To be brutally honest-- I think I legitimately hated this. Which is wild since I previously read Bloom this year and it dug its way into my skull and stuck with me for weeks and I weirdly kinda loved it? So this was definitely not the expected outcome of this book.

The Characters:
The characters feel very 2D and like a Boomer who is totally adrift, trying to fit modern culture and personalities into these neat little boxes from yonder-year that are hella reductive. As far as I know this takes place in modern day (they definitely have MacBooks and iPhones and Priuses) so why does she literally keep saying the teenager -in 2024ish- should be playing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. A musician teen who is classically trained in viola/violin/piano/etc... that song came out over 30 years ago and about a decade and a half before this hypothetical child was born, ffs.

But they're all like that. She's constantly reducing the characters to one or two simple attributes that fit a stereotype, then the narration and the characters themselves laugh and affirm that she's right. So these are the author's thoughts, not just Sarah's. (Though speaking of Sarah, she's totally stuck up and annoying and I hate her.)

The Writing:
One of the things she loves to do is point out that they're artists. But she uses "artists" to explain everything. Dress like a goth? That's an artist. Act bitchy? That's an artist. Introvert? Well duh, artists are introverts. Extrovert? Oh yeah, that just screams artist, doesn't it? -_-

Pet Peeve: One other thing the writing does is a personal pet peeve which is a lot of handwaving. Phrases like "it doesn’t make sense, but she feels it in her bones" or "in the dream, where she seems to just know these things like the omnipotent narrator in a book." You can't just tell me "it doesn't make sense" and "she seems to just know these things" and pretend like that's good enough to move on. You were right! It doesn't make sense! It's your job as a writer to make it make sense!

The Plot:
I was not ready for the multiple references to and on-page instances of sexual assault. The rapes made me incredibly uncomfortable and I just don't think it was handled well. Like I understand what the messaging was (cause seriously it was very repetitive), I just really didn't vibe with how it was handled. Do not ignore the trigger warnings here if you're at all sensitive.

The Ending:
Seriously that's it? Nothing adds up, no catharsis was reached, the last 20 pages sprinted by and felt completely unfinished. Random villain reveals and cameos and blacking out so that they can quickly summarize to Sarah (and the reader) all the crazy shit that happened off page.

Themes:
It's unfortunate for this book that I recently read another thriller/horror new release (Only One Of Us Knows) because I was constantly comparing the reveals and developments to similar ones that happened there but were handled sooooooo much better there.

Overall:
I thought the beginning had a strong sense of atmosphere, and I love Dawson's love of vocabulary and just dropping words like "prevaricate" here and there. But from the moment I met Bernie onward, reading this was my personal hell.

3.5 stars

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I had read another book from this author, Bloom, earlier this year and had enjoyed it and wanted to see what her next book would be like. This is the story of Sarah, our main character, who is looking for a fresh start. Sarah is leaving behind two very toxic relationships, one with her alcoholic mother and the other her abusive ex-boyfriend. Sarah is hoping that six weeks at a secluded artists' colony will relight the fire of her passion for pottery and give her the time she needs before heading back to a new beginning. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned and bodies start showing up and Sarah seems to be at the center of all the negative things happening.

What I liked about this book were the characters. Although there were definitely some stereotypes at play here, it didn't feel too over the top. My favorite aspect was the way the author wrote about two of the female side characters and how their relationships with Sarah started and then changed. No spoilers but things didn't quite go the way I expected there. I also appreciated the way things developed between Sarah and Reid. Lucas was also a doll. The way the plot unfolded was a bit predictable, but still fun.

This story required a lot of suspension of disbelief for me to stay connected, and I didn't always succeed. Believing that all the "artists" were somehow earned a place at this retreat was a bit far-fetched, considering most of them were crafters rather than artists, and I was neve quite sure why the retreat was happening at all. The family that hosted the event remained a bit of an enigma and I never got a handle on what was motivating them.

In the end, I had a fun time reading this story and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun time with a thriller that doesn't really take itself too seriously and follows some tried and true tropes.

I loved Delilah Dawson's book **The Violence** so I was very excited to have the opportunity to read this. I really enjoyed it!

This was a gripping, nervy read. Like the Violence, this is at heart a very feminist, very angry book. Dawson skillfully uses traditional horror story tropes to tell an all-too-real story about the violence that women experience at the hands of their husbands and partners. I thought the setting was well envisioned and executed. The pacing was excellent; once I hit the 60% mark the book blazed into high gear and catapulted to a satisfying conclusion. If I have a critique, it's that some of the characterizations were rather thin. There were also few plot developments that I think were intended to be surprises but which I saw coming 100 miles away. All in all, though, a very atmospheric and enjoyable thriller with compelling themes, and several scenes that will linger in my memory.

Thank you to Delilah S. Dawson, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for generously providing an ARC for review!

DNF at 20%. I was really intrigued by the synopsis but ultimately could not feel connected or invested in the fmc or the story. The writing was pretty repetitive (lots of mentions of her gaslighter ex boyfriend that got really boring) and there weren’t many interesting things happening. I also wish this would have been in first person point of view instead of third person - it may have helped to round out Sarah’s character more and showcase more of her personality. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the arc.

I gave this 3.75. I enjoyed the pacing and plot. There wasn’t as many huge plot twists as I was expecting but still found it enjoyable. I wish the ending gave more detail about the other campers such as Reid and Kim but I liked the book as a whole! Thank you for the ARC.

This was pretty interesting. Very detailed descriptions, characters had individuality, and there were some chilling moments.

It didn’t need to be as long as it was. It got a little repetitive for a bit. Other than that, I really enjoyed this!

I don't think I'm the right kind of reader for this author. I read one of Dawson's works recently, and while it wasn't a favorite, I thought it was worth another attempt.

The issue with this book is the execution; too much repetition and over explanation. The ideas of the book were fine, but it would have been more interesting and easier to follow from Ingrid's perspective. With all the extra information needed for Sarah's perspective, you grow tired of her quickly.

All things considered, it was a chilling read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this arc

I’ve always hear positive things about Delilah S. Dawson but I actually thought this was pretty mid. There wasn’t anything special about the writing, and it lacked the atmosphere I was hoping for. The weakest aspect was the characters, who managed to be flat and unlikeable.
Also I was so freakin sick of hearing about Kyle by page 3 I literally could not care less every time his name came up.

ARC provided by NetGalley

4.5

Setting: Georgia
Rep: n/a

This is a dark and twisted feminist horror/mystery/thriller that I really enjoyed! I loved how visceral the descriptions were - I could really picture every scene (though that isn't always a good thing with a horror!). I really liked Sarah and Ingrid. Bernie managed to become my most hated character in a matter of pages. This is one of those books where, from the start, there is a sense of dread and unease that slowly grows as the book goes on - it isn't big and flashy and full of action, but plenty of creeping discomfort.