I think those who want to read She Left must go in blindly. The blurb immediately grabbed my attention but it lacked the thrill of a murder mystery.

She Left was fine. The first chapter was probably the most thrilling part of the book, in my option. Honestly, I think I was expecting something completely different from what I read. I even jumped at the half and nothing happened. Entirely drawn out which was surprising considering the audiobook was less than 10 hours. This is why I think I would recommend it as a 'Go in knowing knowthing' kind of read.

I would have enjoyed it if it was written in 1st person. It was hard to keep up with all the characters, their names and their motive.

I appreciated all the loose ends coming in nicely at the end.

Solid 3.5

Give murder mystery dinner party vibes! I listened to the audiobook which was narrated very well. I loved the fast paced nature of the story and figuring out everyone’s secrets from the previous event. This is my first book by this author but I’d love to read more

She Left is a closed circle mystery set in an isolated cabin cut off from the world by a raging storm (and missing car keys). 20 years ago, Amy Therese Brewer left a party with her friends shortly before they were brutally murdered. 20 years later, she meets 9 other people connected to the victims for an anniversary interview. But instead of a interview there are wild accusations, new evidence, missing keys and phones and one by one, people start do die.

I really enjoy closed circle mysteries and this one hit just the spot. Was ist outstanding? No. Was is disappointing? No. It was just fine (or 08/15, as we Germans say). It was somewhat lacking in suspence, but it did keep me quessing "whodunnit?" until the end. I also looove the cover art!

I listened to the audio version of this book and really enjoyed the narrator. Sadly, I had some trouble following the story because I kept mixing up characters and forgot how most of them were connected to the victims halfway through (Joseph? Gil? Mike? Who?). Most of them were pretty unlikeable, too. The most interesting and likeable charakter in my opinion was Lorelei, an ex-addict, and I wish she would have had a bigger part in the story.

The end felt somewhat rushed, but all in all a solid 3.5 stars from me!

I received a complimentary download of this audio book via Netgalley. Thank you.

This book was great and one of the better books I read this month. I loved the premise of everyone coming to the cabin and felt that it was well-written. Motivations are clear (except where they aren't for story reasons), and everyone acts within the character that has been defined for them.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who likes locked-room mysteries, and to anyone who likes redemption or revenge stories.

She Left was a little hard to get into at first, but then it turned out okay. I feel like the ending was very abrupt.

Amy Brewer left a party when her teenaged friends made a joke at her expense. She walked home and therefore didn't know anything was wrong until a neighbor frantically pounded on her door. Soon after leaving the party, the house where it was held exploded. While the initial explosion didn't kill all of her friends instantly, the ones who survived were then stabbed to death. Amy never completely got over the trauma nor the lingering suspicion about how it was very convenient that she left just before the massacre. Now, many years later, she's an FBI agent who goes by her middle name, Therese. She and other people who were somehow involved with the tragedy have been invited to a remote house in order to participate in a story by a well-known journalist. But once everyone arrives, it soon becomes apparent that the journalist wasn't the one who invited them. Why were they all brought together? Naturally, not long after arriving their phones all disappear and a storm blocks their escape. When the bodies start piling up, it's up to Therese to figure out who and what is behind both deadly gatherings.

The narrator was very good and I liked the pacing of the story. All of the characters were shady in one way or another and so I was guessing all the way through as to which one had the most reason to carry out the crimes!

This had ALL the Agatha Christie vibes! I know there are a lot of books out there with the "And Then There Were None" trope but I never get tired of it. This one had be flipping sides so quickly. I did not have a single clue as to who the killer could be. Every time I thought I knew, the book switched up on me. If you love gripping "who-dun-it" thrillers that keep you guessing, then this is your book! I have read a lot of books that mimic "And Then There Were None" but this one is definitely in my top 5! The narration was great too. I always worry about being able to distinguish who is who when I'm listening to an audiobook with a lot of characters, but there is nothing to worry about here! Thriller lovers, definitely give this book a go!

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on May 19th, 2024. Links provided.

On the anniversary of and many years after the horrific Memorial Day Massacre, where five teens were brutally murdered moments after Amy Therese Brewer stormed out in a rage, ten individuals linked to the tragedy (including Therese) are summoned to a secluded cliffside home by a journalist under the pretense of covering the story. As a fierce storm traps them inside and certain truths come out, they soon begin to realize that the motive for this gathering might be more threatening than they originally believed. Now a detective and trapped with these individuals, Therese suspects that someone among them knows more about that fateful night than they let on. As individuals begin dying, Therese is forced to recognize the terrifying reality that one of the attendees is willing to kill again, determined to keep their dark secrets hidden forever. Will Therese be able uncover who is behind this sinister plan before it's too late?

I definitely enjoyed this book! I listened to it as an audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator. It gives off very similar vibes to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None as well as Clue (the 1985 movie - but minus the comedic aspects). If you like a classic whodunit while individuals are trapped together and you don’t know who you can trust, you will likely enjoy this book. At the beginning I did have a little difficultly keeping all of the characters in order, especially when trying to connect the present day characters to the individuals that were originally murdered. I think it would have really helped if I took notes at the beginning of the book when everyone was first introduced and it was explained how they were connected so I could have used it as a reference as the plot thickened. Overall, I felt this was a solid murder/mystery story with an eerie setting.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced audiobook of She Left in return for my honest review.

I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.

One of the best books I've read in a long while!!

I listened to the audiobook of this and I found the beginning to be a bit hard to follow. Once I got further into the book I feel like it was easier to follow the transition of characters. The book felt quite predictable. Not my favorite book or least favorite book of the year.

She Left is a classic locked room whodunnit mystery with a unique backstory. It includes a cast of interesting characters that were well depicted, and most of which were very unlikeable. One character in specific was extremely misogynistic and racist, to a point where I debated DNF-ing because he was so offensive I was uncomfortable.

While I didn’t have all the answers figured out, I did guess the murderer early on in the book. The story felt drawn out at times, maybe due to the blaring obviousness at who was to blame. One aspect I did enjoy was that there weren’t any unanswered questions by the end of the story and all loose ends were tied up in a neat bow.

🎧 Audiobook review: With multiple characters and an alternating POV between all of them, it did make things more difficult to follow along with. It’s definitely not the kind of book you can listen to mindlessly while doing other tasks and not get lost. To get the most out of the story, this is one I’d recommend taking notes on throughout. The narrator did a good job of being clear and concise, while also using different tones and pitches for the various characters.

The storyline itself is worthy of 3.5 ⭐️, which I’d normally round up - but I’m so bothered by the derogatory remarks of the one character that I’m rounding this down. There’s a line between writing an unlikeable character and an offensive character - this one crossed that line and it greatly hindered my enjoyment of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for this ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.

It's been twenty-years since the Memorial Day Massacre that claimed the lives of five of Amy's friends. It happened at a small house party they'd been enjoying together. After Amy was made to feel like she didn't belong though, she left. Little did she know, that was the luckiest choice she could've ever made. Within an hour, all of those left at the house were be dead.

In the present, Amy, along with ten other people connected to that night have been invited to a cliffside lodge by a journalist preparing to do a piece on the murders. After arriving at the home, and being introduced to one another, events quickly take a dark turn. With inclement weather closing in, isolating them even more from the outside world, it becomes clear that this weekend isn't what any of them expected it to be. As bodies start dropping, Amy and the others must fight to figure out who orchestrated this event and stop them before they complete their goal; keeping the secrets they've been hiding for twenty-years.

Y'all, I really enjoyed this. I went into She Left with zero expectations. I hadn't heard anyone talking about it and I was unfamiliar with this author's other works. I was attracted to it purely for the cover and synopsis. The synopsis was giving me a classic mystery/horror set-up, where people get invited to an event, like a dinner party or weekend retreat, only to arrive and realize it's not what they thought. It's very And Then There Were None, amongst others.

Grey succeeded in her delivery of that set-up. I loved how this started off, meeting all the characters and learning how they were all connected to the Memorial Day Massacre. They're not all as directly connected as Amy was, so it was interesting to figure out all of that. We do get glimpses into all the various character perspectives, but Amy is definitely our main focus, and as an FBI Agent, Amy really had the most to offer as far as figuring the whole thing out.

Grey also succeeded in really building out her atmosphere. I loved the setting of this. She didn't just tell us it was remote, it felt remote. The inclement weather, and potentially hazardous mudslides, added an extra element of danger that only aided in the feeling of anxiety and desperation. This is extremely fast-paced, as well as engaging and easy to follow. I listened to the audiobook and loved that as a format choice. I absolutely flew through it.

At the end of the day, I wouldn't say there's anything particularly ground-breaking about this story, but I didn't need there to be. It was still highly-entertaining and that's exactly what I was looking for. Overall, the plot is gripping and fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but still delivers a well-plotted, intense mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. I'm pumped to read more from this author!

This was a good read. Kept me on my toes. The narrator did a good job as well. It was very entertaining!

She Left, by Stacie Grey, was a who-dun-it type storyline that kept you guessing from the start. The book follows a small group of people, all related in some way to a massacre many years prior, as they get together for a remembrance. Of all the attendees, only Therese had been there the night her friends/classmates perished at the hands of someone else.

The book continues to slowly feed you information related to the massacre, but does not revolve around it- only each person’s involvement or relation to it. If the author is so inclined, I would love to read a story dedicated to the massacre itself!

The opening to the book immediately made me feel claustrophobic, set in a remote, hotel-like environment and immediately removed of all access outside including car keys and cell phones. The finger pointing and blaming kicks off immediately, as do dead bodies left and right.

I didn’t find this story super suspenseful, maybe more of a mystery genre than thriller, but excellent all around. I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator enjoyable as well. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC.

This was a fun who-dunnit thriller. I enjoyed the FMC and although I found her original bullying issue to be a little anti-climatic, I enjoyed her thought process throughout the book. The cast of characters was fun, my only issue was the fact that I knew who did it from the get go. However, that being said, there were enough twists and turns to keep me second-guessing my original guess, as I had no idea what the main motivation for the killer was. When the FMC brings everything to light it was an, "Ahhh that makes sense." All in all, this was a solid audiobook, I really enjoyed the narrator and had fun listening to this while prepping test packets for middle school standardized state testing.

Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media for the free audiobook!

While I really enjoyed listening the narrator; Linda Jones did a great job, the story didn't hold my attention like I hoped.

The premise of being the final girl sounded so fun and while it really started off with a bang, it fell off as it went on for me.

I'm still hopeful this will be a success for the author!

This is out now!

I enjoyed this murder mystery thriller! Kept me guessing!

Publisher's summary
As a teenager, Amy Therese Brewer argued with her friends and stormed out of a party—moments before the five other teens were brutally murdered. Now, on the anniversary of those deaths, ten people with connections to the crime have been invited to a remote cliffside house by a journalist looking to do a story about the so-called Memorial Day Massacre. But the group quickly learns the event is not what it seems. As a storm closes in and guests begin to die, Therese realizes there is someone in the house who knows more than they admit about what happened that night long ago, and they will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ALC!

She Left
By: Stacie Grey
Narrated by: Linda Jones
Release date: 05-14-24
Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Ten years after a horrific massacre, a journalist reunites those connected to the tragedy for a weekend retreat. As a storm isolates the group in a remote cliffside house, the past claws its way back with deadly consequences. Amy, the sole survivor from that fateful night, finds herself trapped in a terrifying game where no one is safe.

I enjoyed this suspenseful story, but the plot unravelled in a way that felt slightly convoluted at times. Overall, it's a gripping read that deserves 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4).

Amy Brewer was at a house party with 5 of her friends when she got in a fight with her friends and walked out. After she arrives home, a neighbor runs over to check on her, frantically calling Amy's parents to confirm that she is okay. All 5 of the friends that she left behind have been brutally murdered.

Twenty years later, Amy receives an email from a reporter asking her to join ten other people on a cliff-side house for the weekend. The reporter is going to write a story on the still unsolved murders and wanted to get the perspective of those connected to the case. But, a storm blows in, there's avalanche of rocks, and the guests start to die off one by one. Will Amy survive once again?

This was a fun closed room thriller reminding me of An Then There Were None.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio arc of this title.

A locked room (within a locked room) type mystery? Yes please. The plot is fantastic and I did enjoy some of it. Unfortunately I was bored.

The narrator did a fine job orating the prose but I kept “checking out”. So this may be a “me thing” and I would have enjoyed the physical book a lot better.

The characters just didn’t grab me so I didn’t buy into them and care what happened to them.

However, the premise of surviving a massacre only to regroup years later on a private island with other survivors and face peril, it definitely meets the basic expectations.

So if you like this genre, give it a go!