2.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio version in exchange for things we do in the dark.

Paris Peralta wakes up in her bathroom surrounded by police, covered in her famous husband's blood, holding the murder weapon. If being arrested for a murder she doesn't remember committing wasn't bad enough her face is being splashed across every major media outlet and the people she is running from just might find her.

I really was hooked by the description of the book and the opening few chapters but then the story turns and focuses on Paris backstory and her history that is not as interesting or gripping. It spends the majority of time of Paris' abusive childhood and years as a stripper. The characters were unlikable and the predictable "twist" was spotted way too early. This story had way more potential then the end product produced.
I had the audio version read by, Carla Vega which I did not enjoy at all. She is a heavy breather and pops her consonants which was incredibly annoying and distracting. If not for feeling obligated to do a fair review I would have stopped listening to this book.

Please check out my podcast episode reviewing this title. While this book didn't hit the mark for me, there were several things that my cohost and I did like. If you want to go straight to things that we liked about the book, you can find that about 30 minutes into the episode. https://kite.link/BuddyReads44

This is a review of the audiobook edition of Things We Do in the Dark.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this audiobook adaption of this novel. I was very excited to have an opportunity to read it, but struggled with the audiobook. The narrator failed to capture my attention as their cadence was slow and the voice was soft. With a slow narrator, I will typically speed up the playback, however, when I increased from 1.0x to 1.25 (the next available on the Netgalley player), there was a lot of skipping and an odd feedback sound that made it unbearable to listen to. I made it about 25% of the way through the audiobook before I gave up.

I do plan on picking up a print/ebook edition of this book to read it as the story itself was interesting and I'd really like to find out how it ends.

I was provided an advanced reader copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest opinion.

Although I guessed the major twists in this book, the storyline held my attention throughout. Hillier has a way of developing her characters so well that you end up liking them even though they do terrible things.

Let me start this review by saying I was unable to finish this audiobook. I did start this and Absolutely loved it! This book hooks you right from the beginning. I love that in books. But I’m sad to say, it was published Before I could finish it and I guess it was removed from my audiobooks. I can’t find it anywhere. But I am very excited to read a physical copy instead. I am hopeful to be able to order one for myself in the near future. I love this author and her writing is phenomenal!

After loving Little Secrets and Jar of Hearts last year I was super excited for this one! Unfortunately this one let me down a little. It was good, just not great. I thought the reveals were very predictable but really enjoyed the split timeline format. I think maybe thrillers just aren’t my favorites anymore but that’s okay! Overall it was solid, the writing was still great I just wish I was more surprised and it was less dark than I was expecting!

The audio was a saver for me!! Loved the narration!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

Old rich guy marries a young woman. Old man dies under suspicious circumstances. The young wife is suspect #1…especially when her background is filled with secrets.

This story was engaging and had great character development and back stories. The author found a great balance in number of characters and distractions that kept me guessing without giving away the ending. Paris’s story was allowed the reader to see why she took the path in life that she did, and how she was able to escape it. I didn’t see the end coming!

4 stars

The beigest of beige, Things We Do in the Dark is inoffensive, and a fine way to pass the time, but it is also one of the most middle-of-the-road thriller I've read this year.

The biggest pitfall with Things We Do in the Dark is that it hooks you in with a very strong beginning, then does a 180 and reveals it is just a framing device for a second plot line that is much less interesting. The crux of the book, about the straining relationship between a daughter and her abusive mother, never truly engages on an emotional level. Not only does that make explicit showing of abuse coming across a bit exploitative, the absence of empathy from the reader has a domino effect on the overall experience — I feel unbothered even when characters make critical, plot-turning decisions.

It also suffers from being overly predictable when it comes to its reveals. Things We Do in the Dark features a lot of the classic thriller tropes, and plays them way too safe (especially for seasoned readers). When the plot sets up two girls being identical looking, and has the same tattoos, there are only so many ways this scenarios can play out, and neither of them is worth 100+ pages of build up. Like a deflating balloon, it also ends on a shockingly tepid note. As if the author simply needed to wrap things up and hand over the manuscript, major plot points were resolved in the most banal ways ('undetermined' is never an exciting answer), tonally things get extremely melodramatic and cheesy, in sharp contrast to the more realistic tone from earlier.

Having listened to the audiobook, Carla Vega's performance is a definite highlight, whose lively delivery managed to keep me focused even when I was mentally checked out of the story itself. Overall, mediocrity is the word to describe Things We Do in the Dark — I can't praise it or despise it in a passionate way, it simply just exists.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* 4.5 this was a wild book, will have to reread it but it was one of the better books i have read this year.

This book wasn't for me. There was to much backstory. I was more interested in the present circumstances surrounding her husbands death. I felt very uncomfortable reading about the child sexual abuse. I found myself skimming through most of the book.

This is a twisty thriller, start to finish.

The book starts as Paris, the younger wife of a renowned comedian, is accused of her husband’s murder. The story then develops to tell the story of a young woman who survives child abuse, with the book showing how the characters are connected.

I loved the character development, and the story that keeper me guessing.

Recommended for fans of twisty thrillers

Let me start by saying I love Jennifer Hillier, so I couldn't wait to read this book. I think for me there was just too much going on. It's told from 3 pov and all three stories are connected. It's a bit much to keep up with for a leisurely listen.

I did pick up a physical copy of the book, so maybe reading along will help. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of the audiobook.

I loved this one. From the very first pages, I started wondering how it was gonna play out and it did not disappoint. Full of great twists and an incredible plot, I could not stop reading. I loved the multiple POVs, the character's history, and the seamless weaving of two different timelines. Paris has so many secrets, someone knows those secrets and wants to let her know. AAAAANNNDDD, while all this is happening, she's been accused of killing her husband. Well done!!!

4 stars. Thank you Netgalley for the audio arc. The pacing of this book was excellent. The utilization of the dual timelines was very well done. If you're expecting a twisty thriller this might not be the one for you. But if you want a very enjoyable mystery/thriller I really enjoyed this one.

I'll be honest -- I absolutely love reading anything by Jennifer Hillier, but I definitely have to get my head right before diving in as I know there's going to be some squeamish parts of the plot.

As if I didn't think she could get any more twisted, along comes Things We Do in the Dark. Holy moly, this book is good. Dark, dramatic and compelling, I couldn't put this book down! Although there were parts that were a bit too ick for me, this is a WILD rollercoaster ride that left me hanging on every word. Definitely a must-read this summer!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review.

This book helped me get out of a reading slump and now I'm recommending it to all the thriller-lovers in my life! I had heard such wonderful things about the book prior to reading that I was afraid it wouldn't live up to the hype -- but it DEFINITELY did.

THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK is such a well-crafted, incredibly paced, brilliant novel! It's been a long time since I've read a thriller where I felt like all the characters were well-developed and realistic. Listening to this as an audiobook just drew you even deeper into the story to the point where I couldn't turn it off. The narrator was fantastic.

5/5 stars for me!

When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom, covered on blood, for her husband's murder, her past comes back tobhaint her. Twenty-five years earlier, Ruby Reyes was convicted of a similar murder in a trial that riveted Canada in the early nineties. Reyes knows something about Paris and her past and is threatening to expose her. How do these two women know each other? And what is Paris running from?

This book is told in flashbacks, jumping from the present with Paris, to the past of Reyes and her daughter, Joelle. You also meet Drew, a Podcaster, who knew Joelle. There is great character detail, making it easy to jump around the flashbacks and present, as you come across twist and turns that I didn't see coming! The second half of the book kept me reading (listening), trying to figure out what what happen next!

I rated this book with 4 🌟!

I'd like to say a huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Things We Do in the Dark,
You were a delightful thriller. I absolutely loved all of your twists and turns. There is something so easy about the way Jennifer Hillier writes, it makes reading her books that much more enjoyable. I loved the way that all of the clues were laid out, with subtlety and finesse. Even though Paris was a hard person to relate to, I found myself wanting the best for her, and for there to be peace and closure in her life. You touched on so many heavy themes, but treated them with respect and delicacy, and my heart broke for Joey at every new trauma and abandonment. You were a brilliant escape for my mind.

𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵!

Jennifer Hillier did it again, what a fantastic story. Twisty, suspenseful, thought-provoking, gripping, disturbing and unputdownable. With complex characters, dual timelines and a feisty heroine, this book will keep you turning pages until the very end. I mixed listening to the audio and reading and it was the perfect experience.

Thank you Minotaur Books , Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this gifted copy, I love that it glows in the dark!

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗪𝗲 𝗗𝗼 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 by Jennifer Hillier released July 19, 2022.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

This thriller started out strong and really had me salivating for more storyline. I wanted background info and I really wanted flashbacks that would build to a juicy master twist. After the first ten percent or so, it just seemed to fall flat. The twists were fairly predictable, although emotionally wrought and well written. The whole thing just lacked a big punch at the end...I wanted more of a conclusion all around. I'm a big fan of Jennifer Hillier, and I'll still pick up any books she publishes, but this one wasn't my favorite.

The narrator impressed me with their ability to change tone and characters with such fluidity. I enjoyed the slow and deliberate nature of the narration, as it matched the main character's personality. The suspenseful pauses throughout the read were another lovely addition to the book. Great production quality!