"When Arden Maynor was a child, she was swept away while sleepwalking during a rainstorm. Against all odds, she was found days later, alive. The miraculous girl from Widow Hills inspired fans--but also creeps and stalkers. As soon as she was old enough, Arden changed her name to Olivia. But as the twentieth anniversary of Arden's rescue approaches, interest in her renews. Soon Olivia feels like she's being watched and begins sleepwalking again. One night she jolts awake in her yard and discovers the corpse of a man she ...
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"When Arden Maynor was a child, she was swept away while sleepwalking during a rainstorm. Against all odds, she was found days later, alive. The miraculous girl from Widow Hills inspired fans--but also creeps and stalkers. As soon as she was old enough, Arden changed her name to Olivia. But as the twentieth anniversary of Arden's rescue approaches, interest in her renews. Soon Olivia feels like she's being watched and begins sleepwalking again. One night she jolts awake in her yard and discovers the corpse of a man she knows--from her previous life. And now the girl from Widow Hills is about to become the center of the story, once again"--Page 4 of cover.
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When Arden Maynor was 6 years old, she was swept away in a terrifying storm while sleepwalking and went missing for 3 days. Against all odds, she was found alive clinging onto a storm drain, and what followed was fame of the worst kind as her friends turned on her, and fans, bullies and stalkers began to appear. As soon as she was old enough, Arden changed her name and left Widow Hills for good.
It has been 20 years now, and Olivia had almost forgotten what it was like to be Arden. That is, until she starts sleepwalking again. If Olivia can't trust herself, can she trust anyone?
I have been excited to read The Girl From Widow Hills since I first read the description some months ago. The setup of a sleepwalker in a rural town who may have killed someone without knowing it - that is pure thriller gold. The possibilities of where such a story could go are endless and creepy, and I could not wait to get my hands on it.
Megan Miranda did not disappoint. Her characters are shady and wonderfully inscrutable, her setting is perfectly homey with a touch of cabin-in-the-woods and her plot is as tight as a spiderweb. This is a book that you need to read with your eyes open (I mean figuratively. I do generally read with my eyes open). The details are such that you never quite know what is going to be important until it comes up again, and you have to flip back 50 pages and go "Ooh".
It is a mark of a good thriller that each odd detail is not actually important, yet some are. The trail the reader follows is not straight or direct; there are times you must give up all your theories and start over.
Olivia Meyer. Hospital administrator, town newbie, loner, sleepwalker, liar. The unreliable narrator. I am a big fan of the way that we are automatically on the side of the main character, only to realise after some time that she may not be the hero of this story. Being forced to question the motives of characters you love can bring a book to life in ways that a straight up "good vs. bad" story never manages.
Absolutely anyone could have been the villain of this piece until the puzzle pieces start to slide together. I found myself toying with the possibility of almost literally each character being the killer at some point during this book. That has a touch of Agatha Christie's writing, really.
I have to say that I was delighted to love this book, as I was a touch disappointed with the end of Miranda's last book, The Last House Guest. I loved the characters, the setting and the plot, but the last few chapters let it down. The Girl From Widow Hills, however, kept its flow and manoeuvred it's way to a graceful and surprising finale. Highly recommended.
Komal
Aug 18, 2020
really enjoyed it!
4/5 stars
I really liked this book! The premise for this novel is what drew me in and I feel that the story was executed so well!
I was interested in every character that was introduced and each character felt fleshed out and well thought out.
Although at times the story felt a bit predictable, I didn't mind that at all as the writing was so great! The pacing was excellent and I loved how atmospheric this novel felt and enjoyed the creepy undertones throughout.
The ending wasn't my favorite but I like that it wrapped up nicely.
Overall, I really loved this book and would highly recommend it. Especially if like me you're new to thrillers and want something a bit creepy but not absolutely terrifying!
liccyh
Jul 5, 2020
Plot twist!
I thoroughly enjoyed Megan Miranda's previous book, The Last House Guest, so was keenly looking forward to reading this. And it definitely didn't disappoint! Twenty years ago a young girl spent several days in a storm drain before she was rescued. Fast forward to the present day and she has created a new life for herself, but one day she stumbles over a body outside her house. Has her past come back to haunt her? What really happened? Can you trust anyone? The book mixes transcripts and official documents from the original investigation with the central character's thoughts. The plot really does rattle along and holds your attention effectively - though the ending wasn't perhaps given quite enough time. More please!
