Wow! It is hard to believe that this book is a debut. The pacing was utterly fast, and the story gripped me from the very first chapter. This novel is very bloody and graphic, and so not for the faint of heart. You'll be rooting for Dixie the whole way ... is she or is she not going crazy and who massacred her entire family, leaving her, a baby, the only survivor? If you like reading about haunted houses and ghosts, then this is definitely a book you must read. Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc.

I'm very indecisive in how I felt about this book, so I’m settling on 3 stars since it’s somewhere in the middle. This thriller will WOW some and will not align with others tastes, so hopefully some of the below will guide fellow readers in the right direction.

Let's start with some pros: I loved the dark humor that was mixed in; Dixie’s sarcasm and sense of humor made me cackle out loud a few times and added some levity to an otherwise gory book. I also think the author did a phenomenal job of creating an unreliable narrator, and I love when a thriller has a main character that you can’t fully trust. At the same time, Dixie’s instability and backstory made you feel bad for her so that added some complexity to her character for me. This book has extremely detailed scenes of murder, violence, and other graphic content. The creepy nature of this book builds very well and definitely lands this book more on the “horror” side of things than anything I’ve ever read, which is not something that turns me off.

The cons: there are a finite number of characters in this story so it didn’t take me long to figure out the “whodunnit” reveal, and that’s something that takes me out of thrillers. I also do not do well abandoning reality and buying into the supernatural, and this story dipped into being a creepy “ghost story” with paranormal aspects. I found myself confused by it, but others may enjoy it!

Where did I stop? 13% in

Why? From the second I started reading I absolutely despised the voice of the protagonist. But I didn't want to put it down after reading a single paragraph, so I trudged through I don't know how many pages because the Kindle app doesn't denote pages. But just being in this callous, flippant, vaguely sociopathic head was such a turnoff. It didn't endear me to Dixie at all. I don't know if this is meant to show how she's adjusted from a tragedy occurring in her life when she was too young to remember or what. But she's not a likable character. She's not even a nasty character that you can't help but like. Plus there's a lot of minutiae here that made the story even more of a slog. I couldn't do it. So I didn't.

"When no one answered his repeated knocks, he let himself in. He told the police that the music struck him first. Not the blood, not the savagery,..., but the heartrending desperation pouring from the speakers in the living room. He covered his ears before it even occurred to him to cover his eyes."

*Fun fact-I rode past the Franconia exit, the setting of the story, while reading this book!

I'm tired of waffling on various ends of the rating system regarding this book, so I think a middle-of-the-road 3 stars will be my best bet and most honest assessment. I did clearly have some issues here, but this story also had so many fabulous things going for it. I'm going to put all the information out there so that you can make an educated decision on whether this book is right for you or not, and as always, the review will be spoiler free, but if you'd like to go in blind I would stop here. No matter how you choose to go in, please note that this novel contains a multitude of graphic violence, gore, and disturbing content, and those readers who are sensitive to descriptive violence and murder may want to steer clear of this book.

Let's start with everything I loved. As stated above, this book is riddled with extremely detailed scenes of murder, graphic violence, and other disturbing content. I'm a twisted individual who stomachs this stuff well, so this was a plus in my book. No, Chelsea is not a glutton for sadistic torture and murder, but I felt this inclusion was done to further the emotional and harrowing aspect of the crime; not only did it bring a horrifying component to the narrative, but it also gives the reader a greater respect for the trauma Dixie has endured and the struggle to cope and heal from what has happened to her family. The portrayal of our main character's mental health and instability is one that is both engrossing and sobering; I cannot imagine someone reading this novel and not feeling for what she has been through and the struggles she has ahead of her. The creepy, atmospheric sense of this book is SO well done, and I enjoyed every second of its development.

I believe most of my issues with the book stem from the procedural aspect of the book. There is a relatively small pool of (living) characters in this story, so it's fairly easy to solve the whodunnit portion, but that wasn't a huge deal for me. My issues were more in the need to abandon all sense of reality in how a case is solved. The police make a poor attempt to solve the case; alibis are apparently taken at face value and never double checked, case files are tampered with easily, and the ending climax will be a hit or miss for thriller readers, as it arguably contains a bit of a paranormal component. For me, I'm neutral on the inclusion of the supernatural or magical realism in my thrillers, but I feel the need to mention it as some readers are very opinionated on the matter.

All in all, with a little extra research and development thrown in, Vandelly has the potential to be one of the next big time authors. This book took a classic serial killing plot and gave it a unique twist that brings the reader in by way of emotional investment. While this wasn't 100% enjoyable for me, I'm looking forward to what the author brings to the table next, and wish her and this book all the best. Highly recommended if you're looking for something with a similar vibe to Final Girls!

This is an utterly propulsive book, but with a lot of gore and violence that I didn’t expect based on the cover and description. I liked it, but didn’t love it.

I was provided a copy of Theme Music by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Psychological thriller meets ghost story in this debut novel. I got hooked from the first paragraph! While some of the reviews talked of the graphic nature of the subject matter, I didn't find it so bad and it didn't bother me. (Although I do read a lot of crime novels that are pretty gory, so I'm use to gore.)
Has some language in it but was appropriately used and not overused.
Well written, awesome plot and while some of the characters were a little weird it added to make the creepy more creepy. And that ending will blow you away!! I
4 stars. If you like edge of your seat creepy mysterious ghost stories you don't want to miss this one

Very creepy and graphic tale that will stay with you and keep you awake at night. Reminiscent of Stephen King. I cannot remember the last time I read such a scary novel!

Dixie was just 18 months old when her father murdered her family, then took his own life. When she was rescued, the song "Baby Blue" was playing - and Dixie became known as "Baby Blue" (her "theme music", as the title suggests). Twenty five years later, Dixie is looking for a house and comes upon a listing for the same childhood home that her family was murdered in. She hopes to connect with her lost family - but when strange things start happening and Dixie questions her sanity, is the truth too much for her mind to handle?
I LOVED this creepy, graphic and intense thriller! I really liked Dixie - and especially her witty sense of humor. This was different from the thrillers I normally read - this one was more paranormal and horror-like - but I really liked the change of pace!
Thanks to T. Marie Vandelly, Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC of this fantastic book!

Like the shining, this book takes us to a place of possession, fear, and memory. Dixie is the sole survivor of a tragedy in which her father killed her mother, her brothers and himself with an axe when she was but a toddler. She finds the house where the murder happened on the market and decides to face her demons and return home. This book had me on the edge of my seat for the entire time, guessing which way it would turn next. I could not put it down and read it in a day. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something riveting and terrifying!

This ebook was provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Theme Music, about a young woman who experienced an unspeakable family tragedy as a small child, and whose past is now coming back to haunt her, was a solid debut novel. The story was compelling and the graphic nature of the subject matter didn’t bother me, but I did find the pacing to be a bit week and the chapters to be very long.

Overall, however, a solid debut novel and I’d be looking forward to reading what she does next!

Theme Musuc is part horror, part thriller/suspense .
Dixie Wheeler aka known as Baby Blue was the only surviving member of her family when for reasons no one could understand, her father takes an ax and murders her mother and brothers and cuts his own throat. Her nickname was coined from a song that was playing on the radio when they were found.
As an adult, Dixie and her boyfriend Garrett have decided to buy their first home together. She sees an ad that her childhood home where the murders took place is for sale and decides to go see it. She later returns with Garrett without telling him this was her childhood home. When he learns she misled him, he refuses to move in and she decides to without him. She then furnishes the home with her parents furniture which was in storage.
The book has some really graphic descriptions that had me wince more than a few times and some omg what is she thinking/doing! moments.
It lagged a bit in the middle but this is a story you need to know the answers to.
I really look forward to reading this author’s next book. Thanks to @ netgalley and @dutton for the advance copy in exchange for my opinion. This will be released on July 23z

Theme Music was haunting and captivating! A true psychological thriller that will keep you guessing.

Dixie Wheeler was just a baby when her father murdered her mother and brothers on Thanksgiving Day. She was left alive and dubbed “Baby Blue” for the song playing when she was found, her very own theme music.

Twenty five years later, Dixie moves into her former home to hopefully make a connection with the family she was too young to remember. Arranging the house in an exact replica with her family’s old belongings, ghosts from her past begin to haunt her. Dixie must find out the truth about what really happened to her family that day in order to save her own sanity.

I thoroughly enjoyed Theme Music to the point I have not stopped talking about it. There were a few questions I would’ve liked to have been answered and for that reason alone I give it 4.5/5 🌟

This book was creepy. The main character hates when people keep using that word but it’s the first word I think of, and I mean it in the best way possible. I was in the mood for a creepy, haunting story and that what I found in Theme Music. I got goosebumps and chills and my poor nails took the brunt of most of the anxiety this book caused me. The entire time I kept thinking WTF?! It kept me guessing the whole way through. I audibly gasped and my jaw dropped more than once.
Dixie Wheeler at just 18 months was the sole survivor at the breakfast table the morning her father took an axe to her entire family. When help finally arrived the song Baby Blue was playing on repeat and became as the title suggests, her theme song. Whether she liked it or not Dixie became widely known as “Baby Blue.” Dixie is raised by her aunt and uncle and carries the weight of this tragedy with her and as an adult has become increasingly curious about the events that took place that morning years ago. So curious that when the family home is up for sale she buys it and moves in. From there I won’t say anymore because I want everyone to go in to this book without any spoilers because it was one hell of a ride. I actually read it slower than I normally read but that’s because I have a habit of throwing down a book and walking away when anything shocking or exciting happens. So I did that...a lot.

If you love a chilling, creepy, dark suspense with horror elements and solid writing, Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly is for you! The book starts out with Dixie Wheeler finding out that her childhood home is for sale. The only problem is that her entire family was murdered by her father in a gruesome fashion when she was just a baby. The author spares no details in describing how the murder went down and talks about the bone-chilling and horrific crime scene so consider yourself warned. I kind of skimmed over those parts because they are really disgusting.

Dixie’s boyfriend refuses to move in with her and the fact she insists on moving into this house of horrors causes a rift between them. Her aunt refuses to step foot in the house too. With Dixie alone in the supposedly haunted house, she hears things, sees things and experiences what I think were hallucinations but I was never sure what was happening to her. She drank to escape the pain of being spared when her family was murdered and has survivor’s guilt.

When she learned her now deceased uncle saved all the family’s belongings and kept them in storage, she recreates almost an identical replica of the house when the slaughters occurred right down to the pictures on the wall.

Dixie hopes that by living in the house, she will come up with answers as to why her father suddenly killed everyone but living there causes Dixie more anguish than answers. As she searches for the reasons why her brothers and mother were murdered, she starts learning things were not quite as they seemed.

Here’s the official plot:

For the lucky among us, life is what you make of it, but for Dixie Wheeler, the theme music for her story was chosen by another long ago, on the day her father butchered her mother and brothers and then slashed a knife across his own throat. Only one-year-old Dixie was left alive, infamously known as Baby Blue for the song left playing in the aftermath of the slaughter.

Twenty-five years later, Dixie is still desperate for a connection to the family she can’t remember, so when her childhood home goes up for sale, Dixie sets aside all reason and moves in, re-creating a macabre decor with her family’s salvaged furniture. But as the ghosts of her family seemingly begin to take up residence in the home that was once theirs, Dixie starts to question her own sanity and wonders if the evil force menacing her is that of her father, or a demon of her own making.

In order to make sense of her present, Dixie becomes determined to unravel the truth of her past and seeks out the detective who originally investigated the murders. But the more she learns, the more she opens up the uncomfortable possibility that the sins of her father may belong to another, and, perhaps most tragically, to Dixie herself. As bodies begin to pile up around her, Dixie must find a way to expose the lunacy behind her family’s massacre and redeem what little remains of her soul.

The writing of the book is really good, I kept turning the pages to see how this was going to conclude. I did skim over the gory descriptions of the crime scene photos with how the butchering of Dixie’s family was photographed and I did find myself skimming over her weird hallucinations too. Other than that, I was hooked on finding out the truth about what happened on that fateful morning. I wanted Dixie to go to therapy and seek help for her many issues.

I think fans of the books I mentioned above will love this novel. I will be looking forward to anything else the author writes.

Book comes out on July 23.

I was provided a copy of Theme Music by NetGalley in return for an honest review. Vandelly's debut novel hooked me from the first page! Ghost story meets mystery thriller when Dixie Wheeler, the sole survivor of her families mass murder, moves into her childhood home and tries to make sense of what happened that day. If you enjoyed "The Woman in the Window" you'll enjoy this suspenseful page turner.

I found myself struggling to finish this book even though I wanted to find out the ending. The main character Dixie was not really likeable. The dark/creepy/horror elements throughout the entire first half of the book didn’t propel me to continue reading. I did like the twists and turns to reveal the mystery aspect.

If you enjoy creepy, paranormal thrillers, get this!
Baby blue, or Dixie was 18 months old when her family was murdered by her own father. She was the only survivor. She then was raised by her aunt who kept her sheltered from the media of the horrific event that took place. Now as an adult the house this happened in goes for sale on the market and she feels the need to buy and move in.
Is it haunted? What really happened here?
Many odd things begin to happen to Dixie in the house as the true events of that night unfold in this book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
#ThemeMusic #NetGalley

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Theme Music is a dark paranormal thriller that is sure to please all lovers of ghost stories. For the most part, I found it to be compelling, but there were also some slow repetitive parts that I thought could be eliminated since this novel is a bit longer in length. There were other parts that had me scratching my head and questioning what was happening because it was so farfetched and deranged, although all the loose ends are tied up in the conclusion of the book, leaving the reader without confusion as to what he/she read. The ghost scenes were eerie, literally giving me goosebumps, and making me look over my shoulder to make sure I was truly alone in the room. Theme Music is creepy, compulsive, and twisted. Overall, an outstanding debut novel!

Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly, was quite the roller coaster ride of a tale. I went from wondering if Dixie was evil, the house, or something else altogether, although I figured out quite early who played a big part in the events 25 years prior. I spent a lot of the book thinking Dixie was just plain nuts; no normal person would do what she did, but then again her life and past are far from normal.

As I read I kept being reminded of Diane Downs, who attempted to kill all her children, and Rebecca Babcock, the child she had while in prison. Long story short, when Diane Downs was driving around with her dying children she listened to “Hungry Like The Wolf,” which also played a part in her trial, just like “Baby Blue” is a big part of Theme Music. When Becky Babcock grew up and discovered who her biological mom was she used it to attempt to gain popularity (like Dixie does with her past), leading only to poor decisions that including writing to her biological mom. Luckily for Dixie, the contact she has with her family member is much more beneficial. I was also reminded of Dexter, who was baptized in blood like Dixie.

Vandelly, for the most part, kept me guessing throughout the pages of this story, and on the edge of my seat during the action. This is an enjoyable book that any fan of spooky stories will enjoy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Thie book was spooky. It was a scary good read. A whole family is murdered by the father with an ax. The only one left is the baby that was sitting in her high chair, The book then begins years later with the daughter Dixie all grown up. She is in a relationship and life is good. She finds out the house of the killings of her family is for sale. Nothing can stop her, she moves into the house, even decorates it as close as she can the way it was at the time period of the murders. It gets really creepy as you read and I was torn as to whether I liked it or not, but I stayed with it. Very different kind of read