I think this is my favorite thriller of the year.

Esme has returned to her home town after a injury ruins her ballet career. The night she returns to town one of her high school friends is murder.

This is a great fast paced book. We get two complete different POVs from Esme and the lead officer of the case Rita. Both are going through their own lives and issues through out the case.

As a ex ballerina I could tell Esme’s pain from losing her ballet career (I only did Ballet through college).

This book has so many characters with great personality and back stories.

Things from the past never stay buried and are coming to ruin everyone’s “perfect” life.

Esmé is returning home to her small town after her career as a ballerina is cut short. She comes back to find her high school best friend, Kara, has been murdered and found outside her yard in the woods they frequented as a kid. Detective Rita Myers is in charge of the case and struggling to find viable leads.

Everyone seems to be hiding something. There were so many characters who could have played a hand in the murder: Byron, Esmé’s brother; Esmé’s dad turned alcoholic who heard the scream the night of the murder; Ray, the neighbor with sketchy dealings; Cynthia, Ray’s sister who was found guilty of killing her younger sister as a child; Mr. York, the artistic elderly neighbor who’s eccentricity made people nervous; and the group of Kara and Esmé’s high school friends who seem to know more than they let on. As Rita works through the list and evidence, Esmé tries to rebuild her life, but also finds herself constantly pulled into the investigation because of her link to all of them.

I love that this was told from the POV of Esmé as well as the detective. It allowed for us to gain insight that would have otherwise been missed with only one of them telling the story. Even so, I still kept changing my mind on who I thought did it! As more of the past unraveled, Rita is met with repeated dead ends while Esmé discovers there was a lot she didn’t know about those in her town and inner circle. I think everything unfolded perfectly, making it hard to know who to trust and keeping me turning the pages to find out the truth.

This captivating book offers a deep exploration of human nature within the confines of a secretive small town. The intricate web of suspicions and guilt woven throughout the narrative keeps readers engaged, showcasing the author's keen understanding of interpersonal dynamics. The mysterious atmosphere and well-developed characters make for an absorbing read, unveiling the hidden complexities that often lie beneath the surface of seemingly ordinary lives.

Thank you to NetGalley, Terri Parlato and Kensington Books for a digital ARC of What Waits in the Woods in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own and may not be reproduced (except quoted synopsis).

“When Esmé Foster left the Boston suburbs to become a professional ballerina, the future shimmered with promise. Eleven years later, her career has been derailed by an injury, and Esme knows it’s time to come back to Graybridge to help her brother care for their ailing father. But her return coincides with an unthinkable crime. Kara Cunningham, one of Esme’s high school friends, is found dead in the woods behind the Fosters’ house.

Esmé is shocked and grieving, but also uneasy. In her dreams, she still sees the man who showed up at the scene of the car accident that killed her mother—and told Esmé he was going to kill her too. Family and friends insisted the figure was a product of Esmé’s imagination, that she was concussed after the crash. But she and Kara looked alike, sharing the same petite build, the same hair color. Could Kara’s murder have been a case of mistaken identity?

Detective Rita Myers is familiar with close-knit communities like Graybridge, where, beneath the friendliness, there are whispers and secrets. The town has seen other tragedies too, including the long-ago drowning of a young girl in a pond, deep in the woods. Even within the once-close circle of friends that included Kara and Esmé, Rita discerns a ripple of mistrust.

Day by day, Esmé discovers more about the place she left behind—and the friends and family she thought she knew. Soon, shining a light into the darkness to learn what really happened the night Kara died is the only way she can bring the nightmare to an end . . .”

I REALLY enjoyed All The Dark Places from last year so I was very excited to have the opportunity to advance read What Waits in the Woods.

All The Dark Places was marginally better, but this one is good, too.

Told from alternating POVs between Rita and Esme.

The story was captivating and followed a quick pace. It is absolutely binge-worthy and I highly recommend!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Esme returns to her hometown, where she was threatened on the night of her mother's accidental death, to find that the body of one of her childhood friends has just been discovered in the backyard of her father's house. The novel alternates between the perspectives of police detective Rita and Esme. I enjoyed this, and found the short chapters kept the story moving along, although there wasn't much to distinguish the two voices, despite the difference in their ages.

The resolution seemed rather over the top, and there were little details which didn't really tie up - was Esme always the last to be picked up after dance classes or did her mother always drive her and her three friends together? I'm not sure what purpose Rita's brother Danny served in the story - he was never tied in to the main plot, and her 'love interest' Joe, only made an appearance at the 98% mark.

An easy read, but I doubt it will stick in my mind.

The story is told via a split narrative. Esme is a depressive character who slowly starts to emerge with a back bone. Rita is a detective trying to solve the murder of a friend of Esme. The narrative is based on both women’s views, and it works. I can’t say there is a character that doesn’t work except for Rita’s brother. He just didn’t seem necessary and didn’t contribute to the story in my opinion.

The plot starts out very slow. Eventually though, a great story starts to shine through the pages. The author keeps you guessing as to the identity of the murderer even as she makes you feel that you know who did it. The last half of the book has some really great writing, and will keep you glued to the pages.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

A quick paced story with characters that were likeable, and also maybe a little recognizable. We all know people like this, neighborhoods like this...that small town feel made the story believable. I liked the pace and the dual narrator experience, and the way the author seems to want you to question how well you really know the people you think you're closest to. This is definitely a new author to watch for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

What if you returned home to find that all that you left behind had changed? That is the exact predicament that Esme Foster finds herself in. With her career as a ballerina derailed, she finds herself back in the suburbs of Boston with her alcoholic father and divorced brother. On her very first day home, her high school friend is found murdered in the woods adjacent to Esme's childhood home. This causes Esme to question everything she knows about the people she thought she knew.

I enjoyed how this book was a fast paced and engaging thriller. It kept me guessing until the very end! You could empathize with Esme, who was forced to leave a career she loved and a boyfriend she was happy enough with, to return home. Compounded by that is the fact that Esme is still haunted by the death of her mother when she was a teenager. The author wrote in such a way that humanized all the characters in the book, even the ones making very poor choices.

Absolutely loved this book!

I was on the edge of my seat and I only worked out the major twist towards the end.

Loved that all of the characters were suspects at some point and even then it didn’t see plausible that it could be anyone! Really fantastic writing, had me on the edge of my seat. If you’re looking for a twisty thriller then this is for you 😏

This book had me guessing through the whole thing. Just when I thought I had figured it out there was another suspect. Definitely kept me hooked. Would recommend

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a small town, domestic suspense novel following Esme, a former ballerina who returns to her hometown after an injury ends her career. On the day she returns, her childhood best friend Kara is found murdered in the field behind her house, and Esme starts to wonder if Kara’s murder has something to do with a tragedy that happened to Esme when she was a teenager.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I really enjoy this authors writing style and find it easy to read and gripping. I love a small town story, and this one had lots of family drama and relationship issues. I did find this story got a little repetitive and dragged in the middle, but I still had a good time reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review. While it doesn't seem to be a series, this is the second book I've read by the author that alternates points of view between police detective Rita Myers and another character. I like Rita and it seems that her character has more to be developed and more of a story so I'm assuming we will see her in more books. Especially because it seemed that at the end, her brother had more he needed to talk to her about but it didn't happen.

The story starts with Esme Foster returning home after a failed relationship and career. She hasn't kept in touch with her friends in all the years she's been gone and she hasn't done much better with her brother or father. But, she still has issues with home after her mother died in a car accident while Esme was in high school. Upon arriving home, Esme finds that there are cops everywhere due to a body being found in the woods behind her family's property. Not just any body though, that of her long lost best friend.

As the story unravels we learn more about the conflicts Esme has, as well as that of her alcoholic father, the family next door, and her friends from her group from childhood. Rita also has some family issues, but the issues are more focused on her brother and not her. Rita felt underdeveloped and there wasn't enough provided to explain why she works so hard to avoid relationships.

The mystery and the plot development were intriguing and I was compelled to figure out who the real murderer was. But, some of the conflicts were resolved way too easily (ex-Esme easily escaping an incident without anyone coming after her). I really liked the last book I read by Parlato up until the end. I felt her ending was better on this one and was wrapped up better. But, there were still some questions I had.

I think this is a good book and worth the read!

This book had a strong start; a bit slow in the middle; and a good ending that answers all questions. It was a decent mystery that I would recommend.

I devoured this book! I read it in one day because I couldn’t put it down. Terri Parlato is fast becoming a new favorite thriller author of mine. I loved her debut and this one is even better. (Finally… an author who didn’t fall into the second book death trap.) Written like a true classic mystery/thriller. I am a sucker for investigative thrillers, and anything that feels like true crime, which is one of my favorite parts about the way this book was written. I also love the small town atmosphere and the coming-back-home-to-confront-things-from-the-past trope - all the drama and turbulent relationships. I loved Esmé and Rita. There are a lot of players in this story and it really kept me guessing. I highly recommend this book to all mystery/thriller readers out there. Y’all are going to love this one. I can already see this one easily becoming a super popular release and I’m excited to be a part of the hype for it!

I enjoyed reading this book but it didn’t give me that wow factor that I was hoping for. This murder mystery, slow burn thriller is a two person perspective, 1 from Esme’s POV, and the other POV is the detective.
This book had heaps of potential, it started out strong and through the middle it didn’t fell a little flat for me but made up for it at the end.
There was lots of heavy feels in this one, overall, it kept me entertained for the most part but wasn’t one of my favourite reads

Overall 3/5 stars.

This book was definitely a satisfying slow burn. I did enjoy the characters and there was really good character developments though out the book. I loved the pov of the sibling it was really interesting to read and the story was so well written. Had some great twists in this book. Would recommend and will be buying the physical copy xx

Thank you for the ARC!
This book was definitely a slow burn. I did enjoy the characters and the story. Definitely had some great twists as well! I did enjoy this book !

Didn't like writing style and was excited for premise was way too dark too much gore and depressing for me.

This book starts out strong. I was really invested to find out what happened with Kara. The story moves a bit slow during the middle and the characters weren't as interesting as I hoped for them to be. The ending was great and made up for a lot of the drag in the middle. All loose ends were tied up nicely. I enjoyed the story and definitely did not predict the killer at all...not even close!

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books, Kensington for a digital ARC.

What Waits in the Woods is the story of Esme Foster, a once brilliant ballerina whose career ending injury forces her to move back home. When she first arrives she is greeted by police, who tell her that a body was found in the woods behind her house. This kicks off the central mystery of the book, which brings back Detective Rita Myers from the first book in the series. This story started off compelling but lost me by the end. The big reveal of the killer was a let down and the story ground to a halt in some places. It was decent but not one of my favorite books. Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC.