Three sibling must take a road trip together in order receive the inheritance their late grandfather left them. The same “road trip” they took as children with said grandfather.

He Started It, in my opinion, surpassed My Lovely Wife. It had a wonderfully creepy vibe. I loved the narrator, Beth, and her snarky personality. Her sarcasm had me laughing out loud on several occasions and I was constantly wondering who I could trust. Such a great read. Don’t pass this one up when it comes out in July.

Beth and her siblings, in an attempt to collect their inheritance from the grandfather, must relive a prior “road trip” he’d taken them on 20 years prior.

Samantha Downing has returned with her sophomore effort, He Started It. Although her latest doesn’t quite reach her debut masterpiece, He started it deftly avoids a slump.

Downing writes thrillers with dysfunctional family relationships and she does this as well as anyone I’ve read. Beth is a great narrator for the story and her perspective keeps the pages flowing. There’s always a bit more of a carrot dangling in front of the reader as the chapters conclude. As with her previous effort, it appears Downing has no problem sticking the landings and the book ends in a satisfying way.

Fans of My Lovely Wife will enjoy this one, so long as they don’t go in expecting it to reach the same heights. Solid 4 stars

He Started It by Samantha Downing
Berkley

Ummmmm, if this book isn’t on your radar it needs to be.

Not gonna lie. It did take me a week to get through. But I think that’s mostly on me and my weird reading. Despite being in ‘shelter in place’ and reading more. I have instead decided to rot my brain with TV. I really need to go outside. I need some nature in my life. Not to mention in my book pictures.

But I digress.

THIS ENDING WAS INSANE. I promise you, you won’t see it coming. Even if you read her previous book, My Lovely Wife. You still won’t see it coming!

The writing is same as before. It’s like the thoughts of someone as they think. Idk how to describe it, but it’s a different kind of style and probably something you’ll have to get used to as you continue to read. Last time the writing threw me off, and apparently it did again. But it was still good!

I still can’t get over the ending. I’m really glad I read this as a buddy read so I can say all my thoughts of confusion to them 🤣

I know I’m hyping this book up and if you read it, stick out to the end. That’s what makes it so great!

It was ok. I loved Samantha Downing's last book. This book felt super strange to me. I'm left thinking - what the heck did I just read? A story of a super dysfunctional family, for sure. Not too much thrill in it for me. Just... strange. Writing was good, though; thus: 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this twisted, cleverly written book!
I absolutely loved My Lovely Wife by this author and although this story plays out at a slower pace, it did not disappoint!
Beth, the main character, is on a strange but necessary road trip with her older brother and younger sister-siblings she hasn't exactly been close to over the past several years.
You can read the synopsis to find out the guts of the story. I'm here to tell you to pay attention since the pace may seem languid. It isn't. The author drops one-liner story-changing sentences at random times! Sentences that make you think, "Wow! I did not see that one coming!" And they completely change the direction of the story.
The dominos fall at a rapid pace at the end when Beth and her siblings finally reach their destination. It will keep you guessing right up to the last sentence!

Ever since reading Samantha Downing’s debut, My Lovely Wife, I have been looking forward to her next book. I have to say that He Started It wasn’t really at all what I was expecting. But that’s ok, because I found it completely addicting.

Siblings Beth, Eddie, and Portia, along with Beth’s husband Felix and Eddie’s wife Krista, have to replicate a cross-country road trip they took when they were kids in order to receive their inheritance from their grandfather. As they progress in the present, we learn what happened on the original trip, which was a little messed up, to say the least. Along the way, lies are told and secrets are revealed and you’re never quite sure who you can trust.

If you want to feel better about your own relationship with your siblings, this is the book to read. Beth, Eddie, and Portia have very dysfunctional relationships. They are constantly lying to each other and paranoid about being lied to. They shift alliances at a drop of a hat and definitely kept me guessing. While there are some small shocks and surprises, the story really revolved around the Morgan family and how that road trip in their youth affected all of their lives in different ways. The writing was super addicting and I ignored a lot of things I was supposed to be doing so I could keep reading it.

Overall, I really enjoyed He Started It. While it wasn’t what I was expecting, it was still a compelling, addicting story that kept me guessing the whole way through. I loved the writing. My only real complaint was that I was a little underwhelmed with the ending. However, the rest of the book was enough to make up for it and I’m really looking forward to reading more from Samantha Downing in the future.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 4 Stars

4.5

Well damn! This was a ride and I can safely say that Samantha Downing is now an auto buy author for me.

I recently read My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing and really enjoyed it. I found out she was releasing her second novel in April and took a chance and asked for an e-copy to review. I was honestly nervous that I wouldn’t really enjoy this one just because I liked My Lovely Wife so much, but hot dang! I think this one was better!

In this book we follow three siblings, Eddie, Beth and Portia. They are all on a road trip together after their grandfather dies. After his death the siblings are left with a cryptic message from their grandfather instructing them to go on the road trip. You read that right, not a road trip, but the road trip. The three of them have not been together in years, but come together and set out on a trip across the US. Like any good novel though, things are not what they seem and everyone has secrets that others cannot find out.

I do not want to say much about this at all because I want everyone to go into it as blind as I did. Just trust me.

First, I loved the way this story was told. It was written so well and had one of my favorite narrative styles, the kind where the narrator is talking to you. I have read a lot of books where this was not done right, but it was done right in this one!

The characters were all flawed and awful. You can’t trust any of them and they all have their issues. You just keep guessing and guessing as to what is going to happen and are then shot down.

I really had no idea how this was going to end. When you read as many thrillers as I do, you get pretty good at figuring out the twists because most of them you have seen before. This ending left me so so happy! It was a good 5 layers deep and just excellent!

Why this isn’t a perfect 5 stars for me is it did lag a bit in the middle. I started to get really bummed and feared that this would be a 3 star, then it picked right back up! All in all I am calling it a 4.5!


Publishing on April 28th! You won’t want to skip this one!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkeley, Netgally and the author for this free copy in exchange for an honest review!

My review is posted on Goodreads, but will not be posted on Instagram until the week before pub day as I am part of the blog tour.

Three siblings have to repeat a cross country road trip in order to receive their grandfather's inheritance. All of the characters are unlikeable but it's a tribute to the author that she keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens. The ending felt super rushed but all-in-all I thought it was a pretty darn good read.

What in the world did I just read? Looking back at my review for Samantha Downing’s first book, “My Lovely Wife,” I described it at “Dark. Sick. Twisted.” I would use the exact same description for this book.
Three siblings start out on a road trip (from hell) after their grandfather dies. They aren’t able to collect their inheritance unless they do so, per the grandfather’s will. Apparently their grandfather took them on this same trip when they were younger, stopping at some odd places along the way. With every stop we learn some secret about each person and in the author’s style, there are some doozies! These are not upright, straight-laced citizens.
The story is told by the middle sibling and alternates between the first road trip and the present day. The action is slow to build and stays at a slow simmer for most of the book and them BAM! the last third kept me on the edge of my seat and quickly wrapped up.
Overall, the book sucked me in, but it was a slow start. These characters were just so sick, and I wouldn’t want to know them. I give it a solid 3.5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Take a horrible family and add a big inheritance go on the road and you have a totally twisted road trip that reads like a nightmare soap opera, or rat race. Over the top, you betcha, horrendous unlikeable characters, oh yeh, crazy twists that leave you spinning, nailed it !
I had to take a breather before writing my thoughts, I was left speechless, thoughtless, stunned dumb after all those twists and that ending. Holy Smokes it was a soap opera drama where everyone sucks. I disliked all the characters. I had not one to cheer for, I didn’t care what happened to any of them but I had to know. I had too! This author is the only one that writes books with deplorable characters that I will read. I normally need a star character to rah rah for.
This is a suspense with complete family dysfunction, death, abuse, murder, and cremated remains. Try it, I recommend it for your twisted little darks hearts or it will make you grateful for your not so messed up after all family.LOL
I received a copy of this from the publishers for an honest review

Siblings: Can't Live With Them So Why Not Kill Them!

I kid, I kid but really if you have siblings you know that no matter how much you love them, you've fantasied about hurting them at some point or other. Let's be honest, we're all friends here. 😉

Samantha Downing is my new Queen of Dysfunction! First, we saw just how dysfunctional and crazy marriage can get in My Lovely Wife which I LOVED. Now, we have the ultimate sibling road trip from hell in He Started It and I was 100% buckled in and along for the ride! I binged this page-turner in one day people! Yup, told ya I was all in. Needless to say Ms. Downing has quickly become an auto-buy author for me. I can't wait to see what that mind of hers comes up with next!

I loved being in Beth's head during this road trip from hell. She is witty, snarky and jaded with a pinch of crazy sprinkled on top. In other words - she's my kind of girl! 🤪

So what brings 3 siblings and 2 spouses together to re-enact a crazy road trip from their childhood? Money of course. You know that saying - money is the root of all evil. Well, it sure is true here! Eddie, Beth and Portia have to re-do the one and only road trip they took with their Grandpa in their youth in order to claim their inheritance. Things start out well enough but as the trip goes on we see that everything isn't exactly what it seems.

We find ourselves uncovering dark secrets from the past while on a treacherous, possibly life threatening journey in the present. Sibling rivalry, betrayal, lies and shake your head, did I just read that juicy family drama run rampant. And that ending! Let's just say if I ever take a road trip with my siblings, I'll be sleeping with one eye open - just in case.

Mark your calendars for April 28th friends - this is one family road trip you won't want to miss!

Fast paced novel filled with angry people trapped in a car together for a road trip that will get them all millions. So many secrets, so many lies. Do these people even like each other a little? The trip starts to take stranger and stranger twists and turns and slowly things are revealed.

Then there's that ending...............................

Everybody read this book so we can talk about it!

A very fun thriller! Definitely no sophomore slump from Downing, who knows how to keep a reader asking for more. The narrator was unreliable enough to make reading fun and mysterious, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending. However, I'll give this book 4 stars for being fast, thrilling, and fun. Can't wait for what this author does next!

Beth and her siblings haven't been together in ages. When their grandfather passes away, his will dictates they take one last road trip together. If they don't follow specific instructions, they will not receive a piece of his inheritance.
Family can be tough. Long held secrets are threatened to surface. Loyalty is tested.
My opinions...
What I liked: I loved the theme of this book - which I interpreted as, money is power. Money and wealth are driving forces for a lot of people, and certainly for characters in this novel. Samantha Downing is great at giving the reader pieces of mystery, before a big explosion.
What I didn't like: the ending. I won't give much away, but the last few chapters - Beth's actions on the camping portion of the trip, as well as the literal ending - didn't ring parallel to the plot. I don't know, I just found it not too strong of a conclusion.

“Sometimes we are a family of assholes. You can blame that on Grandpa, he started it.”

When their wealthy grandfather dies, Beth, Portia and Eddie must come together for a cross-country road trip to fulfill his final wish and secure their inheritance. But time with your family can be tough, especially when you’re all keeping secrets, at least one of you is a killer and there’s a body in the trunk.

This book was twisty, crazy and mind blowing. I loved every part of this dysfunctional family road trip and Samantha’s Downing dark sense of humor, and that ending, just wow.

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for giving me an Advanced Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

He Started It by @smariedowning Samantha releases April 28, 2020.

“How bad can you really be when your spouse is around.”

http://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeepleasemx

Siblings, a fortune, murder, a road trip and Samantha Downing.....need I say more?!?! I truly enjoyed it. It’s a 4.5/5 star book. I will admit I have a love/hate relationship with the last three sentences of this book.
At this point I will read anything Samantha Downing writes.

Holy cow! Just Wowzers!! This ended completely unlike what I thought it would. I’m shocked and so very impressed!!

A very special thanks to Sam and Berkley for the advanced readers copy! NetGalley for making that copy possible!

Sam, Sam, Sam, you have literally outdone yourself!! It did start out a little bit slow but, picked up the pace and I couldn’t take my eyes off the words.

***Spoiler alert: I want to know what happened!!! You left me hanging!!

Highly recommend this second novel by Samantha Downing! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QUICK TAKE: oh man, was I disappointed with this one. MY LOVELY WIFE was one of my top 10 favorite books of 2019, and I couldn't wait to read the follow-up. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy HE STARTED IT...from the muddled character motivations, to the bizarre family story, to the lack of answers, to the crazy open-ending (I honestly thought my copy was missing pages). I can't recommend this one, but I know a lot of people are enjoying it. at your own risk.

Another Wow for Samantha Downing!
I honestly don’t know how to review this book... It goes from 0 to 190 in one sentence and not only once but continuously! I almost put it down, almost. So glad I didn’t even though the book left me unsatisfied. If my review is confusing then I’ve done well because it left me feeling confused and almost jerked around by the author. That’s where I believe the genius of Downing wants our state of mind to be while reading. Ive never quite read anything like her books!
He Started It is a long drawn out tale of 3 siblings and 2 spouses on a cross country trip with their Grandfather’s ashes. The final destination of this grand trip if they check off all the boxes and break no rules, is a huge inheritance. Grandfather’s will dictates that they do this trip just as it was done when he led it 20 years ago.
What seems to be a tedious and nagging ride along with this car full of misfit family members, don’t worry keep reading, about the time you’re ready to put it down you are going to be skyrocketed out of your seat! And will not be able to put this one down! But it doesn’t stop there....
Downing writes a shocking book that needs to be a movie! My Lovely Wife is just as mind numbing and unsettling. I can’t wait to see what she writes next and at the same time the other half of me doesn’t want to read it! That’s a heck of a suspense writer! Seriously a must read just for the play on the mind!
Warning alert- don’t trust anyone 😳 especially if they seem “normal” wow!

WOW. I loved Downing’s last novel, My Lovely Wife, so much. Like I read it twice which I never do.

He Started It was on par with it. I absolutely loved this twisted story of the lengths some people will go to for money. The plot was insane in the best way, still believable but just barely, which I loved. The characters were all so terrible in the most fun and entertaining way. And that ending ermagerrrd! I definitely did not see that coming but I loved every second of it. If you are looking for a fast paced ride that you can barely put down, this is the book for you.