⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ This is probably my favorite book of the 2025. That might be recency bias talking, or it might be because Harriet the Spy was one of my defining childhood reads. Either way, I can’t remember another book this year that made me feel quite like this one did.
Set in Yorkshire in 1979, the story follows twelve-year-old Miv, who is already struggling with a quiet, unspoken crisis at home when fear spreads through her neighborhood as young women begin to disappear. When her father starts talking about moving the family “down south,” Miv becomes determined to solve the mystery herself. Along with her best friend Sharon, she creates a list of all the suspicious people and things on their street, and starts investigating.
What begins as a child’s attempt at detective work slowly unfolds into something much deeper and more devastating. The novel captures the way children observe the world with startling clarity while not fully understanding what they’re seeing. Secrets accumulate. Not just in the neighborhood, but inside families and friendships, and the emotional weight builds in a way that feels painfully real. I especially loved how Miv and Sharon befriended so many people in the neighborhood.
The audiobook production is excellent, with a full cast that brings texture and warmth to the story without overwhelming it. The performances give the characters distinct voices and make the emotional beats land even harder.
This book broke my heart and lifted it at the same time. It’s tender, unsettling, and deeply humane. It’s less about solving crimes than about grief, fear, friendship, and the quiet resilience of children trying to make sense of an adult world that feels suddenly dangerous. I will be thinking about it for a long time, and probably listening again soon to go back to Miv’s world.
Special thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia/Tantor Audio for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.
Holly Reads Too Much 