Honestly, with the way that this author receives rave reviews and hype, I was expecting at least a decent thriller. Unfortunately, this book was a huge miss for me. Such a huge miss, in fact, that it's one of the five worst books I've read this year so far. The constant Twilight references were nauseating. The fact that an adult woman seriously imagined her crush to actually be a vampire (mind you this story is supposed to be set in the real world) almost caused me to DNF, but at that point I was so far in that I just had to know if this book redeemed itself at all. The answer is no. The characters are bland with little to no development. The plot meanders all over the place, but never really does much of anything. Apparently, every single person in this book is completely atrocious. The plot twists were lame, cliche, and predictable. In hindsight, I should've just DNF'd this. This was my first and will likely be my last Winstead book.

I received an Audiobook ARC from Tantor Audio in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

Midnight is the Darkest Hour follows Ruth growing up in a very conservative and religious community. Her father is head of the main church in the area. This story follows as she discovers herself and explores what it means to love someone and what it means to be your own self.
A lot of secrets are discovered that sends her deep diving into her own moral code.

This story is a great one for Twilight lovers. It gives a realistic example of finding your Edward. I loved that this book was written as a love note to the Twilight series however it expands the themes that Twilight presents. I will say I wouldn't recommend this one to young teenagers. It is dark and for a bit more mature audience. I enjoyed the second half a bit more than the first part. The twists came together great at the end. I think an audiobook or hard copy is a great choice for this book!

Content: verbal abuse, violence, death, lies, spice

Listen if you enjoy:
🧛‍♂️Twilight reimagined
⛪Cults,
⚫Dark academia
🩶Morally grey characters

I had high hopes for this book and the first little bit had me intrigued. The southern small town setting with finding a skull in the swap really started to set the book up nicely, but then it dragged until close to the end.

I think that there were a few things that were just over the top for me. The overly religious vibe can give books a cult like feel, but it was just way too much and I got sick of so much revolving around it. Oh, and the Twilight obsession was kind of annoying.

This book fits into the thriller genere, but I just wanted more suspense. Ruth and Everett just were a bit bland. I'm not sure if the bland characters or the crazy number of flashbacks took away from the suspense. I think I just needed more of a shock factor.

Thank goodness for the narrator in the audiobook version because she at least kept some engagement. I may have given up early if it weren't for that.

Thank you to RB Media and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

WOW !! I love all of Ashley Winstead's thrillers and this one was brilliant. It was definitely different that her last book. This was a perfect eerie gothic fall read. I could not put it down. I loved how well written the two main characters Ruth and Everett are. The setting of Louisiana and descriptions of the swamp were so good and really set the perfect atmospheric mood. I loved all the Twilight references. The god fearing community vs the outsiders was a fresh new take that I have not read in any thrillers lately. I highly recommend this. I listened to the Audio version and I loved the narrator. I can't wait to get this in hardcover and add it to my shelf for a reread.

Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Audio for my arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was spectacular on so many levels - the characters were excellent at moving the plot along, the story itself had action and suspense, and the ending is not one I saw coming. I was thinking about this book days after I finished. I would highly recommend this book!

[It was okay] The writing and characters were great but this story was just not for me. I felt like it was dragging at times and I didn’t become invested in this book like I have in this author’s previous work. Overall it was just ok for me.

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this ebook and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Ashley Winstead has range. Not only can she craft a creepy suspense novel, but can write a snarky, humorous rom-com that leaves me believing in the power of the meet cute. Having said that, Midnight is the Darkest Hour wasn't my favorite. I felt like it was rambling in spots, and the multiple Twilight references left me feeling like I was reading a repetitive YA novel at times. It was slightly redeemed by the ending, but I was still left feeling underwhelmed.. I am still a die-hard Ashley Winstead fan and will read everything she writes.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour is the story of a small town in Louisiana and a crime that haunts it.

Ashley Winstead hits the nail on the head of small town, evangelical religion. She expertly mingles the crime with the local mythology and pathology of its denizens.

Ruth, local librarian, and daughter of the preacher, finds herself mixed up in a local mystery and the setting is so beautifully painted that I was quickly wrapped up in the story.

A great thriller with a tinge of the classic southern gothic.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour was okay. I would have probably DNFd the book if it wasn’t an ALC. The content just wasn’t for me.

I’ve seen a lot of 5 stars review regarding this book so I went in with quite a high expectation. The premise also sounds promising with a small town setting, creepy woods and dark secrets.

At first, it wasn’t so bad and it started off with a strong opening as well. I’m genuinely interested with the plot, the world building and getting to know the main characters.
The story is told from dual timeline – the past and the present, it would switch every few chapters between those timeline.

As for the main character, Ruth (the FMC) supposed to be in her 20s, she's also smart and I enjoy following her digging out those dark and ugly secrets around her town. But at times, Ruth can be too naive and doesn't sound like her age.

It started out as a mystery thriller but somewhere in the middle, it started to appear like a mystery drama instead. The pacing felt slightly odd - it can be quick and interesting then turn into slow and dragging at some points.
I started to lose interest and would get confuse with the timeline sometimes and listening to the audiobook wasn't really a huge help.

Although I have to admit, the last few chapters are quite intense.
The ending was totally unexpected, I had to listen twice to convince myself that it actually ends with the BIGGEST CLIFF-HANGER EVER…..
I felt slightly disappointed with how it ends, I actually want to see what happen to the main characters after all the hardships they went through in that town.

I was a huge fan of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife written by the same author but unfortunately, I didn’t fully enjoy this book as much as that one.
I would still check out other books by this author, heard The Last Housewife was also really good so I’ll definitely give it another try in the future.

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Child abuse, violence, religious bigotry, panic attacks/disorders, rape, fire/fire injury and brief mention of abortion, domestic abuse, pedophilia

I received an advanced audiobook copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!

Ashley’s books tend to be very dark and that is why I enjoy them so much. I also never know what’s coming next which is always fun!

Absolutely amazing in audio, the storytelling was spectacular, perfectly capturing the tense and taught story against a wild backdrop that makes you wonder whether there’s something otherworldly at play.

I loved the accents which really helped transport be to this southern town and which felt like I was intimately brought into the tight knit community.

The pitch, tone, and pacing expertly matched the story, drawing out in the expected southern drawl when it was needed, and clipped and a fast pace towards the end as we barrel towards the climactic ending.

I highly recommend this audiobook for anyone looking to read this. It truly brings the complexity and voice off the page and immerses you in the story.

Ashley Winstead is an absolute wordsmith. Midnight is the Darkest Hour was a flowery gem for those who appreciate an author not afraid to show off a bit! The story itself was engaging, the characters were developed and interesting, and the conclusion was satisfying. I was even impressed with the subtle tone of humor sprinkled throughout the dialogue; unexpected in a thriller. I wholeheartedly recommend Midnight is the Darkest Hour for readers seeking a refreshing option in the mystery / thriller genre.

I am so bummed. I absolutely loved In My Dreams…and I thought this premise sounded on par, maybe better.

But it doesn’t have a thriller feel. It’s really not much of a mystery either. It felt like Delia Owens’s Where the Crawdads Sing.

The narrator was great. It was probably the reason I kept reading. I was so sure that there was going to be an epic moment. I was wrong.

The ending was bland and disappointing. A Bonnie and Clyde tale with a Thelma and Louise twist. To get through all of the slowness and to be let down this way…Ruth was such a smart person and yet so naive and dumb at the same time. And her confrontation with her father just solidified this.

I was hoping for better. Perhaps Winstead’s bext offering will recapture the magic!

Summary: For fans of Verity and A Flicker in the Dark, Midnight is the Darkest Hour is a twisted tale of murder, obsessive love, and the beastly urges that lie dormant within us all...even the God-fearing folk of Bottom Springs, Louisiana. In her small hometown, librarian Ruth Cornier has always felt like an outsider, even as her beloved father rains fire-and-brimstone warnings from the pulpit at Holy Fire Baptist. Unfortunately for Ruth, the only things the townspeople fear more than the God and the Devil are the myths that haunt the area, like the story of the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to steal into sinners’ bedrooms and kill them on moonless nights. When a skull is found deep in the swamp next to mysterious carved symbols, Bottom Springs is thrown into uproar―and Ruth realizes only she and Everett, an old friend with a dark past, have the power to comb the town’s secret underbelly in search of true evil.
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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My thoughts: Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebookscasa for the advanced audio book! I’m such a big fan of Ashley Winstead but this was possibly my least favorite of hers. I found the main character to be so immature it was frustrating to follow her. The twilight obsession was fun for some of the book but by the end I felt like she was just behaving like a child. The ending was fun and open ended. I typically love creepy religious culty books but this one felt so slow until the last 30%. Not the worst but definitely not her best work imo. And I know that’s a pretty controversial take on this one! 🤷🏼‍♀️
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QOTD: what are your weekend plans ?! This week has been so crazy I’ve barely had time to post !
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This unlikely friendship is everything I wanted! I LOVED it! I loved the scenic atmosphere of the story and it really made everything come to life!

Thank you, NetGalley, for an audio-ARC of Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead.
I chose to read this book because of the hype leading up to its release. This is not a genre that I typically read and struggled with some of the occult aspects of the story. Winstead created a compelling story with a host of interesting characters. At times I wondered if it was the right book for me, and when I finished it I spent a lot of time contemplating what I had read. I was left with the feeling that maybe there was more to the story than I originally thought and actually wanted to go back and reread sections to find hidden symbolism. I appreciate an author an a book that makes you think beyond the printed pages!

Very spooky and I went in blind so I wasn't sure what this book would be. That honestly made it more fun. It had Midnight Mass with Crawdad vibes and I was feeling it. A very quick read as usual from Winstead. The narrator was fabulous.

Midnight is the darkest hour was my most anticipated read of the year. The hype surrounding it made it THE book I wanted to read during spooky season. In the end, it fell a little short from what I had hoped. Too many genres mixed together and it got a little too over the top at the end for me. The very end though was great and torturous. Still love Ashley and look forward to her future reads! 3 star

Midnight is the Darkest Hour is some wild, religious cult murder mystery! If that sentence appeals to you at all, then you need to read this book! It was such a wild ride of a story where Ashley Winstead manages to do it again!

This book is dark, twisty, mystical and absolutely maddening. The writing is an absolute masterclass. The people of Bottom Springs, Louisiana are God-fearing folk, but also hillbilly swamp folks. The amount of fire and brimstone thrown around this town is enough to start a country-wide wildfire. So what happens when the town is thrown into an uproar over dead bodies showing up in the swamp?

The only reason you may not like this book is if you do not like any of the trigger warnings, Particularly child abuse and cult behaviors'. But I absolutely loved this book and think that every thriller and mystery lover should check this one out.

Ashley Winstead is an auto-buy for me after this novel. She brought the same raw talent and moody writing to this story as she has her others, but it was a whole different experience and different subgenre. Not many authors are capable of producing quality books of such different lanes within a genre, but Winstead did it with flourish! The narration was just magical, really bringing a depth to the characte3rs that I otherwise wouldn't have caught. I can't wait to see what this author does next and I will be promoting this book far and wide.