Whoa-dark, twisty and anything but a light beach read! I am not sure what I was expecting, but this was not at all what I thought it would be based on the cover and initial description. It's both a page turner, and at times feels to drag. I think I liked it, because I couldn't stop thinking about it for days! Looking at other reviews, it seems like mixed opinions, but I'd recommend you check it out if you like a twisty tale.

This book started out ok. It introduced the characters and set the plot line but it sort of went downhill for me. I'm a mystery reader and the blurb made this sound like an interesting read but I was disappointed. The world’s most famous author has vanished. A thrilling hunt of mind games and twisting suspense begins when a detective sees evidence written into her novel.
Detective Nina Travers is so good at her job that she blends in like a benevolent Tom Ripley. She can be anyone. She can be no one. Nina wants to be someone . Her new case will finally get her noticed.
Bestselling author Claire Ross has disappeared from the Hamptons on her wedding day. How tragic that the author of an epic romance that captured the heart, soul, and imagination of the world should suddenly vanish on the happiest day of her life. Claire’s distraught family and friends, her mystified fiancé, and her zealous online fans all have their theories―from the sinister to the hopeful. Nina’s job is to find the truth, and she’s pursuing an angle that no one else has explored. She’s looking for a trail of clues in Claire’s novel.
Reading between its haunting lines, Nina follows a spiraling path of secret love, obsession, and death. What Nina finds is so shocking even she never saw it coming.

Books about books always catch my eye, and My Favorite Terrible Thing is a dark and twisty story wrapped up in a world of books, reading, and obsession. The book is set primarily in the Hamptons, one of my favourite locations. Nina is an unreliable narrator, but you will quickly fall under the spell of her obsession and storytelling.

The story's pacing was spot on— I flew through it, unable to put it down. The ambiguous ending, which leaves just enough to the imagination, was a perfect fit. I'd also love to see a book from Claire's POV someday.

I would love to hear your thoughts if you've read this one!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted copy.

"My Favorite Terrible Thing" by Madeleine Henry is a captivating blend of humor, heartache, and self-discovery, offering a refreshingly honest look at the messiness of life. Henry's sharp wit and deeply relatable characters make this novel both entertaining and profoundly touching. It's a beautifully written exploration of love, loss, and the unexpected joys that emerge from life's most challenging moments.

📚: My Favorite Terrible Thing by Madeleine Henry
⭐️: 3/5

The gist: Claire Ross is at the top of the literary world with her bestselling book. Then, on the morning of her wedding day, she vanishes without a trace. Determined it’s foul play, Claire’s mother hires Detective Nina Travers to find what happened - and what unfolds is a mystery filled with twists and obsession.

The good: The first 2/3rds of this book is SO good. It’s a captivating mystery, well written, and gripping.

The eh: And then the main twist happens (far too early). And for me, even with the subsequent twisty ending, it just doesn’t stick the landing.

Thanks to Little A via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. My Favorite Terrible Thing is out now.

This book was very interesting and way darker than I expected. I found myself unable to stop reading it just to know what happened next. I am adding this author’s other books to my wishlist.

I’ll be honest - I really wasn’t a fan of this.

The first 30% I really jived with. I expected a thrilling mystery to unfold and really liked the writing. However, after the 30% mark, the pacing dragged and nothing happened plot wise. It was a lot of repetitive inner monologues and a hyperfixation on a novel that I honestly didn’t care about. Once Nina did find Claire, the plot spiraled and thing just got flat out strange.

Overall, I wasn’t a fan of how slow and uneventful this was and the plot twist/turn of events wasn’t my cup of tea. Thank you for the arc.

Nina is a private investigator with a new case trying to find a missing author. Claire Ross is a bestselling author who vanishes on her wedding day. Nina is thrilled for a case that will finally make her name in the investigative world. She will stop at nothing to track down Claire and rescue her from whoever took her.

There were so many twists and turns in this book I could barely keep up. I didn't relate much at all to Nina, which made it hard for me to really connect with the book. I could see how this would be a great read for someone who connects more with Nina's character, but it missed the mark a little for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little A for the ARC of My Favorite Terrible Thing.

Unexpected..
Where is Claire Ross? The famous novelist has gone missing from the Hamptons and a young but enigmatic detective is determined to make her mark. A captivating tale, snaking and twisting and never quite letting the reader know which route it will eventually take. An eclectic and well crafted cast populate the unexpected plot with a snappy yet engaging narrative. Interesting.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Madeleine Henry’s My Favorite Terrible Thing is a masterful blend of psychological intrigue and literary finesse.

This novel, set against the backdrop of the Hamptons, follows the enigmatic detective Nina Travers as she unravels the mystery of a missing bestselling author, Claire Ross.

The story begins with the disappearance of Claire Ross on her wedding day, leaving behind a locked room and an open window. Detective Nina Travers, a chameleon-like investigator with a knack for blending into her surroundings, takes on the case.

Henry excels in crafting complex characters, and in this realm, Nina Travers is a standout, with her cynical outlook shaped by a troubled past and her relentless drive to prove herself. 

This novel explores themes of identity, obsession, and the blurred lines between reality and fiction. Henry’s writing is sharp and evocative, with a keen eye for detail that brings the settings and characters to life.

The pacing is well-balanced, with a mix of suspenseful moments and introspective passages that keep the reader engaged.

My Favorite Terrible Thing is a compelling read that will appeal to fans of psychological thrillers and literary mysteries. Madeleine Henry has crafted a novel that is thought-provoking and entertaining, making it a worthy addition to any bookshelf.

For readers who enjoy a good mystery with well-developed characters and a touch of literary flair.

This story started as an innocuous private eye story, searching for a missing novelist, and then developed into a creepy love sick tale, and ended on even another level . Great writing, and story telling.

When Clair Ross, author of the popular romance novel Starlit Ballet, goes missing on her wedding day, Clair's mother hires private detective Nina Travers to find her or at least find out what had happened to her. Nina has odd ways and unusual methods when it comes to solving a case but her interest in this particular case is personal - as an avid reader Nina's favorite book is Starlit Ballet.

I had a hard time getting into this one to start with but once I did I started to enjoy it, however part way through I started losing my interest once again. While I found Nina's character to be complex, I found myself not enjoying her character once I started getting the heebie-jeebies from the stalker vibes she was throwing off. As the book went on it got weirder and started to make less sense to me. Unfortunately this was one of those 'hit or miss' books for me and this one was a miss.

Claire Ross disappears on her wedding day. Claire’s mother hires Nina Travers to find Claire.
Claire Ross is an author and has written Starlit Ballet which was a love story set over many centuries. Claire has a lot of fans who are obsessed with Claire and her novel.
Nina Travers is a private investigator and has some strange ways of solving a case. Nina moves into Claire’s mother’s home to better immerses herself in Claire’s life, family and especially to see if there are any clues to Claire’s disappearance in the novel Clair took ten years to write.
Set mostly in the Hamptons in the present time. There were lots of twists and turns and unexpected revelations. I like reading about people who are obsessed with stalking. It was a bit strange, but still enjoyable.
Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher Little a for a chance to read and review this e-book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed this novel but I definitely liked the first half better. The twist to me was predictable and the book took a turn that I didn't really enjoy. I've read a lot of unreliable narrator books and this one didn't really hold up. I do think a lot of readers will enjoy this one and I am definitely interested in reading more from this author. I enjoyed the social commentary which usually is secondary to these types of genre novels, but to me elevated this novel where the plot failed. I enjoyed the close look at author's and superfans, the influence of the internet on the literary world, the price of fame, and the demons and darkness that authors sometimes must deal with to be as creative as they are. It seemed a little meta to me especially in the middle and I don't think that's a bad thing.

3.5 stars

See goodreads for my full review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6440726461

This was a delightfully unexpected psychological mystery with an ending I didn't see coming. Not really dark but definitely an intimate portrait into the ramifications undealt with trauma can have on a person. I don't want to give anything about the story but all is not what it seems as the story progresses. The author does a good job of building the story to its conclusion and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What a great book! I just was so captivated by this story right from the beginning. It was wonderful! A great read. It'd be fun for a book club

I really liked the way this one started, and loved the premise of an investigator using an author's work to figure out her disappearance. It started strong, but about a quarter of the way in I was forcing myself to keep turning pages and unfortunately from there things never improved for me... I found the protagonist to be, well, odd. I liked her at first, until I started getting sketchy stalker vibes and realized things about her didn't quite mesh for me. The family elements also felt odd, with difficult relationships abounding. That's not necessarily a problem - conflict makes for great storytelling opportunities, after all - but somehow I just kept getting more and more irritated at all of the characters and had a really tough time generating enough interest in them to see how things would pan out. This wasn't a good fit for me at all...

This book was truly unlike anything I've read before. The first half was engaging, articulate, and well-written, but the second half went off the rails a bit for me. The characters weren't particularly likable, nor were they so unlikable you were intrigued, making it difficult really connect. Others would probably enjoy if they enjoy content that straddles genres, but this wasn't ultimately for me.

Claire Ross writes a book that spans thousands of years where the same souls find each other in each life and don’t get married until they have both matured and are finally ready to be in love.
Nina Travelers is a Private Detective that is hired to find Claire after she goes missing on her wedding day.
Claire spent 10 years writing this book, and she alienated herself the further she got into the book.
In the book we find that Nina is obsess with Claire and the Starlit Ballet. Nina has read the book countless of times, watched every interview and read every article. She immerses herself in Claire’s home that she shares with her Mother Miranda and sister Kyra. Nina interviews them all as well as Claire’s fiancé Roger and party planner. Throughout the book we are led the believe that Nina is just really good at her job; then we find out that she is obsess with Claire (ever since they met at Harvard years ago when Nina snuck into classes and worked on campus).
Nina ultimately finds Claire across the country and meets her so she could tell her not only how much she loved the book, but how much she loves her and that they should be together.
You don’t know what is worse; the deceit between Nina and the Ross family or between Claire and Nina.

Favorite Quotes:
“She was beautiful, but when she opened her mouth, you forget what she looked like- which i goes was the point of the book”
“What matters transcends skin and bones. her greatest assist was her mind”
“if Claire had a superpower, its belief or a sense of purpose”
“Stephen King did call books a unique kind of magic. That’s never felt more accurate than it does right now, the Starlit Ballet is possessed”

That was… odd. Started out strong and then the wheels fell off. Sadly, not my jam. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!