I love a campus muder mystery and this did not disappoint. Very twisty and addictive to get through!

3 stars out of 5.

I thought this book was just ok. It started off really slow and only really picked up the last 20%. The plot fell a little flat for me and I found my mind wandering off while reading. I did like the satisfying ending and the twist towards the ending was surprising. Overall, not the best work by Megan Miranda but if you a fan of slow burn thrillers, this book is for you.

In You Belong Here, We met Beckett who has a daughter named Delilah that is going away to college. It turns out Delilah is going to Wyatt University, which is where Beckett went years ago. There was a scandal and 2 people were dead and it was said to involve Beckett all those years ago. People around the town still haven't forgotten what happened. Delilah now seems to be caught up in something bad that can only lead back to Beckett's time at the school.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon Element | S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Miranda is a must-read author in my book! She gets right to it by drawing me in and keeping my attention until the last pages of the story. A masterful writer. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed the story and mother-daughter aspect as well.

When Beckett Bowery was a senior at Wyatt College, her best friend set a fire that killed two people and then fled into the night, never to be seen again. Beckett does her best to leave Wyatt and the questions about her own culpability behind But, 20 years later, when her own daughter Delilah decides to attend Wyatt College, Beckett is forced back into the small town where she was raised--and then accused.

Megan Miranda was MADE to write a campus mystery. For fans of dark academia and literary mystery, <i>You Belong Here</i> draws readers in to a quite college town where history just might be repeating itself for Beckett Bowery. I was enthralled by the split timelines, the town vs. gown rivalry, and the novel's very established sense of place.

My only problem with this book is that the ending seemed very rushed. We spend such a long time establishing the gorgeous setting, the rich mother-daughter relationships, and the twisty mystery. And then, for the last quarter of the book, we catapult toward a conclusion that, while satisfying, comes so quickly I was left a little baffled by how everything played out.

Still, this book has all the hallmarks of Miranda at her best: incisive prose that elevates an already intriguing plot line, rich character development, and the inevitable resurfacing of past secrets.

3.75-4 stars!

My gratitude to NetGalley and Simon Element / S&S / Marysue Rucci Books for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was such a thrilling and twisty read; I really enjoyed it! The beginning was a bit tough to get into, but once you delved into the plot, it had me hooked! Love Miranda's style of writing and her character development, it really makes you intrigued and immersed into the story. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! This one was a slow start for me, but wow did it pick up! Beck is a single mom of an 18 year old who is going to her alma mater for college in the hometown where Beck had to leave during her senior year after a tragic accident that people in town suspect Beck had a part in. She is terrified for her daughter to face what happened in her own life 20 years ago from people who hold a grudge, and also for what her daughter might learn about her own past. Then her daughter goes missing, and it all rises to the surface again. 50-60% of the way through it got really exciting and was clear to see how and why Megan Miranda had needed to build the plot in a certain way for the first half. There were some really thrilling moments racing through to see how it all turned out, and lots of twists and layers that came together well in the end. There are also some insightful concepts of how far parents from all walks of life will go to protect their own kids, even when they know it might be morally wrong. I'll definitely be going back and reading more of Miranda's thrillers after this one!

Megan Miranda does it again! You Belong Here is a slow-burn thriller packed with small-town secrets, eerie atmosphere, and a mystery that keeps you guessing. The dual timelines and shifting perspectives added so much depth, and I loved how the tension built up until the final reveal.

While the pacing dipped a little in the middle, the payoff was worth it! If you love twisty, character-driven mysteries, this one needs to be on your TBR!

You Belong Here by Megan Miranda
I do believe this might be my favorite book from this author yet.
20 years ago Beckett Bowery was basically run out of her town after her best friend/college roommate, Adalyn was accused of starting a fire that killed two young men, then she up and disappeared. The college and her whole home town believed Beckett had to have helped her or at least, helped her disappear. Now 20 years later Becketts teenaged daughter, Delilah, against her mother’s better judgement is determined to go there to college. Becketts parents both taught at that same school until recently retiring and now about to embark on a lengthy out of the country trip. Which makes Beckett all the more uncomfortable leaving her daughter there all alone. Eventually Beckett receives a call in the middle of the night from Delilah but all she can hear is the wind blowing and breathing before she’s cut off. After many failed attempts to get a hold of her daughter, Beckett takes off on the four hour drive back to her hometown. A mother’s intuition is rarely wrong and that’s exactly what Becketts afraid of.
A very twisty read. I think this would actually make a great movie.
I’d also LOVE to see this author write a book from Adalyns point of view.
Btw great cover! I love what it’s subtly implying.

Megan Miranda is one of my favorite contemporary authors of all time. Every book feels familiar with her voice, but each storyline is intricately developed and the characters are given so much care and thought. I really enjoyed reading this, and honestly stretched it out over a few days because I just wasn't ready for it to end. Thank you for the advance copy!!

I really enjoyed the premise of this book! It was well paced and kept me interested until the end. I do wish there was a little more conclusion at the end, as I didn’t feel everything was answered

Thank you to NetGalley and MarySue Rucci books for the ARC.

This is a slow burn that hits 0 to 100 at the ending. At some points I got a bit bored but I love Megan Miranda's writing so I knew to stick it out.

Not my favorite of hers but still a good read.

Beckett’s daughter Delilah has decided to attend the same college that she did. Only her daughter doesn’t know what she went through back then. Her college roommate Adalyn was a prime suspect in the death of two men, and disappeared after the tragedy occurred. Police and members of the college and community always believed that Beckett was hiding the truth.

Read if you enjoy:
***Dual timelines, past and present
***Lots of suspense and intrigue
*** Unsolved mysteries
*** Family dynamics

I have read all of Megan Miranda’s novels, and this falls somewhere in the middle for me. The beginning of the novel was a slower pace. I did enjoy the back and forth of timelines as I think it’s important for an unsolved mystery. The writing was great, as it always is in Megan’s novels.

All and all, I enjoyed this one; it kept me intrigued until the end. Fans of the author will appreciate this new one from her.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon Element for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

• Slow burn story that builds the world of a college town where a middle on the night college game turns into tragedy.
• Twenty years later a girl goes missing that causes buried secrets to come out.
• Dual timelines become somewhat confusing and complicated. Vague details about the past and too much detail about the present.
• First 3/4 of the book are quite uneventful but the story picks up in the last quarter with a somewhat rushed unsatisfactory close.
• Not my favorite book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for this ARC!

This is definitely one of my favorite reads for 2025 so far. The way the chapters were written was perfect for a thriller/suspense. I devoured this book after a slump, and it was amazing. I loved the before and now chapters that line up in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released July 29, 2025.

You Belong Here is an exquisite slow burn mystery/thriller full of scandals and secrets in a small town and I really enjoyed this one!!! I really liked the college setting, the flashbacks to Beckett’s past were fantastic, and I also really liked how the past and present intertwine. Beckett’s daughter, Delilah, goes missing at the same college Beckett fled from 20 years earlier. I especially loved the slow burn tension building and the twists and turns! Of course I can’t give anything away, you will just have to read it!

I’ve previously read 3 books by Megan Miranda and I’ve been wanting to read more so I was extremely excited to dive into this one! I’m so glad I did. I really enjoy her writing style and I absolutely will have to read more of her books!

Predictable and repetitive but a damn good time. I love Miranda and will read anything she writes. She always sucks me in and I’m never disappointed

I've been a big Megan Miranda fan for years and her latest thriller You Belong Here lived up to all of my expectations. I'm so grateful that I received this ARC from NetGalley because I devoured this as soon as the download was complete.

When Beckett's daughter Delilah decides to attend the same college where her life fell apart, Beckett is wholeheartedly opposed to the idea. Delilah, being a typical teenager, couldn't care less about her mother's disapproval. But at the very start of the school year, Delilah disappears and Beckett knows that her past is somehow coming back to haunt her. Years before, Beckett's roommate Adalyn vanished after allegedly setting a fire in the tunnels below the college that killed two men. Now Beckett is confronted by people from her past who are convinced that she helped Adalyn escape, and she has to face the secrets from her past to protect her daughter.

Megan Miranda always grabs my attention from page one and has me hooked until the very end. You Belong Here is unpredictable and keeps you trying to figure out who to trust until the last chapter. This is a read-in-one-sitting, five-star thriller.

First off thank you for the ARC copy! Second. Yet another great book by Megan Miranda that kept me engaged!

Thank you to NetGalley and MarySue Rucci books for the ARC.

I really enjoyed the college setting of this book and how refreshing it was to have an over 40 woman as the main character.

The set up of the story was excellent but I was a bit disappointed with the ending. I wanted a couple more twists and intrigue! But still a decent thriller for your beach bag this summer! 🏝️🏖️⛱️👙🌊☀️

New favorite author for me. This book was so well written I loved it so much. I couldn't stop reading it. And when I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it.