"Dear Aunt Addi" draws you into a dark web of secrets, where a reporter's investigation into a Southern plantation family's history reveals a legacy of lies and eerie whispers. The more you read, the more you're entangled in a sinister tapestry of generational tales that seem to shift and writhe like a living thing. The characters' motivations are as murky as the bayou, and the legend's tendrils curl around your mind, leaving you questioning what's real and what's merely a product of your own fevered imagination. The writing style is hypnotic, luring you deeper into the heart of darkness, where the truth lies hidden, waiting to be unearthed. But be warned: once you enter this labyrinthine world, you may never escape.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I DNF'd this book around 20% in. The premise sounded so interesting, but the book itself was a mess. It was hard to understand what was going on, in what time period it was, and new characters would just be thrown in with no explanation. It got to the point in the bit that I read that I just had to put it down because instead of delving into the story, the author kept circling around this awful thing that happened, but there wasn't any plot building around it. There was a lot of chatter but nothing really happened, so I stopped reading.

This book was fantastic! This was my first ARC. I normally don't read historical thrillers but this was such a nice surprise. There are mutliple POV's and it was confusing at times who was talking but I caught on once I got to know all of the characters. The "chugga chugga choo choo" will forever haunt me! It really added to the build up of the big reveal at the end. I was similar to the journalist, where I wanted to know the answer and was tired of waiting to find out. I think the author did a great job in keeping the suspense all throughout the book and the ending was great! I highly recommend this book.

3.25 stars

This was a very good attempt at a fantastic story. It really could’ve been another 150 pages easily. I think it’s very ambitious, and so close,

All the makings for a good horror are there, but nothing is fully explored. And things become confusing as they feel a bit rushed.

However if you’re looking for a quick read this might be for you, but for me it really left me wanting a bit more.