This was unexpectedly really good! I'd looked through the reviews before starting it and was worried, just hoping I'd get through enough to write a review at least. That was definitely not a worry I should've had. I listened to the audiobook in three large chunks, the first night was 5 straight hours. It was so hard to stop it!

The story follows 2 ladies, Danny and Rebecca, shifting between their third person points of view, also shifting between past and present day. After high school, the girls had joined a group, ISB, a cult really, headed by a obviously controlling but charmistic man, Ben. At some point, Rebecca leaves, gets married to Tom and has kids. Everything is going well for Rebecca and Tom until Danny shows up on their doorstep one day. All the secrets about her former life Rebecca never told Tom, suddenly come out. And Danny has new secrets for Rebecca.

The characters are all very intense and complex, but in a good way. They're not exhausting or annoying in their intensity. It's hard to figure out who you should like or dislike, everyone making some harsh decisions sometimes. I don't normally listen to fiction audiobooks, I have a hard time following the story, but had no issues with this one. The story flowed well, even going back to the past parts to fill things in. And all the story was filled in so nicely, I didn't feel like anything was left unresolved. The narrator was great and I listened at 1.5x speed and thoroughly enjoyed the whole reading. I love cult stories and this was exactly that, major NXIVM vibes with this one too.

If you're a fan of cult stories, thrillers, or even friendships turned bad (think Pretty Little Liars), give this one a try. I'm not sure why some of the reviews weren't great, but I'm glad I tried it for myself. Sara Shepard's voice came through, her art of secrets and twists was definitely there.

Rebecca has built a nice life for herself with husband Tom and their two young children. The last thing she needs is for a friend from her distinctly problematic past showing up and putting all of that into jeopardy.

But that is exactly what happens when Danny, who has been actively involved with the cult that Rebecca is trying to put behind her, shows up on her doorstep.

And what does Danny want anyway? To draw Rebecca back in? Whatever it is, it is likely to put her marriage at risk, since Tom must not find out about the secrets Rebecca has been keeping from him...

This is a gripping story that provides additional insight into the ever-fascinating world of cults and what draws people to them, keeps them and enraptured and drives some away. It gets 3.5 stars.

This one has some big NXIVM cult vibes. Gaslight is a slow burn story about a cult and the insidious way vulnerable people can be controlled and manipulated into joining them.

This book deals with some heavy topics and abuse. The ISB cult essentially gaslights women into believing there is no such thing as being a victim and then the leader goes on the victimize them in numerous ways.

Definitely be aware of the triggers before going in and don't expect a popcorn thriller. I don't tend to enjoy stories about domestic abuse so this was a hard ones at times despite being well written. This is a dark journey into joining and leaving a cult and all that goes along with that.

The narrator was pleasant to listen to and I would definitely seek her out again for audio books. I enjoyed listening to this in that format!

This book was so crazy and had so many plot twists I’d dint see coming! 😮 I’ve always been a fan of true crime and cults have always been a big topic of interest for me so I knew I’d love this thriller. The characters were so unpredictable in the most interesting ways and the narration was great. Also the cover is so eye catching and PINK. 🤩

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was a very thrilling read, found it so hard to put down!! would recommend for sure!

I started this just to give me a little listen while I was driving. I was planning to save it for September, for the Reading Rivalry thing I do. Anyway, I got hooked and didn't stop listening to it until it was all the way over.
I lived for this book for most of the day today. It was enthralling and exciting and so creepy. I loved Tom and hated Ben and I loved Bex and Dani. Every character was super complex, even Janice.
Part of the excitement was the narrator, of course, but the story was also pure perfection. That ending!
I cannot praise this enough. It was so good.

I could not put this book down! This is gripping thriller/suspense about two women who are running from their past. Told from multiple POV and across different timelines (past & present), this book was so well organized and told in my favorite way for thrillers. Each chapter ended on a cliff hanger that had me staying up way too late to keep listening. I instantly felt connected to Rebecca and Danny, their character development throughout the book was amazing to see.

This novel is for true crime, cult conspiracies and anyone that enjoys a good suspense.

Thank you Blackstone publishing and netgalley for the advance listening copy.

THE. COVER. IS. IMMACULATE.

the narrator was fantastic and kept me interested from start to finish, even when the plot itself lost me a bit. Very impressed by her!

I usually say cult books don’t give enough cult. This one finally did. However, I still have so many questions. Which I guess is true of most cults. However, I just never ever saw how Ben pulled off all that he did. Maybe his character wasn’t well developed enough but it made it all seem extremely far fetched. Same with the ending- it just seemed too easy.

Outside of that, this was very intriguing and a solid listen. I listened to it all in less than 24 hours! I just wanted more depth, I suppose. For all the trauma each character endured, they seemed fairly level-headed ha.

Two women face off after spending their adolescence in a cult. One has a seemingly ordinary life with a home, husband and child. The other shows up on her doorstep one day, threatening to expose the truth about their shared pasts, something the husband is ignorant of. Told in alternating time lines, this story will keep readers guessing about the motives of its protagonists

I wanted there to be a little more about the cult, but that being said, this was still a compelling cult story. I read it in one day. The characters are well written. I enjoyed watching the girls, especially, come into their own after years of being controlled by a charismatic cult leader. I feel like the authors really did a great job of depicting the mind control aspect of cult life (not that I have ever been in one to attest to its accuracy, but I have watched a LOT of documentaries). The cult in question draws heavily on a particular self improvement courses turned sex cult that you are probably familiar with if you are as fascinated by cults as I am. There were many parallels. Overall, I enjoyed the reading experience. There was a lot of tension in the vein of not knowing where character's loyalties lie. That being said, it didn't give me the sense of overwhelming creepiness or dread that I often want from a cult book. Still, definitely recommend for fans of cult reads.