Member Reviews

Working in several POVs, you get the whole perspective of this edge of your seat psychological thriller. When Tatum tries to build her relationship with her daughter, Adrienne, she has to go to the bar she works at. Adrienne's dad is a pastor and she has lived her whole life with conservative parents. When she became a teenager she rebelled and later her dad kicked her out of the house after a horrific accident occurred. Tatum tries to get close to her without the father's knowledge and even indulges in some alcoholic beverages while he is at Wednesday night prayer meetings.

The next week Tatum tries to visit with her daughter, but learns she did not show up for work or her apartment. She summons the police, but they do not take it seriously. With a mysterious man lurking in the woods and their church, she knows it is serious.
I'm a huge Amber Garza fan and this one did not disappoint. great twist at the end and as always she changes it up, so what is happening may not be as it appears.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I think I give this book 2.5 stars. I was at 3 but the ending had me so confused. Like what happened?! I thought the author had a great idea with the religious storyline, but really felt like so many loose ends were left. The whole storyline with Tatum and her husband….? So problematic and then just nothing. I didn’t connect super well with the characters, although I did read it quickly!.

Was this review helpful?

“In a Quiet Town” is Amber Garza’s newest novel. This book focuses on Tatum, a woman who believes her daughter is missing. She hasn’t seen her daughter Adrienne since Tatum’s husband, a church pastor, disowned her. No one will Tatum seriously about her daughter’s disappearance. Until someone comes around claiming to be Adrienne’s fiancé. But is he really who he says he is?

I would consider this to be a “popcorn thriller” style book, which I throughly enjoy. I’ve read a few of Amber Garza’s other novels, and I liked those as well. I love the church aspects mentioned in the story, which is something different. This book is definitely worth reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing / MIRA for the advanced copy of this book. “In a Quiet Town” by Amber Garza will be published on August 8th, 2023.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarlequinTradePublishing for the ARC of #InAQuietTown by #AmberGarza. This book literally had me on edge at the ending. The relationships with the characters had me trying to figure out what was going on. I would highly recommend this book.

Was this review helpful?

Where's Adrienne? Tatum's husband Shane, a pastor, more or less banned their daughter Adrienne from their lives because he did not approve of how she was living her life but Tatum wants to renew their relationship. But she didn't turn up for her job as a bar tender and no one knows where she is. Who is Seth? He claims to be Adrienne's fiance but something doesn't seem right . Told from multiple points of view and in short chapters, this is a fast read that will keep you guessing, especially when it's clear that Adrienne is not the only woman who has disappeared. You'll root for this mother-daughter pair. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read perfect for travel.

Was this review helpful?

Just after Tatum has reconnected with her daughter Adrienne, Adrienne goes missing. A man shows up claiming to be her fiancé. Can Tatum trust this stranger?

A decent storyline, but the writing style was not my favorite. That’s a personal preference though, so others might enjoy it more!

Was this review helpful?

A Lifetime movie on speed.

Quick moving with a compelling story. Mystery men. Strained relationships. Missing children. It's everything you could want + religious trauma.

Thanks to netGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Was this review helpful?

My first read by this author .
From the beginning I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was happening.. what was going to happen .
I thought I had it figured out & in the end I did but in the end .
I saw reviews where they say this story is unbelievable but I dont think so 🤷 . . Sadly this could happen to several of us .
The ending was nice & now I'm dying to move back to California & go to the beach . ❤️
Even explore the forest.

Thanks #netgalley for letting me read this title early 🖤

Was this review helpful?

From beginning to end this true thriller keeps you on the edge of your seat and wondering where the story will lead. In this small, conservative, religious town, I really enjoyed the narrative of a mom who will stop at nothing and for no one to find the truth of her daughter’s disappearance and bring her back to safety as well as Adrienne’s ultimate fight for the truth and her own survival. The toxic atmosphere, underwhelming plot twist, and dynamics of characters in this book weren’t really for me, but it’s quite the page-turner!

Was this review helpful?

3 stars-This book was just ok…there is a strong religious undertone with the missing girls parents. Her dad is a pastor and her mom basically lives under his thumb. I felt distanced from the characters, maybe because they were flat and their chapters weren’t their names, but mother, fiancé, daughter. The end is as one would expect for an average read. Not my favorite Amber Garza novel. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I have read and enjoyed every book Amber Garza has written lately. She is now an automatic read for me when I see that she has a new book coming out. In A Quiet Town is her latest and it was very good. This was one of those books you can read in a single afternoon because it moves so quickly.



Tatum hasn’t seen her daughter, Adrienne, in years, not since Tatum’s husband—the pastor in their small California town—all but disowned her. When she finally gathers the courage to secretly reconnect with Adrienne, Tatum’s thrilled she’s even willing to talk to her. But then—Adrienne disappears.

Tatum tries desperately to get the police or her husband to take her daughter’s disappearance seriously, but no one will listen, until a mysterious man shows up claiming to be Adrienne’s fiancé. It’s a relief to finally have someone who believes her, someone who’s trying as hard as she is to find out where Adrienne is. But can she trust that this stranger is who he says he is? And can she find her daughter before it’s too late?

Don’t miss it! Published on August 8.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to HTP for letting me read this one early. This one publishes on August 8.

I had a super hard time with this one. I just wasn’t in a place to deal with strange religious relationships and this book made me uncomfortable. It might have just been the timing of it but it wasn’t for me.

Was this review helpful?

Tatum is the town pastor's wife who recently reconnected with her estranged daughter, Adrienne, who is struggling with some resentment surrounding her conservative religious upbringing. Just when the relationship between mother and daughter is recovering, Adrienne goes missing. While the police and Tatum's father are not too concerned, Tatum meets a man claiming to be Adrienne's fiancé who seems to be just as concerned as she is to help put together the pieces and find out what happened.

I think the plot was pretty well executed, and there were a few really great twists (and one I was completely blindsided by)! The story is told in different perspectives and different timelines, and I thoroughly enjoyed them all which is really indicative of how engrossing the story truly was.

While intriguing, the pacing I felt was a bit slow at times. There were occasional instances of an abundance of mundane details or over-explanation I personally could have done without. 400 pages is a bit on the chunky side for a thriller, and I wish that could have been edited down just a smidge more.

Overall rating is still 4 stars. I would definitely recommend, and I will be reading more from this author.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Suspenseful thriller, kept me on the edge of my seat!

Adrienne has had a strained relationship with her pastor father and her mother. Living apart from them for several years, she has been bartending nights to earn money to pay back a debt to her dad. During one of her shifts, she meets tall, dark and handsome Seth—he is seemingly too good to be true and he is crazy about her. But when Adrienne goes missing it is her estranged mother who will stop at nothing to find her in this pulse-pounding thriller!

Was this review helpful?

Great thriller! I enjoyed the chapters having the thoughts of the individual characters, Tatum, Adrienne, Nate, and Seth. It made the book more intriguing and exciting. I thoroughly enjoyed the character development and couldn’t wait to read the ending! Amber Garza does it again! Highly recommend!

Was this review helpful?

Tatum has been married to her husband for over 25 years. He's a pastor and the church is his life. Everyone in town knows and trusts him. So much so that they tell him when anyone is doing something he might not like. This didn't work well for their daughter Adrienne. She was more rebellious and didn't like church. Her father finally kicks her out and her mother doesn't see her. The pastor controls everything. But Tatum is starting to question things with her faith more. She finds out that Adrienne is working at a bar and she sneaks visits to her every Wednesday. Adrienne doesn't show up to work one day and she didn't call in. In the two years that she's worked there, she's never been a no show. Tatum's instincts tell her that something is very wrong. Especially when she's told that Adrienne has a fiancé that she didn't share with Tatum. The police don't take things seriously since there's no signs of struggle. Her father thinks she's just flakey and left for awhile. But Tatum knows better. She knows something is wrong and starts looking into Adrienne's life more to try to figure out where she is and if she's even alive.

This was a fast paced book that I read in a couple sittings. I enjoyed the different points of view and the twists.

I gave this book 4 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc.

Was this review helpful?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA, for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Tatum and her husband, a pastor, are estranged from their adult daughter, Adrienne. Without her husband's knowledge, Tatum trys to reconnect with Adrienne and when she finally starts to do so, Adrienne goes missing. Her husband and the police do not take her seriously when she reports Adrienne missing. All except Tatum believe that its a case of Adrienne going off for a romantic trip with her boyfriend. Then, a mysterious man shows up claiming to be Adrienne’s fiancé, but can Tatum believe or trust him? Will she be able to find Adrienne before it’s too late?

I had a hard time wanting to continue reading this one. I found the characters flat, and the story was bland, without any real suspense or mystery. The pacing was a little slow and the story tended to poke along. Not awful but not the best.

3 stars.

Was this review helpful?

This is exactly the fun type of popcorn thriller I enjoy, especially in a thriller. It read really fast, it has multiple POVs, and it has a compelling plot that definitely had me dying to know what happened to Adrienne. Did she flee on her own as it wouldn’t be the first time she flaked? Or was something more sinister at play? So many questions and the path to get to the answers was pretty twisty and fun. Some things will be obvious to avid thriller fans but there is one component that completely caught me off guard in the best way. As much as I would say this is a popcorn thriller there was church trauma explored and the way both Tatum and Adrienne were controlled by Pastor Shane was chilling. The last bit was really tense and creepy with everything coming together in a pretty satisfying way.

Was this review helpful?

This was the first book I've read by Amber Garza, and I can't wait to get my hands on another one. I'm a fan of multiple points of view and different timelines, and this one didn't disappoint. The chapters are short which always motivates me to keep reading, and I had a hard time putting it down.

Adrienne and her parents have a strained relationship, her Father is a pastor and Adrienne's rebellious nature has driven a wedge between them. But one day her Mother shows up to the bar she works at in an attempt to restore their relationship and get to know her better, Adrienne is skeptical at first, but slowly she begins to look forward to the weekly visits. But all of that is short lived when her Mother Tatum arrives one day to find that her daughter a no show, and no one seems to know where she is. When the police don't take her seriously she begins to fear the worst and searches for her with the help of Adrienne's fiancé. But who is this man? And why had Adrienne not mentioned him before? Has she just ran off on a last minute trip? Or is something seriously wrong.

This book had some interesting perspectives, and I loved all the twists and turns, one in particular had me going back to reread what I had missed. This psychological thriller had me hooked right from the beginning, and will leaving you wondering who you can trust.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for my copy of In A Quiet Town!

This was such great read! Told from multiple POVs, it focused mainly on Tatum reconnecting wit her daughter and then her daughter suddenly disappearing. Obviously, no one believes her in their small town as Adrienne was considered a "wild child" being a pastor's kid and all. I honestly related to Tatum and Adrienne regarding the church trauma as it was somehow similar to how I was raised. Not a pastor's kid, just have a really religious family. The moment that it was mentioned that Shane was a pastor I was adamant because I don't know how this is going but I appreciated how Amber Garza handled that topic.

The story was quite fast-paced. I was really into it. I didn't feel like I was getting bored. The whole time I was just hoping that Adrienne's okay. The Fiancé chapters got me a little confused until it was revealed at the end. And did you say plot twist? Cause this one has one heavy plot twist that got my jaw dropping. This was such a well written thriller and I'm so glad to have gotten my hand on this.

Was this review helpful?