Even though this novel was slow, I was still into figuring out who murdered Brandon and Fiona Truett. Then I really wanted to get it all sorted after another death took place. Who the heck is murdering people on this block? Although, the whole neighborhood is full of pretty unlikeable people, so I kind of think they should all be blamed.

Anyway! Crappy people aside…the ending left me feeling underwhelmed and upset that this was how it all played out. There were so many other directions it could have gone that would have been much more interesting...even if it did feel like the most logical explanation. I think we read murder mysteries for the shocking effect of who did it in the end...not to get there and realize it's something that could easily happen in every day life.

This book followed suit of many before it, but with less likable characters. I did not feel invested in the story or the personalities of the characters as I read. I had a hard time getting into it. After the first 25% it flowed better, but took me a long time to get there. Overall, “fine.”

Such a Quite Place, Megan Miranda's latest release, is a slow burn of a mystery. In the relatively secluded planned community of Hollows Edge, the residents were once very close and felt they lived in an idyllic setting. Most are affiliated with the university or school district, as this is a college-town, and their lives are intertwined. Set against the backdrop of the lake, woods and newly constructed homes Hollows Edge has its share of secrets too. When a couple is murdered by carbon monoxide poisoning over a year ago and young, local resident Ruby is convicted of murder, the neighborhood is forever changed. When a technicality overturns the conviction, no one is more stunned than Harper, Ruby's roomate, by Ruby's sudden reappearance. Ruby assumes she's going to glide back into her previous life-or at least that's how it seems. Harper is extremely unsettled, as is the rest of the neighborhood, but for different reasons. What unfolds over a short week in the summer leads to more mysteries than answers and Harper finds herself in danger-but she's not sure from whom. In classic Miranda style the twists and turns don't stop until the very end. If you're looking for a summer mystery pick this one up today!

This is a solid novel and follow-up to The Girl from Widow Hills, which I absolutely loved. The pacing and action is more subdued in Such a Quiet Place so if you are expecting a similar read you may be slightly disappointed but this book is a slow burn, with tension increasing, and the feeling that you cannot trust anyone-even Harper.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I was so excited to read this book and yet I had the hardest time finishing it or even caring about what happened to the characters. There was a lot of drama and not enough action for me. What I took away from the book is that we all need to be open to the truth and not pigeon hole people so they fit into our assumptions, and that honest communication is the only way to get what you truly need and want. Without it, everything easily gets out of sorts. The book's conclusion pleasantly surprised me! I will not say anything more as I don't want to spoil the book for anyone. Just because I didn't find the energy to care about the characters in this book does not mean it is not a good book. It could just be timing for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story was chilling and twisty, set in an atmospheric neighborhood on a lake where all the neighbors were in each other's business and secrets were in abundance. When Ruby returns to the neighborhood unexpectedly after spending 14 months in jail for a double homicide, the rest of the neighbors in Hollow Point become nervous and fearful yet again, suspecting each other and not really knowing the truth of what happened to the Truitts. Did Ruby really kill them? If so, why is she out of prison, released early from a 20 year sentence? Harper is in shock and when Ruby moves back in with her, things start to return to normal, but then the notes begin showing up. Someone else knows what happened to the Truitts, and they aren't stopping until justice is served.

Somewhat shockingly, given the volume of thrillers I read, I realized that this was my first book by Megan Miranda, but it won't be my last.

Such a Quiet Place is a delightfully unsettling thriller about the role of the community that gave me some Shirley Jackson vibes while definitely fitting into the murder mystery camp. Let's just say I won't be wanting to move into a planned community that looks too good to be true any time soon.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

SUCH A QUIET PLACE BOOK REVIEW

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Drink rec: Sangria🍷

SUCH A QUIET PLACE is a slow-burn domestic thriller set in the private Hollow’s Edge neighborhood. 14 months ago, two neighbors passed away in their home and Ruby was convicted of killing them. However, new evidence got her conviction overturned so she comes back to the neighborhood to find out who the real killer was and drama ensues.

Fans of locked room mysteries where the killer is among the smaller cast of characters will enjoy this one, especially because all of the residents in Hollow’s Edge are super suspicious!

Ultimately, this one fell a bit flat for me because the pacing was SO slow, but I enjoyed the eerie feeling that Miranda’s writing always conveys.

Such a Quiet Place follows Harper, a single thirty something that lives alone in a quiet neighborhood. The neighborhood is interesting in the fact that all the neighbors are close knit, especially after the murder of one of the neighbors, and the conviction of Harper’s roommate, Ruby. The book starts with Ruby’s exoneration and return to the neighborhood. She turns up at Harper’s home, with just the clothes on her back, and nothing else. She comes up to stir the pot, and unravel the mystery and seek revenge on those that she feels have wronged her.

This book is entertaining, and kept me at the edge of my seat. It had a great pace, with just the perfect amount of twists and turns. In the end, I had no idea where the story would ultimately wind up, with a blind side of a final twist. I was throughly entertained, and devoured the book in just a few days. The only downside was there were a lot of characters, and initially it was difficult to learn who was who. Once I learned that, the story flowed well and I knew all the players.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review..

Good book! Megan Miranda’s books can be hit or miss. I enjoyed this story, it was interesting and unique. While it was slow, I did love how the twists & turns kept my attention for sure. Definitely recommend.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

First line: There was no party the day Ruby Fletcher came home.

Summary: Fourteen months before Ruby Fletcher was arrested for the murder of her neighbors. Everyone on the street testified that it was Ruby. The camera footage showed her out on the night of the incident. But after over a year in prison, Ruby is released on a technicality. She returns to the neighborhood and seems determined to try and prove her innocence. Rather than being happy to see her return the neighbors try to ignore the woman they all believe to be guilty.

My Thoughts: This was a fun summer read. It was the typical psychological thriller. Little twists and turns throughout the book. Characters that do not reveal everything or are unreliable. Lots of suspicion and secrets. I had a good time reading it. It was fast and easy. However, it really reminded me of another thriller that was just released that seemed very similar, The Therapist by B. A. Paris.

If you are looking for something to read by the pool or on a road trip then this is a good choice.

FYI: Check out Megan Miranda’s other books!

Solid mystery from this author.

Hollow's Edge is a close-knit subdivision close to the college where most of the residents are employed. They spend their work days together and also their evenings and weekends with barbeques, pool days, and parties. Two years previously, a husband and wife in the neighborhood were killed and Ruby Fletcher, their next-door neighbor and roommate of Harper Nash, was convicted of the crime after camera footage and neighbor testimony placed her at the scene. Fast forward to today, and Ruby's conviction was overturned and she has returned to stay with Harper--who is shocked when Ruby appears on the doorstep. Ruby wants to find out what really happened to the couple and make the rest of the neighbors pay for what they did to get her convicted. They aren't positive that she isn't guilty though, and as strange things begin to happen again, what secrets are they all hiding from each other?

This is an overall solid read--there are some big shocks and surprises, and there are some things that made me roll my eyes a bit. I live in a subdivision with a Facebook group that can get pretty snarky and accusatory at times, and so the message board/neighborhood watch/meetings portions of this book really rang true for me. I can see how realistic it is that a group of neighbors can close ranks and become determined to make someone pay for their crimes, whether they really did those crimes or not, the court of public opinion always seems to win out regardless.

I like Miranda's plotting, her books are inventive and always keep my attention. This one is definitely recommended.

I love Megan Miranda and this one had me hooked from the start. So many twists and so many suspects. Who can you trust? Just when I thought I had it figured out, I didn’t. And an ending I never saw coming. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

Thank you to @netgalley & @simonbooks for the advanced copy! I have never read any by Megan Miranda, but have a lot on my shelves so I was very excited for this one. Unfortunately, I was a little let down at the pacing of it. It was pretty slow throughout, and I believe the pace made the ending just not have the same effect it would have had otherwise.

The first half of this book was dragging a bit for me. I enjoyed the premise but nothing was really truly happening for awhile. Once I got past about 51%, that's when it really picked up speed for me. That's when all of the good stuff started happening and the story began unfolding at a quicker pace. There were some twists toward the end I didn't expect, and some I did. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and certainly could see it playing out on the silver screen.

This wasn’t my favorite Megan Miranda book! I felt like I needed more from the ending and felt like a slow burner!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda is a thriller about the neighborhood of Hollow's Edge. Brandon and Fiona Truett were murdered, and their neighbor Ruby was found guilty and sent to prison. Now she's out of prison due to some new evidence being uncovered, and she's returned to Hollow's Edge. All the neighbors still believe that she is guilty, though, and they are afraid of her. Secrets start being revealed, and something awful happens. This story kept my interest, but I found it to be a little overly dramatic. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

The setting for Megan Miranda's latest thriller, Such a Quiet Place, is Hollow's Edge, a picture-perfect, idyllic neighborhood where neighbors become family. That is until the Truetts were killed. Now, a year and a half later, new evidence emerges, and the convicted killer returns home to Hollow's Edge. Once a warm and open community now finds neighbors locking their doors, spying out their windows, and hiding secrets from each other. Did the jury get it right? Was Ruby guilty? If so, what should they do? If not, the killer is hiding among them.

Such a Quiet Place is a suspenseful roller coaster from beginning to end. She kept me guessing until the big reveal.

Megan Miranda's suspenseful writing immediately made her an author on my "I have to read" list. Her most well-known novel is All the Missing Girls, with a 3.77 rating and more than 146,000 reviews. The Last Guest House was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection, and my review can be found at https://philomathinphila.com/last-house-guest-by-megan-miranda.

I first found her through her YA novels and know, whichever age group she is writing for, it will be a story to remember. The ratings for her novel average 3.72 on Goodreads.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com.

Hollows Edge in a quiet, tight know community. Until a couple are found dead. Neighborhood gossip, social media, security cameras, and fear, all come into play with the conviction of one of their own-until the conviction is overturned and she moves back into the neighborhood. It is so interesting to read how easily people can be swayed and how easily their opinions can change. Good to the last page.

Slow burning locked neighborhood thriller

Hollow's Edge was a quiet neighborhood where all the neighbors knew everyone. Most everyone worked at the local college. But then residents Brandon and Fiona Truett were murdered, shattering the safety of Hollow's Edge. The residents banded together, using their neighborhood message board and security cameras to focus on one of their own: Ruby Fletcher. With their testimony, Ruby was convicted and sent away for twenty years. But now, fourteen months later, with her conviction overturned, Ruby's back. She's returned to the home she shared with her roommate, Harper Nash. The neighbors are shocked and Harper appalled. Why is Ruby is back? Soon Harper begins receiving threatening notes. She realizes she needs to figure out why Ruby has come back, before it's too late.

"The trial had been tainted, the investigation deemed unfair, the verdict thrown out. Whether Ruby was innocent was a different matter entirely."

This thriller was a very slow burner. It took quite some time to get interesting, hampered even more by the fact that not a single person in this book was one bit likeable. Not even Harper, who seems to be victimized by Ruby--and who is our main narrator--can induce much sympathy. It's a locked neighborhood thriller filled with bickering, suspicious people who spend most of their time spying, gossiping, and turning on each other. On the other hand, if Miranda wanted to make a point about the hazards of online neighborhood groups (anyone been on NextDoor lately?) and the digital era, and how they can manifest trouble out of nowhere, she does an excellent job.

"It was so easy to pretend that everything was normal. We've always been great pretenders here."

The book gets somewhat better after its slow start--what exactly happened that night the Truetts died? Why is Ruby back? There's a decent twist about halfway through. I was intrigued but not fully engaged. This is one mystery that was interesting enough but not that memorable. My favorite part was certainly the themes about neighborhood bullying and digital groups.

This book is billed as a thriller and it is - sort of. Just not especially thrilling. The first half was very slow moving and then it suddenly picked up a bit - before slowing back down. There were a lot of characters but most of them seemed superficial and not especially memorable - certainly not likeable. What a neighborhood!!

Besides the thriller aspect, the interesting part of this book is the way it showed how easily people can be swayed in their opinions. Fear can make people lose their scruples quite easily.

I was surprised at the ending but far from blown away. It didn't seem especially plausible and was a bit of a letdown. Still - this is a decent read - good enough for 3 stars from me and I'm sure many will like it more than I have..