It took me a few days to create this review. The child terrifies me so much I’ve had nightmares. His actions are haunting. But the author really struggles to understand psychopathy from a socio-psychological lens. Typically, a child who acts on their psychopathy will be from an abusive household, not a neglectful one. They don’t act from privilege, but from lack of emotion. The author gets a lot of it wrong. Did he research any of this? The main character is daft. I think we can all agree on that. But I don’t think he is a bad father. I can somewhat understand the delusional thinking after sleepless nights and terrifying things happening, but it just seems like the author wants readers to suspend disbelief too much. All in all, I think the author needs to research psychological phenomenons before writing about them. Put yourself in the shoes of this father, daughter, or neighbor child. What would like feel like, not look like? Good attempt, but try again.

Oh wow, I absolutely raced through this book. It was so tense! Such a rollercoaster from start to finish, it had me on the edge of my seat numerous times which is the sign of a great thriller. I found Craig as a character a little bit frustrating at times, I’m not sure why - I just wanted him to grow more of a backbone somehow but I guess the situation the character is in throughout the book is a tricky one! Overall a really great book, I’ve already recommended it to my partner and demand that he reads it immediately.

This was an easy read and while it was interesting and kept my attention, I was wondering why the main character didn't use common sense more!

Very Suspenseful. Kept me needing to know more. Different than your usual creepy kid story. Craig was frustrating, but it kept me invested, waiting for him to get his sh!t together. .

I have received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. So thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity!

This was scary. Like chilling your bones typa scary. I’m scared of this boy.
It was a fast paced novel that was easy to finish in a day.
3,5/5

Creepy story about a stay at home dad who is dealing with a psycho neighborhood boy. When Levi becomes friends with Craig’s daughter Alice, Craig is thrilled to have extra time to write while they play. But Craig soon learns that Levi is not a good influence and actually hurts Alice badly at one point. Unfortunately getting rid of Levi, or getting anyone to believe what Levi has done is not so easy. Fast paced thriller.

This is a nice creepy story. The characters are interesting and the story moves at a quick pace. I would recommend this to those who enjoy creepy kid stories or fast paced books. Special Thank You to Tony Wirt, Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a bit of a slow burn for me.
Craig, Alice and Courtney recently moved into a new home in a new neighborhood. Levi, the little boy who lives behind them, through the woods, gives Craig an uncertain feeling when he starts coming around to play with Alice. Wild things begin happening but Craig has no proof that Levi is causing any of it. Courtney begins losing faith in Craig as both a husband and father. Could Levi really be causing such chaos at such a young age?
My main takeaway from this book was honesty is always the best policy.

When a mysterious neighborhood boy befriends his young daughter, stay-at-home dad Craig considers him a godsend—until it becomes clear that there’s nothing angelic about him at all.

I hate creepy kids! Very well-written.

Here we have a gripping psychological thriller mystery. We follow an Author, Craig who is writing his first book as a stay at home Dad to his 7 year old daughter, Alive. She becomes friends with this creepy murderous neighbor who's 9 year old Levi Ryan. Levi's dad is a rich influential doctor who has a lot of power over the cops in this small town. Craig's wife, Courtney is often traveling for work. They are the new family on the street. Craig and Courtney just recently moved here from Iowa. Alice is scared to go outside on her own backyard to swing on the swings.

Craig has a shelter and rescue cat Felix, who wears a harness and leash outside every time that Alice takes him on a walk to the park. The police officers in town assume that Craig is being paranoid that they don't believe his story. Craig will need hard cold proof to win at Court and get a restraining order against Levi. But will him and Alice survive being stuck locked up inside the house?

I want to firstly say that I’m not sure what was off about this book for me exactly. I sped through it effortlessly, but also had really no affinity towards any of the characters. I truly did not care what happened to anyone and that’s rare for me. It may have been the style of writing but I’m truly not sure?! That being said the disturbed child vibes of this book were great and spot on (though it did take some suspension of belief at times). I’d definitely recommend this to someone that just wants a fast paced domestic thriller that isn’t obsessed with details or needing to love characters and just wants to be purely entertained.

Special thanks to Thomas and Mercer and Net Gallery for the review copy!

There is something to be said about the feeling I get when I unearth a fabulous new thriller.

It's like electricity being pumped into my veins and adrenaline is activated.

Just Stay Away

Well, folks, this sure was a doozy.

This book is creepy, addictive and a pulse pounder. My interested was instantly grabbed and I was completely consumed within the pages from start to finish. Not once did I want to put the book down or even say "one more chapter"

Tony Wirt, showcases his natural talent to write in Just Stay Away, and I am here for it.

Check out this teaser :

When a mysterious neighborhood boy befriends his young daughter, stay-at-home dad Craig considers him a godsend—until it becomes clear that there’s nothing angelic about him at all.

Craig Finnigan is determined to finish his book this summer, but being an aspiring writer while wrangling his seven-year-old daughter is not easy. So when Alice makes fast friends with a neighborhood boy, Levi, Craig is happy she has a distraction from her constant visits to his home office.

But that happiness soon turns to misgivings as Levi’s behavior evolves from that of a shy, odd boy into something far more disturbing. Strange noises in the middle of the night and things disappearing from their home could be explained away—maybe it’s the water heater, or maybe Craig simply misplaced his flash drive. Craig can’t explain his paranoia, but he feels sure Levi is behind it.

As Levi’s visits to their backyard become more and more frequent, Craig finds himself the unwilling participant in a game he never asked to play…and one he’s not sure he can win.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy of this book. I wanted to read this book because my husband stays home with my 8 year olds and I wanted to imagine him handling creepy stuff, except our girls are the creepy kids. and also we have an Alice
Anyway, I hated the protagonist so much. I couldn't stand him. I am usually okay with this but not this time. This guy sucks. He is just a loser. Can't even write 1500 words a day? I do that writing these book reviews and little local history articles while working full-time, being a mom, and volunteering. Maybe he isn't meant to be a writer or a dad.
Craig should have taken a few writing classes. You just write all the things as they come to you while doing normal life things. You don't shut the door to your office and sit there all day while your kid is feral in the woods with a creepy neighbor.
Sorry.
This wasn't the worst book I have ever read but homeboy is the biggest loser. 2 stars because it was a little creepy

Something about a book with a creepy kid gets to me.

Craig is a stay at home dad trying to write a book. They just moved from Iowa City to Rochester and don't really know anyone yet. When a neighborhood boy, Levi, comes over to play with his daughter, he is thrilled. She'll have a friend and he'll be able to concentrate on his writing.

Then weird things start happening. He has a run in with the boy's mother who is married to an influential doctor (think Mayo Clinic). His daughter is hurt in an incident that Levi says was an accident. There is a series of events. One thing that irked me was Craig's early response. He was so jealous of his writing time that he lets things go on longer than they should. And he doesn't tell his wife! Things disappear from their home. He hears noises at night.

When things are at their worst, he comes up with a solution to prove what is happening. Good ending. I did like the book.

DNFed at 45%. Far too flowery prose, perhaps one of the most idiotic protagonists I’ve ever been faced with, and a story that simply put, sucked. I cannot in good faith recommend it to anyone and honestly, it was for my health that I chose not to finish it because every time I even so much as thought about giving it another go I began to feel a headache forming behind my eyes.

It’s kind of a weird concept for the main character, an adult, to be frightened of a child but I think it makes the book much more interesting. I genuinely enjoyed each new twist to the story and was not able to predict what happened.

Just Stay Away by Tony Wirt was an exciting thriller.
I love Wirt’s writing style. Suspenseful, thrilling and oh so clever.
A cast of interesting characters, plenty of twists and turns to keep you turning the pages. Great, well developed characters bring this to life and make it a real page-turner.
I like that it kept me interested and was hard to put down.
This awesome page turner shot right out from the beginning and kept me reading constantly until the very end and what a shocker it turned out to be; exceptional!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

Thank you so much @AmazonPublishing for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 19 September 2023)

SYNOPSIS | Craig & his family have recently moved to a new neighborhood where he is a stay-at-home dad and aspiring author. When his daughter (Alice) meets a new friend (Levi) Craig is ecstatic as he can finally get some writing done in peace & quiet… except Levi is a bit odd.

WHAT I LIKED:
- the tension was palpable. I was nervous for the characters.
- the escalating aggressions
- the creepy kid vibes were spot on. If my 8 year old brought home a friend like this I'd lock the door.
- literally couldn't read this quick enough. I *had* to know how this story turned out.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- Craig made a lot of stupid decisions including not being forthright with his wife (+ he came across as quite self-absorbed). I wanted to smack him around the head on a number of occasions.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy of this book. Just Stay Away by Tony Wirt is out now!


Oh this book. This book. I was infuriated by Craig the entire time and, if I was someone who could DNF a book, this would have been a good choice. I can't even tell you what the book was about because the entire time was spent wanting to throw my kindle down. The writing is fine - but the oh my goodness the characters.

When a mysterious neighborhood boy befriends his young daughter, stay-at-home dad Craig considers him a godsend—until it becomes clear that there’s nothing angelic about him at all.

Just stay away was a good wee thriller. I always find creepy kids very unnerving so Levi gave me with creeps. Despite his flaws I did really warm to Craig - particularly near the end and I felt his frustrations even when he was doing stupid things and I was constantly on edge waiting for something to happen to the cat....

It was easy to read, with good twists, interesting characters and full of suspense. Loved the writer's style and can't wait to read more.