The Girl Who Survived

   In this blog post, I reviewed Lisa Jackson’s The Girl Who Survived. This dark romantic  thriller is so warped and bone-numbing that keeps you in suspense.  At the tender age of eight, Kara McIntyre had witnessed an atrocity when she lost her whole family to a bloody massacre. Saved by her sister Marlie who later vanished, her step-brother Jonas was accused of the murders. Now after his release due to new evidence, the past had come back to haunt her, while she searched for the truth about what happened that night and why. But it wasn’t easy when someone kept an eye on her and sent her mysterious text messages. And new murders had turned up on the twentieth anniversary for her on that cold and viscous night. Then she ran into Wesley Tate, the son of the man who saved her life in the lake, while losing his own. He was also after the same answers for her. Together, they teamed up to work on this puzzle while they unearthed new clues and she needed a place to hide, going through her distorted and faded memories. The only way to face her fears was to the place where it all started for her at her former home. But in the end, it was a life-and-death battle to remember and to escape from another harrowing ordeal.

This chilling thriller would have you gasping at every turned page. I cared for Kara and became connected to her and her journey to discover the truth. She had lost everyone she cared about in a brutal act of violence, and had the scars to prove and live through it. Now, it happened all over for her. But she had found a formidable alley in Wesley, who wanted to care about her and protect her like his late father did. The dual locations of Whimstick and Bend Oregon painted bone-chilling scenic settings to transport you there. The theme of the story is that you can’t hide from your past, but having a revengeful greed is a lethal sin. 

This shocking romantic thriller will give you goosebumps and chill your skin. I rated this book, four out of five stars, for no reason. If you love heart-stopping romantic thrillers with non-stop action, plenty of dramatic suspense, and bone-numbing twists, The Girl Who Survived will deliver. This is recommended for fans of Karen Rose, Erica Spindler, Laura McHigh, and all romantic and dark thriller movies and novels.