Review: "The Girls in the Garden" by Lisa Jewell (Womens Literature)

GIRLS IN THE GARDEN by Lisa Jewell
	Publisher: Atria Books Genre: Womens Literature Publication Date: June 7th 2016 Standalone: Yes
Other Books by Lisa Jewell
Description from Publisher:
Imagine that you live on a picturesque communal garden square, an oasis in urban London where your children run free, in and out of other people’s houses. You’ve known your neighbors for years and you trust them. Implicitly. You think your children are safe. But are they really? On a midsummer night, as a festive neighborhood party is taking place, preteen Pip discovers her thirteen-year-old sister Grace lying unconscious and bloody in a hidden corner of a lush rose garden. What really happened to her? And who is responsible? Dark secrets, a devastating mystery, and the games both children and adults play all swirl together in this gripping novel, packed with utterly believable characters and page-turning suspense.
My Rating:
My Musings:
The characters are all well-formed, though there is a shroud of darkness and sense of haunting over them all. As you need in a mystery, there is a variety of characters that help throwing red herrings left and right. The mystery itself is a pleasure to read! The first half of the story is slow-paced, but it grows on you as the story unfolds. I felt that the detective work being done by multiple characters was perfect as you head towards the reveal. The POV third person felt a little disconnected, though I'm not sure if that is because of the afforementioned "darkness" (and thus very intentional). I didn't exactly connect with any of the characters, but enjoyed being the audience for it, nonetheless. The ending was absolutely unexpected and I appreciate how unpredictable it was, and that it really wasn't what it seems. It was unsettling though, the way everything wraps up and exactly what happens to the attacker. On one hand, my being more like Adele (more sympathetic), I am glad for what happened. But on the other, it feels like justice wasn't really served and that history could repeat itself. Overall, a solid story told from the perspective of the mothers and teenagers with a good amount of intrigue!
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and my 100% own.

About the Author: Lisa Jewell
Lisa was born in London in 1968. Her mother was a secretary and her father was a textile agent and she was brought up in the northernmost reaches of London with her two younger sisters. She was educated at a Catholic girls’ Grammar school in Finchley. After leaving school at sixteen she spent two years at Barnet College doing an arts foundation course and then two years at Epsom School of Art & Design studying Fashion Illustration and Communication. She worked for the fashion chain Warehouse for three years as a PR assistant and then for Thomas Pink, the Jermyn Street shirt company for four years as a receptionist and PA. She started her first novel, Ralph’s Party, for a bet in 1996. She finished it in 1997 and it was published by Penguin books in May 1998. It went on to become the best-selling debut novel of that year. She has since written a further nine novels, as is currently at work on her eleventh. She now lives in an innermost part of north London with her husband Jascha, an IT consultant, her daughters, Amelie and Evie and her silver tabbies, Jack and Milly.