A big thank you to Ashley Winstead, Sourcebooks Landmark, NetGalley & RB Media for the gifted digital and audio ARC of this book.

Okay, the thriller queen is AT 👏🏼 IT 👏🏼 AGAIN 👏🏼
& I am, as always, here for it! 😍

This atmospheric & haunting thriller examines religious extremism and its impact on the town of Bottom Springs. Even in making that simple statement, I feel like I’m not scratching the surface of this book - as it is complex in the best of ways, always bringing me to a deeper understanding of pressing sociological issues & the impact they have on the world. I don’t want to give too much away, but just know that- YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK!

With themes of Twilight and a setting likened to Where The Crawdads Sing, you won’t be able to put this one down! When I tell you I was able to full on picture myself in Bottom Springs - I mean it! Ashley’s writing is top notch and somehow seems to be getting even better?! How does she do it?!

In addition to being the thriller queen, I think Ashley deserves another title - the queen of badass female characters - written by the badass she is her self! 🤯🙌🏼 I am consistently impressed by the depth, strength and complexities that Ashley brings to her characters & I consistently finish her books with a sense of female empowerment - which is simply phenomenal.

Snag this book ASAP! You won’t regret it! 😍

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one! I’ve loved Winstead’s other books and felt really lucky to receive an ARC of this one, but it was just okay for me. Like, I love Twilight as much as the next millennial woman, but this was a little much?? The plot meanders too much for my liking as well, that may be because I’m in a weird reading headspace right now.

I think this is a book I will definitely revisit down the road because I do love Winstead’s books and writing so I think it deserves another shot.

This one disappointed me, sadly. It started out strong and I was really invested, but at about the 50% mark, it seemed to fizzle out and didn’t pick up again.

3.5-4⭐️ Ashley Winstead is a phenomenal writer, whether she is writing cult thrillers or political romcoms. While there was quite a bit I enjoyed about this one, including the atmospheric setting, love story, and a book loving MC, the shifting timelines felt jarring at times and prevented me from ever fully connecting. That said, I will forever and always read anything Winstead writes.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and Tantor Audio for the gifted copies

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this read. This was quite good. This is the first novel that I found had slow parts in it but was still interesting to read. I do not think Ashley Winstead needs help recommending her books but I do think this one is a go ahead read.

This book gave me Where the Crawdads Sing vibes. I loved the twists and turns as well as the various characters portrayed in this small town in Louisianna. Midnight is the Darkest Hour is about a skull that is discovered in the water in this small town and how the main character Ruth and her best friend Everett are forced to confront an even that happened to them when they were in their last year of high school. The book goes back and forth between the present and the past to tell the story. Ruth is convinced that the town will learn of what happened years ago. As Ruth tries to find out why another skull has also been unearthed, she begins to learn of the unsavory goings on in her town.
This was a great read for those who are into small town secrets and some scrupulous characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Ms. Winstead for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

This is my first book by Ms. Winstead and it won’t be my last. Ms. Winstead has a beautiful way with words:

We were together through all seasons, but at our best in summer, our most alive when spring growth turned overripe, dizzy and fecund; when the air burst with so much hot, sticky life that you knew it was unsustainable, and fall would have to come and temper it soon.


Or this:

Maybe I was destined for this: self-immolation in the rain.


Gorgeous.

The sense of place here is magnificent: deep South, a small town surrounded by woods and swamp and filled with nosy neighbors and strong (even extreme) Christian faith. You can practically hear the buzzing of the insects and feel the oppressive wet blanket of the heat and humidity. Of course, there are secrets buried in the bucolic small town, and perhaps the occult lurks in the shadows as well. I got some really strong True Detective vibes from this. I don’t know why, but I find this sort (deep South, claustrophobically small town, overgrown woods/swamp/bayou, generally ominous vibes) to be pretty much the most frightening setting, horror-wise. Ms. Winstead nailed it with the setting. The characters are good too: Everett, called Ever, who grew up the abused son of the town drunk and who has only one friend: Ruth, the sheltered, introverted, secretly rebellious only child of the town minister. There are lots of secrets here: there’s almost no character without one. I really liked Ruth’s friend/coworker Nissa, but I’m pretty much professionally obligated to support a fellow librarian.

Plotwise, the mystery wasn’t that mysterious – I am not a person who likes to parse out whodunnit as I read but I had this one pretty much figured out – but the overall creepy factor and the general feeling of impending doom kept me reading at top speed. I did not love the ending but I guess it was fitting, all things considered. I wish things had turned out differently though. Nonetheless this was a great pre-Halloween book and I will definitely seek out more by this author. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a 5-star book for me that will not be a 5-star book for everyone. It has incredibly strong themes of religious fundamentalism and weaponizing belief and faith. If these could be triggers for you, I highly recommend skipping this book.

But for those of you who wish to read it, you are in for a wild ride. In this book, Ashley Winstead builds a horrifyingly believable small town in Louisiana with a multi-generational lore about a vampiric being named the Low Man. You're drawn into this town, the townspeople, and their stories while following Ruth as she's challenged to relearn and revise her entire belief system.

It's dark. It's twisted. It's not easy to read. But it's important - because at the end of the day, Ashley Winstead writes books about women struggling to navigate a world that wasn't built by us and the consequences of choices we make while simply trying to make it through. If you've ever listened to her talk about her experience as a Ph.D. student and her frustration with whose stories were told and whose theories we're taught to believe, you'll see some of those themes represented in this book. She's so bright and her books are so so so SO poignant.

In addition to these heavy themes, she also delivers an entertaining book that at face value, I couldn't put down. As someone who read Twilight as a teenager, I absolutely LOVED the references and reminder of how formative books can be and therefore the importance of having access to so many.

Five stars and a standing ovation. She can't miss.

This one was a lot different than The Last Housewife, but Ashley Winstead is a drop everything auto-read author for me, and I absolutely loved it.

Ruth lives in the Bible Belt and is the daughter of the town's Pastor. Ruth has always felt like an outsider but for her bestie, Everett. When there is a murder in the town, Ruth and Everett team up to figure out what is going on. The book deals with a mix of religion and the occult and handles the topics flawlessly. Be prepared for a lot of twilight references.

Be prepared and make sure you check the trigger warnings first. Although this book isn't quite as triggering as Last Housewife, there is still quite a bit in there that could be sensitive to some people.

Overall, I absolutely love Winstead's writing and will continue to devour all of her thrillers.

Almost any book that's based in Louisiana I'm guaranteed to read and enjoy. And wow, the atmosphere and setting of this book was impeccable. This was my first Ashley Winstead book and I was blown away by this one. It was mind blowing, complex, dark, and I ate up every last word. I loved the religion in this book, it added so much to the story and made it so much darker. I loved the mythical vampiric figure haunting this town, it spooked me quite a few times. Definitely read the trigger warnings before going into this book because it's DARK. As I have never read any of her other books (but I plan to now) I have nothing to compare it to as far as writing style and plot but man, after reading this I can't wait to dive into her other works. This book was absolutely fantastic.

*Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for the gifted copy for my honest review*

Yes. This had everything I wanted and more. Honestly, I am not going to say too much because you just need to read this and I don’t want to spoil anything. The biggest issue I had with this was knowing that I now have to wait another year or so to read a new book from my girl. @‌ashleywinstead could write a to do list and I would probably still give it five stars. Thankfully, she has another banger on her hands so I can easily recommend this one!

Midnight Is The Darkest Hour
By Ashley Winstead

I screeched like a banshee when I got the approval for this ARC- have been anxiously awaiting for this release! I really enjoyed this mix-up of Twilight & The Vampire Diaries story! So atmospheric felt as if I was in the bayou. Winstead really has a gripping way catching your attention with her stories and this one really is one of my favorite of hers. Definitely check your trigger warning if you struggle with religion, occult, family trauma. Furthermore, highly recommend especially going into the fall.



📚 Expected release date October 3, 2023📚
❤️Thank you Sourcebooks, NetGalley, & the brilliant author Ashley Winstead. I’m super appreciative & gave my honest opinion❤️

This was a very interesting read that was unlike anything I have read this year. It was a well balanced mix of mystery, thriller, dark scenery, family drama, and so much more. It was darkly atmospheric and immersive.

Ruth and her best friend Everett has a dark shared past in the town of Bottom Springs, LA. Their otherwise vastly different lives collided as teenagers. Ruth is the daughter of the town’s prolific reverend and Everett is the disgraced son of the town’s drunk mechanic. When a skull is discovered their past comes hurtling back to them.

The topics this book discusses are intense and I would certainly recommend checking any trigger warnings before you read it, but if you can handle it, it is definitely worth the read.

“We’re not monsters. We’re the sane ones”

Ashley Winstead continues to amaze me. Her thrillers are always unique, fresh, and thought provoking. Her dedication to exploring how women are treated by society is UNMATCHED.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour is a seductive gothic thriller that takes place in a small, extremely religious, Louisiana town. We follow the unlikely friendship between Ruth, the preacher’s daughter, and Everett, a poor boy considered to be the devil’s son. After Ruth comes face to face with the darkness inside of men, her and Everett fall into a world of sin, violence, and mutual wickedness as they try to uncover what else the rotten town is hiding.

As with all of Ashley Winstead’s thrillers… I could not stop reading. As a certified audiobook girlie I am proud to say I finished this entire ebook in only a few days despite not having an audiobook. That’s how you know I was hooked. Also, the ending of this book was truly wild… all the way up to the last page.

What really sold this one to me, as with all of Ashley Winstead’s books, are her two main leads Ruth and Everett. They make such a deliciously wicked pair. I loved the tension between them throughout the book and how they would do anything for each other. Lots of horrible things happen to these two but their loyalty for each other never waivers and I really loved that.

I also love how Ashley Winstead adds just a hint of romance to her thrillers. It makes me really eat them up unlike anything else. I think about the romantic entanglements from In My Dreams I Hold a Knife at least once a week.

I think my favorite thing about this book is how Ashely Winstead portrays women and the discussions around policing women, especially in ultra conservative contexts. She touches on this in her discussion at the end of the book, but I just will never get enough of how she challenges these common narratives that women are supposed to be weak, unemotional, passionless, and controlled. I won’t go too into it, but the fact that Ruth is obsessed with Twilight was so good.

Even though this was one of my most anticipated reads of this year, I do think it ultimately is my least favorite Ashley Winstead behind In My Dreams I Hold a Knife (5 stars) and The Last Housewife (4.5 Stars). I still loved it but she lost me a little bit about 2/3 of the way through this book and I kept asking myself what I was even reading. With such a strong start, I think the reveals ultimately felt a little underwhelming to me. I also think some of the evangelical preaching felt a little… forced? Some of the main antagonists in this one felt a bit like caricatures, especially Ruth’s father. I found him kind of ridiculous at points so that took away from some of the tension in the latter half. I also predicted some of the twists so that kept it from truly blowing my mind.

Overall, I think if you are looking for an unconventional thriller for fall/spooky season that has loads of social commentary, this would be perfect. Although not the most fast paced, you won’t be able to resist the atmosphere and the devil that has come to right some wrongs.

“I wanted to drink their threat, hold that volatile substance in my chest. Swallow their danger and become the danger myself. Vampire, viper; all that power, mine”

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced ebook copy of this book!

I was really excited to read this book because I'm a fan of the author but overall the storyline just wasn't for me.
I think that it will do well with it's intended audience and I look forward to checking out more releases in the future.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this early.

ashley winstead has absolutely solidified herself as an author i love with this one. it's both richly atmospheric and bizarrely quirky in ways that absolutely should not work and somehow do—for example, the main character's twilight obsession should be cringy, but as someone who knows what it's like to grow up in a small and very religious town, i fully sympathize with the power of a book series as escapism. to that end, the setting in this small, southern very religious town and the discussion of religion (both christianity and the occult) and the ways in which men acquire and abuse power all really stood out to me here as centerpieces of the novel. and, of course, there's the main characters ruth and ever themselves, who are so complicated and messy in the way i've come to expect from ashley winstead's stories. this book gave me all the things i was expecting and so many things i wasn't.

I should have known. I should have known the second I recognized the town from every other southern town I'd ever read about. I should have known when the leads character identified with Bella from Twilight. I should have known. Instead I read on hoping for something more than a stereotypical rehash of an often told story. I cannot believe I remain this optimistic.

Found that 5 star feeling with this one!

I’ll admit, if I just read the synopsis of this, I might not have picked it up. The religious themes had me unsure, but I was a fan of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and yes, I judge a book by its cover, and this one is fire!

Speaking of fire, I am glad this was the book that kicked off my fall reading! Ruth’s whole world is turned upside down when a skull is found in the swamp of her small Louisiana town. The God fearing residents are convinced the Low Man, a vampiric figure of legend, is responsible. Ruth has always felt like an outsider, but as the Preacher’s daughter, she’s torn between the life she knows and uncovering the mystery with Everett, a friend with his own secrets and darkness.

Winstead wove an incredible, page flipping story about tragic love, power and oppression, religion, mystery, Twilight references and paranormal themes. I’m sure I’m missing more, this book had a lot but I thought she wove it together well!

And that ending! No spoilers, but just like the rest of this book, something that normally wouldn’t be for me, worked. I think this book will be polarizing but could be a great bookclub discussion.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge fan of Ashley Winstead, I was thrilled to receive the ARC of this novel. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for sharing it with me.

This tale is darker than Winstead's previous novels. This is a murder mystery wrapped in a story of Devil worship and the Low Man. Ruth, the preacher's daughter, is our protagonist and an outcast in her small, bible-thumping town. So it makes perfect sense that she would befriend Everett, who is possibly the one person who fits into this town worse than she does. As teenagers, these two experience something very dark together, which comes back to haunt them years in the future.

Winstead does an incredible job creating very well-developed and likable characters. The town they live in feels like a place I can see when I close my eyes. The story is so creepy that I had a hard time reading at night. But I also couldn't put it down!

I recommend this book and give it a 5/5 star rating. Congratulations to Winstead on another masterpiece!

In Bottom Springs, Louisiana a local trapper finds a skull in the swamp, causing an uproar in the small town.

Ruth Cornier, local town librarian, has always felt pressure to be the perfect pastor’s daughter. She’s always felt like an outsider which as led to develop an anxiety disorder. After dealing with a trauma when she was younger, Ruth’s horror at learning about the skull takes her back to the past where she thought her secrets were buried.

As she confides in her only friend Everett and they become entangled in dark conspiracies and local myths of a vampiric figure that haunts the swamps, Ruth realizes that maybe what she believed her whole life isn’t quite the truth and that in order to be saved she might just have to save herself.

Ruth and Everett’s relationship is quite angsty, so if you love stories with high drama and characters who are a bit insufferable at times, this is a perfect story for you! They’re a tragic couple with a volatile relationship which felt a bit too much for me at times, but they were never boring!

My favorite relationship was between Ruth and her fellow librarian, Nissa. I’m a research nerd, so I loved the scenes where Ruth and Nissa worked together to learn more about the town’s history and the meaning behind the mysterious symbols appearing carved into the swamp’s trees.

The pacing between the present and past chapters worked great for me! Whenever the questions started to pile up, we’d jump back into the past for some answers. There is a mystery element to the book, but it doesn’t
come into play until the last third of the book. It’s more of a thriller than mystery.

Lots of interesting themes such as mortality vs. societal laws and how far to push against the boundaries of the law.

I wasn’t a big fan of the ending, even though I understood why the author made that decision. I think it’s going to divide a lot of readers. It’s great for a book club discussion, though!

I’d recommend this book if you enjoy small town thrillers, like an angsty relationship and find themes of religion and society interesting.

*Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.