The Lost Girls of Devon by Barbara O'Neal

Star rating: 4/5

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC! The Lost Girls of Devon will be available to the public on July 14th 2020. 

Summary:

Barbara O'Neal's highly-anticipated new novel combines mystery and family drama, telling the story of four generations of women. Zoe was abandoned by her mother, Poppy, at age seven and raised by her grandmother, Lillian, in the small English town of Devon. Zoe now lives in the States, and she returns home to her grandmother with her own daughter, Isabel, after learning that her childhood best friend has gone missing. While attempting to solve the mystery of Diana's disappearance, she is also forced to face her mother and the pain of her past she has tried to leave behind. 

Review:

If the above summary is confusing, it's because this story was confusing. This novel is just jam-packed with characters and plot. The story is told in alternating perspectives by Zoe, Isabel, Poppy, and Lillian, and each character is dealing with their own major crisis, all the while trying to solve the mystery of Diana's disappearance. It is, quite honestly, overwhelming. That being said, I did enjoy the story overall, and certain aspects of it are quite lovely. Poppy and Isabel are instantly loveable characters, despite the conflicting feelings we are meant to have about Poppy. O'Neal's writing, as always, is beautiful and descriptive and brought me to tears. That being said, I just don't think mystery is O'Neal's strong suit, and the mystery aspect felt out of place here - just added drama to an already dramatic tale. It made the novel feel disjointed, like it could have easily been two separate stories. 

Overall, if you can get past the overwhelming amount of plot, this is a really enjoyable read. I recommend The Lost Girls of Devon for fans of O'Neal's past work, as well as fans of Lisa Jewell, Kristin Hannah, and Chanel Cleeton.