Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Horror, thriller books are not my normal go to reads. But I heard so much about this book. So I thought why not give it a chance.

I was on the edge of my seat from chapter one@ at times I think I forgot to breath.

The book is worth the hype.

Recommend.

Expected publication date: Aug. 6, 2024

I can't explain how, but this read more like a young adult novel even though the three main characters were older. I do tend to enjoy YA, but not in this case whether it was intended or not. The plot, however, had so much potential. Think final destination with the rule of three. The writing style was unique, but the delivery just didn't do it for me. I left feeling dissatisfied with so many questions. I will rate this a generous three stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Atria Books, for this ARC.

An interesting and complicated thriller, but don’t mistake this for a conventional suspense story. Told from the point of view from three women who lost their families, the book is about finding an explanation for mysterious circumstances. I had some trouble with Amy’s story as she grasps for explanation through religion, the occult, and far-fetched ideas., and I nearly stopped reading. Have patience, though, and keep reading.
Thank you NetGalley for a ARC.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
I wanted to love it, the premise sounded SO good, but unfortunately I struggled with this one. The idea of curses and urban legends sounded so promising! Not only was this book slow moving, but it was really odd with so many unlikeable characters. I just could not get into it and did not enjoy the three different POVs. The writing was good but rather bland, the storyline was nothing special and has been done many times before (although the author did put a few unique twists in it), and it felt a bit unorganized. The ending left me wanting so much more and left me with some unanswered questions. Overall, this was a definite miss for me and I probably should have just DNFed it🤷🏼‍♀️

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
✦Urban legends, superstitions, and curses
✦Unlikeable characters
✦A messy and underwhelming ending that leaves you with unanswered questions
✦A slow burn


𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️💫2.5/5

Thank you Netgalley and Atria for the ARC of this book. After reading the premise, I was very interested in starting this book. It fell a little flat for me a ways in, and after so many parts in the book I'm like "who is this character again? What is their significance to the story?" The ending was a smidge of a shocker, and for that I'll give it 3/5

What started out as a very interesting premise quickly became a basic YA thriller within a few pages and my hopes were quickly dashed. And then it just kept on going and going taking up significantly more pages than it truly needed too. Not a fan.

It was not what I expected which kept me on my toes. Before you realize what is going on it can be a little confusing, but I found it engaging. his is so different and I was getting lost in the beginning but kept going. This book is very tense and twisty. It is a thrilling novel that will take you on the most twisted and suspenseful roller coaster of deception.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

This was a dark and twisty thriller that despite had an exciting premise, seemed to move quite slow. I stuck with up all the way to the end and I kept hoping that the pace would pick up a bit. One thing that I didn't care for, which seems to be getting more prevalent in books these days, was the excessive drug and alcohol use in the first part of the story. I read through it, but it really puts me off the story.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

We’ve all heard that bad things happen in threes, like celebrity deaths. This book examines the concept in a very creative way. We have journals/writings from three women: Amy, Ila and Eve. At an unnamed university in an unnamed town, these three young women all have a connection to and fear of the “rule of three”. Though their stories are years apart, they all share a common theme…

Amy’s sister Mya died in a car accident, then her parents killed themselves together three years later. Ila’s parents died of carbon monoxide poisoning, then her brother died of a heart attack three years later. Eve’s sister killed herself, then her parents both died of heart attacks on the same night, three years later. All three girls believe that they are next, and all three are trying to crack the code of the rule before they end up third.

Saying much more (even though there IS much more!) would be heading into spoiler territory, but the book weaves the three stories, and the characters in them, together pretty seamlessly. All of them believe that their lives are in danger, all of them look to religion for help, and all of them are terrified of dying. They all also wrote down the experiences, which comes in handy. But do they all die? You’ll just have to read it to find out!

The writing in this book? Flawless. The story? It’s been done many times, though the author did put a unique spin on things. My complaints would be that this felt like a Young Adult novel, despite the characters being a bit old for that. Also, the ending was decent, but I wanted more! This could have been longer, and that’s something I rarely say. There were a couple of unanswered questions for me, and something in the format felt disjointed. Still, this is a very entertaining horror/thriller book that leaves you wondering if the rule applies to real life. 3.5 stars.

(Thank you to Atria Books, Emily Bestler Books, Sam Ripley and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on August 6, 2024.)

i 100% got final destination vibes from this and i was living for it. the idea that an urban myth comes to life is such a fun and unique idea! i devoured this book and it quite literally had me on the edge of my seat. as you read it, all of the pieces slowly fall into place and start making sense so by the end of the book your jaw will be on the floor. i was screaming when i got to the end of it. this is by far the best thriller i have ever read. i cannot wait to read more by this author!!

I really wanted to like this book more based on the premise, but it fell flat for me. I was very interested in the first few chapters and then it just seemed to be stuck with nowhere to go. I would read this author's work again this just wasn't my favorite.

Couldn’t make it further than 50%. Very predictable…

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

Okay, I gotta say it, this book was awful. It was really slow going and not in a good way. It was slow going in a confusing and boring way. I liked the premise and that’s why I requested it plus I love a good horror tale, especially when murder is afoot. But to me, the writing style felt very young adult. I don’t mind YA when it’s done well but the characters in this one were irritating. It wasn’t easy to feel any sympathy for them. The plotlines jumped around too much for me to get a connection.

There are three storylines in the book and not one of them felt authentic so it was difficult to get absorbed into their tales of woe. They were all so dumb even for young characters. If you like young adult horror tales like those in the 80s and 90s with teenagers doing remarkably stupid things this may be the book for you. I know these types of books and movies have a cult following but I just felt frustrated. The book didn’t work for me on a multitude of levels and the ending was unsatisfying but I do see there being a niche for this.

This book quickly pulled me in. It was well written with some interesting twists and turns. I found the authors writing style to be very unique. I allowed this book to sit on my shelf for longer than usual, which I’m kicking myself for. I really enjoyed it. Many thanks to NetGalley and to Atria for the ARC.

I really enjoyed the way this was written. First of all, I’m a huge fan of urban legends. Secondly, I in no way, shape, or form could have told you how this book turned out. I definitely enjoyed the plot, and it hooked me in.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC of this book. This will be out this August!

In my family we always said "death comes in threes" and unfortunately it tended to, so the concept of the rule of three being the backbone of this book was intriguing. It took me a little bit of reading to get into it, but once the mystery/serial killer aspect was introduced I was hooked. I also was surprised by the ending.

Imagine if 'Final Destination' had a spooky lovechild with found footage horror, sprinkled with a dash of early 2000s slasher vibes - this book is a roller coaster of surprises! You'll be on the edge of your seat, never quite sure where the tale is headed. Is it based on a true story, a dive into madness, or a dance with the supernatural?

By the end of chapter one you’ll be hooked to this story. Recommended if you like puzzles, who-done-its, and mysteries where you’re constantly questioning everything.

I enjoyed the first part of this book, I wanted to know more about her, in part 2 yet I got another story wanting to know more… only to get another story for part 3. It was a whole book of wanting more. The ending coulda came togeather better but over all it was alright. I love the concept.

So I’m sort of at 3.5 rounding up to 4 on this one.

I liked the idea of it so much. I mean…it’s Final Destination meets Urban Legend.

But…the deaths are a little meh and every time I’d really get to know a main character – we’d change main characters! I mean, it made sense *why* the characters changed, but it made it really hard for me to be invested in them.

I did love the concept and it kept me reading. I just kept feeling like something was missing.

• ARC via Publisher