Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Julia Heaberlin's We Are All the Same in the Dark is a dark and atmospheric take about a small town's violent history and two women who want justice. The story is told from alternating points of view (Wyatt, Odette and Angel, and these traumatized characters tell a compelling story. I was genuinely hooked from the first page and didn't want to stop reading. Highly recommend.

Story starts off with a bang when there is the discovery of a girl abandoned by the side of the road. Set in a Texas town, this event threatens to unearth some long-buried secrets.

Ten years ago Trumanell Branson disappeared, leaving only a bloody handprint behind. For some reason, the town keeps posters of her pretty face on the walls of the town’s Baptist church, the police station, and in the high school. They all promise the same thing: We will find you.

Trumanell’s brother, Wyatt, lives the life of an outcast in the shackles of the old family house, even though, years ago, he was cleared of wrongdoing by the police. Yet... he was tried and sentenced in the court of public opinion and again in a new documentary about the crime.

One day Wyatt finds a lost girl lying in a field of dandelions, making silent wishes. He believes this to be a sign. The town’s youngest cop, Odette Tucker, believes she is the very one who can fire up this grieving town who is still waiting for Trumanell to come home. Odette though, has her own issues. She is haunted by her own history with the missing Tru.

Desperate to solve both cases, Odette fights to save the lost girl in the present and to dig up the shocking truth about a tragic night in the past. The night her friend disappeared. The night that inspired her to become a cop. The night that seems to haunt an entire town.

Thus is a satisfying twisty psychological thriller, but for me not a page turner.

Then just as I became a bit frustrated with the story, a devastating twist halfway through, builds the plot to an emotional finale.

I highly recommend this thriller.

A decade has passed since Trumanell Branson disappeared. She’s beloved by her hometown and her photo still hangs everywhere from the church to the police station, unforgotten, like a promise that she will be found.
Though he has been cleared by police, Trumanell’s brother Wyatt has been found guilty by the town and has lived in isolation in the family house, where he continues to have conversations with his missing sister.

On his way home one evening, Wyatt finds a young girl with one eye in a field of dandelions on the side of the highway. Uncertain of her situation, he brings her home and confides in the town’s youngest police officer, Odette Tucker, who he was in a relationship with at the time his sister disappeared.

Odette comes from a long line of cops and she’s determined to find out what happened to Trumanell and clear Wyatt’s name. She is certain that Wyatt didn’t hurt his sister… she’s also certain he knows who did.

The young girl Wyatt found in the field won’t speak but Odette is patient. She knows there is trauma, something she shares with the silent child who they call Angel. The two form a bond that is broken too soon when Odette meets an unknown fate like Tru, disappearing without a trace.

Five years later, Angel is searching for Odette, the woman who changed her life. She’s back in town, ready to confront Odette’s husband, her former partner, and even wild-card Wyatt to uncover the truth.

Julia Heaberlin’s novels always keep me guessing and I devour them quickly! We Are All the Same in the Dark is a twisty psychological thriller that takes readers to a small Texas town where a cold case and two young women cannot be forgotten. While one character's actions didn't quite make sense to me in the big reveal, I still loved this mystery.
I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy mystery, thrillers, and small town secrets.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. We Are All the Same in the Dark is scheduled for release on August 11, 2020.

We Are All the Same in the Dark is beautifully written, with flowing descriptions and a writing style that drew me in right away. The twists and turns definitely threw me for a loop. I was left wanting to know more about many parts of the story and characters, but on the whole, I enjoyed this book from beginning to end.

This was an interesting story, and different from many other books in the genre, though I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't love it, It starts out with Wyatt finding a young girl on the side of the road and taking her home. Odette, his ex-girlfriend and current cop, gets involved to find a safe place for the girl to stay. The backstory the reader quickly uncovers is that Wyatt's sister and father disappeared 10 years prior and Wyatt is presumed guilty, though never charged. Odette came back home to figure out what happened, avenge her friend, and clear Wyatt's name. Now Odette has another mystery to solve- the girl Wyatt found is not talking and they don't know who she is or how she got there.

The book is told in 3 parts, first Wyatt, then Odette, and finally Angel. The actual writing is pretty and poetic, though I think that it took away from the suspense of the book a bit- it was very literary and made for a bit of a slow burn. I got a little tired of Odette constantly talking about her missing leg and the accident that caused it- it felt repetitive to me. I enjoyed Angel's narrative the most- she was witty and strong, and also damaged and vulnerable, and the juxtaposition of all of those things made her both likable and real.

The ending of the book was a surprise and I did not guess the villain in advance, however I feel like it came out of left field a bit. Though the story tied up the loose ends, I wasn't as invested in the solving of the mystery as I expected to be.

Overall, this was a unique read and I feel the story is memorable, but there was something in the writing, and the end of the story, that didn't fully engage me.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In the opening pages of Julia Heaberlin's stunning thriller, "We Are All the Same in the Dark," Wyatt Branson picks up a girl he finds lying injured off the highway surrounded by a circle of dandelions. Since she doesn't speak, he names her Angel and brings her back to his remote farmhouse. This sets off an investigation led by Odette, a deputy in the small Texas town. Odette and Wyatt are connected by a horrendous event that occurred back on June 7, 2005.

On the aforementioned date, Odette knocked on Wyatt's door for their Scrabble date and was told by Wyatt to run. She remembers that, "The air was fat and ugly - either the prelude to something terrible or the afterlife of it." An hour later Odette's pickup was found in a ditch with her leg crushed. At the Branson house, Wyatt's sister, Trumanell, and their father, Frank, were both missing with blood smears left throughout the house. Wyatt was found wandering outside and was incoherent. Although Wyatt was never convicted in their disappearance, it is implied that he was responsible even though he spends his time talking to the ghost of his dead sister.

Ten years later Odette finds herself still trying to uncover the mystery of Trumanell and Frank Branson's disappearance. She befriends Angel, who she learns was running from a past of violent abuse in which she lost an eye. Odette bonds with this girl and tries to help her create a new life. In a twist of fate, Angel helps to investigate the disappearance of another missing person. The two protagonists, Odette and Angel, lead us through a unsettling journey to uncover the truth.

This book is much more than a psychological thriller. Julia Heaberlin's prose and character development glitter among the pages. When the complete truth of the crimes is exposed, I was sorry to see the story end. This book is definitely one of my top picks for the year. Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Julia Heaberlin for an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

I enjoyed the book. Great mystery, thriller. I had no idea whodunnit til the end. Really liked the strong female characters. However, it took reading the acknowledgements to understand the title. The whole "we are all the same in the dark" was not the message of the book imho. Great message, but it did not rise to top if that was the author's intention.

One of my most favorite books so far this year!
I was so excited when I got my hands on this read!

When Wyatt finds a lost girl dumped in a field of dandelions, making silent wishes, he believes she is a sign. The town’s youngest cop, Odette Tucker, believes she is a catalyst that will ignite a seething town still waiting for its own missing girl to come home. But Odette can’t look away. She shares a wound that won’t close with the mute, one-eyed mystery girl. And she is haunted by her own history with the missing Tru.

This book was so intense, it hadbe literally on the edge of my seat!

Best read of 2020 so far!

Thank You NetGalley & Pub for this ARC!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and I think the author made it on to my stop everything and read this instantly list! I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but quickly found myself drawn in. The characters were fantastically written, especially Odette, and the twists and turns kept coming and kept me on my toes.

It is probably the most enjoyable thriller I have read in a while!

We Are All the Same in the Dark is clever, atmospheric, and exactly the kind of mystery/thriller I love. I previously enjoyed Julia Heaberlin's Black Eyed Susans, and her new release did the very opposite of disappoint. I found the characters to be well written and the shifting POVs excellently handled and quite masterful. I thought I would dislike the shifting narrative as I became very attached to one character before a shift midbook, and I was wrong. This is exactly why I think Julia Heaberlin is writing great mysteries: she writes great female characters and forgets about the cliched "tough girl" or "maiden in distress." She creates her original characters that are believable and authentic, completely capturing and engaging. I also appreciated Heaberlin's research and inclusion of prosthetics and those who use them without it ever feeling heavy-handed. Read her acknowledgments at the end to understand just how thoughtful she was weaving in this component into the work.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the opportunity to preview this novel.

Wow! This novel seems longer than 350 some odd pages. It just has so much information, touches on so many loves. It was a superb story. I really wanted to sneak a peek at the ending because I didn’t think I could wait for the big reveal. Haha, but I persisted and was never disappointed.

Well written with beautiful prose, this story is told from three points of view--Wyatt, Odette and Angel with the latter being a girl found by the roadside who becomes entangled in a decades old mystery involving the assumed murder of the beloved town darling, Trumanell, and her abusive father. Although slightly repetitious at times, this novel is worth the read. It unwinds slowly but with enough twists and turns to keep you interested, The characters are equally interesting, complex and tortured in their own ways, The author has created a page-turner that delights and surprises with intricately interwoven plot lines and unexpected tragedies. I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys a small town noir thriller set in rural Texas.

This one had me guessing until the very end who the real killer and culprit was in the murders of Trumamele and Odette. My favorite character was Angel because she had pluck and grit. The story takes a long time to unfold. The first part is told through Odette's eyes. Then Angel takes over th narrative to discover what really happened to Tru and Odette. The author wrings out every last little excruciating detail, willing readers to tough it out to discover the truth.

"Texas is a beautiful poison you drink from your mother's breast; the older you get and the farther you run, the more it pounds in your blood."

I'm not usually a quote saving person. I read books that entertain me, and I am not overly sentimental. This book, this beautiful book, may have changed me on the inside. I know that sounds over the top, but I'm being completely serious. We Are All the Same in the Dark is so haunting and lyrical, but absolutely pulse pounding at the same time. You will ache for these characters, linger over the stunning prose, and gasp out loud at the twists and revelations. It has been hit or miss with me and Julia Heaberlin's books. I loved Black Eyed Susans, but Paper Ghosts wasn't for me. After finishing We Are All the Same in the Dark, I expect nothing less than brilliance from her future work.
5 stars

I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley.

Apparently, I wasn't quite as enthralled with this story as many reviewers were. More than once, I was left confused. It seems to be the story of missing females, one in the past, one in the present and one in the future. The first disappeared ten years ago, on the same night as Odette lost a leg, and her father died. Could these things be related? Odette is determined to find out and makes her own scrapbook of clues which she places inside an old Betty Crocker cookbook. There was a bit of a twist at the end, but not one that I, particularly, enjoyed.

"We Are All the Same in the Dark" is a psychological thriller by Julia Heaberlin. I was really enjoying this book and then about half way through the book there is a huge shift in the story. I did not much care for the 2nd half of the book as much as I liked the first. This one however will keep the reader guessing.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another fantastic thriller!! The writing was just amazing... every page was a new turn and I loved it. Go read it!!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House for this arc in exchange for an honest review.⁣⁣
This was a slow burn suspense novel that had a lot going on. Twists & turns galore which left me having to re-read some passages. It was deep & dark and had me wanting to stay up all night trying to figure everything out. I very much enjoyed it even though it took me longer to get through than my average pace.

You’re in a small town in west Texas, a town that still mourns a favorite daughter who disappeared many years ago. The daughter of the police chief at the time of the disappearance is now on the force herself. Her efforts are hampered by unresolved feelings for the prime suspect in the disappearance. She had a date with him the night the girl went missing and she still believes in his innocence. But like every town this one has secrets, and those secrets have claimed more than one life and will claim more.

Positives: well written identifiable characters that you can root for

Negatives: each person in the book no matter how small their part of the tale has pages upon pages of backstory, enough to really bog a reader down. But I’ve spent quite a lot of time in the locale and that aspect of the storytelling is dead on.

Part ghost story, part mystery, part philosophical, but completely fascinating. The story unfolded in changing directions, like unfolding origami, revealing new facets each time. I read it in a day, because I couldn't put it down.