WOW I did not expect that ending whatsoever! This book had me hooked from the get go. There were some things I found a bit strange but I spose it went right along with the story of figuring out why Jake committed suicide. Great narration!

4 Stars!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

Publish date: 08/13/2024

A woman investigates her son’s death and finds out way more than she bargained for. The story was pretty good, definitely gave some Old Boy vibes towards the end but with its own twist. I had trouble feeling anything for any of the characters besides a deep hatred for John. The narrator did a good job I just wasn’t gripped.

With “The Wayside” Caroline Wolff has created a dark academia thriller that captivates with its literary style of writing, the wonderfully portrayed inner workings of the main character, and the slow unfolding of a dark yet inevitable truth that doesn’t seem far from reality.

This story works a lot with the atmosphere it builds and Lauren Fortgang’s narration added a lot to it, making one feel eerily connected with the main character Kate.

It was a gripping story and a perfect read for the fall season.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. Sometimes there was a lot going on, and it got confusing when it went back-and-forth between the past and the present, because it didn’t specify that at the beginning of the chapter. The ending left me with a few unanswered questions.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. However, it felt like something I had read or seen before. As the story progressed, I knew I had already read it. This book is too similar to a movie I have seen in the past.

The Wayside - Caroline Wolff

A slow burn academia read with some psychological thrill.

Kate is struggling with the suicide of her son so she steps into his life at his college so she can figure out why it happened but the more she learns, the more she understands she didn’t know her son like she thought she did.

It was super slow. I am not a fan of thrillers that move at a snail's pace. It was a lot of Kate’s grief driving the book and the things she does while trying to come to terms with her son’s death. I don’t think this book was bad, I think it is mis-genred. Had it been geared as a literary fiction because it was pretty much character driven and that I could have reconciled myself with. The second you say, thriller, I am expecting a moderate pace.

The storyline was great and had it been faster and less about Kate and more about the actual timeline of her son… I would have been singing its praises. It missed its mark and the ending was bizarre.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of the audiobook.

The narrator, Lauren Fortgang, did a great job with this book. I would definitely look for her work again.

The book was maybe a bit too scattered. I think it would have been better to cut the topics by half and take more time to create the characters. As it was, things about the characters seemed to be tossed in at convenient times to better fit the way the author wanted the story to move along.

Billed as dark academia, this psychological thriller about a mother who lurks on her late son's college campus to find the truth about what happened to him was a uniquely chilling read/listen. I finished it in a day because it was just that compelling for me.

If you are anything like me, you will want to throw your earbuds across the room at the end because of one particular character's words and actions 😭 the narration was ok, nothing spectacular.

Content warning: su!c!de

Very much enjoyed this! A good blend of two trendy genres of the moment - dark academia, and twisty thriller. I raced to the end!

This book was ok, but it was missing a lot of gusto. I liked it enough to keep reading and finish it, but it just fell flat a lot of the time. Weird ending..

I loved this exciting psychological thriller. It touches on subjects such as grief, college society and becoming an adult.
Kate is a mom who has lost her son, but there's some mystery that is around her sons death. She wants to find out the real truth about what happened. While doing so she finds out about college secret societies, and the struggles her son was experiencing.
I was hooked from the very first page, it's a unputdownable story, that has you gripped until the last page. The characters where interesting. I felt like I was experiencing the grief right along with Kate. The story had so many layers to peel back that I kept being shocked at what was going on.
If you love thrillers, mystery's, dark academia vibes then you should definitely read this one.
ALC received from Netgalley!

Thanks to NetGalley for an audiobook ARC. I think this had potential and could’ve maybe been really good, but it missed the mark on a few things. I feel like the author tried to cram too many things that are typical of this type of novel into one story.

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy for review in exchange for an honest review.

Audio: the audio narration is fine, I would recommend if you decide to pick this up.

Review: This is a pretty standard thriller. As a debut novel, it was well done. There are things the author can work on in her next work, such as some believability around the story and narrative plot holes/ picking things for convenience. There was a strong academic setting which was good, especially for this time of year. I didn't love the main character, I found her slightly off putting at times. That being said, this was a crafty story and I think most will enjoy their time with.

This wasn’t really much of a mystery/thriller in my opinion. I think this would be better filed as Women’s Fiction. The storyline moved way too slow for me. The majority of the story deals with the FMC grieving for her recently deceased son. She was unlikeable and I couldn’t identify with her. As always, if the book’s description appeals to you, please give it a try.

2.75 🌟

This story revolves around Kate, who, after her son’s death, goes to his college campus to uncover what really happened to him. Was it really suicide, or was something else at play?

Her spiraling deeper and deeper into this obsession was the main thing that I found interesting and what really kept the tension up. Most of the other aspects of the story felt quite two-dimensional to me.

The secret society she came across was intriguing, and the bits and pieces of their initiation process were probably the highlight of my read.

Unfortunately, when I look at the big picture, this was a very mid-level psychological thriller. It didn’t grab me like other books in this genre usually do. The overall plot felt repetitive, made me lose interest often, and I kept reading in hopes of a big twist that never came. The book ended how I expected it would.

Thank you, NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing, for this audiobook ARC. All opinions are my own.

When her son Jake dies at his elite liberal arts college, grieving mother Kate refuses to accept the official explanation for his passing. Instead, she decides to discover the truth - whatever the cost or the means required to do so.

Kate's methods can be extreme and the book is uncomfortable at times, as we accompany her on a journey of grief that borders on madness.

The story describes a gothic setting with a distinctly dark academia vibe, and will appeal to those who enjoy the genre.

This was well written, complex and really emotional but unfortunately just not quite memorable enough. My ambivalence towards it may be due to the fact I wasn’t a huge fan of the narration so I may enjoy it more if I was to read it on hard copy. It was advertised as having dark academia themes and although there was a little of this I wish there had been so much more. This author clearly has a lot of talent and I would be keen to see what else they write in the future.

Title: The Wayside
Author: Caroline Wolff
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Lauren Fortgang
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing Audiobook
Genre: Mystery
Audiobook Release was Date: August 13, 2024
My Rating: 2.7 Stars
Pages 320


I love stories featuring an academic setting- especially one with an eerie Gothic vibe,.
In this story Kate Cleary is grieving the death of her son Jake who died at college under mysterious circumstances.
Kate refuses to believe it was suicide and sets out to investigate.

I feel terrible for anyone who has had to experience something as terrible as the death of child and I have no doubt I, too would search for the truth. However, I had a hard time liking Kate; - when she used Jake’s student ID to get into dorms, the library and into classes; I had concerns about the safety of the college.

I thought I was going to like this but unfortunately it didn’t work for me- it wasn’t terrible but was okay. I was ready to give up but I know there have been times the ending changed my mind so I hung in there.

I want to thank NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date was August 13, 2024.

The Wayside, a gripping psychological thriller, follows Kate Cleary's journey to uncover the truth behind her son Jake's death at his elite liberal arts college. Refusing to believe it was suicide, Kate delves into Jake's final days, encountering unknown forces and a dangerous mystery that leads her closer to a terrifying truth Jake wanted hidden. The story combines elements of dark academia, domestic fiction, and modern suspense, exploring themes of devotion and the secrets we keep from loved ones.

In this NetGalley ARC, we are met with grieving mother Kate, whose 21-year-old son just committed what seemed to be suicide. When another student (who may or may not have a connection to Jake) dies, she finds herself digging up things about the college these students attended.

I loved the angle of a college secret society, I felt that it gave the story so much depth. I think the way Kate was grieving just showed how far a mother's love goes. She felt in her heart there was something more there. I found myself getting immersed every time I listened. The narrator has this aura about her that seems so in tune when narrating as Kate. The twists and turns this book takes you on are so worth the listen!

While I finished this read, it was very drawn out. I never really connected with the MC so I feel like I couldn't keep focused. This one wasn't for me, but I could imagine people enjoying!