What a fun, twisty thriller. I really enjoyed Queen of Hearts by Heather Day Gilbert. This book follows Alex DuBois a famous writer who lives in Greenwich, CT (woo, Greenwich, a place I used to live) who finds herself suddenly being stalked by someone super invested in the ending of her book series. Her agent tells her to get out of town and spend time at their writer's retreat- a huge mansion in West Virginia. While trying to hide out it seems the entire small town knows who she is and where she is staying. Soon she starts getting signs that her stalker has followed her and is in this mansion with her. I really enjoyed Alex as a main character. She has autism and there is a lot of awareness and topics discussed about why she thinks or does certain things throughout the book. I also liked that it was a book about books. There were tons of twists and turns and the ending really surprised me! I'd definitely check out this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this eARC.

While I have read other books by Heather Day Gilbert that involve murder, her cozy mystery genre has more of a lighthearted feel than this self-described “clean psychological thriller.” Even though it was intense, and suspenseful enough to keep me on the edge of my seat, it didn’t give me nightmares. Gilbert’s inclusion of a main character with autism was very effective and integral to the plot—especially considering since she was an author herself, bringing the element of a book within a book into play.

When Alex began to receive threats from a “Highly Invested Reader” if she didn’t conclude her novel a certain way, she heads to a secluded spot to finish writing her book where no one should find her. But she continues to feel vulnerable, even though some of her suspicions could be her mind playing tricks on her. As she uncovers other murders, the threat to her own life becomes more real, and there is a string of potential suspects; but just like Alex, the reader doesn’t know who can be trusted. Though it was a satisfying enough ending, the epilogue raised questions that could never be answered. But then I suppose that is what makes a good mystery!

Over all I enjoyed reading this psychological thriller. Alexandra is a best selling author with a stalker. At the suggestion of her publisher she goes to his house in rural West Virginia until the stalker is found. The stalker however seems to have found her. I liked the West Virginia Setting and the characters. I enjoyed the mystery and I was able to figure out the identity of the stalker/killer. The romance seemed a little forced. It was a quick thrilling read. Enjoy

This was my first book of Heather's and what a first choice! I did not put this book down for a second and finished it in the space of 2-3 hours. Queen of Hearts is an extremely fast-paced thriller that get's to the point in the first chapter and does not stop from there. I really enjoyed our female lead, Alex, and was rooting for her the whole way through - she was a strong female lead who was betrayed and manipulated by those close to her. The plot twist definitely had me pausing and processing, it was a complete rollercoaster and had me on the edge of my seat. Whilst it doesn't reach the intense horror that does come with many thrillers, this is a fantastic amount of intense and spooky for people that aren't too big of a fan of the more nitty gritty types. I really enjoyed the atmosphere in which the story was focused on, it really created that chilling feeling that will run through your bones as Alex fights for her life. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will definitely be exploring Heather's back log.

This was my first book by Heather Day Gilbert, but it definitely won’t be my last! The character development, plot, twists and turns, are sure to draw you in. As an Appalachian, I appreciated how the location played into the storyline. If you’re a fan of suspense, you’ll love Queen of Hearts.

Bestselling author Alexandra Dubois pens twisty, serial killer stories. But when someone sends threatening messages, danger and terror are no longer confined to the pages of her novels.

Unsafe in her own house, Alex escapes to her editor’s vacation home in West Virginia, where she can hide while tackling her latest deadline. When strange occurrences follow her there, Alex questions her own mind as she struggles to find the line between paranoia and reality. A thunderstorm strands her in the mountain cabin, trapping her with either a mind that fails her or a sinister stalker determined to make her believe that.

A story about obsession, Heather Day Gilbert’s Queen of Hearts delivered a steady-paced, addictive read. I suspected the culprit early on but had to keep flipping pages to find out if I was right. I was, but his/her motives remained a mystery to me until the end. One twist I did not see coming.

While an enjoyable read, it never quite reached the level of psychological thriller for me. I would label it more in the mystery category. The setting — an isolated cabin in the mountains — was my favorite part. I’m drawn to mysteries set in the middle of nowhere and grew impatient in the beginning, eager for Alex to get out there. Of course, knowing what awaited her, maybe that wasn’t very nice of me.

I can see Queen of Hearts appealing to fans D.L. Wood’s Deadly Decisions Collection, as well as to readers who enjoy atmospheric, suspense stories. I am now eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

Book Review:
Title: Queen of Hearts
Author: Heather Day Gilbert
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

Quick read, suspenseful with a twist. I'm surprised I was actually shocked by who the bad guy ended up being revealed as! Came out of nowhere!

Alexander Dubois, "Alex," is a bestselling author whose readers are anxiously awaiting her newest release. Fans are captivated by the ongoing storyline from her past books in the series and are very invested to find out what happens at the conclusion. One fan is maybe a little too obsessed, calling themselves the "invested reader" in incidents of stalking. For her protection, Alex heads to a cabin in West Virginia, owned by her editor. This cabin is more like a luxurious vacation home that has hosted past writers' retreats. But the location has a history of death. Alex struggles with some neurological traits that, at times, can cause issues with disassociate. Who can she trust, and who is her stalker? I enjoyed the twist!

Published: July 23rd, 2024

Thank you, @netgalley and #woodhavenpress, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

“The story I've been pulled into won't have a happy ending, but I'm determined to write it my way...or to die trying.”

“"I have a stalker.”

“Someone is in the house, and I need to hide.”

I thought this book was very well written, and I loved the representation of neurodiversity with the main character. I always get stressed when MC authors go to a secluded place to work on their next book because of how it usually ends for them, and Queen of Hearts is no different. Does that stop me from continuing to read them? No! It’s a welcome stress! If you’re looking for a quick read with Fall / Spooky season coming up, I would recommend picking up this book.

This book will hook you from the beginning, and it is easy to read. I loved the main character Alex and so many of the side characters. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

What a great page turner that kept me guessing to the end! I had no idea the mystery and honestly it kept me guessing as to what was going on. I was completely shocked to the plot twist the author revealed. If you enjoy mysteries and physiological thrillers I definitely recommend this book!

Wow…what a roller coaster! When Alex has some weird things happen like a letter sent to her home, a brick through her kitchen window. It was determined she would leave her home until the cops found her stalker, her editor offered her his cabin. When it seems the stalker has found her she can’t believe it. She has to fight for her life and what she feels is a dream.

I received an advance reader copy of Queen of Hearts by Heather Day Gilbert from NetGalley. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley!

The story follows Alexandra Dubois, an autistic NYT best selling author. She is struggling to finish her latest book when some crazed super fan starts stalking and harassing her. Similar to Misery, she is at the whim of this psychotic fan to finish the story their way…or else.

To feel safe, she relocated to a cabin in the woods (come on, would you feel safe?) and tries to utilize the remoteness of the house to focus on her work. Her super fan has been watching though…and follows her.

There were so many ways this book could have gone and I am pleased to say I was not able to predict it AT ALL. The twist was well thought out and I felt like the characters had so much dimension and personality.

Omg how I flew through this! It really does give you everything and there's just so much going on that I couldnt read fast enough to try and figure out what was actually going on. It's a quick and easy read, not too much waffle and as I said, lots going on so it absolutely flies by! The characters are well written, they're well fleshed out, a really enjoyable read

I am a longtime fan of Heather Gilbert’s writings. I must say that this book is very very different from her others. I have read her Viking books and also her cozy mysteries, but this one is eerie, suspenseful and will have you wondering just what is really going on. This book has it all as far as suspense and interest and keeping you reading on into the night. We have a stalker, a serial killer, an authoress running from her unknown stalker and there are so many twists and turns in this book, sometimes leaving you somewhat puzzled. Wow and the ending is somewhat confusing and mysteriously eerie. Can’t wait for Gilbert’s next novel.

Queen Of Hearts is a gripping and addictive thriller that had me hooked from the start. The start of this book and the premise was highly promising, but towards ¾ of the book it just started to go downhill for me. I was so invested and couldn't read fast enough, and then I felt like the author was just trying too hard to throw us in so many different directions, but it didn't work for me in this novel. The writing was good, it was an easy and quick read as well.

The FMC is autistic and an author which I appreciated and really liked. But the execution of showing the neurodivergence was not great, it was missing something, it didn't feel realistic. She was also making such poor decisions that it was hard to root for her. Also, the twists were a bit of a let down and I think that's what lost me a little at the end.

Although with all the little let downs in this book it was still a fun, easy and short read. My opinion is highly unpopular for this book considering all the other reviews, so check it out for yourself !

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @woodhavenpress & Heather Day Gilber for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Woodhaven Press and Heather Day Gilbert for an early review copy of this novel. All the opinions shared in this review are my own.

Alexandra is a best selling author who goes to West Virginia to hide from a stalker. The stalker seems to have followed her to her hiding place. This is Hitchcock style novel.

This book started out very nicely, but I struggled with it in the end. I found the ending to be very strange and somewhat hard to follow.

If you like thriller type mysteries you will like this. If you want something that is easier to follow then this book may not be for you.

This starts with lots of promise. So much promise from the description of the main character. I did guess the main twist but enjoyable writing none the less.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was an entertaining claustrophobic thriller featuring an autistic female author. I guessed the twist early on, but the atmosphere made this a fun read.

I'd recommend this if you're looking for a slightly creeper thriller that's centered on a stalker in a remote location and a (potentially) unreliable lead.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

What a terrific read!

I adored our main character. Her autism made her even more compelling and I think the author does a great job, both in the story and in some of the info she provides, letting the reader know that there are many shades of autism. This represents only one.

Our mystery is compelling and definitely kept me guessing.

I'd love to read the author - and her character - again!