Oh my god, I LOVED THIS. Honestly, I was so close to not reading this. It had been on my shelf for the longest time and was about to expire in literally a few hours; whatever possessed me to give in and start reading this at midnight (title reference, haha), I'm so glad for it. I completely devoured this in one go and could not put it down.

The thing is, I'm not usually drawn to mystery/thrillers, so when one of them is an instant hit for me, I wonder why I don't read more of the genre. Return To Midnight is literally the perfect example. I believe it's the first mystery/thriller I read this year and it's easily in my top five for 2024 so far. I don't think it's going to move too far from there in the future as well, honestly.

What was not to love in this? The premise was so good — a friend group full of secrets that would do anything for each other, coming to heads on an intense night where most of them are murdered. Years later, the only survivors come back to the same place as new secrets about that night and their friends unravel. The buildup to this was SO GOOD. It seemed simple enough in the beginning, but when more people (and more crimes ??) were added to the mix, I was hooked.

The twists weren't the most mind-blowing part of this, except that last one. I didn't see it coming until it was at the reveal and it suddenly clicked, and 30 seconds later I read it. When I tell you my jaw was DROPPED. Even though the twists weren't abundant, especially in the first half, I appreciated the context that was built in the first half, before throwing in the plot twists and reveals. There was a connection built with Margot, the protagonist, and with her other friends in the flashback chapters. I loved the alternate chapters between the present and that night (I'm such a sucker for timeline switches).

Finally, I have to mention Aaron. Truly broke my heart, but it was so realistic. There wasn't a lot about him and we don't actually see him until the final stretch of the book, but it was written so so well. The emotions the characters were feeling was described so that the reader could empathize with them, agreeable or not, and that's always such a hard thing to do. Exploring Margot's dynamic with Remi and Kyle was also so interesting, as was their secret and its subsequent reveal.

I was just really obsessed with this book as I was reading it, and it's a definite recommend for me. Easily one of my favorite books this year, and one of my favorite mystery/thrillers as well. Getting back into the genre one book at a time!

RETURN TO MIDNIGHT is a fantastic thriller by debut author Emma Dues that combines my favourite things about the genre - complicated characters and deftly woven plots that keep you hanging on for more. RETURN TO MIDNIGHT is a binge read sort of book - it does take a bit to get into, but once you're a hundred pages or so deep, you'll be full absorbed into finding out what happened.

If you're a big fan of true-crime but make it fiction style narratives, pick up RETURN TO MIDNIGHT!

Years after the massacre of her friends in their college house, Margot decides she's finally ready to tell her story by publishing a novel. In order to do this, she decides she must return to the scene of that horrific night. Her friends Remi and Kyle, who also survived the attack, now own the old house and invite Margot to visit. Alternating between the present and the past leading up to the night of the murders, Emma Dues creates a high stakes story about past mistakes never truly letting us free. Highly recommend!

The adrenaline from the ending of this book really got me. I’m not going to be able to sleep for awhile- those last few chapters were a ride!

This book appears to borrow from a high profile murder case that occurred recently and gripped the nation. While I think it may have been too soon, I can’t say it didn’t keep me enthralled- I finished the book in about 24 hours and did not see the final twist coming.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it. I was a little thrown off initially by the ballerina aspect of it but it didn’t take up too much of the story. I feel like it was somewhat predictable but also an entertaining read

Nearly ten years ago, Margot was one of the only survivors of the "Midnight House Massacre", a killing spree that ended the lives of most of her friends and housemates. She's dealing with a lot of trauma years later but also somehow manages to become a successful crime writer. She has a contract to write a book about the killings, but she is having a hard time writing it.

Ten years ago, Aaron -- her friend and ex-boyfriend to her housemate Julia, was convicted of the crimes and sentenced to life in prison. But now Margot is getting threatening messages to tell the truth before the anniversary or something will happen to her -- leading her to believe that maybe they got the wrong guy and the real killer is out there.

It took me a longg time to get into this and mostly because we didn't really know what happened that night until the last section of the book. I think I would have liked this book so much more if the sequencing had gone through a bit more editing and I would have felt more invested in the characters and the plot. It was way too easy for me to put this one down and each time I felt less motivated to pick it back up. I didn't love our narrator Margot and some of the suspenseful timing just felt off based on the way things were revealed to the reader. This has gotten great early reviews but it just wasn't a hit for me. The quality of the writing was pretty solid for a debut though, so I will definitely look for future books from this author!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for supplying me with a free copy in exchange for a review!

The true strength of this book was Emma Dues' writing, her prose and description style were wonderful. While reading, I was surprised this was her first book because her work read like she's been publishing for years.
I did enjoy Margot as a character, even though I did not feel entirely connected to her. I think her relationship with grief, trauma, and especially her mother was very interesting and felt very real when we were inside her head.
The ending was fantastic! It was crazy and twisty, and though I had many theories, I was not able to predict the ending at all. Thankfully I read it during the day time because it successfully gave me the creeps!

There were some weaknesses I think should be noted. The beginning and the end of the story were very engaging, but it did lose my slightly towards the 50% mark. However, the constant foreshadowing and flashbacks between past and present definitely helped counteract this.
I would have loved to see more of the relationship between Margot and her friends, I feel like I only really understood the dynamic between her and Julia the most. A scene at the beginning where they met for the first time would have helped me really believe their connection more.

The rest of what I want to highlight deals with specific plot points, so there will be spoilers:

[ This also applies to the relationship between Margot and Aaron. If we could have seen the development of their friendship and relationship more, then it could be more impactful. I wanted to see their longing for each other, which we only got a bit of. I felt like their story relied on the "I've wanted to do this for so long" trope, instead of showing us their true feelings throughout the story. If their relationship was more developed, it also would have made the reveal that he was not the real killer even more heart-wrenching.

The reliance on tropes also applied to the repeated occurence of Margot almost being killed in the Midnight House and needing to escape. I think it was fascinating the first two times, having the security of a home be ripped away and transported back to the awful night in October. But by the third time, when Alice was revealed to be the true killer and tried to kill Margot, it was a bit repetitive and it was difficult for me to suspend my disbelief that she managed to escape three separate times.

Lastly, while I do think most things were wrapped up nicely, I am still wondering why she saw Alexander's face in the window when she was staying at the Midnight house. I thought this was one of her hallucinations, but all the other hallucinations were addressed and explained except for this one. Because of this, I felt Alexander's character to be a loose thread to the story.

Overall, I rate this a 3.75 stars! The majority of the story was a 3.5, with a 4 star ending! It was an enjoyable read, with a twisty jaw-dropping ending, and I am looking forward to reading more future work from this author!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

Ten years after the Midnight Massacre, Margot returns to the Midnight House.

The night of the massacre, five of Margot's friends were brutally murdered. She was left as one of three survivors and, haunted by the events of that night, has struggled ever since. Now a writer, Margot has finally decided to tell her side of the story and reunite with the two survivors, back at the Midnight House, where their friends died. But, no sooner has Margot returned, things turn deadly. Threats are left, imploring her to tell the truth. Bad blood comes to the surface. And Margot has a sneaking suspicion she can't trust anyone - even her fellow survivors.

RETURN TO MIDNIGHT was an enjoyable, thrilling, twisty debut from Emma Dues. I loved the dual timeline - one set in the present day and one set in the hours before the massacre - and how the author ramped up the tension as she counted down to the moment the massacre happened. Tension in general was handled very well and I could feel my heartbeat pick up as more and more things came to light and more was revealed and the threat to Margot's life became very palpable. I enjoyed the atmosphere and sense of anticipation very much.

The depiction of Margot struggling with her past, with flashbacks, with the horrifying effect the massacre left on her felt very genuine and realistic and her emotions felt like they made sense for her. and I'm glad the author didn't shy away from showing the full extent of those.

I did find the novel took a wee while to fully get started. The start was a wee bit more of a slow burn for me and I found I wasn't fully embraced by the story until about 100 pages in. As a result, I had a few false starts when I first started reading. But once I was properly hooked, I raced through the book in two nights.

On the whole though, I had a great time with this novel and I am looking forward to reading more by the author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-Arc.

This book seems to take inspiration from a few true stories. One of them is obvious, especially if you've been keeping up with crime news from the past few years. However, there is another case to which I was sure this story was alluding. There just seemed to be too many lines that appeared to reference the somewhat lesser known incident(s). And I was right!* *hold for applause* As much as I love being right and feeling smart, the incorporation of this case may strain credulity for some readers. It also doesn't help that Margot is apparently going for a bad decisions personal best. Overall, though, this is an engaging read.

*If I didn't actually predict this/this was just a coincidence, then that's none of my business.

Return To Midnight was a book that truly intrigued me with the premise, but unfortunately I just could not get into it. I really really tried, but it just did not work for me. I had to DNF.

I love a final girl thriller. I've read more than I can count, and I will continue to read them, because there's just something about them, and none of them are exactly the same.
Return to Midnight was a little slow in the beginning, but the multiple timelines, and mounting mysteries really helped to move the story along.
As a thriller reader, I have a habit of creating a list of suspects while reading, but nothing makes me happier when I'm wrong.
Very excited for more from Emma Dues.
-----
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was very hyped for this book based on the synopsis, but it fell a bit flat in the end. I didn't click with the writing/main character's point of view, as I found her a bit of an overly chill doofus much of the time, which created a distance that I couldn't really overcome to immerse myself in the world, as I prefer to do with my favorite thrillers. It was still fine, and some of the twists landed effectively.

RETURN TO MIDNIGHT is a blend of ballet, true crime, thriller, and mystery with Emma crafting a suspenseful tale of dual timelines (past & present) that'll leave you at the edge of your seat. Margot, our main character, is one of the few survivors of the Midnight House Massacre, who reunites with the other survivors at the very house where she lost her friends. She's writing a book but feels there are loose ends still haunting her and the others. Who can she trust? Who can she talk to? We don't know! With each alternating chapter, you dive further into the past in reflection to the present which brings you closer to everything that went down that horrific night.

There wasn't a day I wasn't reading to find out more. Dual timelines are hard to achieve, but Emma writes it so well that it's easy to follow along and know where you are. Definitely a recommended read.

Many thanks to Emma Dues, Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for the E-ARC!
RETURN TO MIDNIGHT debuts on August 27th, 2024!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC to read in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Return to Midnight is a dark and thrilling story of murder and suspicion that keeps you questioning not only who did it but also what happened in the first place. I really liked how the author drew out the flashes from the past to keep me on my toes, guessing left and right about what was happening and who did it. I felt the author did a great job with leaving out names or references in certain spots to keep the past a mystery until the scene happens. This was a memorable, spooky mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Ten years after the Midnight House Massacre, Margot finds herself back at Oxford University. The night of the massacre, five of Margot's friends were brutally murdered, leaving her as one of three survivors. Being a writer, Margot feels compelled to finally share her side of the story.
Overall, the story itself was good. I enjoyed the flashbacks and how it gave insight as to what truly happened leading up to that horrible night. Unfortunately, the writing seemed a little repetitive. Some ideas nd details were brought up a number of times, like the mention of Margot digging her nails into her skin. There were quite a few twists, with the very last one being the best!

Thank you NetGalley and Emma Dues for this read!

This was a really well done novel, it had that tense atmosphere that I was looking for and enjoyed how well everything fit with the world. The characters were overall everything that I was hoping for and thought they were realistic. It had a great amount of secrets and thought it was a overall great story. I enjoyed the way Emma Dues wrote this and can’t wait to read more.

Almost a decade has passed since a harrowing tragedy struck an off-campus Victorian home, resulting in the deaths of five Ohio university students. This haunting incident was branded the Midnight House Massacre. Margot Davis, both a survivor and a novelist, has strived to repress the memories, avoiding any mention of the perpetrator's name. Yet, she feels compelled to document her account, leading her back to the ominous Midnight House.

The novel's atmospheric and foreboding tone held me captivated, keeping me on tenterhooks throughout. Told through dual timelines—one unfolding before the massacre and the other in the present day as Margot seeks answers—the story brims with tension. While each character seems to possess a motive for the murders, the actual truth remains an elusive mystery that defied my expectations.

The narrative weaves a complex web of hidden truths, surprising twists, and turns that continually challenge and redirect the reader's assumptions—a narrative approach that I found deeply engaging. The mounting suspense was tangible, compelling me to resist putting the book down.

I extend my thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for granting me access to this captivating tale.

This was really well written, I absolutely loved this story! If you love murder mysteries then this is the book for you! I loved how the main character was authentic in the end and she owned up to her part in the tragedy that occurred.

An enjoyable debut thriller from Emma Dues! I didn’t find the resolution or twists totally revolutionary but it was fast paced/ multi timeline/ unreliable narrator which are all elements I enjoy in this genre!