Never seen this ending coming! This book is definitely dark, twisted, and messed up! If you love psychological thrillers that totally mess with your mind, then this book is for you! Creepy!

HUNTING ANNABELLE is Wendy Heard’s debut mystery/psychological thriller novel. It will be published on December 25th 2018 by MIRA Books.

Twenty-something year old Sean Suh is a deeply disturbed man. He suffers from schizophrenia and hallucinations, he murdered his teenage girlfriend years ago, and he has recently been released from a stint in a psychiatric prison. As far as Sean is concerned, he’s done with killing. He’s also mostly done with people. Sean spends his days at the Four Corners amusement park in Austin, Texas, where he observes and sketches people, but does not interact. Then he meets Annabelle… Annabelle may be the one person who can see past the monster to the man. But then Sean witnesses Annabelle being kidnapped. Thanks to his mental illness and past homicide conviction, Sean soon becomes the number one suspect in Annabelle’s disappearance. Sean is the only person who knows he didn’t do anything to Annabelle… Or did he do something, but can’t remember? The closer Sean gets to finding Annabelle, the more of his inner demons he has to confront and release.

HUNTING ANNABELLE is deeply disturbing, creepy, and chilling novel. Heard’s story is very original, and the ending threw me for a loop. There are plenty of twists and turns throughout the novel. The narrative is told from Sean’s first person perspective, and it is written in the present tense. Sean is an extremely unreliable narrator, and this makes the first person, present tense even more compelling. The reader gets to witness the events as they play out and experiences everything right along with Sean. The thing is, with Sean being so unreliable, is that the reader can never know if Sean’s narrative is the truth or just his version of it. Either way, Sean takes the reader on a very wild ride through the mid-1980s in Austin, Texas. Sean starts out as the bad guy – he’s a murderer. But he’s also a sympathetic character, and he becomes more so as the story progresses. Yes, Sean is a villain. But he’s not necessarily THE villain.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

OMG THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!!!!
I cannot believe what I have just read. I was hooked from the first page and had to read it in one sitting.
This book is creepy, disturbing and a compulsive read. This is a rollercoaster of a psychological thriller. My advice to you when you read this book is to put everything else on hold. I can assure you that you are in for a he'll of a read. This is a must read and highly recommended.
I would like to thank the author Wendy Heard, Harlequin- MIRA and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

Suspenseful and twisty story. I loved the characters but would have liked more from Sean’s past. The writing is great, concise and direct. Sean is heavily medicated and his thoughts and actions cast doubts on his reliability. Because of this the story kept me on edge.

The ending... looks like it’s a split decision for/against on the reviews I’ve read. I have to say that I liked it! It’s dark! And it’s completely unexpected! Yes it’s crazy, but that’s what made this one so fun!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Harlequin-Mira (U.S. and Canada) for a copy in exchange for a review.

Thank you NetGalley, Wendy Heard and Harlequin – Mira for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

After serving three years in a psychiatric prison, Sean is sure he is done killing. He won’t go back there no matter what. But he meets Annabelle and is unable to stay away from the temptation of her beauty. Then after their first date, Annabelle is kidnapped and Sean witnessed it. But his illness and many medications have been making him lose time throughout the day and this makes him look like he is the criminal responsible for her kidnapping. The police won’t tell him anything because he is their prime suspect, so he starts an investigation of his own.

I was immediately drawn into this novel and Sean’s story because it is so different from what I’m used to reading. I love novels that bring in different mental health issues and allow you to see how their affect people’s lives. I also loved the way that Sean is portrayed and how he has to fight the demons inside him to be able to spend time with Annabelle without hurting her. I also enjoyed that a killer is out looking for the kidnappers of the woman he has fallen for. I thought I would start to get bored of Sean looking for Annabelle, but every chapter brought a new surprise and with it my suspicion grew!

I did start to suspect I knew what was going on and what was going to happen in the end, but I was only partially right! I really enjoyed all the little twists and turns that lead to the ending and how different everyone really is compared to how we view them in the beginning. I loved the ending and how different it is from the usual ending and how it ended up being a happy ending, if not a little strange! It didn’t ruin the ending at all that I had a good idea about what was going on because it changes again before the very end and gave me such a shock! I would definitely recommend this novel!

Out December 18th!

A fascinating concept! What is real? What is imagined? See full review here. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2480676674

Shawn Suh meets a girl named Annabelle, with whom has a particularly unique and special connection. When he sees Annabelle being kidnapped and reports it to the police, he becomes the primary suspect. His violent past does not help matters.

This was a dark and twisted novel but it never really captured my interest. I did not care much one way or the other for Shawn and did not become invested in his well-being or the outcome of the novel. It was clearly a well-researched and well-written story, but just wasn’t for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Mira and Wendy Heard for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Hunting Annabelle is a story about a young man who spent his youth in a psychiatric prison for murder. After his release, he is in treatment and medicated to move beyond his past. He meets Annabelle at an amusement park and witnesses her kidnapping on their first date.

The writing is clunky and the pace too fast. I skipped most of the book just to get to the end to find out what happened. The ending is pretty ridiculous and doesn't make much sense. Many questions are left unanswered and it was a bit of a let down.

A very good read although a bit disturbing at times but overall it was a good psychological thriller which is an excellent page turner.

Can recommend this book if you are looking for something a bit different.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Mira for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This was an enjoyable read.This book covers many disturbing aspects but the characters are relateable.

Hunting Annabelle ARC was to me by the author Wendy Heard and Net galley for an honest review.
A book a throughly enjoyed that got my attention from the first few pages, and kept my interest throughout with a crazy surprise ending I didn't see coming.
A true psychological thriller , that keeps you wondering. iSean who was released from a psychiatric institution for murdering his first true love is recieving outpatient therapy and is under the strict supervision of his mother who is a renowned Doctor.
Sean meets Annabelle and falls in love immediately. Annabelle has a lot of problems as well as Sean and struggles like Sean with her inner demons. Will they make it, Is Annable even real? !
A must read for fans of psychological thrillers!

A gritty, gripping edge of your seat read with an unreliable narrator and unexpected twists, Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard is perfect for fans of You by Caroline Kepnes. What happens when a recently released psychiatric prison patient befriends a girl who then ends up missing. Strap in because the ride is twisted.   Full review will appear first at Caffeinated Reviewer on December 18th.

I’d say this is a solid four star unputdownable debut! What a wildly creepy, chilling story. Sean kills women he’s attracted to in the heat of the moment (yikes) and after being institutionalized for several years, he’s released for outpatient therapy. When he meets Annabelle, he is completely captivated by her. Obsessed even? So when Annabelle disappears, he will stop at nothing to find her, even if it means incriminating himself in the process. I don’t want to say too much else for fear of giving things away, but this plot is wildly creepy and twisted and at times quite graphic. Hunting Annabelle is a rather original story in a genre that has a tendency to be formulaic and predictable.

Hunting Annabelle is definitely a psychological thriller. Your ensconced in the mind of a 23 year old mentally ill psychopath for the length of the book.

Where I will applauded the author for giving us two protagonist under the age of 23 with mental issues and one being of Asian descent (how often do you see that in a thriller) it's also those same things I have issue with. Not the ethnicity but the age. I struggled knowing that the two protagonist were so young with how dark this book was. If they would have been older I don't think I would have had an issue but that is my problem not the authors.

The ending is a huge dark twist, which again I will give the author praise for, but here again I struggle with the ages for the subject matter. I think this book was definitely a case of its me not you on liking it. If you looking for a psychological thriller with a surprise twisted ending then definitely give this book a try.

It's a twisty, crazy, scary, spooky tale of killing, meds, psychotic chaos. Its fast paced and kept me on my edge. I almost went mad with the twists and at times I so so unbearable to go on reading. Its real creepy!

It would have been 5* if not for the twisty hard to believe ending.

This book is a mix of twisty, heartbreaking and mystery. Sean is an Asian American young adult who has recently been discharged from the psychiatric hospital after a 12-year sentence for murder. He lives with his mom, who is a brilliant and revered psychiatrist, but whose disappointment and sorrow about Sean pours through in every interaction. Sean aches for his mother’s love but knows he’s a “bad guy”, and feels an ever-present stink of shame. His longing makes him vulnerable, and he meets Annabelle, a pretty woman who he immediately falls in love with. When he witnesses her kidnapping, he becomes obsessed with finding her at all costs, even to himself. Trouble is, the police are calling him a serial killer. Is he? He isn’t sure because he’s been told he has schizophrenia. But is that true? Who all is lying? Who can he trust? And what happened to Annabelle?

This is the 4th book I’ve read that unexpectedly takes place in my hometown of Austin, TX. I love the commentary on Texas culture and politics, offered from an outside perspective. As an Asian American Texan myself, I could relate to some of the casual racism Sean experiences. The twists at the end were the only thing that marred this amazingly well-crafted story. I was left wondering why Sean made the choices he did- these seemed so out of the character carefully described by the author. Still, it was a compelling read that keeps the reader hooked.

A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

***4 Stars ***

Well done Wendy Heard... well done. What a twisted and just creepy read. This wasn't just psychological thriller, this was disturbing. Sean is mentally ill with a violent past that placed him in a mental institution. After release he is withdrawn and keeps to himself, drawing in a sketchbook most of his days, with no concept of time. When he meets Annabelle, he is captivated by her. When Annabelle goes missing, Sean dedicates his time to trying to find her, putting himself as a suspect by detectives due to his past history. Very fast paced enthralling read that I couldn't put down because I had to know what happened to Annabelle. The twist at the end was great; truly one of a kind and highly recommend this book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and MIRA for allowing me an advance read copy in exchange for an honest review.

As a person who really enjoys mysteries and serial killers, this was right up my alley! It was an easy read with suspense that made me not want to put it down. As sick as it may sound, I really enjoyed the ending. The author uncovered important pieces of information throughout the story which made me keep guessing what was going to happen next? I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a darker story.

Oh WOW! This book, these characters, this author! They’re all dark, twisted, oh so wrong and that makes them simply WONDERFUL! This book is so much different than not only anything I’ve read, but I think it’s different than anything that is out there to be read. It is remarkable. Truly, absolutely remarkable! Sean is the perfect villain. The perfect hero. His emotional upheaval puts you on the edge of your nerves. The irony that he is somehow, in the end, the perfect boyfriend (at least for this twisted little story) makes me happy for him. No matter any wrong he’s committed in his life, I still loved Sean. He had an innocence to his personality that seemed impossible for him to have, yet it was clearly there and it gave him this boyish charm that made him very realistic and lovable. This love story is not going to be matched or likely have much competition in the near future, if ever. Out of everything I just read in this book, the fact I’m most enamored by its love story has me reeling! Sean is clearly where the narrative of this story is coming from. The perspective and storytelling truly belongs to him, but that doesn’t make Annabelle any less of a character. If anything, she is so much more than maybe we would see if her if we didn’t see her through Sean and from inside his mind. She truly does sparkle amongst these pages with shadows around her darker than we might have ever imagined possible from her perspective. If she told the story of herself, I’m sure she’d be a much less reliable narrator than even Sean. She would likely manipulate the angles like any good hunter and tell us a “fishing story” rather than the raw truth we get from Sean. I’m intrigued to experience her side of things though and would love to read her rendition of events. I think I will be intrigued by this couple for a very long time and will even miss them and this crazy, dark, beautiful, wonderful tale for some time. I cannot wait to read more by Wendy Heard because really it is her dark and twisted mind that brought this story to life. Her willingness to show her mind unfiltered and naked like this is positively spellbinding! I mean, what’s a little murder between friends, after all? Thanks to NetGalley, MIRA Books and the phenomenal Wendy Heard for allowing me an early edition of this book to read in exchange for my honest review. There are so many ways my words cannot serve this story and author proper praise, but I will be recommending this to anyone and everyone I possibly can so that they can enjoy this crazy, messed up journey too!

I was given in advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. I

really don’t know what to say about this book. I’m giving it three stars because my brain really can’t put any rational thoughts together. This was some misenthropic fuckery. But well-wrtten fuckery.