Rebecca is living a peaceful life in Nevada with her husband, Tom, and their two young children. Her past is in the past but she has never completely stopped looking over her shoulder. Then one Saturday morning, her past finally catches up to her. Her former best friend, Danny, shows up on her doorstep. The problem is, Rebecca has never told Tom about her past, about the fact that she was in a cult. She and Danny were both in the cult called ISB.. You are never allowed to leave, so when Rebecca finally found a way out she took it and went on the run, leaving Danny behind. She knows if the cult leader finds out where she is, he will kill her. So she needs to figure out why Danny is here and what she is up to, and see if she can control the narrative before her husband gets suspicious.

I love this author's books, but this one was not one of my favorites. I think it was the subject matter - I always find reading about cults and their members depressing. So that is a "me" thing and has nothing to do with the writing itself. The book started out as a bit of a slow burn, but about halfway through it really picked up the pace and became a thriller. Overall I give this a solid 4 out of 5.

I thought the cult aspect of this book was well executed, it felt believable and authentic, the characters felt a little lack luster in places but overall an enjoyable creepy psychological read

3.5

I think the cult lovers will really enjoy this one.

This was a solid read, I enjoyed it, it held my attention, the plot never lulled but I just couldn’t quite connect to our two MCs, I never really felt empathy for them and that made this an ok read versus a great one.

Nonetheless I think people who love cult stories and really plotty books will still really enjoy this one.

Bex has worked hard to overcome past traumas and built a cozy family life. She has it all: two happy children, a wonderful husband and a gorgeous suburban home. But her comfortable existence is threatened when her old friend Danny shows up at her door.

Danny has spent nearly a decade deeply enmeshed in a dangerous cult. She lives on its compound and is one of its charismatic leader’s romantic partners. She even appears in YouTube videos promoting its teachings. But she tells Bex that she’s ready to leave it all behind. She says she’s run away and needs help from her old friend. Bex doesn’t know what to do. If Danny’s telling the truth, it would be cruel to turn her away. But if she’s lying, and still working for the cult…Bex and her family could be in its crosshairs.

I loved this book. It had the page-turning pacing that I’ve come to expect from Sara Shepard’s thrillers as well as some enjoyable and surprising twists. Like much of Shepard’s other work, female friendship, and the tensions and jealousies that can coexist with heartfelt care, is a big theme. I am a person who has consumed WAY too many documentaries and podcasts about cults, and the one in this book rang true to me. The way characters got sucked in by personal attention and seemingly reasonable teachings felt very realistic, as did the way the cult’s control over their lives escalated.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun thriller, and especially anyone fascinated by cults.

A creepy look at the reality of living in a cult. Feels almost like a memoir or documentary even though it's fiction. Will leave you with goosebumps throughout.

This was a 5 star read for me! I really enjoyed this book. The cover caught my attention and the book kept my attention. I really enjoyed the multiple povs and it’s about joining, living and leaving a cult.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rebecca, Tom, and their two children are enjoying life in Carson City, Nevada when her past appears in the form of her old friend, Danny, who is a reminder of all the secrets she is keeping from her husband. Turns out that Danny (and Rebecca) have been a part of ISB, Infinite Spiritual Being, a cult. The cult lives in the woods, cut off from society and are led by a master manipulator. Is Danny trying to break with the group or does he have something else in mind?

This book was just ok to me. I wanted a lot more from it, more character development, more depth, maybe less action. So while it was interesting, it left me unsatisfied. I didn't really care about the characters or fully believe them. The cult leader was sufficiently creepy, and you kind of wondered why people would follow him, but I don’t have much else. This one was okay.

Gaslight was an interesting read. I had a hard time connecting to the characters in this one. I recommend going into this one not knowing too much.

They all joined a cult in high school now almost 10 years later the past is back looking fir answers

Told in multiple POV’s with alternating timelines, you’re in for an uneasy good time.

I love a good cult, and while the story was interesting and had so much potential, it ultimately felt like something was missing.

I wouldn’t categorize this a thriller, but it was suspenseful. If you’re a fan of cults, I say to give it a read.

An undeveloped cult book with somewhat interesting characters. I wanted more and was left... unsatisfied.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

This book was just ok to me. I wanted a lot more from it, more character development, more depth, maybe less action. So while it was interesting it left me unsatisfied. I didn't really care about the characters or fully believe them. Just didn't work for me, seemed more like a YA book though that wasn''t the target audience

Super lazy writing. As someone who has watched documentaries on NXIUM, Scientology, etc, this literally took the most surface details and threw them into a story with dumb and inconsistent characters who weren’t realistic. The book was already short and could have been cut in half based on all the repetition because of all the different POVs. The portrayal of Tom’s addiction was pretty problematic and read like it was written by a kid with no addiction knowledge besides TV. I skimmed a bunch because I knew it wouldn’t matter. Giving it 2 stars because I did read it super quickly and didn’t feel an urge to DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read the e-arc of Gaslight. I really enjoyed this book. I love cult-y books and this was insane as well as believable. I definitely think you should give this book a read if you like the kind of books where you're on edge waiting to see what happens and characters that you can't fully trust.

I typically really love a good cult novel, but this one didn't quite hit all the right notes for me. It was still interesting and I found myself curious about the characters, but it was missing a little something I can't quite pin down. Regardless, we will be purchasing for the collection and have several patrons in mind already that I believe will love this. Thank you.

I've loved Sara Shepard ever since she came out with the Pretty Little Liars series when I was in high school, so I was excited to pick this one up! While I know she's no stranger to the thriller/suspense scene, the whole cult motif took things to a new level! While I didn't quite love any of the characters in particular, this book was flat out CREEPY! Shepard and Joris-Peyrafitte did an excellent job at creating a setting that set the perfect tone and mood for this story. Thanks so much for the ARC!

Rebecca, husband Tom and their two children are enjoying life in Carson City, Nevada when her past appears in the form of her old friend Danny who is a reminder of all the secrets she is keeping from her husband. She can’t determine what determine what Danny wants from her.

Turns out that Danny has been a part of ISB, Infinite Spiritual Being, a cult. They live in the woods, cut off from society and are led by a master manipulator. Rebecca has a past with the group too. Is Danny trying to break with the group or does he have something else in mind?

I will read pretty much anything about cults, my one true love, but I finished this book less than a week ago and I already have forgotten pretty much everything about it, which doesn’t really say much for it. The cult leader was sufficiently creepy, and you kind of wondered why people would follow him, but I don’t have much else. So I guess it was OK.

I am usually a sucker for a cult books, but this one kind of left me wanting more. It was a good book, but I just did not connect with the characters as much.