I had to DNF this one around the 30% mark. It wasn’t really my copy of tea. Couldn’t connect to the characters or the plot

I love a good locked room thriller, and this one did not disappoint. We are given two different timelines, and I found myself completely enthralled in each one. I loved getting a glimpse of the dynamics and personalities of their younger selves, and I found the psychopath testing parts to be extremely interesting! In the present day timeline, I was devouring the pages, trying to figure out which person was hiding a secret. This was my first book by Mark Edwards, but it will not be my last! Thank you so much to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

Now this is a must-read thriller! I found myself constantly coming back to read *just a little bit* more, any chance I got. There were multiple twists throughout, and it felt so good to actually be surprised by them. The ending was extremely well done, and I will definitely be reading more from Mark Edwards!

The story follows a group of post grad students who are recruited by a psychology professor, specifically based on their personality and aptitude, to create a dating site. After the project is abruptly terminated before the launch, they do not see each other again for another 25 years. Their reunion occurs at a dinner party, in honor of the professor’s recent death. Throughout the night, secrets from the past directly impact the individuals in the present.

Using a split timeline, multiple POV, and gradually revealing information, Mark Edwards sets up the story to be told in a way that keeps the reader fully invested. I would recommend picking this book up when it releases on September 16, 2025.

Thank you Atria Books (via Netgalley) for gifting me with an eARC, all thoughts expressed are my own.

It’s time for a long, deep sigh on this one. The blurbs got me, and I think they set the expectations too high for me on this one. While this wasn’t necessarily a bad read, it just didn’t do much to make it fresh from other thrillers. The characters all felt like stereotypes and they got kind of annoying. The professor character seemed odd and important but also you never really met him? Everything kind of felt like it was just an idea to further different plot points, rather than actually being logical things and feeling real. I also didn’t really vibe with how he wrote his female characters, and at some point, he jumped into the head of female characters for different chapters and that is when his ability to write female characters really bothered me.

Some “If you liked” style comparisons: I couldn’t help but feel like the whole Professor thing was trying to be like Money Heist... but whereas Money Heist has well developed characters and a well-developed Professor... this one was just... there (or not there)

In the year 2024, six old colleagues get together after the death of their old professor from one summer in 1999. However, someone at this party has a secret, one that their lives depend on. After a hostile takeover, we are brought on a journey through the past as this dual-timeline thriller unfolds.

This is an intense, fast-paced thriller that was perfect to get out of a slump. From the beginning it was clear that something was off about this dinner party, but difficult to place exactly what it was. It only continues to escalate from there as the dinner threatens to turn deadly. This intensity builds as the characters are forced to unravel their secrets, revealing how deeply flawed they each are, and how that summer of 1999 changed their lives forever. Full of twists, many of them unexpected, this kept me guessing the entire time.

I actually found the 1999 storyline slower, and with many parts irrelevant to the present day story. Ultimately they did end up colliding, but I feel like there was a lot of information that was just filler and did not contribute to the overall storyline.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Six friends gather at a tony Notting Hill town house ostensibly to reminisce and remember their summer 25 years ago when they were working on the first of its kind dating app. When the plug was pulled suddenly at the end of the summer, each were sent home with no understanding of what happened. Told through flashbacks of that summer in 1999, and present day, we learn what might have happened. But do we really? Why are all the guests now being held in a locked house, being asked to share ‘the secret’. Their lives are literally at stake. Book ends w a twist I never saw coming. Recommended for all public libraries

Twenty-five years ago, the characters in The Wasp Trap were recent graduates, hired by a psychology professor to create a dating website, living and working together on his estate. When the project abruptly ended, they went their separate ways and most haven't seen each other since. When the professor dies, the friends gather for a dinner party in his honor. That's when things get wild - I was not expecting some of the twists and turns that followed! Held hostage at gunpoint, forced to reveal secrets...but wait, whose secret is the key to the real life or death game they are forced to play? I really enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good psychological thriller!

While The Wasp Trap had good ideas, and it could have been great it just wasn't for me. I found the characters unlikeable and the pacing slow.

The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards. An intriguing premise with dual timelines and intertwining twists and turns. Everyone lies and the truth is buried under multiple secrets and betrayals. Paranoia and unrelenting tension make for a gripping read with an unexpected and surprising ending.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to preview the book.

A group of friends who developed both a dating app AND a psychopath test in the early 2000s meet again after their professor/ mentor dies. A remembrance dinner gets weird as the friends realized they are locked in the house and must their deepest secrets from that time.

What a ride! I loved how the book kept me reading more by ending each chapter on a cliffhanger, both in the past and in the present. I devoured this book in about two nights and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller to read. A twisty-turning novel with high stakes.

This was a fun and twisty book. A group of friends meet for a dinner party that knew each from the past. Something happened in 1999. It is told in duel timelines of that year and 2024. Lots of secrets and thrills. Pick this one up!

Don't go to any dinner parties ;-)
Such a tale that was spun. Secrets who hold them who doesn't. Very interesting read. And interesting ending will there he another book. .hmmmm


Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book

I just finished The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards, and let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised. This is my first time reading anything by Edwards, and Iit’s always exciting to discover a new author who can draw you in right from the start. This book is a fast-paced thriller that had me hooked from the beginning.

The story shifts between present day and a pivotal point back in 1999, when a group of former friends was working on a project that they thought would lead to big money. But, as it often goes in thrillers, things take a dark turn, and we quickly find out that there are plenty of secrets beneath the surface.

What I really appreciated about the characters in The Wasp Trap is how unique and different they are, yet still incredibly believable as collaborators. Each character felt well-developed, with their own quirks and motivations driving the story forward.

This is definitely the kind of book that bridges the gap between wanting to savor the reading experience and needing to know what happens next! Overall, I’d give The Wasp Trap a solid 4.5 stars.

I was honestly so impressed with this book. Things felt a bit slow in the beginning with the character guiding, but when the storyline shifted I was all in. By the big reveal at the end I was totally and completely shocked. Fantastic read!

WOW!

it amazes me, every single time, how Mark Edwards seems to create these unique storylines in ALL of his books. How on earth does he come up with them? This book was pure genius. You can tell so much thought and research went into this to create such an original plot.

I NEEDED to know what the secret was and who had it! I also really enjoyed the dual timelines. The stories in both were interesting and kept you wanting more! I couldn’t put this book down once I started.

A truly one of a kind thriller with twists, secrets, claustrophobia, and psychopaths! The recipe for a great read!

Thank you, Atria Books, for providing a copy of The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards. I loved the description and the books started out great. The pacing was off so I vacillated between boredom and interest. The book didn’t really hold my attention until near the end when things really started to happen and Mia entered the picture. If you love thrillers for the unexpected ending, you will love this book and the secrets the characters revealed. I’m not sure it was the book for me because so much was implausible or didn’t make sense. 3 stars.

3.5/5 rounded up!

This was a really cool story, I liked the whole hidden agenda thing going on (and there felt like there were a couple, like every character had their own motive here).

This follows a group of friends that reunite for a dinner party, but they have to share their secrets or they die. All of this because of a psychologically-based dating app they created together (that's how they all met, a professor gathered them to work on this project). They also all have a dark past together and they intend to reveal more information about that time in their lives.

This was fun and unique, with flashbacks to when it all happened.

I could see thins working really well as a movie, I kind of really want that to happen.

If you're looking for a new, fun and fast-paced thriller to read, go for this one!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

This was such a great novel! Suspenseful from page one all the way through to the last page. Definitely did not expect the twist at the end. It definitely made the plot. Twists throughout the novel kept you on the edge of your seat. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but this is a must read.

Talk about a wild ride! I have been a little bored with the thriller genre lately because it's felt a little too predictable. But this one kept me guessing the whole time. The characters are just unpredictable enough to be realistic, and there are so many twists and secrets to be uncovered along the way. This book had me carrying my Kindle around the house while I cooked and did laundry because I couldn't put it down.

This book was interesting in a different way, it had a good twist. But it was bitterly slow, I was getting bored until about 50%.

3 stars