I really enjoyed reading this it was a great mystery novel, the characters were great and I enjoyed the plot of the book.

A very good thriller. This is engaging and well-plotted with a satisfying ending. Pretty good dialog and interesting characters. Recommended.

I really appreciate the review copy for review!!

A one sitting kind of read! I enjoyed the pacing of this. I was a little worried that the book wouldn't "land" like the author was intending it but I think it was successful! Great character arcs and satisfying relationships. I'm excited to read more from this author!

4 stars

I read this pretty much in one sitting. A pacing that wasn’t overwhelmingly intense but kept me hooked, very relatable characters, emotionally satisfying character arcs & relationships, and a good bit of dry wit thrown in—this is a debut novel, & I’m looking forward to reading more from this writer.

[What I liked:]

•I really liked Franco. He’s a good guy who sometimes makes mistakes but owns up, apologizes, & works to make things right when he messes up. He is talented & pursuing goals, but isn’t a perfectly polished, automatically successful character. That made him very relatable.

•The other characters are great! Aidan, Vince, & Gino especially. They’re funny & interesting & there for Franco.

•I loved the twisty end. I didn’t see one of the big reveals coming at all, though in retrospect it was slyly hinted at so it’s not like it came out of nowhere.

•The mystery has some complexity, with multiple characters & timelines involved. I think this helped the pacing keep high-enough-stakes throughout the story as things build & change direction.

•I enjoyed the prose, laughed at some of the banter-y dialogue, & particularly enjoyed the setting details & descriptions. I’m not real familiar with NYC but felt like I could imagine walking in Franco’s neighborhood, & hanging out in the restaurant & at Vince’s club.

•It’s always nice to have queer MC’s in a genre besides romance! (There is a tiny bit of a romance subplot but this is not a romance novel.)


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•A few side characters (but who do have significant roles) were a bit one-dimensional, particularly O’Shea. I felt like he could’ve been a bit more developed.

•It didn’t pull me out of my suspension of belief, but there are some story elements that are mildly...out there? Not unrealistic per se, but some of the fight scenes, the drugging, etc. pushed at that line of easy believability.

CW: murder, on page violence, homophobia (but it’s not a major theme), non-consensual drugging

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]