I was unable to finish reading this book. The writing style was juvenile (and not simply because the primary narrator is a teenager; the perspective does change and the writing remains scattered and disorganized). The direction of the narration veers off in abrupt tangents that sometimes go on for pages at a time - and end up adding little if anything to the story. The situation Lucy and her mother are in its outlandish and unbelievable - and this is even before they meet up with titular character Gretchen and her father. It felt like a chore to read through the obvious warning signs and the weird stereotypes, and I didn't care enough about the characters to even be curious about what was going to happen. I made it 26% through and spent all evening procrastinating picking it up again - at which point I know it's time to stop. I had heard good things about this book from other reviewers, but it's simply not for me.

Wow! Crazy creepy good book! Never a dull moment and twists and surprises before I could recover from the last one! Great character development. Easy to love, easy to hate! Highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wow... just wow! I can honestly say that this book was pretty creepy (and I don’t say that about very many books). The descriptions made me feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable which tells me the writing is FANTASTIC! I have read Method 15/33, so I was aware that Kirk’s stories are about as twisted as they come, but I did not expect this!

This story shows the power of love, how mistakes we make can affect not only our lives, but the lives of others, and well, a whole lot more that I don’t want to spoil for anyone! I’m not a huge fan of the ending, and like Method 15/33, I think there is just too much going on after the climax of the story (or maybe there are two climaxes?), but it certainly had me hooked.

Kirk is the master of escape plans! That’s for sure!! I’ll look forward reading to anything she writes!

This is a wonderful summertime creepy thriller! It has the best parts of Steven king with a twilight (vampire-free) feel. I loved it.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

was this two different books i was reading..starting off as a spooky psychological thriller and then turning into something entirely different but still on a brilliant scale...

a woman and a child are in hiding and have been for several years...the little girl has grown into quite a independent young woman who wants to settle in one home and finish school and also earn some money...but for years they havent spent very long in each state they entered..tell tale signs would come and then there would be the fast packing and then the long journey to the next safe state for them...what they are running from the young girl does not know but she is primed to avoid all situations that bring attention to themselves

its an intriguing story and gets more interesting when they rent some rooms off gretchen and her father...and after reading this story if i ever met a gretchen i would run....

brilliant read though and would highly recommend this book and author

Gretchen is eerie, uncomfortable, and maybe just a wee bit creepier than it should be. The beginning and middle, I had no problem getting through. In fact, I rushed because I wanted to further myself in the story. But then I got about 3/4ths of the way through, and it seemed to fall apart.

Gretchen is a character that I did not like. She made me uncomfortable, which is author's point. But the other players, they were trying to sift through the madness going on around them. While mostly successful, I feel like everyone's arc was mild.

Overall, it was a good read. There didn't ever seem to be a climax, at least to me. And the story vibrated at the same frequency throughout. Not too much up or down. Still, I liked it. And would recommend it.

Lucy and her mother have been moving around for thirteen years. There's a lot Lucy doesn't understand about why they can never stay in one place for too long or get close to anyone, or why Lucy has to wear contacts to cover her natural eye color. When they arrive in Milberg, New Hampshire, their eleventh state, Lucy is determined she wants to stay for a while, even if it means breaking some of her mother's rules. Her first day there, she meets Gretchen, the landlord's daughter. At first, Gretchen just seems a little quirky and a bit odd. But as Lucy gets to know her she wonders, could Gretchen really be crazy, maybe even dangerous?

This is my first book by Shannon Kirk and overall I enjoyed it. The character of Gretchen was super creepy in a good way. Just past the half-way point, the pace of the book really picked up. The crazy twists and turns pulled all the plot points together and really ratcheted up the suspense. By that point I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to get to the end.

Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Gretchen by Shannon Kirk 🖤
Thanks @netgalley @shannonkirk_books for my ARC
Publication date 23rd July 2019
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Wow. If you like creepy, weird and a little bit odd mysteries then this is the book for you! I absolutely devoured this. A family on the run stumble across a cabin to rent in the middle of nowhere. Sounds like the perfect place to hide? If only the neighbours weren’t so damn creepy. Amazing. My heart was pounding almost every second of the way. Highly recommend xx

Wow, what a book! I read Part one and Part two and I thought the book was going to end, and it was going to be a really good ending…then there was Part three and wow, I didn’t expect Part three at all! If you like a thriller, you’ll like this book by Shannon Kirk! -Janell, Green Gables Book Reviews

This book is about Lucy and her Mom. They are living in their 10th state and leaving soon for their 11th state. Whenever there is a glimpse of recognition, they drive. They take precautions, they do not go in public together, there are colored contact lenses and sunglasses to be worn, there is money hidden, there is always a back up story and they must tell each other everything. It is the only way to stay safe. They can only rely on each other. This has been Lucy’s life since she was 2 years old, she doesn’t understand it, but it’s how she and Mom live to stay safe.

When they get to their 11th state, Lucy likes the place Mom has found. It is isolated and wooded, in New Hampshire. Mom is wary when they meet the owners, who live on the property, but Lucy is excited about the idea of a girl near her age living there with her Dad. She can bike to town, and hopes Mom will let her get a job. Maybe they can stay here for a while, Lucy wants to stay here. She’s tired of the constant running.

Mom senses something, Mom wants to go. Lucy doesn’t usually argue with Mom, but she wants to stay. Mom starts to ignore her. Mom is mad. Lucy has never kept things from Mom, but Mom is being mean. Maybe she should tell Mom about how she’s collected a few secrets, but nothing that would put them in danger … she doesn’t think, anyway? She can handle this! Maybe she should tell her how weird Gretchen is. Their property owners daughter really wants to be friends, but she’s trying too hard. It’s annoying. Really annoying. But, at least it is someone to talk to. Mom still won’t talk to her.

Lucy goes to Gretchen’s house across the yard for dinner. The house is huge! Until you get inside…what is this place? She knew Gretchen was really liked puzzles, but Lucy never would have thought she’d see this! And, with Mom mad at her, what should she do? As the weeks go by, Lucy finds herself in a real puzzle that Gretchen has created just for her to solve. And, she has to do it alone.

I could *not* stop reading GRETCHEN. The story follows fifteen-year-old Lucy and her mother, who are constantly on the run from something that Lucy’s mother is definitely not telling the whole truth about. When they land in a small town in New Hampshire (their eleventh state), they do so at a rental house owned by Jerry and his socially awkward (but desperately eager) daughter, Gretchen, who live in a big brick mansion at the top of the property. Although Lucy initially feels at home in this new town, she becomes more and more unsettled as Gretchen reveals herself to be not only awkward, but incredibly creepy as well. As the story unfolds, long-kept secrets get revealed—with devastating consequences. This book creeped me out so much, in the most entertaining way. I *had* to stay up, reading long into the night, to discover not only Gretchen’s secrets, but Lucy’s mother’s as well. There are so many spine-tingling, intriguing details in this novel: Gretchen’s obsession with puzzles, which have taken over every inch of wall space in her house; the terrifying rumors that swirl around Jerry and Gretchen’s property; Jerry’s weird stories about his family’s past, which Gretchen insists aren’t totally true; Gretchen’s aggressive attempts at friendship with Lucy—I could go on and on! There were so many mysterious threads in this story, and while I didn’t feel they all got a satisfying explanation in the end, I was enthralled the entire time. GRETCHEN is a scary, addictive thriller—but it’s also a moving portrayal of a mother’s love and a daughter’s journey toward feeling complete for the first time. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Amazon Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

I have to admit, this was kind of a random request for me. I liked the cover and thought the story sounded cool, so I requested it. I am SO glad I did, as this book has been one of my favorite reads of the year so far!

Synopsis:
The new tenants have a terrible secret. So do the landlord and his daughter. . . Ever since Lucy was two, she's been on the run alongside her mother. She's never understood the paranoia, aliases, and lies. All she understands are the rules: never lock eyes with strangers, never let down your guard, and always be ready to move. Finally, after 13 years and 11 states, their newest hideaway seems perfect. An isolated, fortesslike place in New Hampshire woods is the new home they share with its owner, a gentlemanly pianist, and his lonely daughter, Gretchen. She's Lucy's age and soon becomes her first real friend. But Gretchen and her father have secrets of their own -- and an obsession with puzzles that draws Lucy into a terrifying new game of hide and seek. Lucy's dark past is about to come calling. And this time, for her and her mother in the house on the hill, it might be too late to run.

You guys. . . I need you to read this book asap. It is absolutely insane in the best way. I am notoriously bad at figuring out twists, but I think this book levels the playing field for me. Trust me, your theories are all wrong! What actually happens is so much more out there than you think. . . and it is perfection! Horrifying perfection.

This book is out July 23rd so get your preorders in asap! You do not want to miss this one!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the free advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. And thanks to Shannon Kirk for writing this amazing book that I can't stop thinking about! 5 stars!!

The beginning of this book was really intriguing, where Lucy and her mother are supposedly on the run from somebody. The novel did hit a couple of slow bumps for me, and toward the end I was expecting more of a "wow"/"icky" factor. I wish a couple of loose ends had been tied up as well. All in all not a bad story but nothing is compelling me at this time to pick up another book from this author. Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc.

Gretchen: A Thriller
By: Shannon Kirk
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content Rating: 18+
Genre: Thriller/Suspense



Do you have a "Jenny" in your life? Do you have a "Gretchen" in your life? Or do you have both? Gretchen: A Thriller, written by Shannon Kirk, is a novel about the "Gretchens" and the "Jennys" in our lives and how these two types of people can either enrich our lives, or they can wreak havoc with our lives and terrify us down to our very "bones."

Gretchen: A Thriller is the first book I have read by Shannon Kirk. It was well written, skillfully constructed, and impeccably researched. Kirk writes her characters in such a way that you think of them as your friends and your enemies. Kirk does an excellent job making her female characters strong and resilient but also kind and loving. Gretchen: A Thriller is meticulously thought out and delivered; doling out tidbits of the macabre and sinister and weaving them into a double plotline. However, it was also about a Mother's love, a love so pure and vast, that she would stop at nothing to protect her daughter.

So, without giving too much away, our main character, Lucy, has been on the run with her mother, Susan, for thirteen years. They arrive at their latest seeming perfect secluded hideaway in New Hampshire. They are met by a quiet dad, Jerry and his somewhat odd daughter Gretchen, and Mother and daughter will be renting a cottage that sits off from the main house. Lucy desperately craves a friend so she is excited to find out that Gretchen is her age and is hoping they can be friends. This is when the book takes off. Moreover, that is all I am going to say, other than there will be many twists turns and lots and lots of fodder for your dreams or maybe your nightmares.

Gretchen: A Thriller is a creepy, twisted, dark suspense novel that had me looking over my shoulder multiple times during this book, but also a book that I couldn't put down. I will put out a warning; there are some sensitive subjects in this book. However, they are handled well. Shannon Kirk is my new go-to author if I am looking for a dark, creepy read!

***I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley/publisher/author. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion .***

This book was thrilling and had some really fascinating characters and twists and turns. I recommend this book to any thriller or horror fans. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

4.5/5 stars

WOW! This book will keep your attention as you try to keep up with the characters and their many secrets. Shannon Kirk has done an excellent job of developing the characters in this book. They come to life...some a little too lifelike for comfort...and take you down several different roads to all come together at the end. A little slow at the start as she builds the back story, the pace picks up as you go. It will be interesting to see what she does next.

Me; I really need a disturbing, do not see this twist coming, creepy read. Give me an unsettling and dark story.
Shannon; Yes dear, coming right up.

Something completely different is how I would describe this story, this was such an amazing dark thriller. Creepy house full of secrects, deranged characters, disturbing settings. Everything I wish for in a thriller! The writing is so atmospheric and haunting, I need time to process this diabolical and you will not guess the plot twists read. I need more Shannon Kirk.

'The problem for us is my age. I’m asking questions now. I’m not a little girl who’s satisfied with simple.'

This novel is anything but simple. Lucy and her mother are stuck in a pattern, unable to get comfortable anywhere for long, fleeing the moment anyway takes an interest or even shows a flicker of curiosity about them. It was so much easier to fall in line when she was two, but she is fifteen and weary of it all, hungry to anchor in place and have a best friend, to be a normal teenage girl with concerns that don’t involve looking over her shoulder, keeping her head down, diminishing herself until she is almost invisible. Tired of her mother’s moods, and plans, even if it’s out of love, meant to keep her safe. Sick of the constant hammering of sticking to their rules, rules ingrained in her brain. Exhausted with the longing to be just an ordinary girl, like all the other girls she goes to school with.

Just as she finally became a face like any other to her peers in their latest state, Lucy draws too much unwanted attention from a stranger and in an unguarded moment makes eye contact. It’s more than enough reason to flee again, and flee they do finding themselves in a secluded area of New Hampshire, renting a ranch style home from a man, Jerry Sabin and his daughter Gretchen. Why does the daughter’s name so disturb her mother? Why is the answer always “Lucy, some things I can’t tell you yet?” Why must she always wait until the magical age of 18 to know everything and stop running? The Sabin’s are even stranger than she and her mother, all the Keep Out signs on their property, the traps, alarms, electrical fence and then there are the rumors too. Gretchen has known loss, which may well have turned her into a peculiar person, but her obsession with puzzles really takes the cake! She wants so bad to be friends with Lucy, and it’d be nice to finally be able to bond with someone her own age, even if she acts like a freak sometimes, a little too eager for bonding time.

The real puzzle lies in the entangled past that is set off by a game Gretchen plays. Things are darker than they appear, lies are burning on the tongues of children and adults alike. Who is the villain, and how are they made? There are too many pieces, and somehow they are tied in a bigger game that began so long ago. Lucy’s mother gets her way all the time, in everything, because a mother’s love sometimes has to be tough. Sometimes fate decides to throw twists in the schemes of human beings… and what twists! Some threats mommy can’t outrun!

This is an engaging novel, you can feel the frustration with Lucy’s lack of identity in a sense. How can you ever really know yourself fully when you can’t just be a normal kid? When you don’t have the chance to get close to anyone aside from your mother, whose paranoia and fear for you envelopes your entire life? As Lucy has reached that naturally rebellious period of life, where it’s normal to push away at constrains and flirt with adulthood, she isn’t free to develop confidence, autonomy because there is that unnamed threat looming. How will she ever find her inner strength? Will mommy always be there? Gretchen and her father are catalysts, but everyone has their skeletons, no one knows this better than Lucy’s mother. Lucy goes from being sure to disengage from everything to being thrown into the lion’s den, so to speak. Is it weird it was a little fun too? It starts more as a mystery, who are they running from, why and then leaps into a bit of horror.

I enjoyed the read, it went from odd to downright bizarre and I didn’t see the end coming, I had parts figured out, but not the entire puzzle pieces in place. I always enjoy a read that can surprise me!

Publication Date: July 23, 2019

Thomas & Mercer

I really do not know how to rate this book. I'm giving it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4, but I was completely disappointed in it. I had read such raving reviews about the creep-factor and the way the story progresses and all of the amazing "what did I just read" moments. I was completely let down. Perhaps without these reviews to skew my perspective, I'd be giving you a better review, but alas, I read them. I'm disappointed. The end.

Okay, not really... I thought the story was all over the place. There were some really great parts, and parts that totally caught me by surprise, and parts where I really loved the characters.

Then there were other parts (more specifically, certain ways the author wrote) and left me almost uncomfortable. No one would say, do, be this way.

As for the creep-factor: non-existent. DO NOT go into this book thinking you'll have to sleep with the lights on. It's not that type of book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early and gather my own, personal thoughts on the subject matter. Overall, it was a good book, and I will recommend it to others, just without the hype I mentioned before.

I loved the first half of this book, but the second half fell flat for me. That being said, still enjoyed this story! Will definitely read more books by this author!

Who are You? Why are you running—13 years, 11 states, and counting? Why does your mother have so many tightly-guarded secrets? Who, or what, is she afraid of? Is this idyllic New Hampshire farm the settling place she has been seeking? Where running is no longer needed? Or is it something else entirely? These and many other questions are what vex Lucy as her mother whips her from place to place with life-or-death urgency. Truth and trust become shifting commodities. But are their new landlords—the concert pianist father and the puzzle-addicted daughter Gretchen—their final protectors? Have Lucy and her mother finally reached their safe place? Or have they stumbled into a living nightmare?

This story is so complex and convoluted, it will keep you guessing who is who and what is what from the beginning until the amazing climax. The writing is wonderful, the characters quirky and then some, and the tension thick. Just wow.


DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series