Does a book cover ever catch your attention and you’re like I have to read it? This one did that for me. I am surprised to say that this is my first Megan Miranda book that I’ve read, but I’ve been meaning to read All the Missing Girls and The Last House Guest.

This book has the perfect setting for a ‘whodunnit’ thriller. A small, gated community by the lake, where everyone knows each other.

It starts off with the return of Ruby after being sent to prison for the murder of her two neighbours and showing up at her old roommate, Harpers house with a simple hello as if nothing had happened!

Her return has the whole community rattled and for good reason considering their trial testimonies!

I just didn’t enjoy the slow burn, it didn’t get me intrigued until the middle of the book which is why I’m giving it 3 stars.

Even though I didn’t love book, I’ll definitely be reading the other ones I mentioned in the beginning because Megan Miranda is fantastic writer!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for sending me an early digital copy for my honest review.

This is an interesting, accessible, and relatively easy read about a neighbourhood mystery and drama centred around the question of a single person's innocence or guilt in a major crime. This book definitely had notes of the TV series, Desperate Housewives and Pretty Little Liars weaved into it. The gossip, the watching each other, the questions, the secrets, and the questions - it all made for an interesting and exciting read.

I found at times that this book made my waver interest. There were times when I was super invested and could not put the book down and then there were other times when I just wished that the story would progress and something would actually happen. I thought the story was fun and I liked that I was always questioning whether or not the individual was guilty or innocent, and if they were innocent, who did the crime? The number of characters followed the Goldilocks principle - not too many, not too few, just enough that I would think to myself as I read, "was it this person? Was it that person?"

This definitely was not normally the type of book that I would pick up, so I am happy that I read it, it definitely made me branch out and get out of my reading comfort zone. I might recommend it to someone who is looking for something to read that is not difficult and doesn't make them "think" or be challenged too much.

I am rating this as three stars (and a half) stars. I can't give it four stars because there were enough times that I didn't feel compelled to keep reading or get back to the book. It was good - but not four stars good.

* Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy for review purposes *

Hollow's Edge is a tight knit community, with neighbors that spend a lot of time together and have keys to each other houses, until Brandon and Fiona Truett die in their sleep from carbon monoxide poisoning, and Ruby, a young outspoken woman, is convicted for their murder. A year and half later, Ruby is released due to inconsistencies in the process, and returns to the house he shared with her roommate Harper in search for revenge. Little by little, her presence starts peeling away all the secrets that the residents have been hiding this past year.

"Such a Quiet Place" has such a quiet start, and I was not very impressed with it at first - none of the people were particularly likeable people, and none of them are straight forward and willing to speak up their mind, which results in a frustrating exercise of artificial withholding of information to solve the mystery. So much passive-aggressiveness! Except this is not just a murder mystery (although that plays a big part in it), rather, an interesting commentary on the seemingly idyllic lives of ordinary people. It is hard to say a lot about it without spoiling it, but the ending was very satisfying. The pace to get there, however, is very slow, but thankfully, it is not a very long book.

Rating is more like 3.5 stars - slow pace, but brilliant ending with a memorable message.

This was not my first book by a Megan Miranda, so I went into it with high hopes, and she did NOT disappoint. Typically, I am a more of a fan of multi POV thrillers than single POV; personally, I like how the different points of views give you separate pieces of the puzzle and as a reader, you are desperately trying to figure out how they all fit together. But, there was something about the way that Megan Miranda slowly unravels the story from Harper’s point of view that is just as perplexing and fulfilling. There were so many moving parts plot wise that if Megan had thrown in multiple narrative voices, it would have been far too overwhelming. Plus, I felt like my desire for multi POV was satisfied with the the sprinkling of the Discussion Board Entries. As a resident in relatively smaller, isolated community with a ridiculously popping neighbour Facebook group, I found the entire story incredible relatable. I truly enjoyed the world Megan created in Hallo’s Edge.

I can honestly say that the first half of the book I was completely unsure as to any of the major mysteries in the book, and it wasn’t until I was about 85% done that I even felt even SLIGHTLY confident in my guess as to what had happened the night of the Truetts’ death, and even then, I wasn’t completely correct! I cannot tell you how many times I switched my theory as to “who done it”! Megan Miranda TRULY kept me guessing until the very end, which is exactly what I want in a thriller. Honestly, I think this may be my favourite book I have read by her yet.

This was an enjoyable book.
It wasn't bad ... it wasn't great.
I worry that this may be the kind of book you forget about.... its a good read, but there is nothing remarkable about it.
It was quite anti-climactic and not the kind of book I would recommend.

This book had a good story. I liked the twist at the end and the wrap up of each character's involvement in the grand scheme of things. I just found the writing style and the flow of events to be a bit unengaging at times. Overall, it was a good book, but just did not grip me to want to keep reading into the middle of the night.

The suburbs of Hollow's Edge used to be a quiet place. Until a year and a half ago when the Turrets were found dead in their home. A neighbor is arrested and convicted of the murder, but just a little over a year later, Ruby Fletcher shows up without warning. Released from prison.

Returning to the house she shared with Harper Nash, Ruby's brazen attitude puts everyone on edge. The neighborhood is certain she has secrets to tell, and nobody believes any good can come of it. Ruby is determined to return to life in Hollow's Edge, and she’s not backing down from neighbors who still suspect the worst of her. Harper is caught reconciling Ruby as the friend she knew and trusted, and the suspected murder she is sharing a house with.

Everyone in the neighborhood is spooked, and there are many secrets that keep sprouting up to complicate the situation, despite all parties trying to keep things under wraps.

With tons of contrasting characters, this is a twisting story brimming with suspicion and tension right to the very end. I expected this to be an enjoyable thriller after reading the authors pervious book “The Girl from Widow Hills, and seeing “The Last House Guest" as a Reese's Book Club pick, and I was not disappointed. This book will be a fantastic poolside read this summer.

This was the first Megan Miranda book I've read - I'd heard a lot about her on Youtube and Instagram and was excited to dive into this new book. I was not disappointed - this was really great! It started a bit slow and it took me a while to get into it, but about 1/3 of the way in I was hooked - I finished it in one day. The mystery of what happened to the Truett's spooked me, and I found myself thinking about it often. My thoughts on what might have happened kept changing with Harper's, and I was definitely not expecting the true story. I felt like the characters were really well-developed despite how many there were. I could picture a lot of them and felt like I really understood the dynamic in the neighbourhood. I'm really glad I read this and definitely want to read more books by Megan Miranda!

I just flew through this book. The pacing of this story was so well done, I was constantly waiting for something to happen or something to be revealed and I enjoyed how it all unfolded little pieces at a time. The author set the scene of this lakeside neighbourhood so vividly and at any point in the story, you could be convinced that one or all of them were guilty of some crime. I have been craving a good thriller that kept me glued to the pages and this one did it. I think this will be a big summer hit.

Right from the start you can tell what a ride this book is going to be. You get a good sense of the story and characters right away.
It didn't come together for me perfectly, even though it did tie up the loose ends. Still, there were a couple moments that didn't feel whole to me.
This was a good thriller still. Having a twist here and there to keep the intrigue going. I'll admit, I had no idea who the killer was, so that was a huge positive since I can usually guess that part.
An interesting story that fans of this genre will enjoy! Also my first introduction to Megan Miranda, but not my last!
3.5/5

It took me a while to get through <u>Such a Quiet Place</u>: I've learned from past experience that you should read every word carefully in a Megan Miranda thriller.

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And yes, I was rewarded for my diligence: I did suspect the killer - just not the motive. Everything was hiding in plain sight, but despite all the clues, a reader is still hard-pressed to understand WHY the Truetts were killed. Did a group of homeowners band together to wantonly implicate one of the residents? Was she really guilty? Had Herd behavior resulted in false or tailored testimony that resolved the police investigation differently?

<img src="https://media3.giphy.com/media/34814Lz2XQ2XZWrqo8/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e473afqqrdn8g1bia13a3ts05hl7mafd781snou6ufc&rid=giphy.gif"/>

The pacing of this story was an excruciating crawl, with so many minor details coming at the reader that you started to suspect tons of red herrings. Turns out, almost every random tidbit of information was important. Even the action was on slow motion, right up until the last chapter, when suddenly everything sped up and happened at once.

As Harper summed up (don't worry, no spoilers here) "We'd.... manifested fear. Truth by mob..." Even I was fearing that Harper was going to be the next target of the homeowners' collective suspicions.

The ending was a jaw-dropper, and I was so glad - finally! - to know the answer to the incessant question drumming in my head: WHY? WHY? WHY? I'm rating this one a 3.75 out of 5, rounded up to a 4 because all the clues were THERE, you just couldn't make heads or tails of them without that one vital item that pointed you in the right direction to the big AHA! moment. My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

4.58 stars

Such a Quiet Place is Megan Miranda’s new book coming out on July 13. I’m so thankful to Megan Miranda, Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn’t wait to read this book since reading the synopsis: Picture the perfect neighbourhood – a true community where neighbours know each other, are friends and celebrate everything together. Now picture that two of you are dead, no not just dead, murdered by one of your own.

Ruby has been convicted, mainly due to testimonials of other residents, of the Truett’s murder. The neighbourhood never recovered and now, 1.5 years later, Ruby returns as her conviction was overturned based on new found evidence. Pot stirred, check!

Harper, whose house Ruby lives in, starts to receive threatening notes which makes her question the verity of all events. Is Ruby the killer? If not who is? I couldn’t wait to find out. After reading the book, I think you should pre-order this must have summer read.

This is why: Miranda description of the time and place is outstanding. I honestly felt like I was part of that neighbourhood, feeling the summer heat, the tension and fearing for my safety. I have mentioned before and will mention many more times – If an author will focus on a location (in this case the isolated American neighborhood) and time (Summer), I enjoy it when they make it relevant to the plot and/or almost like a character, in the sense that you develop it as carefully. Megan Miranda achieved both in Such a Quiet Place. I am just happy we don’t celebrate 4th of July in Canada.

You can tell that Miranda considers her plot and her plotting carefully. I really enjoyed how fair she played and how original (to me) the whole concept of the book was. Megan’s characters were mostly strong and she really shined with the development of Harper, Mac, Tate and the Truetts (though we never met them directly, you feel like you knew them). I was just slightly confused in the beginning and took me a while to distinguish between some of the side characters, I also wanted Ruby to be more developed.

If I were to nitpick just a bit, I loved how Miranda used mixed media with the introduction of closed group community posts, and how she made it relevant to the plot. I would, however, liked to see more of it.

if it wasn’t clear already, I highly recommend Such a Quiet Place.

#SuchaQuietPlace, #NetGalley

I would like to begin by thanking NetGalley and Simona and Schuster Canada for allowing me to read the ARC of this book. I have read and loved several other books by this author and she continues her run of great books with Such A Quiet Place.

This is a mystery with numerous twists and false leads that keep you guessing whodunnit until the last chapter. The book has a slow but steady storyline that keeps you on your toes.

Ruby was charged and convicted of murdering a couple in her small, close knit community. Everyone living there knows each other and most work at the nearby college. At her trial, her neighbours all testify against her. Each of them seem sure that she is guilty. But somebody sends her lawyer enough evidence to get her released and I stead of moving somewhere else Ruby goes right back to the quiet little community to see what she can stir up.

While the story is all about Ruby, the author actually tells the story through the eyes of her ex roommate and friend, Harper. This is what provides all the twists as we aren’t told what Ruby is thinking or doing.

The book makes one look at what people will do to protect themselves, even if it’s something minor and even if the results are devastating to another. This isn’t a creepy or scary book but full of mystery. A good read.

Fourteen months ago, Ruby Fletcher was convicted for the murder of her neighbours Brandon and Fiona Truett. The evidence against her contained security cam footage and testimony from her neighbours, including her roommate Harper Nash. Now, Ruby's conviction has been overturned, and she's back at Harper's house, claiming her innocence and vowing to uncover the real guilty party. 

From the blurb, I expected a page-turning domestic thriller. The title refers to the perceived peacefulness of the setting, a neighbourhood called Hollow's Edge where the local homeowners' association maintains a neighbourhood watch and enforces social mores. Such settings are always ripe for thrillers, since the genteel veneer often masks intra-community drama and simmering resentments.

On one hand, Such a Quiet Place does deliver such a thriller. There's a sense of menace in Ruby's return, with all the neighbours still convinced of her guilt and stressing over what kind of revenge she has planned. Harper, the narrator, also begins to receive mysterious, threatening notes, which threaten to reveal something she's tried to keep secret. And about halfway through the novel, another death occurs, and new suspicions flare up. It's a page turner, and Miranda is a skilled writer who keeps you guessing.

But mostly, to my surprise, I found the book sad. The truth behind the murders does hold menace, but the reasons actually turn out to be sadder and more ordinary than I anticipated. Beyond the central mystery around the murders, the novel delves into all the drama stirred up by the local homeowners' association (HOA), led by neighbourhood queen bee Charlotte Brock. Still fully convinced of Ruby's guilt, they decide she's not welcome in the neighbourhood, snub her at the Fourth of July barbecue, and peer pressure Harper into evicting her from their home. Ruby is far from a likeable character -- she does some shady things, and pretty much strong-arms her way back into Harper's house -- but I still felt bad for her with how much bullying she had to face from the HOA. 

Because the HOA drives so much of the action in the novel, the story feels not so much a thriller as pointed social commentary wrapped up in thrillerish elements. Through her characters, Miranda prompts us to reflect on what and who we consider our home and community, and how complicit we become in maintaining an exclusionary social order.

For example, the neighbours all participate in an online message board, but the message board is open only to homeowners, and not renters. At one point, Harper reflects that all the renters got out as soon as they could after the Truett murders destroyed the sense of safety in the neighbourhood, while homeowners had invested too much equity to be able to leave so easily. But, while the murders likely did play a part in it, I can't help but wonder how many of those renters moved out simply because they were treated as second-class citizens.

Another telling example is the Fourth of July barbecue, where Charlotte decides only residents are allowed to come, because they're the ones who pay the HOA fees that fund the event. She gets pushback from neighbours who want to bring guests, and eventually caves, but not before snarking that with guests allowed, there may not be enough food to go around. 

While Charlotte is the queen bee, all the neighbours are in some form or other complicit in the toxicity that sets them apart from 'outsiders'. Miranda does a great job with Harper's perspective on this, as the author manages to convey how much the HOA fosters a sense of belonging and close-knit friendships in the community while still exerting subtle pressure on residents to abide by their social norms, or else be outsiders in their own homes. 

By the end of the novel, I realized how terrifying the story was in its mundaneness. We often see thrillers with taglines like "it can happen anywhere", and with this book, Miranda succeeds in crafting just such a thriller, and in challenging us to consider how we engage with where we live.

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Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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My review will go live on my blog on Monday, March 15, at 8 am ET.

Not going to lie, I'm new to the adult thriller genre so once I read the synopsis I was pretty excited to see where the story would go. It started off ok, but there weren't many twists that I didn't see coming, even being newer to the genre. I didn't really like any of the characters and found it to be, for the most part slow. Maybe its the genre, maybe its the book? Either way, I think this is a book where some will love it or be indifferent.

4.5 stars! This was a fast-paced book that had me guessing to the end! Ruby was so unlikeable but, yet, I found myself anticipating her every move.

The writing was smooth and flowed seamlessly, making this an enjoyable read! I have read all of Megan Miranda’s books and this is in the Top 3 for me!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

Sometimes tight knit communities aren't all that they appear....

This is not my first novel by Megan Miranda and while not my fave it is pretty up there! After her roommate was sentenced to 20 years for murder, 30 year old Harper Nash is shocked to turn around and find Ruby standing in her kitchen 14 months after her trial and only days after her conviction was overturned! Seemingly with nowhere else to go Ruby makes herself at home as if she hasn't been locked up for over a year. She knows naïve Harper won't make a fuss...will she? With the entire neighbourhood on edge after the return of the girl none of them claim to have ever liked or trusted things start happening....worrisome notes left, Ruby's mysterious days long disappearance, strange comings and goings of residents all ending with a tragedy that knocks everyone back on their feet making Harper start to question everything that was reported to have happened "that night".

I often found some sentences that I needed to reread in order for them to make sense. It might have just been me but I don't find that happens very often. I did jump from incorrect conclusion to incorrect conclusion several times but accurately guessed "who donnit" before things started falling into place for the characters, which also does not happen very often, lol. I would have liked to have seen more insight into the lives of the secondary residents but the characters of Harper and Ruby were well done. I do have to say that I would consider it more mystery and drama than I would thriller. Didn't make me like it any less but just a heads up.

All in all just what I have come to expect from Megan Miranda....a good read that kept me guessing (ok mostly kept me guessing!). Will definitely recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this ARC in return for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this book! It was interesting to see how perspective and judgment changed as I read through the book. It's such a reflection of the world we live in - we see what we want to see and make the facts fit to our beliefs. I did feel some of the relationships between characters could have been expanded on a bit and it did drag for me a bit at times, but overall, a fun, fast read! Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you SO, SO MUCH to #NetGalley, the publishers, #SimonSchusterCanada and to the author #MeganMiranda for the ARC of #SuchaQuietPlace. I have been a HUGE Megan Miranda fan forever, so when I got an ARC of her latest novel, I literally SCREAMED!!! (I apologise to my dog for frightening him into his next life)

I don't want to give anything away, as I'm not a fan of reviews that contain spoilers, and let's face it, we're all capable of reading the summary to get an idea as to what the story will hold.

I will say, though, that by far, this is my favourite Megan Miranda novel. It is soooo good. I could not put this one down. I guarantee you that once you pick it up and read that first sentence, you will be up all night until you have read that last word.

Run out and get this one.. Pre-order it. Whatever you do, don't pass this one up. Put it on your TBR and read it when you get the chance. You will not be disappointed.

A slow burn that built up the character into rich emotions. You can feel the summer heat coming off the pages of this suspense thriller. Who do you believe? Kept me on my toes the entire time.

Thank you netgalley for this arc