This is the second book by Jennifer Hillier I have read, and she has officially become an auto buy/read author! I am a fan of her work. I enjoy her writing style.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as her first one. I didn't really consider this to be a huge thriller, a few of the twists I did see coming. However, I was engaged throughout the book. I did like having a second POV thrown in there, I wish we saw more of it. I liked Paris' character, that poor girl went through so much.

This book covers a lot of hard topics. I think the author did a great job at navigating through them. I look forward to reading more of her work!

3.8 stars

It starts with a lot of blood.
Enjoyable, quick-paced, chapters in different POVs and timelines. If this style is for you, then give this one a chance. My first read of a Hillier book, some predictable outcomes (check the trigger potential for family upbringing, abuse) but still worth reading to the end.
Paris, Jimmy, Ruby, Drew and even Zoe with their yoga practise, age-difference, friendship, loyalty, love and jealousy, keep this book moving along. There are a lot of secrets, and this book speaks nicely to what we do and who we become to compensate for how we were raised.
As a look into character behaviour, it was good; predictability, somewhat moderate; as a murder mystery it was okay. Other reviewers have raved about Hillier's previous books, so I was sufficiently intrigued to add them to my reading list.
Best line for me: "I'm used to pretending to not exist."
Thank you #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for this early copy for my review.
Also, reviewed with more thoughts on https://morethanlettersonalinetoday.blogspot.com/2022/07/things-we-do-in-dark-book-review.html

This book has been hyped and is all over social media so I really hoped to love it.

I enjoyed the shifting timelines and multiple POV. It really worked well to draw the reader in and see different perspectives of the same events.

The child abuse, verbal abuse and rape descriptions were pretty hard to read. Joeys childhood was just so very sad. Every person in her family are awful to her save for the one little boy. Pretty depressing.

I was hoping for a big reveal or a huge shift to make it unputdownable though it never came.

Rounding up to 3 stars because I did love Drew’s investigation storyline and the ending was decent enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited for an early audio copy Things We Do in the Dark after enjoying Little Secrets so much. With a young wife arrested after being found standing with a razor in hand over her husband’s dead body, the book was off to an intriguing start. Unfortunately, my interest waned as the story continued and it didn’t live up to the early hype for me. I felt it lacked any surprise twists, tension, or suspense and the backstories just seemed to drag on and on and on. I definitely still intend to read Hillier’s early work Jar of Hearts and I would request anything by her again in the future. Things We Do in the Dark just didn’t have the WOW factor I was expecting from this author, though I think there will be plenty of readers who will like this book.

This is the 3rd book I have read by Hillier and she is quickly becoming a must read author for me. This is a well done twisty, slow burn, character driven mystery and I really enjoyed every minute of it. I liked the multiple timelines and view points. I did figure most things out but this never effects my enjoyment of a good story with a satisfying ending. I definitely recommend this book and this author.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free EARC with no obligation to read or review it.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for opportunity to read and review this arc honestly.

I've heard of this author but hadn't had the pleasure of reading one of her novels yet, so this was my first. It was a good story, well written, and enjoyed the plot and progression of the story. There are some triggers in the book so be sure to check those if it may impact you. Otherwise I will definitely read more by this author!

Thank you St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC of The Things We Do In The Dark by Jennifer Hillier. This book had me guessing right up until the end. So many buried secrets, lies, and betrayals.
Paris is hiding something. Many people think she is because she is accused of murdering her celebrity husband who is 29 years older than her. Of course they think the young wife murdered him for money. If only they knew what secrets she was keeping they would be mortified.
Ruby, a convicted killer, is getting out of jail and thinks she will be able to blackmail her daughter into giving her a fortune. That will not be as easy as she thinks. When you have treated your daughter the way she has her whole life, you shouldn't expect her to give in without a fight.
Drew, on the other hand is still missing his best friend who died in a fire 20 years ago. He has so many regrets with how they left things and the decisions he made to move away from his best friend Joey, so many years ago. When he returned to visit, she was not the girl he remembered. She had changed in a way that he had never fathomed and then she was gone.
Wait until you see how Hillier weaves these three people's stories together into a book you won't be able to put down!

This book was amazing! I was hooked from the beginning. Paris is arrested for murdering her husband. But did she do it? I finished this book so quickly because I NEEDED to know what happened and how it all connected. There are a few story lines including Paris being arrested for murdering her husband, a man named Drew on the search for what happened to his friend Joelle, and Ruby the mother of Joelle who was arrested for murder and has been writing to Paris. How does this all connect? The character development was great! The twists and turns were great. Highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and The Publisher for an ARC.

I'm not sure which grabbed my attention first, Jennifer Hillier's name on the cover or the title THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK. If you're looking for your next excellent thriller, both of these clues are 100% right. As you are quickly drawn into the opening murder, you'll see why I read all of Ms Hillier's books.

Jennifer Hillier writes an incredible book about the secrets we keep and the people we become. There were multiple murders in this story and I was intrigued by each one. Going back and forth between past and present kept my attention and wanting more after each chapter!

I have mixed feelings about this one. It is definitely a wild and twisty thriller but explicit subject matter makes for an uncomfortable read at times.

The main character, Paris Peralta, has a complex history of childhood abuse, sexual molestation, poor life choices, and even the attempted cover-up of murder. She has managed to keep all that hidden, assumed a new identity, and seemingly hit the jackpot this time around...when it threatens to all comes crashing down as she is accused of murdering her husband, the famous comedian Jimmy Peralta.

For some reason, Paris is just hard to like, even though she should be a sympathetic character after all she endured as a child. Perhaps it's all the finagling she's been doing since then. The plot feels a bit too 'engineered' at times. An example? When Paris suddenly figures out 'whodunit.' I did find the final twist satisfying however.

I received an arc from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

I was due for a solid thriller and this definitely did the trick! I couldn’t get enough of the switching timelines and character growth! If you’re looking for a suspenseful mystery this is for you!

Things We Do In the dark is another home run from Jennifer Hillier. This psychological thriller is very fast paced and is broken into 6 parts. It starts in Paris's bathroom where she finds her famous husband covered in blood in the bath tub. The problem is did she do it since she holding the murder weapon. So many twists I couldn't stop reading I had to know what happened next.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this digital arc. All opinions are my own.

I have not read Jennifer Hillier's previous books so I went in blind with this read. I must say I was surprised how well the storyline is woven together as well as how nicely it wrapped up. Here I go to read her other books!

Jennifer Hillier is 100% an auto-buy author for me. After obsessing over Jar Of Hearts several years ago, I’ve prioritized everything she’s released since then and I can confidently say: all hits no skips 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 ⁣
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This was such a fun, bingeable character-driven thriller featuring solid twists and turns and unreliable characters and huge secrets and multiple POVs and a podcast and a murdered celebrity comedian. All around so fun and so much of what I love to see in this genre! The pacing is excellent and reveals are done at the perfect times, and even though I predicted a fair bit of it, it was still so satisfying and entertaining and just an overall solid thriller. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!!!

Things we do in the Dark; the story of Paris Peralta- arrested for the murder of her husband and celebrated comedian Jimmy Peralta, but of course not everything is quite as it seems. As the story goes on we get backs story about Paris (lots and lots of back story) before we are introduced to Drew; a true crime podcaster that's working on the story of the Ice Queen, Ruby Reyes; on the eve of her parole after being in prison for twenty-five years for the murder of a wealthy business man that sends Drew down a rabbit hole and revisiting his past (and connection) to Paris Peralta. Ruby has a secret that Paris is trying to hide, and after blackmailing her a high pay out, Paris must confront her past before it catches up with her.

PROS: really enjoyed the Filipino representation, the tagalog phrases and the way it sounded phonetically in my head and the mention of food and characters that were non-white.

CONS: everything was revealed way too quickly and easy to figure out. There was tons of backstory where we would get introduced to a character then get info dumped with all their story, The plot and twists were also not very shocking nor unexpected and the pacing lacked for being a thriller.

This was my first JH book, (I hear she's got some great ones) and would still read her other work 100%. this was a fast quick read that I would recommend anyone to put on their TBR but maybe not at as a priority (3.5 stars)

Things We Do in the Dark was filled with various characters' perspectives. The way the book was written tied everything together perfectly. The mystery of where Paris came from was easy to figure out early in the story, but there were so many underlying questions, I was compelled to keep reading to get them all answered. I needed to know who would be charged with murder and if Paris would ever truly be free. Excellent fast-paced read!

📖 Hillier is a master of crafting a suspenseful read and this one is no different. Told from alternating storylines between past and present, she executes phenomenal character development as the story is told from three different POV. While that might sound complicated, and has the potential to be a bit messy, she did so with such finesse that it was engaging throughout and I could not wait to unravel more dark secrets at every twist and turn. 

🌟 If you haven’t had a chance to read her books yet, this would be a great place to start! 

📚 Jennifer Hillier is an auto-buy author for me, so I was thrilled when I saw she had a new book coming out this year, and even more honored to have the opportunity to read and review it.

3.5 rounded up.
This is a mystery / twisty thriller that has a very dark component. Big time warning regarding child abuse consisting of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Well written but I had hoped to enjoy it a bit more. Paris’s husband is famous, has commuted suicide it appears but she’s charged with his murder. Thing is, she has so many secrets she’s trying to keep hidden. Thank you to Netgalley and Minatour Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Things We Do in the Dark is now available.

You know I love an author when I’m willing to overlook their usage of face covers and snatch up their new release post haste. That’s exactly what I did with Hillier’s latest after loving everything about Creep and Jar of Hearts and Little Secrets.

The story here is about yoga studio owner Paris Peralta. Some say she’s a gold digger, other might say she’s in a marriage of convenience, but now that her significantly older, beloved-by-all comedian husband is dead, she’s also being called a suspect. That’s the least of Paris’ problems, though. She also has convicted murderer Ruby Reyes blackmailing her and threatening to expose who she really is and who she murdered before.

I really hate that I didn’t love this one as much as Hillier’s previous stuff. I went in expecting a minimum of 4 and a solid chance at a 5 Star rating. Unfortunately, as soon as the past was all laid out I was able to figure out who Paris was and also was pretty certain there was only a 50% chance I had it wrong when it came to the case of Jimmy (my guess was right). As I’ve sad ad infinitum, the back and forth storytelling isn’t always my jam. This one was especially off-putting as there were pretty much two completely separate stories being written. The disconnect was real and I kind of gave a big rip about poor ol’ dead Jimmy, despite me getting a chuckle that my own brain cast Jerry Stiller to play him.

I also became exhausted by the backstory. We get it, “Paris” had a shitty upbringing. Sometimes gory details of abuse help drive the story or are needed to find out what makes a character tick. Sometimes they aren’t truly necessary and are simply used for shock and awe which is what I felt was done here.