Wow!! This book was wild. I'm still sitting here the next day trying to figure out the ending, was the MC being completely gaslit the whole book? Was she really mentally ill? Or was she incredibly dark and twisty? I think I know where I'm leaning but I don't want to ruin it for anyone else. This book was a quick read that had me wanting to get to the end. I'm excited to go look up more books from the author.

I received this book as an eArc from NetGalley. The last couple books from there have been so hard to read, almost like they were written by AI, so I was glad to finally be able to finish one and enjoy it thoroughly!! Thank you to NetGalley, Little A, and Madeleine Henry for the chance to read and review this book!

"Name Not Taken" gives readers a family-centric narrative, one with a dark, mysterious storyline. If you enjoy thrillers with psychological tension and themes of hidden agendas and emotional manipulation this book will be a hit with you!

However, I don't love the vibe of the characters and found their behavior to be problematic.

I think Madeleine Henry's storytelling style is just not for me. This is the second book I've tried. Each time I've been drawn in by the brilliant cover art and the very evocative blurbs. The setup always grabs my attention and I speed along only to find myself confused and my attention flagging about a quarter of the way in. To her credit, she writes such irritating and difficult characters that I actually find myself aggravated while reading. This is definitely a testament to the strength of her writing and her use of powerful descriptive language, but it doesn't necessarily make for an enjoyable read - especially when struggling to connect to the story. I also think it's possible I'm just done with the unreliable narrator - and everyone in this book felt unreliable and like their actions and thoughts turned on a dime. It was aggravating. If that was the point, brava, but I just didn't enjoy it and couldn't see it through...

This entire story is the definition of ambiguous between the unreliable narrator and not so tied up in a bow ending and everything in between. This was, however, written beautifully with its detailed descriptions and atmospheric setting. I felt certain topics were forgotten and wished they would have been explored a little more. I enjoyed this. I just didn't love it. Three stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Little A, for this ARC.

What a fantastic book! The first one I have read by this author but definitely can't wait to read more! The characters stay with you long after you finish the book. Highly recommend!

I felt extreme discomfort reading this due to the main character's lack of control. Then I flipped to feeling unsettled because I was rooting for her and perhaps she IS a psycho who killed her mother in law? Name Not Taken was well written to leave me feeling so many things.

Thank you NetGalley, Madeleine Henry, and Little A for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This one was addictive and had me constantly reading.

This novel follows Devon Ferrell and Richard Belmont, an engaged couple who goes to meet his family. While visiting his family, she has some odd experiences, from stares to whispers about her mental state. They seem to be trying to get her to leave, but no one believes her.

I read this one so quickly because I really wanted to see what happened. I wasn’t ever entirely sure who to believe - which is also true of the ending but to a greater extent. My main complaint with this one is that the ending was odd and is left very open-ended. I couldn’t figure out what happened and I’ve seen a lot of other reviewers have had the same problem.

The ending made me drop my rating a bit and I think I’m settling on a 3.5. An interesting story, but brought down by loose ends and a strange conclusion.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Little A and Brilliance Publishing for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest book by Madeleine Henry, with the audiobook wonderfully narrated by Natalie Naudus. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 3.5 stars rounded up!

Devon and Richard are engaged, but come from two very different backgrounds. Devon's was traumatic, being raised by a single mother with mental health issues, while Richard comes from a very wealthy family. But after dating and living together, she had still not met his family until now. And it is not going well - the family seems to question everything Devon does and are making Richard question her as well. Let the mind games begin.

While domestic suspense is usually one of my favorite genres, this one was just okay for me. I felt bad for Devon and wished she could have stood up for herself better, plus there are so many unreliable narrators that you will be questioning everyone. I switched to listening to the audiobook and enjoyed it, but was a tad confused with the ending. I'm blaming it on maybe too much multitasking when listening. This was also an Amazon Prime First Read selection so try it out for yourself!

SYNOPSIS
- Devon and Richard just got engaged. On the surface, they seem like a classic opposites-attract couple — she’s a creative, struggling artist, and he’s a polished finance guy from a wealthy, old-money family.
- When Devon finally meets Richard’s family, everything shifts. The Belmonts ooze money and perfection, but Devon immediately senses something off.
- The family’s subtle comments and fake concerns start messing with Devon’s head, until she doesn’t know who (if anyone) she can trust — including herself.
- As Devon spirals, she starts questioning her relationship, her sanity, and whether the Belmonts actually want to welcome her in… or destroy her completely.
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MY THOUGHTS
- Incredibly twisty and completely addictive.
- Devon’s unreliable narration kept me guessing the whole time, and I loved how the story constantly made me question whether she was losing her mind or if the Belmonts were actually out to get her. Is Devon the victim or the villain? Even from page one, it’s clear Devon doesn’t know — and that uncertainty made every twist hit even harder.
- Madeleine Henry’s writing really stood out. There’s a real elegance to how Henry weaves Devon’s inner thoughts, past traumas, and present fears together.
- Perfectly captures that chilling dysfunction of a wealthy, image-obsessed family. They radiated wealth and control, but you could feel the rot under all that polish.
- The Greenwich and NYC settings added to the vibe perfectly. That contrast between Devon’s bohemian life and Richard’s ultra-wealthy world made the tension even sharper.
- I also loved the glimpses into Devon’s messy relationship with her mom and her complicated backstory. Those moments gave her character so much depth and made her unraveling feel even more personal.
- The execution and pacing were spot-on. Every chapter left me needing to know what would happen next.
- I know some readers didn’t love the ending, but I actually thought it fit the story perfectly. It felt unsettling, satisfying, and true to the characters.
- Devon’s character really stuck with me — she’s complicated, messy, and at times infuriating, but so incredibly well-written.
- From the very first scene with the Belmonts, I hated them. Their passive-aggressive cruelty drove me crazy .
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TL;DR: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ a dark, twisty, fast-paced psychological thriller that dives deep into family dysfunction, wealth, gaslighting, and complete mind games. Devon’s unreliable narration kept me second-guessing everything — her own memories, the creepy-perfect Belmont family, and whether Devon’s the victim or the real problem. The writing felt smooth and sharp, the pacing never dragged, and every character felt a little too real in the best (and worst) way. If you love books that mess with your head and keep you flipping pages, this one’s a must-read.
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Thanks to Little A and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now.

This has taken the usual in law relationship to a new level and added darkness, danger and hostility that made it an intense read.

When Dev meets her soon to be family, things take a harsh turn. It sounds good in theory but wasn’t executed well. Some parts were to unreal and the characters were not great. I wished I would’ve liked it more. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc.

*ೃ༄*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Impassioned artist endures almost complete mental collapse -- or does she?

“𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚋𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎’𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎—𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎—𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚣𝚢 𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝚂𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞 ‘𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚎,’ 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢’𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚗.”

Opposites attract. She's a right-brained loner starving-artist pursuing her passion. He's gregarious, charming, in finance, and from a wealthy family.

Devon and Richard seems to have the perfect life: newly engaged and about to meet his parents for the first time. Then everything goes downhill, in a very sinister and creep-inducing way.

Fast paced as expected from a psychological thriller, but what a surprise to find beautiful writing as well.

I spent so much of this book wondering who was actually sane. Things felt deranged from the jump, and I suspected almost everyone at some point.

I know some people found the ending ambiguous, which is interesting as I loved the ending and felt I knew exactly what happened! (So if you read this -- let's chat!)

I do suggest going in blind. I enjoyed wondering if all of the characters were suffering from some kind of multiple personality disorder or whether everyone is just a lying liar who lies. Although you have to suspend disbelief about some aspects, I found this highly addictive and loved the twists and turns.

A short but good little story. Kept me engaged, did feel like some things inside the book could’ve been more elaborated on and/or given more to the story- but I really liked it!

If you enjoy the visiting your fiance's wealthy parents trope, this is a twisty one for you. There's some unlikable and annoying characters in this one. I liked the sessions with the therapist. I found the relationship very odd but it made sense in the end

A book that made me upset but that I couldn't put down.
Name not taken has a good pace, pretty descriptions of art and interesting characters which I could've preferred to be explored in depth.
The strongest element of this book is how every twist makes you guess whats really going on.

Name Not Taken made me stop reading to think about what I was reading. The story can be seen as just another mystery/suspense novel or as an in depth portrait of maladjusted families and couples with deep personality problems. There's the question of alcohol addiction and all its consequences, also some characters are strong and manipulative and prompt others to act in totally different ways than their normal, they are deceitful and will do anything to achieve their goals not caring for the consequences of their actions. Being raised in a loving environment Name Not Taken was not an easy read but it certainly has provided food for thought.
I thank Ms. Henry, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you Netgalley & Little A for an eARC ❤️

The book is about Devon, a young woman who's engaged to Richard, and she's desperate to fit in with his super wealthy and super dysfunctional family.
But things take a dark turn when Devon starts to realize that Richard's family is playing some serious mind games with her. They're making her doubt her own sanity, and I'm like, "Girl, get out of there!"🤯
I loved how the author, Madeleine Henry, wove together this complex web of psychological suspense. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering what was real and what was just Devon's paranoia.
This was my first book by Madeleine Henry, and I'm obsessed! Her writing is so captivating, and I love how she explores the darker corners of human psychology. I'll definitely be reading more of her books in the future!👍🏽

Devon thought her life was going to get better after she got engaged to Richard but that's not what happens. This slow burn sometimes silly novel about a toxic family sees Dev spin out as the result of hostility from Richard's family but mostly from his mother Vanessa. Dev doesn't have a great relationship with her own mother but this is a whole new level. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I've liked Henry's work in the past but this was a miss for me.

1 star

I didn't like this one. I felt like I was getting gaslight along with our main character. The characters were awful, like not the way they were written but the characters themselves (especially Richard). I didn't like the ending either, so... i like psychological thrillers, but this one was not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

"On closer inspection, a sliver of a mirror shines in the mess of hair, like a lustrous needle snapped in half. Its bloody tip makes the painting seem even more sinister."




Unreliable narrator trope. Gone girl and Rebecca inspired. We follow mc Dev and her fiancée Richard. Vanessa, Richard's mother, is obviously not in favor of their relationship from the start and things started to get messy when Vanessa just disappeared one day putting even further strain on her relationship with Richard.
This was ok. I was interested to keep on reading and wanted to know more about the strange disappearance of Vanessa. The second half of the book and the ending was a bit perplexing and just did not wow me.

3.45✨

Big thanks to the publisher, Netgalley for the arc. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Expected release date: March 1, 2025