The Other Miss Jones: A twisty, gripping psych thriller that you won't be able to put down

by Sophie Flynn

Two women. One name. A terrifying, deadly secret.

She shares your name.

It’s how you meet the other Sally Jones, sparking an unusual friendship that you grow to trust, especially when your dad dies and your dream job is in danger.

So when she disappears suddenly, you are worried she may be in danger.

As you try to find her, you uncover a shocking truth about your friendship, which turns out not to be the chance encounter you once thought.

Was anything the other Sally ever told you real?

You thought she was a friend.

But she could bring your world crashing down.

A twisty, edge-of-your-seat thriller perfect for fans of Shari Lapena and B.A. Paris.

Praise for The Other Miss Jones:

‘A pacy, twisty mystery that draws you in immediately and keeps you guessing every step of the way.’ Natalie Chandler

‘A clever, complex thriller with unlikely heroes, nail biting tension, and twists that make your head spin.’ Sarah Clarke

‘Once again, Sophie Flynn keeps her readers emotionally charged until the last page.’ L.V. Matthews

‘This is the kind of thriller that has the reader racing to the end. Fast-paced and brilliantly plotted. I couldn’t put it down.’ Lisa Hall

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

Published April 24, 2025

About the author

Sophie is a Cotswolds based psychological thriller author with an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes. Her debut novel ALL MY LIES was published by Simon & Schuster in April 2021. She has since had more psychological thrillers published by Hera, including her latest release 'What Stays Unsaid' (May, 2024).

Alongside writing, Sophie is the Managing Director of Jericho Writers. After being awarded a place at Swanwick Writers’ Summer School on the TopWrite scheme for young writers in 2017, Sophie began writing short fiction. She has since had many stories published and placed in competitions with organisations such as Writing Magazine and The Cheltenham Literature Festival.

When not writing, Sophie can be mostly found on muddy walks with her husband and rescue dog or disappearing to Cornwall whenever possible.

Reviews

[Catherine Pinkett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this fast paced albeit predictable thriller. Our main protagonist was somewhat reckless in her decision making for someone from the Police Force. Hence rounding up to a 4* read for me

[Lauren Pattison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of slow throughout, then lots happened all at once at the end.

[Kacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say a 3.75 stars, I really didn’t like the character Amanda and her involvement towards the end made me lower the score. The main story itself was good I did go through the book quickly and felt really bad for the other sally.

[Soumya Purohit · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Other Miss Jones" follows Sally Jones—your ordinary next-door girl—simple, emotional, and maybe a bit too naive. When she stumbles into a seemingly minor problem, her obsession with solving it spirals into something far more dangerous. What starts as a simple doubt turns into a tangled web of lies, family secrets, and hidden betrayals, all leading up to her upcoming wedding—a situation that makes you feel genuinely bad for her.
The book is divided into five parts, and I have to admit—the first half dragged quite a bit with minimal development. But once Part Three kicked in, the twists started unraveling, keeping me hooked as the hidden truths surfaced one by one. While the ending did manage to surprise me in some ways, I could predict certain plot points, which lessened the impact.
Overall, a decent thriller with a slow build-up but a rewarding second half. If you enjoy domestic suspense with layers of doubt and deception, this one might be worth picking up!"*

⭐ Final Verdict: Slow start, decent twists, but a bit predictable.
I want to thank @netgalley and @canelo_co for the ARC.

[Ashley Sawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Other Miss Jones by Sophie Flynn is a quick and twisty thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.

Sally Jones is not the type of person to let things go easily. When she befriends a woman online with the same name as her, Sally is excited to have a friend that she can trust and who will be there for her even from across the computer screen. But when the other Sally disappears, Sally Jones is worried that her friend is in danger. What started out as simple correspondence with a woman who had the same name turns into a tangled web of secrets and lies. Who is the other Sally Jones? Was anything she said actually true?

The Other Miss Jones is divided up into five parts. The first half somewhat felt like it dragged a bit but then it quickly picks up as more as revealed. Our main character Sally was somewhat frustrating, I was yelling at her to just look at what was glaringly obvious! Overall I liked this novel, it was a quick and easy read that I could get lost into for a day. I would definitely be interested in checking out more by Sophie Flynn!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Flynn, and Hera Books for this ARC! Publication date is April 24th 2025.

[cosylittlereadingcorner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sally Jones, struggling with grief after losing her Dad and with the realisation he won’t be there to share her wedding day to Nathan, ends up taking a short break from her job as a call handler in the Command Control Centre, dealing with 999 calls. She is not good at wrestling with her feelings and thoughts, much better at trying to ‘save’ others so when an email lands in her inbox for another Sally Jones about getting evicted from her flat, she decides to focus on that. For the two Sallys have been chatting to each other online for years now, following an incorrectly addressed email that was sent to one but meant for the other Sally. No one knows about their friendship so when Sally decides to go and seek out the other Sally to see if she can help her, she does this in secret. Little does she know that the life the other Sally has painted for her in her emails is nothing like the reality and that there may be more to their friendship than it first appears. Who is watching who? Who knows who? And what has everyone done? ‘Call handler’ Sally Jones is unwittingly about to change her own life forever…

[Laura Connelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Other Miss Jones follows the protagonist Sally Jones who has an email friendship with another Sally Jones. The main Sally is struggling with the grief of losing her Dad and is put on enforced leave. The other Sally disappears so Sally begins to investigate this, and finding out things aren’t what they seemed to be. As she investigates further, she finds out secrets, deception and a dangerous side to their connection which could unravel her entire life.

This book has excellent pacing, with plenty of twists, hidden truths and revelations which will keep you reading late into the night. Throughout, we have family loss, career jeopardy and betrayal which makes this book more than a thriller. The main Sally is relatable, with some of her attributes causing frustration yet contribute to the realism of this story. The idea of having someone stealing your name and coming into your life was what intrigued me most about this book. This book was a proper page turner for me, hooking me in from the first page and kept me guessing till the end.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so I figured out the first twist less than 10% of the way into the book. Or maybe it was the first two twists? Either way, it made for a slow start. I tried to decide whether the author intended the reader to know these things so early, but I am not really sure. Finally things started moving along and more twists were revealed and then we got to the end and the rest of the twists were revealed, but even at that point they still felt somewhat predictable. Through it all, I really struggled with the idea that this was taking place two weeks prior to Sally's wedding day. This would be a good read for the beach or a vacation where you need to be able to put it down and pick back up and remember what was happening, but I wouldn't pick it up expecting big shocking twists and surprises.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.

[Lost Vegas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the premise so dove right in.

At first I was asked to believe someone who works with the police was stupid enough to take on an investigation on their own, fair enough I thought. A little bit of artistic license. But then I was asked to believe that this person was also unaware of any danger and hardly capable of thinking for herself.

There isn’t a single “reveal” in this book is pointless, you will have worked it out and you’ll be surprised that this information is given to you as if it’s new.

This is not a book for those that like a bare minimum amount of sense and believability in their books BUT it may well satisfy those who like a very quirky novel for a quick read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me this eARC, in exchange for an honest review.

[Farah G · Rating 3 out of 5]

What do you do when your friend disappears? Even (especially) if you haven't known her that long. Well, you try to find her, obviously!

The thing is, you may discover - when you begin going down that rabbit hole - rather more than you expect. For example, that it was not a coincidence that brought her into your life. Or even that the fact that you apparently share name is no coincidence either! All of which leaves you wondering what, if anything, you really know about your namesake...

This is a tale with plenty of twists and turns, delivered with in a fast-paced piece of storytelling. It gets 3.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[David Beniston · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy crime fiction and realise that it is fiction and not reality but this is crime fantasy in the extreme.The plot/story is so full of holes, it just could not have happened. everything about asmanda Yates is faulty. Why would she have assumed that Nathan was the father of Natalie's baby? Why when Nathan knocked out Shane did she think is was a good idea to murder him, he was no danger to anyone. How come Abigail was adopted by Chloe & Matt? how did Amanda keep appearing at the exact place Natalie was? Why did Graham Jones help her? How could a retired polce officer just get Sally her job back? Why didn't the police investigate any of the crimes of which there were numerous?
No i am sorry this is garbage with a capital G unless you are willing to accept the fantasy.

[Megan Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone with a common name myself I found the premise for this plausible and funny. Although as the plot got going I did think the events and reasonings of the characters were a bit odd. The plot was okay although again I thought it a bit strange in places and the actions of Sally were bizarre at times.
This book has twists in it but I had them worked out very early on so I was not surprised. I would not have minded this except I thought something could have been thrown in to inject some excitement into the latter half.
I still enjoyed this book but I was anticipating more from it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for an advance copy.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured The Other Miss Jones! From the first few pages I was instantly hooked and found myself picking up the book any moment I could. Sophie Flynn has masterfully plotted this story and it kept me guessing and wondering who to trust the whole way through. It is so pacey I had to know what happened next, but somehow she's made it all feel plausible whilst being jaw dropping.
I loved the quirky idea of accidently crossing paths with your 'name twin' and feeling a spark of connection and affinity through it.
I finished the book in a couple of days but I know I'll be thinking about it for a long while.
Another brilliant novel from the prolific Sophie Flynn!

[Lozza🧸 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very fast paced and intriguing and i really enjoyed how it moved through the story and was using the twists and turns to build more suspense.
I’m not usually a fan of domestic thrillers but i enjoyed this one as the undertones of police corruption added to the storyline and built more up around the main plot.
The writing style was okay but i didn’t find myself majorly impressed by it and felt it could’ve been manipulated a bit to keep me interested but it wasn’t the worst.
For my first book by this author i felt it was a good introduction and made me want to have a look at the rest of her catalogue.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was delighted to be an ARC reader for Sophie Flynn’s latest novel, due to be published on 24th April by Hera Books.

I was drawn in from the very first page of the Prologue, found myself willing Sally to connect the dots, and wondering why she couldn’t work out what was staring her in the face!

As the book progressed, I was certain I knew what the ending would be, and was pleasantly surprised to see that I was wrong, with the biggest surprise in the epilogue.

I very much enjoyed the book, and would recommend.

[KathVBtn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A misaddressed email delivered to the wrong Sally Jones is the catalyst for a long distance friendship between our narrator Sally Jones and the other one. Narrator Sally believes they have built up a close friendship over the years, talking about children, houses , jobs etc. When she sees an email for the other Sally saying she’s due to be evicted, narrator Sally decides she has to take some practical action.

This sets off a rapidly unravelling chain of events encompassing narrator Sally’s past present and future. It’s a quick paced fast moving story that kept me gripped.

[Tatyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little unrealistic for me. The idea that someone would instantly befriend another person just because they share a name? That felt like a stretch. And the characters kept making wild decisions with zero hesitation—who actually does that?

Would I recommend it? Maybe to someone who enjoys fast-paced thrillers and doesn’t mind suspending disbelief. But if you’re looking for a story with depth and realism, this might not be your cup of tea.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a digital ARC through NetGalley and Hera Books. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

I picked up this book because the premise was very promising. The story about two women with the same name sounded twisty and interesting.

This book was ok, the beginning sort of dragged on and some of the twists were pretty predictable, but after you get through the first half the book read really fast. I liked the characters enough, but they didn't stand out to me all that much.

[Sophie Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's my book, so I think it's pretty good! The idea came about around ten years ago when the 'other' Sophie Flynn emailed me. It took me ten years to work out how to turn the idea of misdirected emails and a virtual friend with the same name into a whole book, but here it is.

My favourite character is Tiff and when I was drafting the book I had one scene titled 'Sally finds a cat' that remains my favourite chapter.

I hope you enjoy the book!

[Susan Abbey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of Sally Jones is a complex, intriguing mix of red herrings. A bit long winded on the efforts Police Officer Sally Jones is making to find her - on line friend Sally Jones. I just could not comprehend why anyone would go to such lengths. When she is obviously being katfished by some random person. All is not as it seems on the family front - her soon to be husband and his family have some pretty deep secrets.

[Sherbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I’d actually give this book 4.5 stars overall. It was gripping with twists that you kind of saw coming but were still shocking nonetheless. The writes style really made me loathe some of the characters and their attitudes towards people who a groomed and coerced into a life of crime. Great book

[Fleurtje Eliza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed finding out part of this book was based on an identical mixup, but overall the story was a bit slow and the ending unexpected but also a bit much to be honest.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

[Lauren Clough · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend it. I wasn’t that surprised by the twist but it still kept me interested right to the end. The characters are well written and there are no slow parts which I loved.

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do if you met someone with the same name as you?

Only reason I bought this was due to me being a "Miss Jones" in a previous life Lol x

Another fast paced great easy read, couple of unexpected twists at the very end - wondering if there is a follow up?

[Lauren Swan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good quick read. Read it over a few hours and it had me page turning. The main character is slightly frustrating at the start but the ending was good 😊

[Kay Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic book literally had me so engaged from start to finish

[Leanne Hardacre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this so fast. What a page turner 😄

[Chanel Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was certainly intrigued by the premise, but honestly, it was just too much of a slow burner for me. The story dragged so much, and while there was a twist or two that I enjoyed, most of it was fairly predictable and unconvincing.
I still have another book from this author on my Kindle, so I'll give it a go, but unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me.

Thank you, Netgalley, for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jenny M · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This story is about Sally Jones, who is virtual friends with another Sally Jones. When the other Sally Jones goes missing, our Sally becomes consumed with finding out what happened to her. Turns out everything Sally thought that she knew about the other Sally was a complete lie.

This was a quick and easy read. It is a bit slow to start but picks up pretty quickly. There are some good twists and turns, I guessed some but I was surprised by others. It was fun to connect the dots to figure out what was happening. Overall, I enjoyed this one

Thank you Hera Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.