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It Could Have Been Her
10 hours, 41 minutes
#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell brings her signature dark, atmospheric suspense and sharp acuity to this new psychological thriller about a lost dog, a missing woman, and a mysterious house.
Jane Trevally is walking her dogs on her country estate one May afternoon when a small white dog appears. The teenaged girl that had been staying nearby with the dog is nowhere to be found, and Jane decides to return the dog to his registered owner hours away in London, in the deepest backwaters of Hampstead. But when Jane arrives, she is immediately unsettled—because Jane has a dark history with this house.
The man who answers the door tells her the dog, Hugo, must have been stolen from the Heath, but Jane very much doubts that is true. Through the window, she catches a glimpse of a haunted-looking woman, not the missing girl she’d hoped to find.
Facing a crossroads similar to the one that first led her to this home twenty-five years ago, Jane knows that the house holds the key—to the missing teenager, to the lost dog, and to dark secrets they’d all rather leave buried
#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell brings her signature dark, atmospheric suspense and sharp acuity to this new psychological thriller about a lost dog, a missing woman, and a mysterious house.
Jane Trevally is walking her dogs on her country estate one May afternoon when a small white dog appears. The teenaged girl that had been staying nearby with the dog is nowhere to be found, and Jane decides to return the dog to his registered owner hours away in London, in the deepest backwaters of Hampstead. But when Jane arrives, she is immediately unsettled—because Jane has a dark history with this house.
The man who answers the door tells her the dog, Hugo, must have been stolen from the Heath, but Jane very much doubts that is true. Through the window, she catches a glimpse of a haunted-looking woman, not the missing girl she’d hoped to find.
Facing a crossroads similar to the one that first led her to this home twenty-five years ago, Jane knows that the house holds the key—to the missing teenager, to the lost dog, and to dark secrets they’d all rather leave buried
Audiobook
First published June 23, 2026
About the author
Lisa Jewell
40 books96.3k followersLISA JEWELL was born in London in 1968.
Her first novel, Ralph's Party, was the best- selling debut novel of 1999. Since then she has written another twenty novels, most recently a number of dark psychological thrillers, including The Girls, Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs and The Night She Disappeared.
Lisa is a New York Times and Sunday Times number one bestselling author who has been published worldwide in over twenty-five languages. She lives in north London with her husband, two teenage daughters and the best dog in the world.
Lisa's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/LisaJewelloff...
Her first novel, Ralph's Party, was the best- selling debut novel of 1999. Since then she has written another twenty novels, most recently a number of dark psychological thrillers, including The Girls, Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs and The Night She Disappeared.
Lisa is a New York Times and Sunday Times number one bestselling author who has been published worldwide in over twenty-five languages. She lives in north London with her husband, two teenage daughters and the best dog in the world.
Lisa's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/LisaJewelloff...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,258 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
— 3/5 stars
If you know me, you know how much I love thrillers and Lisa Jewell’s books especially. I genuinely adore her writing, and the premise of this book immediately caught my attention. It felt fresh and different, something I hadn’t really read before, so my curiosity was already at its peak. When I received the ARC, I was honestly over the moon. I was so excited, so grateful, and fully ready to dive in.
That being said, this book didn’t completely work for me in the way I expected it to. The pacing threw me off a little. I’m someone who loves fast-paced thrillers, the kind that pull you in within a chapter or two and don’t let go. This one took its time and I mean a lot of time. It took me nearly 50%-60% of the book, roughly around 150 pages, to fully settle into the story. I found myself constantly trying to figure out who was who and what role each character played, which slowed down my reading experience.
However, once everything started falling into place, I kinda enjoyed it. The writing was solid, the characters were well written, and the tension slowly but surely built up.
➳ ABOUT THE BOOK
Okay, so this story follows Jane Trevally, a woman living a quiet, slightly isolated life in a huge house she inherited from her parents, along with her four dogs. Everything feels calm and familiar until one day she finds a strange dog named Hugo wandering around her backyard. Naturally, her first thought is to figure out who he belongs to, and that simple curiosity ends up opening a door she was never meant to walk through.
While searching for Hugo’s owner, Jane comes across Stuart Tucker, a man who immediately gives off unsettling vibes. Things take an even darker turn when Jane realizes that Stuart lives in the very place where she was supposedly kidnapped twenty years ago. That discovery leaves her shaken and full of questions why this place, why him, and why does everything about the area feel so… wrong? The deeper she looks, the more she senses that something dangerous is hiding beneath the surface.
As Jane continues digging, she learns that Hugo belonged to a girl named Daisy, who mysteriously disappeared. From that moment on, Jane becomes determined to uncover who Daisy was and how her disappearance connects to both Hugo and the house tied to Jane’s own past. The story fully revolves around Jane piecing together these haunting connections, trying to understand Stuart’s strange behavior, and unraveling the dark truth that has been quietly lurking in the background all along.
➳ FINAL THOUGHTS
Okay, let me be very honest here while I genuinely love Lisa Jewell’s books, this one just didn’t fully work for me. I went into it with pretty high expectations, maybe a little too high, because I kept waiting for something more… and it never quite arrived. The story felt like it was moving in circles at times, and that made the reading experience a bit frustrating.
Most of the twists were sadly predictable for me. Out of all of them, there was only one that truly caught me off guard the kind that makes you stop, stare at the wall, and rethink everything. But aside from that moment, I could see most things coming from a mile away. The writing itself was decent and very readable, but it took me forever to actually get into the story. I usually finish thrillers in three to four days, but this one took me around fifteen days, which honestly says a lot.
Don’t get me wrong, I was absolutely thrilled to receive the ARC and so grateful for it. I was genuinely on cloud nine when it got approved. But somewhere along the way, the book started feeling like it lacked depth, pace, or that signature Lisa Jewell spark I usually love. Her books often revolve around disappearance themes, which she does brilliantly, and while that element was present here, it just didn’t hit the same way this time.
Maybe it was my reading slump talking, and there’s a chance I might enjoy this book more if I revisit it later with a fresh mindset. But for now, it just didn’t give me the fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thrill I crave. I wanted a twist that would completely throw me off balance and while I did get one, it wasn’t enough to fully satisfy me. The character development also felt a bit lacking, and some chapters came across as fillers rather than adding real weight to the story.
⚘ "Overall, this wasn’t a bad book by any means, it just wasn’t the book for me right now. I wanted more intensity, more depth, and more of that jaw-dropping shock factor. Maybe next time, it’ll hit differently." 💌
— Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
౨ৎ pre-read:
⤿ started - 29 december , 2025
Got the ARC of my most anticipated read for 2026, ahhh I’m so excited 🤭🤌🏻
If you know me, you know how much I love thrillers and Lisa Jewell’s books especially. I genuinely adore her writing, and the premise of this book immediately caught my attention. It felt fresh and different, something I hadn’t really read before, so my curiosity was already at its peak. When I received the ARC, I was honestly over the moon. I was so excited, so grateful, and fully ready to dive in.
That being said, this book didn’t completely work for me in the way I expected it to. The pacing threw me off a little. I’m someone who loves fast-paced thrillers, the kind that pull you in within a chapter or two and don’t let go. This one took its time and I mean a lot of time. It took me nearly 50%-60% of the book, roughly around 150 pages, to fully settle into the story. I found myself constantly trying to figure out who was who and what role each character played, which slowed down my reading experience.
However, once everything started falling into place, I kinda enjoyed it. The writing was solid, the characters were well written, and the tension slowly but surely built up.
➳ ABOUT THE BOOK
Okay, so this story follows Jane Trevally, a woman living a quiet, slightly isolated life in a huge house she inherited from her parents, along with her four dogs. Everything feels calm and familiar until one day she finds a strange dog named Hugo wandering around her backyard. Naturally, her first thought is to figure out who he belongs to, and that simple curiosity ends up opening a door she was never meant to walk through.
While searching for Hugo’s owner, Jane comes across Stuart Tucker, a man who immediately gives off unsettling vibes. Things take an even darker turn when Jane realizes that Stuart lives in the very place where she was supposedly kidnapped twenty years ago. That discovery leaves her shaken and full of questions why this place, why him, and why does everything about the area feel so… wrong? The deeper she looks, the more she senses that something dangerous is hiding beneath the surface.
As Jane continues digging, she learns that Hugo belonged to a girl named Daisy, who mysteriously disappeared. From that moment on, Jane becomes determined to uncover who Daisy was and how her disappearance connects to both Hugo and the house tied to Jane’s own past. The story fully revolves around Jane piecing together these haunting connections, trying to understand Stuart’s strange behavior, and unraveling the dark truth that has been quietly lurking in the background all along.
➳ FINAL THOUGHTS
Okay, let me be very honest here while I genuinely love Lisa Jewell’s books, this one just didn’t fully work for me. I went into it with pretty high expectations, maybe a little too high, because I kept waiting for something more… and it never quite arrived. The story felt like it was moving in circles at times, and that made the reading experience a bit frustrating.
Most of the twists were sadly predictable for me. Out of all of them, there was only one that truly caught me off guard the kind that makes you stop, stare at the wall, and rethink everything. But aside from that moment, I could see most things coming from a mile away. The writing itself was decent and very readable, but it took me forever to actually get into the story. I usually finish thrillers in three to four days, but this one took me around fifteen days, which honestly says a lot.
Don’t get me wrong, I was absolutely thrilled to receive the ARC and so grateful for it. I was genuinely on cloud nine when it got approved. But somewhere along the way, the book started feeling like it lacked depth, pace, or that signature Lisa Jewell spark I usually love. Her books often revolve around disappearance themes, which she does brilliantly, and while that element was present here, it just didn’t hit the same way this time.
Maybe it was my reading slump talking, and there’s a chance I might enjoy this book more if I revisit it later with a fresh mindset. But for now, it just didn’t give me the fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thrill I crave. I wanted a twist that would completely throw me off balance and while I did get one, it wasn’t enough to fully satisfy me. The character development also felt a bit lacking, and some chapters came across as fillers rather than adding real weight to the story.
⚘ "Overall, this wasn’t a bad book by any means, it just wasn’t the book for me right now. I wanted more intensity, more depth, and more of that jaw-dropping shock factor. Maybe next time, it’ll hit differently." 💌
— Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
౨ৎ pre-read:
⤿ started - 29 december , 2025
Got the ARC of my most anticipated read for 2026, ahhh I’m so excited 🤭🤌🏻
July 20, 2026
Excellent, I absolutely loved this one! I have nothing negative to say about it.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
INJECT THIS WOMANS WRITING IN MY VEINS
It Could Have Been Her is a suspense thriller following Jane Trevally, who investigates the disappearance of a teenage girl after finding the girl's dog. The search leads Jane back to a creepy London house she escaped 25 years earlier, unravelling dark, long-buried family secrets.
My Thriller Queen is back with another dark unsettling, paranoia induced novel that will have you shook.
You know, the way I like to ingest Lisa’s books is by sitting all cozily in my chair with a glass of Rosé and a LOFI Chill beat playing in the background. This mantra of mine always has me getting overly consumed and lost in the fictional world that I am reading about.
Instantly I was drawn to Jane and remembered her from Lisa’s last book “Don’t Let Him In”. She is the type of woman that is easy to get along with and probably get mixed up into her sleuthing ways.
This is a heavily focused family drama book, and you shouldn’t go into it expecting jaw dropping twists and reveals. It’s one of those novels that makes you feel unsettled and nervy and you can’t help but be engrossed in the utter shambolic and downright depressing lives of the individuals involved.
I wont say too much about the characters, but what I will say is that they read so realistic and raw and if you have triggers around alcoholism, I will definitely advise to check trigger warnings beforehand.
The last 50 pages really take a heed and unresolved questions get answered but there’s also a lot ambiguity left and kudos to Lisa because this book will have me thinking about it for a long time.
I grinned like a Cheshire cat when in her acknowledgements she said she will be back with a new release in 2027….. frankly HURRY TF UP! I C-A-N-N-O-T W-A-I-T!!!!!
4.5 ⭐
Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for sending me an early arc of the book
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
pre read
*INTERNALLY SCREAMING*
My Thriller Queen is gracing us with a new book
I don't even need to read the blurb
I just know i am ready to dive into it NEOWWW!
🤍💚🤍💚🤍
Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for sending me an early arc of the book
It Could Have Been Her is a suspense thriller following Jane Trevally, who investigates the disappearance of a teenage girl after finding the girl's dog. The search leads Jane back to a creepy London house she escaped 25 years earlier, unravelling dark, long-buried family secrets.
My Thriller Queen is back with another dark unsettling, paranoia induced novel that will have you shook.
You know, the way I like to ingest Lisa’s books is by sitting all cozily in my chair with a glass of Rosé and a LOFI Chill beat playing in the background. This mantra of mine always has me getting overly consumed and lost in the fictional world that I am reading about.
Instantly I was drawn to Jane and remembered her from Lisa’s last book “Don’t Let Him In”. She is the type of woman that is easy to get along with and probably get mixed up into her sleuthing ways.
This is a heavily focused family drama book, and you shouldn’t go into it expecting jaw dropping twists and reveals. It’s one of those novels that makes you feel unsettled and nervy and you can’t help but be engrossed in the utter shambolic and downright depressing lives of the individuals involved.
I wont say too much about the characters, but what I will say is that they read so realistic and raw and if you have triggers around alcoholism, I will definitely advise to check trigger warnings beforehand.
The last 50 pages really take a heed and unresolved questions get answered but there’s also a lot ambiguity left and kudos to Lisa because this book will have me thinking about it for a long time.
I grinned like a Cheshire cat when in her acknowledgements she said she will be back with a new release in 2027….. frankly HURRY TF UP! I C-A-N-N-O-T W-A-I-T!!!!!
4.5 ⭐
Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for sending me an early arc of the book
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
pre read
*INTERNALLY SCREAMING*
My Thriller Queen is gracing us with a new book
I don't even need to read the blurb
I just know i am ready to dive into it NEOWWW!
🤍💚🤍💚🤍
Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for sending me an early arc of the book
June 29, 2026
My Reviews Can Also Be Found On:
The Book Review Crew Blog
⭐⭐⭐
It Could Have Been Her
Lisa Jewell
Publication Date: June 23rd, 2026
Simon & Schuster Canada | Atria Books
384 Pages
Amazon | Goodreads | Bookshop.org
Genre: General Fiction | Women's Fiction
This isn't a bad book by any means, and three stars isn't a bad rating; for me, it means the book was good. This is the typical dual-timeline thriller with a bunch of unsavoury characters you love to hate. Most notably, Jane from Don't Let Him In (which was two stars for me).
Twenty-five years in the past, Jane goes back to a secluded house with a strange man. She then hears a scream and something falling, and she flees. Now, middle-aged Jane is walking her dogs and comes across a terrier that is lost. She comes to find out that the girl who was staying nearby with the dog has vanished. Of course, Jane decides to drive the dog to its owner all the way to London. When she arrives there, it's Thornwood—the same house where she heard the scream and the thud twenty-five years ago.
When the door is answered, a creepy man is there and says he knows nothing about the missing girl. Jane doesn't believe him and notices a woman through the window. Jane doesn't buy this guy's answer; she knows the dog, the girl, and the house are all connected somehow, and she decides she is going to uncover all these secrets.
Jewell is a master at atmospheric, unsettling dread, but the uneven pacing (the middle was so very slow) and a very coincidental ending kept this book from being more than three stars for me. I enjoyed how creepy this book was, and Hampstead House is a character in its own right. There are lots of secrets in this tale, and Jane is like Gladys Kravitz, the nosy neighbour from Bewitched, but I was rooting for her even if she did seem a bit paranoid at times.
If you are looking for exciting twists or big surprises, you'll be disappointed, as I found it a tad slow. It's a solid, three-star, fun-for-the-weekend kind of read, but it's not close to Jewell's best work.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The Book Review Crew Blog
⭐⭐⭐
It Could Have Been Her
Lisa Jewell
Publication Date: June 23rd, 2026
Simon & Schuster Canada | Atria Books
384 Pages
Amazon | Goodreads | Bookshop.org
Genre: General Fiction | Women's Fiction
This isn't a bad book by any means, and three stars isn't a bad rating; for me, it means the book was good. This is the typical dual-timeline thriller with a bunch of unsavoury characters you love to hate. Most notably, Jane from Don't Let Him In (which was two stars for me).
Twenty-five years in the past, Jane goes back to a secluded house with a strange man. She then hears a scream and something falling, and she flees. Now, middle-aged Jane is walking her dogs and comes across a terrier that is lost. She comes to find out that the girl who was staying nearby with the dog has vanished. Of course, Jane decides to drive the dog to its owner all the way to London. When she arrives there, it's Thornwood—the same house where she heard the scream and the thud twenty-five years ago.
When the door is answered, a creepy man is there and says he knows nothing about the missing girl. Jane doesn't believe him and notices a woman through the window. Jane doesn't buy this guy's answer; she knows the dog, the girl, and the house are all connected somehow, and she decides she is going to uncover all these secrets.
Jewell is a master at atmospheric, unsettling dread, but the uneven pacing (the middle was so very slow) and a very coincidental ending kept this book from being more than three stars for me. I enjoyed how creepy this book was, and Hampstead House is a character in its own right. There are lots of secrets in this tale, and Jane is like Gladys Kravitz, the nosy neighbour from Bewitched, but I was rooting for her even if she did seem a bit paranoid at times.
If you are looking for exciting twists or big surprises, you'll be disappointed, as I found it a tad slow. It's a solid, three-star, fun-for-the-weekend kind of read, but it's not close to Jewell's best work.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
July 16, 2026
1.0 star —- And my nominee for the worst book I’ve read this year goes to “It Could Have Been Her”. I have been on a string of bad books lately, but this one takes the cake. I’m not really sure how I made it through the first half of this book because it was in a word dull. I mean, absolutely nothing happens. The book begins with this eccentric lady named Jane finding a dog and returning it to its owner found through microchip. When she later discovers that a young woman has gone missing in the same area, she decides to become an investigator and determine if she can link the missing woman to the home where she returned the dog. In a parallel plot, we learn the background of the owner of the dog and how he came to live at the home he currently resides. The story of Stuart’s life is very long and complicated and is as dull as watching paint dry. This is basically what the first 2/3 of the novel consists of. 😵💫. The book then moves on to tell the story of another family member, Jasper, and his story of leaving the home to be a clown in the circus.😳. The author is able to eventually tie all of these loose strings together to make some sense out of these very odd storylines. But, even though the plot ends up ‘making sense’ in the end, the road to getting there can best be described as a trail of tears. Is this the same Lisa Jewell who wrote two of my all time favorite thrillers in “The Night She Disappeared” and “Then She was Gone”? It is truly hard to believe it is the same author. I believe there are parts of the IRS tax code more scintillating than the first half of this book. Is this a beginning of the “Cari Mora” era (for you Thomas Harris lovers out there) for Jewell? I sure hope not. But in my opinion, her last two books have been definite clunkers. I was so excited to read “It Could Have Been Her” , but I wish that I “Could Have Been Anywhere Else” after about two hours into this one. I apologize ahead of time to those of you who enjoyed it, but it definitely wasn’t a book for those of us who love fast paced thrillers (or slow paced ones for that matter… oops there I go again.).
June 29, 2026
But there are fissures and scars in this house, something misaligned, something horribly, brutally broken, and I am determined to find out what it is.
2.5 stars. I liked this one slightly more than Don't Let Him In, but, to be honest, I think these last two Jewell books have been weakened by their own convolutions.
It took me forever to get into It Could Have Been Her and I think the three separate timelines and countless perspectives were the main reason. I really struggled to settle into the rhythm of the story during the first half, or even figure out what was happening when. I don't know why Jewell is so determined to tie her plots in knots when what she excels at is characterization and suspense (see None of This Is True, The Night She Disappeared, The Family Upstairs). Especially as it doesn't work anyway— anyone who's read a couple of thrillers will know exactly what's going on here.
This book brings back Jane from Don't Let Him In for a bit of amateur sleuthing. While out for a walk, she finds a little Westie terrier running loose with no owner in sight. The vet tracks down his owner who is miles away in London, but there's no sign of the teenage girl who the locals report seeing him with. When Jane returns the dog, she is shocked to find she knows the house. It is the same place something awful happened years ago, something she has never quite understood.
Jane is determined to find the missing girl and get to the bottom of whatever is going on at that house. Between her sleuthing, we get the decade-old perspective of Stuart, and various perspectives from a couple decades before that, too.
I found the first half very slow, and I don't think it was until the perspectives started to come together and make sense to one another, around the middle, that I started to enjoy the story. The second half was noticeably stronger and I did end up liking it. And Jasper worked well as a creepy bogeymen throughout.
Not a terrible book, but I long for another pulse-pounding pageturner like None of This Is True or The Night She Disappeared.
Please note that this contain depictions of abuse, rape and alcoholism.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3 stars
after reading this, i’d say that my first Lisa jewell book was a *partial* success. after the 50% mark, i literally couldn’t put this book down and finished it in less than a day, but the plot definitely was not the most clever or suspenseful that i’ve read. this book’s strongest quality is the addictiveness of it.
'it could have been her' follows jane, a middle-aged woman who wants something exciting to do with her life. a girl goes missing one day, and once Jane finds out that she has a connection to her, she goes down a rabbit hole to find her.
rating thrillers is always hard for me because i don’t read a lot of them. i think my i’ve decided that how i’ll rate them is how addicting/twisty they are, and this one definitely succeeded in the first category. the first half was honestly a drag to get through, but after that it was extremely easy to read.
a few complaints that i have is that there were many confusing things that weren’t solved at the end 😭. the ending was VERY unsatisfying (read: not shocking) and felt a bit rushed. idk, it felt like everything quickly found a solution at the end of the book and came together due to chance and not clever plotting including giving hints throughout the entirety of the book. i was also confused to why Jane was trying SO hard to solve this case? i guess when you’re a rich old person you don’t have anything to do but solve murder mysteries? ✋🏻
the beginning was also pretty confusing, but once i got past the 50% mark, everything started to make sense and i could enjoy the book.
overall, read if you want a grippy & fun time, (this one is very weird 🫣, specifically with one character that starts with a j)
⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹
ᝰ ⋆ ── preread ✶
first lisa jewell book! looking for an amazing plot twist 💆🏻♀️
❍ thank you so much to netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
after reading this, i’d say that my first Lisa jewell book was a *partial* success. after the 50% mark, i literally couldn’t put this book down and finished it in less than a day, but the plot definitely was not the most clever or suspenseful that i’ve read. this book’s strongest quality is the addictiveness of it.
'it could have been her' follows jane, a middle-aged woman who wants something exciting to do with her life. a girl goes missing one day, and once Jane finds out that she has a connection to her, she goes down a rabbit hole to find her.
rating thrillers is always hard for me because i don’t read a lot of them. i think my i’ve decided that how i’ll rate them is how addicting/twisty they are, and this one definitely succeeded in the first category. the first half was honestly a drag to get through, but after that it was extremely easy to read.
a few complaints that i have is that there were many confusing things that weren’t solved at the end 😭. the ending was VERY unsatisfying (read: not shocking) and felt a bit rushed. idk, it felt like everything quickly found a solution at the end of the book and came together due to chance and not clever plotting including giving hints throughout the entirety of the book. i was also confused to why Jane was trying SO hard to solve this case? i guess when you’re a rich old person you don’t have anything to do but solve murder mysteries? ✋🏻
the beginning was also pretty confusing, but once i got past the 50% mark, everything started to make sense and i could enjoy the book.
overall, read if you want a grippy & fun time, (this one is very weird 🫣, specifically with one character that starts with a j)
⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹
ᝰ ⋆ ── preread ✶
first lisa jewell book! looking for an amazing plot twist 💆🏻♀️
❍ thank you so much to netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 2, 2026
What in the anticlimactic ending was that? I really don’t know how to rate this.
This was going to be 4.5 stars for me until chapter 72. I like following breadcrumb trails, but 72 chapters for that reveal is a bit too much for me.
I have a hard time putting my feelings into words because this isn’t necessarily a bad book, a large portion of it just feels unnecessary by the end.
On the bright side, I’m not a fan of multiple POVs and jumping timelines because they can get really muddled, but surprisingly I didn’t mind it here. It took a bit of effort to keep up, but it didn’t ruin my experience. In fact, quite the opposite.
That said, my biggest issue here is I get the feeling that I was supposed to put myself in Jane’s shoes and follow the investigation from her POV. I can understand why she felt the need to investigate. It’s as much a search for truth as it is a need for closure. However, at some point it felt redundant because I was also playing the part of the omniscient reader who already knew far too much… thanks to everyone else’s POV.
I’m beginning to think I don’t enjoy this type of execution as much as I thought I did.
These were some of the questions I wrote down at the start of the book, and they were also the questions Jane was trying to find answers to :
👉🏽 What happened the night she fled Thornwood 25 years ago.
👉🏽 Who was responsible for the horrific things that happened at Thornwood?
👉🏽 Are the past crimes connected to the missing girl?
👉🏽 Why did Jane survive?
Thornwood’s nature, the Black family dynamics, what happened to Rose in a broad sense, Jane’s night at Thornwood, these are all things (which weren’t even impactful) I find out through the Black family and Stuart’s POV. So we spent 72 chapters 🤌🏾 trekking (oh my lawd) towards a reveal that wasn’t really a reveal, but a confirmation and detailed description of what I already knew. I felt like the kid waiting for the rest of the class to catch up. Another thing I don't think the story did a good job of was creating a sense of intrigue. That could’ve maybe offset the feeling of being underwhelmed by the end. I was only invested because I thought surely, I’m in for treat. No. No I wasn’t.
I’m horrified by what happened in Thornwood. It’s disturbing, I think that goes without saying, BUT that’s where my sympathy ends. I couldn’t empathise with Jessamine or Jasper, and I certainly didn’t feel sorry for them or the choices they made. What I can say though is their tragic end feels both fitting and realistic to me.
This was going to be 4.5 stars for me until chapter 72. I like following breadcrumb trails, but 72 chapters for that reveal is a bit too much for me.
I have a hard time putting my feelings into words because this isn’t necessarily a bad book, a large portion of it just feels unnecessary by the end.
On the bright side, I’m not a fan of multiple POVs and jumping timelines because they can get really muddled, but surprisingly I didn’t mind it here. It took a bit of effort to keep up, but it didn’t ruin my experience. In fact, quite the opposite.
That said, my biggest issue here is I get the feeling that I was supposed to put myself in Jane’s shoes and follow the investigation from her POV. I can understand why she felt the need to investigate. It’s as much a search for truth as it is a need for closure. However, at some point it felt redundant because I was also playing the part of the omniscient reader who already knew far too much… thanks to everyone else’s POV.
I’m beginning to think I don’t enjoy this type of execution as much as I thought I did.
These were some of the questions I wrote down at the start of the book, and they were also the questions Jane was trying to find answers to :
👉🏽 What happened the night she fled Thornwood 25 years ago.
👉🏽 Who was responsible for the horrific things that happened at Thornwood?
👉🏽 Are the past crimes connected to the missing girl?
👉🏽 Why did Jane survive?
Thornwood’s nature, the Black family dynamics, what happened to Rose in a broad sense, Jane’s night at Thornwood, these are all things (which weren’t even impactful) I find out through the Black family and Stuart’s POV. So we spent 72 chapters 🤌🏾 trekking (oh my lawd) towards a reveal that wasn’t really a reveal, but a confirmation and detailed description of what I already knew. I felt like the kid waiting for the rest of the class to catch up. Another thing I don't think the story did a good job of was creating a sense of intrigue. That could’ve maybe offset the feeling of being underwhelmed by the end. I was only invested because I thought surely, I’m in for treat. No. No I wasn’t.
I’m horrified by what happened in Thornwood. It’s disturbing, I think that goes without saying, BUT that’s where my sympathy ends. I couldn’t empathise with Jessamine or Jasper, and I certainly didn’t feel sorry for them or the choices they made. What I can say though is their tragic end feels both fitting and realistic to me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
⭐️ 4.25 ⭐️There is something fundamentally sick at core of the Black household. With destabilizing trauma experienced in the quietest, darkest corners of a childhood home, Lisa Jewell yet again delivers a very unsettling, bizarre thriller that will keep you glued to the book!
Having recently read “Don’t Let Him In”, she’s easily becoming one of my favorite thriller authors. I love how she creates dysfunctional families that are not only dark and creepy but also feel disturbingly vulnerable, lonely and helpless.
Lisa Jewell brings back Janet Trevally (from Don’t Let Him In), a 50+ year old PI/sleuthster who quickly becomes embroiled in a mysterious family that lives in a creepy house, a house that Jane has a connection to. Unable to escape the past, she’s driven to find the answers to the disappearance of a girl that Is somehow connected to the Black household. As the story unravels, Jane begins to understand that the house holds the key to all the answers, dark secrets, and hidden truths.
What makes this book standout from all her others is her signature feeling of dread hiding in plain sight. Possibly her most darkest work yet, Jewel’s writing shines through her morally complex characters. Each one possesses a complexity that’s deeply rooted in trauma. The trauma is what gives each character a perfect amount of brokenness, vulnerability, loneliness that is perfectly weaved into their darkest secrets. That, along with the eeriness of the novel, will keep you intrigued and invested! I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the slow burn mystery. I honestly can’t put into words how much I’ve enjoyed this novel.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and the author, Lisa Jewell for sending me this eARC!!
Publication date: June 23, 2026
Having recently read “Don’t Let Him In”, she’s easily becoming one of my favorite thriller authors. I love how she creates dysfunctional families that are not only dark and creepy but also feel disturbingly vulnerable, lonely and helpless.
Lisa Jewell brings back Janet Trevally (from Don’t Let Him In), a 50+ year old PI/sleuthster who quickly becomes embroiled in a mysterious family that lives in a creepy house, a house that Jane has a connection to. Unable to escape the past, she’s driven to find the answers to the disappearance of a girl that Is somehow connected to the Black household. As the story unravels, Jane begins to understand that the house holds the key to all the answers, dark secrets, and hidden truths.
What makes this book standout from all her others is her signature feeling of dread hiding in plain sight. Possibly her most darkest work yet, Jewel’s writing shines through her morally complex characters. Each one possesses a complexity that’s deeply rooted in trauma. The trauma is what gives each character a perfect amount of brokenness, vulnerability, loneliness that is perfectly weaved into their darkest secrets. That, along with the eeriness of the novel, will keep you intrigued and invested! I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the slow burn mystery. I honestly can’t put into words how much I’ve enjoyed this novel.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and the author, Lisa Jewell for sending me this eARC!!
Publication date: June 23, 2026
July 19, 2026
Seasoned fans of Lisa Jewell's dark psychological thrillers will recognize the familiar terrain of It Could Have Been Her: damaged families, slow-burn dread, suburban homes with terrible secrets hidden behind closed doors.
Jewell's latest asks a little patience of you up front, but the payoff is rich.
The Hook: 55-year-old Jane Trevally finds a West Highland terrier in the woods of Dorset. The pup's microchip leads her to the exact London house where, 25 years earlier, she narrowly escaped being drugged and abducted.
The Warning: don't start a "quick chapter" before bed or you'll find yourself still turning pages at 3:00 am like I did.
Jewell crafts a world steeped in eerie silence and decay, where the past isn’t dead — it’s waiting beneath the floorboards.
Timeline Juggling: three stars
Creep Factor: five stars
Overall: four stars
Jewell's latest asks a little patience of you up front, but the payoff is rich.
The Hook: 55-year-old Jane Trevally finds a West Highland terrier in the woods of Dorset. The pup's microchip leads her to the exact London house where, 25 years earlier, she narrowly escaped being drugged and abducted.
The Warning: don't start a "quick chapter" before bed or you'll find yourself still turning pages at 3:00 am like I did.
Jewell crafts a world steeped in eerie silence and decay, where the past isn’t dead — it’s waiting beneath the floorboards.
Timeline Juggling: three stars
Creep Factor: five stars
Overall: four stars
July 9, 2026
➡️ TRUE CONFESSION
This Jayne adores books with female protagonists named Jane/Jayne.♥️♥️♥️
Lisa Jewell's "Jane" protagonist is a 55-year-old, twice-divorced woman who used to rely on wealthy men for rescue.
She is now focused on rescuing others and herself.
Her newest mission? Playing amateur sleuth to determine the rightful owner of a dog found on her countryside property. And discovering the identity/whereabouts of the missing teen girl last seen walking that dog.
➡️ THREE REASONS FOR THIS 3-STAR REVIEW:
🔷 Very, Very Dark, Heavy Themes
I am not a fan of "House of Horror" or explicit child abuse storylines, which made this book a tough sell for me.
🔷 No, No, No!
A random dog from London somehow shows up in the countryside, only to conveniently lead Jane back to the exact London house she escaped from decades ago? That was a massive eye-rolling stretch.
🔷 Character Overload
I prefer a smaller cast of well-developed characters. At times, this book had so many players (over 9!) that I felt like I needed an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of everyone. Pacing was uneven, and at times the dual timeline was dizzying.
➡️ WHAT DID WORK:
🔷 The Amateur Sleuth Angle
I admired Jane's investigative skills and tenacity. Jane is my new favorite amateur sleuth.
🔷 The "It Could Have Been Her" Premise
Authors frequently write about positive missed opportunities, not the dark, twisted situations that were narrowly avoided.
🔷 The Clown Symbolism
The male character, obsessed with clowns, left home at a young age to become a circus clown. The clown persona was a clever, unsettling symbol of a mask hiding dark and abusive secrets behind a happy facade.
🔷 The 10-Star Audiobook Narration
I listened to the audiobook, expertly narrated by James Norton, Lesley Sharp, Joanna David, Emilia Fox, Freddie Fox, Tim McInnerny, Harriet Fisher, Ella Rae Smith, and Elsa Lepecki Bean. Full-cast narrations are always a treat and much appreciated.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
It all starts with a missing girl…and a found dog. Let me explain.
While out on a walk, Jane comes across a lost dog in the countryside. A girl was seen with the dog earlier but has since vanished.
With the help of her local vet, Jane tracks down the pup’s owner.
But once arriving to his home Jane realizes she knows this house. And something doesn’t feel right.
We now have a found dog, but the girl is still missing. And oddly, no one seems too concerned…except for Jane.
Driven to find the answers, Jane enlists her stepson Dexter to help. It’s time to channel their inner Sherlock Holmes and solve this confounding mystery!
Told in multiple timelines, I was a bit confused with all the characters and how they fit together. I initially felt like I needed to create a genealogy chart to understand the family tree.😂 But eventually, it just ‘clicked’ and from that point I was easily able to follow right along.
Jane’s character really touched me. She was a woman of a certain age😉 trying to figure out her next life chapter. Everyone (including all her former stepchildren) seemed to love her, yet she had an essence of loneliness.
Dexter was the perfect side kick for Jane. Always there when she needed him and equally quirky in his own right.
I’d love to see more of the two of them in the future!
✍️ Lisa Jewell
📄 384 pages
🗓️ Anticipated release date: June 23, 2026
📈 4.5/5🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
👉 Mystery, Thriller
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books
While out on a walk, Jane comes across a lost dog in the countryside. A girl was seen with the dog earlier but has since vanished.
With the help of her local vet, Jane tracks down the pup’s owner.
But once arriving to his home Jane realizes she knows this house. And something doesn’t feel right.
We now have a found dog, but the girl is still missing. And oddly, no one seems too concerned…except for Jane.
Driven to find the answers, Jane enlists her stepson Dexter to help. It’s time to channel their inner Sherlock Holmes and solve this confounding mystery!
Told in multiple timelines, I was a bit confused with all the characters and how they fit together. I initially felt like I needed to create a genealogy chart to understand the family tree.😂 But eventually, it just ‘clicked’ and from that point I was easily able to follow right along.
Jane’s character really touched me. She was a woman of a certain age😉 trying to figure out her next life chapter. Everyone (including all her former stepchildren) seemed to love her, yet she had an essence of loneliness.
Dexter was the perfect side kick for Jane. Always there when she needed him and equally quirky in his own right.
I’d love to see more of the two of them in the future!
✍️ Lisa Jewell
📄 384 pages
🗓️ Anticipated release date: June 23, 2026
📈 4.5/5🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
👉 Mystery, Thriller
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books
August 5, 2026
Jane Trevally is walking her dogs in the heathlands of her country estate when a West Highland Terrier suddenly appears. It's clear the dog has been lost for a bit, and she's sure someone must be missing him terribly.
She's able to leash him up and walk him back to her house along with the rest of her pack. She quickly takes him to her local vet, and the dog is recognized. His name is Hugo. It seems he may have been staying with a teenage girl, who had recently rented a nearby cottage.
When the young lady is reported as missing by her landlord, Jane offers to return Hugo to his registered owner, found via microchip, hours away in London.
Arriving at the address, Jane can hardly believe it. She knows this house. She has a dark connection with it. One terrifying night from years ago that she's never, ever forgotten.
But the man who opens the door isn't the man she remembers. Nevertheless, the home's current occupant seems sketch AF. He claims to know nothing about the missing girl, but Jane's instincts are on high alert.
There's definitely more to this story, and like the proverbial dog with a bone, Jane is not letting it go.
Jane knows that this unsettling house has secrets to spill, and she's gonna get to the bottom of all of them. Perhaps it will help her get some closure for herself as well. Thus, an amateur sleuth is born.
Y'all, I had such a great time reading this. It Could Have Been Her is a bit slower to start than some of Jewell's previous works, but with her signature style, she's able to amp up the intensity with time and pull out all the stops bringing this dark Domestic Drama to its necessary conclusion.
This is the type of story where you need to be comfortable not fully understanding everything in the beginning. There's multiple perspectives and timelines and it's not necessarily clear straight away how they all fit together.
However, this is purposeful and for the Readers with the patience, Jewell expertly drops the reveals that will eventually piece it all together for you. I just went with the flow, and though I was uncomfortable in my uncertainty at times, once it clicked, I was hooked.
With all this being said, IMO, this will play better for the 40+ crowd, like myself, but nevertheless it's a dark and intriguing tale.
I loved the MC, Jane, and am really hoping we might get another book with her. She was such an interesting character, and I'd love to follow her more on this new chapter of her life.
I would recommend this to any Domestic Suspense Reader, or Readers who like layered mysteries. There's a lot going on here, but as mentioned above, as it all comes together, the payoff is worth it.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
Lisa Jewell is one of the best in the business and I look forward to all of her new releases. This did not disappoint!
She's able to leash him up and walk him back to her house along with the rest of her pack. She quickly takes him to her local vet, and the dog is recognized. His name is Hugo. It seems he may have been staying with a teenage girl, who had recently rented a nearby cottage.
When the young lady is reported as missing by her landlord, Jane offers to return Hugo to his registered owner, found via microchip, hours away in London.
Arriving at the address, Jane can hardly believe it. She knows this house. She has a dark connection with it. One terrifying night from years ago that she's never, ever forgotten.
But the man who opens the door isn't the man she remembers. Nevertheless, the home's current occupant seems sketch AF. He claims to know nothing about the missing girl, but Jane's instincts are on high alert.
There's definitely more to this story, and like the proverbial dog with a bone, Jane is not letting it go.
Jane knows that this unsettling house has secrets to spill, and she's gonna get to the bottom of all of them. Perhaps it will help her get some closure for herself as well. Thus, an amateur sleuth is born.
Y'all, I had such a great time reading this. It Could Have Been Her is a bit slower to start than some of Jewell's previous works, but with her signature style, she's able to amp up the intensity with time and pull out all the stops bringing this dark Domestic Drama to its necessary conclusion.
This is the type of story where you need to be comfortable not fully understanding everything in the beginning. There's multiple perspectives and timelines and it's not necessarily clear straight away how they all fit together.
However, this is purposeful and for the Readers with the patience, Jewell expertly drops the reveals that will eventually piece it all together for you. I just went with the flow, and though I was uncomfortable in my uncertainty at times, once it clicked, I was hooked.
With all this being said, IMO, this will play better for the 40+ crowd, like myself, but nevertheless it's a dark and intriguing tale.
I loved the MC, Jane, and am really hoping we might get another book with her. She was such an interesting character, and I'd love to follow her more on this new chapter of her life.
I would recommend this to any Domestic Suspense Reader, or Readers who like layered mysteries. There's a lot going on here, but as mentioned above, as it all comes together, the payoff is worth it.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
Lisa Jewell is one of the best in the business and I look forward to all of her new releases. This did not disappoint!
Did Not Finish
May 25, 2026i've been struggling getting into this book for a while now, i'm only 80 pages in but i'm not enjoying any of the characters and it just feels so boring :(
I might try again once the audiobook becomes available.
I might try again once the audiobook becomes available.
February 16, 2026
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
There’s something off about Lisa Jewell’s books… but not in the bad way. In the slightly off-kilter, steadily mounting, experiential dread that exists at the center of them.
This, like the other books I’ve read of hers, is not your average thriller. It’s some concoction of haunted house, murder mystery, police procedural, and popcorn suspense, that makes it feel so unique.
It didn’t grab me from page one like some thrillers. I had to work a bit to get going, actually I had to work a lot, but once I did, my momentum thrust me rapidly to its satisfying, if not somewhat conventional, ending. I don’t feel like this broke any new ground. It won’t be one I look back on as a standout in her catalogue, but it got the job done.
Lisa Jewell can clearly write her ass off. This one just just didn’t meet me where I’m currently at.
There’s something off about Lisa Jewell’s books… but not in the bad way. In the slightly off-kilter, steadily mounting, experiential dread that exists at the center of them.
This, like the other books I’ve read of hers, is not your average thriller. It’s some concoction of haunted house, murder mystery, police procedural, and popcorn suspense, that makes it feel so unique.
It didn’t grab me from page one like some thrillers. I had to work a bit to get going, actually I had to work a lot, but once I did, my momentum thrust me rapidly to its satisfying, if not somewhat conventional, ending. I don’t feel like this broke any new ground. It won’t be one I look back on as a standout in her catalogue, but it got the job done.
Lisa Jewell can clearly write her ass off. This one just just didn’t meet me where I’m currently at.
July 19, 2026
Lisa Jewell has become one of my go-to authors in the thriller genre, and while some of her books have stood out more than others, this one definitely takes the cake for being her darkest yet.
It Could Have Been Her follows Jane Trevally, who discovers a lost dog linked to the disappearance of a teenage girl. When she offers to return the dog, she's unexpectedly drawn back to Thornwood, a house with a disturbing past that she's more closely connected to than she ever realised. What follows is a layered psychological mystery that gradually reveals just how much trauma and devastation has unfolded behind the doors of one family home.
One thing I really enjoyed was the way Jewell structured the story. Moving between 2001, 2005 and the present day, she gradually reveals more of the family's history while keeping just enough hidden that I was constantly questioning how everyone connected and which timeline they belonged in. It took me a little while to get my head around it all, but once everything clicked into place, I found myself completely immersed in the mystery and enjoyed piecing everything together alongside the investigation.
Thornwood is creepy, to say the least. It's the sort of place that leaves you thinking, "if these walls could talk." While Hampstead feels like a perfectly ordinary, at times affluent, place to live, there's also the sense that it could all be a façade for something much darker. As more of the family's history comes to light, what's hidden behind Thornwood's doors proves far more disturbing than I ever expected, and the psychological impact of everything that happened there is far more unsettling.
There are quite a few characters throughout the different timelines, but Jane remains the central focus of the story. She's easy to follow and, despite times when I questioned her decisions, understanding her connection to Thornwood meant I could appreciate why she kept pushing for answers.
I also really enjoyed the audiobook, and although it's marketed as a full-cast production featuring several well-known names, James Norton and Lesley Sharp carry much of the narration. Their performances gave the story a cinematic quality that often felt more like listening to a prestige crime drama than a traditional audiobook.
My biggest gripes came down to the pacing and predictability. It wasn't that the twists were disappointing, but I found several of them easier to spot than I'd hoped, which occasionally left me waiting for the present-day storyline to catch up. There were also sections where the pacing slowed more than I would have liked. Even so, I continued to appreciate Jewell's writing and the way she layered the mystery with the psychological elements.
Overall, this may not rank among my favourite Lisa Jewell novels, but it's certainly one of her darkest and most unsettling. I'm still keen to see whether Jane returns in a future book after her brief introduction in Don't Let Him In, and I'll definitely be continuing through Jewell's backlist while looking forward to whatever she writes next.
By the end... let's just say all I could hear was creepy clown music.
3.5⭐
It Could Have Been Her follows Jane Trevally, who discovers a lost dog linked to the disappearance of a teenage girl. When she offers to return the dog, she's unexpectedly drawn back to Thornwood, a house with a disturbing past that she's more closely connected to than she ever realised. What follows is a layered psychological mystery that gradually reveals just how much trauma and devastation has unfolded behind the doors of one family home.
One thing I really enjoyed was the way Jewell structured the story. Moving between 2001, 2005 and the present day, she gradually reveals more of the family's history while keeping just enough hidden that I was constantly questioning how everyone connected and which timeline they belonged in. It took me a little while to get my head around it all, but once everything clicked into place, I found myself completely immersed in the mystery and enjoyed piecing everything together alongside the investigation.
Thornwood is creepy, to say the least. It's the sort of place that leaves you thinking, "if these walls could talk." While Hampstead feels like a perfectly ordinary, at times affluent, place to live, there's also the sense that it could all be a façade for something much darker. As more of the family's history comes to light, what's hidden behind Thornwood's doors proves far more disturbing than I ever expected, and the psychological impact of everything that happened there is far more unsettling.
There are quite a few characters throughout the different timelines, but Jane remains the central focus of the story. She's easy to follow and, despite times when I questioned her decisions, understanding her connection to Thornwood meant I could appreciate why she kept pushing for answers.
I also really enjoyed the audiobook, and although it's marketed as a full-cast production featuring several well-known names, James Norton and Lesley Sharp carry much of the narration. Their performances gave the story a cinematic quality that often felt more like listening to a prestige crime drama than a traditional audiobook.
My biggest gripes came down to the pacing and predictability. It wasn't that the twists were disappointing, but I found several of them easier to spot than I'd hoped, which occasionally left me waiting for the present-day storyline to catch up. There were also sections where the pacing slowed more than I would have liked. Even so, I continued to appreciate Jewell's writing and the way she layered the mystery with the psychological elements.
Overall, this may not rank among my favourite Lisa Jewell novels, but it's certainly one of her darkest and most unsettling. I'm still keen to see whether Jane returns in a future book after her brief introduction in Don't Let Him In, and I'll definitely be continuing through Jewell's backlist while looking forward to whatever she writes next.
By the end... let's just say all I could hear was creepy clown music.
3.5⭐
May 24, 2026
This novel was chilling and full of mystery! One thing is for sure: Lisa Jewell is an amazing author who knows how to write a good book! It started really strong, then slowed down throughout much of the book, and ended strong! The details in this book are remarkable. From the characters to the atmosphere, the details blew me away! It is very dark, tense, sad, and gripping.
It is a medium-paced read, with the characters' flaws as the main focus. While reading this, it kept switching timelines and characters, which I found somewhat challenging. In my opinion, it wasn’t a smooth read. It was jumping from one thing to another continuously. I really did like how it started all coming together towards the end. It definitely left me with a satisfying conclusion. The story had a strong villain. To me, the only likable character in the book was Jane. Overall, I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Lisa Jewell, and Atria Books for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
This book is set to be published on July 2, 2026!
It is a medium-paced read, with the characters' flaws as the main focus. While reading this, it kept switching timelines and characters, which I found somewhat challenging. In my opinion, it wasn’t a smooth read. It was jumping from one thing to another continuously. I really did like how it started all coming together towards the end. It definitely left me with a satisfying conclusion. The story had a strong villain. To me, the only likable character in the book was Jane. Overall, I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Lisa Jewell, and Atria Books for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
This book is set to be published on July 2, 2026!
June 7, 2026
gonna go 3.5 rounded up to 4 for GR! i’m always gonna read and enjoy LJ’s work, but i don’t think this will be the top of the pack when considering her work (my faves remain NONE OF THIS IS TRUE and WATCHING YOU).
if you liked THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS by her or thrillers that are on the darker side, this will be up your alley! it was definitely a slow burn and i wasn’t sure where she was going to take us with the house/family mystery in this one. gotta say it surprised me 👀😳
i liked our MC Jane, but found her investigation to come a bit too easily at times. i always need to giggle when random neighbors remember specific convo’s or situations from 10-15 years ago and easily reveal them to a random strangers asking questions and it helps make major moves in a case??!?! idk! a bit too easy!
all in all this was fun and quick. the chapters are 3-4 pages max at times so it was easy to blow through and grabbed my attention right away. her books are just so good that this one won’t stand out as a OMG I LOVE IT thriller from her in my eyes, but it’s still a good read.
thanks to Atria for the gifted early copy! fellow LJ fans will surely enjoy it
if you liked THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS by her or thrillers that are on the darker side, this will be up your alley! it was definitely a slow burn and i wasn’t sure where she was going to take us with the house/family mystery in this one. gotta say it surprised me 👀😳
i liked our MC Jane, but found her investigation to come a bit too easily at times. i always need to giggle when random neighbors remember specific convo’s or situations from 10-15 years ago and easily reveal them to a random strangers asking questions and it helps make major moves in a case??!?! idk! a bit too easy!
all in all this was fun and quick. the chapters are 3-4 pages max at times so it was easy to blow through and grabbed my attention right away. her books are just so good that this one won’t stand out as a OMG I LOVE IT thriller from her in my eyes, but it’s still a good read.
thanks to Atria for the gifted early copy! fellow LJ fans will surely enjoy it
July 4, 2026
I could not wait to get my hands on this book and I was not disappointed. It was even twistier and darker than I imagined and hoped for.
July 27, 2026
A bit convoluted but I liked it better than other Jewell books I’ve read recently.
Jane Trevally is out walking her dogs in the countryside when she finds a small white terrier with no owner around. When she has the dog scanned, the chip indicates the dog is owned by someone in London. Jane also discovers that a young woman had been seen walking the dog, and when she checks out the place the woman was staying, she has mysteriously vanished. When Jane returns the dog, the owner acts quite suspiciously, and Jane has a feeling she has been to the house in the past, under some strange circumstances.
This is a great story with some surprising twists along with some very disturbing things. I really liked Jane as a character and I also really liked her stepson Dexter who helps her investigate. I wasn't thrilled when I heard that this book featured someone from Jewell's last book, Don't Let Him In (which I didn't like) but Jane was only a side character, so it ended up being fine.
It's a bit of a slow burn mystery, and there are a lot of characters and moving parts to keep straight, but if you stick with it, it's totally worth it in the end to see how it all resolves. I'm never a huge fan of amateur detecting, but in this case it's done in a decent way because no one believes anything bad happened except Jane.
Overall I am happy that Jewell has written another page turner after a few that didn't connect with me.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
Jane Trevally is out walking her dogs in the countryside when she finds a small white terrier with no owner around. When she has the dog scanned, the chip indicates the dog is owned by someone in London. Jane also discovers that a young woman had been seen walking the dog, and when she checks out the place the woman was staying, she has mysteriously vanished. When Jane returns the dog, the owner acts quite suspiciously, and Jane has a feeling she has been to the house in the past, under some strange circumstances.
This is a great story with some surprising twists along with some very disturbing things. I really liked Jane as a character and I also really liked her stepson Dexter who helps her investigate. I wasn't thrilled when I heard that this book featured someone from Jewell's last book, Don't Let Him In (which I didn't like) but Jane was only a side character, so it ended up being fine.
It's a bit of a slow burn mystery, and there are a lot of characters and moving parts to keep straight, but if you stick with it, it's totally worth it in the end to see how it all resolves. I'm never a huge fan of amateur detecting, but in this case it's done in a decent way because no one believes anything bad happened except Jane.
Overall I am happy that Jewell has written another page turner after a few that didn't connect with me.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
July 24, 2026
Wow, this is a is very good thriller.
We follow Jane. A woman in her fifties, two ex-husbands, a tribe of stepchildren and a ton of trauma under her belt. Life is a bit stale until a little white dog appears before her and Jane plays private detective.
I was engrossed in this. There are a lot of characters and a lot of clues to keep up with but Jewell, as always, keeps the reader on track.
In parts, I could see the ending from the midway point, but it didn't spoil the journey and there were some surprises along the way.
The ending for me was a bit draggy but overall, this is a decent thriller that kept the pace up throughout.
Four stars.
We follow Jane. A woman in her fifties, two ex-husbands, a tribe of stepchildren and a ton of trauma under her belt. Life is a bit stale until a little white dog appears before her and Jane plays private detective.
I was engrossed in this. There are a lot of characters and a lot of clues to keep up with but Jewell, as always, keeps the reader on track.
In parts, I could see the ending from the midway point, but it didn't spoil the journey and there were some surprises along the way.
The ending for me was a bit draggy but overall, this is a decent thriller that kept the pace up throughout.
Four stars.
July 23, 2026
Trauma is a crippling, invasive, and all-encompassing unwelcome companion. This is a story of trauma, abuse, and deadly, life-altering secrets. Lisa Jewell creates a tale of the consequences of broken, damaged people immersed in addiction, mental anguish, and duplicity. The plot is disturbing, unsettling, and full of trigger warnings. I appreciated how cleverly the author brought the different POVs and timelines together, creating a heartbreaking, horrifying story. Although many sections were emotionally difficult to read, I was interested in how events would unfold and whether there would be a resolution. This is definitely a story that will stay with me. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books, for my copy.
January 8, 2026
If you were disappointed with Jewell’s last book (it was a bit of a departure), this is a fantastic return to form from one of my favorite authors in the thriller game. The different threads of mystery are set up so well that i couldn’t wait to figure out how everything connected in the end, in standard Jewell fashion we have several characters alternating chapters and while there is a mystery to solve, it’s really a dark family drama at its core filled with morally grey characters (and clowns! the fucking clowns!)
One of her best!
One of her best!
March 23, 2026
Aaahhh... Lisa Jewell always delivers. Charming English town. Creepy neighbors. Past and future storytelling. Top notch in her genre. Love that the protagonist is a mid-50s single woman who simply wants to help others... she is still friends with her ex-husbands, mothers her stepchildren, and is kind to children and strangers. But why is she so eager to solve the missing girl case. Flashbacks are intense, and you learn all about a family who by all means are terrible people! There is something sinister in that house down the block, and Holly knows it. She almost got kidnapped by the owner herself once, she now realizes. Compelling. Frightening. And total page-turner.
August 2, 2026
4.5⭐️ I have been wildly intrigued with Lisa Jewell’s writing since reading Then She Was Gone, a book that still lives in my head rent-free many years later. There is a common thread that runs throughout her thrillers that makes them uniquely jarring— she takes ordinary, relatable characters doing typical things, and shifts them ever so slightly to where their reality then becomes horror. It’s shocking because it feels incredibly real and a situation so many of us could find ourselves in. The ordinary and mundane becomes twisted and perverted. And that thread continues here.
Best described as Then She Was Gone meets The Family Upstairs, this book feels quite a bit darker than her previous novels and brilliantly combines the elements that made these two former books the bestsellers they are. And yet Jane, our main character (and one readers have met before), is a fun take on the cozy mystery heroine, creating an interesting vibe merge.
I felt as enthralled by Jane’s modern-day detective work, as I did the flashbacks to the past in which we are slowly but surely painted a very dark tale. I found myself engrossed in the story beginning to end, and I was happily surprised by a few of the twists and turns along the way. Given that Jane is now in two books, could this be a new series? I guess only time will tell…
Read if you like:
▪️atmospheric settings
▪️dual timelines
▪️family secrets
▪️ensemble casts
▪️cold cases
Check out my Bookstagram post here ♥
Thank you Atria Books for the advanced copies.
Best described as Then She Was Gone meets The Family Upstairs, this book feels quite a bit darker than her previous novels and brilliantly combines the elements that made these two former books the bestsellers they are. And yet Jane, our main character (and one readers have met before), is a fun take on the cozy mystery heroine, creating an interesting vibe merge.
I felt as enthralled by Jane’s modern-day detective work, as I did the flashbacks to the past in which we are slowly but surely painted a very dark tale. I found myself engrossed in the story beginning to end, and I was happily surprised by a few of the twists and turns along the way. Given that Jane is now in two books, could this be a new series? I guess only time will tell…
Read if you like:
▪️atmospheric settings
▪️dual timelines
▪️family secrets
▪️ensemble casts
▪️cold cases
Check out my Bookstagram post here ♥
Thank you Atria Books for the advanced copies.
June 24, 2026
Happy Publication Day!
Thank you Atria books and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Lisa Jewell clearly demonstrates why she is one of my top thriller authors. I thoroughly enjoyed It Could Have Been Her; as my first experience with her work, I was engaged from start to finish. The return of Jane Trevally, my favorite character from Don’t Let Him In, was a highlight—her reappearance was a treat and brought vital warmth and energy to an otherwise dark and troubled cast. Her dynamic with her stepson added depth, making the investigation particularly compelling. The residents of Thronwood are interesting in their own right. Even when I suspected some plot developments, I remained captivated because I was eager to uncover more about each character’s past, present, and future. Jewell expertly reveals secrets and motivations gradually, maintaining a suspenseful pace that keeps readers turning the pages. The atmosphere stands out most of all. Jewell’s immersive writing creates a palpable sense of tension, unease, and darkness surrounding Thornwood. The setting and characters forge a powerful, lingering mystery throughout. While some predictable twists may exist, the strength of the characters, the emotional richness of their stories, and Jewell’s masterful storytelling make this an immensely satisfying read. I highly recommend it to fans of character-driven psychological suspense.
July 9, 2026
the setup…
Jane Trevally is outside Rosebery Hall, her crumbling family estate in Dorset, when she comes upon a little white Westie terrier without his owner. She learns it belongs to a young girl visiting in town who seems to have disappeared but the dog’s chip identifies the owner as Stuart Tucker living in Hampstead. When she returns the dog (Hugo), Jane is rocked to find that the house is one she has a history with and not a good one. She probes about the missing girl but to no avail. Undeterred, she’s determined to keep investigating…and look deeper into this place she once managed to escape.
the heart of the story…
I remember Jane from Don't Let Him In and loved the little Easter eggs from that book. She’s twice divorced, 55-years old and a bit rudderless. Finding that missing girl puts her mind on track to become a private investigator with the help of her stepson Dexter. But this search has a treacherous path and Jane can’t help thinking she dodged a bullet twenty-five years ago and it drives her to dig deeper.
the narration…
It’s a full cast narration with nine performers led by Lesley Sharpe and James Norton who were fabulous. The secondary characters become more critical as the story develops and their separate, distinctive voices make a big difference. It was a wonderful performance.
the bottom line…
This is an extraordinary psychological character study, laden with dark tones and edges that kept me guessing and horrified. This family was tragic and the parallels to Jane’s history made her connection even stronger. That house of horrors looked so genteel from the outside, hiding the secrets within. While there wasn’t anything highly twisty, I was still unsure of where it would land until the final page. I hope this isn’t the last of Jane and Dexter, maybe a Trevally and Son reunion? She showed some serious skills.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
Jane Trevally is outside Rosebery Hall, her crumbling family estate in Dorset, when she comes upon a little white Westie terrier without his owner. She learns it belongs to a young girl visiting in town who seems to have disappeared but the dog’s chip identifies the owner as Stuart Tucker living in Hampstead. When she returns the dog (Hugo), Jane is rocked to find that the house is one she has a history with and not a good one. She probes about the missing girl but to no avail. Undeterred, she’s determined to keep investigating…and look deeper into this place she once managed to escape.
the heart of the story…
I remember Jane from Don't Let Him In and loved the little Easter eggs from that book. She’s twice divorced, 55-years old and a bit rudderless. Finding that missing girl puts her mind on track to become a private investigator with the help of her stepson Dexter. But this search has a treacherous path and Jane can’t help thinking she dodged a bullet twenty-five years ago and it drives her to dig deeper.
the narration…
It’s a full cast narration with nine performers led by Lesley Sharpe and James Norton who were fabulous. The secondary characters become more critical as the story develops and their separate, distinctive voices make a big difference. It was a wonderful performance.
the bottom line…
This is an extraordinary psychological character study, laden with dark tones and edges that kept me guessing and horrified. This family was tragic and the parallels to Jane’s history made her connection even stronger. That house of horrors looked so genteel from the outside, hiding the secrets within. While there wasn’t anything highly twisty, I was still unsure of where it would land until the final page. I hope this isn’t the last of Jane and Dexter, maybe a Trevally and Son reunion? She showed some serious skills.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
January 2, 2026
Lisa Jewell returns with her darkest book yet and you don’t want to miss it!
Well I have definitely started my 2026 reading on an absolute high! I always knew that I would enjoy Lisa Jewell’s latest psychological thriller, but honestly, this one blew my mind! It’s by far Jewell’s creepiest and most unsettling book. There’s this underlying sense of dread and anxiety that runs through the pages right from the outset. We know that something terrible has happened at Thornwood - the fictional house in London’s Vale of Health that is central to the plot - but it’s just out of sight until the final few chapters. This meant my imagination was running wild and I was considering all manner of depraved and horrific things occurring there. Jewell delivers a brilliantly executed mystery that keeps readers on the edge of their seat, guessing until the end, and culminates in a truly disturbing and unnerving conclusion. We all know that Jewell is the queen of the psychological thriller, but this is genuinely her most psychologically disturbing book to date. NONE OF THIS IS TRUE remains an absolute masterpiece in psychological tension, but I believe that readers will be just as engrossed and unsettled by IT COULD HAVE BEEN HER (if not more so!). There is a slow burn element to the plot development here, but it still feels like a pacy read. I loved how we move between different perspectives, timelines, and narrative strands. The structure of the novel really helps to build tension, deliver reveals at exactly the right time, as well as posing questions continually and keeping the reader turning those pages. I know that Lisa gets the ideas for her novels from all over the place, so I am really intrigued to find out what planted the seed for this story…because it’s terrifying!
As well as all of the mystery, suspense, and spine-tingling chills, there is a huge amount of emotional depth within this story. It’s very much an exploration of trauma, PTSD, and how those who experience true horror in their early years grow up and live their lives. Jane Trevally (who you may remember from DON’T LET HIM IN) is a brilliant lead character. A woman in her mid-50s, who’s experienced a traumatic childhood, is battling loneliness and a sense of place in the world, Jane allows Jewell to explore the mid-life female experience in a really intriguing way. I really enjoyed her journey through this story and loved seeing her find herself, carve out her identity, and discover strength that she didn’t know she had. Jane’s path juxtaposes Jessamine’s and Jasper’s, who are products of their childhood trauma and experiences. I won’t give anything away, but there are some incredibly dark corners in their psyches. I definitely felt that there was a blurring of sympathy and abhorrence, as well as not knowing who to trust. This book is laced with so much pain, but I also came away with a real sense of hope and freedom by the end. These characters have to break from their shackles and I was absolutely hooked on discovering the truths that allow them to do this. IT COULD HAVE BEEN HER is another absolute masterpiece from Jewell and one that everyone will be talking about this summer. Do yourself a favour and get your pre-order in immediately!
One final thing I’ll say: as someone who has always been freaked out by clowns, elements of this book are genuinely TERRIFYING!!! I may have my own PTSD… 😬🤡😬🤡😬
Well I have definitely started my 2026 reading on an absolute high! I always knew that I would enjoy Lisa Jewell’s latest psychological thriller, but honestly, this one blew my mind! It’s by far Jewell’s creepiest and most unsettling book. There’s this underlying sense of dread and anxiety that runs through the pages right from the outset. We know that something terrible has happened at Thornwood - the fictional house in London’s Vale of Health that is central to the plot - but it’s just out of sight until the final few chapters. This meant my imagination was running wild and I was considering all manner of depraved and horrific things occurring there. Jewell delivers a brilliantly executed mystery that keeps readers on the edge of their seat, guessing until the end, and culminates in a truly disturbing and unnerving conclusion. We all know that Jewell is the queen of the psychological thriller, but this is genuinely her most psychologically disturbing book to date. NONE OF THIS IS TRUE remains an absolute masterpiece in psychological tension, but I believe that readers will be just as engrossed and unsettled by IT COULD HAVE BEEN HER (if not more so!). There is a slow burn element to the plot development here, but it still feels like a pacy read. I loved how we move between different perspectives, timelines, and narrative strands. The structure of the novel really helps to build tension, deliver reveals at exactly the right time, as well as posing questions continually and keeping the reader turning those pages. I know that Lisa gets the ideas for her novels from all over the place, so I am really intrigued to find out what planted the seed for this story…because it’s terrifying!
As well as all of the mystery, suspense, and spine-tingling chills, there is a huge amount of emotional depth within this story. It’s very much an exploration of trauma, PTSD, and how those who experience true horror in their early years grow up and live their lives. Jane Trevally (who you may remember from DON’T LET HIM IN) is a brilliant lead character. A woman in her mid-50s, who’s experienced a traumatic childhood, is battling loneliness and a sense of place in the world, Jane allows Jewell to explore the mid-life female experience in a really intriguing way. I really enjoyed her journey through this story and loved seeing her find herself, carve out her identity, and discover strength that she didn’t know she had. Jane’s path juxtaposes Jessamine’s and Jasper’s, who are products of their childhood trauma and experiences. I won’t give anything away, but there are some incredibly dark corners in their psyches. I definitely felt that there was a blurring of sympathy and abhorrence, as well as not knowing who to trust. This book is laced with so much pain, but I also came away with a real sense of hope and freedom by the end. These characters have to break from their shackles and I was absolutely hooked on discovering the truths that allow them to do this. IT COULD HAVE BEEN HER is another absolute masterpiece from Jewell and one that everyone will be talking about this summer. Do yourself a favour and get your pre-order in immediately!
One final thing I’ll say: as someone who has always been freaked out by clowns, elements of this book are genuinely TERRIFYING!!! I may have my own PTSD… 😬🤡😬🤡😬
August 2, 2026
Wha! That was so good! Top shelf storytelling that will leave you speechless. Let me tell you, from the very beginning it will pull you in, then it goes into a slow burn but in the best way because you need it to in order to start putting the pieces of the puzzle 🧩 together. Then bam it picks up and becomes so intriguing you can’t put it down because you just have to know how all this will come to an end in this dark and twisted tell. Oh, and just when you think it’s over and you got it all figured out, there is one more hard twist that flips every thing on its head!!
Looking for a dark twisted psychological thriller that will truly satisfy you? Pop the popcorn 🍿 make you a nice cupper ☕️ and settle in. Once this one heats up, you will not be able to put it down and for that I say….Bravo, thank you very much!!
Looking for a dark twisted psychological thriller that will truly satisfy you? Pop the popcorn 🍿 make you a nice cupper ☕️ and settle in. Once this one heats up, you will not be able to put it down and for that I say….Bravo, thank you very much!!
June 27, 2026
4 ⭐️ I really enjoyed this latest mystery/thriller from Lisa Jewell.
Jane Trevally is a divorced middle aged woman living in her family’s decaying old house. When walking her dogs she comes across a small white terrier with no owner in sight.
Her quest to find the owners leads her on a twisty trail in search of a missing girl, buried secrets and murder.
Told from multiple POVs and multi timelines with a cast of strange characters, including a clown, we are taken on a bizarre journey of abuse, neglect, and mystery that spans decades. I could not turn the pages fast enough!
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review
Jane Trevally is a divorced middle aged woman living in her family’s decaying old house. When walking her dogs she comes across a small white terrier with no owner in sight.
Her quest to find the owners leads her on a twisty trail in search of a missing girl, buried secrets and murder.
Told from multiple POVs and multi timelines with a cast of strange characters, including a clown, we are taken on a bizarre journey of abuse, neglect, and mystery that spans decades. I could not turn the pages fast enough!
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review
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