Officially proclaiming Stacy Willingham the queen of plot twists. Boy oh boy did I not see ANY of that coming.

This book follows Isabelle, a sleep deprived mother who is trying to figure out what happened to her son who disappeared one year ago. The story bounces between the past, where we see glimpses of Isabelle's childhood and her struggles with a sleep disorder, and the present, where she teams up with a true crime podcaster to get answers about her son's disappearance.

There was not a single second spent reading this book where I knew where the story was going. My one qualm is that the beginning of the book was very slow and hard to get into because it was so hard to see the point of it all. BUT once I hit around the 50% mark I was absolutely hooked.

I finally felt like I figured everything out around 75% in, yet finished the book with my jaw on the floor because I simply had no clue. I love the way this author writes her twists and neatly ties up all the loose ends. Even a very minor plot point (which I honestly forgot about) was nicely wrapped up in a few sentences near the end.

If you're looking for a wild and twisty triller, look no further than this book.

2.5⭐️ rounded up to 3!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Stacey Willingham for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

So I really wanted to love this book, but it honestly just wasn’t for me. I have come to the conclusion that I am fairly picky about my thriller/suspense reads. I thought the premise behind this story was super unique and I couldn’t wait to dive in; however, I couldn’t get into the story once I started reading. It was really slow and the pacing just felt drawn out to me. I am also usually a fan of stories with back and forth timelines, but for some reason I just didn’t feel like it worked for me in this story and I found it more difficult to follow the story and timeline of events with all the differing timelines going on. It almost felt like too many stories were trying to be told within the larger story to me. The last 30% of the book was SO GOOD, and I really enjoyed it. The problem is, I was co confused and bored by the time I got there that I really didn’t care and I was ready to be done with the book. This really also is probably a personal preference thing, because I have read a ton of reviews saying how people love the book, so for lovers of thrillers and Stacey Willingham I would still give the book a try!

Fast becoming a fan of this author! Another engaging and beautifully written book!

"All the Dangerous Things" is told from the perspective of Isabelle and alternates between the past and present. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to 1999 during Isabelle’s childhood. The southern setting, the old mansion she lived in, the marsh, sleepwalking episodes and the tragic death of her sister all made for compelling reading. Her son was taken from his room one night and she is still trying to find answers one year later.

This was a great book that kept me guessing. I cannot wait to see what Stacy Willingham comes up with next! I love her writing style, she has a beautiful way with words! Highly recommend! 5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

Willingham definitely has a way with words and I get sucked into the story she tells and her descriptive writing style. This is a very slow-burn novel, but I found myself invested in the story despite that. It’s a one-sided POV, but goes back and forth between present and past timelines.. which added an eerie feel.

It was hard to connect with the characters, but that didn’t deter me from enjoying this one. There’s a lot to unravel.. some things I figured out and some things I did not. The ending was a little too quickly wrapped up for my liking.. some of the ending I questioned, but still a very enjoyable and gripping read for me.

Beautifully written, this is a stimulating thriller which takes place in the southern town of Savannah where the main character, Isabelle, lives. The description sets the stage with its giant oak trees, the mysterious marsh with minnows at her feet and the smell of Pluff mud, a "familiar stench of something rotten.” At night she sees all kinds of critters including raccoons searching for food in someone's trash.

The story is narrated by Isabelle from 1999 when she was growing up in a very old mansion in Beaufort to the present day. She tries to make sense of what happened in her life when her sister at age six died from an accident in the middle of the night. She was eight years old and her father, Congressman Henry Rhett, told her to say as little as possible to the detective while her mother kept quiet. In their house, they talked about politics and religion. Yet, emotions and feelings were set aside.

Now Isabelle is feeling a great amount of distress. Her son, Mason, went missing at 18 months while sleeping in the middle of the night and nobody could tell her what happened. Her husband, Ben, was no help to her. After a short time afterwards, he told her she needed to move on and then he left her. She hasn’t been able to sleep since and the detective isn’t much help. With a history of sleepwalking as a child, she has been getting help from a therapist. She needs to know: who did this? Her worst fear is: if she did it or, did a neighbor?

I am usually pretty good about predicting the endings with hints along the way but this story sneaked up on me. The most interesting part for me was reading the “Author’s Note.” She makes it clear not to read this until the end of the story. When I did, it was like: wow; a revelation about women in general made sense. Our next book club will be reviewing her last publication, “A Flicker In The Dark.” And since we all live in the Charleston area, this book with a release date of January 10, 2023 will make us feel right at home.

My thanks to Stacy Willingham, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS follows Isabelle Drake, whose toddler son Mason went missing from his bedroom in the middle of the night. Almost one year later, the police have no solid suspects, but Isabelle is determined to find Mason by any means necessary. She teams up with a podcaster with an ulterior motive to uncover the truth about what happened to Mason, and many secrets are uncovered along the way. ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS is mostly told in the present day but some of Isabelle’s backstory is told through flashbacks to the summer of 1999 where we learn about her history with sleepwalking.

The beginning of this book was just so-so for me, and I wasn’t sure what to think about some of the plot points near the end, but I will say that the author’s note at the end of the novel blew me away and changed a lot of my thinking about the story; it turned what might have been a 3-star read into a 4-star read for me. While I am not a mother, as a woman this book was hard to read at times because it highlights the fact that society continuously blames the mother for everything that happens to our children and forces us to live with guilt no matter what we choose to do with our lives. Even though Isabelle is a flawed character, she is a strong and determined mom who refused to give up; bravo to Willingham for writing what I think is an honest and real woman. This was an unsuspectingly thought-provoking read and I really enjoyed it!

This was an unsuspectingly thought-provoking read and I really enjoyed it! I would highly recommend it to fans of Willingham's first novel and thriller/domestic suspense readers in general.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Ohhhh best thriller of the year!!!! Engrossing, electric writing and a plot that will keep you guessing,

This one starts slow and builds up. The hits start coming around 70% so buckle in and get ready to have your mind start to slowly piece it together with Isabelle. I loved how the pieces eventually came together. I loved how several storylines seemed separate at first, but eventually weaved together. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

OMG. Wow. Wow. Wow. All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham is a brilliant, deep, and dark psychological thriller readers will remember long after the story has ended. As a mother, I believe I understand the nuances and undercurrents of this troubling, but perfectly paced, plotted, and expertly written tale. Willingham pulled me in a little at a time and offered glimmers of hope that if I kept reading, all would come together as it should in the end. As I continued turning the pages, I trusted her. The protagonist, Isabelle Drake, is a tragic figure who seems worthy of our empathy and compassion, despite the circumstantial evidence presented, and I found myself rooting for her throughout the book, even when I questioned the worthiness of that support.

All The Dangerous Things is my first book by Stacy Willingham, but her future books are on my reviewer radar. I'm officially a fan. Don't miss this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing an ARC to read and review. This review will appear on Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

I received a free copy of, All the Dangerous Things, by Stacy Willingham, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Isabelle's son Mason is missing, she has not slept in over a year. Wow this book is a thriller, it kept me guessing til the end. We never really know people, like we think we do.

Ok I will admit I was a little leery reading this one because A Flicker in the Dark kinda fell flat for me. But I’ve been hearing such amazing things about this one, and I believe in second chances - and oh boy am I glad I did!

Isabelle Drake had her son go missing from his nursery a year ago, and she hasn’t slept since. She has parted with her husband over the stress of the loss of her son, and she holds herself together trying to solve who took him. She does this by talking at true crime events, in return for talking she gets payment in the form of the name of all attendees. Just in case anyone is trying to cover their tracks and keep tabs on her. On the way home from one event she meets a podcast producer. Ultimately Isabelle elects to tell him her story, but finds he’s keeping secrets. As things fall into place around her, Isabelle has many revelations and second guesses everything she thought true. Will she be able to find her son alive, or is the mostly case, he’s gone covered be true.

This one was a well done atmospheric suspense novel. I think the thriller element of this story was fairly subdued and it was more a suspense / mystery. I think all three of these genres overlap in many ways and are open to interpretation. I really enjoyed the authors note at the end and agree she did an amazing job covering some delicate topics. I gave this one a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you thank you to @netgalley and the publisher, St Martins Press, @stmartinspress, for an advanced e copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Check this one out Jan 10, 2023 and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

Oh my gosh, I had such high expectations for this one, and I was not disappointed! It had me hooked from page one!

I haven't read the authors other work but this was a good domestic thriller.

Lots of elements at play here, with information being given out bit by bit and you know from the get go you're sort of dealing with an unreliable narrator (it's actually a character trait). There are some moments I wish we got to spend more time with (like Waylon and the husband) to flesh out their pieces more but with the alternate timelines there prob wasnt enough time for that plus a succinct story.

I want to thank NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Wow this book! Isabelle Drake is living a nightmare. She wakes up one morning to find her son
Mason has been taken. There is no evidence and no leads on the kidnapping... so the case goes cold. Almost a year later, with virtually no sleep and no new leads, she presses on…determined to find her son. Her husband has
left her, and the detective on the case seems to still suspect her.. she meets a man who may or may not be wanting to help her in her search...Isabelle isn't sure if her memory is correct or she is imagining things… This was a great novel that kept me guessing to the very end.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5003562440

*Many thanks to St. Martin's Press/ Minotaur books, Stacy Willingham, and netgalley for my gifted eARC for an honest review. Publication date 1/10/23*

EVERY MOTHER'S WORST NIGHTMARE!
Isabelle Drake wakes up one morning to find her son Mason missing from his crib. No suspects, no leads, and practically no clues at all. As the 1 year anniversary date is about to come up Isabelle meets Waylon, who has a true crime podcast and wants to help Isabelle tell her story to the world. Isabelle will stop at nothing to find her child even if it makes herself look crazy!

Although I liked A Flicker in the Dark better this was still a good read. When I thought I had it figured out it went in a whole different direction that I was not expecting. I do feel like the latest trends in physiological thrillers is insomnia and I feel like it is getting overused lately, but I thought Stacey did a good job with this one.

Trigger warnings: Suicide

My first novel by this incredible writer and it immediately goes into the top five for the year. A thriller about a missing child is indeed thrilling, with a possibly flawed mother driven to find him, while some fingers are pointed to her,. It’s always the mother, right? Written with a feminist sensibility we see how the pressure to be a perfect mother is on all of us. This is a brilliant literary thriller with an unforgettable mother who will stay with you long after the book is finished. Can’t wait to read Stacy Willingham’s previous book.

Thank you to #NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for providing me an advance copy of Stacy Willingham’s sophomore novel, All The Dangerous Things, in exchange for an honest review.

After reviewing and enjoying the author’s debut novel, A Flicker in the Dark, I could not wait to get my hands on a copy of her latest standalone thriller, #AllTheDangerousThings. Despite the initially, worrisome slow-opening, Ms. Willingham knocks it out of the park once again with her sophomore release. The story is told from the perspective of the protagonist, Isabelle Drake, and alternates between the past and present. In some ways, it reminded me of Gillian Flynn’s, #SharpObjects.

Isabelle Drake has barely slept since her son was snatched from his crib one year ago. Desperate to find him after endless searching and no leads from the police, she agrees to be interviewed by a semi-famous, true-crime podcaster. As the host’s questions and advice prompt her to reassess the night her son was taken, she begins to look at the kidnapping from a different angle. The trouble is that her insomnia and past childhood traumas often interfere with her present reality. Soon she no longer knows who not to trust, including herself. I urge readers to slog through the opening chapters because once the mystery starts to unravel there is no putting this book down.

Rating: ★★★.5/5

Going in to this one, I was very excited because I loved A Flicker in the Dark, this author’s debut novel. I was hoping that this book would be just as great, if not better. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Isabelle Drake, a grieving mother and wife to Ben Drake, has not been able to find peace since her son, Mason, was taken from their home. Despite her insomnia, she works tirelessly to figure out what happened to him. While seeking answers about her past, the truth about Mason’s disappearance slowly gets revealed.

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This was an OK domestic thriller. My issue is that it didn’t grab my attention in the beginning—it was the epitome of a slow start. It didn’t pick up until about 80% percent. Because of that, I didn’t feel connected to the characters or care about the outcome.

If I’m being honest? I am getting bored with the “mom has lost/is looking for her child” trope in thrillers, as well as podcasts being mentioned just because (𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥).

I still think some people may enjoy this one.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars

All The Dangerous Things is everything that A Flicker In The Dark wasn’t. And it’s not a bad thing, but they are different. It’s very slow-paced, character driven in its plot.

Isabelle Drake’s son has gone missing, but the majority of the story is not necessarily about the kidnapping itself, but more about Isabelle and her past. All the things that have led to this moment happening. I did enjoy the story, but I wasn’t shocked or wow’ed. I also didn’t have a lot of affection for Isabelle, which made it hard to connect with her character.

I think it was an entertaining read that I really did enjoy, but I didn’t love it. It wasn’t all that thrilling since I guessed some stuff, but it was twisty. I wish it would have been a little faster paced. Overall I enjoyed and would recommend it to others.

**SPOILER’S INCOMING**
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**Don’t say I didn’t warn you that there’s lots of spoilers past this point….
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I found it hard to have sympathy for her that her husband was having an affair. I mean, she made out with Ben at his dead wife’s memorial that was held at her home and then slept with him immediately - gross. Have some sort of respect for the dead woman if you have none for yourself. I get that he was older and manipulative, but a married man is a married man. Just don’t do it.

Also, she knew that Ben never wanted to be a father. They agreed to no children together. How did she think leaving her son alone with him for days on end so she could work would pan out? Sometimes yes, people do change like she did to want children after is happens. But she made it clear that even after her son was born Ben had little interest. As a mom I know just how much we sacrifice of ourselves when we have children. I can’t imagine what it’s like to then have a partner who doesn’t want that child.

I figured out who Waylon was about 50ish percent into the story, so that came as no surprise when it was discovered.

I was relieved to know that Mason was found safe and well. Screw Valerie for being a horrible woman who would do something like that to another woman. Forget Ben and his “manipulation” tactics. But to take matters into your own hands just so you can have a man? Girl… There’s plenty of men out there who are available without stealing someone’s baby. Not only did Valerie hurt Isabelle, but that poor woman who couldn’t have children that she gave Mason to that had to turn around and give him back! And yeah, she never should have taken Mason, either. But if Valerie wouldn’t have offered a baby up on a silver platter I don’t think this woman would have gone out looking to steal a baby on her own. For goodness sake she was seeking grief counseling and her own counselor took advantage of her state for her own benefit.

A man is not worth that kind of trouble, ladies!!