Day: July 8, 2021

You know how sometimes a book seems familiar – like, you’ve read it before? But you know it’s not possible because it is a new release? And you have that feeling most of the way through the book until there is a twist that pulls the rug out from underneath you and then you realize that you haven’t read it before and everything you thought you recognized was totally wrong?

Yeah, this is one of those.

Let me preface the rest of this by saying that it might sound at times as if I didn’t like the book, but that’s not the case. Read the whole way through first.

I will stand by my thought that the first part of the book seemed run-of-the-mill in some places. Newly married couple takes a belated honeymoon to a secluded cabin. Spooky things occur. Things get weird.

I thought some of the dialogue in the first two thirds of the book often seemed stilted. There was a lot of repetition, and chapters often ended with an ominous thought that didn’t always seem to be followed through. It got a little bit annoying and there were times that I almost gave up.

But I know from past books that there is always more to this author’s stories. So, I kept at it.

Sure enough, things take a total turn just over halfway through. Riddles are answered, more twists occur, and things go quite dark. And just when you think you’ve reached the depths of how twisted the story (and the relationship) is – well, let’s just say you haven’t.

There’s still more.

Right up to the very last page.

This isn’t the type of book that supports an analysis of the characters and whether they were likeable or not. I think it’s enough to say that both Grace and Ryan are damaged and have secrets that they’ve hidden from each other.

And boy, do those come back to bite them.

I suppose if you wanted to get really deep, you could say that it’s an example of like attracting like and there’s a bit of Stockholm Syndrome on both of their parts. But I don’t want to give too much away.

Read this book for the cheap thrills in the first half but stay for the dark twists in the second half. It’s a worthwhile ride.

Author BioKiersten Modglin is an Amazon Top 30 bestselling author of award-winning psychological thrillers and a member of International Thriller Writers. Kiersten lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and their two Boston Terriers: Cedric and Georgie. She is best known for her unpredictable suspense and her readers have dubbed her ‘The Queen of Twists.’ A Netflix addict, Shonda Rhimes super-fan, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her nose in a book.