The Spires by Kate Moretti is a chilling thriller with an outstanding storyline that keeps you guessing from page one. The book opens with a dramatic scene of a woman, Penelope, receiving a mysterious letter that referenced a mysterious past that occurred twenty years ago. The book is told in alternating voice and flashbacks building to a dramatic storyline full of unexpected twists and suspicions.

Penelope finds that despite wanting to forget her past it shows up at her front door. Her old roommate, Willa, comes for an extended and mostly unwelcome visit. Penelope soon finds herself torn between what she appears to know and what actually is. You will be eagerly turning pages but at the same time fearful to find out what happens next.

The glimpses of flashbacks of Penelope’s life and the intertwined lives of those in their exclusive enclave living at The Spires but you are still left with questions, This book will grip you and leave you wondering who is trustworthy and who is already willing to look the other way in hopes of avoiding consequences.

All the characters have flaws and secrets which draws the reader even further. You can not help but try to figure out who to sympathize with and who is at fault. Trust me though, you will be shocked when it is not at all what it seems. The Spires was masterfully crafted and captivating, Moretti’s best yet.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Thomas & Mercer in exchange for my honest review on Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.

I could not put this book down! Loved the characters, the twists, and the plot from start to finish.

Twenty years ago, Penelope, Willa, Jack, Bree and Flynn stay together in an old church converted to be a house. It was just the five of them until Jack’s girlfriend, Grace, tries to join their little club.

But now, Penelope has a husband, two children, and a home, and she is willing to forget her past. Which is hard to do when Willa shows up on her doorstep needing help.

Turns out they all had (and have) secrets, and you can only run from your past for so long.

Well worth reading! My only comment is that this is a lot more fiction and mystery than thriller. I would not get too attached to that being a defining genre.

As a final note, I will say I had major Big Chill vibes when reading about the five’s time in the past. (Loved that movie!!)

Really enjoyed this book! It was the first one for me to read by this author and I can't wait to read more! The characters stick with you long after the book is over.

Thoroughly loved this book. I was invested right from the beginning, swept along on the journey and the twist at the end was a delicious surprise. The Spires was my companion for my insomnia (or maybe it was the reason?!). I've been searching for a read that would keep me up way past my bedtime and I found it...there's just one problem - I also finished it.
I really enjoyed getting to know each of the Spires through the past storyline and enjoyed the journey of seeing the ramifications of those relationships and how it affected the main character.
I highly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a twisty read!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved this book. This is Moretti at her best--the Spires is a character driven, deeply unsettling, slow burn of a novel, in a richly textured dual-timeline narrative structure. Kudos! Many thanks to the author, Kate Moretti and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you read popular thrillers (and of course you do, that’s how they got so popular in the first place), sooner or later you’ll stumble upon Moretti. Because everyone’s got their version of women in peril and it seems some excel at it more than others. Mind you, most of the plots are just variations on preset themes…it’s difficult to hit originality when seemingly everyone and their monkey are out writing similar things, so tell me if you heard this one before…
A woman takes in a college friend she hasn’t seen in 20 years who then slowly but surely begins to take over her life. Single White Female and all that. Enough gaslighting to send you back to Victorian times. Is she going mad or it someone out to get her? Is a former friend in need a friend indeed? Is it worth it to trade in some sanity for free mad/cook/driver services? And just what did take place 20 years ago with her old college friends that has scarred them all so?
So yes, that sounds very much like great many other plots out there. The question was just of doing it right and, to her credit, Moretti does. She makes up for the dearth of originality with oodles of deliciously stretched out suspense, really good writing and some really fun plot twists. She may not be inventing the wheel here, but she tunes it very nicely.
Don’t overanalyze this if you can help it, because obviously taking in someone you haven’t known or been around in two decades without any prior research (or even a brief google search) and then relying on them to help your struggling marriage along is a terrible idea. Just like saying nothing while your spouse gets laid off and decides to waste obscene amounts of money on new age style self improvement is a terrible idea. I mean that leaves Penelope (occasionally known as Pip) and her family with only (gasp) a quarter of a million dollars in income instead of the customary 500K a year. Yes, the struggle is real in white privilege land.
The struggle wasn’t real in college either, when five privileged youths graduated and decided to take a fun year off and live in a renovated church as a sort of lovelorn commune/makeshift family, all of them but one completely obsessed with the vaguely charming aspiring writer named Jack. The pretentious five named themselves The Spires, because it was meant to be the highest peak of their lives and, you know, church, and wouldn’t you know it the youth, the drinking, the toxic obsessions, etc. turned out to be a recipe for a proper sh*tshow. Enough to send them all in separate directions for all this time…until now.
Anyway, I know I’m making fun of it, it’s easy enough to, but really the book was surprisingly decent despite itself. The dynamics were just right. And the writing was well above average. he author did an excellent job of conveying Penelope's frazzled, disoriented and increasingly frightened state of mind, which is crucial for a psychological thriller.Made for a really decent introduction to a new author, one I wouldn’t be opposed to reading in the future. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

This is my first book by Kate Moretti. I enjoyed following the story of Penelope now and 20 years ago. In both timelines things get crazy and out of control (and very interesting). I definitely did not see the twist at the end coming.

A solid thriller with two timelines. I enjoy Moretti’s writing. This one is well-plotted with good twists.

After reading several Kate Moretti books and loving them, I was so excited to get approved for this title. Unfortunately, this is a DNF for me. I’m not sure what happened, but I just could not connect to the characters, and I did not like the main character not standing up for herself or her family when her roommate came to stay. Instead of going to another man, she should have went to her husband and talked about things. I really hate I didn’t like this one. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy for my honest opinion.

This is my first read by this author but it won’t be my last! Lots of tension throughout and that last twist was a doozy. In many ways, it reminded me of A Secret History in how it approaches those intense bonds that can form in college and how secrets can ultimately destroy.

I couldn’t really get into it. I think I just had so many books goi f ok at once, this one took a back seat and I wasn’t able to get back into it.

In THE SPIRES Kate Moretti delves into the glory days of a group of friends whose secrets, lies, and cruelties return to wreak havoc. With sharply drawn characters and relatable relationships, this shocking, twisty thriller kept me guessing until the end!

After graduating college Penelope Cox and four of her closest friends (Willa, Jack, Flynn, & Bree) decide to rent a partially renovated church, a gap year, with none of them quite ready to take the next step into adulthood. The five roommates form a dysfunctional family calling themselves the "Spires" based on what they believe to be the pinnacle of their lives. Endless wild parties and secrets of unrequited love and jealousy eventually begin to create a divide...leading to a tragic accident involving a fire. 20 years later Penelope has broken all ties with the others and has moved on with her life. Now married with two teens of her own, Penelope's life gets turned upside down when Willa, turns up on her doorstep asking for help. Willa appears to be the perfect houseguest, but Penelope can't help thinking that Willa has a hidden agenda.

The Spires is an exciting new domestic thriller by author Kate Moretti. I really love her writing style so I was very excited to get a chance to read her upcoming novel. This novel centers primarily on Penelope Cox, a now unhappily married woman trying to escape her tragic past. The novel alternates between present day and events that occurred 20 years prior. Penelope is determined to leave her past behind, something her family believes is due to a tragic fire. When Willa, once her closest friend, shows up on Penelope's doorstep her presence as a seemingly harmless houseguest begins to disrupt Penelope's life and threatens to expose her past. A tale of unrequited love, jealousy, secrets, and revenge; this novel provides the perfect buildup of suspense with a fantastic twist ending I didn't see coming...a must read for 2021!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book! This was a good mystery/thriller, with plenty of twists and turns. I was still guessing at the end and didn't see the conclusion coming. I will definitely be checking out more books by this author!

Compassionate characters. Each with a compelling story. Unrequited love and guilt that touches everyone. THE SPIRES is a web of intricate stories and multi faceted characters.

Absolutely heart stopping at points. Loved it. Kate Moretti just gets better and better

I have to admit when I first started reading this I wasn't sure.... but I'm so glad I stuck with it.
The second half of the book was fantastic and made everything make sense.
Give this one a chance.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

This novel explores the intensity and enmeshment of a group of young adults fresh out of college. The simmering resentments, passionate flares, and egoistical hedonism of young adulthood jeopardize a woman's present. A twisty plot helps create intrigue to propel you along.

*I was provided an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.*

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five

I enjoyed this psychological suspense novel which had a similar pace and style as the Lisa Jewell books I have read. There was enough mystery to keep me guessing and I didn't find the reveals to be predictable. The characters were not picture perfect and even the main character had her own flaws. The ending was satisfying while leaving some elements open to speculation. I feel this will be a popular read and I will be adding it to our library's buying list.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.