This dark thriller takes you inside the tortured mind of a young man who has killed before - and fears he will kill again. There are so many twists that you don't know if you are coming or going. It pulls you in and your just can't stop reading it until you get to the last page and even then you want more.

I am so happy to say I really enjoyed this book. Incredible writhing skills by this wonderful author!! On top of that, she,was so sweet to correspond with me. Her book is very intriguing and set in the 80's. Fast paced, I read it in 2 sittings!!!!

While I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and found some to be predictable, there were definitely some surprises. I enjoyed getting to know Sean and Annabelle.

This book ticked so many boxes for me – dark, violent, gritty romance with the ultimate unreliable narrator.

This book has some nice quirks to it that adds depth to the story; being set in the 80s and having a Korean protagonist based in Texas. This means the author adds in a few details of the casual racism Sean has to deal with every day, as well as adding a bit of background to his home life.

The setting and writing in this book are fantastic, I found myself being drawn in to all the places being described and hearing the voices of the people Sean talks to. Being inside his head is a terrifying experience, he has a history of violence and the overwhelming desire to hurt people but he’s trying not to give in to the feeling – of course, when the first girl he’s spoken to in years disappears, nobody believes anything he has to say.


Sean begins his own investigation into Annabelle’s disappearance and traces back into her past, doing so makes him look as guilty as hell to the police and as he’s on some hefty medication, he’s the epitome of an unreliable narrator and it’s impossible to tell how innocent he is in this situation.


One of my favourite threads throughout this story was Sean’s relationship with his mother – it forces you to form an opinion of her, through the eyes of a mentally ill and resentful son. Trying to understand her through that lens is really compelling.
This book is full of twists and turns, most of which I never saw coming – the best bit is that the suspense doesn’t just deflate once things are revealed, it keeps on going and going until the bitter end.


As mysteriously as I can put it… if the depiction of schizophrenia in the first part of the book bothers you as it did me, roll with it, it all becomes clear later on.

This is a great read that kept the pages turning until the end. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to any potential sequels. It is the story of Sean Suh, a man diagnosed with schizophrenia who sees an abduction and will do whatever it takes to find Annabelle, a girl whom he had a short lived relationship with at an amusement park. Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Mira for the ARC for my review.

Sean Suh is drawn to Four Corners, a small amusement park in South Texas, each day returning to sketch the people who visit the park. Sean can see their auras, a condition he attributes to his medication along with the lost time he experiences, he watches them but never approaches them...it's not safe...he doesn't want to hurt anyone again. After spending three years in a psychiatric prison, he is determined to stay away from any temptation that might send him back but when he sees Annabelle, the girl with the copper metallic aura, he is unable to resist. Annabelle, a pre-med student at the university, doesn't see Sean as a monster but she doesn't know what he's capable of...and then she disappears.
Sean tells the police that he saw Annabelle get abducted by a man in a white truck, her screams haunt him, but his medical condition and violent history makes him an unreliable witness and the prime suspect in her disappearance. Determined to find Annabelle and clear his name, he must let the monster loose to find the answers before it’s too late for both of them.

Hunting Annabelle is a dark psychological mystery in which our anti-hero Sean, a killer, finds himself searching for a girl he is almost certain has been abducted. This novel is a unique mystery in which the protagonist is not the typical hero nothing is what it appears to be. This novel explores mental illness, murder, violence, and sexual abuse. As the novel progresses we are shown the true nature of the characters in a dark and violent revelation of events. Each of the characters true natures in the novel are obscured only to be fully revealed as the plot progresses. What initially appears to be random events ties the plot together perfectly for a twisty ending you won't see coming.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

TBH... unfortunately, I had to put this book into my DNF bookshelf. I feel a bit guilty because of it, but I am not a big fan of forced reading so, yeah.

The beginning was really promising. It was terrifying, different... and very interesting. But then... i got bored. The plot was too fast, the characters weren't impressive enough (except for Sean and Annabelle).
I did enjoy Sean's character, however. Also, the aura thing... was an amazing idea.

I fell like I am not really in the position to write a complete review, bc of the fact that i did not finish it, so I will just say that it did not click with me and that would be why i had no other interest to continue with the story.

Really enjoyed this book! Interesting, well developed storyline & characters. I couldn't put it down. Would definitely recommend this book to others.

Five stars for Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard. This story was a great read that was interesting and kept me guessing until the view end. Thank you for the opportunity to review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I could not put it down. Not what I expected but well written and I really enjoyed it

Well, this was an interesting and definitely different read. It took and weird turn the last few chapters of the book, but i still enjoyed it. Just not how i imagined the story going at all. I do think you have to be an open minded reader to enjoy this book.

This novel is gripping, suspenseful and wonderfully twisty. I finished this in one night!
Sean has been out of the psychiatric prison for three years. He has been trying to learn to deal with schizophrenia and keep to himself. He has isolated himself from relationships in fear that he will kill someone again. He spends his days at a local amusement park in Texas drawing people he sees filling his day with his art and burying the monster that lives in his mental illness. Then he meets Annabelle and things change. Even though he knows not to get involved with her, he can't help it as he truly does want a human connection. When he witnesses her abduction, he must deal with his own demons as well as the local police and he tries desperately to find her.
I love books about killer's and their psychology and this novel runs the gambit. I cheered Sean on every step of the way. These days I can see most twists coming but not in this one and I give Wendy HEard kudos for not going the obvious and stereotypical path with this. The end is emotional and keeps you thinking for hours after reading the book. There is so much great material to ponder and think about.
I loved Hunting Annabelle; I couldn't go to bed until I had finished Sean's journey.

Hunting Annabelle is a book that follows Sean Suh, who is a mentally unstable young adult who lives with his mother. He meets Annabelle at one of his favorite spots and ends up falling for her. After hanging out, Annabelle mysteriously disappears, and Sean wants to get to the bottom of it. This story is full of twists and turns that kept me wanting to read more. I love stories like this where I am continuously trying to figure out how it ends, and my mind keeps changing after each chapter. The ending was definitely unexpected, and I loved it! I would definitely recommend this book.

Wendy Heard’s Hunting Annabelle reminded me of the first time I read a Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, or Caroline Kepnes’ You. Both of which I LOVED.

At the core of Hunting Annabelle you have Sean, a twenty-something boy battling mental illness, a family who doesn’t understand him or doesn’t want to understand him and a twenty-something girl named Annabelle who is just mysterious enough to catch your attention without giving too much away. I was hooked.

Sean meets Annabelle at the beginning of the story and he’s enamored by her beauty. The connect and spend a day together. Then Annabelle is kidnapped and Sean’s world is thrown into upheaval. No once believes that he didn’t do anything do her because of his past and even he starts to question himself because he keeps losing time. Throughout the book you learn a lot about Sean that is disturbing and then you learn about Annabelle and you start to think some very interesting thoughts that I don’t want to share…

I had my guesses about where this was heading fairly early on and I would say about ½ were correct. Normally that would annoy me but not here. I still enjoyed the book and seeing the character growth throughout. You may have noticed I called Sean a boy, he grows up during this story. It’s messy but entertaining, I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers.

My version of the book had some editing problems that drove me crazy but even those didn’t make me walk away.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free e-copy of Annabelle by Wendy Heard from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

A creepy, chilling psychological thriller that pulls you in in the first few pages. Sean, who is mentally ill, is a man who loses track of times. Sean, recently out of a mental institution, is living with his mother and is still very unstable. While visiting the local them park he meets, a beautiful girl named Annabelle. Annabelle spends the day with Sean, and then asks him to meet her again the next day. When Sean goes to meet Annabelle the next day, he witnesses Annabelle being kidnapped. He reports it to the police. The police suspect that Sean is behind the kidnapping. A gripping read that will have you second guessing everything.

I received and eARC from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
5 stars! Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review this early!
The story is so intriguing and hooked me in from the start. You are instantly drawn to Sean and at the same time afraid of what he is capable of. I had no idea which way the story was going to go till it was revealed (I love when that happens!). A dark twisted tale that's well written. I definitely urge everyone to pick this up!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of Hunting Annabelle.

Sean Suh enjoys spending most of his time at the local amusement park to draw, people he finds interesting in particular. Hiding a dark secret, he mostly tries to keep to himself, avoiding any relationships or close interactions. But everything changes for him when he meets the charismatic and interesting Annabelle, who pushes him out of his shell, and into danger.

Ok, the story itself was interesting, but soooo unbelievable. It left me wanting to ask a lot of questions, particularly about mental illness, and I wonder if the way it was used in this story was disrespectful to people that actually suffer such ailments? I don't know, maybe I missed something, but there was a lot that was tough to swallow.

This is a rather odd book. I enjoyed reading it, but was very confused about the whole storyline until the very end, when it all suddenly came together and made me go "wow!".

lmao this was SO messed up, love it

basically, a guy called sean killed his girlfriend, was sent to a psychiatric prison, and gets out early. he meets this girl called annabelle and witnesses her getting kidnapped, except of course everyone thinks he did it because he has a History.

there were so many twists and i didn't expect any of them, which was rad, and oh my GOD that ending. i can't really say much more about this book without ruining it, but it was an excellent, atypical psychological thriller and i'd recommend it. especially if you like dark stuff.

Sean Suh hangs around the same place daily, he loves to watch people and draw them. But, is that all he wants to do? Then along comes Annabelle, Sean feels a connection with her and they begin to hang out. After their first date Annabelle is heard screaming for help, Sean does not make it in time, all he sees is her feet in the back of a truck. What should he do!!! he reports it to the police, but, they do not seem to be taking in seriously, Sean decides to try and find her on his own. Now this is where the book takes a twist, you will have to read it to find out the rest though! I loved it, sucked me in and kept me enthralled.