A great big thank you to @netgalley @crookedlanebooks & @rjjacobs75 for sharing an ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.
🖤
I found it really cool that that R.J. Jacobs is also a psychologist. Probably explains why his writing style really gets you into the mind of his main character here.
Let’s talk about Jessie; foster child, locked in a closet for a year, her only escape is the sounds of Owen and Shelley James, famous Nashville country signer duo in her diskman. Naturally obsession occurs from this trauma. To her, she is a part of their lives. Once found and released from the home, she follows the band « too closely » and lands herself in jail with a terrified Shelley James. After jail time comes therapy and a struggling Jessie determined to be « good ». She finds a catering job and things are going well. All that changes when Jessie works an event with celebrities including the Owens. A family she must avoid at all costs.
Jessie does her best to keep her head down but when Shelley is found dead she quickly becomes a suspect. She knows the murder will be pinned on her unless she finds the killer...
🖤
A really good fast paced physiological thriller. Written in short chapters had me turning the pages quickly. Many twists and turns, likable and unlikable characters. I really felt Jessie’s trauma and the judgments from others that go along with it. Which begs the question; can we overcome the mistakes and trauma’s from our past?.
🖤
Highly recommend this engaging to thriller lovers! Look for this one coming out August 11 2020 !!!

Jessie’s horrific childhood shadows her still. Accused of stalking a famous country duo, her world shifts. She tries her best to live a normal life, but lands in an impossible situation. Written in first person, unreliable narrator style, but unlike a lot of current day thrillers, it’s not just plot-driven, Jessie is a well-fleshed character. Darkness knows her well. This is where Jacobs, a practicing physiologist, shines.

Loved the pacing, loved the characterization. Being a Nashville local, I was super excited to read this. I’m glad it didn’t disappoint! The author described Nashville culture perfectly. I could picture everything in a vivid way. I think the story could have started with more of a bang, and it definitely needs some grammatical corrections prior to publication, but I’m sure that will happen!

First of all, THAT COVER! I love it so much. I know it's trees, but it reminds me a little of dendrites (?) or nerves. So appropriate for this psychological thriller. I love the suspense and the beautiful writing, but my favorite was the damaged protagonist. The story of her childhood broke my heart. There were some great twists, and the mystery was so well done. Bravo!

3.5/5.0
This book was a quick read but still very intriguing. The only reason I rated it less than 4 stars is because some parts were a little slow and seemed a bit unnecessary. Other than that, the plot was good and it was an entertaining read.

Jess is a very quiet and reserved person due to her dark and traumatizing past. She spent over a year of her childhood in a dark closet where a strange couple would feed her and check on her occasionally. Because of this horrible phase in her life, Jess has some difficulty expressing herself since her speaking skills were not properly developed.

The only thing that would bring her a little bit of joy during this ordeal was a Discman with a CD by Shelly and Owen James in it. She would listen to it over and over and when she was finally released from the closet, she became obsessed with Shelly and Owen. She followed their concert tour all over the country until one day when she “accidently” stabbed someone at the concert and went to jail.

After completing her sentence, Jess tried her best to have a normal life. She goes to therapy and she works for a catering company where people respect her withdrawn nature. But one day, Jess finds out that her company will cater the party for some famous musician, and of course, Shelly and Owen are attending the party. Jess notices that Shelly seems really weird, acting strange and skittish. What is wrong with her?
A few days later, her company is hired to cater a party at Shelly and Owen’s house. Jess realizes she is being followed by a weird man and moments later she finds Shelly dead.
An investigation starts and since Jess has an unreliable past obsessing over Shelly, she becomes a suspect.

But there are many facts pointing to other people who are very close to Shelly.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

I didn't know what to expect when I started this book. Jessie's background slowly unfurls and it becomes more and more shocking. All she wants is to just live a normal life after surviving horrible neglect as a child. From her side of the story, her obsession with the Owens makes perfect sense. It just doesn't appear that way to others. I read this one quickly because the story was so compelling. Definitely recommended.

Very fast paced, not alot of dull moments. So much adventure. I couldnt put it down. Great author, cant wait to read more by them

This was a fast paced read that left me guessing until the end. I loved the backstory of Jessie although i wanted to know more. I really liked Jessie!
This book had really good twists that made me keep turning the pages!
This was my first RJ Jacobs book and I loved his writing style.
Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

4.5 Stars!

Somewhere In The Dark is a terrific book! I thoroughly enjoyed this unique, page turning story that is unlike any other thriller I've read. Jessie is a wholly sympathetic protagonist, and I found myself rooting for her time and again, even when I questioned her choices. I can't reveal more without spoilers, but I highly recommend this tale. IMHO the story would have been better without the two dream sequences, which slowed the pacing; otherwise this was an entertaining, very enjoyable read. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jessie had a horrible childhood in foster care and was forced to spend a year alone in a dark room when she was 11. Now at 19, she has an apartment and a job at a catering company. Everything goes south when she has to work at event at the home of a country music star with whom she once had an unhealthy fascination, and that star ends up dead.

I really felt for Jessie in this one. She had a lousy start to life and once she got it together, she still was suffering challenges through no fault of her own. She was definitely a character I was routing for. As far as the mystery of who killed the country star goes, I didn't have it figured out and it all wrapped up well with no lose ends. This was a fairly short book and I thought it took a little long to get to the murder and then on to solving it. There was a lot of build up about Jessie's story. Overall, it was a pretty good read though and I would probably read more from this author.

This book is a must read for all psychological thriller lovers. The story Jessie kept me hooked from the first page and it’s the kind of book that keeps you guessing until the end, Definitely a great book and I’d totally recommend it. Looking forward to reading other books by this author.

#Somewhere In The Dark # R.J. Jacobs #NetGalley
Somewhere in the Dark is an intriguing story that pulls you in and keeps you interested throughout. The main character, Jesse, is a foster care child searching for a home and a family. She is an engaging and likable character who you find yourself rooting for. She is locked in a dark closet for a year, around age 11, and has disabilities that result from this time of abuse. She copes with this by telling herself stories in her head, sharping her other senses and listening to the only CD she has of Owen and Shelly James, who are famous singers. When she finally gets out, she follows them for a year through their concert series across the country. She is arrested and serves time for stalking. After she is released, Jesse tries to turn her life around by living a simple life on her own. She takes a job as a caterer, sees Ms. Parson, her counselor, has her own small apartment and for the most part, keeps to herself. She still buys memorabilia related to the James's and watches them and their adopted daughter, Finch, on occasion. Everything is going well until her catering company is hired for a party where the James' are guest. As a result of that party, the James then hire the catering company as well. A murder transpires and she is seen as the main suspect. Other enchanting characters are entwined in the mix and the further the investigation goes the more entangled it becomes. This is a fun read that engages the reader with interesting and well developed characters. I highly recommend this book!

Somewhere In the Dark
by RJ Jacobs
Pub. Date: Aug. 11, 2020

This was my first book by RJ Jacobs and I have to say I loved his writing style. The characters were well thought out, flawed, but understandably so. Jacobs writes about mental health, the behavioral health medical system as it relates to criminal behavior skillfully, which is to be expected since he is a clinical psychologist but still refreshing to the reader.

This was a quick read for me, but so gripping I read it in one night. This is perfect for a pool/beach read since it is so compelling you won’t want to put it down! Each chapter hooked me, revealing small pieces of information that would culminate in me thinking I had it figured out only to be wrong!!! Obsession, infidelity, stalking, this story has it ALL!!!

The only thing I saw as a flaw in this book was the fact that I wanted to know more about Jessie’s back story, more about her abusers, just MORE!!!

4/5 stars!

Thank you @crookedlanebooks and @netgalley for an advanced copy of the book for my honest review!!!

Oh man this one is a raw good thriller.
This story follows a girl named Jessie, whom she has a lot of trauma and psychological effects that follow her. Her family locked her a closet for over a year and all sha had with her in the closet besides the limited food was her country cd and her walkman. She listened to the music so intently she moved it into stories intertwined with the music to feel like as if she was part of the music.
This back story of telling how Jessie became what she was and how she acted this helped understand her reasonings and actions a lot more. When Jessie goes to a concert things got out of hand and she ended up getting arrensted and was basically labeled a stalker for Shelly.
After this incident she changed her life determind not to let that define her. She got counseling and started a new job and just as it seemed things were changing for her she was intermixed with Shelly once again and Shelly is found dead. Now, Jessie is doing everything she can to clear her name.
This is a fast paced thriller and on the shorter side but beside the length of the novel I can guarantee you will not be disappointed at all! The twist and the turns were amazing and kept me guessing until the very end! I definitely reccomment it to any thriller lover!

After falling in love with Jacobs's first book, And Then You Were Gone, I was leaping out of my chair in anticipation for his follow-up. I had no doubt that it would be another well-crafted mystery with captivating characters, but Somewhere in the Dark exceeded all my expectations. The plot summary by itself was enough to pull me in and not look up until I reached its thrilling conclusion.

Jessie Duval may very well be one of the most compelling protagonists I've read about in a while. At nineteen, she had bounced from one foster home to another and endured a horrific year at age twelve where she was kept in a dark, locked closet with almost nothing - except for her Discman. The Shelly James CD she listened to during that year and the years afterward in the real world kept her grounded and focused. She still had difficulties acclimating to life outside and staying out of trouble, but she was getting by. And then, boom. Shelly James was found murdered, and Jessie became an immediate suspect.

It was impossible not to root for Jessie as she faced every obstacle thrown her way. Though seen as vulnerable and obsessive by those she crossed paths with, she exhibited a quiet strength that made me cheer her on when she confronted a problem and sympathize with her when she found herself in a tricky situation. There were so many layers to her personality and backstory that kept me turning the pages well after my bedtime.

Aside from my love of all the characters (Malik and Detective Marion are my other favorites!), the plot of Somewhere in the Dark was completely absorbing. A year of childhood vanished into the confines of a dark closet. An obsession with Nashville's biggest country stars. Secrets with woeful consequences. A shocking murder that rocks news headlines - every chapter felt like another adventure. This book was packed with action from start to finish, and I'm already debating how soon is too soon for a reread.

Superb psychological thriller about a victim of abuse who goes on to become an obsessive fan of a singer and how she is pulled back into the circle that she was working hard to leave. The characters are very nicely explained and the suspense was good. It shows how we perceive the other bank to be greener and miss what we have. Finished it in one go. Don’t miss it. I would like to give more than 5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this arc.

Jesse have a very traumatizing childhood and this surely lead to some issues when she become an adult. The way she handles things is very relatable and as well as her obsession to the singers. Avid fans as they say. There’s a lot in her that was misinterpreted and the book gave her justice, the overall outline and suspense are good. I really enjoyed reading it.

Jessie Duval had a rough childhood in the foster care system. The only thing that made things bearable for her was the music of two country music stars. In her eyes, they had the perfect life and were the perfect family that she wished to be a part of. Jessie ends up following them on tour and eventually is arrested for stalking. After serving time she tries to get her life together by working for a catering company. But when she works a party and her idols show up to the party,Jessie is panicked. When one of them ends up murdered, Jessie is the prime suspect. Jessie doesn’t think she would harm anyone. Or would she? This book was a slow start for me. I wish it’d had more dialogue and less of Jessies in her own head thoughts. But the mystery surrounding what really happened amps up towards the end. Quick read for someone looking for a distraction right now!

Jesse Duvall endures a horrible past that was in no way her fault. The only things that kept her going was her idolization of country music stars Shelly & Owen. Her obsession with them lands her in prison for a short while and when she’s out her life consists of a therapist, being by herself and working for a catering company. Jesse lives this job and excels at it until she works a graduation party, and who are two of the guests but Shelly & Owen. Not only that but her boss tells her they’re catering a large party at their house next week.
Interesting premise, though the writing lagged at times. It’s hard not to feel sorry for Jesse, her past and her continued naiveness.

This was a fast paced read that will have you guessing until the end.

I was looking for something to read that would give me a reality escape and this book was the answer! I loved that the author gave us a backstory right away. It helped me understand the character much more. While this was a highly enjoyable read for me, there were some parts that lagged and some parts that felt rushed. It wasn’t enough to take away from the story and the story ended up finding its way. There are some really good twists and I like that I couldn’t figure out who did it. I was so engaged in the story that I didn’t put it down once. I HAD to know how it would end!

This is a great thrilling suspense filled read! Somewhere in the Dark is my first R.J. Jacobs read. I enjoyed his writing style and look forward to reading more. I give this 4 stars.