4.5 Stars, rounded up.

First off I have to say - I recommend NOT reading the book summary on this one. I think it gives away way too much of the book. This had been on my TBR for long enough that when I actually picked it up, I couldn't remember the details of the blurb so I went in not knowing anything, and that made it a great read for me. If I had read the blurb before I started reading, I don't think I would have liked the story as much.

What a great thriller! I loved the way this switched narratives between Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily, Three different women with different perspectives on the same man: victim, love interest, daughter. This book starts as a slow burn but the story is well paced - the tension continues to build and becomes a fast page turner at the end.

Aiden is not who you think he is. People in the community love him and he is working hard to as a single parent to raise his daughter. But he has a secret that he has been keeping-he is a seriel killer (8 so far) and he is keeping his ninth victim locked away in the backyard shed, waiting until the time is right. This book isn't so much as a thriller-it is a little slower pace and it is told from the perspective of three women-the woman in the shed, Cecelia-the daughter, and Emily-a new girl in town who has a crush on Aiden. I enjoyed the slow paced, character development of this story and it kept me turning the pages. It was multi-layered, which I appreciated. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for the ARC. I only wish I would have picked this one up sooner.

For a debut author, this book was a chef’s kiss! Almost too dark to read, but so much fun. I definitely can’t wait for more books from this author.

Okay this was creepy and spooky in all the right ways. Serial killer hiding in plain site. A woman held captive for years. I won’t be able to stop thinking about this one….Loved this psychological thriller! Bravo!

AMAZING! Just really well-written and intensely captivating. It literally felt like I was with the main character, Rachel, in the house with her captor, Aiden. It was so easy to get emotionally connected to the story and hope for her escape and survival.

As others have mentioned, there were many times where I wondered why she didn’t escape, but you have to imagine the intense fear she felt when she chose not to take the risk. There are definitely parts of the book that might be considered “slow” but I still found myself racing to the end, wanting to know her fate.

As for the writing itself, I thought it was very well done. I didn’t find it choppy or unorganized in any way.

I can’t believe this was the author’s debut novel! I hope they are working on their next book, because I can’t wait to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this one more, based on the blurb and the cover. But it was less suspense for me and more of a womens fiction, with the leading male character the affection of all the women. 🙄 The ending felt rushed, after how long it took to get there. It just wasn't what I expected/wanted it to be.

What an interesting premise! This book is about a serial killer who saves one would be victim and holds her hostage for five years. The story is told from the points of view of the victim, his girlfriend and his 13 year old daughter. The story unfolds without giving us a reason for his crimes. I felt the struggle the victim had with keeping herself alive and rooted for her in what initially seemed like a hopeless situation. I was relieved at the ending and look forward to more from this author. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity.

Serial killers. I love a great book about serial killers but this one didn't quite make the cut. I did not finish this book.

I really enjoyed this title and am looking forward to more from this author. I thought this book was chilling and tense, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. I wanted to smack Emily the whole book but knew her perspective was very important to how the story unfolded. Between Rachel, Cecelia and Emily I liked reading the different perspectives. The switch between 1st and 2nd person did bother me a bit reading. I was expecting a bit more with the ending and how he got caught, I was hoping it was going to be outside at the party. Overall this was a good thriller with a very interesting storyline and a good thriller.

Wow. This book is really the kind of book that draws you in and then absolutely refuses to let you go free until you've finished it. It's tense and intriguing in all of the best ways. I'm so glad that I read this one and I will definitely be recommending it to patrons who like dark thrillers.

Interesting look into how the serial killer does his work, but also tries to keep it a secret. It was kind of like season 4 of Dexter. I liked it.

I read this back in August, and I STILL think about the scene where Rachel is deciding if she should leave or stay and 'save' Cecelia. Ugh, it gives me the creeps!

This was such a great, suspenseful thriller! I couldn't put this book down and I would love to read more by this author. You'll never guess the twist at the end!

I really wanted to like this book based on the premise. It started out strong but kind of fizzled in the middle and the ending was completely unsatisfying. Told from different points of view, the book explores a serial rapist/killer and his relationship with the women in his life. It While it had the potential to be an enthralling, dark, psychological thriller, the characters felt very superficial to me. I wanted more of a deep dive into their personalities. This was definitely a slow burn with a lot of potential but for me it just fell flat.

I absolutely loved this book. It was impactful and a masterfully written thriller that leaves you questioning everything and stays on your mind for a while. Rachel's chapters were so powerful and impacted me in way I’ll never forget.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

This was a contender for favorite book of 2023! It’s psychological suspense about a serial killer with a very different public and private persona. This story is narrated by those closest to him: the man’s 13-year-old daughter, his girlfriend—and the one victim he has spared.

This was well written, especially given that it’s a debut. It’s dark, but most of the brutality happens off the page- though you still get the sense of dread. I was left with a couple of questions- not in a bad way, but more in a way where I want to discuss the psychology behind why things happened the way they did. This is definitely an author I have my eye on!

What an interesting take on a serial killer novel to have the POVs be from the females in the MC's life. I loved this book, and the twists were very unexpected, and that is always like a breath of fresh air! This was a ton of fun! 5 stars from me!

This book was so good that I couldn’t put it down! Definitely a 4.5 out of 5! If the ending was different it would be 5 out of 5. The ending wasn’t satisfying enough.

The first time I tried reading this book, I put it down because the 2nd person POV threw me off. I am not a fan of things written in the 2nd person POV, and I was unsure if I even wanted to read this once I realized that would be the majority of the book (there are two other POVs in this book, both in 1st person). However, I did pick it up again, and I don't regret it, but I did still struggle with that aspect of the book.

This is a story about a serial killer and the woman he hasn't killed yet, as well as his teenage daughter and a woman who believes to be in love with him. It had a very interesting premise, but I think it fell a little short due to constant repetition of the same exact things happening over and over, while just made a lot of the story feel a little too boring instead of thrilling. I was curious to see how it all ended though, and this might have been rated a little higher if we got a little more at the end just in the aftermath of what happens.

Overall, it was fine, but I wish we saw a little more of an actual thriller, instead of 'Rachel' just constantly reciting her day or Emily acting like a lovestruck teenager. It might have also been nice to get Aiden's POV from time to time, because that might have helped add to the story, and we could have also gotten some more of his motivation, because honestly, his character felt so underdeveloped - we see what the town sees and we see what Rachel sees and he never really feels like a complete person.

I feel like if this is something that you think you might be interested in, check it out because you might like it more than I did, but I don't know if I will specifically be recommending it to anyone.