I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy of this book.
I am a huge fan of mystery suspense books. Especially ones that have lots of twists and turns, which this book has both. But the main character is so unlikable and immature it was hard to read. Also child abuse in a book, whether physical or psychological, is never easy to read.
With a predictable ending, I just felt let down by this entire story.

Fern sees Astrids face on the news. Astrid was famously kidnapped 20 years ago returned home unharmed but is now missing again on the anniversary of her abduction. Fern has the ominous feeling she’s seen Astrids face before and not just from the news.......
•
Unfortunately this book was just not for me.
I did not really connect to the characters. I found them frustrating.
Also I predicted the plot twist almost immediately. Which was a let down as I at least want a little suspense.
I think someone else who connects to the characters better would probably enjoy this one. It just wasn’t for me.

I got this from netgalley so thanks! But I have to say I’m super disappointed. This book was painful to get through and I am so surprised it has as many stars as it does. It was slow and not in a fun mystery kind of way, it had a who done it component but the ending was a let down and I don’t feel like any of the characters were redeeming in any way. I do not recommend.

"You're my daughter. It was my right!"
-- Ted, the father during this whole book.

Behind the Red Door was a weird book. Yes, there were lots of twists and suspense, but also the main character was so damn whiny and immature I disliked reading about her.
Everything started to become so damn obvious about 45% through and I finished the book just to prove I was right.🤷🏻‍♀️

This is a story about child abuse. Not hitting, or bruising abuse, but psychological. There's also some fucked up religious shit about how being gay isn't what Jesus wants. If you're into that stuff this might be for you, but if you want a thriller with a strong female protagonist who isn't a whiny second guessing wimp this isn't the thriller for you.

I definitely enjoyed this book but found it to be a bit predictable. There were some twists that were wonderful and the book is one I would recommend.

I absolutely loved this thriller. It really was different from any thriller I’ve read, the plot is simple but genius.
Set in a small town in New Hampshire, the author made the backdrop vivid, as it is important to the plot. I felt cold fear amongst the trees whilst reading.
I really thought I had the twist figured out but last minute I was deliciously wrong!
I love when a thriller has as many twists and turns as a country road.
And this one has the feels too. What is a parent supposed to be, to give, what are we as children to expect of that relationship?
I cried. And I love when a book makes me cry.

I feel mixed about this one. It started off really slow to me, and the main character, Fern, was nothing short of boring. There was nothing super interesting about her. However, the pace picked up toward the halfway mark and I thought the plot was well done - good twist.

📖 Book Review📖
Behind The Red Door 🚪
.
.
I discovered Megan Collins writing last year after reading her debut novel The Winter Sister, which is amazing by the way. When I found out she was releasing a second novel, I immediately requested a copy and checked my email- everyday hoping for an approval from @netgalley 😜. Behind The Red Door is a novel full of suspense, deceit and twists. Did I mention, it is a book within a book?
.
.
Meet Fern Douglas, a woman who suffers from an extreme case of Anxiety. When Fern learns the news about a missing woman in her hometown, Astrid Sullivan, she is positive that this name is of someone she knows. Through what seems to be spells of Dejavu, fragments of scattered memories, and/ or Ferns own fears; we learn the connection that exists between them. Can this all be Ferns anxiety creating these obsessive thoughts resulting in paranoia, or are these repressed memories resurfacing from a traumatic past experience?
.
.
What I loved most about this book was the book within a book concept. This allowed me to form a connection with both main characters and their perspective of the events that take place in the story. The twist that took
place were unexpected and kept me engaged the entire time.
.
.
Overall, this book was an excellent well written mystery with a shocking ending. If you are looking for a binge worthy novel to get you out of a reading slump, then you definitely need to read this book. Behind The Red Door comes out Aug 18th, make sure you to keep an eye out! In the meantime, I recommend reading The Winter Sister if you have not done so already.

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Thank you @netgalley @atria @megancollinswriter

Karlasbookcorner

Ok, right out of the gate I need to say that Megan Collins is a master at writing mystery/thrillers!! I read The Winter Sister last year and was blown away how phenomenal it was and couldn’t wrap my brain around the fact that it was Megan’s debut novel! Now, I sit here once again having just read her second novel Behind the Red Door and to say I’m wow’ed would be a complete understatement!!!

The entire cast of characters in Behind the Red Door are well developed and the storyline was thoroughly and intricately planned out. The twists and turns were shocking and unexpected— LOVE THAT!!! The pacing is spot on —trust me when I say it’s unputdownable!! I truly can’t recommend this 5 star novel enough!! If you’re a mystery/thriller fan you need to put this at the top of TBR list (along with her first novel The Winter Sister)! Behind the Red Door is a MUST read!!!!

Switzerland, federated country of central Europe, boasts some of the world’s most famous inventions such as cellophane, Swiss Army Knife, absinthe (hell Yeah), edible chocolate gold(Fancy!), LSD (Okay! Hold on there), potato peeler etc. Okay, I’m gonna stop my blubbering right now! You got the point! When I start to review a three starred book made me think: I didn’t enjoy it but I don’t have any hurt feelings, I called them “Switzerland” books and unfortunately this promising, exciting and interestingly fast pacing book turned into one of the other Swiss chocolates of mine those I could never eat because my husband always finds and eats them at first and I stay skinny!

So why such a promising, psychological, mind numbing and riveting kidnapping story turned into something I get lost my interest.
Here we go: Firstly we’re introduced Fern Douglas, social worker, witnessing so many children abuse cases and as her supportive, kind husband talked her to have their own baby, she has second thoughts that she cannot share with her husband because she wants to make him happy but she suffers from spirals and nightmares about being captivated and when she sees “Astrid Sullivan” name on TV, something clicks in her mind that she had restored and kept locked for years. Astrid Sullivan was kidnapped 20 years ago and then she’s released and left back outside of her house, hands tied, traumatized! She has written a memoir about her kidnapping and she has mentioned that she was not alone. There was a little girl she named Lily with her who tried to help her escape from captivity.

Now, Astrid is taken again after 20 freaking years later! Fern’s memories slowly come out and she starts thinking that she is LILY. And getting more answer she needs to dig more to find out who had kidnapped them and what happened to Astrid NOW.

So she goes to her childhood house to help her father Ted: another version of Dr. Frankenstein and Teddy from Memento, for his packing to move to Miami. Then we find out Ted is not the father of the century and throughout his childhood, he traumatized his own daughter by terrorizing her with so many mind bending experiments. Now he pushes her so hard to remember the things behind the red door. But sometimes not remembering is the best for everyone, some things kept locked.

I enjoy the story-telling. I never get bored till the end but there are few things about the book I didn’t like:
Firstly: Fern was way too much nervous, agitated, paranoid character to connect. I got it why she behaved like that as I resumed reading her back story but I still got irritated from her quirky antics. She was still tolerable character so that was minor point that affected me about the story’s progression.

The main reason is too obvious and expectable twists. You may know who the perpetrator is from the beginning. And Fern acted like too blind and naïve to see that! And the conclusion of the story also gave me bad taste and I thought why all these mystery built and why another fair solution didn’t come out for the characters. So yes, ending and the middle repeating parts and easily predictable twists made me lost my interest.

I still enjoy the author’s creative writing skills and quick, easy pacing of the book and interesting subject choice but I expected more and I didn’t get what I wished.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this thrilling ARC with me in exchange my honest review.

I couldn’t put this novel down. It had so many layers and twists and turns. There were multiple times when I thought ‘oh my god.’
I love the main character Fern. She’s so relatable and sweet. My god her father Ted is a piece of work. I wanted to punch him upon the first scene. But his character was so unique and nothing I’ve ever read before.
I loved Fern’s husband Eric. He’s so protective and understands her mental health issues.
It’s currently 2:30am and I just finished the novel. I stayed up late the last few nights reading this.

Spoilers in this review!


Thoroughly enjoyed this! I really enjoyed her first novel and I felt like this was a step up from the last. Similar in the sense that a female is in pursuit of what happened?! I kept guessing as to who had kidnapped the girls. What had happened and why?! I had a suspicion that Astrid staged the second disappearance but I wasn’t sure. I’m the end I liked the twist. I had a suspicion it was the father but I thought, was she kidnapped and he’s not her real father? Surly a parent can’t actually be capable of hurting their own kid like this constantly? That part is hard to wrap my mind around tho. A parent being so abusive and not even realizing it! I had hoped for a little more at the end. I’m not sure what. But still loved it. Kept me interested and holding tight the whole time.

I love thrillers and this did not disappoint! It was dark, and twisty and I never expected the ending! When the main character Fern sees a news piece on a missing girl, she's sure she knows her. The book picks up from there and takes you down a rabbit hole of memories. I couldn't put the book down. I would highly recommend to anyone that likes a good thriller!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, I would like to say thank you to Atria Books, and Net Galley for the ARC of this novel! I really enjoyed The Winter Sister so I was so excited to see that Megan Collins had a new one coming! Twenty years ago, a fourteen-year-old girl, Astrid, was taken from a nearby town. She was returned in a couple of weeks by an unknown masked man. Astrid has been kidnapped again on the 20th anniversary of her previous abduction. She wrote a book about her first time in captivity and it has become a best seller. There were many unseen twists that I don't want to ruin for other readers. I did figure out the halfway point reveal, but the writing was great and the characterization was strong so I did not care. This was a heavy read, but well-paced and maintained the suspense throughout. Characters were mainly unreliable with definite flaws. Once you think you are sure where the story is heading, there is a major misdirection followed by a twist. Highly recommended as an original psychological novel drenched with an atmosphere of anxiety, dread and paranoia.

This author certainly produced a page turner in this novel. She delves into minds....sick minds…..and sick from different circumstances. Just when you think certain of her characters can’t possibly get more despicable, she has them stoop to another level... and you’re shocked every time, even though you KNOW the character’s history. She gives you a tease and makes you think you have found the “answer” only to be sent down another rabbit hole. Very effective at keeping me wanting more. More twists and turns than Lombard Street!

Behind the Red Door is the second novel by Megan Collins. Her first novel, the Winter Sister, was an impressive debut , but with Behind the Red Door , Megan has propelled herself into one of the masters of psychological thrillers. The book grabbed from the beginning and never let go. Megan Collins writing style fluently created clear pictures of the many dark characters in the book so you could vividly feel like you were witnessing Fern’s story unfold. It was difficult to put this book down, it was that good. I highly recommend this book. You will not be disappointed.

4 stars

My first thoughts about Fern, the m.c., were that she was so gullible and impressionable. It was initially hard to root for her, and that feeling arose even with the understanding that she had clearly experienced some level of child abuse.

The degree of emotional and other abuse Fern experiences is shocking, and one of my favorite parts of this novel is how that shock never goes away. Her experiences become more profound, and her resiliency in the face of them makes her a much more likable and maybe even admirable character overall.

I do want any reader who is considering this work to know that those who are sensitive to child abuse - particularly but not exclusively emotional abuse - that it happens in abundance here.

Overall, I'm really impressed with the way that Collins writes these characters. They're more complex than they seem at the start, and I found the final messaging to be pretty powerful.

This is a dark, psychological thriller with very descriptive writing and decent compelling character development. You do really feel for and connect with the main character but I was left wanting when it came to some of the more important side characters.
I did correctly guess the twists but the way this book is written, with all the different turns, I kept almost second-guessing myself.
It's suspenseful and captivating and I'd recommend it to both thriller fans and those just dipping their toes in.

Creepy, compelling, and a super quick read! The psychological aspects had me squirming and, though I figured out the ending about a third of the way in, I was still absorbed enough in the plot to keep going.

This book is gorgeous! The writing is breathtaking and atmospheric, and I connected emotionally to the main character from the start. Collins navigates this woman’s horrifying discovery of her past through the memoir of a kidnapping victim, which I find very unique and effective. Highly recommend!