Samantha Downing does it again! Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing, Samantha Downing, and Netgalley for my early copy.

Three siblings, who haven't been in contact in years, have to recreate a road trip from twenty years earlier in order to receive their share of their grandpa's fortune. But time with family is tough.

I'll start with the characters - I've never loved to hate a group of characters quite like this whole cast. Some of the characters are easy to hate - like Eddie who is only referred to as an asshole; his wife is also annoying and whiny. Beth, who is also the narrator, you can tell something is up, plus her thoughts make her pretty easy to hate. Portia is one of the least hate-able characters. My dislike for all the characters definitely fueled my desire to get to the ending.

It's a good thing I was connected (although it was through hate) to the characters because this road trip is bizarre. Grandpa seems to be obsessed with Bonnie and Clyde and takes children to all the museums he can find on them. Most of the book took place in a car driving through the middle of no where.

The plot was interesting and definitely held my attention. Beth is the narrator and every few chapters there would be a flashback to the first road trip. There were twists thrown in throughout the entire story - honestly, the biggest twist for me happened just after 20%. I had to put the book down for a minute because it shocked me so much. The ending was good and I definitely didn't see it coming, which is something I highly value in thrillers.

Overall, I loved this book. I was hooked and the short chapters helped me fly through it. I recommend this to anyone who loves thrillers and My Lovely Wife.

4.5/5 stars.

It's been a while since I picked up a book that I just could NOT put down. Don't get me wrong, I've been reading some terrific books, but the breaks I had to take from He Started It were almost painful - I wanted to know what was going to happen so badly that when I wasn't reading, I was definitely thinking about the book and the characters!
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I really loved Samantha Downing's My Lovely Wife. It was twisty, dark, and unique. I may have loved He Started It even more! A road trip where someone is following you, sabotaging you, and no one in the car likes/trusts each other? Sign me up!
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I personally love road trips so I think that aspect endeared me to this book even more (not that I want to go on a road trip like this any time soon, lol). Samantha Downing describes life on the road so perfectly with the numerous fast food and motel stops, and also includes real-life places interspersed in the American countryside that I would never imagine existed. I think motels in themselves have become just plain creepy. After reading The Sun Down Motel and watching Bates Motel, you really couldn't pay me to stay at a motel....I'd rather sleep in my car or even alongside the road... anyway, I digress!
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Beth, Portia, and Eddie are taking the same road trip they took 10 years ago with their grandpa, except this go around grandpa is in an urn and they are following his last wishes to take the exact same road trip in order to collect their inheritance. And it is a substantial inheritance! Along for the ride are Beth and Eddie's spouses, Felix and Krista.
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Early on, the gang realizes they are being followed. Weird things start to happen and their car is messed with, too. The end of every short chapter leaves the reader wanting more, and personally, I was just trying to guess what the heck was going on. Well, you won't guess. The end literally made my head explode.
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This is definitely THE fast-paced thriller to pick up! I strongly recommend Downing's books to any thriller lover!

I was a big fan of Samantha Downings first book, and I really enjoyed this one too. Like other books with multiple timelines and an unreliable narrator it took some time to get used to the narrator and figure out what was a flashback and what wasn’t. There were a ton of twists and for the most part I really liked it. The ending kind of brings the rest of the book down for me, but overall I really liked it.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Pub date - 7/21/20.

It's been a few days after reading this book and I'm still thinking about it. I finished it within a day so it's a page turner for sure. Downing leaves you with a lot of little twists and turns to make your jaw drop and rush to get to the end to find out what happens. If you like dysfunctional family and the drama that comes with it then you should definitely pick this one up. This family is definitely very dysfunctional and they are for sure crazy. If you like plots with endings that wrap up in a little bow, then this one may not be for you. Similar to My Lovely Wife, the ending makes you wonder. For me, it was unsatisfying because I prefer closure at the end of a story.

After reading My Lovely Wife (and utterly enjoying it) I was so excited to see Samantha Downing back with a second book. Once it became available on NetGalley I requested IMMEDIATELY. I love the way that Downing creates such hateful, unreliable characters. There is literally no one to root for in any of her books and I love it that way.

He Started It is about three siblings: Eddie, Beth (narrator) and Portia as they travel on a road trip. But not just any road trip. This is THE road trip they took as children with their grandfather, where shady stuff happened, people disappeared, and mysterious cars followed them. Since their grandfather passed, in order to get their inheritance they must take the same exact road trip, which is a struggle for a family of siblings (and their partners) who really dislike each other. The plot is perfect for unreliability - who is telling the truth? Who is the villain? Who is the good one? What happened 20 years ago? And who is missing? I love so much of the sarcasm that Beth had, the banter, the sibling rivalry that is so real. And the road trip destinations were super cool as well.

Unfortunately, this one was just decent for me - as a mystery/thriller I really wanted more - which is ridiculous because there are so many twists and turns and surprises it is a bit exhausting. But what I wanted more of was clarity - there are so many unreliable narrators, so many twists and red herrings, so many unknowns, that most of the surprises didn't land with a boom until the very end. Also, the middle parts were super slow, somewhat boring, and felt like the same ol. This doesn't mean I am done with Downing, quiet the opposite. Her ability to have zero credible characters is something I really enjoy, and I like the creativity of her plots. Overall, I'd recommend it and hope others enjoy it!

Thank you to Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Okay, this is another one of those books where the reviews leave me scratching my head and asking myself, "Did I read the same book as everyone else??"

Beth and her siblings are on a road trip after their grandfather's death. The point was to recreate a road trip from years earlier (when they were children) and spread his ashes so that they could collect their inheritance. The road trip was just boring. That is really the best word that I have for it. There was a lot of focus on the sights they saw along the way, rather than the complexity of the relationships and the events happening along the way. None of the characters were likable at all. Now I don't necessarily have to like the main characters, but I need to be able to relate to them just a little bit. But every single character was so one dimensional and bland. The flashbacks were somewhat more interesting than the present situation, but that wasn't enough to save the story. I had to force myself to finish it and that ending had me questioning why I even bothered. It wasn't worth it. Yes, there were a few surprising twists, but the main resolution seemed a little too contrived. And there was a huge plot hole that I couldn't get past at the end.

This one was not worth the read at all.

4.5 stars
Heck Yes! I loved this. Hellish siblings thrown together on a road trip to get an inheritance. Let the drama ensue. The story is told through Beth our lying, sarcastic, scheming the middle sibling and I enjoyed her as a protagonist. I love ever so clever heroines and Beth is all that with an added dose of crazy. The Plot was thrilling and twisty and that ending. Damn that was insane. He started it is an enthralling, enticing and insane thriller. He started would be an excellent book turned movie.

"If eveything falls apart and we all start killing each other, she goes first. You think I said that for shock value. I didn't."

This book is crazy. I mean that in a good way...I think? Now that I've read both of the author's available works, I'm seeing a writing style, which is always exciting! Her ability to knock you out of your comfort zone with startling revelations is my favorite aspect, so far.

This is a tense, suspicious, page-turner of a thriller that will leave you wondering about your own family dynamics. The characters are pretty much awful people you could empathize with, Like the narrator says, if you're looking for a heroine, you need a different story. :)

Talk about an addictive mystery thriller! I had a really hard time putting this book down once I had started it, in spite of the fact that there were basically no redeemable characters to be found. Eddie, Beth, and Portia are all scheming, selfish, and weaselly, but I had a hell of a fun time following them and their dysfunctional road trip as they try to get their hands on inheritance from their just as awful grandfather. But even though I didn't care for them, I did find the mystery at hand very compelling, especially as more factors and twists were revealed. I will say that the ending was a little bit of a let down, but I also concede that while I found it a little abrupt and maybe unsatisfying, it also kind of fit.

HE STARTED IT was definitely a nutty and fun ride. Perfect summer reading.

Talk of the "Road Trip from Hell"! Think a long trip with your children or elderly relatives is tough? Be 1grateful you're not traveling with these siblings, who with their spouses are reenacting a road trip of decades ago with Grandpa, one with frequent side trips to unexpected "roadside attractions, " a trip with danger, a life-changer. WHY do it again? Oh, only for a chance at a substantial bequest.


"HE started it?!" Yes, you can say that again.


HE STARTED IT is a wonderful recommendation to Staycation, and even to "Shelter At Home." Nobody wants to be on the road with this family. Nobody.

Let me put this out there first thing … I HATED the ending. Hated!

Beth, Portia, and Eddie Morgan haven't all been together in years. When their wealthy grandfather dies and leaves a cryptic final message, the siblings and their respective partners must come together for a cross-country road trip to fulfill his final wish and secure their inheritance. But time with your family can be tough and it's even harder when you're all keeping secrets.

While I thought that most of this book dragged by slowly, there were many questions I needed the answers to. Needing those answers kept me turning the pages. I hoped that the ending would make it all worthwhile. However, despite a decent twist, the ending didn’t do it for me. I don’t want to risk spoiling anything for other readers, so I’ll only say this kind of ending isn’t for me. This is not to say it’s a bad ending but it’s not the kind of ending this reader appreciates. I wanted to throw my Kindle when I finished.

I have not read Downing’s first book, but have heard all good things about it, so I was excited to receive an ARC of He Started It. I’ll admit I’m hesitant to dive into that first book now, but one day I know I will. He Started It had some missing pieces, pieces I can’t quite put my finger on. What I do know is that it didn’t completely fulfill this readers love of a good mystery.

He Started It takes place as a road trip between siblings and their respective partners, and Samantha does an incredible job putting the reader inside the car with them bouncing along and uncomfortable just like a captivated fly on the proverbial wall. Just like any road trip with family, it's somewhat suffocating and absolutely unpredictable. In this road trip, one of the people in the car is a killer, we don't know who to trust, can we even trust our narrator? The ending to this one was a complete surprise to me and definitely blew me away. I could not put this down the entire way through, and it is my favorite thriller of the year, and easily top 3 ever. Samantha Downing is the reigning monarch of the thriller genre for me and I already can't wait to see what she puts together next. Does anyone have a time machine where I can travel back to read this again for the first time?

I absolutely blew through this book! He Started It by Samantha Downing was such a fast read, and I was intrigued step by step as to what this family would see next on their road trip. I felt pretty midele of the road about this book. On one hand, it really kept my attention. I was constantly wondering where the family would be visiting next and what scare awaited them there. I even found myself a little scared to sleep at certain parts! And that's hard to make me do. On the other hand, I felt like the ending was wrapped up a little hastily and there were specific parts of it that I felt were a little outlandish - i.e. parents just letting their grandpa steal the kids to take them on a road trip.

The fact that Eddie turned out to be the killer was a little biit of a let down. However, lots of the things that happened to Beth were totally great twists, i.e. killing Felix - which did seem a bit unnecessary. Overall I liked it, but wasn't totaly blown away.

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Writing style: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was really looking forward to reading Samantha Downing’s newest book because My Lovely Wife was definitely one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. That being said, my high expectations may be why I was a little disappointed with this one.

He Started It was a suspenseful page-turner that had me hooked! I knew that no characters could be trusted and I had a feeling that each sibling had an ulterior motive, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was exactly.

With each chapter, I kept hoping that the secrets and details would be revealed. However, it wasn’t until the last 50 or so pages that all of the puzzle pieces really fell into place and I was even unsure of how things would actually unfold up until the very end (major cliffhanger alert!). I wish that the plot unfolded at a steadier pace rather than a rushed ending. While Downing’s first book had a similar style, I felt the plot added up for My Lovely Wife, whereas with this one I wasn’t as satisfied with the ending.

I enjoyed reading this story of these siblings going on a crazy cross country road trip and loved Beth’s character. I liked the twists and turns throughout, but felt that there were too many unanswered questions at the end.

If you want a fast-paced thriller to read by the pool, I’d recommend this one. If you haven’t read My Lovely Wife, I would HIGHLY recommend picking it up!

Family drama, nostalgia for the past, secrets oh, and murder. A wonderful brew for a perfect summer read.

Samantha Downing has done it again! What an incredible read filled with twists and turns you will not see coming and let’s not forget THAT ending - mind blowing.

A tale of siblings, none of who can be trusted or who trust each other as they lay their grandfather in his final resting place in order to collect their inheritance.

Well developed characters who were all unlikeable (my favourite kind!) and each unreliable in their own ways this was a highly engaging and page turning read. Samantha Downing is now 2-2 for me and I already cannot wait to read what she comes out with next!

[4.25/5] I'm a sucker for a road trip novel, so I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of He Started It by Samantha Downing. And the promise of dark family secrets was the cherry on top!

A quick synopsis: Siblings Beth, Portia, and Eddie Morgan have been estranged for years. But the death of their grandfather brings them back together: in his will, he added a requirement that they re-live a road trip they took with him when they were kids, or they won't get their (substantial) inheritance.

So they set off, spouses in tow, for a cross-country drive. But there's something off about the trip, and buried secrets won't stay hidden forever.

This was an entertaining thriller, filled with deliciously unlikeable characters, cheap motels, and strange roadside attractions. The twists were abundant (and I did not see most of them coming)!

I loved how different each of the siblings were, and the family dynamic between them versus the drama they had with each others' spouses. Between that, numerous secrets coming to light, and the mysterious truck that was following them, there was never a dull moment.

You might have to suspend your disbelief a bit with this one, but it's worth it.

One thing I didn't love as much: at times, it was a little hard to keep track of where they were with the timelines switching between past and present. But after a bit, it became easier to follow and I was so along for the ride!

Overall, He Started It is a twisty thriller centered around family ties, secrets, and regret, with a backdrop of some of America's strangest roadside attractions. Highly recommended!

**Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley for the digital ARC.

This book was so disappointing. I loved Downing’s debut novel, My Lovely Wife, which is why I was so sad when this one didn’t compare. Beth is on a road trip with her siblings and husband after her grandfather’s death. It is an exact replica of the road trip they took as children with their grandfather, which ended badly for all. But they must finish it in order to get their inheritance. The book was fast-paced and easy to finish, but the twists fell flat and the majority of the plot either made no sense or was unexplained.

I was super excited to read this as I’ve heard incredible things about The Lovely Wife! Ultimately, I think this book had a ton of potential but truly just fell flat to me. There were parts throughout that really intrigued me to keep reading but it was incredibly slow most of the time and nothing exciting happened in my opinion until the last 30 pages or so. Thank you to Berkeley Publishing Group for the early copy in exchange for an honest review!

Three estranged siblings come together after the death of their grandfather and recreate a quirky and mysterious cross country road trip at his wish to claim their inheritance. Filled with snarky banter, family secrets, and tons of anticipation of which sibling is going to crack under the constant tension makes this a story that is easy to get lost in.

I was very compelled by the writing style in this one! The back and forth of the siblings was a lot of fun to read in every situation. I also really loved the sense of mystery that I, as a reader, felt about the destination of the road trip when the characters knew where they were going when. Since they had been on this road trip before, they knew which stops were coming and its almost like I was along for the ride as a reader.

Downing kept tensions high, as what I believe to be true even on a happy go lucky road trip, so add in a "race" for a large sum of money, questionable motives, weird actions of strangers on the highway, tag along spouses that don't understand the family dynamic, and you have the perfect scene for some prime family drama.

However, just like a road trip that is just too long, about 3/4 in I felt like the story line started to drag a little bit and started to just kind of wonder, "are we there yet?" or "are we even going anywhere?".

Well.. the answer to that is yes. We definitely went somewhere. There were some developments that I did not see coming, that were extremely surprising and did not feel like a twist that was added to just confuse or increase the "shock value" of the story. They actually added a lot of depth to all of the characters and their motivations... But the ending I'm still not sure. It let me with my mouth open and looking for more pages of the book that weren't there. I'll just have to let you interpret that as you wish.