Format: Hardcover, 272 pages
Release Date: May 13, 2025
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Thrillers & Suspense
New York Times bestselling author April Henry delivers a true-crime-style mystery featuring a teen determined to save a missing girl she sees in a disturbing photo.
What if you found evidence of a crime, but no one believed you?
Seventeen-year-old Willow always has a camera around her neck. She volunteers as a photographer at Finding Home, an animal shelter. When Willow stumbles upon a lost camera memory card, it’s filled with hundreds of photos of teenage girls. Some are smiling, others look unaware, and a few seem terrified.
The police tell her taking photos in public isn’t a crime. But Willow can’t seem to let it go, especially after she finds her own photo on the card. So Willow teams up with new volunteer Dare to figure out what happened to the girls. As their investigation heats up, so does the chemistry between them. But everyone around Willow seems to have a secret: Finding Home’s owner, her own mom, and even Dare. When Willow learns that some of the girls on the camera card have gone missing, she realizes the unknown photographer might be a serial killer. Can Willow find him before he finds her?
What if you found evidence of a crime, but no one believed you?
Seventeen-year-old Willow always has a camera around her neck. She volunteers as a photographer at Finding Home, an animal shelter. When Willow stumbles upon a lost camera memory card, it’s filled with hundreds of photos of teenage girls. Some are smiling, others look unaware, and a few seem terrified.
The police tell her taking photos in public isn’t a crime. But Willow can’t seem to let it go, especially after she finds her own photo on the card. So Willow teams up with new volunteer Dare to figure out what happened to the girls. As their investigation heats up, so does the chemistry between them. But everyone around Willow seems to have a secret: Finding Home’s owner, her own mom, and even Dare. When Willow learns that some of the girls on the camera card have gone missing, she realizes the unknown photographer might be a serial killer. Can Willow find him before he finds her?
April Henry’s When We Go Missing is a young adult thriller that blends true-crime elements, suspense, and a touch of romance. When We Go Missing centers on seventeen-year-old Willow O'Connor, an aspiring photographer who volunteers at Finding Home, an animal shelter in Portland, Oregon. While walking shelter dogs, Willow discovers a lost camera memory card containing hundreds of photos of teenage girls—some smiling, others unaware, and a few visibly terrified. The discovery takes a personal turn when Willow finds her own photo among the images, prompting her to suspect foul play.
Despite the police dismissing her concerns, citing that taking pictures in public isn’t a crime, Willow teams up with Dare Milani, a new volunteer at the shelter, to investigate. As they uncover connections between the photos and missing girls, Willow realizes the photographer may be a serial killer. The narrative unfolds through three alternating perspectives—Willow, Dare, and the predatory real estate agent Ryan—creating a tense, multi-layered mystery that keeps readers guessing. Willow's challenging home life, with an ill mother and distant stepfather, grounds her character in emotional reality, making her quest for justice feel personal and urgent.
Dare, meanwhile, is a layered counterpart, grappling with guilt over a past accident that led to his probation. Volunteering at the shelter is a condition of his plea deal, adding complexity to his motivations. Willow's relentless desire to find the young women being targeted, while also dealing with the local authorities who think she has too much time on her hands, and the possibility that Finding Home is on the brink of closure, leads to an interesting conversation.
The alternating perspectives heighten the suspense, particularly Ryan’s chilling chapters, which offer a predatory viewpoint without glorifying or sensationalizing his actions. This narrative choice adds a layer of creepiness, as readers glimpse the killer’s mindset while rooting for Willow and Dare to outsmart him. Lastly, I think the author intends to draw in a younger audience. Except for Willow, Dare, and Ryan, all the other secondary characters are in the 14-15 age range. That's her choice, but I think I will read reviews of future works Henry creates before reading the story.
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