I could not predict anything about this book! That's what I love. Twists and turns on each page and not guessing what was happening next!

No One Saw Her Go by Sally Royer-Derr is a smart, sinister, and sharply written thriller that completely pulled me in and refused to let go. Published by Storm Publishing—huge thanks to Annette Galley for my gifted ARC—I devoured this in a single night. It’s the kind of story that grips you by the throat and makes everything else disappear. I couldn’t sleep until I got to the bottom of what really happened at Camp Medley—and even then, I was left stunned.

Zoey Montgomery is the perfect protagonist for a psychological suspense like this. She’s not just any curious student trying to play detective—she has skin in the game. Her aunt Heather vanished from Camp Medley over thirty years ago, and that hole in her family has left Zoey obsessed with the mystery. When she takes a summer job at the camp, it’s under the guise of doing normal counselor duties. But what she’s really after is closure—proof, answers, maybe even justice. What she finds is so much worse.

The camp itself becomes a character in this book. The woods feel alive, the lake is menacing, and the camp’s cheery traditions are just a mask over something rotten and buried. Royer-Derr uses the setting masterfully—it’s atmospheric without ever getting bogged down in description. You can feel the isolation pressing in on Zoey, sense the weight of history in every cabin and trail. There’s something off about this place, and the dread builds in a slow, creeping way until it’s practically screaming off the page.

As Zoey digs deeper, we learn there may be more missing girls connected to this place. A pattern begins to emerge, but every time Zoey thinks she’s getting close to the truth, the ground shifts beneath her. Strange accidents, cryptic warnings, and a mounting sense of paranoia create a suffocating tension. The novel flirts with supernatural unease without ever committing to it, which makes every shadow and sound in the woods feel like a possible threat. Is Zoey imagining it? Is the trauma of Heather’s disappearance playing tricks on her? Or is she about to meet the same fate?

What sets this book apart from so many thrillers is that it never relies on cheap jump scares or shallow twists. Every clue, every strange occurrence, is purposeful. Royer-Derr doesn’t throw red herrings just to mislead—you can feel she respects the reader enough to make the journey twisty but fair. That made the final third of the novel so satisfying. The reveals hit hard, but they make sense. Everything snaps into place with a kind of dreadful clarity, and the payoff is absolutely worth it.

Zoey’s emotional arc is just as compelling as the mystery. She’s grieving someone she never really knew, haunted by family silence, and grappling with the reality that justice might never look the way she wants it to. Her desperation is real. She makes mistakes, she second-guesses herself, but she keeps pushing forward. That made her so easy to root for. The supporting characters—other counselors, locals, camp staff—are well drawn too. Some are suspicious, some helpful, some hiding things you don’t see coming. No one feels like filler.

There are moments in this book that genuinely shocked me—not just because of what happens, but because of how suddenly it hits and how deeply it cuts. One particular reveal near the climax absolutely floored me. And the ending? It’s haunting. It doesn’t tie everything into a neat bow, and that’s what makes it land so hard. It sticks with you because it feels earned. It’s chilling without being sensational. Emotional without being sentimental.

This is a thriller that balances intensity with intelligence. It’s not just about who did it—it’s about why, and what the truth costs when you finally find it. I came in expecting an entertaining mystery, and I left with so much more. No One Saw Her Go is a dark, gripping, and emotionally resonant story that nails every beat. Sally Royer-Derr has delivered a knockout that deserves to be on every thriller reader’s radar.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of No One Saw Her Go by Sally Royer-Derr due to be published August 1, 2025.
Zoey Montgomery takes a summer job as a camp counselor to find out what had happened to her aunt Heather who disappeared thirty years ago. What happened to Heather, and is Zoey in danger, too?

This was a very fast (one day) read that had me hooked from the first chapter. The twists with all the characters were amazing and had me guessing until the end. The plot twists were surprising, and I had never guessed about the characters. It had everything – murder, mystery, and intrigue!

#NetGalley #SallyRoyer-Derr #NoOneSawHerGo #StormPublishing

Sally is an auto buy author for me and, wow, believe me you need to read this book! I will read anything she writes.

Masterful storytelling and incredible characters. This book needs to be at the top of every bestseller list. It's that good. I can't stop thinking about it.

I'm a Freida fan and Sally's writing is similar to Freida McFadden's as it is fast-paced and full of twists, but all of these emotional layers exist in Sally's books that suck you in and captivate you the entire time. The range of raw emotions throughout this book, fear, love, sadness, hope, had me in tears by the end.

Zoey was a determined young woman trying to find answers for her family. I liked Zoey and her love for her mother and also that while researching her aunt's disappearance she was working toward her own independence. I enjoyed her interactions with Wynn too. He was an interesting character. However, my favorite character was Heather. My heart went out to her as she struggled with so much in her young life and her relationship with Dean was one of the sweetest I've read in a long time, so beautiful.

This book had a lot of action, craziness and some downright scary scenes! And that twist at the end.......WHAT?! I didn't see that coming. It kept me glued to the pages. Sally's books are like literary crack to me, completely addictive. Once I start, I can't stop reading!

A solid five stars.