*4.5 Stars*

Samantha Downing, you have done it again! He Started It is a dark, twisty, and unputdownable page turner. It was the perfect blend of family dysfunction with the most unreliable characters. I never knew who to trust. I also really loved the cross-country road trip with all of its stops at creepy motels and other odd places along the way. I really enjoyed this book and could see it easily becoming a movie! Definitely grab a copy of this one now. So good!

Thank you to Berkeley Publishing for including me on this book tour!

To be honest, I was disappointed in this book. I was really excited to read it because I loved My Lovely Wife, but it just didn't seem to grab me in. I stayed with it thinking that the ending would be worth it, but it was all over the place.

I was a huge fan of My Lovely Wife so when I saw Samantha Downing was releasing a new book called He Started It I obviously had to read it. This was definitely one of my most anticipated 2020 releases and it did not disappoint!

He Started It is compulsively readable and addicting, and it could easily be read in one sitting. I had to read it in two, but I did not want to put it down. The pacing is very quick while being a bit of slow burn, and there is plenty of mystery surrounding both the story and our main characters: Beth, Portia, and Eddie. It felt like the perfect beach read to me because it is thrilling yes, but also thanks to the pacing and just how fast it can be read. I love Downing's writing style and there are plenty of things in this book I found funny, but it was also serious in that it touched on abuse.

Reading this was a little like watching a train wreck in the best possible way. He Started It is full of devious characters and drama, and I loved that it switched between present, the first road trip, as well as journal entries. There is plenty to keep the reader engaged and all you want to know is what happened on the first trip and how this trip will end.

The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger which I am undecided about, but overall He Started It is a fantastic thriller full of mystery and intrigue which I highly recommend! So far, My Lovely Wife is still my favorite of Downing's but this is a close second. If you didn't like her last book I would still recommend trying this one out because it felt different to me, in a good way! The twists also surprised me and even though Beth was pretty awful overall, I still loved her character which in turn made me enjoy the book even more.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own.

I love love Samantha! Her writing is engaging. She creates these characters that you love to loath. This is another novel that did just that - characters that are unlikeable, a plot that is unbelievable, but also very down to earth and realistic.

The story is about a family road trip. One that seems to be from hell. A family you don't want to see, let alone spend time in a car for days with. The family is of three siblings and two of their spouses. They embark on this trip, as a last wish from their grandfather. In order to receive a very large sum of money, they need to recreate the trip from their childhood.

As we embark on this journey, we learn that the first road trip as well as this family isn't what it seems. It's like a family from hell. There's sibling rivalry, and of course a lot of hard feelings from the past. All is just simmering in the air in this car. The spouses are clueless, but they themselves aren't peaches either. So a car with very "delightful" personnel, great.

I love how the author creates these characters. They are so imperfect, condescending, selfish and very much scheming. I knew that in the end there will be more dark moments, and it didn't disappoint. However the end felt rushed, and there might be some plot holes that will bother me, so it wasn't a complete love for this book, but it did paint a completely dysfunctional family unit. Again. (Do I sense a theme?)

It wasn't a hold on to your edge kind of thriller as the first book, but a slow burn one. There are twists and turns that were unforseen and I enjoyed this trip (ha!) down the memory lane.

There are so many things that I could say about He Started It. The story was nothing like I expected so I guess I would go with unpredictable. He Started It was bizarre. It was crazy. The main characters were not likable at all. I only kept reading because I wanted to understand what the story was all about and I don’t know that after reading this entire book I really got any clue as to the point of this book. I mean every book has a point, right? Generally, there is a lesson to be learned. Based on how this ended, I’m not quite sure if anyone learned a lesson. I definitely did not.

He Started It centers around three adult siblings who must embark upon a road trip to get an inheritance left by their grandfather. This is the very same road trip that they went on with their grandfather when they were younger. Nothing good came out of that experience and this time around isn’t much different. I don’t want to give anything away so all I can say is that these siblings don’t have any love for each other. Although they grew up together, they may as well be strangers considering how they interact. Their only common bond is the original road trip and all of the outlandish things that happened. Since it’s a considerable inheritance, they tolerate each other. They are literally in it for the money. In some ways, He Started It is a mystery but not in the traditional sense. It’s not a whodunit. It’s more of a what am I missing situation. During the road trip, there are a lot of reveals that clue the reader in on why the family is fractured and for a second I even felt sorry for them. By the end of the book, I don’t feel sorry for anyone. These are despicable people, plain and simple.

I have never read this author before but based on this book, I’m not sure if I would read another book by her. I felt short-changed and underwhelmed. Others may really enjoy this but I was disappointed. My rating is solely based on the fact that it was truly unpredictable.

Downing has knocked her Sophomore effort out of the park! This book is clever, funny and constantly surprising. Downing creates a family that is singular and yet, in a magical way, completely believable. Three siblings and two significant others embark on the recreation of a road trip they took as children. Along for the ride is their Grandpa, or more accurately, his ashes. They must complete the road trip before they can inherit their shares of his estate. Mysterious vehicles follow them, strange occurrences impede their success and secret after secret is exposed. The end of the road arrives in an explosion of twisty violence that leaves the reader gasping. Trigger warning: domestic violence; child abuse.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I love this author and had to have this when I saw it. For me the middle seemed a bit slow. However I loved it once it picked up. The twist didn’t see coming. Keep writing these great books and I will keep reading!

I absolutely adored this book! I knew I had to get a copy of it as soon as I heard Samantha Downing was writing a new book! I loved My Lovely Wife and this one was no different! It was exciting and suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat NEEDING to know more and how this book was going to conclude. The ending was equally thrilling and surprising and I never would have guess the ending. Another near perfect novel from Downing. I can't wait to see what she puts out next!

He Started It by Samantha Downing is a twisted tale of siblings fulfilling a road trip mission as a qualification for inheriting their grandfather’s fortune. Grandfather once took the three – Beth, Portia, and Eddie – on this road trip years ago when they were children. His will mandates that they must take the trip again to fulfill his final wish of scattering his ashes on the West Coast.

Their journey starts in Alabama with a rented car. Beth’s husband Felix and Eddie’s wife Krista have joined the excursion as they navigate through state after state going to all the sites -- mostly bizarre -- they saw as children. They stay in cheap hotels and eat diner food. It doesn’t take long for nerves to fray with this much togetherness.

Along the way they are being followed by people in a black truck who they believe are doing menacing things like putting nails in their tires and stealing the starter relay. All bets are off when Grandfather’s ashes go missing! There are lots of secrets in this road trip tale including a missing sibling who accompanied them on the original journey and a killer among them.

This is my first Samantha Downing book but then she’s only written two so far. Her debut novel My Lovely Wife was nominated for an Edgar award and is being considered for a feature film with Amazon Studios and Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films. She is a writer with no formal training who lives in New Orleans.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting July 22, 2020.

I would like to thank Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

I featured this book as a Spotlight on my Blog, I have not had the chance to read it, but I will be soon.

Beth, Portia, and Eddie Morgan haven’t all been together in years. And for very good reasons—we’ll get to those later. But when their wealthy grandfather dies and leaves a cryptic final message in his wake, the siblings and their respective partners must come together for a cross-country road trip to fulfill his final wish and—more importantly—secure their inheritance.

But time with your family can be tough. It is for everyone.

It’s even harder when you’re all keeping secrets and trying to forget a memory, a missing person, an act of revenge, the man in the black truck who won’t stop following your car—and especially when at least one of you is a killer and there’s a body in the trunk. Just to name a few reasons.

But money is a powerful motivator. It is for everyone.


Samantha Downing currently lives in New Orleans, where she is furiously typing away at her next thrilling novel.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51373979-he-started-it?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=epJSiQCmlq&rank=1

This book is a thrilling page turner that kept me guessing until the end, then just completely mind blown. I enjoyed the journey of the siblings road trip and the secrets, betrayals, and drama that went with it. The characters were all very unlikeable and unreliable, yet the book reads so easily. I would’ve preferred an ending that tied things up better, but the unique storyline and writing style are excellent in this one!

Although I disliked Samantha Downing's writing so much in My Lovely Wife that I wasn't able to finish the book, I had high hopes for this release. I did not enjoy this book one bit, but I'm thinking that maybe that's the point? Every character is awful, every section break ends in a cheap, mic-drop style reveal, and the ending is outrageously stupid. Ignoring the writing style and characters that I didn't like, I will say that the first two thirds of this book are oddly compulsive. But the last third... I just couldn't wait for it to end. Fortunately, this might be the fastest I've ever gotten through a 400 page adult novel.

This family didn't meet a Devil's Rejects style end like I was crossing my fingers for, but I will say that I was satisfied with who did, and didn't, end up with the money. Honestly, I would still recommend this book because I think a lot of people (especially those new to thrillers) will enjoy it.

What a wild road trip! Buckle up and prepare yourselves for some evil siblings, a lot of money grubbing and greed, and some secrets…

I loved My Lovely Wife and thought Samantha’s next book must be amazing and I was not disappointed! In fact, this one might have been better. I would have a hard time choosing between them.

There are so many twists and turns in this book, coupled with characters you absolutely love to hate. If you enjoy seeing some good family drama (seriously crazy style) and a desperation to grab an inheritance, then this one is for you. You’ll hate some of the characters and love the book. And I’m betting you never see the twist coming… it packs a wicked punch. Grab this in time for the weekend and settle in for a crazy ride.

Thank you so much to the folks at Berkley and to Samantha for my Netgalley copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this it!

Posted on: www.dreamsofmanderley.com as well as Goodreads and Instagram

𝘏𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘐𝘵 is the highly anticipated release after the mind-blowing 𝘔𝘺 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘞𝘪𝘧𝘦 published in 2019, topping bestseller lists and making its way onto my favorites list. I was nervous this one wouldn’t live up to its predecessor (and the building hype on bookstagram) but it was AMAZING. I seriously loved this book. The characters were all well-developed and intricate, and the twists were shocking! I’m not sure exactly what was so addictive about this novel but I couldn’t put it down. This has a completely different feel to it compared to 𝘔𝘺 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘞𝘪𝘧𝘦 but it works and the ending was just… wow. I definitely recommend 𝘏𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘐𝘵 for a fun and wild thriller!

I’m not going to try and give you a summary of the book since the above synopsis does that so wonderfully. This is the story of a family. To say they are dysfunctional would be the understatement of the year.

He Started It is a family road trip for the ages. It’s a re-creation of a road trip the Morgan kids took with their grandfather when they were children. He wants them to do it all over again as adults and, if they succeed, they inherit his fortune. Money is a powerful motivator for these siblings.

These characters are far from lovable but they grab your interest and make you think. You just can’t turn away. I know I couldn’t. I had to try and figure out what was going on, but it was impossible to guess. There were so many twists and turns throughout the book. The ending just blew me away. I totally wasn’t expecting it, which is what makes this one of my favorite books of 2020. Any book that can shock me with that ending, is a winner to me.

I enjoyed the previous book by this author but this one really took my breath away. I enjoyed every minute of this journey with the Morgans.

It’s Tuesday! You know what that means! Book release day! Today, He Started It by @smariedowning is out for everyone to get their hands on. ⁣
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If you loved The Lovely Wife last year you are in for a treat with He Started It. This book is just as twisted and crazy. It will keep your head spinning as you take this trip cross country with Beth’s family. You will be on the edge of your seat while taking this journey with them. What seems like a simple task of spreading their grandfather’s ashes in his final resting place is in actuality not so simple. Everyone has their own secrets and the ending will leave you with your jaw on the ground. Caution to you if you love a book that ties everything up in the end. ⁣
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Samantha Downing will leave you wanting more and more as you flip through the pages of this book. If you haven’t considered reading He Started It, you need to! Go grab a copy today! ⁣
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Thank you so much to @penguinrandomhouse for allowing me to read this amazing book early! ⁣
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#2020bookreleases #newbooks #bookreleasetuesday #netgalley #penguinrandomhouse #reviewbooks #bookreviews #thrillerbooks

This has posted across all platforms, including Edelweiss, in my bio on 7/20 and is fully formatted on Novellives.Com (Not PG Rated)
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He Started It By Samantha Downing

Everyone take a seat. I have a story to tell. I even have receipts to prove it except for my face. No one needs to see that mess. In the middle of my attempt to summarize, review, and not spoil He Started It by Samantha Downing.
Damn, was I excited to spill the tea, because I really lost control of my faculties on the level of last summer, when I read Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle? You know, when I couldn't put the Kindle while falling asleep and was rudely woken up by it thwacking me in the nose as it dropped from my hand.

She started that.

I was so excited to write the review for He Started it that I got all comfortable in my lounge clothes (it was going to storm). OK. I lie. Like everyone else right now, I was in my lounge/pajama clothes, and I had just made this delicious fruit and vegetable shake. IT WAS GOING TO STORM, THOUGH. I didn't lie about that.

Yes. My Splinters of Scarlet Review is coming sometime tomorrow.

I sat down and began to spill the tea on Samantha Downing's latest. Me being me and getting ahead of myself (did I mention the lounge clothes/pajamas were new), when I spill the tea...

Sadly, I can't even blame the CNMCC. As you can see, Pavel is out cold in the background of the first picture.

Only it wasn't tea. It was that shake. All over my face, my hair, and my new pajama/lounge pants. Yeah. Kimberly Belle and Samantha Downing. Between Dear Wife and He Started It, they are determined to break me.

They started that.

This is the only picture you are getting of me, because no one needs to see the disaster that was the neck, up.

Someday, ladies. Someday. I'm going to finish it.

Who Started It?

Look, You know what? Nothing good ever comes from me starting a sentence with "Look."

I can admit that as of this summer, I have become complete trash for Adult Psychological Thrillers. I have absolutely not lost my love for Young Adult genres or Adult genres in other categories. I'm just stating this fact, officially. It started last summer.

That bar was set damn high because of Turn of the Key, Dear Wife (my nose still hurts), and The Chain. Then I went back to my Young Adult fix until January, really. And shit got real fast. I don't have time to list them all, but there was Kimberly Belle's new one (I protected my nose) Stranger in the Lake Well, The Split by S.J. Bolton, Cut to the Bone by Ellis Cooper, and Christ on a crouton, of course, Robyn Harding's The Swap. And those are leaving out some incredible titles.

Thank you to Berkely and Edelweiss for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

There have also been some serious, what the devil in the blue dress moments (side-eyes The Guest List, Seven Lies and You Are Not Alone -not including the DNFs. To be fair,  You Are Not Alone wasn't even salty.

I was straight-up pissed). Because let's be truthful. This genre goes one or two ways. It is fantastical, or it crashes and burns like Kanye West trying to get on the ballot in November. There is absolutely no middle ground. PLUS, it is only July 20th. There is a lot still to come (good and salty, I'm sure).

Between those two paragraphs (and a few I left out because no one needs me to list EVERY SINGLE TITLE-- I have a whole category for that on this site), I think it is pretty obvious that I put the blunt in honest. If I'm going to be trash, it isn't going to be for just any Psychological Thriller. I mean, we do have Hostile Vaginas and magic mushrooms to keep up with, here.

You are gonna appreciate all this later. It all lays down evidence that you have to trust my judgment here. There are so many damn spoilers I can't talk about, so this should all go to my character as a reviewer.

Well, except I'm going to give a big old break- I'll put a music video to warn people because there is SOMETHING I have to say but for those who don't want to read it-- it isn't a spoiler in terms of saying what happens but more of the structure of the end- but I'm sure some people won't want to know so I'll put a music video to give everyone time to walk away. You know I would NEVER EVER do that to anyone.

Family: The Ties That Bind And Gag

Erma Bombeck. I've mentioned before that I read her in elementary school. I still don't know why Erma Bombeck was in an elementary school library or why they let a third grader check her books out without telling her parents.

However, I'd submit for your examination that I was a perceptive child. I also offer for your consideration that Samantha Downing's characters in He Started It may just be the only family more damaged than mine.

Then again, we were consistently flat broke. I mean so poor that we weren't even poor. We were pp, so poor that we couldn't afford the "or" to finish the word poor.

We drank out of the empty peanut butter jars because we couldn't buy glasses. Had there been an inheritance to chase down across the country. Well, no. My Grandmother would have had the men play poker over it. OH shit, they'd pulled guns. So, OK. Damage is equal.

When a stripper (most think she's a waitress), irresponsible playboy, and the middle child who starts the book saying she can't be the heroine, but has a story to tell (see teaser Tuesday), hit the road?

Speaking of that glass in Michael Che's hand? Calling Dr. Jack, Dr. Jack Daniel's. Not that I blame them or anything. If (God Forbid, I mean I didn't even go to my father's funeral for this reason- they'd a-broke me), I had to drive across the country with my father's side of the family?

I'd catch the coronavirus instead to get out of. Don't at me. I'm not lying. Downing never mentions the coronavirus in He Started It, so I suspect this wasn't an option. Instead, they drink a lot. In the car, out of the car, in hotel bars. Again. Not a judgment call. No one ever drinks and drives—all grown adults. You do you.

Speaking of the coronavirus. I have another good reason for you to read He Started It. Right now, how many of you are DYING to see family, go on a road trip? YOU'LL NEVER WANT TO DO THAT AGAIN. You will fear being trapped in the car staring at these people you think would never hurt you, but who the hell knows. How well does anyone know their family?

I mean, think about it. They are related to you after all, how good could they be? Plus, there are scary people on the road, hotels, and shady tourist spots dedicated to Bonnie and Clyde (yeah. that's true).

You Have To Be This Level Of Crazy To Get On This Ride

Once they are all locked in that car, that is it. Full stop. This isn't the holidays where you can pretend to sleep off the turkey, run out and slam the door shut or make like you have food poisoning.

If anyone decides to wait until everyone is out on route, one bubble fuck to mention horrendous event from the past?! There is no hiding from that, now. Nope. It is either drop and roll at 80 miles an hour, or you deal with whatever bombshell Katie-Kaboom just dropped on everyone's head. Because that happens a lot, these siblings are cross texting to each other, to their spouses. Who is lying to who and about what?

They can't even get it straight about whether or not a black truck is following them when they all know full tilt that there is a damn black truck following them. I mean if playing games was an Olympic sport. Wait. Well, it was a family hobby that their dad used to teach them life skills. That should tell you a lot, right there. I mean, get your armies together, form alliances, and take each other out. Then turn on your allies. GREAT!

Then there is Beth (the middle child and narrator). She is the only character I'm going to focus on because, again, spoilers. I'm already afraid this might be a little too much, but she is the narrator, so it is essential to have an idea. I promise this is as general as it can be.

The eternal ping-pong match that goes on in her head has to be exhausting. I'll take "you aren't paranoid if they are talking about you" for $1000, Alex. In a very <ahem> recent book, I raged about being annoying.

But that was because it was written so poorly. Downing does a fantastic job. Beth is a hot freaking mess, and it freaked me out. Although I have to say that while Beth gave me the creeps, I would not ever have thought she was capable of <insert shake spilling all over me and now I have to take a shower, and this will be later than I told Kimberly and Samantha on Twitter- sorry but not>.

I mean, there isn't even any point in telling her to check herself before she wrecks herself. She has already wrecked, gotten the repairs, in time for this road trip so she can total out, grandly.

Her secrets have secrets, and then her truths have secrets only because we don't know she's telling the truth to begin with, and that is one hell of a set-up on Downing's part. Should I break that down again?

Samantha Downing uses Beth to keep secrets, to keep secrets within secrets, and to be a red-herring of truth all at once. And I promise you that she does it with such deceptive precision that even with my warning? You will never see it coming. As I type this, my jaw dropped open, again thinking about two different enormous pieces. And my brain is reeling from the rest.

Also, I should mention that as most know, whether Adult or Young Adult? I am trash for unreliable narrators. He Started It has so many unreliable narrators that I started to wonder if I could rely on the fact that I was even reading a book. Maybe I took the blue pill?! All I knew is this was me, yet again.

Pace And Tone

Downing sets-up a dynamic in He Started It that is uniquely intricate. This insanity, the fun in dysfunctional is all set on the open roads of America, but the feeling Downing conveys makes it very hard to breathe. It is claustrophobic for the characters and as you move through the plot, for the readers as well.

Surprisingly, there are bits here and there where you even get small hints of sibling intimacy, and you think, oh well, there is something here. And it settles you down into a rhythm. But not a sentence or paragraph later, Downing drops a master class on the

And just when you think, but no, it can't be... IT IS.  BUT WAIT! There's more. No. Seriously. Like right up tooooooooooooooo HERE. The end. Like the very, very, very VERY, end.

It doesn't stop. And the closer He Started It gets to the end, the crazier it gets. Like Downing at some point said, fuck it. I've already made them scream, yell, and throw things. I might as well just break them.

She broke me. She did that.

Non-Spoiler/Summary/Hot Takes

As I said, this book picks up, and it just doesn't stop. I read it in a few hours, one sitting.
The narration from Beth's point of view is fantastic, as is how Downing uses her. And to that point.

The structure of He Started It, which I really can't get into, at all, but hopefully? If Downing reads this? She will understand what structure/spoiler I mean when I

I never had one of those moments of - when you figure out what the title means until He Started It. I thought I knew, and then I KNEW. AND NOW I GET IT! WOW.

Will Nelson Seems Fitting, Yes?

OK, here is the warning for those of you that don't want to hear my short, brief thought about how the ending is structured. I'm not going to say what happens, just the structure and my opinion of said structure. However, I know many won't want to hear that. I implore to go read all the other linked reviews above, subscribe, and comment below if you are going to stop here. If you are going to continue, please do the same when you are done.

He Started It By Samantha Downing- Ending Structure Spoiler (not really)

OK - so here's the deal. He Started It, like Wilder Girls By Rory Power (and other novels I can't quite think of at the moment), has a pretty open ending. Now, do I want every book I read to have this kind of structure? Of course not. However, like Wilder Girls, I think it works, and Downing does a fantastic job in the context of what happens. Overkill of this structure would be too much.

It also comes down to execution. With those two points in mind, I like the idea of having to decide, deduce, or imagine it for myself. The execution is there, and I believe Wilder Girls is the last book I read that followed this idea. Plus, I was in such shock from everything else happening that I don't know how much more I could have handled! Downing probably did the only merciful thing she could.

I'm starting to think after reading two books of hers, Samantha Downing is a mastermind of evil genius. Her twisted, dark, thrillers are everything a person could ask for. Full of twists and turns no one sees coming with heroines and heroes that are anything but what their names proclaim.

With a darker look at the human mind, her stories are fascinating, enthralling, thrilling, and oh so addicting. I can't get enough of them, what that says about him, I'm not ready to contemplate now but I will say, you need to try them. If you like stories that will mess with your head, be hard to put down, and have you thinking about them long after you have set them down, contemplating all the what ifs and leave you reeling thinking about it all over again, this is the author for you.

Another outstanding read about the messed up mind and family dynamics that can follow, that kept me rapidly turning the pages and entertained the whole way through.

This book was easy to consume. It was really intriguing and the short chapters made it fun. Unfortunately the ending was not worth the journey for me.

Want to take a cross-country road trip with your dysfunctional siblings and a couple of spare spouses? Oh, and you will be taking Grandpa's ashes to their final resting place while replicating a disastrous trip from twenty years ago. Grandpa's will says if you follow all the rules, you all get a piece of his multi-million dollar estate. If the many required stops at kitschy museums and bad motels don't take you to crazy town, then it is possible you are already there. Beth is our bad girl narrator and her family is a hot mess. Filled with unexpected slices of Americana and miles of family togetherness, the cover of this book sets the tone. Never forget that HE started it . . .

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.