Walking Through Needles by Heather Levy didn't disappoint. I loved everything about it. Thank to you NetGalley for the ARC!

A compelling story told through the eyes of the victims. When the abuser is killed, those who know will join together to keep the stories quiet and the victims protected.

I have read my share of dark novels but Walking Through Needles was definitely a bit different
For me the story line was a bit on the sick side instead of the dark side.
I felt like it was almost as if the author couldn’t make up her mind…….rape or not rape.
Just not my kind of story.

Walking Through Needles was a difficult book to read and is more difficult to review! The scenes are so disturbing I had to take a couple of breaks and reset. I'm not sure this is or was the right book for me. I gave up reading on many occasions but forced myself to read it which I should not have done. It's most definitely not the thriller I thought this was. Although incredibly tragic this story was lost on me and a lot of it felt too repetitive. I felt very sad and hopeless reading this which was not the experience I was looking for. The ending too felt very anticlimactic.
Sadly reiteraing again this wasn't the book for me.
Thank you NetGalley, Polis Books & Heather Levy for this arc.

This book was great! I highly recommend it. It was a non stop page turner! For sure will read more by this author!

Walking through Needles by Heather Levy is not for everyone. Anyone looking to read it, please know, it might trigger some painful memories/ traumatic events for you.

This book doesn't competely come under the thriller/mystery genre. It's a kind of look into the minds and hearts of the people who are considered "twisted" or "perverted" by the regular society. The author has shunted back and forth between the points of view of the two principal characters Sam and Eric, while she tells their story - both their past and the present.

Amidst a new development in the present, which points fingers at the past, both of them are forced to remember the things they had both been through together - things they would rather forget. Through their thoughts and emotions, the reader gets an insight into a perverted mind, the thoughts and feelings of a person who is not normal in the regular sense and the struggle of a person who is struggling to do what's right despite not having the power to do so. What the story showcases is a rather complicated situation waded by complex people.

The author has projected a dark atmosphere throughout the book and most of the people who we meet in it's pages perpetuate that darkness; they are rather the reason for it. The story started in a slightly sluggish pace and then it just sped through, covering a lot of things in a short span of time; but I also felt it was slightly slow towards the 3/4th of the book. It was a compelling read and very insightful in most places. But it was also very dark and too "out of the normal" for my taste; by the time I finished the book, I felt rather heavy from the soul. That is not how I want to feel after reading a book. For me they are an escape into an alternative world and I want to feel light-hearted after I finish reading one.

The book is worth 4 stars from me for these reasons. Walking through Needles is for you if you like dark, compelling, thrillers with weird, out-of-the-ordinary characters.

I waited far too long to download this to my Kindle. My sincere apologies to the author and publisher for this mis-step. Given that, I'm going with my peers and mirroring their rating.

Part of the synopsis of this book states: "Walking Through Needles is a riveting and unflinching look at violence, sexuality, and desire from a compelling and unforgettable new voice in Heather Levy." This is absolutely true. Levy pulls no punches as she traverses through some of the worst things a person can do to another. That said, the story is well-written and Sam and Eric are quite possibly two of my favorite characters I've read this year.

This book is part crime and part horror and this mash-up is done expertly. Real life horrors are so often the worst kind and make for some of the best horror books. I really cannot wait to see what else Levy comes out with. Her voice is fresh and unflinching and I am here for it.

This was a lot.

This is no thriller. Yes, there is a murder and we aren’t privy to the culprit until the bitter end, but this wasn’t what the story was about. It’s a very strange and sad tale, hard to read at times. It’s odd that the same exact cycle of abuse occurred in the same general location to two teenage girls and everyone just let it happen.

The story had me set up for a big reveal and every chapter built up the suspense slowly. And I mean slowly! There are many instances of abuse but the main cliffhangers are:
*what happened to Sam’s baby?
*what happened during the clash where Eric’s leg was injured?
*who killed Isaac?

These are eventually answered but after dragging things on for so long I almost didn’t care anymore. Also, Sam is in a gun fight with Vickie, survives and then rides into the sunset with Eric to renovate his house and get another dog. Ok - how was he released? Who did they pin the murder on? Vickie, I guess?? And Sam realizes that her mom (who had all the intelligence and strength of a dishrag) killed Isaac (how??) while the kids were in the hospital?? When did she roll his truck into the pond?!? I would get this decision if the character had been indifferent to the abuse and cruel but she was clueless and very religious so it makes no sense! Also, Caleb, Meredith, Sam and Eric are now going to be one big happy dysfunctional family… okay. This was one big ramble, apologies. I did have to finish it but it was a mixed bag of sadness.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Polis Books for a copy in exchange for a review.

This is a difficult book to review. The story is about sexual abuse and the ability to survive, but also a murder mystery. In some ways it feels wrong to say I enjoyed the book, because I too was a victim of childhood sexual abuse and it was very hard to read those parts, but I did enjoy the mystery part.

This book was pretty dark with a lot of heavy topics. I wasn’t really in the mood for that. Great writing though.

An intense family dynamic and, incredibly deep characters make up this well written story. I was blown away by this debut and am looking forward to many more books from Heather Levy.

This is a difficult book to review. The story is about sexual abuse and the ability to survive, but also a murder mystery. In some ways it feels wrong to say I enjoyed the book, because I too was a victim of childhood sexual abuse and it was very hard to read those parts, but I did enjoy the mystery part. All in all I give this book a 3.5. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I thought the plot was very original, I don’t think I read anything like it before. It kept me interested and curious until the end. The writing was beautiful, and the protagonist felt very authentic to me. Can’t wait to see what Heather Levy will write next.

This is a great debut novel! I am a reader that loves dark. The darker the better, and this one is DARK! Really strong characters and a great story line. I’m really looking forward to reading more from this author!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exhange for an honest review.
I found "Walking Through Needles" by Heather Levy to be an addictive story that pulled me in & didn't let me go until its final page.
It was a dark, raw & disturbing debut novel about abuse & desire.
The writing style, telling the story
through dual timelines, was done very well.
I would love to read what Ms. Levy decides to write next.

Very dark and gritty, this one is tough to stomach. It is well written and pulls on your emotions. But there are a lot of triggers and it makes it hard to keep reading. And by that, I mean A LOT. It overpowers what seems like could have been a suspenseful story.

A good debut psycho thriller. Leaving all the same painful marks as “My Absolute Darling” and “My Dark Vanessa.” This had painfully dark and twisted secrets. The things happening made me squirm and flinch. There was a fine line that got blurry and then it didn’t. I wanted to put it down. I wanted to keep reading.
The writing was great and I’ll be thinking about this for awhile. There is some pretty bad stuff in this book but it flowed and I identified with the characters. I look forward to this authors next book.
I highly recommend this if you love realistic fiction.
Thanks Polis Books via Netgalley.

I wanted something a little more intense this month, so I decided to request a thriller mystery instead of a cozy. Walking Through Needles by Heather Levy sounded like just the ticket. It was released from Polis Books on the 29th. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. So, let’s get to it!

Walking Through Needles follows Sam as she struggles to deal with the repercussions of the abuse she suffered as a teenager. When she discovers her abuser has been murdered, it forces her to relive that time and the confusion and inner turmoil that went with it. But she needs to focus on the here and now in order to keep an innocent man from being charged with the crime, as well as keeping herself out of the spotlight. But who actually killed him? Sam isn’t sure she really wants to know.

I have to be honest. This book feels more like an excuse to write softcore stepsibling porn that dabbles in kink than an actual thriller. I mean, the very first scene is Sam masturbating while choking herself. That’s an awkward start to a book when you’re not prepared for it. However, the whole porn vibe isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Porn is fine. It can even be great. This porn is not. It’s rape-y and underage (she’s 16-17 during the rape parts). And the murder plot feels like an afterthought. Something thrown in to make the actual story more palatable to a wider audience. It was super easy to figure out who killed the dude. So easy that the red herrings (those side plots meant to throw you off the scent) came across as ridiculous. Aside from the lack of actual mystery, it was a story (neither good nor horrible) if you’re into dark stuff. It at least tries to handle the complexities of rape, especially when it comes to a grown ass man taking advantage of a teenager’s willingness when she really has no clue what she’s getting into. It just doesn’t do it well. There’s this whole “I was asking for it” mentality when Sam’s younger and it never really addresses when she finally stops blaming herself. Everything is skimmed over. Anyway, it just wasn’t what I was expecting or hoping for, so I wasn’t ready for it.

The characters are all a little on the flat side. Sam’s a budding masochist who matures into the role as an adult, but she never really becomes an actual person for me. She’s pretty stereotypical. Isaac has the potential to be an interesting character, but we never get a glimpse into his motivations/why he’s the way he is, so he ends up being a typical asshat. Arrow is the most interesting character because he actually demonstrates a willingness to change and adapt, but even he doesn’t get his due. Mom and Grandma are caricatures. Everyone else is just meh. They all have some kind of potential, but sadly fall flat.

As far as the writing goes, it was fine. There was nothing captivating about it, but nothing to complain about either. It was just words on the page. That’s about it. But I should probably stop thinking about this book because the more I do, the more I dislike it.

Ultimately, Walking Through Needles was not my cup of tea. I have no desire to pick up another book by Heather Levy just because of this one. It might be because I wasn’t in the mind space for something like this. It’s not like I haven’t read and enjoyed things even darker than this. But this one didn’t do anything for me.

Overall, I gave it 2 out of 5 stars. Closer to 1.5 stars. Mostly because there are people who apparently enjoyed it, even if I’m not one of them. If you’re into softcore porn with a super dark storyline, you might enjoy this. If you’re looking for a thriller, this is not the story you want.

Thank you to the author, Polis Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a dark and sordid read, and I felt soiled after reading it. Trigger warnings necessary include rape; sexual abuse; abortion; sexual assault; sexual violence.

Although the blurb has this listed as a psychological thriller, there is nothing thrilling about this book. The crime and investigative aspect is a weak strand in the whole and instead gratuitous sexual violence is at the forefront of the .story. Not only that, but the book goes with the completely unacceptable storyline of “she asked for it” and “she liked it”. I can understand that the author might have been attempting to normalize masochism as a sexual preference - which is perfectly valid - but a story of sexual abuse, especially involving children, is not the place to do that.