This was so good! It was was creepy, and it kept me guessing the whole time. I loved this book! I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good thriller.

In my humble opinion, @stacyvwillingham is 2 for 2 when it comes to 5 star reads! 🤩 I absolutely loved this one and was blown away by the surprise ending!
I listened to the audio which is read by @karissavacker, one of my favorite narrators. The writing is seductive, wrapping you in an blanket of simmering suspense and lyrical prose. With her hypnotizing voice, Karissa is able to take an already terrifying situation and make it seem more real, which is a tremendous feat all on its own.
The story focuses on the kidnapping of Isabelle’s 18 month old son, Mason. He was taken in the middle of the night without a trace. Since then, Isabelle is consumed with learning what happened and finding the person who took him. (Find the full synopsis in comments!)
As a mother myself, I think Stacy did a brilliant job portraying how utterly helpless and guilty Isabelle felt and I was surprised to learn in the author’s note that she isn’t a mother herself. What a tremendous ontaking this had to be! To write something so sensitive, emotional, and heart-breaking without having the ability to put herself in her character’s shoes shows how talented Stacy truly is.
The subject matter could be tough for some readers so please check trigger warnings before reading!

Thank you to @minotaur_books @netgalley and @stacyvwillingham for the advanced copy!

I know it's early in the year, but this title will more than likely be my favorite of the year! I was really impressed! I loved Flicker in the Dark so I went into this novel knowing it would be amazing! I accidentally read it in ONE setting! I started the novel around 5pm and finished around 10pm! Wonderful!!

100 stars out of 5!!

Isabelle Drake's son, Mason, was taken from his crib in the middle of the night, changing her life forever. Isabelle, frustrated with what she sees as lack of help from the police, takes the investigation into her own hands. However, as a sleepwalker with a questionable history of her own, she finds herself wondering if maybe she had something to do with his disappearance.

I loved Flicker in the Dark by Willingham, and loved this one just as much! It was just the right amount of twisty for me.

Didn’t enjoy this as much as A Flicker In the Dark, but it was still a twisty, dark, entertaining read. I listened to the audio over 2-3 days. Some interesting twists and surprises, but I was left wanting just a little bit more. It was relatively short, and it felt like the ending was a little rushed. Will still continue to read from this author! Thank you to the publisher.

Stacy Willingham got me again. I LOVED THIS! She is not afraid to tackle hard topics and take us to uncomfortable places. I was guessing and theorizing the whole time. She took angles I never considered. I was completely in the whole time and I loved every minute of it. This woman is an auto-buy author for me and I can confidently say she is a favorite. Amazing book!

When Isabelle’s son is taken from his crib one night her life completely changes. With no leads she spirals into finding out what happened. Now Isabelle is a speaker at crime events which rubs some people the wrong way. When she realizes she has insomnia and sleep issues again, a secret from her past emerges. Isabelle is determined to figure out what happened to her son and see if the past correlates with the future.

I have to say I loved this book! The twists and the story were so good! I was in need of a good thriller and this one provided. I typically don’t like the unreliable narrator thing but this worked well for this book. I found myself annoyed at Isabelle sometimes but it was because she was realistic when it came to grief. Overall I highly recommend this one and gave it a 4.5/5 rating.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of this work in exchange for an honest review

We follow Isabelle who decides to take into her own hands the investigation of the disappearance of her son, Mason. As she tries to figure out what happened to her child, she happens to also uncover many secrets from not only her present but also her past. This thriller really kept me on my toes and had multiple twists! The pace of the story was great and I couldn’t put it down. The alternating timelines transitioned smoothly and wasn’t confusing. The author also included some themes involving motherhood and mental health.

I don't typically enjoy books with a protagonist suffering from insomnia. I don't know anyone who suffers from it personally, but apparently in bookworld, insomnia is as common as a cold. So in general, I find insomniacs to be an unenjoyable trope, but Stacy Willingham took it to a different place and did it exceptionally well.

Isabelle hasn't really slept since her toddler son was taken a year ago. She's understandably desperate to find him and is trying everything she can to find new clues that will lead her to him--including getting interviewed by a true crime podcaster. The podcaster has interest not just in her missing son, but in her childhood, which makes her very nervous--she doesn't want him to unearth the secrets she's worked so hard to bury and to forget.

Willingham takes us on a journey through Isabelle's life: the unsavory way she met and fell in love with her husband, her childhood, and what really happened to her son. We switch timelines, jumping into the recent and far past to better understand Isabelle, and suspect people alongside with her. Willingham does a great job of keeping the reader engaged as she slowly reveals more and more about Isabelle's life and what got her to this point. The ending is relatively predictable once a few things are revealed, but it's a satisfying ending.

Isabelle Drake has always been plagued by feelings of guilt, but she tries to push past her troubled childhood memories. She's excited to finally land her dream job, but her marriage and motherhood take a toll on her identity and well-being. After her baby is taken from her home, she's exhausted and on the edge of sleep deprivation, but continues to give public speeches in hopes of finding her missing child. A true-crime podcaster offers to help her find answers, but Isabelle fears she's being set up. With a year of no sleep and a mind clouded by sleep dysfunction, she's questioning her memories and if there's more to her guilt than she knows.

Willingham's second novel exceeded expectations. This book kept me up all night with its captivating plot, constantly begging to know what happens next as Isabelle tries to make sense of her past. With stunning plot twists and jaw-dropping reveals, the thriller captivates the reader.

The southern, spooky small town atmosphere and intricate characters make this book a standout. Isabelle's insomnia is handled in a realistic way, adding depth to the story. This read is more than just an unreliable narrator story. Willingham has a bright future as an author and this book is a standout among 2023 favorites.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur, and Stacy Willingham for an ARC of this book!

Seriously, when I got to chapter 51 I was like NO WAY!!! Stacy Willingham did it again and had me captivated throughout this read. I could not put it down and I both listened to it and read it. Put it on your TBR list. Thank you NetGally and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

3.5 stars rounded up.

Initially, I couldn’t get into this, but it turned around and captured my interest.

Things I loved about this book:

- The plot & twists - The story was intriguing, and I didn’t see the twists coming
- The ending - I liked how it all came together in the end
- The narration - I was lucky to have both the eBook and audiobook. I found myself gravitating towards the audio as the narrator was excellent.
- Themes of family, grief, and hope
- The cover!

Things I didn’t enjoy as much:
- The writing style and pacing - at times, this felt like an overly wordy, slow burn.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those who enjoy psychological thrillers and mystery.

I look forward to reading what Stacy Willingham writes next.

Welcome to my first five-star rating of 2023, Willingham has now set the bar incredibly high for the Thriller genre, and I am HERE FOR IT. Thank you to St Martins/Minotaur Publishing for the copy in exchange for an honest review. First and foremost, what took me so long to pick up this book? On publishing day I ran to the bookstore so that I also had a physical copy, as I will be lending and recommending this one for a while.

Isabelle is suffering from insomnia. Due to the kidnapping of her infant son from her own home, her memories are blurred, and rest doesn't come easy. Heartbreaking and haunting, the character building was spot on. As a mother I could feel the grief and relate to some of the topics. The eerie feeling of the unknown encases your mind as we learn more about Isabelle and aren't 100% sure if we're able to trust her. Reeling from the loss of her son, and the loss of her husband Ben, Isabelle returns from speaking at a True Crime Convention when (of course) a podcaster approaches her and wants to tell her story. As the relationship builds, and the evidence is received were thrown into an absolute perfect mystery with a plot twist I didn't see coming. While I did guess ONE part of the sub plot I was not disappointed at all because it was tied together so perfectly.

All The Dangerous Things had everything I need and and want out of a thriller, and I cannot wait to see what comes next from this author!

5 BIG BEAUTIFUL STARS

I was very eager to read All The Dangerous Things, after enjoying the author’s previous book, and I was not disappointed! Being so far out from the event (1 year since the kidnapping) did slow the pace of the story a bit, but it really picked up! I thought that the changing of timelines was handled well, enough to be interesting but not too much to draw focus from the main plot. A few twists I saw coming, but I did hit accurately predict the ending!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book. This was a quick and engaging read, and I'd recommend it to my thriller-loving friends.

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham is an INCREDIBLE THRILLER!

This is a very atmospheric book. The story is told in dual timelines, Now and Then.

Isabelle is the main character a mother with a sketchy past.

There is so much to unpack in this book, but I absolutely could not put it down.

This is sophomore novel by this author is even better than her first book.

After reading this author’s debut novel, I was ecstatic when this book was announced. I read it in a day and a half and truly loved it. The narrator was unreliable, which always makes for a good mystery! This was my first 5 star read for the year and I’ll be looking forward to anything Stacy does in the future.

2.5 stars.

A young boy goes missing from his bedroom while his parents, Isabelle and Ben, are sleeping. Less than a year after his abduction, Isabelle and Ben, separate as they struggle to come to the acceptance of his disappearance. Isabelle continues her desperate search for answers alone.

This book included many elements that I love: dual timelines, an unsolved crime, strong motherhood theme, true crime podcast, a loveable pet dog for the main character. As much as I gravitate to stories that involve these aspects, they didn’t come together smoothly for me in this novel. The Past flashbacks lacked any sort of pull for me. The suspense kept my attention to the end, but the storyline itself was lacking.

The main issue I had was I didn’t click with the writing. Within the first 25% of the book I considered DNF’ing as many descriptions and similes felt forced and awkward. The writing lacked a natural flow/ease for me and I found myself scratching my head with the way the author overused descriptive words which took away from my enjoyment and connection. I didn’t connect with Isabelle at all. I should have been rooting for her and feeling sympathy for her situation but I had no investment. I continued on with the book as I have heard many great things about this authors’ writing. I can see how many loved this book, but for me, I know I am not a good fit for this authors’ writing style.

Overall, I’m glad I read it because I’ve been curious about this author. However, I cannot recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy!

A story of sleep deprivation turns into a rather engaging psychological thriller in All the Dangerous Things. It's been a year since Isabelle Drake has had a good night's sleep. Her son was abducted from his crib a year ago and there are no clues to his whereabouts, except for the fact that Isabelle is a suspect. As an unreliable narrator, Isabelle has some mental health issues as a result of her sleep deprivation.

I'm always intrigued by the impact of sleep deprivation and that's what made me want to read this story. I thought it captured this reality very well in Isabelle. There is plenty of tension in this thriller and lots of twists which I love.

Overall, this had a great atmosphere and engaging story and characters. I will be looking for this author again.

All the Dangerous Things
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook and Audiobook
Date Published: 1/10/23
Author: Stacy Willingham
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
GR: 4.24

TW ⚠️: Child Kidnapping/Missing and Mental Health Issues

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: I fell back in love with books with Willingham’s debut novel, Flicker, and she quickly became one of my favorite thriller writers. This novel was NO different, maybe even better than Flicker. The story opens up at a conference with our MC, Isabelle, telling her story once again, her son, Mason, was taken from his crib in the middle of the night. She has also been diagnosed as a sleepwalker early on and still suffers with this condition. Secrets and betrayal run deep throughout this novel. This novel will not be for everybody, especially people who have triggers with children missing, I strongly urge you to consider the trigger warning. .

The atmosphere was built as moody and intense, and the author builds good tension throughout the story. The descriptions was top notch and pulls you into the storyline. The story is narrated in a dual timeline, past and present tense, by our MC, Isabelle, through her POV. The past timeline was from 1999 when she was younger, when something extremely tragic happened in her household. The characters were well fleshed out, well developed, had depth, were mysterious, and brilliantly created. The characters were built up well, the plot is delivered in many twists, and the ending was absolutely amazing. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, suspenseful, twisty, and just brilliant. Some of the twists were predictable but there were a few that I did not see coming, which I love when an author can surprise me.

I could not put down this book once I started and finished under 48 hours. If you enjoyed the first novel, you will definitely enjoy this one, as long as you can get pass the warning. I cannot recommend this book enough. One of the top five star reads this year for me and I have a feeling it will remain in my top ten. This novel was gripping, clever, captivating, and kept me on the edge of my seat, not wanting to put down, cover to cover. Go buy this book, borrow from your library, or borrow from a friend, whatever you need to do to get this book in your hands!