This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

This was a fairly slow burn thriller that I didn’t hate, but I didn’t love either.

I enjoyed the cast of seemingly morally gray characters. I’d say it’s your classic thriller, but very descriptive to the point it could be considered ‘dragging along’. With that being said the multi perspective thriller has a pretty compelling plot that I think will keep you guessing and reading!

Thank you Celadon and NetGalley for the eARC of Locust Lane! All opinions in this review are my own.

Locust Lane takes place over a few days after a local woman is found murdered in the home she had been staying in. Locust Lane is supposed to be the most sought after road in town and it is shocking that something like this would happen on such a quiet street. The tension builds as more secrets are revealed and characters start contradicting each other's stories.

This multiple point of view thriller was so addicting! I ended up reading it in four large chunks because I couldn't put it down! I love thrillers when you are not quite sure who to trust and the shifting perspective helped to build the tension. I definitely want to check out more from this author!

I really wanted to like this book, because I saw so many people talking about it when it first came out. But sadly I was unable to really dig in and enjoy it. I ended up DNF-ing at about 35%, unfortunately.

I usually like books with different POVs throughout, but in this case, they were too lengthy and more confusing than anything. I felt like it took awhile for things to even start happening, other than that first chapter. And because of that I was rather bored instead of hyped. I would try reading another book by this author someday, hoping maybe it was just a one off of me not liking LL. So personally, I would not recommend this book as a good thriller for spooky season. But the choice is up to you. If you get past the 35% mark perhaps it gets more entertaining and less confusing.

This isn’t a book I’d ordinarily pick up but for some reason it tickled my fancy when I saw it on NetGalley 10 months ago. I finally got around to reading it and while the twisty thriller part was great, that was the only thing that was good about it.
In Emerson, an affluent Massachusetts town, a girl named Eden (from the other side of the tracks) is found dead in a house. The police investigate and find that 3 Emerson teens were the last people with her. No one truly knows what happened to Eden, and while the police are confident they arrested the right teen, a couple of adults decide to prove them wrong.
I have so many issues with this book, but I want to first point out that as as a mystery/thriller goes, it’s very good. It kept me guessing and I was invested in the story.
I realize this is not a legal fiction like Defending Jacob or Mad Honey, but the bits with the defense attorney drove me crazy. I’m not sure how much research Mr. Amidon put into the writing of this novel, but he clearly never spoke with any defense attorneys (or any attorneys for that matter).
Also, I was turned off by the writing style. Short sentences, sentence fragments, and hard to read dialogue can make or break a book, and unfortunately, it broke it for me. I would have given this 4 stars had the writing been a bit better. I was actually quite surprised to learn that this isn’t the first book Mr. Amidon has written because I honestly believed it was. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advanced copy of this. It hit the shelves way back in January.

When I read about this book, I was immediately interested and curious to discover more.
A wealthy Boston suburb, a local girl murdered, elite families
Yep, definitely had my attention and I couldn't wait to see how the story would unfold.
It's one of those gripping thriller/mystery books that feels a little too true and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Grab a blanket and get cozy to enjoy this thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Celadon Books for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

🚙🌚Book Review:
Title: Locust Lane
Author: Stephen Amidon
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

Ooooo, my favorite type of book! A suspenseful thriller/mystery. I really, really wanted this one to be a five-star. Alas, it wasn't 😔. It was okay, but I just didn't feel that the actual people involved in the "incident" told their side of the story as much as the parents who weren't even there.

A young woman, Eden Perry, is found dead in a home in the affluent part of the town, Emerson, located in Massachusetts. Eden hasn't chosen the best lifestyle for the past couple of years, but she was trying to better herself leading up to her death. Strangely, the investigation led the detectives to her last night, which was partying with a group of local teenagers. The parents of these teens will do anything to protect their children, regardless of the circumstances.

Thank you, @netgalley and @celadonbooks , for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Published: January 17th, 2023

This was a little too much of a slow burn for me, I felt like I was slogging through and it was very hard to enjoy the plot.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this advanced reader copy of Locust Lane by Stephen Amidon. I really enjoyed this book. It was a slow burn, but in the best way. It was intense, engaging and I’ll definitely read any book that is based anywhere near Boston Massachusetts.

A great seasonal read. This one really gives me Dennis LeHane vibes and I would love to have sunk into this in the fall. I also didn't mind that the ending didn't wrap up as tidily as some other books. Great writing and though I know some readers didn't enjoy the style I didn't mind it.

Eden Perry was a bit of an outsider in the affluent town of Perry, Massachusetts. The new girl in town, Eden was known for being an intriguing party girl, who was always down for a good time. When Eden ends up murdered its quickly realized she was with 3 local kids. Hannah the quiet sweet loner, who has struggled with popularity until she started dating Jack. Jack a rich kid from town who has storied rumors about his past behavior with girls, is a bit of a menace. Hannah’s boyfriend and Christophers best friend Jack is not someone who really understands friendships. Christopher is an immigrant son of the local towns popular restaurant owner and chef. Christopher is quiet and just wants to fit in, sometimes to a fault. Christopher is in love with Eden and technically the last person to see her alive. Hanging out with Jack has its problems and it seems everyone who is around him ends up in trouble. The police try to figure out which one harmed Eden as the three were the the last to see her alive. As the parents try to protect their kids secrets about the adults come out and the truth will eventually lead to a shocking discovery.
***ON SALE NOW!!!


Thank you Celadon and NetGalley for this ARC

Locust Lane by Stephen Amidon

My rating:
2/5
⭐️⭐️

A young woman is found dead in the affluent neighborhood on Locust Lane. 3 others were with her the night she was killed, but no one will tell the story of what happened that night.

Ugh. You know when you just don’t click with a book but you’re committed to reading it anyway? Yeah. That was this book. I tried so hard to like it but there was simply too much going on for me to follow the story. There was so much unnecessary backstory for a lot of the characters that I did not feel like supported the storyline. I wanted to have this story told by the teenagers perspectives versus the adults.

I really did not enjoy this one. I try so hard to give a positive review but sadly this was just very dry, made me uncomfortable and did not flow very easily.

I will say I did not guess what happened in the end of the story, so it was nice to be surprised. I just thought this book was overtaken with unlikeable characters who took away from the overall plot. Also, the epilogue was so confusing I don’t even understand why it was included.

Intriguing story that keeps you hooked with the twist and turns, and just when you thought you had it figured out, you didn't!

Thank you @celadonbooks and @netgalley for my digital copy. My thoughts are my own.

Patrick hits a dog, checks on it, and seeing it can limp away, decides it can make it back to his owner, so Patrick decides to move on. But as he is watching the dog, he sees a man in the trees watching him.

The next day Patrick learns that four teens, Christopher, Jack, Hannah, and Eden had been partying in the house and one of them had been murdered. Had Patrick seen the murderer?

The murder occurred in an exclusive neighborhood and the powerful parents have secrets and their own reasons for not divulging all the facts as they cast the shadow of suspicion on one of the teens who is not from a wealthy family. Can justice be found for Eden, the young victim?

This one caught my attention with the first chapter. However, the characters were not very likable and I felt the middle dragged on a bit. I did want to know what really happened so I pushed through to the end. The conclusion was strong; however, the story was actually just depressing.

𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑰𝒇 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆:
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Multiple POV
🔥 Slow Burns
💰Rich People Problems
📏 Looooong Chapters

𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔
This book is a slower burn, but around the halfway point things begin to pick up in speed and get more interesting. It was enough to keep me reading. I also felt like the chapters were just sooooo long (which I don’t really like, especially not in a thriller). It’s probably silly…but it makes me feel like my reading is dragging…something satisfying in getting into the next chapter.

The overall premise caught my attention. A young girl is found murdered in a wealthy neighborhood, evidence is gathered, unreliable teenagers are involved, an arrest is made. The author attempted to tackle a lot all in one book - addiction, power and privilege, race - while also trying to create characters with depth. He succeeded in someways, but in others it felt a little lackluster. I think he tried to attack too much all at once which left things feeling a little flat.

I can honestly say that I didn’t see the major twist coming! In hindsight in did make sense and put a nice little bow on most things. That being said I really was disappointed in the overall ending. We get clarity on “who” but yet the story ends feeling very unresolved.

This is the first novel I’ve read by this author, I’d be open to reading other novels in the future.


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I loved Locust Lane. I am a fan of character driven stories and found this one very enjoyable. I found myself flying through this one and loved it from beginning to end. Highly recommend adding to your TBR.

I thought this one started and ended pretty strong, but the rest of it failed to hold my attention. I didn't really connect with any of the characters and found all of their dialogue to be somewhat monotonous.

I did think that the plot was interesting and the novel was well written. It just wasn't for me, unfortunately.

Thank you, @netgalley and @celadonbooks for the gifted e-arc and physical copy of this book!

2.5 stars rounded

Locust Lane gave me all the great fall thriller vibes. I love a book that keeps me guessing from start to finish. Eden is dead and the three teens partying with her earlier that night are suspects.
I’m not giving anything away here. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters which made me suspect everyone. The pacing in this domestic suspense is tense and it’s well plotted, and I thorough enjoyed it.

This book started off great, but ultimately fell flat for me. There were a lot of characters, each with a backstory and it all felt like a distraction from the main story we were there to figure out. I loved the concept, but by the end I had a hard time caring about the outcome.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.

This book started out good, I was intrigued and wanted to know more. But then it turned into a slog fest. I got to 20% and was so bored. We never really learned much about the victim, the story is all about the rich privileged people in this stuck up town. There are sooo many characters and povs it’s very hard keeping all the highly unlikable characters straight. The poor white trash murder victim and her Mom as well as the immigrant chef and his son are of course treated horribly while the rich white people escape all blame, kind of like real life. The murderer gets away and lives their life getting whatever they want, also a lot like real life. Overall just was not a fan. I don’t see any need to read any other books by this author.