​The first half of this book is a riveting, fast-paced psychological thriller that I’d easily rate five stars. Strangely, a bit past the midpoint, it abruptly shifts into what seems almost like another book. The tone alters, the perspectives change and the main characters are quite different.
 
As Caroline prepares a housewarming party that will allow her socialite friends to view her and her husband’s new multi-million dollar mansion on the coast of the Hamptons, she encounters a strange man standing on the beach, peering in at her. As Caroline’s marriage publicly dissolves and the money in her bank accounts disappears, she turns to this young, handsome stranger for comfort. But after a careless fling with him, it soon becomes apparent that he has an unhealthy infatuation with her that is putting her family – and her life – in danger.
 
In terms of commercial fiction, the first part of this book was brilliant. It had two strong, unreliable narrators, and it deftly shifted perspective between the two of them, including inconsistencies and diverging viewpoints that made you question what was actually happening. I was totally on its ride and couldn’t stop reading. Truth be told, I was blown away by the writing until I reached a place in the book a little past the midpoint.
 
I wished that the strong storytelling would have continued until the end, it was THAT GOOD. Regardless, it’s clear Michele Campbell is a gifted writer. This book is definitely worth a read, if only for the amazing set up and suspense build. Even if – like me – you feel a bit let down that the last part of the book isn’t as tight and compelling as the beginning.
 
Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of the wonderful book, coming out July 23!

I loved Lock Every Door so much that I read it twice in a row! It’s my favorite Riley Sager book so far, which is saying a lot, since I was a fan of both Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied. The storytelling in this latest book is just so well done that I had to reread it right away.
 
Jules is a young woman down on her luck who responds to an ad seeking an apartment sitter, then finds herself getting paid to live in a posh unit within the Bartholomew, one of New York’s most high-profile and glamorous buildings.
 
As she is settling in and meeting a few of the wealthy -- and slightly odd --  residents, she is befriended by Ingrid, another apartment sitter who reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. Ingrid warns Jules that something is ‘off’ in the building, and the very next day, Ingrid disappears.
 
Determined to uncover the truth about what happened to Ingrid, Jules researches the haunting and morbid history of the building. What she discovers pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building’s hidden past and somehow make it out of the Bartholomew alive.
 
The story starts with a wonderfully slow and creepy burn, reminding me a bit of Rosemary’s Baby or Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, then the pacing ratchets up about one-third of the way in. I was hooked, from the very beginning, and on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next.
 
This truly is masterful storytelling. I really appreciated the fact that Jules had such specific and well-defined psychological underpinnings driving her thoughts and actions. Every seed that was planted early in the story bore fruit. And the Bartholomew was described so well that it leapt right off the page and seemed like a living, breathing character – beautiful yet chilling, opulent yet depraved. On top of the excellent story craft, this book has all of the twists, red herrings and shocking reveals that will keep mystery and thriller fans happy.
 
This book is fantastic, and I highly recommend it! It comes out July 2.
 
A special thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.
 
#netgalley #lockeverydoor

​I really enjoyed this read! At first I was concerned that there were too many characters, but by the midpoint of the story, I was totally hooked.
While riding on a train by herself, Ella notices two young men, just out of prison, flirting with two teenage girls. She suddenly becomes concerned about the girls’ safety, and the next day, she learns that one of the teenage girls has gone mission.
One year later, that girl is still missing. Her best friend Sarah, it appears, hasn’t been telling the whole truth about what happened that night – and her parents have been keeping secrets of their own. Meanwhile, Ella is receiving threatening letters and feels uneasy while working in the flower shop she owns…as if someone is watching her.
There are a lot of characters and subplots in this book, which can be confusing, but they do intersect. I found the ending disappointing, although I can’t explain why without revealing spoilers, so I’ll just say that I’d hoped for all of the mystery to be wrapped up in a different way.
Still, it was an engaging and engrossing book, and I truly felt like I was in good hands while reading it, so kudos to Teresa Driscoll.

This is definitely a great book to put on your summer reading list!

Avery has spent her life in Littleport, Maine, where the wealthy holiday over the summer and are catered to by the working-class folk like her, who live there year-round. For a decade, she’s been close friends with Sadie, the daughter of one of the wealthiest families who summer in the town and own the majority of the rental houses there. But one night after a party, Sadie is found dead.

The police determine that it was suicide. Avery doesn’t buy it.

One year later, as Avery begins searching for the truth of what happened to her friend, the local detective turns a suspicious eye towards her, and her checkered past isn’t helping her case.

Someone knows more than they're saying, and Avery is intent on clearing her name before the facts get twisted against her.

This novel is on the lighter side, but it does ‘lighter side’ incredibly well, with excellent plotting and pacing. The mystery slowly unravels in an exceptional way, while moving back and forth between two parallel timelines, one year apart. And the characters were compelling enough for me to get absorbed in the narrative. I especially liked that Avery is something of an unreliable narrator, with a few bad deeds in her past, attempting to fit into a social class that she feels is not her own.

I’d definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a solid mystery with lots of twists and turns to bring to the beach with you this summer. It’s coming out very soon – June 18!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the Advanced Reader Copy! ​