Excellent entry in April Henry's ever-growing list of engaging mysteries for teens. I enjoyed the podcasting angle, very contemporary and a good hook. Piper, new in town, decides to make a podcast for her senior project when she discovers the existence of an unsolved murder of a 17 year old local girl that happened 17 years ago, when Piper was born. But of course, the killer is still around and is not exactly pleased that she is dredging up old issues and snooping around in everybody's business... ( )

First sentence: Maybe after dark, this older section of the cemetery, with its crumbling headstones, would be scary. But it's a bright summer day, and right now, the cemetery is an escape.

Premise/plot: Piper Gray has come to live with her father and stepmother. She stumbles--quite literally--into a gravestone--Layla Trello--and discovers an unsolved murder from seventeen years before. Since she loves true crime podcasts, why not start her own? Why not interview anyone and everyone who might have known Layla in the past--how hard could that be? Why not see if she can't solve the case and get all the views (or likes or whatever). Jonas, her new friend and possible, possible love interest down the line, agrees reluctantly to help her. (He has a podcast of his own not related to crime.)

But it turns out the town doesn't really like a teenager making accusations all in the name of journalism. Her podcast comes at a cost--is it one she'll pay for with her life?

My thoughts: This one seems very on trend at the moment. I'm not complaining about teens with true-crime podcasts or murder mysteries for the YA crowd. I'm not. It is a refreshing change of pace. I enjoyed this one for the most part. ( )

Fast, satisfying, and relatable characters. In sum a fine, one sitting read. ( )

An exciting young adult thriller that will appeal to fans of true crime podcasts!

Girl Forgotten by author April Henry is a fascinating young adult thriller that had me glued to its pages from the very start. The main characters have compelling backstories, and in their current lives, they are still overcoming their pasts which makes for an absolutely riveting read.

Piper Gray is new in town, now living with her biological father and his wife and children, after growing up with just her mother, a single mom who always had to work hard to make ends meet. The discovery of the senior passion project catches her off guard; she just wants to coast through this last year of high school and be on her way, free to escape the uncomfortable living situation with her father’s new family. Her father and his family are not unkind or horrible people; it’s just that Piper doesn’t really know them and feels like an outsider intruding into their established and settled lives and routines. Her grief over her mother is palpable, and I was dumbfounded when it was finally revealed what had happened to her. But throughout, Piper remains focused on uncovering Layla’s story and unmasking a murderer. Of course, she is excited and pleased by her podcast’s success, but I felt she wanted justice for Layla rather than simply using her tragedy for self-promotion.

The book is told partly in narrative and partly as transcripts of the finished podcast episodes, which really capture the essence of the events. The little details of creating a podcast and producing quality weekly content (and on a shoestring) were fascinating. The story contains some great twists that, when revealed, literally made me exclaim out loud! I think the final reveal of the killer will be a surprise to most readers, but there are clues along the way to their identity and motive. This ultimately makes for a very tense showdown and, eventually, a very satisfying ending.

I recommend GIRL FORGOTTEN to readers who enjoy young adult thrillers, true-crime podcasts, and stories set in the Pacific Northwest.I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours. ( )

I thought that this was a very entertaining story. Piper has recently moved in with her father, stepmother, and half-siblings. She feels out of place and starting a new school in her senior year is less than ideal. She decides to start a podcast investigating the death of another student 17 years earlier as her senior project. She is paired with another student, Jonas, who runs his own podcast and will serve as her mentor. I loved the way that Piper dived into this project headfirst and couldn’t wait to learn what really happened to Layla Trello.

Layla Trello went missing after a party and her body was found in a secluded area 2 weeks later. Some people think her boyfriend or his brother was involved but the case remains unsolved. Piper starts interviewing people immediately, and I was surprised by some of the things she discovered. Piper has her own issues to deal with and I feel like she grew a lot over the course of the story. Jonas was also a great character and I thought his story added a lot to the story as well.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to others. The pacing of the book was very well done and I felt like the short chapters helped to make this feel like a very speedy read. I hope to read more of April Henry’s work again very soon in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ( )