Wowza! Levy's debut "Walking Through Needles" is a stunningly dark look at abuse and exploration of desire. Each sentence is a work of art, crafted to gritty perfection. The slow reveal through timeline hopping is done very well, causing the suspense to build to a pitch perfect crescendo and ending with an impeccable denouement. Levy has mastered the two points of view, giving each character a very distinct voice that not many debut novelists can manage. If you're a fan of family secrets, dark domestic suspense, and crime novels, you will not want to miss this one.

Cannot wait to see where Levy's career takes her because it's going to be amazing. Thanks to #netgalley for an ARC of this fantastic book! #WalkingThroughNeedles #HeatherLevy

I’m definitely in the minority with my 2 star rating but this story fell flat for me and I could not connect with any of the characters. Just not for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my review.

Wow! Gritty! Raw! What a dark, emotional and intimate story, one that I could not put down. The dual POV and dual timelines, really kept me turning the page to understand the characters more deeply. Overall, I cared more for Arrow than Sam, but both were quite fractured. This story centers on sexual abuse - emotional and physical - and the murder of the abuser, but how Arrow and Sam unbury their secrets in a toxic environment. I've not read anything so dark and sexual, yet the depth of the characters' internal conflict was so raw and disturbing, you couldn't help but feel misery and fury for them.

Heather really hits it out of the park with her debut novel. She keeps you on the edge of your seat through the whole book. I can’t wait to read whats next!

Way too dark for me and I am a huge fan of Gillian Flynn and Megan Abbott. I am not sure what was missing in this story-there were damaged lead characters and pathetic mother figures who were either on drugs or too weak to face what was happening to their children and the sexually deviant villain and the sweet but tough grandma...Unfortunately, I don't see the hype although the writing was descriptive and I really liked the way the author tells the story --I just did not like the story being told.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

Wow! Amazing book. I am so thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me access this book. I will be on lookout for more by author.

Description
A riveting, dark debut psychological thriller perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, S.J. Watson, and Megan Abbott. When Sam Mayfair was sixteen, her life was shattered by an abuser close to her. News of her abuser's murder fifteen years later should have put an end to the torture she's endured because of one decision plaguing her life. But with her stepbrother Eric as the prime suspect, Sam is flung back into the hell of her rural Oklahoma childhood. As Sam tries to help exonerate Eric while hiding certain truths of their past from investigators, details of the murder unravel. And Sam quickly learns some people, including herself, will do anything to keep their secrets buried deep. A riveting and unflinching look at violence, sexuality, desire, and the cost of all of it from a fresh, compelling new voice in Heather Levy.

I LOVED this book. It was a shock to find Heather Levy wrote her first book...maybe a movie deal next. I was up all night and it was just no lost time. I would say Walking Through Needles was the best read in a long while.