This book was absolutely FANTASTIC!!!! It starts off normal enough with 3 siblings taking their grandfathers ashes on a road trip. Only this isn't the first time they have been on this trip and they aren't doing it for the memories. It only unravels from there.

You definitely have to read this book!!

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for allowing me to read this fantastic book!

When their grandfather dies, estranged siblings -- Beth, Portia and Eddie Morgan -- embark on a road trip, as directed by his will. They must follow his instructions to the letter in order to collect their inheritance. Motivated by the money, they grit their teeth and face harrowing obstacles to get to the end. But they are all keeping secrets from each other that could ruin everything. This is a twisty, fun road trip from hell.

Mysteries and secrets, oh my! This book is FANTASTIC. I was wondering the entire time what was going to happen and what would be revealed through the characters. I found it to be sensational! Samantha Downing is a clever writer and I look forward to reading her debut! Highly recommended!

I couldn't put it down! If you enjoyed Bloodline on Netflix, He Started It is one to pick up.

Family drama meets thriller, He Started It sends 3 siblings and their significant others on a road trip retracing the route they took with their grandpa years ago. All in pursuit of claiming a share of an inheritance. Greed pushes these deliciously unlikeable people to their limits as the story unravels what actually happened on that first road trip years ago. Get ready for a ride that'll keep you guessing until the end.

You know those family photo recreations? That's essentially what this story is - a roadtrip involving siblings that are recreating a roadtrip with their Grandpa from back when they were kids. This time it is with Grandpa's ashes. The secrets keep piling up and they have to get across country to sprinkle his ashes to inherit a hefty sum.
I loved "My lovely wife" by Samantha Downing. This followup by her is even better!

He Started It is the latest book from Samantha Downing, the author of the best-selling My Lovely Wife, which took many of us, including myself, by surprise. At the time of MLW's release, there were so many thrillers and domestic suspense novels out - it was exhausting! It took me some time to get around to reading MLW but when I did, I enjoyed it. When I saw He Started It available on NetGalley, I immediately requested it.

The book follows three siblings, who are reunited after their grandfather's death to take a road trip, similar to the one they took in their youth, for a chance at inheriting millions. If there are any deviations from the trip or someone doesn't complete it, too bad too sad. No millions for you. Strange things start occurring on the way to their final destination and it makes you wonder: will everyone make it to the end?

I wanted to enjoy this novel SO MUCH and while it was good, a quick read, it was also a mess. In thrillers, there is a certain expectation that you have to suspend your disbelief if you want to enjoy the ride. Here, there were multiple plot points you had to overlook and even when I went back to re-read it, I still fell through them. The shifting timelines (past to present all within the same page) was driving me crazy. Second, there was a sinister tone that was set-up early on in the book that once you got to the middle-ish, disappeared. I'm all for unlikable characters but you have to give me something to root for and all of the individuals in the book were largely insufferable. Last: the end. I was on this long road trip and the destination, well. It was unfinished. While I appreciated that the author tried to do something different, I personally didn't find the payoff there. The book is scheduled for release on April 28th, 2020. Thanks to for the advanced reading copy!

This book had so many unexpected turns, you just never knew were it was going next. At first, you think you have the whole plot figured out, but it just kept spinning in a different direction...and the end...crazy!!

Another knockout from Samantha Downing. A first purchase for adult fiction collections, particularly where thrillers and family dramas are popular.

He Started it was a trip - a family road trip from hell, that is! The premise seems straight forward. Siblings are told to exactly recreate a road trip from their past, if they wish to inherit their grandfather's fortune. The story is told in dual timelines: Beth in the present and the journal entries from the past trip. It is clear from the beginning that something went very wrong during the first journey, straining the relationships between all siblings. Just when I thought I was figuring out a pattern and what was happening, there would be another blindside. I loved every diabolical page of this book!

Are you ready for the road trip with family you aren’t sure you like? Beth, Portia, and Eddie haven’t seen each other in years, for good reasons. When their wealthy Grandfather passes away he leaves explicit instructions on what they have to do to split his over $3 Million in assets. They must take a road trip together, the same exact road trip they took years ago with him as kids. Any deviation, or going to jail will eliminate them from the inheritance and they must all three go. All of the siblings are keeping secrets from each other and they think they are being followed by a black truck. But who would be following them?

I enjoyed the story from Beth’s view point, she is hilarious and snarky all at the same time. She was forced to take this road trip with her dysfunctional siblings, her not so nice sister-in-law and her nerdy husband all while trying to keep multiple secrets from the spouses. Talk about a disaster before she even started. The ending… well that just blew me away. Wow!!

This is a very clever story that is hard to put down. If you like a dark comedy, mystery/thriller type of story then this book should be in your to-be-read pile! The story definitely exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkeley and the author for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pretty enjoyable for about 98% (I’m bitter about this ending). Quick paced, easy to get through, and definitely engaging - but also totally deplorable characters who I didn’t really care about.

I am not even sure where to start with this book. I loved the writing style and the build up of the characters but the plot was.... or wasn’t.... anything followable. Characters all acted completely out of character, the plot did not make much sense and the big reveal after big reveal after big reveal... just... and then the ending was a giant question mark but not in a satisfying way.

Read this in one day. Hooked and just so curious where it was going. Similar to her first book, My Perfect Wife, every character was deeply flawed. And I don’t mean little small quirks that don’t stop them from being an overall good person - I mean DEEPLY flawed. No one is good or worth rooting for, yet you root for them anyway. And Beth, the main character, is self aware. She essentially starts the book off saying “I can’t be your heroine.”

No sophomore slump here. This book comes out in April and I highly recommend you read it!

Samantha Downing does it again! Family dysfunction is at the fore front of this thriller. Secrets, family, and a road trip, all I can say is you better buckle up.

Grandpa passes and Eddie, Beth, and Portia embark on a road trip to scatter his ashes. It is twisted and creative, you wont be able to put it down.

I absolutely loved it! Best book I've read this year, this far.

I received this book free. My review and rating are what I honestly think.

Two sisters and a brother take the same route on a trip they took as children across the States with their grandfather in order to get their grandfather's inheritance. The reader gets to know the characters along the way. They are interesting though not all are necessarily likable. The trip takes unexpected turns as they drive west. I enjoyed this story. It kept me wondering to the end. I will recommend this book to family and friends.

Me at certain stages of this novel:

10% -- Hmm, interesting.

50%-- What??

75% -- OMG

98% -- OMG OMG WTF!

Very original plot. You will probably not like a single character in this book, but if you enjoy black comedies and thrillers, take He Started It for a spin. This was an excellent second novel -- a feat in and of itself!

I really shouldn't have tried to compare He Started It with Ms Downings first novel, My Lovely Wife. I started reading it without looking at the summary. I wasn't enjoying it, so I went back and read the summary and started over. It made a huge difference! I thi k i kept trying to figure out who the "He" was, and now i realize it could be any of the male characters. I did enjoy the journey that these siblings took after their grandfather died. The writing made me feel as if I was along for the ride. Not really any huge aha moments, but I thoroughly enjoyed my ARC thanks to Netgalley.

The author says herself in the afterword that the second book is harder than the first, and I felt that struggle. I inhaled My Lovely Wife, and while this isn't a bad book, I didn't feel that same urgency to come back to it.

This is essentially the story of a really messed up group of siblings forced by their grandfather's will to recreate a road trip they took with him in their youth. If they reach the end and have followed his rules, they'll have $8 million to split. We stay mostly in the present, but occasionally the main character gives us tidbits from the childhood trip, revealing more and more each time about her very strange family, leading up to an even stranger ending.

My biggest issue with this book is the complete lack of reasoning for why any of the characters do what they do. Their behavior is never explained, and they aren't well developed enough as characters for us to infer that for ourselves. Downing's stories are over the top, for sure, and that's okay. But it worked in My Lovely Wife because the characters were complex enough for us to buy the story. Lots of odd things happen that just sort of, well, happen, and that's it. Nothing in the plot ever loops back around to make those events important. Seems like the push to get a second book out may have been a little too fast. This one has potential, but ultimately fell short for me.

You never know where the plot is going next so you want keep reading Character development is outstanding. Each one has some redeeming value that is often surprising.

I have to mention that I am proud to be a Clemson Tiger Alumni so I got a kick out of seeing the reference in the story. It was a surprise! 😂 Anyway, I loved the author’s first novel, “My Lovely Wife,” as I enjoy that how she writes about these people that seem so “normal” to the outside world but deep down are the craziest! The first chunk of this book alludes to this past event but you are not sure what it is...then layers of what happened are revealed...then the end hits! 😳 You are gonna fly through this one. If you are looking for a thriller/suspense book, definitely preorder “He Started It” and read “My Lovely Wife” too if you have not already! Posted on Instagram @carolinehoppereads and Goodreads.