It Could Have Been Her

by Lisa Jewell

First published 2026

Jane Trevally walks her dogs across her country estate when a small white terrier appears without its teenage companion. The girl goes missing, and Jane volunteers to return the dog to its registered owner in London. The address leads her to Thornwood, a deteriorating house in remote Hampstead that Jane knows all too well. Twenty-five years ago, something happened here that left deep scars. The man who opens the door is not who Jane expected. He acts evasive and denies knowing anything about the missing teenager. Through a window, Jane spots a woman who looks trapped and desperate. Jane realizes that Thornwood still guards the same secrets that destroyed her life decades earlier. The missing girl, the mysterious inhabitants, and Jane's own buried trauma are all connected to this house. Jane must confront her past to uncover what Thornwood is hiding and find the teenager before it's too late.

Genres: suspense, mystery, contemporary, thriller

Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: secrets, unreliable-narrator

Setting: Hampstead, London, Thornwood

Period: 25 years ago

384 pages · Hardcover · Atria Books

Content warnings: mental-illness

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