Missing: A Dark YA Psychological Thriller

by Ivy Blackwell

When the truth goes live, everyone becomes a target.

Every missing person leaves behind questions. This one leaves behind a livestream. When a teenage girl vanishes after a summer bonfire, Gretchen Langley is pulled into a hunt for someone who turns fear into entertainment. Every new broadcast brings another victim. Every clue leads nowhere. Until the camera turns toward her.

This dark thriller is for mature young adults only and not recommended for the younger YA audience.

155 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 31, 2026

Reviews

[Cheyenne Joy Mijdam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review
ARC
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Missing by Ivy Blackwell
Release date: October 31, 2026

Wow. I just loved this.

What can I say? It was fast-paced, ridiculously easy to get sucked into, and exactly the kind of book that makes you forget you had other things to do.

It kind of felt like a bold, old-fashioned high school slasher dipped in some 2026 tech sauce—and honestly, that just made everything even more exciting.

Phones. Locations. Murders being captured on film. The kind of things that make you want to check your locks, hide under a blanket, and occasionally question why you thought reading this alone was a good idea.

It’s basically the ultimate recipe for a good murder fest.
People go missing. Deaths are being recorded. And suddenly, you’re thrown into a race against the clock.
Who did it? Why? When? Where? How?!
Love it.

I can’t say much more because I refuse to spoil the reading fun for my fellow unhinged, slasher-craving reading gremlins. So I won’t. I never do.

Was the ultimate twist completely unexpected?
Maybe not.
But honestly? That never ruins the fun for me. That’s not always the point with stories like these. At least, not for me. Sometimes I can appreciate a story that doesn’t require a ridiculous amount of mental gymnastics.

Sometimes I just want to lay back, get comfortable in my fluffy pajamas, pet my emotional support guinea pig, and completely devour a book in one sitting.
And Missing was absolutely one of those books.

Five murders-for-everyone-to-see stars from me because when a book makes me turn the pages faster than usual, leaves me smiling when I reach the end, and makes me wish I could experience reading it again for the first time…
Yeah. It was definitely worth it.

[Luna May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this was a creepy little ride. 👀

"Missing" is one of those books I picked up and didn't really want to put back down. The chapters moved quickly, there was always something happening, and I needed to know what the hell was going on.

Gretchen gets pulled into the disappearance of a teenage girl after a summer bonfire, but it becomes pretty clear that this isn't going to be a normal missing-person investigation. Someone is playing a seriously fucked-up game, and the fact that they're willing to put what they're doing out there for people to WATCH made the whole thing that much more disturbing.

There's something especially creepy about knowing someone is behind a camera deciding exactly what everyone else gets to see.

I really enjoyed Gretchen's character and following her as she tried to put everything together. Every new piece of information made me question something else, and even when I started getting an idea of where things might be headed, I still wanted to see exactly how it was all going to play out.

And I'm perfectly okay with figuring out pieces of a thriller before the big reveal. If I'm still invested enough that I don't want to stop reading, the book did its damn job.

This wasn't super heavy or overly complicated. It was just a really good, fast thriller with a creepy premise, some oh shit moments, and enough mystery to keep me flipping pages.

And sometimes that's exactly what I want.

I want to get comfortable, disappear into a story for a few hours, yell at fictional people for making questionable decisions, make my predictions, and find out whether I was right.

Missing gave me exactly that

[Bob Fendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ARC Review

Missing
by Ivy BlackWell

Release date 31st October

What a chilling, fast-paced shock horror by Ivy BlackWell. Full-on suspense, to keep you on edge.
'Missing' is an exceptionally gripping horror novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. I found it difficult to put down, as it captivated me from the very beginning, with an unbelievable twist towards the end, which makes for compelling reading.

.After a girl goes missing after a bonfire, a livestream broadcast goes out showing her disturbing death, with a message appearing at the end drawing Gretchen Langley into the search for the murderer who finds it entertaining.
With each livestream comes another name, another victim, along with messages targeting Gretchen, her time is coming.
Someone is is watching, someone close, the race is on to find who is committing this horrific and grotesque murders, the clues leading nowhere.
Gretchen is living in fear, and then the camera turns on her.

This is the fourth book I've readby this amazing author, and I need to read more by Ivy BlackWell.
If you love horrors, I strongly recommend you check out Ivy's books.

[AlexsReadingCave · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW

I felt like I just watched a whole movie play out in my head the only thing that I needed was popcorn.

The chapters moved fast, there was always something happening, that had me wanting to know more. I had the hardest time putting this down.

A list is made, and friends go missing. The thing they know is what is being recorded live for everyone to see. Once the live is done, any form of evidence disappears.

It’s such an eerie feeling knowing that someone is being the camera, and deciding what is going to get done, what everyone gets to see.

I had a thought of who was behind everything, but I pushed that thought to the back of my head to show it would play out. And, I’m so happy that I did because I definitely was not expecting it to end the way it did.

[Momma T's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a way to suck you in and keep you there. When my phone went to night mode (10p), I knew I might as well finish it. To hell with getting up early.

I felt like I was stuck in an 80's slasher film, but instead of Polaroids and VHS you had the internet. Just when I thought I figured it out, I turned the page and was led down another path. Just to turn back around to where I originally was. The suspense and action never let up. My heart got a great workout. The back and forth of whodunit, makes for a great reading experience.

I will sit in the corner of the room with my light on and the kitchen machete in my hand. I will frantically look side to side and up and down. I will not be taken. Yikes. What a great time that was.

[Irina Sandoval-Hickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS!

📖 Missing by Ivy Blackwell

OKAYYYY… this book had me FLYING through the pages! 😳📖🔥

It was fast-paced from the beginning, and once I started, I did NOT want to put it down. Between the missing people, the recordings, all the questions, and trying to figure out what the hell was actually going on, I was over here like… WAIT. WHAT?! 👀😳

And that TWIST?! I did NOT see it coming! I thought I was putting the pieces together, but apparently I didn’t know a damn thing. 😂

All I have left to say is…

WOW. JACOB!!!! 😳🤯

That’s it. That’s the review. 😂

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars — fast, twisty, addictive, and one hell of a ride! 🔪🖤📚

[Taylor Behnke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing quick read. I was able to read it within a day and didn't want to put it down. The writing in this book makes it easy to read and is fast paced which I enjoy. This book is about a teenager found on a playground being live streamed. Slowly other kids at the school start to go missing and are being livestreamed as well moments before their death. I dont want to give anything away. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

[Crystal O · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will have you sitting on the edge of your seat and on the ride of your life. A girl goes missing after a bonfire and a livestream showing her untimely death. Gretchen must find who is doing this before it is her turn and with every livestream and death, her time is getting closer. Incredible story you do not want to miss.

[Mike C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Release date 10/31/26

Wow what a ride. Missing is total mind games from the very beginning. The pacing kept me very engaged and wanting more every chapter. Creepy all the way to the end where it gets even more wild. Obsession and love can be very confusing emotions. They cause people to do some off the wall stuff. 4 stars for sure.

[Danielle Lundquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story about a child that went missing. Then other kids in the same friend group start going missing and are found dead. I wasn’t shocked at who the killer was, but other facts that shocked me. I empathized with Gretchen because we all find a bad one at one point in our lives, sometimes more than once. I really enjoyed the story.

[Elaine Rainbolt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this story. Ivy BlackWell does it again. You get sucked into the story and trying to figure out what's going on. This story is about a bunch of high school kids and when the kids start dying one by one they need to figure out who is killing the kids and will Gretchen be next on the list.

[Rachel Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Missing” by Ivy Blackwood was SO good! This one is dark, creepy, intense, and seriously twisty. There’s this constant sense of dread that had me on edge the entire time. The deeper the story went, the more disturbing it became, and I never knew what was coming next. I suspected everyone and didn’t know who to trust. I loved this one and couldn’t put it down! It completely sucked me in and kept me guessing until the end!

[The Book Ssirren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very thrilling and suspenseful and thrilling story. Loved the storyline. It really kept me turning the pages wanting to know who was going to disappear and turn up dead next. Filming their last moments was creepy, but so cool at the same time. A really good read overall.

[Jaime Tragesser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine finding out your friends and schoolmates are missing via livestreams. Each livestream brings new clues with a new victim. Will they be able to follow the clues and save the newest victim?

This book is full of thrilling suspense.

[Katlin Stokes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy moly this book had me absolutely hooked right from the very start! It was definitely a big mind game from start to finish. Very well done!

[Jenny Coyne · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Great YA suspense book! My biggest disappointment was finding out who the killer was early in the book. The plot definitely kept me engaged.