The Girl from Widow Hills

It’ a creepy, compelling story of a life forever warped and twisted by unwanted fame. It poses a well-known, and often repeated theme, in this era of internet celebrities and their fall from grace that often follows. A shivery kind of fun creeps upon the reader as we wonder along with Olivia whether those close to her should be trusted or feared., I often wanted to urge her on as she races to unravel the past without unraveling her fragile sanity. I found it to be an above-average psychological thriller/mystery that keeps the suspense ratcheted up through most of the book. It’s wasn’t an easy solve since each passing chapter seemed to create more questions than it gave answers. Still very 4.5 star worthy.

When Arden was six she went missing for three days, washed away in floodwaters down pipes due to sleepwalking. Twenty years later Arden again sleepwalks but this time wakes up next to a dead body.

This is the second book I have read by this author and again have enjoyed it. The plot was interesting and there was plenty of suspense to keep my interest.

The story follows the main character Arden, now calling herself Olivia as she is trying to get on with her life, but her past needs to be remembered. The plot does plod along nicely with a twist that I didn't see coming.

There were a couple of things towards the end that I did find a little unbelievable especially when it was clear what had been going on but it didn't spoil the whole show more enjoyment of the read.

I really enjoyed this book and I would read more by Megan Miranda in the future. show less

"What did we know about the things that could push another person to extremes?"

This was another great mystery. I'm really enjoying the stories from this author. This one is from a child star - not because she was an actor or singer but because she was a survivor. Six years old and a sleep walker, one night she was swept away and rushed into underground water pipes. She was missing for 3 days until one of the searchers found her at a water drain and the town cheered as she was lifted out and saved.

But it's been almost 20 years and she's not that girl anymore. She's changed her name and her life and she doesn't want to be her anymore. The media, the stories, the interviews and being picked apart. So imagine her surprise when she's caught show more sleepwalking again one night, something she hasn't done since she was six. It's only a few nights later she stumbles over a dead man in her front yard.

The story is so twisty. I had a lot of guesses and I definitely got things wrong. I liked that I didn't trust anyone - I was completely wrapped up in Olivia's paranoia of her friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. Who could she trust? No one. I liked how this all played out and that it kept me guessing. So glad I gave it a try. show less

This is not how she wanted to be famous, yet, everyone knows the story of “the girl from Widow Hills.”

Arden Maynor was just a child when she was swept away while sleepwalking during a horrific rainstorm and went missing for days. Strangers and friends, neighbors and rescue workers, set up search parties and held vigils, praying for her safe return. Amazingly, she was found, alive, clinging to a storm drain. Instantly, the girl from Widow Hills became a living miracle. Arden’s mother wrote a book. Fame followed as did the fans and fan letters, creeps, and stalkers. And every year, on the anniversary of her rescue, it all started over again and became too much. As soon as she was old enough, Arden changed her name and disappeared show more from the public eye.

Arden, now Olivia is a young woman living hundreds of miles away, from the infamous storm drain. She’s managed to stay off the radar for the last few years. But with the twentieth anniversary of her rescue approaching, the media will inevitably renew its interest in Arden. But, where is she now? Olivia feels like she’s being watched and begins sleepwalking again, like she did long ago, even sleepwalking outside her home. Late one night she jolts awake outside in her yard. Looking down she is horrified to see at her feet the corpse of a man she knows from her previous life, as Arden Maynor.

Thus incident pushes the girl from Widow Hills back into the limelight. I didn’t predict the twists and turns this book proposed. Excellent story and high quality writing. I shall read more books by Megan Miranda. show less

When Arden/Olivia was six years old, she got out of the house one night while sleepwalking, got lost during a rainstorm and was missing for three days, the subject of a nationwide search, later found clinging to a storm drain. Like many people who are the subject of national media attention, it upended her life. Twenty years later, she’s changed her name, moved to a different state, and tells no one about her past as that girl. And of course, like in any good mystery/thriller, things are not always as they seem.

I REALLY liked this book. Admittedly, it was one of those where information is meted out quite slowly at first in dribs and drabs, so for a while, I was a bit confused as to what exactly was going on and how the plot was going show more to come together. But I’ve read many books by Megan Miranda, and she always tells an excellent story, and this was no exception. All those little pieces eventually fell into place and made for a wonderful story with some amazing twists. The atmosphere is super spooky and you turn each page unsure who if anyone you can trust. An excellent read!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. show less

This book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The prologue of this book drew me in and this kept my interest throughout. Olivia thought she outgrew sleepwalking as a child, but 20 years later, her neighbor finds her outside in the middle of the night. The next night, she wakes up next to a body. Olivia has changed 20 much in the last 20 years, to protect herself - from the media, from the public. But her past is catching up to her. Olivia feels like she is being watched, she is suspicious of everyone. I liked all the characters, I could connect with them. I felt all questions were answered and I wasn't left thinking, "what happened with this?". I would definitely recommend this book.

Taut, suspenseful read.

Arden mysteriously went missing when she was a young child and was found miraculously clinging to a storm drain. She became a reluctant celebrity for surviving the unsurvivable and decided to change her identity to finally have some privacy and peace. That peace is unraveled when she begins to sleep walk again and awakes to find a dead man at her feet.
I did find the book well written and enthralling. I would have liked a bit more mystery as I was able to guess what or who was the culprit in the book. Aside from that, the writing kept me reading and I really liked Olivia's/Arden's character.