This book was just okay. I tried to read it early to review but ended up waiting for the audio to be able to finish it. I was captivated by the concept of ballet but the story itself didn’t grip me as I’d hoped.

This is a thriller mystery that grabbed me unlike any other has in recent memory. The shifting between timelines wasn't confusing, and the investigation kept me engaged. The twist was a bit predictable, but not enough to ruin the experience.

I loved this book!

This book is told in alternating time lines and was really solid and i loved the mystery. It kept me wanting to read since page 1 and just was hard to put down. While reading and the end came i was in total shock at the end. Very well written never seen that ending coming.

Will recommend this book. Will read more from the author.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

A mass murder, current threats to survivors, a chance to go back and find out if the wrong person was convicted.... it had everything to made a great suspense novel, but unfortunately I just didn't care for it.

It was a slow read of annoying characters. This one just was not for me.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! Obviously inspired by the true events in Idaho but with its own twists and turns. Very entertaining and kept you guessing. I look forward to more from this author.

Told in alternating past and present chapters this was a really solid and compelling mystery/thriller. The end reveal took me by surprise with many red herrings along the way. I also loved that the book was themed around ballet too, the past chapters of the girls as teenagers gave Tiny Pretty Things feels.

This one became a DNF for me fairly quickly. I'm not sure if it's the pacing of the book or the story, but it just didnt work well for me and keep me captivated enough to continue .

On the anniversary of a savage mass murder, a survivor returns to the scene of the crime―and all its buried secrets―in a twisting novel of suspense.

Nearly ten years ago, five Ohio university students were murdered in an off-campus Victorian home. The media dubbed it the Midnight House Massacre. Ever since, survivor and novelist Margot Davis has wanted to forget it, and never again utter the killer’s name. Until she’s compelled to write her side of the story. To do that, she’s returning to Midnight House.

It’ll be a chance for Margot to reconnect with other survivors, heal the trauma, and dispel the ugly conspiracy theories of obsessed true crime fanatics. But when news of Margot’s book gets out, she receives a threatening note that demands she stop lying. Or else. It chills Margot’s blood. Because she hasn’t been telling the whole truth.

As the threats continue, each more sinister than the last, a journalist comes to Margot with new suspicions about that brutal October night. Now, to save her own life, Margot must reveal her well-guarded secrets―ones that, for good reason, she’s been too terrified to share.

Holy snickerdoodles! This is one plot driven and twisty thriller. Enjoyed from start to finish. Cannot wait to read more from the author.

This was such a fun psychological read full of twists and turns. Possibly a PLL for the newer generations?

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of this eARC for review.

This is a great thriller! The suspense builds fantastically and I was on the edge of my seat! The writing drew me in and I had a hard time putting this down. I would highly recommend this! Special Thank You to Emma Dues,Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Margot was involved in a horrific incident in high school, her friends were killed in the house they were living in. Fast forward to Margot as an adult, she is ready to share her side of the story.

I enjoyed this novel greatly! The narration was very good and I was intrigued immediately. I sympathized with Margot and her journey to remembering what happened. The novel floats between past and present timelines, you begin to see the past unfold and you can’t help but need to find out what’s next. I did feel the twist happened early and was a little predictable as the story was unfolding. I had been hoping for something a little more sinister, given how horrific the crime was. Overall, this was a good fast paced read and I would recommend this audio!

Return to Midnight follows Margot and a group of university friends/ roommates that go through the unthinkable. One night, five of them are brutally murdered, some survive. They call the house where the massacre happened, The Midnight House.

As it’s approaching the 10 year anniversary of that horrible night, Margot decides to come back to Midnight House to gather more info for the book she’s writing about that night. I’m not sure if I would be writing a book about my friends being murdered, but that’s just me.
The storyline reminded me of The Idaho 4, a true crime case that took the lives of four university students in 2022. The trial for that case is supposed to start August 2025.
As Margot tries to unravel some truth of what happened that night, she learns more than she had bargained for.

We don’t know until end of the story, who murdered the group. There are a few twists and turns along the way. The author does a good job of giving us reasons why a few characters could possibly be the crazed individual that took the lives of the students. Although at times the past and present storylines became a little annoying to me, I enjoyed this book, and would recommend!
3.5 🌟 rounded down for NetGalley

I was originally really excited about this book because it took place at a college in Ohio and I went to a college in Ohio and because it gave pretty little liars vibes. There were so many twists and turns and so much suspense that it was hard to put the book down. Reading before bed even creeped me out a bit. I’m so glad I found this book and I will definitely be reading her next book.

This was an interesting story that was from a different POV! We have somewhat of a final girl vibe going on with a little bit of whodunnit with lots of secrets. It wasn't quite what I was expecting and the end caught me slightly off guard.

This was definitely a multi layered story. There were secrets that crucial to the storyline that were revealed perfectly in my opinion. I think that my only slight struggle with this book was the multiple timelines and also the pacing. The multiple timelines had me a little lost at times because you have right before the attack, along with a count down, a year before, current events as well.

I feel like there was a little bit more that could have been done with certain characters to add depth but overall I could totally see this as a movie!

Return to Midnight

Wow

I think this little chatterbox might actually be speechless.

Good gosh, I love reading.

Emma Dues, was a new to me author but has instantly become an auto buy author.

This book completely consumed me and left me begging for more by this author!! I am shocked that this was a debut but I am literally PLEADING for more.

I love college thrillers and this one delivered! It left me guessing until the very end and monopolized my every thought for days after concluding .

Absolutely mind blowing!!

Check out this teaser :

On the anniversary of a savage mass murder, a survivor returns to the scene of the crime—and all its buried secrets—in a twisting novel of suspense.

Nearly ten years ago, five Ohio university students were murdered in an off-campus Victorian home. The media dubbed it the Midnight House Massacre. Ever since, survivor and novelist Margot Davis has wanted to forget it, and never again utter the killer’s name. Until she’s compelled to write her side of the story. To do that, she’s returning to Midnight House.

It’ll be a chance for Margot to reconnect with other survivors, heal the trauma, and dispel the ugly conspiracy theories of obsessed true crime fanatics. But when news of Margot’s book gets out, she receives a threatening note that demands she stop lying. Or else. It chills Margot’s blood. Because she hasn’t been telling the whole truth.

As the threats continue, each more sinister than the last, a journalist comes to Margot with new suspicions about that brutal October night. Now, to save her own life, Margot must reveal her well-guarded secrets—ones that, for good reason, she’s been too terrified to share.

Overall really liked this book! It genuinely scared me. It had a bit of a slow start but really picks up in the second half. I only wish we would have seen Aaron get out of prison earlier on in the story, I would have wanted to hear his story.

This is the perfect example of how thrillers should be. Return to midnight has some similarities to the ohio murders of the college students. the story is told from days before the murders and present day as MC is getting threats linked to the past.
This is a hard toput down novel. And the type that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The mystery of what happened that night slowly builds, and so does the present days’ mystery while making it hard to put down. It is one of the best thrillers of 2024.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

If you are looking for a great fall psychological thriller to read, might I recommend this one? Return to Midnight follows a girl who has survived the horrific massacre of her friends, returning to the house and town it happened in years later. Except the killer isn't finished, and Margot may be in another fight for her life.

This is the perfect fall read for anyone who wants to binge a thriller. It has diva ballerinas, killer plot twists, and leaves you with the feeling that perhaps you should double check if you actually locked the doors. And that maybe you should never lie about what happened when a massacre occurs.

This one was a tough one for me. I found it very difficult to get into, but I felt the need to keep reading because I was waiting for an epic twist that unfortunately never came. Overall, it was a crime story, but to me nothing left me incredibly shocked or amazed.

I had high hopes for this book. It began with a great small-town setting, autumn vibes, hot coffee....and a return to that town years after a massacre. Only, it didn't deliver. It felt like it stayed on the surface. We got a lot of "something felt off" but no writing to show that, the ambiance was written in words, but repetitive, and there was no connection being made between the ambiance (cool, brisk, fall, spooky) and Margot. In the present time, we hear a lot about how Margot is so close with her mom, but for much of it, the mom is ignored in any of the past scenes. There was some unbelievable dialog and action as well. I didn't feel like I got to know the characters, and was ultimately disappointed by this book. It didn't feel like the writing was up to the task of the story.