September 21, 2023 Abigail Singrey

Book Review: The Only Girl in Town

A lyrical and haunting story

About the Book

The Only Girl in Town by Ally Condie

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Release Date: Sept. 19, 2023

Book Review

Lyrical and haunting, this book takes readers on an emotional journey through an empty town filled only with memories.

When everyone she loved disappeared, July Fielding is left alone in a shell of a town. All the places she knows are still there, but none of the people. Someone’s left an ominous message on the high school marquee. And she misses everyone.

Through flashbacks, the reader learns that July once had a thriving social life as the co-captain of the girls’ track team and a college boyfriend. But an incident made her friends pull away, and now they’ve all disappeared, along with every other living human.

When July manages to wish her cat back into existence, she wonders if she can bring others back. Soon, she begins to suspect that she’s not alone, and whoever is hiding in the shadows is leaving messages for her to follow.

July is sweet, sympathetic and broken. I enjoyed watching her try to get ahead of whoever’s playing a game with her in the empty town.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Need more to read? Find all my thriller recommendations here.

Abigail Singrey

Abigail Singrey is a storyteller, brand strategist and confirmed bookworm. She's the kind of person who wants to stop and pick up every stray dog by the side of the road and buy every book in Barnes and Noble.