This book was good, but only to those too young to remember "The Stepford Wives", to which it bore a strong resemblance. Reading it left me with somewhat of a conundrum; I was unable to read it without constantly comparing it to its long-ago predecessor. As a result, I was less able to view it as a stand-alone story, to the point where my enjoyment of "The Ridge" was significantly compromised. Recommended for those unfamiliar with the old classic; if you've read "The Stepford Wives" (or seen the movie based upon it), you might want to pass this one up.

I received this in exchange for an honest, unbiased review and it did not disappoint. It tells the story of Megan Stokes who lives in the town of Willow Ridge with her husband Tyler, and she suspects something strange is going on. This story has intrigue, mystery, and sci-fi, all perfectly balanced. I absolutely enjoyed this story and highly recommend picking it up.

Is it too soon to put The Ridge in my top five for the year?

Without telling you the entire plot....Megan and Tyler have recently moved to Willow Ridge and things are weird. VERY, VERY WEIRD. Something isn't right with the neighborhood, the Institute or anything going on day in and day out.

The suspense of this book builds from page one and just explodes in the following pages. With a mix of the Twilight Zone, Black Mirror and a dash of Stepford Wives/Dark Matter thrown in for good measure, this book is the prime example of my kind of 'thriller'.

Pre-order this now. Do not hesitate, do not resist.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and John Rector for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

let me start off by saying that the less you know about this book, the more you will enjoy it. I am a fan of Rector and have read all his books and this one ranks among the best. a woman has a hard time adjusting to her suburban life after leaving the big city of Chicago a few months ago. some things don't see to be as the appear and I will say no more except that the pages fly in this one as you along with the lead want to know what is going on. clear, crisp pace to this one with some good action and good twists. hard to put down, 4 + stars
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy.

I absolutely recommend this novel. I was so surprised that I liked it. It is a little out there but it kept me guessing and turning the pages furiously to find out what was going on. The twist, the shocker is so much more than I thought it would be and all I can say it "WOW". I wish I could write more about the end but it will give too much away and I want you to be shocked too!

another great one from John Rector. with a prose that almost turns the pages for you, he delivers story that you cannot stop reading. was glued to the screen of my kindle and could not put it down. one of the things i enjoy about John's books is the fact that he can tell a very compelling story without using alot of extra words. just straight to the point, nothing off topic in this one. and for me thats what makes a great book, i have no time to read about filler some authors throw in, i just want the story and John's slim prose delivers that every time. Loved it from start to finish.

thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an early copy! will be purchasing this one for my bookshelves

I thoroughly enjoyed this one from the first page to the last! Megan and Tyler have moved to Willow Ridge...where everything is neat and perfect or is it?

I loved John Rector's writing. The suspense builds nicely with each chapter. I kept trying to figure out just what was going on. It's a suspense thriller with a twist of Sci-Fi. Could easily see this made into a movie.

This is a fantastic and chilling mystery novel that will have readers gripping the pages even after the story ends. There is something extremely wrong with the neighborhood in this story.... But something extremely write in terms of how the author presents us this captivating story...

Highly recommended.

When Megan moves to the suburbs from Chicago, she predictably has a hard time adapting to being a stay-at-home wife. But her discomfort becomes more acute as she starts to notice strange behavior amongst her neighbors. Fiona, her only friend in the neighborhood, calls the Ridge a "stepford" community, for a good reason. This story sucks you in and carries you on a fast-paced ride, with plenty of unexpected twists. THE RIDGE is well-written with a fascinating premise that is only revealed at the end. I read it in one sitting. Totally enjoyable.

Another great read by John Rector, this time a new slant on The Stepford Wives. It's even acknowledged in the story! Once again man tries to tamper with the human life cycle, and not everyone responds as expected. I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I'll just say this is eerie and creepy and absolutely wonderful!

Megan tried to tell her again that she was sorry, but before she could get the words out, the smell hit hard.

Ripe and rotting.

It rolled off Rachel in waves and Megan took another step back, her eyes watering, trying to breathe.


This is one eerie novel. It’s a funny coincidence one of the character’s jokes about the town being very Stepford Wives. Forget monsters, the whole Stepford thing always freaked me out- maybe because the idea of men creating perfect wives, perfect children seems too realistic, too possible to ignore. What is going on here? Megan and Tyler have moved to Willow Ridge for a fresh start, he with a promising career that she really doesn’t concern herself with much. Everything seems perfect, picket fence perfection! Would that she was as good as her neighbors.

Megan does something bad, very bad, irredeemably bad but it wasn’t her intention. Everything seems fine, is she losing her mind? Did she imagine everything or is there something far more sinister happening. She makes a friend, but how do you trust your neighbors when you don’t know if you can trust yourself. What are these strange haunting dreams of a young girl? Is she unraveling? Her husband certainly seems to think so. All she wants is to leave, to go back home to Chicago, even if she has to abandon Tyler.

Why can’t she leave? Why can’t she go back? Well, I can’t tell you that. The ending wasn’t at all what I thought was going to happen. It’s more horrible to me than I thought I had predicted, because perfection is scary. Perfection excludes all memories, even terrible ones you don’t want to remember. The ending made me sad. Darn you Rector! This is a creeper little mystery/thriller This reminds me of episodes from Tales From The Darkside, the sort of horrors that start off as ordinary and then just have that injection of creepiness. The kind where you are really peeved about what happens to the character in the end, but that’s the point- it’s horrible! Quietly horrific.

Publication Date: April 25, 2017

Thomas & Mercer

Fantastic story! Looking forward to reading more by this author!

A little bit of Stepford Wives around the rim and a bit of Twilight Zone in the glass with a Dark Matter twist, shaken, not stirred to make a delicious, freaky, creepy martini.

I don’t know why John Rector is not on the top of the NYT bestseller’s list. His books, written is sparse, elegant prose, are some of the most believably creepy books I have ever read. Megan and Tyler Stokes were excited about their move to Willow Ridge, a tony suburb that promised to hold the start of a new phase in their lives. But Willow Ridge is not the pleasant, happy place it seems to be, and Megan realizes it almost right away. There is something very wrong with their neighbors and one neighbor in particular. When Megan is driven to confront the woman, she sets off a chain of events that becomes a nightmare of doubt, suspicion and madness. I guarantee you will never looks at your neighbors the same way again

Megan and Tyler Stokes have recently moved to the quiet suburban housing development of Willow Ridge. Megan initially felt a strange and unwelcoming vibe from her neighbors, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why? Then bizarre things starting happening that Megan couldn't turn a blind eye to anymore. The real issue was the fact that Tyler thought Megan was the crazy one and that maybe her imagination was running away with her. Megan agreed with him...until she didn't!!! Wow!!!!

This was such an addictive novel!! I sometimes felt like Megan was in the real life twilight zone!! Just when Megan caught her breath from an insane situation, another bizarre occurrence was right behind it. John Rector did a fantastic job with the storyline-- I was truly taken for a loop by the outcome!! The Ridge is a 4.5 star read that will satisfied any mystery/suspense fan!!