I loved the small cast of characters and the isolated setting in this book! It was fun to try to figure out the killer's identity. This book was really suspenseful, twist filled and was impossible to put down.

This book has hooked me in ever since and I was prepared for almost a reveal via alternating time frames but I am pleasantly surprised this has turned into a locked room clue-board mystery and I am absolutely loving it! Happy publication day!

I absolutely love locked-room mysteries. My first and most loved is of course AND THEN THERE WERE NONE by Agatha Christie. I try not to use this novel as a benchmark for others in the genre, but often it is very difficult. SHE LEFT had a fantastic premise and promised to be an edge-of-your-seat thriller—ten people stranded at a cliffside getaway during a torrential storm, each connected by murders committed 20 years ago. In theory, this sounded fabulous, but in execution, it was lacking what was needed for a 5-star read.

It was often difficult to keep the many characters straight, and even harder to readily recall their connections to the original murders. And with such a large cast, character development suffered, which in turn made it difficult to truly connect with most of the characters. Even our main protagonist, Therese, wasn’t fully fleshed out. To wholly enjoy a book, I need to feel invested in the story and I want to be able to root for the characters. But I didn’t seem to care enough from beginning to end for these things to happen to their fullest extent.

But I did start enjoying the book more past the 50% mark when the story picked up and the pace quickened. I needed to know who was killing our guests, and I really really needed to find out who was the murderer behind the Memorial Day Massacre 20 years ago. I also enjoyed chapters that gave us a glimpse into the minds of the characters, where their perspectives were presented to the reader in the form of vignettes. And the ending was a satisfying one where everything is explained and the culprit is revealed!

So bottom line—I’d definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy locked-room mysteries. Just prepare yourself for a slower pace to start and a large cast of characters to keep straight. But if you hang in there, you’ll get a satisfying conclusion and happy ending for many of our protagonists.

I want to thank NetGalley, Stacie Grey, and Poisoned Press Pen for gifting me the ARC of SHE LEFT. It was such a privilege to read this before publication. And I appreciate you trusting me with an honest review!

Rating: 3 stars

She Left isnt my favorite thriller that I've read this year, but it had some super interesting points that kept me going. The story follows Therese Brewer who survived a massacre when she was a teen who is lured to a home in present time 20 years later for a memorial service for the people who died on that fateful night. Everyone at the house has some relationship to someone who died in the massacre.

The locked house / small room mystery thriller is enjoyable! The general writing style was easy to consume, and the audio book was great!

The grand reveal at the end left something to be desired, but the book is overall a fun read.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun mystery and thriller, that was a total pick because I liked the cover. It surprised me how much I enjoyed this one !

The setup is familiar to readers of suspense: a group gathers at a remote location, a storm strands them there, and they start dying, one by one. But the author's superb writing and her skilled characterizations make this a standout among similar novels. The underlying story of the emotional turmoil of being sole survivor of a long-ago massacre adds depth to a harrowing tale.

My 6P Review: Publication, Plot, People, Place, Prose/Pace, Praise

Twenty years ago, Amy survived the Memorial Day Massacre. Twenty years on, she’s invited with a group of others connected to the crime, to a remote location where they soon learn that nothing is at it seems.

This was very much in the style of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

The characters were a bit bland and the reason they were selected to attend the location was a bit slim. I needed to be reminded that some of the characters had different ethnicity otherwise I wouldn’t have known. I’m not sure of the relevance as it added nothing to the story.

The reason behind the crime was well explained and made sense but it was a slow read to get there.

I loved the description of the house and the surroundings as well as the mud slide and weather.

A good debut novel.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced readers copy.

She Left is about Amy Brewer, a teen whose decision to storm out of a party saved her from being a victim of the Memorial Day Massacre. Twenty years later, Amy is part of a group of people tied to the crime that are invited for a weekend retreat by a journalist doing a story about the decades old crime. It soon becomes clear that this was not a straightforward invitation - Everyone there is keeping secrets, someone wants answers, and someone else will do anything to keep the truth from coming out. 

I enjoyed this locked-room mystery that has some parallels to the classic And Then There Were None. Suspects and witnesses are stranded together with a killer in a house without their cell phones or Internet service. I really enjoyed this "locked-room" mystery that has some parallels to the classic And Then There Were None. Several of the characters are obnoxious, but that's what makes so many good suspects! I was kept guessing as to who the killer was and my theories changed throughout the story. I liked the satisfying ending, and look forward to reading more by this author. 4.5 stars

I received a copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

I loved the isolation and atmosphere of this book. It definitely kept me in my toes and the plot twist caught me by complete surprise

This story is about Therese(Amy) and how she was the one that lived from a tragic event in her high school. She was asked by a reporter to come back and talk about it. When she gets there she sees lots of people who are connected to the original 5 deaths. A cousin, lover, the mother of the accused, old detective, the prison guard, crazy lady in the woods, the brother and the others.

This is told in 3 person POV. Different people tell different parts but it is mostly from Therese's 3rd person POV. You figure out that she is now a FBI agent but she has nothing to do with the deaths.

As people keep dying and secrets are revealed, who can you trust in that house? What is going to happen to everyone and who really killed them all those years ago?

This was a medium paced story with lots of intriguing parts to the story. I think that I will read more by this author.

This review will be posted on May 14, 2024 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

NetGalley
This was a solid locked room mystery. At times, especially early on, it reminded me of the movie version of Clue (just without the dark humor). What made this rise above other, similar novels was the mass murder tragedy that occured decades before the main plot. It added an additional level of darkness to an already dark story. To me though, the ending felt wrapped up just a tad too neatly. #SheLeft Rating: 🙂 / liked it
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This book is scheduled for publication on May 14, 2024. Thank you @poisonedpenpress for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

She Left by Stacie Grey is a delectable closed-room whodunit which has it all from a stunning cover to an exciting cliff setting to varied characters to a clever plot. The writing took my mind to And Then There Were None, one of my favourite mysteries of all time, and dangled the juicy carrot just out of reach the entire time.

Two decades earlier, Amy miraculously survived the notorious Memorial Day Massacre. She and nine other housemates at the atmospheric house greet each other with suspicion as they discover their host has only communicated with everyone electronically. Mayhem is the order of the day, a storm rages and one cannot throw a brick without hitting a secret. The storm seems to match those in the guests' brains.

Slow burns such as this are my wheelhouse and though the general premise is a nod to the Golden Age of mystery writing, the modern additions add key differences. So much to like here. Bits are somewhat predictable but did not detract from my immersive experience. Do let go and get caught up in Stacie Grey's clutches.

My sincere thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this entrancing novel.

She left Us is a great thriller! I would rate this book 4 stars out of 5! Amy Brewer leaves a Memorial Day party early because she was upset with her friends for making her feel like she didn’t belong. Little did she know that just a few min tired later, her friends would al be murdered at said party. 20 years later more people at the party begin to get murdered, and someone there knows more than they are letting on.

A very well done debut thriller! This is the perfect locked-room mystery for those that love things like Clue or And Then There Were None!

I always love a prologue that drops you right into the middle of something. She Left did just that and the flow going forward kept me engaged.

I loved the classic take on a locked room murder mystery. The story kept me engaged all throughout. It was mysterious with a ton of suspicious characters who could potentially be the culprit.

I enjoyed the writing style. The book was well laid out and flowed really well. Such a good debut novel.

In the story She Left by Stacie Gray we meet Teresa Amy Brewer she was the girl who left the memorial day massacre right before the cabin blew up and all 5 high schoolers at the party died. Since then Amy Teresa Brewer has changed her name and goes by Therese. 10 people who are associated in one way or another to the story or invited to a Mountain Lodge supposedly by a well-known reporter wanting to do an article but when they arrive they soon learn it is someone with revenge on their mind. Before Therese knows she was tricked she finds those invited a strange group and doesn’t understand why certain people are there. From the homeless woman who was an eye witness to a Fairweather friend and even the little cousin of one of the victims she cannot wrap her head around the collective group. She is an FBI agent but in the end even she cannot stop the murders. To make matters even worse after the first night they woke up and all their cell phones and car keys were gone and there’s a storm coming but this is all just the beginning… I couldn’t wait to read this book and forward the most part was not disappointed I did get tired of what to me seemed like pointless in her thoughts by Therese I did love her attitude however I thought she made for a great main character. Not to mention she was totally bad ass. This was a great book it is a great mystery as Therese tries to figure it out before someone else is murdered and OMG there’s twist a coming! I do wish she would’ve slapped Wendy upside the head the first time she accused her of being guilty of bombing her friends, she really got on my nerves but I digress as I said there were some things that irked me in the story but it isn’t enough to put in my review because I would not want to dissuade you from reading this awesome thriller/mystery. I do want to say however I love an isolated location murder mystery but it’s not like they were in the desert they were on a mountain in a house with Food… I don’t get why they were so panicky but having said that still read the book it was really good! I want to thank poison pin press for my free arc copy via NetGalley. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

A really tense and nervous read, about a group of people connected to teenagers killed in a remote cabin twenty years before, are assembled by someone they only chat to in online messages. It’s a trap of sorts and everyone is suspicious of each other. Slowly, the group start to be killed one by one…..
The story flowed well, the characters were really complex which made for interesting reading. Therese, the lone survivor of the first tragedy, is a great character as the fin agent. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this arc copy for review consideration via Netgalley . My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley, #PoisonedPenPress, #StaceyGrey.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

The perfect modern day version of And Then There Were None!

I love the classic isolated closed circle mystery trope! This one had a ton of twist and felt like reading a new book but also one Im super familiar with at the same time.

My favorite board game has always been clue and one of my favorite books has always been And Then There Were None. She left fits right into both of those things this is a book I can see myself rereading over and over to see if I can catch on to any clues I missed the first time around!!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Stacie Gray for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

She Left was a locked room murder mystery that will have you turning the pages till the end. It is about Theresa and how she was the sole survivor in a attack that killed 5 of her friends but what happens when she gets invited to a weekend getaway from a journalist that is doing a story on that tragedy. The characters in the book were good and the author did a great job writing this. This book was fast paced and the only downside was the ending but overall it was a great book to read that I would recommend to any reader who loves a good mystery book. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC read in exchange of my honest review of She Left.

Amy survived the Memorial Day Massacre 20 years ago. She has now been lured back with 9 others who have connections to the massacre to an isolated rental for a magazine article about the incident. As they dying one by one, Amy realizes one of the guests must know more about that night than they let on.

This was a fun isolated thriller/locked door mystery. The book was fast paced and well written. I enjoyed the chapters written from different POVs, and I never felt like the writing had too much information that wasn't necessary to the plot and it flowed very well! I would recommend this as a fun summer thriller!