e-Audio, 06:48:03
Narrated by: Jasmin Walker & Dominique Franceschi
Release Date: June 24, 2025
Published by: Recorded Books
Read from: June 21-23, 2025
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received a free e-ALC from the publisher and Netgalley. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Toxic Friendship, Gun Violence, Domestic Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, Sexual Content, Panic Attacks/Disorders, Drug Use, Racism
For Readers Interested In: Thrillers, Adult, Audio, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Realistic FictionA marriage on the rocks, a missing friend, an investigative journalist, a tangle of shocking lies, and a peaceful North Carolina lakefront cottage converge in this irresistibly twisty new psychological thriller from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author—perfect for readers of Liv Constantine, Tarryn Fisher, Kellye Garrett, and Caroline Kepnes.
At the peak of her career, investigative reporter Rose Howard is exhausted from trying to manage her seemingly perfect life. With her marriage to her one true love collapsing, she desperately needs to rest, regroup, and decide which way to go next. The direction becomes clear when she discovers that her former best friend, Eve Castillo, isn’t responding to attempts to contact her at the North Carolina cottage where she’s vacationing. Rose knows Eve can be flaky and irresponsible—that’s why they fell out. Still, Rose heads to the tranquil small town of Sage Hill . . .
Rose soon discovers that Eve has vanished without her purse and passport—even after booking a trip abroad. The personable cabin owners’ accounts of Eve’s stay just don’t to add up . . . and most of the town’s initially hospitable inhabitants becoming increasingly less helpful . . .
Rose’s instincts tell her the solution lies somewhere in Eve’s—and Sage Hill’s—past. To get answers, she’ll have to ask inconvenient questions, rattle long-buried skeletons . . . and face vicious attempts on her life. But some truths are best left alone. And secrets Rose never saw coming could easily sink her and her future without a trace . . .
*MY THOUGHTS*
I already knew this was going to be good when I started it, just from reading the first chapter lol Let me tell you how wild this was lol She caught some women talking shit about her in the first chapter and went off on them with such a professional read lmao I knew I was going to love this.
This thinking was a bit premature tho, as this ended up being a slow burn. And y’all know how I feel about those. I thought it was a bit weird. The bestie did what she did and then people were making her feel bad for not wanting to help? Yeah I still don’t know what made her decide to do it. Because I would not have. And as we know, the slow burns are not my favorite, so this part of it didn’t work for me. It’s mainly because it seems like nothing is happening so you start thinking, “Do I stay or do I DNF?” I stayed but it turned out to just be ok.
The mystery itself was ok. I liked the way they had those journal entries throughout the story. I do wish there was more that was happening in those beginner pages tho. For the most part it doesn’t start getting to where I could put it down until the ending pages. I also didn’t get why the author had to make this girl an addict. It made me uncomfortable because there was no real reason and y’all know I don’t like that to begin with.
The whodunit is kinda obvious, but the reasoning behind it? Yeah you’ll never guess that. It was a slow burn, but around the time when shit started hitting the fan, it all started moving so fast. I just wish it was spread out more evenly throughout the story.
I don’t want to say too much because of spoilers, but this was ok. A little basic if you ask me. I think I wanted more and a more creative take on the she’s an addict type story and that’s how and why she got got.
Overall, I give this
