I’ve been meaning to read this book ever since I picked it for my Book of the Month pick a few months ago. I actually got to listen to the whole thing in one sitting while on a very long flight home. It was a whirlwind, I’ll tell you that much. 

I’ll go over three different things with you today for my review: one, the writing; two, the characters; three, the plot. If you stick around after that (and have already read the book), I’ll be discussing some of the most mind-blowing spoilers. 

So, first off, with the writing style you get several different point-of-views. Mainly, it’s told from Ellie and Detective Calhoun’s perspectives, but there are moments when you get to hear from Ellie’s dad and her mom, and even Ellie’s old boyfriend. Now, I didn’t mind the different POVs, but I did think a lot of them were unnecessary besides Ellie’s and Detective Calhoun’s. You don’t get much from the other POVs in my opinion except for how they feel about the whole situation. The other thing about the writing style is that it really builds up in tension. I seriously appreciate this for a mystery novel, but you can feel the growing tension as the story gets closer to its climax. 

With the characters, I did feel like Detective Calhoun was a little unhinged at times. Probably because of her past trauma, but still, it unnerved me, which I don’t think it was supposed to do. Ellie felt less damaged in many instances in my opinion. Those are our two main characters, and I liked Ellie way better. I really didn’t like Ellie’s boyfriend (I can’t even tell you his name, to be honest), her father, or her mother. They all felt so… superficial, I guess? And don’t even get me started on Detective Calhoun’s husband. He was supportive, but at the same time… not? It was weird. 

The plot is probably the main draw for this novel. You have this girl who disappeared years ago and no one knows what happened to her. Then, she reappears and won’t tell anyone what happened. It was a weird situation overall and almost felt like Stockholm syndrome. It was a little slow in the beginning, but once you get going, you really run through the book. 

Spoilers ahead.

Now, obviously I can’t write a review about a book like this without spoilers. Below, you’ll find some bullet points on my feelings at specific moments in the novel. 

• Alright, when you first find out about Ellie’s whole situation and how they’re all taking Queen Anne’s Lace to stop themselves from getting pregnant? ABSOLUTELY WILD. I literally went straight to Google to see if it actually does that. Funny story, it stops progesterone production which can prevent you from getting pregnant. 
• When Gabby got killed and they said she had bite marks on her bones???? I shuddered. Like I can barely even think about it now. 
• Okay, the shock I felt when you find out it’s the son’s of Detective Calhoun’s boss was crazy. I kind of just sat there and thought about the amount of trauma their dad must have caused to make them go off the walls like that. 
• Lydia being the older woman? Yeah, I almost vomited. She was brainwashed for sure. 

Overall, this was a twisty and dark novel that gives you cultish vibes all the way through. 4/5 stars for sure. If you’re looking for similar books, check out The Reappearance of Rachel Price and The Project. 

Source: Book of the Month

(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible, which gives you two free audiobooks of your choice!)