If you keep up with the best sellers list, you’ve definitely heard of All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda. And if you love a good murder porn book, I’m sure you put this on your Want-to-Read list immediately. Why? Because this particular story is written in a format that no other author has attempted to do. The story is told over a fifteen day period, though written backwards. Which is very unique, and seems quite challenging to do!
THE PLOT
Ten years ago, Nicolette’s best friend — Corrine — went missing from their rural small town in North Carolina. Shortly after the disappearance, Nic moved away, leaving behind her boyfriend and family. However, due to her fathers rapidly declining health, she’s now returning to her small hometown, where everyone who was a questionable suspect in her best friends disappearance has remained. The very night Nic returns home, another girl goes missing. This shouldn’t really concern Nic, but because the most recent missing girl, Annaleise happens to be the last person to see Corrine alive, Nic will stop at nothing to find her.
THE FORMAT
This would’ve sat on my Want-to-Read list for a really, really long time had it not been for the reverse order story telling that people were ranting and raving about. Because — as the title points out — it’s simply another ‘missing girls’ book, so the author needed something to hook you in — and boy did it work! I was really intrigued, and patiently waited on the library’s list for SIX months before I got my hands on a copy.
All the Missing Girls started out strong. I enjoyed the characters and felt they each had strong POV, but very quickly after the chapters started going in reverse order, I kept getting confused. I constantly forgot important details and felt I had to reread sections to remember what happened the day before (or the day after… see! It’s confusing AF).
The timeline of the story turned out to be a huge distraction for me, especially since the chapters were worded ‘Ten Days Before” which is BEC, I know, but it’s a thing, and I’m not alone with that. Also, another BEC statement, but in the entire book — which technically is told over the span of ten years — only two girls go missing. Does that really qualify as ALL THE MISSING GIRLS, or perhaps just the two…? Semantics again, I know.
Overall
I did enjoy it, but got frustrated more times than I think anyone should have to endure while reading for pleasure. The twist was pretty strong and I don’t think it’s obvious — so for that alone, perhaps one can overlook the annoyance of the reverse chapters — even though that was the whole beauty of the book. So yes, the overall Peonies and Bees verdict: READ IT!