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Where Lost Girls Go
Not yet published
Expected 7 Jul 26From New York Times bestselling author Kody Keplinger comes an addicting read that's The Girls by Emma Cline meets The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson. There are many reasons why six girls have ended up living with Sol in a cabin deep in the Kentucky woods. But the girls don't talk about what has brought them each here or who they were before. The have become sisters and are grateful to have a place to call home.Iris knows she owes everything to Sol. He has promised to keep them safe from their pasts. All he asks in return is for their loyalty, which Iris freely gives. With her sisters and Sol as her family, she feels happier than she has in a long time.Until a new girl arrives and everything changes.Sol dubs her Rose and the sisters are quick to welcome her. Iris is drawn Rose, but as they grow closer, Rose has Iris questioning things about this life in the woods. When Sol notices, he challenges Iris to prove her commitment to their family. Her sisters tell her that she should be willing to do anything for the man who saved her. But with each new ask, Iris realizes there is more to Sol-and her sisters-than she knows and some secret should stay buried deep.New York Times bestselling author Kody Keplinger weaves a stunning story about girlhood, power, and desperation that asks just how far we'll go to save ourselves-and those we love.
- GenresYoung AdultContemporary
336 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication July 7, 2026
116 people want to read
About the author
Kody Keplinger
18 books6,755 followersI'm a 19-year-old college student and young adult author. My first book, THE DUFF, debuted on September 7, 2010. I write books for teenagers and strive to be honest and true-to-life. For more info, check out my website.
http://kodykeplinger.com
http://kodykeplinger.com
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 16, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
This is the first book by Kody Keplinger that I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. Where Lost Girls Go, had me trying to guess what would happen next throughout the story. I don’t want to give anything away, but the ending surprised me in a way I hadn’t thought. If you don’t want to read any spoilers… please stop reading now!
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We have two POVs throughout the story- Caela and Iris’s. Let’s just say, I’m not sure if I’m just dumb or if it was intentional the way the author wrote this. I was convinced that Rose was Caela and Iris was Iris. But it turns out Iri was Caela. Caela’s POV is told in third person, while Iris’s POV is first person. Like I said, I’m not sure if it’s just me, or if the author did that intentionally(as a way to throw the reader off?) It’s not exactly a plot twist, but I was a shock when I was expecting finally know Iris’s real name, only to find out I already knew it. Now that I think of it, I could also talk about how me believing or thinking that Caela was Rose and Iris wasn’t, could do with identity and exploring that. I feel like I’m not making sense, but hopefully once more ARCs are read or when it is released, I can talk about it with other people and see what they think!
While it is YA, the story doesn’t feel like a typical YA book. Yes, the girls’ ages range from 16 to early twenties, but the topics and themes throughout are a little darker. I usually am apprehensive about YA books, but I now believe that is only the case when it comes to YA romance. Yes, there is a little bit of sapphic romance in the story, but Where Lost Girls Go, is so much more than that. Ugh, I wish I had someone to talk to about this book. It’s definitely one that could easily be a book club book due to the themes and motifs that could be explored. I would definitely recommend this book and author to anyone over the age of 14ish.
Easily a 5 star read!!!
This is the first book by Kody Keplinger that I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. Where Lost Girls Go, had me trying to guess what would happen next throughout the story. I don’t want to give anything away, but the ending surprised me in a way I hadn’t thought. If you don’t want to read any spoilers… please stop reading now!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
We have two POVs throughout the story- Caela and Iris’s. Let’s just say, I’m not sure if I’m just dumb or if it was intentional the way the author wrote this. I was convinced that Rose was Caela and Iris was Iris. But it turns out Iri was Caela. Caela’s POV is told in third person, while Iris’s POV is first person. Like I said, I’m not sure if it’s just me, or if the author did that intentionally(as a way to throw the reader off?) It’s not exactly a plot twist, but I was a shock when I was expecting finally know Iris’s real name, only to find out I already knew it. Now that I think of it, I could also talk about how me believing or thinking that Caela was Rose and Iris wasn’t, could do with identity and exploring that. I feel like I’m not making sense, but hopefully once more ARCs are read or when it is released, I can talk about it with other people and see what they think!
While it is YA, the story doesn’t feel like a typical YA book. Yes, the girls’ ages range from 16 to early twenties, but the topics and themes throughout are a little darker. I usually am apprehensive about YA books, but I now believe that is only the case when it comes to YA romance. Yes, there is a little bit of sapphic romance in the story, but Where Lost Girls Go, is so much more than that. Ugh, I wish I had someone to talk to about this book. It’s definitely one that could easily be a book club book due to the themes and motifs that could be explored. I would definitely recommend this book and author to anyone over the age of 14ish.
Easily a 5 star read!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Scholastic Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Kody Keplinger’s “Where Lost Girls Go” is a tense, emotionally charged YA book that combines cult psychology, coming-of-age vulnerability, and a tender sapphic romance into a story that’s as unsettling as it is heartfelt. Though marketed as young adult, the book tackles darker, more mature themes than typical YA fare with grief, predatory manipulation, trauma bonding, and the desperate human need to belong. The romance is clean, and the story can still be suitable for younger YA readers to help introduce them to the red flag behavior of the following’s leader.
The story follows two perspectives: Iris, told in an intimate first-person voice, and Caela, narrated in third person. Both perspectives show what happens when you both lose and regain control of your own life. And control is the very thing Sol, the charismatic but deeply manipulative leader of the secluded woodland “family,” craves most.
The setup is chillingly realistic: a group of girls, most minors and all traumatized or adrift, living isolated in a cabin with a man who promises salvation, safety, and a new beginning. In reality, Sol has groomed them into dependency through psychological manipulation, escalating “trials,” and strict loyalty tests. There’s no sexual abuse in the story, but Sol’s need for power is insidious, cult-like, and deeply damaging. He feeds the girls poorly, withholds information, and pushes Iris into increasingly dangerous and illegal tasks to prove her devotion.
The girls themselves are the emotional heart of the book. They come with flower names like Rose, Iris, and others, and this is a motif that underscores both their fragility and their resilience. Their bond feels genuine, forged through shared pain and the desperate longing for family they never truly had. When Rose arrives, the group dynamic shifts: she clings to Iris, Iris clings back, and a slow-blooming sapphic romance begins to take shape. Their connection is tender, hesitant, and a key catalyst in Iris’s awakening.
Flashbacks deepen Iris’s character, showing the grief, loneliness, and past mistakes that left her vulnerable to Sol’s influence. It’s easy to ache for her, and for all the girls as each of them was shaped by a world that failed them long before Sol ever did.
The mystery surrounding Sol’s true intentions and the cabin’s secrets starts strong. A few side characters could have used more development, and an epilogue would have strengthened the already satisfying ending. Still, the story’s emotional beats land powerfully, especially as Iris begins to question Sol, reclaim her identity, and fight, literally, for her freedom.
The final act delivers danger, blood, and real stakes, but its strongest moment is Iris choosing herself: her safety, her future, her right to exist outside the confines of someone else's control.
Overall, “Where Lost Girls Go” is a gripping, thoughtful, and often heartbreaking look at how predators build power and how young women find the strength to break that power apart. It’s a perfect choice for readers who appreciate YA that doesn’t sugarcoat trauma, and who want a story that balances darkness with resilience, danger with hope.
Kody Keplinger’s “Where Lost Girls Go” is a tense, emotionally charged YA book that combines cult psychology, coming-of-age vulnerability, and a tender sapphic romance into a story that’s as unsettling as it is heartfelt. Though marketed as young adult, the book tackles darker, more mature themes than typical YA fare with grief, predatory manipulation, trauma bonding, and the desperate human need to belong. The romance is clean, and the story can still be suitable for younger YA readers to help introduce them to the red flag behavior of the following’s leader.
The story follows two perspectives: Iris, told in an intimate first-person voice, and Caela, narrated in third person. Both perspectives show what happens when you both lose and regain control of your own life. And control is the very thing Sol, the charismatic but deeply manipulative leader of the secluded woodland “family,” craves most.
The setup is chillingly realistic: a group of girls, most minors and all traumatized or adrift, living isolated in a cabin with a man who promises salvation, safety, and a new beginning. In reality, Sol has groomed them into dependency through psychological manipulation, escalating “trials,” and strict loyalty tests. There’s no sexual abuse in the story, but Sol’s need for power is insidious, cult-like, and deeply damaging. He feeds the girls poorly, withholds information, and pushes Iris into increasingly dangerous and illegal tasks to prove her devotion.
The girls themselves are the emotional heart of the book. They come with flower names like Rose, Iris, and others, and this is a motif that underscores both their fragility and their resilience. Their bond feels genuine, forged through shared pain and the desperate longing for family they never truly had. When Rose arrives, the group dynamic shifts: she clings to Iris, Iris clings back, and a slow-blooming sapphic romance begins to take shape. Their connection is tender, hesitant, and a key catalyst in Iris’s awakening.
Flashbacks deepen Iris’s character, showing the grief, loneliness, and past mistakes that left her vulnerable to Sol’s influence. It’s easy to ache for her, and for all the girls as each of them was shaped by a world that failed them long before Sol ever did.
The mystery surrounding Sol’s true intentions and the cabin’s secrets starts strong. A few side characters could have used more development, and an epilogue would have strengthened the already satisfying ending. Still, the story’s emotional beats land powerfully, especially as Iris begins to question Sol, reclaim her identity, and fight, literally, for her freedom.
The final act delivers danger, blood, and real stakes, but its strongest moment is Iris choosing herself: her safety, her future, her right to exist outside the confines of someone else's control.
Overall, “Where Lost Girls Go” is a gripping, thoughtful, and often heartbreaking look at how predators build power and how young women find the strength to break that power apart. It’s a perfect choice for readers who appreciate YA that doesn’t sugarcoat trauma, and who want a story that balances darkness with resilience, danger with hope.
November 24, 2025
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the arc!
Minor spoilers ahead.
This was another fast, intriguing read. We follow two POVs: Iris and Michaela, jumping back and forth in the timeline. In Michaela's timeline, we watch as she's forced to move in with her uncaring mother after the sudden death of her father. At the same time, from Iris' chapters, we explore a group of girls who live in a remote house with Sol, a man who "saved" them from hard situations. Each of the girls, Iris, Lily, Violet, Poppy, Zinnia, and the newcomer, Rose, have complicated pasts they're trying to escape.
As Rose adjusts to life with Sol, she and Iris get closer and closer, a fact that Sol doesn't quite approve of. Iris, who has been there for nearly a year, is starting her trials, a way to prove her devotion to the family, and as the tasks become increasingly more intense, she begins to question whether her blind loyalty is really such a good thing.
Michaela, or Caela, as she goes by, struggles to adjust to life with her mom and stepfather. Lonely, she begins to make poor choices to try to keep her only friend. These choices lead to her eventually being kicked out by her mother and stepfather. As the reader, we can quickly see where her story is headed as the two POVs start to intertwine.
I did like this book, but it definitely reads on the younger side of YA, despite the dark themes. I probably would've been very drawn to this at around 14 or 15. It is dark at points, but it never edges too far. It also does really remind me of The Cellar books, with all the characters having flower names and the general vibe.
I struggled to be really drawn into the story, as I don't think the backstories of the girls were fleshed out enough for me to believe they would leave everything they had to live with some random man who can barely provide for them. I wish that maybe the reasons for their devotion to Sol could have been developed more, because as the reader, I didn't really buy it.
I liked all of the girls for the most part, though I sometimes struggled to remember who was who, since only Rose and Iris get significant character development. The Marigold mystery was intriguing but a bit predictable. I did like Rose and Iris's relationship, though, and thought they were cute together.
I thought the ending was satisfying enough, though there were a few loose ends that I wish had been tied up a little better.
What really got me, and maybe this is just me being stupid (major spoiler warning), is that I had no idea that Iris was Caela. For some reason, I definitely thought Rose was her, so when that was revealed, I was shocked! That was a good twist, even if it was unintentional.
Overall, this was not a bad book. I did enjoy it and liked how fast-paced it was. The two POVs were interesting, though I was more invested in Iris'. I just wish it had gone further!
3 stars
Minor spoilers ahead.
This was another fast, intriguing read. We follow two POVs: Iris and Michaela, jumping back and forth in the timeline. In Michaela's timeline, we watch as she's forced to move in with her uncaring mother after the sudden death of her father. At the same time, from Iris' chapters, we explore a group of girls who live in a remote house with Sol, a man who "saved" them from hard situations. Each of the girls, Iris, Lily, Violet, Poppy, Zinnia, and the newcomer, Rose, have complicated pasts they're trying to escape.
As Rose adjusts to life with Sol, she and Iris get closer and closer, a fact that Sol doesn't quite approve of. Iris, who has been there for nearly a year, is starting her trials, a way to prove her devotion to the family, and as the tasks become increasingly more intense, she begins to question whether her blind loyalty is really such a good thing.
Michaela, or Caela, as she goes by, struggles to adjust to life with her mom and stepfather. Lonely, she begins to make poor choices to try to keep her only friend. These choices lead to her eventually being kicked out by her mother and stepfather. As the reader, we can quickly see where her story is headed as the two POVs start to intertwine.
I did like this book, but it definitely reads on the younger side of YA, despite the dark themes. I probably would've been very drawn to this at around 14 or 15. It is dark at points, but it never edges too far. It also does really remind me of The Cellar books, with all the characters having flower names and the general vibe.
I struggled to be really drawn into the story, as I don't think the backstories of the girls were fleshed out enough for me to believe they would leave everything they had to live with some random man who can barely provide for them. I wish that maybe the reasons for their devotion to Sol could have been developed more, because as the reader, I didn't really buy it.
I liked all of the girls for the most part, though I sometimes struggled to remember who was who, since only Rose and Iris get significant character development. The Marigold mystery was intriguing but a bit predictable. I did like Rose and Iris's relationship, though, and thought they were cute together.
I thought the ending was satisfying enough, though there were a few loose ends that I wish had been tied up a little better.
What really got me, and maybe this is just me being stupid (major spoiler warning), is that I had no idea that Iris was Caela. For some reason, I definitely thought Rose was her, so when that was revealed, I was shocked! That was a good twist, even if it was unintentional.
Overall, this was not a bad book. I did enjoy it and liked how fast-paced it was. The two POVs were interesting, though I was more invested in Iris'. I just wish it had gone further!
3 stars
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book was fantastic. I read it in a day. I didn't want to put it down.
I'm a high school librarian. I've been forced to start reading books through the lens of book banners, since I live in a very ban happy county. Over 600 books and counting and our school board is so proud to be "protecting" our children from literature. This is the kind of book a book banner would love to remove from the shelves. But not because it has swearing, sex, drinking, drug use, or graphic violence. It doesn't have any of those things. It's about a girl whose life changes overnight. She goes from living in a loving, stable home, to having her whole life uprooted through no fault of her own. Conversely, we also see the story of Iris. A girl who has fought to put her life back together with the help of a band of misfits. But this wouldn't be a story if there wasn't trouble in paradise. It's also a story about nonsexual grooming. It's a story about adults trying to convince kids to do the wrong thing and then the kids have to figure out what right and wrong really is. It's a story about loyalty and what it looks like. But the book banners won't like a story about young women learning to use their voice against a charismatic, controlling man who just wants to help a ragtag group of teenage girls. Nope. And that my friends, is exactly why you should read it.
I'm a high school librarian. I've been forced to start reading books through the lens of book banners, since I live in a very ban happy county. Over 600 books and counting and our school board is so proud to be "protecting" our children from literature. This is the kind of book a book banner would love to remove from the shelves. But not because it has swearing, sex, drinking, drug use, or graphic violence. It doesn't have any of those things. It's about a girl whose life changes overnight. She goes from living in a loving, stable home, to having her whole life uprooted through no fault of her own. Conversely, we also see the story of Iris. A girl who has fought to put her life back together with the help of a band of misfits. But this wouldn't be a story if there wasn't trouble in paradise. It's also a story about nonsexual grooming. It's a story about adults trying to convince kids to do the wrong thing and then the kids have to figure out what right and wrong really is. It's a story about loyalty and what it looks like. But the book banners won't like a story about young women learning to use their voice against a charismatic, controlling man who just wants to help a ragtag group of teenage girls. Nope. And that my friends, is exactly why you should read it.
November 13, 2025
A very heartfelt story of young women who are accepting and dealing with their traumas and anxieties while adjusting to a new "family" life among the other girls. Acceptance is important to them and when a new girl is brought to the cabin, she clings to Rose as becomes a new sister to them all.
My heart aches for these girls and what they went through. I also love how most of the girls have flower names (Rose, Iris, etc). It reminds me of another book I read with a similar theme and character names but I still enjoyed it nonetheless.
I would love to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC book in exchange for an honest review.
My heart aches for these girls and what they went through. I also love how most of the girls have flower names (Rose, Iris, etc). It reminds me of another book I read with a similar theme and character names but I still enjoyed it nonetheless.
I would love to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC book in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews