I enjoyed this read. It centers on Jamie, a woman in her mid-30s who is suffering anxiety and memory loss from an event that happened at camp when she was a teenager, and resulted in her twin brother, Trevor, going missing. She heads back to her hometown because her mother had an accident, and ends up dealing with alot of things there, including increased anxiety about what may and may not have happened 18 years ago, reconnecting with friends and acquaintances from her childhood, and trying to figure out if someone hurt her mom on purpose. People keep dying since Jamie came to town and some think she is a suspect while others are concerned about her welfare. There are also some chapters devoted to "Brick" and "Taylor" who are ancillary characters with which the reader doesn't know the connection to Jamie.

There were a few things that bugged me about the book. One was that the synopsis starts with: "Jamie Kendal sees life through the bottom of a bottle" and I did not get that indication at all- I don't recall her drinking much in the book and certainly didn't think she had a drinking problem. My other issue was that Arlington, VA is a real city and Cedar Lake, VA does not appear to be, which seemed inconsistent to me. I also used to live in Arlington and didn't feel that the descriptions throughout the book rang true- most people who live in that area will say they live in the DC Metro area, Northern Virginia, or specific neighborhoods in the area (Clarendon, Shirlington, etc) whereas everyone in the book constantly referred to it as "Arlington". It was also made to seen like this big city when it's really not- it's one of many offsets of DC and I am not sure even people in small towns would revere it as a booming metropolis where people go when they have "made it". Maybe I am overthinking this, but it just didn't ring true to me and I wish the author would have either done more research on that area or picked another fictional city.

Rant aside, I liked the story and there was a lot of mystery. While I did figure out who the "bad guy" was, as well as Brick's true identity, there were elements to the story that continued to surprise me from beginning to end, and it was a fast paced read overall. I'd recommend the book to readers of the mystery and thriller genre. I also saw this was the author's first book and think it was an awesome effort- looking forward to seeing what she will come up with next.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! This author will be on my list for new reads!

Jaime lives in Arlington Va. She is having flashbacks that she is unsure of - also anxiety attacks. She does see a therapist for this, but seems to be going in circles. She was engaged to a "powerful attorney" (Alex) who cheated on her with her (now former) best friend, Emily. A phone call in the middle of the night forces Jaime to return to Cedar Lake, her once hometown - her mother, Lillian, was in the hospital...

Cedar Lake has some unpleasant memories for Jaime. Her twin, Trevor, went missing from camp there 18 years ago. Jaime has no recollection of this other than flashes of memory. Also, Jaime's teenage crush from camp, Drew, is now a detective on the police force there. Lillian is in an induced coma. Jaime starts drinking Amore heavily. Drew and Jaime are once, again, attracted to each other. Yet, bad things seem to follow her when Jaime returns home...

Excellent character development and plot alignment. Easy to follow back and forth from 2000 to "now".
A super great first novel!!!!!

Many Thanks to Craven Ink Press and NetGalley for a great, twisty read!

This was a pretty great read. I thought it was going to be all about a sex addict and ended up being !much more about others crimes being committed. I read the last 2 hours in one sitting because I confidently it down. Although I definitely thought Brick was he killer at first, I realized soon after that it was Nina. I'd definitely read books by Eva Mackenzie again.

I found the book to good. Hard to connect with Jamie. I may alone in thinking it was just too much going on and some were just ok.. I did finish it and again, It was good. No reason to give this one a read.
Thank you, NetGalley for the advance copy to review.

So, another new to me author I'm adding to my list because this book was sooo good!
Jamie despite therapy sessions cannot remember the light she lost her twin brother one summer night at Kring Camp many years ago.
Now, she is forced to return home after her mother falls down a flight of stairs, to care for her. Upon returning home she starts having flashes of her lost memories that night. Then once different people start dying around her Jamie knows she has to figure out what happened that summer night and who is trying to kill her and her mom.
A fast paced thriller that grabs your attention and keeps it!

First off, this book does some things very well. The tale blends a little of many popular genres including, crime, romance, mystery and thriller. The premise is strong and creates an air of suspense and curiosity that make it hard to stop reading. The stories of all the characters are well intertwined and come together nicely to solve the puzzle that is Jamie’s memories. The mystery gets wrapped up nicely with all the character arcs resolved and the major questions answered.

While I didn’t inherently dislike the book, I felt like there were a lot of places that it could have used more work. The characters themselves are not overly developed and present as archetypes with not much else to go on. While it is refreshing to see the male-identifying characters failing the “lamp test,” several characters didn't do much to further the story. The characters also create many side plots that do come together at the end, but either seem unnecessary or like they would have benefited from some more development. The neatness of the end works, and isn't a surprise (a good crime novel gives you all the info you need), but cut short a few subplots that could have been further examined, or even turned into books in a series.

For a debut novel this book attempts to tackle a lot of layers, and mostly succeeds. It was a bold first book and I would like to see more from this author.