Review: The Longings of Wayward Girls by Karen Brown

The Longings of Wayward Girls 

by Karen Brown

Publisher: Washington Square Press

Pages: 336

Format: eARC 

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  It’s an idyllic New England summer, and Sadie is a precocious only child on the edge of adolescence. It seems like July and August will pass lazily by, just as they have every year before. But one day, Sadie and her best friend play a seemingly harmless prank on a neighborhood girl. Soon after, that same little girl disappears from a backyard barbecue—and she is never seen again. 

Twenty years pass, and Sadie is still living in the same quiet suburb. She’s married to a good man, has two beautiful children, and seems to have put her past behind her. But when a boy from her old neighborhood returns to town, the nightmares of that summer will begin to resurface, and its unsolved mysteries will finally become clear.


Kritters Thoughts:  A different take on small town life, by having the main character stay in town and tell the story both in the past and in the present and the changes and similarities in the town and its people.  I loved the concept and the overall plot of the book.  I love small town books and I loved the mystery and intrigue about girls going missing in this small town.

What I didn't quite love was the pace, I felt as though this book moved at such a slow pace and maybe that was for a reason as most small towns move at a slower pace, but it just didn't work for me and my reading experience.  Maybe I missed something in the story, but I didn't feel resolution about some of my questions, they just went unanswered and I wanted to know the full story.

With great characters and a plot, I definitely wouldn't not recommend this book, but I would warn that maybe this isn't one to take on vacation - this one needs some definite time and attention.

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Ebook 2013 Challenge: 48 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Atria.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.