This book had everything that I needed right when I needed it: actress that’s beyond the term “eccentric”, coastal backdrop, cultish group with oddball guru leader, podcast play-by-play narrated by said actress…I loved it! I needed more! This was definitely what I was looking for from the blurb!

What do you get when you throw one slightly unstable actress into a cult-like spirituality retreat center, and present her with a conspiracy theory surrounding a bunch of dead girls and a reclusive guru? If your answer was a true-crime podcast hosted by the actress while she chases wild leads and her own dark history, you'd be right.

Olivia Reed is an actress who gained popularity from a dark-noir teen tv series as much as from her public debacles. After one particular episode, her longtime friend and manager suggests she check into an exclusive spiritual retreat to recharge and reset. While there, she meets another guest, Ava, who is a local and has some suspicions about a series of deaths that have occurs with past guests and staff. After a few days of poking around and asking too many questions, Olivia is asked to leave, but not before she's accidently given up some personal information during a session that she'd rather keep quiet. Once out of the center, she's unable to walk away from the theory that these deaths are all tied together and lead back to the center, so she sticks around town instead of heading back to the city. When she begins to believe that she's on to something, she starts a podcast, despite the insistence of her manager that she drop it, to report on her suspicions and research. Once the first episode drops, she starts to receive tips and threats, as well as some comments that relate back to her own dark past. As she faces mounting pressure from the clamoring public, her irate friend/manager, her estranged but riding-her-coattails father, and the people associated with the center using her secrets as collateral, she's forced to decide between pursing the truth and her own safety and reputation.

Dark Circles is a nuanced novel of suspense as much as it is a commentary on society's obsession of true-crime and the lengths that we'll go to in pursuit of the truth and justice. We have an slightly unstable main character that has a dark past and secrets she'd like to keep hidden. A spiritual center that behaves like a cult and that has some murky connections and staff that have drunk too much of the kool-aid. And a whole host of supporting characters that all have their own motivations, which may or may not be have it in their interest to help Olivia solve these crimes. Ava in particular is suspect (unless you read Dead Letters - then you understand why she's doing what she's doing in pursuit of the story). This book had me guessing until the very end (especially with that ambiguous ending, which asks more questions than it answered)!

This story is written by an author new to me set in the Finger Lakes area. It is an adult mystery novel which delves into trust, manipulation, perception, friendship and the dangers of extremists beliefs.
Twentyish TV actress Olivia Reed has had some very public meltdowns, boyfriend breakups, and needs a reset. Jessica, her longtime bestfriend/manager, thinks she needs a stay at the House of Light as a sort of spiritual retreat, not a rehab. During her stay she becomes friendly with Ava.
Ava is not new at the House of Light (HOL), she and her family actually live in the nearby town. She's had several stints at HOL and suggests to Olivia that there have been questionable supposed suicidal deaths of other previous clients.
Olivia has never really done much for herself, she's very dependent and easily influenced by Jessica. Olivia is intrigued by the deaths and it leads to a very popular podcast. She takes considerable risks to find out if the suicides were in fact murder.
As much as the story is a mystery, it was also a sort of a coming of age drama as Olivia discovers herself.
There are very interesting, well described, almost creepy characters that founded and ran the HOL. It's scary to think these types of places and people probably exist and are so influential over vulnerable lost souls just looking for hope.
It was an interesting read which I both enjoyed and recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley, Caite Dolan-Leach and to Random House Publishing, Ballentine for the advance digital copy of "Dark Circles". These are my honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

Dark Places by Caite Dolan-Leach was intriguing, atmospheric and suspenseful. The element of the podcast and hearing the story told by Liv created a creepy atmosphere and made the stakes feel much higher. I found toward the middle, the action slowed down a bit but it picked back up and at that point, I had to know what was going to happen. Any book that has a cult is going to draw me right in and this was no exception. Cults, true crime podcasts and rebellious celebrities are all the rage right now and I’m here for it.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance at reading this book.

This book had a very interesting tale. A cult in the woods, an actress redeeming herself and starting a podcast, a murder mystery connected to the cult and perhaps to the actress themselves.

I made it 75% into this book before I had to DNF. This book had to be one of the most longest and boring thrillers I've read in a while.

While the main character is an unlike-able person, I just could not find any redeeming qualities while she is trying to redeem herself. She is nasty to her assistant, nasty to the people in her life, oh... and has strange kink thoughts over a married woman's husband. (She keeps fantasizing on being with him and raising this woman's kid between the two of them.)

The mystery was so dragged out and I felt there was WAY too much filler and not a lot of scary or intriguing information to make me care about her solving the mystery.

Tread with caution regarding this read.

When actress Olivia Reed goes viral for all the wrong reasons, her friend and manager, Jess, insists she takes some time away and head to the hippy-esque House of Light retreat in the New York Finger Lakes region to recuperate. The rules are fairly strict and he people a bit weird, but Olivia thins she can handle it, that is until a body washes up along the lake and a fellow retreat-goer, Ava, tells her about the mysterious deaths of girls similarly connected to the House of Light. Olivia and Ava decide to do a podcast about the deaths to see what they can uncover, but the House of Light - or someone - is determined to keep its secrets buried.

First of all Caite Dolan-Leach is one of my favorite authors, because I live near the Finger Lakes, and I love that she sets her novels there as a native to the area, and her detailed descriptions of the region and the people are just do spot on (well, duh!). I love it.

Now getting past that, this book was another winner for me from her. I was immediately drawn into the storyline, as someone who is a fan of cult-based stories. And this book really starts right from the beginning, diving right into the House of Light story, introducing us to this strange group and setting up the mystery perfectly with the way it's introduced, and Ava comes into the picture. I don't want to give too much away, but there's a lot of questions about what's happening, whether there even is a conspiracy, then who's a part of it, etc., etc. I loved trying to figure it all out.

And wow, the ending was a great reveal. I certainly did not have it all figured out, and loved how it all went down. Most questions are answered, but there's some nice twisty ambiguity in there to leave you guessing a little bit. A little wink to the reader, in the creepiest way. Very cool.

Overall, if you're into unique books from really talented writers, this is a great book for you. It's a great mystery/thriller from a writer I look forward to reading more from!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of Dark Circles to read and review in exchange for my honest opinion. Interesting book and as I read this I could see the Kardashian family in my mind for some reason. I enjoyed the book and found myself enjoying it from page one until the very last page. Great read and I absolutely will recommend this to my friends and family.

After a meltdown on the streets of New York, actress Olivia Reed agrees to a stay at the House of Light (HOL). It is not rehab, but a wellness retreat arranged by her manager Jessica. With no cell phone or tablet to communicate with the outside world, Olivia finds it hard to commit to the required routine. While contemplating a way to escape she meets Ava, the resident in the next room. Ava has been to the retreat a number of times and fills Olivia in on several deaths that have occurred around the HOL. Each death was ruled a suicide, but Ava has her suspicions and has piqued Olivia’s curiosity. On a nighttime escape Ava takes Olivia to her home to show her the files that she has kept on each case. Against her manager’s advice, Olivia decides to create a podcast to reveal the suspicions and hopefully discover what is really happening at the retreat.

Olivia’s podcasts reveal her own background as well as her investigation. Her mother disappeared from her life years earlier. At one point she begins to wonder if the disappearance was associated with the HOL. Vultures, the podcast, takes off and the responses offer a variety of suggestions and offbeat ideas about the reported events. It also brings threats of retaliation from HOL. Despite the threats and her manager’s warnings, Olivia is determined to speak her mind. When HOL was first formed it was a group of like-minded people who lived simply. Over time it changed and became a cult that was dominated by the son of the founder. Collateral was collected from each of the members to guarantee their loyalty. It isn’t until Olivia makes contact and interviews a member of HOL who managed to break away that she finally finds answers, but not before a surprising betrayal. While the beginning was fairly slow, the story did pick up once Olivia started her podcasts. The story kept my interest to the end and I enjoyed Dark Circles. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for providing this book for my review.

This is a very involved, expertly crafted tale of dependency, love, mystery and celebrity. #darkcircles kept me interested and excited to see what happened next. I felt the ending was satisfactory and found it to have a little twist with the title.
I received a copy of this from #netgalley and the publisher, the review is my own.

Overall I really liked this. The plot was interesting and I grew up close to the finger lakes, so it was fun to see some references I understood. The ending was a bit of a letdown in that it wasn't very exciting or hard to guess, but other than that I really enjoyed it.

Dark Circles had all the elements of crime fiction that I enjoy; a cult, missing persons, unsolved mysteries, drama, and a true crime podcast. Overall, it was a wild, fun read. My only complaint is that it was a tad too long in my opinion. I felt that it could have been wrapped up a bit sooner as the story did drag a bit towards the end. I didn't find the ending to be surprising but I do feel that the outcome was highly believable which is something that is lacking many times in crime fiction and thrillers. I would love to see this played out as a tv show. I just find the whole premise fascinating.

Honestly, I found this underwhelming. The premise is right up my alley-- crime podcasts, cults, actresses, oh my!-- but the unraveling of the story was clunky and our main protagonist unlikeable. I've read better novels that feature podcast plotlines; this isn't one of 'em.

When I first saw this book pop up on Goodreads’ upcoming releases page I immediately wanted to know more. I had read previous books by the author and they were all so different I had no idea what to expect from this one.

It’s kind of hard to define DARK CIRCLES. It’s definitely got mystery/thriller vibes but also feels like contemporary millennial fiction in some spots. If you typically don’t read mysteries or thrillers, this might be a good one to try, as there’s a lot of intrigue and drama between characters, but it’s not that scary.

One of the coolest things about this book is that it’s a continuation of the literary universe Dolan Leach has been building since her debut, DEAD LETTERS. You don’t have to have read her previous novels to enjoy this one on its own, but there are a few callbacks to characters and events that you’ll probably appreciate more if you’ve read her other titles.

As much as I enjoyed the premise and set up of this book, the ending is where it lost me. You know those books where you’re reading and there are like five storylines to wrap up but you look down and realize there’s only one chapter left. That was this book. Things felt very rushed and the final few pages left things a little too open ended for my liking. But if you like an ambiguous ending, this would be a great book for you.

The Bottom Line: A slow burn mystery with a great premise that misses the landing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

DARK CIRCLES is out May 10. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

(3.5 stars, rounded up because I think the author really tried to engage me) Olivia Reed is an actress battling demons of substance abuse and her own poor choices that have led to scandals and almost upended her career. Her agent decides that it’s a good idea for her to attend a rehab center, so Jess send Liv to the House of Light in upstate New York, more of a spiritual retreat than a hospital. Once there, Liv sneaks around and discovers the mystery of four girls who disappeared or committed suicide at this eerie home for wayward addicts. Since Liv’s mother disappeared when she was a child, she is obsessed with finding out what happened to these four young woman, so she starts a true crime podcast to try to get the help of the public. This novel was very dark and was more character-driven than plot centered. It was difficult for me to connect with the book because none of the characters was likable or even seemed redeemable in any way. For the first third of the book, I struggled to understand what was going on in the story. The writing style seemed overly complicated to me, with some meandering off the track onto side roads that seemed unnecessary and did not add anything to the central story. In my opinion, this style made the book long and made my attention stray repeatedly. I did keep coming back to the book to finish it and I am glad that I did because there are a couple of unexpected twists at the end. That being said, the slow start was not an enticing way to begin this dark story of obsession, death and addiction. The pace did pick up somewhat about halfway through the book and it did have an intriguing mystery. I just cannot say that I particularly enjoyed the story, the characters or the style, but those who enjoy fiction that is noir will probably enjoy the intrigue and the determined character of Olivia Reed.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

I wanted to love this book and seriously only read about 150 pages and skim read the rest. Disappointing because this is usually my kind of book and the premise was interesting. Liv is totally unlikeable, selfish, narcissistic character and I felt very little empathy for her and her decision-making was awful. SMH.

Some other readers may like this more than I did, but it missed the mark for me. Hope the author's next book is better than this one. I did like the cover!

Thanks to NEtgalley, Caite Doaln-Leach and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 4/19/22

Scary with great characters and you never know, from one minute to the text, where this exciting story will take you. I cant wait for the next one from this outstanding author!

Fell in love with the premise of this book. Washed up celebrity going to a spiritual retreat only to start a podcast investigating what’s going on there.

If you’re into cult stories, this one will keep you entertained. The writing is fantastic. It is long at times and fell short in places but solid 3.5/5 and would be interested to see where this author goes next!

3.75⭐️/5

A young celebrity, Olivia Reed, goes on a spiritual retreat in hopes of fixing herself and putting an end to her downward spiral. Her Publicist is determined to get her help by booking her at a far away retreat called House of Light. Olivia finds herself smack dab in the middle of a series of mysterious deaths, and maybe even a sinister cult.

Do these mysterious deaths have something to do with the spiritual retreat, House of Light? Is there something sinister and evil happening here? Olivia sets off on a quest of her own to investigate the deaths, the community in which she is now part of, and it’s leader. Soon her snooping around catches up to her as people in the community become suspicious, and she is asked to leave House of Light.

Olivia doesn’t let that stop her. She uses this opportunity to her advantage and uses her celebrity status to start up her very own podcast. It is with this podcast where Oliva comes in contact with others from all over who help further her investigation into the mysterious deaths at House of Light. Olivia gets more than what she bargained for when she begins to get threats aimed at her from the cult-ish like group of House of Light. Was there more to her being sent to House of Light? Or was it just a coincidence?

Olivia is determined to get to the bottom of things, to uncover the truth behind House of Light, and the mysterious deaths that seem to be connected to it, while at the same time she must weave her way out of harms way, and the people who are out to cause more harm than good.

This book was definitely enjoyable. It was an engaging read that kept my interest. I will say that the first half of the book is a little more slower paced than the second half, but stick with it because the second half really picks up! I was so interested in and intrigued with Olivia’s character that I found myself rooting for her from beginning to end.I will say that the ending was a little disappointing and did not felt a bit underwhelming, but other than that this book was a good read. This was my first book by the author, and I am already looking forward to the next.

If you enjoy books centered around cults, with a mix of suspense and mystery I highly recommend this book.

3.5/5

I mostly enjoyed this one but I did feel like it was a little bit too long and that took away from some of my enjoyment. I think if the pacing would’ve been faster and it would’ve been edited down a little I would’ve liked it more than I did.

I was so disappointed in this book! I was excited by the premise: a washed-up celebrity goes to a woo-woo wellness retreat called the House of Light in upstate New York, and discovers that there have been some mysterious deaths associated with the center, hinting at some cult-y activity. She starts a podcast to hop on the true-crime train, up her image, and try to get to the bottom of what's going on here. Sounds kind of like Nine Perfect Strangers, Conviction, and Watch the Girls... although now that I think about it, I rated all of those books one or two stars. So maybe this was set up for failure!

The execution of this book just felt a little half-hearted. It tries to get into a bunch of things, but seems to give up halfway. It tries to create an air of mystery and cult environment, but didn't really succeed. It tries to stir up secrets with the main character's mother and her disappearance when the main character was a child, but I just wasn't interested in that.

This was definitely one of those books that just found me bored the whole way through. I kept checking my progress to see how far I had gotten and was astounded that I only progressed a few percentages - because it was just going so slowly!

Overall, I just found myself bored and not invested in the plot - which is the opposite scenario you want to be in with a thriller. Thank you to Random House Ballantine for the ARC via Netgalley!