In the small town of doubtful there are some rules

Don’t walk alone, or the stitcher will find you.

Don’t stay out late, or the stitcher will take you.

Don’t close your eyes, or the stitcher will remake you.

Abby and her friends are used to people vanishing, and when they’re found, they’ve been dismembered and stitched together in unnatural ways.

When Abby’s younger sister goes missing, she is desperate to get her back. Can Abby and her friends find her before it’s too late?

I love Darcy Coates and was super excited for her new YA Horror book. I just recently finished the Haunting of Leigh Bardo and loved it so had high hopes. However, despite the excellent writing, this one just fell flat for me. There was just something about it that is hard to put my finger on but didn’t work for me. I never got invested in the story and I didn’t connect with any of the characters. I really did enjoy the strange small-town vibes. This book was pretty vivid, but the characters felt that they were younger than the stated age, so it was an interesting dilemma. The writing is so creepy and tense and very chilling.

If you are looking for the perfect YA Horror book for this spooky season, you will want to check this one out.

3.5 stars rounded up

Darcy Coates's latest YA horror

In Where He Can't Find You a group of teens take on a serial killer in a desolate small town. The Stitcher abducts his victims and the bodies are later found stitched together with other bodies in unnatural ways.
Darcy Coates is consistently great and this may be one of my favorites. She utilizes several classic horror tropes: kids going up against unspeakable horror, serial killers, body horror, urban legends, and small town isolation. The characters are well-developed with deep relationships and the pacing is quick. There are several
moments of nail-biting suspense interspersed with truly terrifying imagery. I was a little surprised that this was labeled YA because there are plenty of gory and disturbing scenes.
I was a bit worried about the ending/resolution but it was executed perfectly.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I'm giving this 5 stars because Darcy Coates is a 5 star author. The formatting of the advanced copy made it difficult to read so I'll buy it when it comes out and give it another try!

Darcy Coates never fails to deliver! A dark eerie tale that sucks you in and continues to fill you with dread. Read this one with the lights on!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of Where He Can't Find You by Darcy Coates!

This book was quite disturbing and unsettling. Something that I appreciate about Darcy Coates is that she's able to write an amazing story that sticks with you without tons of blood and violence. There definitely was a fair bit of blood and violence in this book, but it was more creepy than bloody (at least until the end). It's like how with movies the really good horror movies aren't necessarily the bloodiest ones but instead have a great creep factor.

The book is set in a city called Doubtful where people get taken by the Stitcher. He (It?) disappears them and returns them later (sometimes) with their body parts sewn into strange configurations (for the parts that are returned). No one knows who or what the Stitcher is, but people have their theories (though it's best not to talk about him/it to avoid him coming after you). If you try to leave Doubtful, you'll end up returning because the longer you're there, the harder it is to leave. Houses and cars sit abandoned but the police can't do anything to stop the Stitcher.

What's not to love about that setup?

Our main characters are a group of teenagers who band together to try to avoid the Stitcher. They have rules that you need to follow to reduce your risk of being taken - don't go out alone, stay in after dark - the standard rules. A new girl and her father move to town and she's sure that the other kids are trying to mess with her, but she can't help noticing how strange and eerie the town is. But surely the Stitcher isn't real...?

The author does a great job of telling a unique story while incorporating horror movie/book standard rules. This world felt believable especially how the kids react to this evil in their town that they can't escape - form a group, establish rules, and don't be dumb. I didn't know what was coming next or how the story was going to resolve.

I appreciate how well the author does imagery. There's a scene at the end of part 1 where one of the girls is in a creepy situation - her mom is sick from being in Doubtful and she starts acting bonkers crazy when the Stitcher is getting ready to take someone. The only light is from a flickering television and the mom is scratching into the wallpaper. It was VERY well written and stuck with me. I read that chapter right before going to sleep and I was feeling a bit unsettled about putting a sleep mask over my face and being in the dark after that chapter.

This was a great book all around. It does read as Young Adult in terms of the characters and the writing style, while being unsettling for all ages.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

This was incredibly good! I could see it being picked up by some book clubs for sure. Highly recommend from me! Darcy Coates is an automatic read for me!

4⭐️

This is my third book by Darcy Coates and I just want to read so much more from this author. The best part is each book I have read has been a different style of horror and they're fantastic.

This is a young adult horror, but don't let that age genre fool you it is just as terrifying and unsettling as the others. We are trying to figure out in murders happening in this small town is the work of one serial killer or a super natural being. We follow this story they a group of teenagers as they unravel the mystery.

This book reminds me of so many other horror stories I have enjoyed or been scarred by, It has elements of Jeepers Creepers With the assembling of body parts, Stranger Things, and IT vibes with the rag tag group of teens. I love it.

The majority of this book was 5 stars for me but it really started to lose steam the last quarter. The pacing slowed down a lot. The ending was not as satisfying as I had hoped.

I would recommend this book to any fans of stranger things and speculative horror.

Then you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks fire for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I will be posting my review to my Instagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites close or on publication.

This is my second Darcy Coates novel. My first was From Below and I know that they're not her normal haunted house vibes. I "believe" this is her first venture into YA and I enjoyed it. It was giving Harrow Lake vibes. Or Jeeper Creeper vibes. It was for sure atmospheric and I loved the character relationships.

There's one thing I just don't like when YA does-and that's when adults are aware of a problem but let the children take up the torch and figure it out themselves-keeping them in the dark on details but expecting them to survive or fix things. It's not my favorite writing device or trope.

That being said, I still throughly enjoyed my reading experience and had quite a few audible "nope!" and "ick" moments. My roommate certainly got a kick out of my reactions. 10/10 will be reading more of their adult novels...and maybe their YA going forward.

“The Stitcher waits. The Stitcher takes. The Stitcher cuts. The Stitcher shapes.

“Things are getting bad again.”

“He’s coming. We need to hide you where he can’t find you.”

As a fan of a lot of Darcy Coates books, I was excited to dive into this ARC. I thought the premise sounded exciting and creepy. It is labeled as a Young Adult book, but I feel it is for all ages.

Where He Can’t Find You definitely gives off a lot of “It” vibes. It also has a bit of “Stranger Things” in the mix, but set in modern times. Not as scary as It, but definitely a cleaner read and The Stitcher will give you some creeps.

I thought Darcy Coates did a great job with the main characters - Abby was fleshed out nicely, though Conner and Abby’s sister, Hope, could have been fleshed out more. But I liked their friendship and loyalty, which is often part of the theme in books like these.

One of the most interesting characters was Charles Vickers, the suspected Stitcher serial killer. For those of you that have watched Poltergeist 2, he gave me major Kane vibes. I wish we could have much more scenes with him.

This is one of those books, for me, that I devoured and loved the first 70%. The pages flew by and the story captivated me. Unfortunately, like the aforementioned book It, the ending is where it unraveled like a spool of the Stitcher’s red thread. This seems to be a common occurrence in some of the newer Darcy Coates (*cough, From Below, cough*) where the storyline is so intriguing and draws you in with a letdown ending. And in this book with the creepiness of The Stitcher and the effect on the town of Doubtful, when the gang finally comes face to face with The Stitcher, the creepiness is gone. The last 15% became a slog to get through.

So all in all, I gave this four stars because the first 3/4 was 5 stars and the last 1/4 was definitely 2 stars.

* I received this book free from Netgalley and publisher Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars. Very creepy and entertaining. Loved the depressed and oppressed town and the background stories from Bridgette and the retired officer. Excellent back story for the Stitcher. The tunnel journey was awful and gross. The artwork was a nice touch and I would be interested in seeing a full graphic novel adaptation. There is a horrible, haunted-esque house but this book is definitely not Coates's usual haunted house story (which I love). Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

This was really just the right amount of creepy, spooky, mystery/thriller/paranormal…
I’m a big fan of the author but this was a YA book unlike the others but it was just as good if not better than the others I’ve read!
It’s about a town that has a history of many people going missing and a group of friends who live in the town and have been affected by this phenomena. No one’s sure if the horrible things are being done by a man or a monster.
I highly recommend this If you’re looking for a spooky read

I didn't realize this was YA until I finished and geez, it left me a little scared so good luck younger ones! :) This was a quick, enjoyable read and can't wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to the publish and #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This was my first Darcy Coates novel and I have already checked out another from my library to get started on. That being said, this wasn't perfection. There is definitely a new feeling to this book in the mystery of the Stitcher. I would have liked a little more lore earlier in the book as this creates a very leading perspective.

The characters were pretty well fleshed out and followed a generally logical line through the plot (as much as can be expected for a YA thriller I suppose). The atmosphere was very tense with all sorts of creepy vibes. As an avid mystery/thriller reader, I do not usually get spooked by a book, but definitely had my moments with this book which was much appreciated.

I was a little underwhelmed with the ending as it felt unfinished. Not in a way that would lead to a sequel or leave you guessing about the main characters, but just like there was something missing that the author left out in a rush to finish.

Overall this was a good book and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

In a small town lives a small group of friends that have rules. Rules that enable them to survive because a monster resides inside. Dead bodies and empty homes are so common place that the town ceases to react to the atrocities that reign upon it. But when someone in their group becomes the next victim, their fight response is activated and they will stop at nothing to rescue them. Uniquely thrilling read that is the reminiscent of Stephen Kings It.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and Darcy Coates for sending me a complimentary copy! I received this through Netgalley for an early review and it doesn’t affect my opinions in any way.

Abby Ward is from the small town of Doubtful, Illinois. A town haunted by an eerie past shrouded in mystery and death following the many disappearances over the years. The Stitcher; man or monster? with its unknown identity believed to be behind the mysterious missing persons cases. This is why Abby and The Jackrabbits are a stickler for rules that keep them alive and safe from the horrors of the monster. However, when Abby’s sister goes missing, she is determined to risk her life to get her back. Together with her friends, they set out to end The Stitcher’s killings once and for all.

Darcy Coates is an impeccable writer that knows her way around a exhilarating small town horror standalone and i would really love to explore more books written by her. This was my first time reading a book by Coates, but this was so freakishly unsettling and eerie to read because the prose is laced with lots of tension and suspense. The friendship dynamics between the teenagers in this book was incredibly well written and fun. I also loved the little romance subplot that just added so much more appeal to this already promising story that it’ll be difficult for me to find a book that’s on par with the kind of thrill Coates’ writing offers.

Where He Can’t Find You Review!! 🧶

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for this gifted E-read, in exchange for an honest review! Where He Can’t Find You is out November 7, 2023!

This is actually just my second thriller by Coates, but it definitely had some horror elements as well. She is just proving that she can write both so well! Where He Can’t Find You was a 4.5/5 ⭐️ for me! This one was a perfect fall read, very cozy and mysterious, with school just starting for the characters!! This one was spooky, even for a young adult read. The middle of this one dragged for me a bit and it took a while to get through. That ending was a wild and claustrophobic ride though! I loved it, a perfect spooky season book!

This is my second book by Darcy Coates and I loved it. The writing was skillful, the plot was engaging and kept me on the edge of my seat, and the little comic interludes were so intriguing that I wish this was a graphic novel!

Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review. This book has a very interesting storyline that got me hooked right away. Some of the plots and things the characters do feel very YA but overall I was happy with this read. Good plot with an interesting twist I didn’t see coming. I would say 3.5/5 stars. The longer I’ve thought about this book since I read it the more I like it.

I am a pretty big fan of Darcy Coates. I discovered her horror/supernatural stories early into Covid and I quickly flew through nearly her entire backlog. I think this is her first categorically YA book that I've read, and I enjoyed it. I thought that the friends and sibling relationships were believable and well done; I thought that the setting was also really well done, and helped to ground the characters for me; I also loved the Stitcher and his associated lore. Every book of Coates' that I read just gets better and better--I think that this author will always be an "auto-buy" author for me because everything she writes is so good. This book was a really great YA horror with a super compelling cast of characters and plot and I cannot wait for the teens at my library to get their hands on it!