This book was easy to dive into and was also a heavy read for me. It starts off with two brothers who experience a traumatic loss of their mother when they were young. Then it goes to the present time after they’re adults. Alex is living on his own in another town, working and going to college. Eric is also in another town, having married and is raising three children. They both grew estranged from their father Gabe years after their mother Eleanor’s death. At the heart of the story is a hunt for a serial killer who is lurking in the shadows. As the plot progresses, we get to view things from multiple characters’ perspectives. At first I thought this was going to be more of a novel with supernatural elements because of the scary visions Alex had as a small boy. But it turned out to be more of a psychological and crime thriller. Some of the details reminded me of an episode of Criminal Minds. Overall it was hard for me to put down and I flew through it within two days. I flipped between sympathy for Alex and feeling horrified for what he had done. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

When a debit author can create a good horror atmosphere with some added emotions it will hook you right in!

When I say my hair was raised and I got the chills, it gave me all the spooky vibes and spooky is my jam. I knew from the beginning I wouldn’t be able to put it down.

Each character came to life on this story and brought there own unique vibe the brought the book full circle and gave you everything you needed.

I cannot wait to read more from Joanna Wolford.

Special thanks to netgalley and booksgosocial for providing me with an ARC.

#ikeptapieceofyou #NetGalley #joannawolford #horror #booksgosocial #spookyvibes

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review*

A great little horror story that takes a little while to get into, but you'll be glad you stuck it out. Can't wait to read more of Joanna Wolford's work.

I like this book. I is the main character responsible for all those murders? Keeps you on the edge of your seat until you finally find out. Good book! Thank you to the publisher in NetGalley for providing this book to me

This book took me a little longer to get into, but was well worth it in the end. I think the beginning was a little choppy and not really pulling me in so it was easy to set aside, but once you get through the first part it does start picking up momentum.

This kept me engaged for a while but was somehow lost in different POVs of the different characters. Don't get me wrong but the multiple POVs are written good but it just don't work for me at times as it usually will lose me as I go farther into the story.

Although it was tagged as general fiction / horror but there are more drama and yeah the horror of supernaturals in it but still disguised as a mental health issue which is the norm.nowadays in the mystery/horror thriller.

Overall, I would still like to see and read.more from this author someday.

This ended up falling flat for me. The first part/chapter was so intriguing: a very poor family with a struggling marriage and a child seeing things. But that was the best part. We get 'then' and 'now' chapters (pretty historical) and the now didn't intrigue me as much, the ending was very good though.

A good old fashion page turner. Creepy yet I could not get more. Thank you so much for letting me read this ARC. 4/5. Great read.

While some of the story was mildly predictable, the author's ability to write multiple distinct POVs was fantastic. I appreciated the plight of our MC and truly felt pity and sadness for him. This was a "cannot put down" for me and inread it in one sitting.

My only criticism may be slightly off course as I read this as an ARC/Galley , so I'm not sure if the book went through one more round of edits, but if not I think it needed one more.

This book relates to family drama and the supernatural. It’s a different take on the serial killer trope as it delves into family drama and the human condition. Will keep you on the edge of your seat and will have your heart racing.

This story has great potential but it's currently really really rough. More editing will do wonders.

3.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review!

Wow thee opening few chapters of this I loved! The scene in the classroom would look amazing as a scene for a show and I loved how things were going.

When the story even goes to the future present, and we get to see Alex older and what has become of him after what happened to his mom and also losing contact with his brother and dad.

I did notice some errors while reading, at first I thought I must have misread something but there are some errors that need touching up etc. the parts that were strong for me were the chapters with Alex and just seeing how a traumatic experience had a huge effect on him and his mentality.

Spoilers ahead

What I would have liked is more information or background on the bloated man, as we witness Alex is the only one who can see him which made me excited that, giving the premise, Alex would be the only one seeing his mother and has an ability to see those who are dead, but with what happened to his mom which seemed to have caused him to lose his grip on reality and traumatize him so much, I’m just confused because seeing his mother seemed to be due to this trauma, but then the bloated man would seem odd as this happens to him before that even happened. Maybe I missed something, but regardless I really liked the first few chapters of this and would have given it am even higher rating is the middle didn’t fall a little flat for me, giving how creepy it kicked off.

Excited to see more from Joanna Wolford!

How can one rate a rough little gem, uncut and unpolished, but with such great promise?

The first chapters telling the story of a dysfunctional family, crippled by a lack of money, are excellent. I was drawn in completely and thought that I had found that rare little gem rarely known with a debut of an unknown author. It even reminded my of Stephen King at moments. But then the story fast forwards 15 years further and the writing starts to unravel a bit, even with some grammar and spelling errors. There are actions that don't make a lot of sense and just too much coincidence to make some twists believable. And then the ending shows the same quality as the start: crisp and engaging writing.

The main characters are well crafted, each with their qualities and their flaws. The difficult relationships between parents and children are splendidly rendered. And the story is quiet unusual and original, I felt some kind of pity for the main character, a serial killer. So kudos for that!

Why only three stars then? Well, because the book needed a lot of editing and polishing, certainly in the middle part. And I mean a lot ! But this is certainly an author to watch, because she is a great storyteller and I think with a little more exercise (or a good editor), she will deliver great works ! Very well done !

This wasn't what I expected. I'm not actually sure what I expected but this story grabbed me right in and I loved every bit of it.

Alex & Eric are just children with parents constantly arguing and not getting on. Their mother does her best for them and their father is mostly at work and not very present. Sadly, they lose their mother in an accident with horrific scenes at her funeral.

Fast forward till they are grown men and Alex seems to be coping well. But young girls are going missing in his town. Is he involved? How badly did the past affect him? Eric has a family of his own and their father finally starts to make amends.

I won't spoil anything but it comes full circle and does so in which a great way. I wanted to give 5 stars but had a few remaining questions that needed answered.

The story kept me reading 'til late at night! It's an interesting take on the psyche of a killer. This book left me wondering how many killers are as scarred as the focal character of this story. I couldn't help but feel pity for him at some point.

That being said, I believe the author did a really good job of shifting the attention to other main characters as well, and she shed a light to the heartbreak and loss that happens within a perpetrator's family. All in all a good read!

I kept a piece of you is an unnerving read.

I liked that it had different peoples perspectives and stories included other than Alex's.