*3.5 stars.

Poor Fern Douglas has had the most mentally-abusive childhood you can imagine. Her father, a psychologist, was always using her in his experiments and studies on fear. It's no wonder she grew up to be a highly-neurotic adult. But still she loves her father and seeks his approval--so when he asks her to come home to help him pack for a move to Florida, she goes willingly.

When Fern sees the TV news report of the disappearance of a 34-year-old woman named Astrid Sullivan who was kidnapped as a teen twenty years before, she begins to feel she knows that woman, even has flashbacks of memories involving her. How can that be? Her father would be only too happy to help her recover suppressed memories but Fern needs to dig them out on her own and heads off to do some investigating.

Interspersed with the current happenings are chapters from Astrid's memoir of her experiences during the kidnapping. Fern finds tidbits in there that jive with her own emerging memories. Could she have been the little girl who joined Astrid in the basement twenty years before?

I enjoyed the way the story unfolded but thought it was way too easy to figure out what was really going on here. No surprises for this veteran thriller reader!

I received an arc of this new book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

Expected Publication Date: 8/4/2020

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

This is my first book by Megan Collins and now I need to get her debut, The Winter Sister. Behind the Red Door was a fun, twisty, and addictive thriller. I read this book in two sittings because I could not stop reading about these complex, damaged characters. I loved the plot, which focuses on the concept of fear and highlights how trauma can impact every aspect of a person’s life. The characters in the book are some of the most unique characters that I have read in a thriller.

Overall, Behind the Red Door is a fast-paced thriller full of twists. Fans of Stephanie Wrobel and Margot Hunt should check out this book when it released on 8/4/2020!


ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fern Douglas is a woman who carries a lot of emotional baggage. A school counselor who worries a lot about the kids under her care, she takes the summer to focus on her own issues. Her therapist has her make lists of things she fears. Her husband, Eric, is a patient, kind and supportive man. When Fern sees on the news that Astrid Sullivan has disappeared again, she feels a strong connection. Astrid was kidnapped as a child and released a few weeks later, in the same part of New Hampshire where Fern grew up. Fern’s convinced this connection goes deeper than simply hearing the news as child, and begins to have nightmares about Astrid. When Fern’s father Ted, a psychologist, decides to move from Fern’s childhood home, Fern goes up to help him pack and begins to ask questions. She brings with her a recently-published memoir of Astrid’s memories of being kidnapped.

Fern’s husband Eric doesn’t think she should go help Ted, and the more we come to know him, the more we agree with Eric. Ted’s character was emotionally manipulative far past the point of abuse, and I wanted to fling my Kindle across the room when I saw Fern continue to want a relationship with him. As Astrid’s book keeps triggering memories in Fern, she embarks on a deep dive into repressed memories, sure that she can be the one to rescue Astrid. It becomes clear, however, that Astrid is not the only one who needs help.

Behind the Red Door is a psychological thriller that twists and turns amongst memory and current reality. Fern is an admirable character, and the reader will follow along with her towards a startling denouement that clears up both past and present. I did not see the ending coming, but it fit neatly and satisfactorily with all that preceded it. A gripping, disturbing story.

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book to read! This was the first book by Megan Collins that I have read, but it will not be my last. When I saw the synopsis of Behind the Red Door, I was immediately intrigued and I knew that I wanted to read it. This is one of those books that will have you racing through the pages to find out what is going to happen next. I think many thrillers are focused on mother-daughter relationships, but this one was focused on a father-daughter relationship, which I found refreshingly unique. Fern's father was a unique character, and his focus on fear as a response and what elicits it was interesting. Like so many, I am intrigued by human behavior, and the fact that her father studied it and was focused on it was a fun twist to the story. Fern herself and Astrid, the missing girl/woman, were also interesting characters. At times, I wasn't quite sure who to trust, and I found myself becoming suspicious of all of the characters at one point or another. There was also a character who was thrown in as the red herring. I am really looking forward to reading The Winter Sister soon.

When Fern Douglas is watching the news one evening, when a story about a missing woman catches her attention. The missing woman seems familiar to Fern and when her husband tells her this woman was previously. Abducted 20 years ago Fern gets invested in the case. She feels like she knew this woman, knew about her abduction. a trip home to visit her childhood home becomes an investigation into whether Fern knew this girl at all.

The grim atmosphere included a dark forest with a drifter no one knew, walking in and around it at at all hours, and a creepy cabin previously used for scenes in a horror film to set the theme for this disturbing tale. The story is very character driven mostly from Fern’s prospective.She is an unreliable narrator due to repressed memories, In fact this book was filled with liars and unreliable narrators. I wanted to like Fern but her anxiety and fear gave me anxiety. Her parents were atrocious. Her father is a psychologist studying fear in some very unorthodox ways. He used Fern frequently in his “experiments.” Her mother was just as bad, detached, selfish and allowed him to experiment on their child. Honestly, the fact that Fern wasn’t locked in a mental health facility was a miracle. I did love her husband Eric, he was kind, supportive and showed Fern what healthy relationships could be.

I did appreciate that Collins dropped me right into the story and Fern’s journey immediately. I appreciated the red herrings she threw in to keep me guessing. I did figure this one out early on but was uncertain because of her gripping writing style. There were still a couple twists that surprised me though.

This was a sold 4 star/5 read for me! It kept me turning the pages late into the night, and it was a fairly quick read. Thank you @atriabooks @megancollins and @netgalley for an advanced digital copy of the book for my review.

BEHIND THE RED DOOR, by Megan Collins, gripped me from the first pages. Throughout this book we follow Fern as she grapples with the idea that as a child, she witnessed an abduction. As she unravels the mystery of how she doesn't recall the details of that particular incident, we get to know her unconventional upbringing with her parents. Literally every person in this book was a suspect in my mind, and I found myself reading into the night to get further entangled in Fern's life. I really loved this book, and I'm looking forward to more by Ms. Collins.

An interesting set up using the memoir of a girl who went missing interspersed with the recollection of our main character who thinks she was there when the abduction occurred.. abit predictable but still a good read.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

3.5 stars!
Book Review: Behind the Red Door by Megan Collins (3.5 stars)
Fern is a social worker living in the city and trying to deal with her extreme anxiety. She is contacted by her father, Ted, who is a retiring psychologist who specializes in the concept of fear. Ted needs help packing up his house as he’s planning on moving to Florida and Fern agrees immediately as she wants a closer relationship with her father and sees this as an opportunity. Just as she’s about to leave, she sees a news report about a woman who has gone missing again after being abducted when she was fourteen. Her name is Astrid and Fern suddenly starts having flashbacks. She realizes she may know more about Astrid’s disappearances than what she thought.

My biggest struggle with this thriller was the characters. UGH I was so irritated by all of them. Fern’s naivete drove me nuts and Ted was so demented that I almost found him unrealistic at times. I liked how Collins explored the idea of parents being dysfunctional and how that can impact their children. However, I guessed early on what the big twist was going to be which was a let down. I would have liked some less obvious red herrings that got me second guessing my theory. I really liked her writing style and for that reason I would pick up another book by her! She was skilled at building suspense and my favourite part of the novel were the excerpts from Astrid’s memoir about being abducted.

Fern Douglas had a difficult childhood. Her father, a psychologist and researcher, would conduct experiments that involved her fears. He never abused her—that is, he never hit her or starved her. He didn’t dole out insults. Still, he managed to construct situations that would leave Fern wallowing in anxiety for hours and then interrogate her about how she felt. Her mother, an artist, spent most of her time in her studio and didn’t interfere with the experiments.

Deep inside, Fern knew her parents didn’t treat her the way parents were supposed to treat their children, and she left home as soon as she got the chance. Now living in Boston as an adult, she spends as much time with her therapist as she does with her husband, and she’s terrified of having children of her own. She didn’t have a regular childhood, she tells her husband. How on earth can she provide another human being with one?

This fact is emphasized when Fern watches the news one day and hears about a kidnapping. Astrid Sullivan went missing years ago from right outside her New Hampshire home. She was gone for two weeks and then was mysteriously returned. Now Astrid’s been kidnapped a second time, and the police have no leads or information as to why someone would target her again.

Although Fern has no memory of meeting Astrid, the minute she sees the news she knows she has a connection to the woman. She’s drawn to Astrid in a way that frightens her. When she gets a call from her father, everything seems to point back to Fern’s own life.

The act of pulling away from her parents was emotionally draining, complicated, and not completely done. Her father has decided to move to Florida and needs help packing. Her mother, Fern knows, has more or less separated from her father, even though they technically still share a mailing address. No one else is able to help her father get ready to leave her childhood home for good, so Fern reluctantly agrees to go back to New Hampshire.

Going back means a resurgence of memories of a childhood bully, who’s still hanging around, and more bits and pieces that seem like they might connect to Astrid. The longer Fern spends in her hometown, the more she knows that she alone has the keys to help the woman. The need to rescue her almost consumes Fern, leading her to make horrifying discoveries.

While author Megan Collins does her best to build suspense, the minute Fern’s connection to Astrid is revealed readers will have no problem figuring out what happened to Astrid and why. The rest of the book becomes a slow, meandering exercise in watching Fern drive from her parents’ home into town to the old diner to the police station and back while she just thinks over everything in life. Given her history, readers might wonder why Fern doesn’t guess the answer right from the beginning. The longer she’s in New Hampshire, the more obvious it becomes what’s going on.

The cast of characters is so small, readers will find it easy to guess all the major plot points and therein lies the problem. When the big reveal happens, it feels exhausting instead of invigorating. Also, the nature of the experiments that Fern’s father conducted on her—and her mother’s willingness to go along with neglecting Fern, a form of abuse in and of itself—is disconcerting. Somehow, too, it doesn’t play true to life. The book doesn’t give readers enough to make them suspend their disbelief and accept the circumstances.

Anyone looking for a thriller will want to give this a hard pass.

I loved this even more than Collins first book! This is very dark and disturbing; so if you gave triggers or don’t like really dark and demented books, walk away now! If like me and the darker the better, then clear your schedule and plan on sitting on a thrill ride until you read the last page! Thrillers are hard to get really great new concepts, but I felt this was done in a very unique manner, which made sure to keep me captivated! Overall, it’s quite tense, chilling, and shocking! I think everyone should grab a copy today, as I think Collins sure knows how to write a very intriguing read, which will grip you in a death hold!

Behind the Red Door by Megan Collins is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Simon & Schuster (Atria Books), and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Fern Douglas has had a rather strange childhood. Her mother, who she refers to as Mara, was never really interested in her daughter. Her father, Ted, seemed to be interested only in the way Fern participated in his "fear" experiments. Purely for research, he put his daughter into fearful positions to see how she reacted. It is no surprise that Fern grew up to be an anxious, rather paranoid young woman who often "spirals" out of control. Her anxieties are well-earned. However, she also married Eric and became a social worker, helping other young people through their challenges. So not all is bad. She is even considering parenthood.

When she saw the news about a missing woman named Astrid Sullivan, Fern is convinced she knows her. Eric assures her it is only because Astrid had been kidnapped 20 years ago and that had made big headlines, especially since she had been returned a month later. Fern disagrees. She also finally realizes that it is Astrid that is in her recurring nightmare. She buys Astrid's recently published book, where she finds her own memories are buried. Her father is more than willing to help her recover those memories, but she isn't sure she trusts him. She is, however, determined to find Astrid.


My Opinions:

This book has so many twists and turns. It was a truly captivating read, which kept me interested from start to finish. The writing was excellent, and the suspense continued to build. The suspects were many, and although I had an idea about midway through how this was all going to turn out, the journey to get there was fine!

The book looked at both physical and mental abuse, as well as mental illness, and social anxiety. It also included lies, greed, control, and dysfunctional families....but there was also love.

I liked how the author incorporated some of the chapters of Astrid's book into the storyline.

Most of the characters were unlikable, and should have been smacked, or worse. Fern, however, was amazing. The author gave her almost debilitating anxieties with multiple triggers, but an inner strength that showed up when she needed it. Eric was perfect!

It was a little dark, a little crazy, and a lot fun to read. I highly recommend this book.

The Basics: Fern is a mess. Although she has a rewarding career and a loving husband, her anxiety reaches almost debilitating proportions. When she hears the news that a woman named Astrid is missing, Fern’s anxiety takes a near-fatal blow, but can it also help her make sense of the things that have haunted her throughout her life? You see, Astrid has gone missing before, and Fern knows more than she even realizes about Astrid’s fate.

I’m not sure that this one is successful as a mystery; I knew what was happening very early in the story, which is disappointing because I’m not one who tries to figure things out in books; in fact, with thrillers, I tend to turn off my brain in some ways so it doesn’t spoil the surprises. I like to experience the story with the characters, I like to be shocked with each new reveal, and I didn’t get that here.

But that’s okay. While the plot isn’t necessarily mysterious, it is very successful at being compelling. I was completely invested in Fern’s history and in her present quest to find Astrid and to expose the kidnapper. The relationships are solid; Fern’s voice is authentic and sympathetic; the supporting cast is strong, with no throwaway characters. Even without the element of mystery, I was still thrilled by the audacity of the story, and I was still engrossed in the action. I still rooted for Fern to figure things out and get closure.

I will recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a good, fast-paced story and excellent writing.

The most amazing thing to me in this book was that Fern managed to have a well-balanced and loving husband in Eric considering what a mess she was. Granted, it was hardly her fault that she was needy and = well - a mess - considering the unbelievably awful parents she had.

The story was an interesting premise but I guessed the outcome almost immediately and was rather disappointed when it turned out to be true. It was SO obvious all along.

I give Megan Collins credit for her writing style - it was interesting enough to keep me reading even when the somewhat preposterous story didn't warrant it.

Mixed feelings about this one for various reasons. Closer to 3.5 stars

Pros: I dug the vibe of this book. It's a bit odd maybe? But I kind of really liked that. It's hard to explain without giving too much away.Trope filled.

Cons: Fern. Not a fan. And I'll admit that I lost interest more than once. There's another plot point that kind of pissed me off but maybe that was just me? However, I did like Ms Collins'style enough that I want to seek out her prior book.

When Fern sees a news story about the recent disappearance of Astrid Sullivan, she is convinced she knows her. Astrid was the girl who was kidnapped and returned 20 years ago and has recently published a memoir about her ordeal. Although Fern has no memory of the first kidnapping, this happened just outside of her home town. When her father calls asking for help packing up their old house before his move, Fern reluctantly agrees. Once there, she picks up a copy of the memoir and old memories start flooding back. While putting together small fragments of her childhood memories, she realizes that she is the key to finding Astrid before it’s too late.
The concept certainly appealed to me and for the most part I was invested in the story. I enjoyed the writing as well as the screwed up family dynamics. But, as the story progressed, it started to become a bit far fetched and I was not a fan of the ending. So overall this was just ok for me.

Megan Collins’s Behind the Red Door is a worthwhile read if you’re a fan of the genre, mostly because she knows how to turn a beautiful phrase. While the plot here didn’t work for me, I do love the complexities woven by the memory versus imagination element, wrought in poetic language. There were several lines I highlighted for their beauty:

“it’s like I’ve walked into a spiderweb I can’t wipe off, the silk of that dream sticking to my skin.”

However, I did skim the last third of the book as the perpetrator reveal annoyed me. I wouldn’t say I knew for sure, because it was one of those “well, it would be too obvious if it were this person”, but then it does turn out to be that person.

I requested this book based on the blurb and my obsession with suspense/thrillers, and this one delivered!

There were definitely some unsettling parts to the story, like Fern’s strange upbringing, but those added a lot to the character of Fern and who she became. There were also incidents with a grown man shoving his arm in her mouth, which I found really strange, but I think it added to the overall tone of the novel.

I feel like I should have guessed the ending but I didn’t, which I liked. There were two puzzles being solved: the kidnapper of the last and the kidnapper of the present, and I was only able to figure out one, even with all the clues there for both.

This was a bit of a strange reading experience but I really enjoyed the novel.

This wasn't a bad story by any means, but one that I personally did not enjoy reading. The main character was tiresome, her family was simply awful, and I figured out the twist within the first 20 pages.

Blog: The Life & Times of a Book Addict.
Published on: August 7, 2020.

REVIEW;

Even though you can go back home, sometimes you shouldn't...

Behind the Red Door is told from the POV of Fern. She is an interesting character to get to know. Fern is married, she's a social worker, and she is and extremely paranoid and anxious person. Fern second-guesses everything and almost always thinks the worst. She longs for the love and approval of her parents, especially her father. Considering all that she has gone through, I'm surprised Fern doesn't have more issues than she already does. Her going home again leads her to investigating the disappearance of Alice. This is where things start to pick up in the story for me. There is an air of mystery surrounding the town that Alice first disappeared from when she was a teenager and I immediately wanted to know what people were hiding and if they knew more than they were letting on.

I was curious by the first few chapters. The more I more suspicious everyone and everything seemed. That curiosity didn't end until the last page of the story. I wasn't super surprised by everything that occurred in Behind the Red Door, but I definitely did not expect those last couple of twists.
The writing is good, and the story flowed at a decent pace. Megan Collins has created a suspenseful mystery that not only involves a kidnapping, but she also explores the dynamics of family and the effects that the past can have on a person in the present.

Rating 3 1/2 out of 5.

From the beginning, the reader knows that Fern the protagonist has severe anxiety and uses counseling and medication to control it. Her husband, Eric, is understand, and knows all about her off-kilter childhood. When Fern’s father calls to ask for her help in moving, Eric tells her not to go. Just before she goes, despite Eric’s pleas she sees an article about a missing woman near her childhood home, the reader should recognize that this psychological thriller is just gathering its wings and getting ready to take off. Even if you recognize the villain before the solution is given, its still a chilling mystery.