All the Dangerous Things
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Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook and Audiobook
Date Published: 1/10/23
Author: Stacy Willingham
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
GR: 4.24

TW ⚠️: Child Kidnapping/Missing and Mental Health Issues

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: I fell back in love with books with Willingham’s debut novel, Flicker, and she quickly became one of my favorite thriller writers. This novel was NO different, maybe even better than Flicker. The story opens up at a conference with our MC, Isabelle, telling her story once again, her son, Mason, was taken from his crib in the middle of the night. She has also been diagnosed as a sleepwalker early on and still suffers with this condition. Secrets and betrayal run deep throughout this novel. This novel will not be for everybody, especially people who have triggers with children missing, I strongly urge you to consider the trigger warning. The narrator is absolutely amazing, has great voice structure with the varying characters, and really brings Isabelle to life through the story unfolding.

The atmosphere was built as moody and intense, and the author builds good tension throughout the story. The descriptions was top notch and pulls you into the storyline. The story is narrated in a dual timeline, past and present tense, by our MC, Isabelle, through her POV. The past timeline was from 1999 when she was younger, when something extremely tragic happened in her household. The characters were well fleshed out, well developed, had depth, were mysterious, and brilliantly created. The characters were built up well, the plot is delivered in many twists, and the ending was absolutely amazing. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, suspenseful, twisty, and just brilliant. Some of the twists were predictable but there were a few that I did not see coming, which I love when an author can surprise me.

I had the pleasure of having the ebook and audiobook. I preferred the audiobook, the narrator just brought this story to life and I could not stop listening once I started. If you enjoyed the first novel, you will definitely enjoy this one, as long as you can get pass the warning. I cannot recommend this book enough. One of the top five star reads this year for me and I have a feeling it will remain in my top ten. This novel was gripping, clever, captivating, and kept me on the edge of my seat, not wanting to put down, cover to cover. Go buy this book, borrow from your library, or borrow from a friend, whatever you need to do to get this book in your hands!

👩‍👦A L C • R E V I E W 👩‍👦
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Title: All The Dangerous Things
Author: Stacy Willingham
Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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"And I'm not just talking about mom guilt that secret society reserved for mothers that batters one single notion over and over again, that no matter how hard we try were doing it all wrong. That every little thing is our fault. That we are unfit, unworthy. That our shortcomings are the cause of every scream and tear and trembling lip. But this is more than that."
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Stacy Willingham does it again with an absolute smashing and enticing thriller. She is easily becoming an auto buy author for me.
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I loved that this thriller was about memory, about questioning oneself, about how far we will go for those we love. The unreliable narrator trope was spot on in this one. Izzy can't be trusted because of a past of sleep walking where an incident occurred? Now her son is missing?! I was hooked. I found myself glued to my air pods unable to put the audio down because I needed to know more, I needed to know what was happening. This definitely wasn't the easiest read for me, especially with being a new mom, but the story was just so gripping I needed to know how this one ended. But.... I loved that we learned about Izzy's past all while following along with Izzy's present. It was all just written so perfectly.
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And those twists, seriously, TWISTS, there were so many!! WHOA, seriously I was left shocked as hell and felt like every single one of them was placed at the ideal moment in the story to leave us with our jaws on the ground. Phenomenal story from start to finish.
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I listened to this one, and it was narrated by Karissa Vacker and it was done great. I was instantly drawn into the story, unable to put it down!!
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This one was released on January 10th and I have seen such rave reviews and let me tell you guys - they hype is most definitely real!! Go pick this one up and read it or listen to it, either way you will not be disappointed!! Huge thank you to @netgalley and @stacywillingham and @macmillinaudio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. 
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#fivestarbookreview #netgalley #ALC #advancedlistenerscopy #memory #thriller #twistsgalore #pastcatchingupwiththepresent #unreliablenarrator #podcasts #thehypeisreal #allthedangerousthings #stacywillingham #macmillinaudio

I absolutely love the audio of this book. This was such an amazing thrill of a ride book to read and listen to. I loved it so much with the audio I bought myself the actual physical copy of the book. The narrator made the story come to life. Highly recommend

⭐️⭐️.5

𝘼 𝙩𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩.

📍 Read if you like:
• Unreliable Narrators
• Dual Timelines
• Unexpected Twists
• Motherhood

Honestly, I should’ve known I wasn’t going to enjoy this slow-paced thriller. While I did “like” A Flicker in the Dark last year, I feel like I struggled so much with the pacing and how predictable it was.

I wanted to enjoy this one as so many people have loved it, but it just didn’t work for me. The premise was so interesting, but the pacing was so difficult to get into. I even tried the audiobook and still struggled.

The whole time I wanted to skim through and just get to the twists. There was so much going on that I felt was super unnecessary and I wished the story got to the twists quicker.

Isabella’s character was a bit interesting. I obviously felt horrible for her, but I didn’t really connect with her. I was rooting for her to find her son though.

I wish there was more to the story. The one unreliable narrator just didn’t work for me. I also struggled with the dual timelines, which usually is something I love.

Also, that ending was a bit predictable. I know many others found it to be super shocking and twisty, but to me, it didn’t feel like that.

I do realize this is more of a “me” thing as it has glowing reviews on Goodreads, so please don’t come at me… but the book just didn’t work for me unfortunately. Ultimately, I do think others will love this so please take my review with a grain of salt.

Genre: Thriller

Format: Audio

4.5 stars - I really liked it!

Tysm @netgalley and @librofm for the complimentary audio copies!

@stacyvwillingham’s sophomore book, and it delivered! It was interesting, kept me engaged, and surprised me! I also appreciated the deeper themes regarding motherhood throughout the book.

I thought her twist on an unreliable narrator was so creative and enjoyed the podcast elements integrated into the plot.

The setting, character development, and writing were all done so well and the audio was also the *chefs kiss*.

I would recommend for fans of The Push!

After loving A Flicker in the Dark I was excited for Willingham’s sophomore thriller. She delivers the twists and turns as a mother investigates the disappearance of her son.

Our lead Isabelle is a bit unreliable with a history of sleepwalking and the general sleepless nights of motherhood, but she teams up with a true crime podcaster to try and find her son.

The pacing was good and I was suspicious of everyone at some point. Enjoyed it overall, especially the audiobook — Karissa Vacker has become one of my favorite narrators.

Stacy Willingham is surely a great writer but unfortunately I was not prepared for some of the triggers in this book. As a reviewer I prefer the opportunity to view trigger warnings before viewing a book. For anyone who is sensitive to triggers surrounding children, this is not the book for you. Especially moms or moms-to-be.

Absolutely enjoyed this audiobook. Then and Now POV, twists I didn’t see coming when I thought I had it figured out, haunting audio narrator and one of my favorites from previous books. Listened in one sitting and a suspenseful mystery well done.

Isabelle Drake's young son, Mason, was taken from his crib one night while he was sleeping a year ago and Isabelle has never given up looking for him. She speaks a true crime events to keep the case fresh in people's minds with the hope that somebody may have information. She's hardly slept at all in the past year and her whole existence revolves around finding her son. Enter a true crime podcaster who works with Isabelle to find out information but gets very personal with his questions that makes Isabelle very nervous because she has secrets of her own.
This was a very good thriller. Just about all the characters in this book are keeping secrets and the reader is kept in the dark pretty much during the whole story. I listened to the audiobook and while Karissa Vacker does an excellent job with the women's voices, all the male characters sound the same. Their is no differentiation in their expression, voice or tone and at times that was confusing. This would have been a better audiobook if the male characters were read by a male.

I really enjoyed Stacy Willingham’s debut
novel, A Flicker in the Dark so her newest book was a highly anticipated read for me and it did not disappoint. It is my favorite kind of thriller- a slow burn that gives the story time to build. With dual timelines, an unreliable narrator and a Southern setting I was in book love.

I both read the physical book and listened to the audiobook and they are both equally wonderful.
Psychological thrillers are my go to and when they are done well there is nothing better. This one is done to perfection. If you are looking for a book that you can’t put down and will keep you flipping pages until late into the night get a copy of All the Dangerous Things immediately!

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for this audio book in exchange for an honest review.
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Isabelle Drake is a sleep deprived mother whose son was kidnapped a year ago while her and her then husband were sleeping in the next room. The case is still open and unsolved- leaving Isabelle unable to sleep or cope well. Not to mention she has always had insomnia and used to walk in her sleep as a child. - plot gets even stickier when explaining Isabella’s bouts with sleep walking and the death of her younger sister Margaret. But for all those details you’ll have to read to find out how they intertwine with Isabella’s current story.

As the story progresses we find Isabelle’s husband Ben, has moved on with another woman. Who looks like a younger version of Isabelle herself…. Oh and let’s not forget his first wife, Allison, who also stuck a striking resemblance to the woman.

I loved the narrator who kept me enraptured throughout and left me needing to find out what happened to Mason myself.

This one had me gripped! I listened to it in one sitting and it had my attention from start to finish. You are not only wondering what happened to the main characters son but what happened in her childhood as you go back and forth in time unraveling two mysteries in pieces

The narrator was amazing to the point that I thought for a moment that there was a second narrator.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing what happened and all came together at the end. The narrator. She was very easy to listen to.

If you liked A Flicker in the Dark you will enjoy this book. It will make you wonder if you can rely on your own memory or if you just remember what you were told. This passage struck me so much as it explains what reading and words have always meant to me as an avid reader.

"The Great Skedaddle.” I had never heard that word before, skedaddle, but I liked it. I liked the way it made my tongue feel, like it was dancing. In learning to read, I was also learning to fall in love with words; I liked how each one was different, unique, like a fingerprint. How some hissed through my teeth while others rolled off my lips, slippery like oil, and others clacked against the roof of my mouth like a verbal gum smack. Each new word was a new experience, a new sound. A new feeling. And each combination led to a new story to read, a new world to discover." Thank you Stacy Willingham

This was a tense and suspenseful read that grabbed my attention immediately! Told from duel timelines from Isabelle of “Then” and “Now”, I was captivated by her as an unreliable narrator and her questions and doubts around the idea of motherhood.

I had similar feelings regarding this one as her debut, A Flicker in the Dark. I’d seen some remarkable reviews and a few mixed ones, so I tried to go in with an open mind and was not let down! Was it my favourite book of the year like I’d seen some reviews? Certainly not. Was I not mind blown by the “twisty” ending like her debut, no, but did I enjoy the ride regardless? Absolutely!

I found it a bit of a slow burn at times but I was intrigued and engaged the entire time and found it to be a solid domestic suspense! I look forward to what Willingham does next!

ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS
Stacy Willingham, Author
Mystery/Thriller

When Isabelle Drake’s baby is taken in the middle of the night a year ago her life changed dramatically. Her mind is playing tricks on her and now she suspects everyone around her has taken her baby. On top of that her husband has left her for a lady with a striking resemblance to herself.

This book takes you on a wild ride. Through the ups and downs of Isabelle life and the huge twist at the end of the book. She realizes that she may not be as crazy as everyone thought she was. I would give this book a solid 5 out of 5 stars!

I loved this one! The dual timelines helped move the story along and kept me reading so I could find out what happened next. The author’s thoughts on motherhood and the guilt that we all carry were spot on - and those feelings increased my empathy for the main character even though she was clearly an unreliable narrator. I guessed one of the twists, but there were still several surprises. This is my first book by Stacy Willingham, but I will be reading more!

This is by far the BEST audiobook that I have listened to, thus far. I am fairly new to reading along with audiobooks, but they are definitely starting to grow on me.

Karissa Vacker's voice was the absolute PERFECT voice for Isabelle Drake and the way that she seamlessly switched between the higher female voices and lower male voices was just incredible and so, so believable. I felt every single emotion in her voice as she was reading... and she just pulled me directly into the story. After listening to the first two chapters, I immediately found myself searching for every other audiobook she's voiced, and I'll be listening to every single one of them, starting with Stacy Willingham's first book, A Flicker in the Dark.

The book itself--All the Dangerous Things--was also absolutely perfect. This was my first Stacy Willingham book, and it certainly won't be my last. While the subject matter of the book was incredibly hard and gut-wrenching to read as a mother of an 18-month old baby, there was just something about it that just had me so completely immersed.

Yes, it's a slow burn, but it is one million per cent a slow burn done right. This particular story doesn't need all of the action of a fast paced thriller. The pace of the book is actually one of the things that I loved so much about it, especially given its plot. A book about a mother who hasn't slept for a year because she spends every waking second thinking of and looking for her missing son, doesn't call for action, nor should you expect that. It calls for believability, and part of that believability comes from the past year being the longest one of her life, reflected in a slower--but ultimately super twisty--mystery.

This is no doubt one of my new favourite crime books and it's one that I'll be recommending to others for years to come.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press, Raincoast Books & LibroFM for the gifted review copies: physical, digital, and audio.

I read Stacy Willingham's debut novel because there was so much hype around it, and I must say that it fell a bit flat for me. When I saw that she had a new book I was a little hesitant to read it because again I was hearing lots of hype, but let me tell you I was really glad I gave her another shot! This book was fast paced, suspenseful and there were so many twists and turns. I thought the characters were good, the storyline kept me involved the entire time wanting to know what was going to happen next. There are lots of red herrings and the story goes back and forth in the time line to throw you off what is actually happening. And just when you think you know what is going to happen the story shifts. I think this would work well as a tv series for sure. I can't wait to see what she puts out next!

Such a fantastic book! I was a little hesitant because of the topic of kidnapping and the fact that I have a young child. It is a very real concern with me. The story though was so focused on the mom and her finding the truth that it wasn't a trigger for me. It was so well written and such a great mystery. I also have to say that I loved and related to the ending of this one! The narrator was also fantastic!