Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I’ve been in not really a slump but just haven’t been reading many books that wowed me recently. Then this one came along and wow I literally am obsessed with it.
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Hemlock Island is the perfect mix of horror and mystery and I loved everything about how the story unfolded. I was immediately hooked from page one and found myself unable to put this one down. I loved the characters and was super interested in what everyones deal was. What happened with Kit and Laney and Jayla? What did Sadie and Garrett have to do with the story? Why is Laney bringing Maddison to investigate the island? Let’s not forget the setting of the remote island brought on another element of the already atmospheric creepy read.
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I found this to be super fast paced and fun of heart racing, creepy, goosebump producing moments. It was gory and downright gross and I was all for it. The way she had a few of the twists unfold had my jaw on the ground. I loved the unraveling of the mystery and how everything in the end was answered.
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I listened to this while reading it and Angela Dawe was the perfect narrator for Laney. She brought the perfect amount of energy and right vibes to this story to make it one you cant help but want to listen to non stop.
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This will most definitely be one of my favorite spooky reads this year and I will 100% recommend this one to my thriller/horror friends out there. This was just released on 9/12, be sure to check it out!
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I recently read Armstrongs’ Rip Through Time series, and I thought they were great, but this - wow and to be able to cross genres like that. Absolutely amazed. I cannot wait to read way more of her work.

I first want to thank Kelley Armstrong and NetGalley for this ARC eBook edition.

To be entirely and completely honest, I did not care for this book and was struggling to finish, it was supposed to be scary but it kind of fell flat for me. I didn't like the reason for all the spookiness. It did have creepy and intense vibes throughout the book but I just didn't find it scary. Lainey inherits the home, and she is a struggling author. She also inherits her niece. So, she decides to rent this home out to make ends meet. I felt like there was a lot going on and I didn't like the way it all came together.

This was.. fine? I was definitely curious in the beginning but the further in I got the re worried I was about the direction it was heading. It didn’t quite go where I thought but I was still a little disappointed by what happened.

So much miscommunication, or just lack of communication, and Garrett was annoying AF. But I guess he was supposed to be. Not great, not awful, glad I read it.

This is a supernatural horror novel that takes place on a remote island. I went into this thinking it was just a murder/mystery thriller. I wasn't expecting the supernatural element, which is not my typical reading preference.
There was tension between the handful of characters due to some past "events" that were constantly referenced to, but irritatingly aren't revealed until about halfway through, and were only partially worth the wait as they were mostly predictable. There were parts that dragged with conversations about sexuality preferences. I went with it thinking it would be a big part of the finale, but it really wasn't. It was only applicable to a small part of the story.
It started off strong and had small portions that were scary and gruesome. I liked how it kept you guessing so you never really knew what they were dealing with until the end. It's a weird concept and really not like anything I've read before.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this eARC.

This was really good. It was one of those books that manages to be super creepy without being all in your face. Sure there were moments of gore/shock, but it was often the other elements that made it really eerie (and made me leave an extra light on at least once!). Loved the characters - Laney, Madison, Kit, Jayla. Loved that I had no idea what was going to be the outcome for the entire book (really was not expecting the ending). I did figure out the secret pretty early into the book though - almost from the first time it's brought up I had an inkling. I guess it was important for some of those characters to be on the island, but it didn't feel essential to the story for me. I had been about to give this five stars throughout the whole book, but the ending was kind of disappointing. It was SO unexpected (and sort of cool) but the way it all wrapped up, it left me unsatisfied, and I'm not entirely sure why. Didn't love it at all. Would absolutely recommend this book though and am looking forward to reading more from this author!

This is a page turner that kept me reading into the wee hours of the night. I normally avoid horror books because they give me nightmares. I don't even watch horror movies. This is a bit different. Even if it is classified horror, I think of it more as supernatural, in a similar vein to the popular TV Series.

As I think more about this book, it does also give me the same feel of reading one of Edgar Allen Poe's horror stories. Ms. Armstrong gives a nod to one of his stories in this book. Nicely done.

Even though this story has a supernatural element, it feels so realistic in many other aspects. The pandemic is written into this book. It feels like 25% or so of my friends ended up in a divorce. The pandemic exacerbated their underlying issues. This happened for Laney and her ex, Kit. Neither one of them expected to have their relationship fall apart when they suddenly had to work from home together. I especially appreciated this viewpoint and to see it from both Kit and Laney's perspective.

The horror part of this story is not so scary and more creepy. People are dying and trying to understand what is happening in a logical sense is not going to work. This plot and the different sequence of events that caused "bad things to happen" appeals to me. It is not just one event or one person that caused all these "accidents" and killings. I really enjoyed it and honestly, the "big bad" that is killing . . . I cannot say that they are not justified. This grey area makes me like this book even more. This thriller is recommended to readers who like reality boundaries pushed.

I love the whole premise of this book. It has a fantastic set-up, with a sinister feel.

I really enjoyed everything from the backstories of the characters to the physical descriptions of the island. The story really captivated me.

And then it got creepy! There were scary forces at play on this island and it did some really gruesome and hair-raising things to the people there! I thought it was going great…

But it got weird. I think it went just one-step too far. In the vein of Just Like Home, this story just became stranger by the page.

It turned out to feel almost mythological in some aspects, which I really like. I just thought it was a weird way to get there.

Nobody does atmospheric, remote thrillers like Kelley Armstrong, and HEMLOCK ISLAND is a perfect example. Taking place on a remote island accessible only by boat, a group of people are investigating strange happenings at a vacation house owned by one of them, and they must survive the unknown without technology, weapons, or a way out. The location is as much of a threat as the unknown is, and I loved that extra layer of dread and hopelessness it adds to the story. ⁣
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I also love that not only is the setting and the pacing fantastic, the story is also very character-focused. All of these characters have a history together and through the course of their investigating (and subsequent fight for survival), layers of their shared history are slowly revealed. Some of what they’ve experienced is just as traumatic and/or heartbreaking as they what they’re now going through and there’s a lot of distrust involved, which certainly doesn’t bode well for a group who only has each other to rely on. ⁣
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All told, HEMLOCK ISLAND is an immersive and atmospheric horror-thriller with a supernatural twist that will grab readers from the opening pages. Perfect for fans who like their horror a bit more on the subtle side, this is certainly one I’ll recommend. 4 stars. ⁣
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*eARC received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher.

This was a great story! The characters are well developed and it moves at a quick pace. Its unique and well written. The suspense build up is well done. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Kelley Armstrong, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Is there anything more claustrophobic and atmospheric than a remote island with a killer on the loose? Nope. Hemlock Island definitely delivers.

Laney Kilpatrick is a divorced teacher and debut thriller author who, in part to the pandemic and taking on the care of her 16 year old niece, must rent her sprawling island vacation home. Renters have recently reported some very strange occurrences.

She and her niece decide to investigate, and when a cast of compelling characters show up, become stranded on the island for the night. That’s when things get out of control!

It’s full of twists and chills, secrets between the characters unfold throughout, and while the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I’d hoped, the book still gave me enough fright for ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

I have to be honest, I had a hard time with this one. I was intrigued by the story but not enough that I was desperate to read it and couldn't put it down. The premise was definitely interesting and I liked it, but it wasn't my favorite thriller.

I did enjoy trying to solve the mystery along with the characters, and was surprised with how it all wrapped up, but overall it just fell a bit flat for me.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and St.Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

One of my favorite things about books is being surprised by them. I went into this book not remembering anything about the setup so everything that happened was unexpected to me. I like the "trapped on an island" trope and the horror twist just made it even better. Laney is a main character to root for, and even though there are definitely a few moments where one may wish for different choices by the characters, I could not put this book down. It's perfect for spooky season reading!

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

Kelley Armstrong has done it again! A locked room (island?) mystery meets horror story?! Yes!!! This book starts on the slower side with some character development and scene building, but it picks up the pace and you won’t be able to put it down!

So.... thank you this book for proving why it’s always a bad idea to be anywhere secluded or even visit a lone house on an island and most certainly absolutely never go ANYWHERE without phone service and Wi-Fi... no thank you... sounds like a good way for something weird or murderous to happen....

Laney is trying to manage her life post divorce with her recently deceased sister’s teenage daughter. Frantic phone calls in the middle of the night wake Laney and Madison one night. In order to maintain the vacation house she got in the divorce Laney has been renting out the house located on a small secluded island. Strange things have been happening that seem like some bad pranks so they go out to check on things after the last renters call. What Laney doesn’t expect is to find her ex-husband and his sister her ex-best friends showing up too. They have learned of the goings on and came to help investigate. What none of them expect is two additional uninvited people to show up to the island. Another old ex-friend who brought her brother in tow to “help” in his capacity as a cop. What they really don’t expect is for things to take a far more sinister turn. Because maybe someone was trying to scare Laney into selling... which is logical make perfect sense. People do crazy things when they want something all the time. There’s also possibly some past secrets that might be at the root of this because people do hold grudges... But a severed hand, one of them going missing and other strange dangerous things prove that nothing about this just a prank or someone trying to scare them. And then there are the bodies....

Laney was rather annoying mostly because I can’t stand people who pile unnecessary guilt onto themselves... her parents should have gotten her sone therapy so that maybe she might have gotten out of that habit. Because really she could have told Sadie and Garret to leave, she didn’t want them there with good reason and honestly I can’t even fathom why she would ever want contact with Sadie in the first place. But again therapy. Kit and Jayla aren’t innocent either because they could have had conversations with Laney about certain things and they didn’t. I guess I’m not as nice as I thought I was because I would not have been nice to Sadie and especially not Garret. Laney frustrated and annoyed me but I did like her though who knew you could be toxically understanding because her always being so understanding of everyone was definitely a problem. A simple conversation could have made things between Laney and Kit so much easier. The only person in the whole book who did anything sensible consistently was Madison the teenager.

So character rant aside what happens on the island? Some crazy stuff. I did like the story even though technically what it all came down to was a supernatural misunderstanding of sorts. Crazy and weird but I like crazy and weird so it works for me. I just think the people had annoying problems and they annoyed me. But the way it ended? Ehh... I mean I wasn’t that surprised about who ended up wanting sone revenge on Laney and it was actually interesting. It’s just that it really didn’t need to end like it did. The end kind of ruined it for me.

Anyway Madison was awesome the adults in her life not as much. Oh but also secluded/private island = bad.

This story was like a locked door mystery meets the exorcist and I am here for it. The story starts off a little slow as we learn some of the backstory of the characters and the island. However, once the story kicks off, it is a non-stop ride of twists and turns. I felt like I was there with them on the island and I needed to keep reading to find out what happens next. Another great standalone novel from Kelley Armstrong.

Let me say right away that I’m not generally a reader of the horror genre. In fact, this may be the first one I’ve read, but I wanted to try it because I love the other books by Kelley Armstrong that I’ve read, and I wanted to step out of my comfort zone a bit.

There are plenty of appropriately creepy things that happen in this book. (If you’re “into” horror stories, you can guess some of them without me getting into specifics, to avoid spoilers.) Laney owns a gorgeous custom house on a private island about 5 miles off shore in Lake Superior - part of a divorce settlement. Since she’s a teacher and a not-yet-successful writer, she can’t really afford to keep up the place, so she rents it out for extra income. The action starts when she finds out that there have been complaints by renters about weird/scary stuff they’ve experienced. Her ex-husband, Kit, comes along to help check out what’s been happening, as well as his sister Jayla, who used to be Laney’s BFF. Also along is Madison, Laney’s teenage niece who lives with Laney since her mom (Laney’s sister) died. Plus two others who Laney has fallen out with, Sadie and Garrett. So it’s an odd assortment of people who go to the island to investigate. You eventually get everyone’s backstory and why they are no longer friends, etc.

The island descriptions are very atmospheric. Armstrong does a great job of building up the tension. If you’re looking to dip your toes into the horror genre, this would be a good place to start.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Hemlock Island easily sucked me into it private island and had me completely engrossed in the story. This is my first book by Kelley Armstrong. and it defiantly won't be my last, her writing if fantastic. The Island has it secrets and they are slow leaking out and be coming out and the feeling of desperation and cluelessness was so good. I really liked all the characters and their shared history, and that we get the little clues we get to what went wrong with him. So many secrets , I loved it! It was super fast moving pace that I flew through. The things that happen on the island were terrifying, a little gore, the sneaking feeling something bad was about to happen, and the stuck feeling!
4,5 stars
Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for my gifted copy

2.5 Stars

I had to think about what I just read for a few days. I was worried that my review would be too snarky if I didn't stop and think about it!


Okay, I didn't like this book, but I do believe that many, many others are going to love it. I do recommend it to those who love what I'm about to describe.


If you love those horror movies where everyone does exactly what they shouldn't, then you are going to love this book. These are adults acting like teenagers and not in a good way. Okay, I understand that the author (whom I love when she is writing her Rockton Novels) is writing to many different ages, but it sure didn't seem like that to me. All I wanted to do was yell at the characters and even the situation (the author should have done better research!) Stranded on a "deserted" island with no cell service. A locked door mystery. Little by little, all means of escape are lost---none of the stranded can figure out what the people outside really are. (something very popular in horror fiction) then add in a mystic quality, mysteries, and lies between friends. Then, the unusual conclusion.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher St. Martin's Press, the author, and NetGalley.

As a life-long lover of horror, I was intrigued by Hemlock Island. A beautiful and haunting cover. An isolated setting. with a locked-room feel. A group of friends and family with secrets to hide. All the things that make for a spine-tingling tale. But, for me, the story fell short. I did not feel any emotion for the characters, and I never felt like I got to really know them. The cast was diverse, but I felt like they were diverse just to check diversity boxes: a gay character, a bisexual character, a gender non-conforming teen, a Black brother and sister, a Middle Eastern couple, an interracial relationship, etc. What drew these people to a remote area in and off Lake Superior? Why do they talk to must without really talking about anything?

The reveal felt equally as odd to me. There just wasn't enough background around the trope to make it feel real. Most of the horror was just the main character running around her property with her favorite flashlight and tripping over roots. I didn't feel any particular terror.

2.5 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

BOOK REVIEW: Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong
2023 Publication Date: September 12

⭐️⭐️⭐️

T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books Of 2023

Pages: 304
Genre: Thriller
Sub-Genre: Ghost Thriller
Time Period: Contemporary
Location: Lake Superior (US)
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

PUBLISHER BOOK SYNOPSIS:

Laney Kilpatrick has been renting her vacation home to strangers. The invasion of privacy gives her panic attacks, but it’s the only way she can keep her beloved Hemlock Island, the only thing she owns after a pandemic-fueled divorce. But broken belongings and campfires that nearly burn down the house have escalated to bloody bones, hex circles, and now, terrified renters who've fled after finding blood and nail marks all over the guest room closet, as though someone tried to claw their way out...and failed.

When Laney shows up to investigate with her teenaged niece in tow, she discovers that her ex, Kit, has also been informed and is there with Jayla, his sister and her former best friend. Then Sadie, another old high school friend, charters over with her brother, who’s now a cop.

There are tensions and secrets, whispers in the woods, and before long, the discovery of a hand poking up from the earth. Then the body that goes with it...

But by that time, someone has taken off with their one and only means off the island, and they’re trapped with someone ― or something ― that doesn’t want them leaving the island alive.

BOOK QUOTE:
"Whatever this spirit is, it goes beyond good or evil. It is above good and evil. It is nature... And its' justice is blind..." — Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong

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All my book reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at thisismyeverybody.com/blog/what-book-should-i-read

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.