Book Review: The Girls by Lisa Jewell

The Girls is a novel by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell.

I’ve read a few of Lisa Jewell’s novels and I’ve enjoyed them all. You always know what you’re going to get with a Lisa Jewell thriller – a character-driven story with lots of twists and turns.

The Girls, or The Girls in the Garden as it’s known in the US, was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick and promised to be another great read.

Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

Genre: Thriller

Author: Lisa Jewell

Buy: Amazon | Waterstones

Published: 2015

Plot

After a fire forces them to move home, Clare and her daughters move to a seemingly tranquil new home within a picturesque communal garden square. This urban oasis is a place where neighbours pop in and out of houses, children play together and there is a real sense of community. Everybody trusts each other.

However, when her thirteen-year-old daughter Grace is found unconscious in the gardens with her clothes in disarray, Clare soon starts to realise things may not be as idyllic as they seem.

The Girls Book Review

The opening discovery of an unconscious Grace sets the tone for the whole book. It’s told from multiple points of view and I found Pip’s letters to her dad particularly poignant.

I loved the setting and the premise of the book. It’s so easy to romanticise the idea of having a close-knit community, where everyone knows everyone. Where “it takes a village” to raise a child. I loved how even in such a “safe” oasis, evil could still be lurking.

Lisa Jewell is a brilliant storyteller and I love how she creates realistic characters with depth. As a mum of a 12-year-old, I found the behaviour of these tweens and young teenagers alarming, which I’m assuming is Jewell’s intention. Within the garden, the children seem to roam free without any rules or consequences. I found it uncomfortable to read at times.

The story is intriguing and there are plenty of clues and misdirection as to who is responsible and it kept me guessing to the end. However, I found the ending of the book anticlimactic and disappointing. The tension builds to a crescendo and then basically fizzles out. The story was so compelling but I couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied by the ending.

I was a bit disappointed with this book but it won’t put me off reading Lisa Jewell’s novels as I do usually really enjoy them. This was one just wasn’t for me.

What to read next

If you enjoyed The Girls, I would definitely recommend reading more of Lisa Jewell’s other books. My personal favourites are The Family Upstairs and The Night She Disappeared.

If you’re a fan of crime and thriller novels, I would also recommend The Couple at No9 by Claire Douglas and The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh.