**contains some spoilers**

I finished this book in a day. I've been waiting for it to be available on request here at NetGalley so I was elated when it came out. We know from the blurb that it'll be a dark read. The title alone made this a must read for me, if you’ve been following my Bookstagram reviews for more than a year it’s no secret that I have this great fascination about serial killer novels and the likes. Then the blurb drew me in even deeper as I was intrigued by the idea of a little kid's POV on his father's secret.

Let me just explain why the three stars.. (It's actually a 3.5 but there's no option of that here)
It's not that I didn't like the book. Actually, I loved it.
A serial killer in a novel is very much one that the reader has a love/hate relationship with. We love them because they give us thrills whilst hating what they do to their victims. Ruby's father was a new one on me. It's because of how deep his love is for his daughter. I mean, I got confused, with all the books I've read about serial killers, this one doesn't have the personification of evil incarnate as what we always read about. (well yeah sorry, apart from the killing).

It's fascinating to follow Ruby's life as she grows older. It makes you realized more that how someone "grows" depends on how he/she was raised, what kind of surroundings and people she grew up with. My heart aches for Ruby, she obviously has some type of autism. And the everyday bullying at school doesn't make it any better for her. And because of this, she thought that only her father can love her truly and that she should do everything to protect him. Ruby has her dad on a metaphorical pedestal. Along with her, the reader learns of the true horrors of who her father really is and the terrible things he has done.

The writer has a great writing style, its uncomplicated but packed with intrigue – I wanted to know what was going to happen next to Ruby, I really felt sorry for her. The ending was left in such a way that it would be a great book for a sequel.

Ruby loves her father and since her mother’s death, he’s been the one to care for her and see to all her needs. Still, her father has a darkness to him, how much of that darkness has Ruby inherited? As she grows older she learns the truth about her father, that he is a killer. She loves him, but can she allow his behavior to go unchecked? This is a dark and intense story about how strong family ties really are

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review


The fuq I just read? Not as well crafted as the author’s other thrillers, but worth reading for the weird factor

This book was really creepy! It is written through diary entries of the main character, Ruby, from the age of 7 up until 16 or so. Ruby lives with her father because her mother committed suicide when she was younger. Ruby is a loner at school and prefers to be by herself and write poetry rather than socialize with other kids. Over the years she is tormented by her classmates, one girl in particular, and it is really sad to see this terrible behavior continue as Ruby progresses through school. It certainly doesn't help Ruby--her father is a serial killer who dismembers bodies in their garage on a regular basis and Ruby started watching him do so when she was 7. She thinks thinks it is a game and totally normal of her dad to do this and also beautiful as the blood swirls around on the floor. She wants to protect her father at any cost because she loves him so much and he is all that she has. The diary entries she writes get creepier and more deranged as she gets ages, forming an incredibly warped point of view of the world. The ending seemed obvious as Ruby's life was getting more and more difficult. Creative plot and intriguing to a point but also pretty delusional and crazy! Thanks so much to NG for the ARC!