Thank you for the ARC! I absolutely loved this book and enjoyed the story and characters. Will definitely be checking out more from this author in the future!

I really enjoyed this thriller! The twist completely caught me off guard and kept me guessing until the very end. It’s full of twists, turns, and suspicious characters that kept me hooked. If you love thrillers that keep you second-guessing, I highly recommend this one.

After moving to a new city with her young son, Melissa is just trying to rebuild her life after a painful divorce. Romance isn’t on her radar—until she meets Thomas, a widowed pediatrician who seems almost too good to be true. But there’s one problem: Thomas was once suspected of murdering his first wife, and although he was cleared, the cloud of suspicion never went away.

The story hooked me immediately. Like Melissa, I couldn’t help but wonder—was Thomas really who he claimed to be, or was there something darker lurking beneath his perfect exterior? The tension builds beautifully, and I found myself second-guessing everything right along with her. This was a gripping, twisty read that had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through!

The story kicks off with Melissa Burke, a newly divorced mom trying to rebuild her life in Lake Julia, Minnesota, with her five-year-old son, Bradley. She’s fresh off a toxic marriage and just wants a breather, but at a friend’s dinner party, she meets Thomas Danver—charming pediatrician, devoted dad to two girls, and, oh yeah, an exonerated murderer accused of killing his wife, Rose, who vanished three years ago. Sparks fly, but so do red flags, especially when Melissa gets an anonymous warning: “Stay away from him unless you want to die.” From there, it’s a twisty ride as she digs into Thomas’s past, unraveling secrets through Rose’s diary entries, therapy session transcripts, and her own sleuthing.

What worked for me: DeYoung nails the creepy, “who can I trust?” vibe. The mixed-media format—Rose’s journals and Thomas’s cagey therapy chats with his therapist, Amelia—adds layers and keeps things fresh. Melissa’s a relatable lead; her vulnerability as a single mom makes you root for her, even when she’s making questionable choices (like diving into a romance with a guy who might’ve offed his wife). The Minnesota small-town setting is cozy but sinister, and the pacing, especially in the first half, keeps you flipping pages. I loved how DeYoung plays with moral ambiguity—nobody’s fully good or evil, and the twists (especially one near the end) had me second-guessing everyone.

Where it stumbled: The middle drags a bit as Melissa gathers clues, and some side characters, like her neighbor Derek, feel like they could’ve been fleshed out more. The romance between Melissa and Thomas felt rushed—almost like insta-love—which made it harder to buy her ignoring the murder-y rumors. Also, while the big reveal is juicy, some plot points felt a tad convenient or predictable if you read a lot of thrillers. I wanted the “chilling threat” to hit harder; it didn’t always feel as urgent as promised.

Overall, Stay Away from Him is a solid, unsettling read that’s perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn or Ruth Ware. It’s got heart, plenty of “what the heck” moments, and a satisfying (if slightly rushed) ending. I’d give it 3.5/5 stars—great for a rainy weekend when you want suspense with a side of family drama.

An interesting and enjoyable thriller with a clever plot and an eerie atmosphere. The romance felt a bit too forced though for my liking as a reader and therefore took me out of the story as a result after the halfway point.
Thankyou to Net galley and Poisoned Pen Press for an arc of this story.

I really enjoyed this thriller! The twist completely caught me off guard and kept me guessing until the very end. It’s full of twists, turns, and suspicious characters that kept me hooked. If you love thrillers that keep you second-guessing, I highly recommend this one.

This was a BLAST! I love these kinds of domestic thrillers and I could not put this down. There were so many twist and turns I was racing to the end

An excellent domestic thriller from De Young. It kept me guessing the whole time and pacing was excellent. It was an interesting and intriguing read.

Who doesn’t love a good domestic thriller? This one did not disappoint. It was fast paced and had a few surprises here and there. I loved that we not only got the present timeline, but got to relive the past through the dead wife’s diary. Perfect for readers who enjoy thrillers that balance psychological tension with sharp, addictive storytelling.

This was a good time but I think I would recommend this for beginners readers, I did find it a bit predictable and I didn’t like the insta love between the 2 characters in the story.

Thank you NetGalley & Poisoned press pen for an ARC of Stay Away From Him. I rated this one a 4.5/5 stars ⭐️ great fast paced domestic thriller. I could not put this book down so many possibilities in the story did not see the twist coming at all. Really liked the different POV especially Emilia’s. I highly recommend this book.

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐦
𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐃𝐞𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠
𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬
𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰
𝟓⭐️

From the minute I started reading 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐦 by author @andrewdeyoungauthor I was completely hooked! The author did an amazing job creating a tension filled, realistic, domestic thriller.

I loved the multiple narration formats the author used such as different character POVs, journal entries, and therapy session transcripts. These different formats really allowed the book to move fast and they all intertwined perfectly.

Throughout the book there were many twists that caught me off guard and a few that were predictable as well. I loved that this wasn’t a cheesy popcorn thriller, and had some true suspense to the plot.

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒: “Relocating with her 5-year-old son to a new city after an ugly divorce, Melissa Burke isn’t looking for a new relationship right away—only distance from her ex, and space to rest and heal from the emotional scars of a broken marriage. But an unexpected relationship is exactly what she finds at a friend’s dinner party when she meets Thomas Danver, a charming widower who asks for her number at the end of the night. Intrigued, Melissa learns from her neighbors that Thomas is a dedicated father of two girls, one of the most respected pediatricians in the city—and an exonerated murderer.

Thomas’s first wife went missing three years ago, presumed dead, and Thomas was eventually cleared of her murder in an investigation that became a local media sensation. But while some still believe he killed his wife, Melissa’s friends insist that he was unfairly targeted by the police and couldn’t hurt a fly. Attracted to Thomas and also fascinated by the case, Melissa agrees to one date—and finds herself quickly swept into an obsessive, whirlwind romance.

But when Melissa receives a chilling, anonymous threat—or perhaps it’s a warning—she begins to question how much she truly knows about the man she’s falling in love with. Is he really innocent?“

#stayawayfromhim#andrewdeyoung
#posionedpenpress#bookstagram

Special thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Andrew DeYoung for an ARC of this incredible psychological thriller. I was hooked from start to finish. The characters were interesting, the story was enthralling and the twists were twisting. I would absolutely read more books from this author - loved it!

I found this book difficult to get into. I struggled with the main characters A LOT. It felt like the time moving in the book was fast but reading it felt slow. The back story on the main character was not more authentic is now they behaved. I did feel like the time flash backs were insightful and helped to keep me on my toes in a curious way. I was dying to know the "truth" of the mystery. This was a light thriller in my view and more romances than I was expecting.

I felt like the writing flowed and the book was easy to read. I enjoyed the short chapters also. I would read another book by this writer.

I really enjoyed this book! I love thrillers, but find that sometimes they feel redundant and predictable. "Stay Away from Him" did not feel that way for me at all. After reading, I am very interested in reading more from Andrew DeYoung.

I enjoyed the suspense and the thrill. This was a good book and I enjoyed it. I would definitely read another from this author.

I love a good thriller and this one definitely was right up my alley!
A need a book that grabs me and I just don’t want to put down.
I really enjoyed this messy domestic thriller!

Stay Away From Him by Andrew DeYoung is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. The story’s tension and unexpected twists made it impossible to put down. I really enjoyed the book and rated it five stars.

Melissa is going through an ugly divorce. She relocates with her five year
old son, far away from her ex husband.

She’s not looking for a relationship but she happens to meet Thomas. He’s a charming doctor but his first wife went missing and Thomas was questioned about her disappearance. He has two young teenage daughters who are trying to get through life without a mother.

Someone contacts Melissa to stay away from Thomas but she can’t figure out why.

This book kept me interested, I liked it. Thanks netgalley and publisher for a chance to read this book for free in return for my honest opinion.

4.5 ✨

I really enjoyed this book! It seemed like the story took off from the very beginning and it hooked me. I really liked the snippets of journal entries and the recording logs that we got. This really helped us get a sense of what was going on but it also kept the reader guessing at times.

The twist in the book had my head spinning and my jaw dropping. I haven’t read anything else by this author but I’m adding him to my auto read list.