Laney Kilpatrick has herself a fancy island home after her divorce. She has custody of her niece after her sister passes away. Strange things start happening on Laney's island after she has renters stay on her island to be able to afford the house. Now, Laney, with her niece, must go to Hemlock Island to investigate what is going on. Laney finds herself on the island with ex lovers and friends who are all trapped on the island by something, or someone.

This book takes readers on a wild journey. The only thing wrong with this book was I could not put it down. Hemlock Island was everything I was looking for and so much more! This book has suspense, love, and murder. This book was the horror story that I was looking for. It does get a little gory at times, but it is the perfect blend of horror and thriller.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the digital ARC!

I am conflicted as I write this review, because Hemlock Island is many things: horror novel, mystery novel, coming of age / overcoming trauma story. It's hard for me to rate this literary Man-bear-pig because there are some parts I would give 4 or 5 stars to (the ending, the descriptions), others I would give 2 stars to (the way the social commentary is brought up/written, especially the SA content, a few plot holes - <spoiler>the characters are on this remote island and somehow refer multiple times in the novel to "doing research" either in email or even on the Internet? unless they had books about black magic in their summer house?</spoiler>).

I expected something completely different (i.e. a regular slasher) out of this one and was surprised on many occasions and enjoyed my time, especially when the horror actually started. It was worth the wait!

I went in expecting a typical mystery/thriller and this book was anything but typical. It was spooky, gory, and twisty! Very enjoyable! Definitely gorier than I was anticipating - I haven't read many horror books and I will be adding some to my list now.

Once I started reading I couldn't put this book down. The island setting was creepy and I felt the isolation of the characters. The reader could tell the characters had secrets, but the reveals were perfectly timed.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Laney was gifted a vacation home on a private island from her now-divorced husband, and rents it out when she’s not there. The past few renters have complained about strange happenings at the house, bordering on occult, and she goes to the house with her 16 year old niece to investigate. When her ex and some friends arrive to help, things escalate, and all hell (literally) breaks loose. Hemlock Island is the secluded setting for this book, and you can feel the creepiness oozing from the pages as the book switches from thriller to horror, with plenty of thrills and chills to satisfy fans of both genres. Sufficiently unsettling, the plot explodes quickly, and you’ll breeze through this one. Leave a light on!
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As long as the reader realizes this is paranormal, you'll get what you expect. Great horror story with likable characters trying to find out what is happening. There are several mysteries here, what's going on at the island, what happened in the friendships, what caused the breakup of Laney and Kip's marriage. All gets answered, but it skips around feeding information slowly throughout the book. Of course if the characters had just talked to each other most would have been cleared up years before, plus the main character is pretty stubborn about being self-sufficient. I enjoyed the book, but didn't know it was paranormal by the description, which I do enjoy and Kelley Armstrong does well writing it. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance at at first read.

I am a long-time Kelley Armstrong fan and have read several of her series but I've never been into horror books before. Because I jump at the chance to read her books every time I see a new one, I requested Hemlock Island and immediately became immersed in this creepy story that takes place on an island in Lake Superior (not far from where I grew up). I read the whole book in 2 days while we were traveling and honestly I couldn't get enough of it. If you are a fan of hers, I recommend you try Hemlock Island even if it's normally not your style.

Apparently if anyone can convince me to read horror, it's Kelley Armstrong!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 12 September 2023

Kelley Armstrong ventures into new territory with her latest book Hemlock Island. This is a suspenseful and thrilling horror novel, but at its core is still the character driven narrative that Armstrong has become known for, making it a good read even for those who don't normally read in this genre.
An underlying theme of the book lies in the keeping of secrets and how lack of communication can cause lasting repercussions, not only for the ones with the secrets, but for all of those around them. Of course, this being a horror novel, those repercussions are shocking, graphic, and emotional.
The main character of Laney is relatable, and her internal dialogue throughout the book is both entertaining and spot-on.
While the last third of the book lost some of the natural flow of the first two-thirds, Armstrong has produced a good first horror novel and is sure to hone her craft in the genre with future books.
I am happy to have received an ARC of #HemlockIsland from #NetGalley.

Between 2 1/2 and 3.

I picked up this book because of the author but it turned out to be a genre I don't usually read. I thought it was a thriller with some romance, based on the series A Rip through Time, but it's actually a paranormal horror story.

It's well written and it kept me reading to the end because I had to know how it would end up, given everything that happens and escalates. It shouldn't have been classified as General Fiction.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Kelley Armstrong can suck me into a book faster than anything. I loved her new horror novel, "Hemlock Island".

I got very excited when I heard that Kelley Armstrong had written a horror novel. After reading several of her other series, I had a feeling that horror was a genre she could excel at. I was not wrong.

One thing that Kelley Armstrong does well is assemble a cast of characters. In this novel we have Laney; Kit, her ex-husband; Jayla, Kit’s sister and Laney’s former best friend; Sadie, a past friend of both Jayla and Laney; Garrett, Sadie’s brother; and Madison, Laney’s niece. The six adults in the group have a complicated and tangled history. They all end up on the isolated and private Hemlock Island for their own reasons, but ostensibly to investigate complaints from a prior renter of Laney’s island home that strange things are afoot. Over the next 24 hours evil intensifies, and the group needs to determine the source before it is too late.

This book is definitely horror, but there is also a mystery element. In typical Armstrong style, there are layers of history and secrets among the main characters and, as they are struggling for survival, the reader is also learning about their backstories and the secrets and feelings that have gone unspoken for years. There was a revelation about halfway in that I did not see coming and I loved that.

The horror elements are strong, creepy, and some images will stick with me for a while. I loved that Laney has internal dialogs that reflect what readers of horror novels are often wondering – why did she go into the woods alone, why did she investigate the scary noise in the night, etc. The ending was a departure from what I have come to expect in horror novels, and I appreciated both the surprise and the added dimension that it provided. This book will definitely appeal to fans of Kelley Armstrong’s books, and also to fans of a well-written horror story.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

I think this is the furthest into the horror genre Kelley Armstrong has gone and it was genuinely a very creepy supernatural mystery! Definitely kept me up reading late into the night!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's been a bit since I've had a 5 star review but Hemlock Island blew my mind. If you are into horror/psychological thriller then this book is for you. It had me hooked from the beginning and didn't let up.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review!

I absolutely love this author and I was so excited to get another ARC of hers! This one started out like a thriller and rocketed right into the horror realm. I felt like I got smacked in the face in the best way possible. I loved every minute of it! I can absolutely see this being made into a movie and I’d be first in line to watch it!

Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

This book was amazing!!!! Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong in exchange for an honest review. When I saw there was a standalone thriller coming out by Kelley Armstrong, I was so excited. As soon as I got the ARC I started hopping up and down in happiness. I thought I knew where this book was headed and the storyline, but everytime I thought I knew, there was a twist and everything changed. It was such an exciting book that was so hard to put down, even to eat or potty breaks. I kinda want to start it all over again and see if I missed anything. I'm afraid if I start describing it, I'll give away spoilers, so I'll just say, read this book, you'll love it.

I always enjoy Kelley Armstrong books and couldn't wait to dive into this book. In the horror genre, a slight departure from most of the author's supernatural genre, this was an engrossing read.

After renters flee the property after discovering what appear to be bloody fingerprints in a closet, Laney goes to the island to investigate. Other friends join her, and things quickly become sinister. Bodies, strange events, and twists keep you and the characters guessing about what is happening. Is it humans? Is it something supernatural? Who sabatoged the boats, and wants them stranded on the island? And will any of them make it off Hemlock Island alive?

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

It's often so difficult for me to find a new horror novel that I really enjoy while creeping me out at the same time. It seems that they are so few and far between in recent years. Then along comes this one, Hemlock Island. It starts off immediately and then slowly, methodically makes it's way from mystery to full blown horror. The descriptive atmosphere enhanced that horror tenfold and the story itself went in a direction I wasn't anticipating. I really enjoyed this hidden gem and definitely recommend it to all my fellow readers. Four Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

Laney is a recently single woman whose ex-husband left her Hemlock Island in their divorce. She has a giant home that she needs to rent out in order to keep up the costs. Random creepy things pop up around the island and a renter finds a closet with blood splattered all on the inside walls. This story is about Laney and her childhood friends who realize that something much bigger is happening on this island and how they can escape it.

The first half of this book had me in a chokehold. I couldn’t read fast enough and i needed to know what was going to happen. The second half got a little repetitive and lengthy. Either way, this was a very well written horror book- super detailed and able to visualize everything in my head. Add this to your TBR if you like spooky reads.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Hemlock Island is published on September 12, 2023.

This was an interesting read, even though it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I stayed uo late, rapidly flipping pages to find out WHAT was going on with this dang island and its dead/undead visitors, and was pretty satisfied with the conclusion. Definitely a unique, exciting adventure. Will recommend.

Hemlock Island follows Laney Kilpatrick, a woman struggling to keep her beloved Hemlock Island after a pandemic-fueled divorce. In order to maintain the property, she rents it out as a vacation home, despite her own reservations about the invasion of privacy. As the perplexing and frightening occurrences on the island escalate, Laney is forced to confront her past and the people she left behind, including her ex-husband Kit and former best friends Jayla and Sadie. The growing tension between the characters, as well as the secrets they harbor, adds depth to the story and keeps the reader engaged.

Armstrong's writing is atmospheric and descriptive, capturing the eerie and mysterious ambiance of Hemlock Island. The initial setup of the novel as a thriller with a handful of paranormal elements was totally intriguing and kept me completely hooked, eager to unravel the mystery behind the unexplained events. I thought for sure that this was going to end up a 4 or 5-star read for me.

However, about 2/3 of the way through the book, it took a sharp turn deep into the horror genre (which I wasn't expecting, so I must not have read the synopsis very well!), and the events escalated into something that became more and more far-fetched and really felt like a stretch. It required too much suspension of disbelief for me, and I found that it totally took away from everything that I had been enjoying in the earlier parts of the book. I love a good thriller, and I love a good horror novel, but the two parts of this book felt a bit disjointed for me, and I was left feeling unsatisfied and disappointed by the ending.

I haven’t read anything by Armstrong in a long time. This title would have worked better as a teen horror movie.

There are many visual jump scare scenes which would have conveyed well (better) on a screen. I also had a difficult time with repetition and the unlikely explanations of why things were happening…. Pranks? Buyers?

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for this review copy.

This review was also posted on Goodreads and Instagram