Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In 1995, six high school students in Wesley Falls are assigned to work on a summer project. This ragtag group are hardly friends and couldn’t be more different in personalities, but when they witness something terrible at a party held in the abandoned mine and realize they might be in danger as a consequence, they decide to investigate, as the local police, the influential people around town and most importantly the church all seem more interested in covering up what happened. When things go from bad to worse, the group take the only way out they can see – cover up all the evidence, leave town and never contact each other again. Twenty years later however, the group finds themselves returning to Wesley Falls once more – one of them has been found dead under suspicious circumstances and the others must finally confront the truth of what happened all those years ago and finish what they started.

It’s so nice to get back to the thriller genre after so long! I’ve been avoiding high school age mysteries of late since it feels too YA and is just not working for me anymore, but this sounded like something different, with the mystery unfolding over a much longer time period, so I decided to try it out.

The plot and setting were excellent. The author gives the reader a very good idea of the environment and situation in Wesley Falls right off the bat and it set the mood perfectly, indicating that something was definitely not right in this town.

This book was so atmospheric and it was honestly my favorite thing about it – I had to stop reading at one point because it was getting late and I was sure it was going to give me nightmares if I continued.

I did not expect this to take a supernatural twist, especially as the blurb didn’t really hint at it. It’s not a genre I’m particularly fond of so that affected my enjoyment of this book quite a bit. I also felt that this part of the plot was kind of vague – Jia’s ability to see flashes of the future was described clearly enough, but all the rest…just didn’t work for me. The whole small town corrupt cult-like church controlling everything and involved in shady business was very interesting until this twist.

The writing flowed smoothly, which made this rather easy to read and follow. The pacing on the other hand, could have been a bit faster – yes, it was meant to be a slow burn type of thriller, but it was also unnecessarily long and spent way too much time introducing everything and everyone before the actual story began. This book could have easily been cut down by quite a bit.

I did like the dual timeline narration, it was a bit different from what I’ve read in the past. Usually, when it involves the same characters in both timelines the connection is more peripheral and you don’t see the link between the timelines for a good chunk of the book (I’ve seen this mostly in historical fiction), but this was so much more fun with the characters looking back on the events of twenty years ago which have arisen to haunt them once more. There were plenty of plot twists, making this mystery a rather hard one to predict.

It’s uncommon in mysteries and thrillers, but this book actually had such well developed characters! Each of them had in depth backstories both in the past and present timelines and it was easy to get invested in their arcs.

I wasn’t sure how 6 POVs were going to work out, it’s quite a lot of perspectives to handle side by side with a dual timeline to boot, but the author did so really well! It was a little confusing initially from a reader’s perspective with all these characters being introduced one after the other, but things do start making sense after a while and their distinct voices helped a lot with that. It was lovely to see this unlikely group come together and become friends, forming strong bonds over time.

As I mentioned, the ending was not predictable with so many twists and even when it ended, I didn’t trust it had actually finished. I was almost expected a creepy epilogue to reveal that they didn’t succeed after all. It was a good conclusion to this book, if a little rushed in those final chapters, though I did feel like the characters had it too easy in the end somehow.

Overall, this was a thrilling read, and if you’re a fan of the genre, I would definitely recommend this book!

Vera Kurian wrote Never Saw Me Coming, one of my top ten thriller of this decade.
I was excited, a bit fangirling too, to read this one and had very high expectations.
They were all met as I read it in one sitting as I read quite fast and didn’t want to stop reading. It was a bad case of One-More-Chapter and I loved what I read.
The psychopaths of Never Saw Me Coming were fabulous characters, the one in this mix of thriller/conspiracy are up to my expectations.
A well plotted, fast paced and intriguing story that never ceases to tickle your curiosity and bringing into a web of secret agendas.
Loved it and it caused quite a book hangover. I hope I won’t have to wait for 3 years to read the next thriller.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Park Row for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Deliciously Dark And Creepy Multi-Layered Tale Reminiscent Of IT And Stranger Things. This is one of those dual timeline tales where a group of six kids get pulled together as teens to fight off an incredible supernatural evil in their rural smalltown hometown, then as adults have to come back home to end it once and for all. So like I said in the title, pretty well a blatant homage, all these years later, to IT. And of course, some say "homage", others say "blatant rip off". I'll leave that to those who choose to read both my review and Kurian's work. But if you have problems with dual timeline or multiple perspectives... just know up front that this book isn't for you. It is truly a great story, but meh, even I know of what I know to be *phenomenal* stories that even I simply can't read. (Looking at you, Lord of the Rings.)

Where Kurian shines particularly brightest is in giving these characters realistic Xennial (that weird merger of the youngest of Generation X with the oldest of the Millenials) character arcs, and yes, that does include LGBT discovery for at least one character. Again, if that is a problem for you... maybe not your book here.

Particularly strongest for me personally was Maddy's own arc, particularly as a teen, as she is deeply immersed in conservative Christian culture of the early and mid 90s - as I myself was as a male just a few years behind her in the same period and in a similar small town atmosphere. (Here, our kids are Sophomores that school year, and I was in 7th grade that year - so just 3 yrs younger than our characters.) Maddy's arc in some ways has a lot of things that were specific to females in that culture in that era, but in a lot of other ways were common across teenagers of both sexes during this period, and this is where I connected with the story the deepest. Maddy's struggles as she realized what was going on and her role within it, and her desperate attempts to try to change and correct things... yeah, that was the early years of my own young adult form. So again, and particularly for any females reading this - there is quite a bit of discussion and action around purity culture in the conservative evangelical American church circa the mid 90s, including some of its atrocities being actively shown "on screen". If this is something you can't handle exploring in fiction form 30 yrs later (OW!)... maybe not the book for you.

Overall this was a deliciously dark and creepy tale that hit so many strong notes and was so very layered and multi-dimensional... it really was quite a ride. I very much enjoyed it, and I very much look forward to seeing what Kurian thinks up next. Very much recommended.

Do not let the complexity of the characters and plot of this one scare you, once you get through the beginning you may be sucked in like I was. I could not put this one down once I really got into it and had to know what was going to happen to each of the characters. It does have more of a slow burn vibe and is more character driven then plot driven, which I know may not appeal to everyone - for me it really worked. I really enjoyed the overall feel of the book, a wonderful mix of mystery, mystical and horror. I felt like all the characters felt unique and enjoyed seeing their paths throughout the story. I didn't necessary love all of them, but still felt each was authentic. I would definitely read from this author again as I really enjoyed this one and liked the experience of seeing where it went.

Vera Kurian is the kind of storyteller that makes you contemplate at 3 am how much sleep you *really* need to be a functional adult the next day.

Six very different classmates are forced to spend time together over the summer of 1995 - think Breakfast Club but in a creepy town - and witness something horrific which changes their lives for the next 20 years - which is when they return to their small hometown to face what they thought they left behind forever.

Loved this, gave it 4 stars. I read this in two sittings (sleep did win in the end lol), what a rush! It's not a thriller per se, so if you loved Never saw me coming (like me) and expected a conventional thriller - please be aware that it is a bit of a genre blend, though I won't go into specifics so as not to spoil anyone.

Do check it out if you like your books with creepy towns, cults, and unlikely friendship groups.

Thank you to Netgalley and Park Row for the eARC! Because I really enjoyed the author's earlier book, Never Saw it Coming, I requested this book. I was so ecstatic to read this and had high hopes. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this. With so many individuals and timelines to keep track of, it was a very slow burn. It seemed like I was reading it for quite some time without really getting anywhere. Typically, I enjoy books with multiple POVS and characters as well as timelines, but this one lagged because it seemed like there were too many details and points of view from every individual. For me, the book was simply excessively long and not swift enough-paced. This wasn't my cup of tea.

This is an interesting book that really had a lot crammed into it. Very character driven, which isn't typically my thing especially in mystery/thrillers, but by the end of the story I did feel really connected to all of the characters and invested in their stories. The speculative elements also aren't normally my thing but didn't detract from my enjoyment. While I respect the project that writing this book must have been, I think my appreciation for the story outweighs my enjoyment of reading it in the moment. I'd definitely recommend it to readers in for a slow-burn, character-driven mystery with slight paranormal elements and who are also okay with discussions and critique of religion. While I haven't had a favorite book from Vera Kurian yet, I'm curious to see what she continues writing in the future because this was an interesting read and felt really different from her previous book in an intriguing way.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this. At first, the multiple points of view with varying timelines was a little hard to keep up with but as I continued on, I fell into the groove and ultimately found that these characters were well developed and it was nice to see how they grew.

This story had more of a supernatural edge that I wasn’t anticipating and while it was interesting to see this kind of take, at times I felt there could’ve been more depth brought into it.

I overall enjoyed this book and following the adventures these characters went through!

I generally enjoy novels that have dual time lines, multiple characters, tricky plots and a satisfying resolution. I don’t generally go towards the supernatural and that is definitely part of this one. Those who enjoy this genre may well want to read this long novel. It will definitely keep its readers busy on a winter night.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HTP for this title. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. I really enjoyed this author's first book a few years ago and the premise of this book held a lot of promise. Unfortunately, this book wasn't my favorite. First, there were too many characters and points of view. Second, I definitely thought the book was too long and I like a long book, but I don't think this book needed nearly 500 pages to tell this particular story. Ultimately not my favorite, but I would still read this author in the future.

This feels like a plot already read, but with differences, of course. It feels like "I Know What You Did Last Summer" in some type of way. When you put a group of mis-matched students together, of course there is going to be chaos. Someone is going to blab. Someone always does.

I wasn't enamored with this one. It was well written, the characters developed, but there were a points in which I was bored.

I read this author's previous book "Never Saw Me Coming" and absolutely loved it. It made me laugh with it's sarcastic wit. Therefore, I was excited to read this new book, expecting to experience some of the same. Unfortunately, this one was nothing like the previous book, and it fell short of my expectations. It was a slow burn for the entire book. It went back and forth between past and present, and was told in the POV's of all of the main characters:
Maddy, a devout member of the local megachurch
Kelly, the bookworm next door
James, a cynical burnout
Casey, a loveable football player
Padma, the shy straight-A student
Jia, who’s starting to see visions she can’t explain

The premise sounded good : "There’s something sinister under the surface of the idyllic, suburban town of Wesley Falls, and it’s not just the abandoned coal mine that lies beneath it. The summer of 1995 kicks off with a party in the mine where six high school students witness a horrifying crime that changes the course of their lives."
It was reminiscent of the book IT in that the ragtag group of kids comes back as adults to the mine to end it once and for all. I also liked the idea of this collection of individuals who would never normally have anything to do with one another, working together on this.

I really wanted to like this book, but for me, it was just a little too slow, a little too strange, and way too long.

I am so thankful to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Vera Kurian, and NetGalley for granting me advanced access digitally and physically to this twisty thriller before it's set to publish on February 20, 2024.

It starts off slowww, but that is really my only complaint about this book. Once I got into it, I was hooked, could not put the thing down, and at that point it definitely did not feel long.

There are six main characters who end up sort of thrown together for a project which takes them out of their comfort zones (let’s just say these six were not exactly running in the same groups until this project). But it takes an unexpected turn when they see some at a mine party. And I do mean Some Stuff™. The book alternates between the past, during the summer that changed their lives, and the present, when they reunite- minus one- to figure out what happened to their fallen friend.

I don’t want to give much away, but the mines are so atmospheric and creepy (also, I very much hope that they were kind of based off Centralia, which I have always wanted to incorporate into a book of my own). To add to the sketchiness of the town, there is a mega-church which is culty at best, frankly. It gives those vibes- you know the vibes. Some of our characters’ families are deep in the culty church scene, but the whole town is affected by it one way or another. And then you have murdery shenanigans happening, and a lot of questions.

The mystery was so good, I could not stop reading. I also loved the characters, and being able to see them both as teens and then adults was pretty fun- you see how all they have been through has changed them, and it makes things even tenser when they have to go back to their hometown and revisit the junk that made them get out of there to begin with. So to summarize, we have great character development, an incredibly compelling mystery, high stakes and murder, some humor to make it palatable, relationships to navigate, some commentary on the creepy mega churches, and it all adds up to a simply unputdownable book.

Bottom Line: It may start out slow, but it gets so good that I promise you won’t care.

A woman's death brings 5 old High School friends together again and back to their home town where none of them have been since they graduated.

The friends reminded me of the Breakfast Club,  Maddy, a devout member of the local megachurch, Kelly, the bookworm next door, James, a cynical burnout, Casey, a loveable football player, Padma, the shy straight-A student, Jia, who’s starting to see visions she can’t explain.  

This book had a great creep factor when it came to the church that basically runs the town, and what happened all those years ago that created a bond between the 6 friends who may never have bonded if not for the mysterious and unbelievable incidents that occurred. 

The beginning of the book was very fast paced and then waned somewhere in the middle.  I really enjoyed the story and the different time lines but it started to drag a bit. The ending picked up again and I was happy with the ending. Overall a good read but could have been a bit shorter to keep it more engaging all the way through.

I will always gravitate towards a thriller featuring a reunited friend group who dealt with something horrific happening in their past. When they all must reunite because those buried secrets have resurfaced, I’m ON BOARD! I loved that about this one.

I enjoyed the beginning of this book. I enjoyed the chapters that depict the past and how everything built up to this main event that shaped this group of people.

It’s the second half of the book that had my interest waning some. This wasn’t bad, in fact it was very entertaining. This has a great creepy purity culture aspect rampant with predatory nature. All in all, quite enjoyable, I just wish that the intensity of the first half carried over into the remainder of the book.

Set in the 90s this YA mystery suspense has Breakfast Club and Stranger Things vibes. The strengths were the wide range of characters, some you were rooting for, others you weren't. setting the story 20 years later gave time for the development of characters and for the reader to see how the events that happened in the mined impacted them. I went into this book knowing very little and I think not having expectations helped me go with the flow of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This was a struggle. When I started skimming at 13 percent in, I knew this book wasn't for me. There were too many characters and I wanted to be in the present timeliness, not the past. This isn't marketed as a young adult novel, which adds to reader frustration.

I really liked the setting of this book and I also enjoyed the dual timelines. I found it to be a bit long with maybe 1 or 2 too many characters. I got the feeling they were going for with the group of friends and the nostalgia. My biggest issue was that the big “mystery” was something that the group seemed to know about all along. It was mentioned in the very beginning. More character driven that thriller/mystery in my opinion.

This was a soft DNF for me, I tried, but felt like I had to slog through and was not following the plot. There were many characters which may have had me a bit confused. I will give this another try at a later date. It is a long slow burn. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read.
2 star for now until I revisit