Behind the Red Door was the second book that I have read by Megan Collins, and I really enjoyed it. It's got a creepy, dark, atmospheric, and suspenseful vibe that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire book. The storyline is twisted and very original although there were a few parts that were a bit predictable, but I do read a LOT of suspense, so that could just be me. The characters in this book from the main character Fern, to her seriously messed up parents, and the other characters are just a mess. Fern is about as unreliable as you can get and don't get me started on how insane her parents are-her dad, a psychologist who used his own daughter for experiments as a child just made me sick. The storyline of the missing woman, Astrid, in the present timeline and her abduction as a child twenty years ago is an intriguing one, especially since Fern feels connected to it in some way but how, since she was just a child herself twenty years ago? Collins is an excellent writer and kept the suspense level high with her latest book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to read whatever she writes next!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

Well written, tense, and atmospheric. Behind the Red Door is a dark, family drama about a woman desperate to save another who has gone missing by unlocking her own repressed memories.

I thoroughly enjoyed Behind the Red Door by Megan Collins. It was well written, suspenseful, and had great characters that felt real. Collins does a slow burn Thriller very well. She sets up the big question early and then lets you squirm and sit on it for a while before giving you a payoff you never expect. I really like books where you have no idea what's going on but you trust that the author is going to get you through. Behind the Red Door really delivered on this promise. On a personal note, I really liked that Fern's relationship with her husband is so solid. You don't see a lot of that in Thrillers.

As an avid fan of psychology and mental gymnastics, this book took on some very interesting things that had my mind running in circles. I was absolutely fascinated about what was happening in these pages. Make no mistake, the synopsis is just a teensy look into what this book is about. What we receive is a whole lot more and I'm still trying to process it all.

Ok... I'm mad. What the actual hell?! Let me explain. Abuse is abuse. Mental and emotional abuse is just as harmful as physical abuse - the bruises and fractures are just on the inside. Collins brings this through the pages and while horrified, I was absolutely in it. Like with The Winter Sister, I find this a hard one to review. What I liked about this is the pacing and the spiraling that was happening with Fern... though at times she was a constant annoyance to be honest. But that stems from a multitude of things, as we learn.

While the majority of this book was highly predictable, the journey was frustrating because sometimes you wonder why the characters don't see things as clearly as you do... but then what would be the fun in that, right? There was a reveal that I did NOT see coming and I'm still unsure how I feel about it. I actually sighed loudly and rolled my eyes because no... just no. HOWEVER, I do love it when a book elicits such emotions from me.

This book hits on some very dark themes but I still would consider it in a bit of a lighter thriller category. While I'm still highly frustrated with it, I'm also happy I read it. I think. I believe this will be a bit of a divisive read and I'm always here for that.

Fern Douglas is called back home to New Hampshire by her father, who is planning a sudden move to Florida. Before she leaves though, she sees a woman on TV who is missing: Astrid Sullivan. Astrid had been kidnapped as a teenager, and now she was missing again – but by the same man? Fern doesn’t remember the first time Astrid went missing, but she’s certain she knows Astrid somehow.

Being in New Hampshire starts stirring up old memories and suddenly, Fern is absolutely sure she knew Astrid – on some level, at least. She keeps getting flashbacks and seeing a man pulling Astrid away in dreams. Did she see Astrid be kidnapped and say nothing? Using Astrid’s memoir as a guide, Fern begins digging into the past to figure out why she’s getting these “visions” and what she actually knows about Astrid’s first abduction.

Behind the Red Door had such a great premise. I was just as confused as Fern most of the time, thinking I had things somewhat figured out and then being presented with a new clue – or a different suspect – and wondering all over again. I can’t say that people won’t ultimately guess what is going on, but I didn’t have definitive answers until it was revealed, so it’s still a book that kept me wondering. I was never sure if I had things correct or not. Fern is a relatively easy character to like. She suffers from a lot of anxiety, and as you learn more about her childhood, you definitely feel bad for her and wish she had an easier life with more loving parents. I admired her courage in confronting her own past and memories in order to help bring Astrid home a second time. This book is full of all sorts of different characters- most of whom live and act in shades of grey. It’s not easy to point to one person and say “that’s the villain, and the only villain.” Definitely a great character study, along with being a fascinating mystery that kept me reading!

The premise of this book sounded incredibly interesting but I found that the actual plot was fairly predictable throughout. I did enjoy the author’s style of writing and look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an ARC.

This book was really good. It really kept me guessing the whole time. I was so mad at some of the characters. I enjoyed the authors writing style tremendously.

Behind the Red Door is a spider web of deceit. This book was filled with twists, turns, broken characters and everything that makes the place and plot go at a fast trot. We can understand why the characters are so damaged because the author laid out their backstories in such a way that we can empathize. Highly recommend for a good, thrilling read.

Fern Douglas is a social worker living in Boston, Mass. with her loving husband Eric when she sees a picture of a woman on the evening news and instantly feels like she KNOWS her. The woman, Astrid Sullivan, is missing for the second time in twenty years. Fern sees this woman in her dreams, but starts to believe what she's experiencing are, in fact, memories not dreams. Fern decides she's the only one who can get to the bottom of the mystery.

This book just didn't do it for me. The premise sounded promising, but the execution just didn't work. The writing was repetitive, the characters are unlikeable (with the exception of Eric), and it was simply impossible for me to suspend disbelief of just about everything. I found myself wishing it would just end, but when it did I was just like "That's it?!" The whole thing was simply unbelievable.

I get no pleasure out of writing unfavorable reviews, but I just can't recommend this one.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for an advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.

This book wasn’t super scary, but it was intense and emotional. When Astrid goes missing for the second time, Fern faces memories that she never knew she had and must figure out what happened to her 20 years ago. Not so much twisty as powerful, as Fern reexamines who she can trust and what kind of person she wants to be.

Insomnia is a good thing when it comes to reading some nights. I want to say that Megan Collins writes a very twisty story in this book and it was worth every minute of lost sleep. Before I continue I do want to say that this book does contain Child Abuse, Kidnapping and Mental Abuse so if these are triggers for you then I will say tread lightly. I do not want to warn you away from the book because it is such a great read so please give it a chance just go at your own pace.
Now that all the trigger warnings are out of the way let us talk about the good parts and why I loved this so much. Fern is a school teacher who has the summer off and gets a call from her father to come help him move and the call in my opinion came across like Fern was bothered by it. She is always looking for her father’s approval and she seems to never get it. When she comes across a book by Astrid Sullivan and for a reason, she couldn’t figure out it made her uneasy. It also is important to mention that Astrid was missing and is now missing again twenty years later.
I loved the creepy feeling that this book gave me and the questions I had all the way through. What Megan Collins does beautifully in this book is that she answers all your questions and still leaves you wanting more. While this is my first exposure to this author it will not be the last. I enjoyed the fast paced ride that this book was able to offer. I do want to say I was sorry to all parties involved in deciding in my arc of this novel. My delay has nothing to do with the book and more to do with life.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me a copy of the e-Arc. I am very grateful! This one was very enjoyable and will definitely read more from this author in the future!

Fern Douglas is a very anxious woman. This is not her fault; growing up her father Ted often performed “fear experiments,” on her for his work, and these tests have practically traumatized her for life. But when Astrid Sullivan, a woman famous for disappearing when she was 14 years old, is on the news and apparently been kidnapped again, Fern thinks she knows her. She just can’t remember. The two women must be connected, and now Fern uses her time back in her hometown while helping Ted move out of their childhood home to remember what really happened to Astrid--and to her. Disturbing, frustrating and shocking, all in the best ways.

Shelved. I didn’t connect with the writing style. I didn’t feel that connected to the characters either. I will re read it at another time.

Huge Megan Collins fan after reading, The Winter Sister, so I was thrilled to share that her next novel is even better!
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Synopsis: When Fern Douglas sees the news about Astrid Sullivan, a missing woman from Maine, she is positive that she knows her. Fern’s husband is sure it’s because of Astrid’s famous kidnapping—and equally famous return—twenty years ago, but Fern has no memory of that, even though it happened an hour outside her New Hampshire hometown. Fern purchases a copy of Astrid’s recently published memoir—which may have provoked her original kidnapper to abduct her again—and discovers more evidence that she has an unsettling connection to the missing woman. But when Fern discovers more about her own past than she ever bargained for, the disturbing truth will change her life forever.
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While this novel is classified as a thriller/suspense novel—and it is suspenseful!—it works equally well as a family drama. The exploration of Fern’s conflicted relationship with her work-obsessed psychologist father was so well-drawn and compelling. The writing is vivid and atmospheric, pulling me in until I could taste Fern’s anxiety and growing fear. The pacing is great, the twists keep coming, and the ending is satisfying. Highly recommended.

Another novel I was hoping to love. It was just too slow for me to get into. It was so predictable and I really didn’t care for Fern at all.

Unfortunately, I had this book figured out from the beginning. Fortunately, it did keep me interested. I liked the fear-study aspect; this was definitely a new arc in the genre. I didn't care for Fern though. I don't think the Fern getting involved in the discovery is fully believable--this seemed rushed and didn't make sense until about 50% into the book.


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

When Fern Douglas sees the news about Astrid Sullivan, a thirty-four-year-old missing woman from Maine, she is positive that she knows her. Fern’s husband is sure it’s because of Astrid’s famous kidnapping—and equally famous return—twenty years ago, but Fern has no memory of that, even though it happened an hour outside her New Hampshire hometown. And when Astrid appears in Fern’s recurring nightmare, one in which a girl reaches out to her, pleading, Fern fears that it’s not a dream at all, but a memory. Back home in New Hampshire, Fern purchases a copy of Astrid’s recently published memoir—which may have provoked her original kidnapper to abduct her again—and as she reads through its chapters and visits the people and places within it, she discovers more evidence that she has an unsettling connection to the missing woman. As Fern’s search becomes increasingly desperate, she hopes to remember her past so she can save Astrid in the present…before it’s too late. review: This was a quick suspense book had me invested from the beginning. The premise of this story really hooked me, but overall it was only an “ok” read to me. While I thought the writing was great and the characters were well developed, I found much of the story to be predictable or far-fetched. The author did a great job of creating an ominous atmosphere throughout the book and that left me intrigued. If you’re looking for a suspenseful read that you will speed through, maybe give this one a try! rating: 3.5 out of 5 ⭐️

The book is well written with interesting characters but it did not deliver the suspense and unexpected twists required of a psychological thriller. The first half moved slowly laying the groundwork and then the second half moved at breakneck speed. Unfortunately two big twists at the end fell flat due to their unsurprising predictability.. not recommended.