Joan Harken never imagined living in a small town. Raised by a single mother, they were a close-knit team of two, who moved often from one city to the next. Joan considers herself an independent woman with career goals, even though the book takes place in the sixties. All that changes when two events shake Joan's foundation to the core. When her boyfriend Deck suggests that they leave the city for a simpler, safer life in his hometown, not only does Joan say yes, she embraces the move. After all, Joan is pregnant and would like her baby to grow up in a stable community. There is even a local paper and Joan feels certain that she can get a job there and not abandon her dream of being a journalist.
Deck swears that Lilydale is the perfect place to raise a family. But from the moment they arrive, Joan is questioning her decision. Everyone seems to know Joan's business. Everyone seems to be watching her every move. Everyone, except Joan, seems to know what she needs. Even the opportunity to cover a major news story feels contrived. If this is what small-town life is like, Joan isn't sure if she wants any part of it. Unfortunately, the decision may no longer be in Joan's hands.
Creepy, creepy, and creepier! Is Joan just seeing things through her city eyes or is something seriously wrong with the people of Lilydale? When Deck starts to become someone Joan barely recognizes, its time for her to put her investigative skills to the test. When the truth comes out, be prepared for a dark and twisted conclusion.
I wasn't crazy about any of these characters, Joan included, but boy did I race read to find out what the heck was up in Lilydale! I had my guesses, but I certainly didn't figure this one out. I loved Unspeakable Things and Jess Lourey is now on my must-read author radar.

A good and spooky read. Joan Harken leaves Minneapolis to live with her boyfriend in his hometown of Lilydale, Minnesota. It's the 1960s and Joan is pregnant, so they pretend to be married to avoid scorn and shame. But Joan find that the town elders have very specific ideas about how a young pregnant woman should behave. Joan feels stifled and her one outlet is her job at the town newspaper. When an old mystery comes alive, Joan throws herself into the investigation. But the more she learns, the weirder the circumstances appear and Joan begins to fear for her own safety and that of her unborn child. Because Lilydale is no ordinary town ... BLOODLINE is a good, quick read and Joan is a great protagonist.

This was one of the creepiest and strangest thrillers I have read in a while. I like Jess Loury’s writing a great deal. This story is not typical of most thrillers which is good. It is more like a cross between Rosemary’s Baby and the movie Get Out! It does strain the imagination a bit but overall it was hard to put down and the ending was satisfying. Loury again uses an old Minnesota crime for the basis of her story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't really like this one as much as I wanted to sadly.

The first half was boring so I skipped and realized it got pretty good in the second half. Although it skipped around so much. I didn't connect to the character as I felt she was childish. The ending also felt rushed for me. Overall, I didn't connect to this book.

3.5 stars - Creepy, suspenseful thriller

First half= boring, Last half= heart racing. Literally.

Overall, this review reflects a creepy and enjoyable read. However, it's downfall for me was that the concept is a bit cliché, the writing is somewhat jumpy/lacking, and the edge was taken away from the story due to over exposure to her flash memories/dreams/premonitions/spoilers.

The story vibes like a scarier version of The Stepford Wives & The Truman Show - and is genuinely creepy in this regard of the paranoia of feeling like one is being watched, and other reasons I won't reveal. Some of the imagery was quite strong. I enjoyed the character's imaginative personas she creates for people around her.

My frustrations mostly revolved around the writing style. Such as strange grammar choices that kept me re-reading the same sentences in confusion, for a lack of clarity on the subject of the sentence. eg. "I followed the natural lines of the story Ronald told me, and then Ursula yelled at me." Which, I believe, is meant to say - "..and then that which Ursula yelled at me." Because Ursula had already done her yelling..so the subject of the sentence is the "story". The writing needs more fleshing out.

I also struggled with the frequent context changes within the same chapter, sometimes the same paragraph - where a real conversation might shift to a memory of someone else talking, to sometimes shifting to a thought of one or two other characters. Sometimes the flashes happen in time - back and forth within the same paragraph. So, there needs to be better context differentiation, and limiting of character linkage within the same paragraph. This could be perhaps using italics for memories.. or some asterisk symbol page breakers.. and then maybe allocating separate paragraphs for different characters when introducing or enforcing certain values/ beliefs/ back stories. I also didn't really enjoy the repeat of certain entire phrases throughout the book, but that's just personal.

Furthermore, I didn't completely connect with the character. While I found her wildly fresh and cunning, I also found her a bit childish and inconsistent. I found some of her choices frustrating. Eg. stopping at Grover's towards the end; or insisting on using her maiden name in conversation, despite being aware of needing to uphold her publicly declared married name.

A crucial component which I felt lacking in the storytelling thrills, was the over exposure to the flashes she was experiencing. Not only was this a struggle in terms of disorientating & quick context shifts, but also in terms of being too close to the truth, too often, as a reader (ie. spoilers). I would dial back how many times she refers to the enemy. I believe the reader will enjoy putting the pieces together much more if the writing doesn't make some of the insinuations too obvious. Sometimes the writing spells out Joan's thoughts so matter-of-factly: "oh they must be monsters.. oh it must be this.. or that," that it's impossible to feel the subtle nuances of mystery and discovery. I get that she's a reporter, but I would encourage the story use more subtle environmental/action cues instead of verbal cues.

The ending was a tad disappointing: It felt rushed and unrealistic. I think I wanted the ending scenes to be given more action and struggle. Also... where did the inhabitants go from that ..space..before she did the endgame thing? The debrief section at the end needs more explanation into the town happenings.

TW: Mild body horror, mention of rape, mention of dead babies

Thank you to NetGalley, Jess Lourey and the publisher for this free Advanced Readers Copy.

Jess Lourney is THE one to read for excellent story, characters, and writing. I will read everything she has written and will write. Cannot recommend more highly!

3.5 stars to this fast-paced and creepy read that will make you weary of small towns.

I really enjoyed the 1960's setting and thought the author did a great job utilizing it without it feeling like a "period novel". The plot was full of twists and turns and the end reveal, while a bit over the top and unrealistic, was satisfying and fun to read. I had hoped for a stronger connection to the main character, Joan, but I still enjoyed her as the protagonist.

Bloodline by Jess Lourey Atmospheric tension throughout the book, not heart stopping scary rather more of spooky vibe Interesting read which flows along smoothly with an unexpected twist. Reliable characters and creepy in-laws and neighbors. Satisfying ending.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Jess Lourey sid it again. With another dark, delicious, terrifying book. This book was emotionally upsetting, deep, and really made you think. You actually feel for the main character. Your heart wrenches and you just want her to escape and get the hell out of there as fast as she can. This other is amazing. This book was amazing. I absolutely recommend it as well as her other books.

3.5 stars - rounding up.

Fast-paced, creepy thriller reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby with a splash of Stepford Wives. Joan is an aspiring reporter in the 1960's. She's fallen in love with the man of her dreams, Deck, and they have a baby on the way. After Joan was mugged in the bustling city of Minneapolis, the two lovers decide to move to Deck's small but safe hometown of Lilydale. However, the picture-perfect town might not be so safe and perfect after all.

Jess Lourey weaves an engaging story here that compels you to keep reading until you get to the shocking conclusion. The chapters are short and choppy, allowing the reader to breeze through it. The big reveal was satisfying and saved this book for me.

I struggled with giving this a lower rating because I did not make a good connection with our protag, Joan. Her character felt underdeveloped and acted in ways that often didn't make sense, especially without a backstory. For example, why did she need to steal things? I was expecting this to come full circle or further delved into.

Without spoiling the story, I had similar feelings about Deck's outcome.

Despite my lack of connection with the characters, this was still an enjoyable read with a great twist. I'm sure many other readers will connect with these characters just fine :) I enjoyed the author's ability to engage me with the story and I look forward to reading more of her books.

I should note that I read an early copy of this as it's not set to publish until January 2021, so some details may change. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book. #Bloodline #NetGalley

Cheers!

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

This book was a delightfully dark read. It's 1968 and Joan Harken is a pregnant journalist who lives in the big city and never dreamed she would move into the a small town. But after she is violently mugged, her fiance, Deck, convinces her that a move to his idyllic hometown of Lilydale is just what they need. She's hesitant, but has faith that she and Deck can settle in and raise a family right down the street from his parents, big names in the small town. But almost from the moment they arrive, she feels that something is off, that she is constantly being watched and judged. Sure it's a small town, but everyone is so intrusive and gossipy, knowing details about her before they meet, telling her what to do and how to do it.

She's saved only by her part time work with the town paper, where she attempts to research a kidnapping from decades before, the only blemish on the history of Lilydale. But no one is forthcoming about the missing little boy, the paper's archives are always down, and Joan fears that the town has much to hide. Are they simply protective of their community or is it more sinister than she imagined?

The story is gleefully reminiscent of The Stepford Wives and Rosemary's Baby - you just know something is seriously wrong with this town, but what, exactly? Readers won't be disappointed when the truth is discovered, it's twisted and disturbing and every bit as bad as you imagined! The book is only loosely based on a true story, but it's enough to make you realize there's no place like home, and thank goodness you don't live in Lilydale!

Interesting suspense novel with touches of Rosemary’s Baby” and “Stepford Wives” thrown in. Moving from the big city to an seemingly-idyllic small town following a mugging, the pregnant protagonist soon realizes that things are not as they seem.

What a book - a cross between Rosemary's baby and the Stepford wives. Thoroughly enjoyable, I read it in one sitting.

This is an awesome book. First, it takes place in the late 60s but the writing style is totally contemporary and accessible, yet also very accurate to the time. (It’s a major pet peeve of mine when a period book tries too hard to emulate the speech of the era and ends up sounding stilted.) Second, Rosemary’s Baby is one of my favorite books of all time. This book, set in the same era, does a lovely job of tipping its hat to Rosemary’s Baby (even explicitly, a number of times) but never rips it off like so many other books have. Instead this book gives the reader a totally new and different twist on the theme of Rosemary’s Baby. (It’s also more explicitly feminist than Rosemary’s Baby could be in its time, which I love.)

The heroine of the book, Joan Harken, is a pregnant “career woman” (a newspaper writer) in a changing time for women. After a life-altering incident in the city, she decides to move back to her boyfriend’s idyllic small town, where his dad is the mayor. Once she gets there very strange things start happening, and soon it’s Twin Peaks meets Rosemary’s Baby. With a side of the Stepford Wives. So, clearly, I was hooked.

The book starts with a bang and is suspenseful all the way through. This writer has a very natural and thrilling writing style, and even as the plot gets more and more wild, the story remains totally real and scary. This book is part horror and part traditional mystery.

I don’t want to give away too much more of the plot, but this was a great read and it has some great commentary to make about society and gender roles, too. 4.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jess Lourey and Thomas and Mercer for the advance copy of this great read in exchange for my honest review.

Joan Harkin a reporter, moves from the fast paced life in Minneapolis to small town Lillydale with her husband Deck after a brutal mugging left her feeling unsafe. Lillydale is a quaint and cute town where the people seem to be a little too friendly. Pregnant with their first child the townspeople seems to be a little to interested and involved in Joan's pregnancy.
While working part time at the small town newspaper Joan starts to discover some odd history in Lillydale especially the missing child's mystery some twenty something years before. WIth research from her old work pal in MN and the former retired sheriff of the town Joan works to reveal what Lillydale is hiding and why the townspeople seem so strange and invasive.
This is a fast paced novel of suspense revolving around the towns strange history and Joan's resolve to keep her and her upcoming baby's birth safe. All is revealed about 3/4 into the book as you root for Joan to take matters into her own hands and get out before it's too late.