I wanted to love this book so badly but it just missed the mark for me. If it was cut down by about 100 pages it would have been great. I did enjoy the twists and it kept me guessing as to who pushed Anna off the cliff. The twist at the end had me shook. Overall this was a good thriller but nothing memorable.

A teen falls off a cliff while taking a selfie and left standing over her was nine-year-old Katie. As the investigators gather information, Sara, Katie’s mom, feels something in her heart that she can’t share. For years everyone has tried to unravel what happened to a serial killer who vanished, and this case seems to have some parallels. With detectives on the verge of figuring out what happened to the girl who fell, those who are trying to keep secrets hidden become desperate. Is Katie to blame? Or was she just an innocent bystander?

Even though this book was about 450 pages it was fast read. I really enjoyed the fast-paced nature of this one and didn’t want to put it down. I do think that with the page count, the author left a lot to be desired in terms of some of the characters. Without this context I found myself annoyed the information was included and that it was unnecessary as it didn’t add to the plot. I enjoyed the twists and turns of this one and the premise is spooky and gave me chills.

If you are looking for a fast-paced twisty thriller, then check this one out April 11th.

Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA, and netgalley, @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


Sara Harmon was adopted very young and raised by two loving parents. While she knew she was adopted, as she got older, her parents shared more of her birth parents’ history with her. It wasn’t the nicest story a child would want to hear.

So when Sara gets a call that her daughter Katie was with her baby-sitter when the baby-sitter plunged over the edge of a cliff, Sara’s mind starts to think the worst. But Katie adored her baby-sitter. Sara simply can’t imagine that Katie would have had anything to do with Anna’s death.

One detective at the scene believes it was a tragic accident. The other has this niggling at the back of her mind that something isn’t right. Detective Pierce decides she’s going to give this tragedy the attention it deserves to ensure that if there was foul play, it will be found.

Sara is worried. Katie seems slightly oblivious to how awful everything is. And the more Sara watches Katie’s behavior, the more she wonders if Sara’s past is coming back through Katie.

It’s a very unsettling tale of hereditary or genetic predisposition to violence. Can someone born of a violent past be prone to committing similar acts of violence? Even if said person was never present during the violent acts? It’s an interesting question, and one that Sara Harmon worries is happening in her own child. Is Katie capable of horrible things?

Great page turner. The way the story unfolds with bits from the past revealed at key points. I liked this one.

Nine year old Katie Harmon is with her babysitter when she falls off a cliff to her death. Katie’s mother, Sara, will do anything she can to help her but Sara knows of her dark history and wonders if there was more to the fall.

I love thrillers and suspenses with evil children! This one is more of a mystery because the whole time you’re not sure if the child is evil or not; don’t worry you’ll find out! It’s a pretty good mystery you will HAVE to know the ending because there’s so much mystery within. I loved how you got hints into some past crime, but it won’t be tied together until the end.

“Always assume criminal intent until proven otherwise. A wilderness death can be a perfect murder.”

Everything She Feared comes out 4/11.

A seventeen year old falls from a cliffside in a Seattle, Washington area park. Watching her is the nine year old girl the teen was in charge of. Did young Katie push Anna off the cliff? Or was it an accident caused by a careless selfie?
Rick Mofina's latest nail biter, Everything She Feared, sends the reader to the edge and back with this stylish did she or didn't she thriller.
Young Katie's mom Sara has a secret past that would rival the Manson family. Is murder in her daughter's genes? A stalwart detective is determined to find out. Also on the trail is a damaged man seeking retribution for his sister's death.
Mofina throws a number of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. Meanwhile, a monster hidden in plain sight is lining up the numbers for a bloody finale.
Everything She Feared is a terrific spring thriller that will have you flipping pages long into the night.

This was a quick read, fast-paced suspenseful thriller that I really enjoyed. The multiple storylines converged to a satisfying ending. The parental anxiety depicted was so realistic, and it really amped up the tension for me. This is my first Rick Mofina read but certainly won’t be my last.

One note: I did feel that the voice of the nine-year-old was unrealistic. I realize that maturity levels will differ vastly among children, but I just really had to suspend belief in this area. It didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the book but did give me a bit of a disjointed feeling.

That said, it was a great read.

My thanks to @_mira_books_ and @htpbooks for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I thought the plot was very thorough and well thought out. I wish we had more context when Magda and Hermon’s murders were being introduced. I was confused and wanted to skip through those parts of the story. It felt rushed for them to be introduced when they were and didn’t add anything to the plot.

Welcome to “ The Bad Seed” for the 21st century.

“Thank you, Rick Mofina, for another tense, heart stopping, creepy…page turning thriller. “ I loved it!

The tension is ever present, the secrets simmer throughout, until the ending pages. I found “Everything She Feared” to be clever, twisty, and so very dark.

Immerse yourself in complicated characters that you will definitely root for. You will think you have it figured out, but you don’t, I felt like I was on a roller coaster with the twists, and the conclusion…is a trip.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade for the ARC. Solid, twisty, ride. Writing was good. Recommend.

Loved it!! Rick Mofina is one of my favorite authors and I always get excited when he has a new book out. I always know there's going to be some sort of twist that I will never see coming. This one definitely didn't disappoint. Throughout the whole book, I really thought Katie was some sort of psychopath who killed Anna for her necklace. There was such a big deal about all the bad thoughts that Katie had, plus there was Sara's genes. Sara's biological mother was one calculated and crazy killer. Sara truly believed Magda's murdering ways could have been passed on to her daughter. Sara constantly brought up that something horrible happened with Katie and a boy in Canada. I was thinking Katie tried to kill him or maybe hurt him. Not sure why they kept what happened to him a secret. Loved trying to sole the mystery of Anna's death. There were so many twists and turns. The book kept me in suspense until the very end. I didn't want to put it down, because I couldn't wait to find out what really happened to Anna. Loved the overlapping storylines of Magda and her victims and the death of Anna. Ryan's pursuit of trying to find the truth about his sister's death adds another level to the story. Enjoyed the multiple POVs.

Definitely recommend it. It was a great mystery/thriller. Loved the characters, story and writing style. I look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harlequin Trade Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of Everything She Feared by Rick Mofina.

When a seventeen year old babysitter, Anna Shaw falls to her death while taking a selfie, Katie Harmon, the nine year old she was watching, is the last person to see Anna alive.
Detective Kim Pierce is determined to prove Katie is much more than a witness.. but maybe the culprit.
At the same time, Sara Harmon, Katie’s mother, is working just as hard to figure out if Katie really is capable of murdering her babysitter.

Additionally, while these investigators work on the Anna Shaw case, internet sleuths and podcasters are have spent years searching for the elusive Magda Kurtz.
Ryan, a freelance writer and brother of one of Magda’s victims, quickly closes in, in hopes of finding answers about his sister’s murder.

While these overlapping storylines might seem a little confusing at times, Rick Mofina does a fantastic job of having everything come together at the end.

Everything She Feared will hit the shelves on April 11, 2023.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Everything She Feared releases April 11, 2023

This is a murder mystery/thriller about a teenaged girl who fell off the side of a cliff trying to take a selfie, where the only witness was the 9 year old girl she babysat.
At the same time, there’s also a crime investigation plotline where characters are trying to get to the bottom of uncovering the truth of what happened to their family members in the past, namely involving a serial killer mother with a daughter that got adopted into another family.

I found this to be an interesting read but I’m not able to rate it any higher than 3 stars because I figured out the entire plot within the first 20%. It was highly predictable where things were leaning especially with the reoccurring mention of Sara’s wrist tattoo, and that one scene that emphasized that Sara’s mother was her mother, and her dad was her dad.

Even though the initial cliff scene didn’t paint Katie in a malicious way, there obviously wouldn’t be a story here if it was just an accidental fall, so in that sense it did feel like it was dragged out from the get go.

Additionally, the plot device of having a crime show/podcast seems to be a common theme in most new release thrillers these days…

But having said that, if you enjoy a multi-pov that weaves nature vs nurture through multi-generational dynamics with a side of serial killer, new identities, and a Washington setting, you might like this.

What a ride , this book makes you question everything you thought you knew about your child and makes you ask yourself questions like is your child capable killing someone, plus throw in dark family secrets, murder , and the fact that your even questioning your own judgment about what your though you already knew . Plus the multiple POVs helps give insight into some characters , as well as bring the atmosphere of the book to life.

Everything She Feared is fast paced and interesting ride. A mothers worst nightmare is that their child isn't what they thought. Sara is concerned about her daughter after she's the last one to see her babysitter alive before she fell off a cliff. Sara is worried that daughter Katie may know more than she's telling everyone. Katie starts making weird comments and having nightmares which makes Sara wonder what really happened on that cliff. She starts to look into and things start to unravel and no one is safe from the truth. I really enjoyed this story and it kept me hooked from beginning to end with twists!

This was more a 3.75 read rounded up to a 4 for me. The book was intriguing to have a myriad of different secrets that are being untangled as you read. Enjoyed the multiple POV to give more insight into some characters and their overall development. The book allowed for a thought process of nature vs nurture and the question of can people be inherently evil. This was my first read by the author and I will be seeking out more of his to read.

Careful where you step…that last one is a doozy!

While seeking the perfect selfie, teen-age age Anna tumbles over a cliff-side. Turning a fun afternoon outing into a horrid tragedy. The only witness was nine year old Katie, the young girl Anna babysat for.

Here’s a disturbing question...is Katie a witness or did something more sinister occur on that cliffside??

Katie’s mother Sara has always had the gut feeling that there was something a bit off with Katie. After all...there is evil that dwells in their genes! Now Sara is petrified.

Is Katie exhibiting the behaviors that Sara feared?

This was a fun suspenseful thriller that kept me wondering why poor Anna went tumbling over that cliff!

I always enjoy Rick Mofina’s books. Whether a stand-alone or part of a series, he never disappoints!. I feel like I’ve been binging a lot of his books lately! And still have one more on my shelf. Lucky me!😁

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing

‘Everything She Feared’ by Rick Mofina was so twisty and turny that it kept me on my toes, at the edge of my seat, and guessing until the end. Absolutely recommend!

17 year old babysitter Anna Shaw falls to her death while on a trip with 9 year old Katie Harmon. Is Katie as innocent as she says she is?
Her mother fears the past is repeating itself.
This book was full of twists and turns and kept me guessing till the very end.
Thanks NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC that will be released April 11, 2023!

A teenage girl falls off a cliff while taking a selfie and the only witness is her 9-year old baby-sitting charge. Was this an accident, or was this something more sinister?

Everything She Feared by Rick Mofina was much more than a 'bad seed' thriller. Mofina has multiple storylines, that will converge at the explosive end.

I was HOOKED from page one. While I was interested in Katie's storyline, and what really happened on the cliff, I found myself more interested in the Magda-Ryan-Hayley storyline. The podcast storyline was a nice, modern addition and help move the story along at a fast pace than some other writers have done in other stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book in advance of it's release.

This was classic Rick Mofina….fast paced, gritty, making one believe even unbelievable constructs! I wasn’t sure exactly where this was going till almost the end. Great read!