A news story alerts Fern Douglas which makes her fairly certain that she recognizes the woman featured, Astrid Sullivan. Her husband thinks it is because of something that happened a couple of decades ago when Astrid was kidnapped but later returned. This is very confusing to Fern because she doesn't have any memory of the kidnapping. What is more is that Fern's father has been conducting tests and experiments on Fern for years. So, Fern soon becomes very confused with events now and events from before and this enhances the anxiety that she is already struggling with.

Purchasing Astrid's memoir has two results where Fern is concerned. For one thing, Astrid has been kidnapped again. Also, the more that Fern reads the memoirs, the more her memory is tickled. She becomes quite sure that there are things about that kidnapping that might have involved her in one way or another. Will Fern ever gain her full memories from the original kidnapping, and will what she hopes to discover lead to saving Astrid's life?

Fern's hope life is rather interesting. She loves her husband and they even want to start a family. However, he knows of her memory issues and her relationship with her father, so he really works hard to keep her grounded. However, that is not enough for Fern, so she goes back to her father's home, and memories of her childhood are interspersed with events of the present, because her father would definitely not make father of the year.

In this thrilling read there are plenty of twists and turns, combined with very strange family drama. As a matter of fact, I was thrown off for a second because she constantly referred to them as Ted and Mara, instead of Mom and Dad. That is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to trying to understand the dynamics of their relationships with one another. Then with Fern's soon-to-be apparent connection to Astrid, this book kept me guessing until the end.

Many thanks to Atria and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This is my honest opinion.

Wow! This was full of suspense and kept you turning the pages quickly. So many twists and turns that caused tense moments. The author does a great job of character development. She will have you sitting on the edge of your seat…gripping the book as your heart races.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Astrid Sullivan was kidnapped twenty years ago, held prisoner for two weeks, and then drugged and returned to the side of the road near her home. She writes her story and never know details of the case are revealed. She recalls another girl, who she called Lily, who was a witness to the crime. Now that the book is out, something crazy happens - Astrid goes missing AGAIN, this time while on her usual early morning run. Could it be the same abductor? Or a copycat?

Meanwhile, Fern, a girl who grew up in a neighboring town as Astrid, is feeling a connection to the story when she hears of Astrid’s latest abduction. As she travels back to her childhood home to help her father pack for a move, she is trying too figure out if there really is a connection.

I give this a 3.5, rounded up to a 4. I did like this psychological thriller, but how it wrapped up wasn’t my favorite. But, this is still a solid story and I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Behind the Red Doors had all the elements that sell me on this type of suspense genre but I just don't think I was in the right mood for it. I struggled to connect with the characters and the storyline which included repressed memories. I found it confusing and struggled to pick it back up so I decided to put it down for now. I appreciate having the opportunity to read and review this book and am thankful to Atria for sending me a physical copy and giving me access to the e-galley.

⭐️⭐️💫✨ (2.75)⠀
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Okay. Please read all my thoughts before jumping into this one because I’m conflicted AF.⠀
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I didn’t hate it, in fact I found it to be well written and suspenseful.⠀
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The characters intrigued me. I found Fern to be paranoid yes- but she has good reason.⠀
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Don’t get me started on the dad.⠀
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OKAY STOP IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS.⠀
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As you all know, I read A LOT of thrillers so I kept reading because my usual thoughts are wrong.⠀
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BIG FAT NOPE.⠀
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Everything I thought would be twisted was not. The whole plot was predictable.⠀
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I haven’t been this upset with ending since ALLEGIANT.⠀
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So for that alone I’ll be throwing this book. Across the room. Out the window. Under the car.⠀
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Then I’ll go and save it because I actually did enjoy the suspense of it all.

A compulsive read that I couldn't put down. Engrossing and engaging this taunt story draws you in and doesn't let go. Dark and twisty this superb book will have you flipping pages as fast as you can. Happy reading!

I was very curious as to where this story was going to go within the start but I did end up finding this story very predictable. There are some very dark and disturbing parts to this and some may want to be cautious.

I’m really happy I sat with my thoughts on this one instead of writing my review right away. What I would’ve posted last week and today’s review would’ve been completely different

Behind the Red Door is subtly unsettling and nefarious. It’s a slow burn as Fern tries to unravel new memories surfacing. Was she abducted as a child? If so, why didn’t her parents ever tell her? Is it just her anxiety? Fern was an interesting take on an unreliable narrator. She doesn’t come off as having ulterior motives. She’s trying to deal and confront her trauma while solving the mysteries of her childhood. Her character development by the end was so satisfying and that alone really changed my opinion of her.

The writing alone is beautiful. Fern’s sections are written in an anxiety- inducing staccato while Astrid’s memoir is a bit more polished and lyrical. I couldn’t get enough of her sections. Both voices were completely different which helped the reading experience.

The ending was completely tragic but is exactly what had to happen to allow Fern to grow as a person. Overall, this book was an incredible dive into human behavior and I could see something like this happening in real life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Behind the Red Door is a dark, captivating, and suspenseful thriller with various twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat. I had quite a few theories throughout, which I ended up being partially right about. However, the ending still surprised me in other ways. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I can’t wait to read more. If you haven’t read this one yet I’d highly recommend it.
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Fern is an extremely anxious woman. When she sees on the news that Astrid Sullivan is missing Fern is convinced that she knows her somehow. Her husband tells her it’s probably just because of Astrid’s famous kidnapping and release from twenty years ago. Astrid even released a book recently about her experience. However, Fern has no recollection of this event. Now Astrid is missing again and everyone thinks her book provoked her original kidnapper to come back for her.
When Fern starts having nightmares, involving Astrid screaming and reaching out for her, she is convinced they are actually memories. After returning home to help her father, Fern purchases Astrid’s book and becomes even more determined to discover the truth and save Astrid.

Thank you so much to @netgalley @atriabooks & @megancollinswriter for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review. After enjoying The Winter Sister I was excited for another novel by Megan. This one wasn’t terrible. I thought I knew what was going on the entire time but the ending surprised me a little. Once I put the pieces together it wouldn’t have been that hard to figure out. I felt like it was missing something I can’t quite put my finger on. Overall quick read 3.5⭐️

Fern has a reoccurring nightmare that she’s had since she was a little girl. Something has always seemed off about the nightmare. It’s almost familiar but how? After getting a phone call from her father to help pack up her childhood home. She heads to her hometown to help. In the meantime an infamous kidnapping has happened again. How can someone get kidnapped the same way twice. And why does her face look so familiar. As Fern helps around her childhood home things start to make sense about her nightmare. Is this just a memory? Will she find the root of her own trauma? And can she help save this girl in time?

One thing I had so much trouble with is Ferns anxiety. I understand where her trauma comes from. But suffering from anxiety and depression myself it made me so anxious all the time. Like man it was agonizing at times. I just wanted to scream at her that it was really going to be ok. If you like something fast paced this would be for you.

I thought this one was just okay. I have read a few other books like this before and so the story-line itself wasn't too original. That was okay though! I still enjoyed the experience of Behind the Red Door. I thought it could have had a lot more potential regarding the characters but all in all it was a satisfying read.

3.5/4

Have you ever had a strange feeling that something happened in your past, but you can’t remember the event? Fern Douglas has learned news of a missing woman whose face she can’t help but find familiar, however, she has no recollection of ever meeting the woman. Astrid Sullivan was abducted when she was young. Twenty years has passed and Astrid has just released a book about her experience. When news that Astrid has been abducted once more reaches Fern, she feels drawn to the woman and a passion to find out the truth of what has happened to Astrid. Does Fern have a connection to Astrid?

BEHIND THE RED DOOR dives into the unique premise of repressed memories. Could someone possibly completely forget about someone or something that happened to them? Has this happened to Fern Douglas? Does she really know Astrid?

Megan Collins does an excellent job of crafting together a tense story revolving around our main character, Fern Douglas. As Collins takes the reader on Fern’s search we are given a glimpse into not only Fern’s childhood, but also snippets of what happened to Astrid through the use of book excerpts. I absolutely love when crime fiction includes a book within a book element as a way to show more than one narrative. I would have enjoyed reading more from Astrid’s perspective via her book, but I can see why Collins shied away from that with the way the story unfolded.

BEHIND THE RED DOOR may limit the number of perspectives it gives the reader, but it does not leave the secondary characters lacking. These characters feel fully realized and some of them play just as important of a role to the story as our main character, Fern, does. Unfortunately, I ended up disliking most of the characters, including Fern. I know they were meant to be flawed, but I just could not handle how Fern is constantly trying to please others and repeatedly talks about wanting to make other people happy. Yes, it plays into her backstory, but dang it if it wasn’t annoying! I will hand it to Collins that despite my dislike of the characters, I was fully invested in finding out where the story would take me.

If you’ve read this one, I would love to discuss the ending! I really enjoyed the first reveal and then the second reveal just annoyed me. I thought it took a character and changed their personality into something completely not what I would have expected. I know that’s vague, but I don’t know how to describe my irritation without spoilers!

Overall, I think BEHIND THE RED DOOR is a strong addition to the crime fiction genre that will keep a lot of readers on the edge of their seat.

A huge thank you to Atria Books for my gifted copy!

Behind the Red Door is dark and deeply disturbing. Fern is a school social worker on summer break who has always had a complicated relationship with her parents. Mara is an artist, and Ted is a psychologist and professor rejected by Ivy League schools and legitimate journals. They never hid the fact that they didn't plan to be parents from Fern. Growing up, Fern received little guidance, supervision, or nurturing. Ted was physically abused by his own father and reminds Fern regularly, "I never hurt you. Never laid a hand on you." But Ted has always been obsessed with conducting experiments about the fear response, studying what triggers fear in his subjects, how long the fear lasts, how they react to it. And over the years, he has demanded that Fern serve as his subject. Fern has struggled to overcome anxiety for many years, with Eric sometimes having to talk her through situations she is unable to handle on her own. Now she is back at home with her parents, searching for answers about Astrid's disappearance and memories seem to be seeping back. Ted again wants Fern to participate in what he calls his "Experiments." Eric, a physician, discourages Fern from being bullied by her father into participating because he recognizes that Ted's experiments are not actually scientific but are, in Eric's estimation, nothing more than cruel pranks.

Behind the Red Door is atmospheric, with Fern's small New Hampshire hometown, surrounded by dense woods, providing an ideal backdrop for the shocking plot twists and developments that Collins includes at deftly-timed intervals. She also provides numerous suspects who could have kidnapped Astrid when she was a young girl, among them a Catholic priest and Cooper, the older brother of Fern's best friend. And there's a mysterious stranger who walks along the road outside of town wearing all black and disappears into the woods whenever someone approaches him.

Fern's journey to the truth takes her to the neighboring town from which Astrid was abducted -- and where she deduces she was spending time with her friend's family on the very day Astrid disappeared. Her search also takes her to the Catholic church where Astrid had just been confirmed when she was stolen away, and the home Astrid now shares with her wife. Each step Fern takes and each page of Astrid's memoir Fern studies help her recover her memories of a hand over her mouth, and a man wearing a welder's mask, gloves, and waders. A room. For years, it has been believed that there was no witness to Astrid's abduction. But there was. In her memoir, Astrid wrote about another girl being held captive with her whose real name Astrid never knew. Astrid dubbed her Lily. Even though Astrid's therapist thinks Lily was an imaginary friend Astrid manufactured in order to bring her comfort and help her survive the ordeal, Fern wonders if she could have been Lily. But that's ridiculous, of course. She assures herself "there's no way a person can forget being abducted, being locked for days in a basement, or even a red door as bright as the one on the memoir's cover."

Behind the Red Door is a riveting exploration of a dysfunctional family, a daughter who has always accepted her parents as they are because she has never known any other way of life, and the recovery of repressed memories. With Ted and Mara, Collins has created two characters who are shockingly flawed and mesmerizingly fascinating. Collins illustrates how Fern's upbringing has affected her and her relationship with her loving and supportive husband, Eric, who was raised in family that functioned normally, with spectacular finesse. Fern is frequently gullible and naive, but her instincts are impeccable and Collins credibly demonstrates her growing willingness to trust them. Collins portrays Fern's pilgrimage from being oblivious to the truth to being fully informed and aware, and her emotional reactions to what she learns, with compassion and empathy. The fact that Fern is likable and sympathetic amplifies the dramatic tension, especially the revelations of what really happened to those two young girls so many years ago, including the identity of the kidnapper, the motivation for the crime, and how the experience shaped Astrid's life.

Collins does not answer all questions posed in Behind the Red Door. Rather, once Fern uncovers the whole truth about not only what happened twenty years ago, but also recent events, she faces difficult decisions that will have far-reaching consequences. Collins leaves it to her readers to imagine what Fern chooses and supply their own resolution to her story.

Behind the Red Door is both horrifying and poignant, populated with fascinating, well-developed characters, and featuring a fast-paced plot surrounding a decades-only mystery. It's a captivating and emotionally layered family drama that will haunt readers long after they finish reading it.

I like books that walk the fine line between horror and crime fiction, so often described as psychological thrillers to distinguish themselves from the thorny expectations of those two genres. Behind the Red Door is such a book. The protagonist is a woman who was abducted as a child, but it is the subtle horrors of that childhood that lend the book its most terrifying elements in my opinion.. Growing up, Fern Douglas was subjected to repeated "experiments" by her father in his quest to understand the human reaction to fear. There is nothing more frightening than the threat that begins at home, as fans of domestic noir can well attest.
But while Fern can remember the trauma of being her father's psychological guinea pig, she has suppressed the memory of her kidnapping., even questioned its validity. That is until the disappearance of another woman she recognizes brings those memories to the surface, and she becomes compelled to unearth crimes past and present.
Collins is a strong writer and this carries the novel well, although I found it somewhat difficult to empathize with the main character who could at times be perplexing in her seeming denial of the defining events of her life. But if she didn't behave in this way, the story would be over at its beginning, and that is not how suspense is built.
Well paced and disturbing, the book holds your attention as it explores the intricately woven emotions of trust and fear. A life examined and mystery rolled into one.

This was another creepy, thrilling psychological twister. Fern was a strong main character and I felt her pain throughout the entire book. Just when you think you have this figured out, then there is another twist. This is my first by this author and I look forward to reading more from her. I do not wat to give the ending away, but WOW! Highly recommended!

Thanks to Netgalley,, Megan Collins and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 8/4/20

This was my second book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed both.

Behind the Red Door was a great, dark, twisty psychological thriller!

I really enjoyed Fern's character. She is complex and suffers with a lot of anxiety and has many disturbing truths to face. She makes for a bit of an unreliable narrator. I had trouble putting the book down. Her father's studies and experiments, while a bit unorthodox, were very interesting and trying to unleash her memories from years before about what happened to her and Astrid had me gripped throughout. A very well written, quick read. I will be anxiously awaiting Megan Collins next book!

A big thank you to Atria and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

I devoured this book! I read it in less than 24 hours! I found myself thinking I knew the twist and kept getting surprised! I will say, I did guess the main twist but I wasn't disappointed! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it kept my attention throughout. I cannot wait to discuss this book with our book club and Megan Collins! I'm looking forward to purchasing a physical copy of this book! I don't want to give too much away, so I'm leaving this review short and sweet. This was a captivating thriller with a narrator who slowly regains her memories through the book and that helps to add to the suspense!

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Twenty years ago, as a teenager, Fern witnessed a woman being kidnapped. She was returned relatively unharmed but didn’t know who had taken her. Now, twenty years on, the same woman goes missing again leaving Fern trying to answer so many questions from both the past and present. I thought this book started really well but, for me, it went downhill as it progressed and I guessed the twist early on. I found the author’s writing style to be very enjoyable but just the storyline itself didn’t really work for me. I would read other books by this author though.

This one started out strong. I really enjoyed the plot and where it was headed.

I am still writing my review of what I disliked and what bothers me

I'm going to be blunt this book didn't work for me. It sounded interesting, a woman goes missing near the anniversary where she was kidnapped years ago. Fern starts to have memories of Astrid, the missing woman, that seem to be from Astrid's original disappearance. No one had a connection between Fern and Astrid prior to her new memories. Are these really memories or is this Fern's anxiety on overdrive.


Although the synopsis for this novel sounded interesting the pieces didn't come together for me. It felt rushed and not as polished as I'd liked. I didn't connect with any of the characters either which didn't help. Although this novel didn't work for me maybe it will work for you.

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.