This is my first book my Kate Moretti, so I had no expectations when going in. I noticed immediately that the writing style wasn't really my thing, and that's the sole reason I never really got into this book. It felt sort of empty and detached, and I didn't really manage to get into the flow of reading. It took me a few tries to get past the first couple of chapters.
However, the plot itself was pretty solid. The ending wasn't the most unexpected thing I've ever read, but I didn't mind. I liked the dual timeline, it worked really well with the pacing and kept the suspense going. I slightly preferred the past storyline, but both were interesting.
Overall most of my issues with this book were personal preference, I think if you vibed more with the writing style than I did, this would be really enjoyable!

I enjoyed the book and the friendship between the cast of characters. The length of time it took the author to reveal the details of the fire that ultimately led to their estrangement took away from the story. The “twist” was a stretch to believe and the author spent a few pages after the reveal filling in the details. I would have found the story more compelling if the details had been woven throughout the story instead. Still, I found the book interesting and overall enjoyable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was just an ok for me. I loved the story from the past about the "Spires" living together. They were incredibly fascinating and the dynamics between them was so well written that I wish I could have sat in on one of their evenings. I just didn't love the present story as much, the characters felt like they were trying to hard and unbelievable.

The twist was well done, although probably unlikely but I didn't see it coming.

I would still recommend this book though, I think I have just read too many psychological thrillers! Someone who is new to them would definitely have enjoyed it more than me.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the advanced copy!

Penelope answers her door to find Willa, a friend she hasn't seen in twenty years, who needs a place to stay while hiding from her abusive husband. As Willa's visit goes on, Penelope can't help but notice the ways in which she is slowly taking over her life, but also the memories she is stirring up - memories of the Spires and the fire.

The Spires, Penelope, Jack, Willa, Bree, and Flynn, spend their first year out of college living in a renovated church and becoming closer than ever. They spend hours together playing games and drinking. Then, Jack brings Grace home, the first outsider to be invited into their group. Although Jack wants them to like her, it never happens. One night, there is a terrible fire and Grace dies, the police have determined it was an accident - but was it? Who was responsible?

Kate Moretti always writes a good thriller. The end of the book definitely caught me off guard and made me remember that small details can lead to big reveals. If you are looking for a nice, slow burn then this is a good choice.

Great book! I love flashbacks, secrets and mysteries slowly unraveled! Kate Moretti is a fantastic writer!
Penelope Cox is struggling to keep her life afloat - teenagers and an unemployed husband and a potentially troublesome time at work.

Suddenly, Willa her old housemate right after college appears literally at her doorstep. Willa is fleeing an abusive marriage and needs to hide out for a week or two. Against her better judgement, Penelope takes her in..

Willa is a great help around the house but she brings back long forgotten memories of Penelope's life following college. Living with five others in an old church, they renamed themselves "the Spires" and considered themselves a closed friend group.

As Penelope looks back via flashbacks, it's clear that there is a secret from that time. Is Willa truly fleeing a husband or has she sought her out for another reason.

Kate Moretti draws fabulous characters and builds suspense. I enjoyed this novel very much and recommend to anyone looking for a thriller this summer.

3.7, really. The Spires took me forever to get into, but, in the end (or about halfway through, technically) I was glad I did. The cover makes me feel kinda swoony too.

While I absolutely loved Kate Moretti's The Girls of Brackenhill, this one was a bit harder to get through at times... but I still loved it!

Penelope has a troubled past but it's just that... the past. At least until it knocks on her front door. Penelope had put the events and the fire at the Church House long behind her and made a successful life with her husband, Brett, and their 2 kids. But when Willa comes crashing in from the past, what started off so well turns into a twisty thriller.

Kate Moretti is amazing at those twists that keep you guessing until the last minute. While the storyline taking place "now" was amazing, I felt that the storyline that takes place in the past seemed to drag on a bit. It honestly could've been summed up in a chapter or 2 vs the back and forth between timeliness. However, this is my personal opinion but I didn't feel like it flowed as well as the Girls of Brackenhill did. Overall, still an incredible read and highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

It took me a little while to connect with the characters and the narrative in this book, but once I did I found that it was quite a page turner. The book fluctuates between now and then (20 years in the past). Now, Pip is a busy mom with a handsome, unemployed husband who seems to be going through a mid-life crisis. Then, she was a quiet, contemplative recent college grad who decided to spend a year with her best friends from school--a sort of stateside gap year--after graduation. They lived in a converted church and were incredibly close. But something happened to end it all and Moretti builds the suspense by making the reader wait for it.

As the book starts (in the present), one of these old friends, Willa, shows up out of the blue at Pip's door, needing a place to stay. As the story progresses, Moretti does a great job of managing suspense and forcing the reader to question everyone at different times. The ending, too, was satisfying (if a little farfetched).

This is a fun, twisty read. I also found this novel significantly more sophisticated than the one Moretti book I've read in the past (The Vanishing Year); I'm encouraged now to read this author again.

After a fire splits Penelope from her college group of friends, she grows up, get married, has children and tries to forget.

When one of the group shows up on her doorstep directly after she receives a letter from another, Penelope realizes its time to face the past, whether or not she wants to.

Overall, this book was twisty and entertainingly written. It was easy to sympathize with the main character, although her actions were less than believable at times. A good, twisty read.

Thanks to NetGalley.com for my ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Well....Moretti has done it again another 5 star book! There are several twists throughout the book totally keeps your interest in finding out what happens and how it all ties together. Very good book and I'd highly recommend reading it.

This is my second book by Kate Moretti and I'm hooked. For fans of Riley Sager and Simone St. James, you will devour Kate Moretti's novels.

Kate Moretti will top 2021 best-seller lists. Terror, mystery, twists and turns are all on board with this thrilling thrill ride of a thriller. Grab a snack, put on something comfy and prepare for intrigue.

Kate Moretti does it again! I love her books and this one was no exception!

The Spires focuses on a group of friends from college with a rich and tragic past, When one of those friends shows up on Penelope's doorstep 20 years later asking for help, Penelope isn't sure if she can be trusted.

The storyline switches back and forth between the college years and present. Each timeline is artfully developed with authentic characters, emotions, and decisions. There is a sense of suspense and tension throughout the entire book. I enjoyed every page.

I will definitely be recommending this one for summer reading lists. 4.5.5 stars!

Yup! FIVE ENTIRE STARS. My favorite Moretti book to date. Tells of a group of college friends who scatter after a devastating fire, where one is killed. They’ve all grown up, made their paths in the world but someone wants to take them back to rehash what actually happened that one year after college graduation. I enjoyed this book immensely. Besides the mysterious plot of the past, the protagonist’s current life is a bit messy & interesting, too. If this genre is for you then READ. THIS. NOW.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Spires by Kate Moretti is a twist-filled literary thriller that will appeal to readers of The Divines and The Girls Are So Nice Here. The story revolves around Penelope or Pip, a working mother with two teenage children. When Willa, an old friend from her college days, reappears on her doorstep looking for a place to stay for a few days, it unleashes a sequence of events that no one could have predicted. Is Willa that nice friend from the past that she claims to be? What secrets are the people in Penelope's life hiding? And what long-buried secrets from her college days has she been hiding from everyone else?

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 2, when Willa shows up on Penelope's doorstep:

"And now, here was a reminder of her old self back on her doorstep. Pip. A single word... She swallowed back the sick in her throat, felt the sharp twitch of a muscle in her bicep, her fingertips curled that tightly against the wood. If she had asked Brett, her husband of eighteen years (let's not even get into the timeline, how quickly she had married after the fire0, or her children who Pip was, they would have laughed and said, Who?
It felt like an eternity before she said, "Willa."

After I read that excerpt, I knew that I had to keep reading to find out what happens. The chapters alternate between the present and the past, when Willa and Penelope's friend group, the Spires, lived together, partied together, and got in trouble together. Just like some of the reviewers, I have to say that the first half of this book is slow. However, once we got to the midpoint, the plot picks up and becomes an action-packed thriller with twists and turns. I have to say that I did not see the twist coming. I couldn't have predicted it if I tried.

Overall, The Spires by Kate Moretti is an unputdownable literary thriller with twists that I did not see coming. I had to keep reading to see what secrets are hidden in Penelope's life and what, if anything, Willa had to do with them. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of the thriller genre, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in September!

Strung between two teenagers, an unemployed husband, and a tenuous career, Penelope Cox barely has her life together when the past comes knocking at her door. Willa Blaine, her old roommate, needs her help: refuge from an abusive husband. “Two weeks tops,” she says—but it’s not the imposition that bothers Penelope; it’s the memories Willa brings with her. This an extremely well told story of what happens when the past comes to visit and you've spent most of your life trying to run away from it. Twisty and turny in a really good way, this book was hard to put down and the end was a surprise. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I have always loved Kate Moretti’s books, and I was so excited to read this one. This one kept me on my toes the entire time. I really enjoyed the storyline and was kept guessing until the big reveal. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers.

Really enjoyed this story. Not familiar with the author but needed a new book and I'm so glad I'll choose this. Great story, twists, and ending. Will definitely look into other books from this author!

3.5 Stars. This was a fun little read. It took me a bit to get into it, but the second half really took off. While the ending was a little predictable I still enjoyed the journey there. I think I could have done without some of the chapters from prior. I'd be really into the present day timeline and flip the page and disappointed it was switching to the past timeline. However, it was needed so you could get backstory on all the characters. Kate Moretti has always been a go to author for me and I was not disappointed. 3.5 stars for how fast paced that last half was!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

The Spires by Kate Moretti was a quick and easy read. It’s been twenty years since Penelope has seen or heard from any of her college friends and housemates. She is married and has two wonderful kids and a great life. She gets a letter from Willa, one of her friends from college who is running from an abusive relationship, who wants to come visit but things are not always what they seem. Penelope and Willa both are hiding secrets and trying to avoid talking about what really happened when they and several of their friends were housemates right after college . Thanks to Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.