange for my fair and honest review of it. Thank you to the author and the publisher.

Kathryn Croft is one of the authors whose books I never want to miss. The writing is incredible, the twists are always surprising and this book was no different.

I did have some suspicions, but it turned out that I was only about 50% right on them. The book is part psychological thriller and part a view on how far people will go to protect each other and themselves.

Who is gaslighting who here?

A well written domestic thriller which I both read as an ARC and listened to as audio. Both scored an easy 4☆.

The plot line is quite convoluted (perhaps a little too much so at times) but on the whole this is engrossing with many thoroughly unlikeable characters.

The setting is atmospheric, more so, for me in the written version as you visualise your own interpretation rather that the narrators.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC which was very much appreciated.

Why would Emmie move with her partner to a junkie moldy old house, even if it was free?
I’m not proficient in math but the numbers were not adding up for me.
Everyone has a secret in the book and I was knocked sideways about some of the biggest secrets.
Unraveling the story took considerable time as the drama and murder escalated.
I think Emmie made the correct choice!

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Sophie Was Here’ written by Kathryn Croft in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

As Emmie has been made redundant from her job in London and her neighbour is harassing her, she persuades her boyfriend Charlie to move back to Peaslake and his family home that his parents have gifted him. As she explores she finds the cellar and a message ‘Please Help Me’ that’s been scratched into the wood but when she tells Charlie later on the message has disappeared and he tells her she imagined it. She continues searching the cellar and finds another message ‘Sophie Was Here’ and after speaking to people in the village discovers that Sophie lived in Peaslake until she disappeared sixteen years ago.

‘Sophie Was Here’ is a thriller with a dual timeline of the present time and 2008 when Sophie disappeared, and tells of the complicated relationship between Charlie and his family the Hollingers, Liam and Khalid. The story is slow to get going but the deeper Emmie digs into Sophie’s background the more tense it becomes making it difficult to know who’s telling the truth. Although not my favourite by this author, it’s been an enjoyable read that’s kept me involved.