Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Wow, Mindy McGinnis has done it again with another nail biter, edge of your seat, faced paced thriller. My heart broke over and over again for Neeley. McGinnis knows how to get you hooked and write an unputdownable book. Her characters are memorable and stay with you. Major book hangover after this one. Be sure to be aware of trigger warnings and sensitive content.

This was an interesting undertaking. As an audio book with generated audio (no voice inflections--the released audio will be fully narrated), some of the "monsters" in Neely's head could get lost. I appreciated McGinnis's cleverness, idioms, and sexual innuendo. However, I believe this may e over the heads of some young adults who are the intended audience. It also moved rather slow. It really caught my interest when the mystery aspect was introduced rather than the belaboring of the main character Neely's situation which includes monsters in her head (but does she give voice to those voices in her head?) a brother who also was afflicted having committed suicide, a mother who died, living with grandparents who she does not want to disappoint with her mental health or her sexual identity crisis.
Neely gets a job in a crystal cavern-the monsters don't follow her underground. She also has been visiting these caverns for a long time--she knows more than anyone. She is enamored with the head tour guide, who forges a friendship with Neely though very straight. The dynamics of the staff is far from smooth and when a staff party gets out of control resulting in drug use leading to hallucinations and ultimately a death (now it gets interesting) Neely is not sure if it was her that caused the death. Was it? or is there something more? great twist and tie in for the end.
Thank you NetGalley for the preview.

Mindy McGinnis is an autobuy author for me so I am not even remotely surprised i loved this book. This is McGinnis first sapphic novel and as a lesbian that made me to damn happy. This wasn't a romance but the main character being a lesbian is a prominent part of the story and isn't something that is skirted around.
I really enjoyed the thriller elements of this book. McGinnis is great at making you feel just ever so uncomfortable when she wants you too and this was very claustrophobic. This whole book feel like a racing nightmare and I loved it.
Do yourself a favor and check out McGinnis. Even if this book isn't for you she has plenty to pick from and they are all perfect!

I really enjoyed this book, as I tend to like most things that Mindy McGinnis writes. One complaint is that I feel like the description of the book gives far too much away. Instead of focusing on the characters, I was waiting for the big event to happen. Still ,I appreciated the twists and the attention paid to mental health issues.

Many thanks to both Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

A teen murder mystery combined with vivid exploration of life with a mental illness. Dark themes are explored and overcome

Voice Galley Review - Mindy McGinnis is the master of dark and twisted tales. Under This Red Rock is perfect for teens who enjoy psychological thrillers that feature unique main characters. McGinnis knows how to keep her readers guessing until the very end! Recommend first purchase for all YA collections!

Mindy McGinnis is such a dark, twisty writer, and I love seeing where she goes with each new book she writes. Under This Red Rock was no exception to the exploration of dark corners, both literally and figuratively. Neely is not a reliable narrator--she has auditory halucinations and a family history of mental illness. She has secrets she has to keep and memories she can't quite unearth. The only way she can quell the dark voices is when she goes underground in the caves. This book could be triggering for people with depression and mental illness as we are following Neely's confusion and continued breaks with reality. However, there are bright moments such as when she finds friendship, a crush, and the thrill of the cave tours. When a girl is found murdered in the cave, and all evidence points to Neely, we finally begin to unravel the mystery as well as the origin of her hallucinations. I thought this was an outstanding work of horror, coming of age, and healing. If anyone needs a dark twisted horror, I would recommend this to teens and adults.

Name of Book: Under This Red Rock
Author: Mindy McGinnis
Narrated by a digital Voice Galley
Publisher: Harper Audio/ Katherine Tegan Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller, YA/Teen
Pub Date: March 19, 2024
My Rating: 2.3 Stars!
Pages: 336

I know I am not the target audience for this story. However as a high school guidance counselor I enjoy reading teen stories so that I am comfortable in making recommendations. I often get comments from Moms stating their teen spends too much time on social media and doesn’t read enough. So I love to make suggestions that I believe will work.
This is my third [author: Mindy McGinnis].The other two did not work for me but after reading the blurb on this story, I want to give this author another try.
Although I believe teens would relate to this story, I am not comfortable in recommendation a story where there is so much profanity thus my low rating.

Want to thank NetGalley and Harper Audio/ Katherine Tegan Books this advanced Audio Edition. This Voice Galley was created only for early review use and does not reflect the audiobook, which will be voiced by a human narrator. Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 19, 2024.