I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Most of the book was a very slow build up to the big reveal at the end. The twist was okay, I cannot say it's one of the best I've ever read, but it wasn't horrible. I did enjoy the atmosphere created. The pacing of the book was a little slow, but it still kept me pulled in enough to find out what was going to happen. It just wasn't the the thriller I was expecting. I will definitely read whatever Melissa Larsen writes next!

I've tried to read this book a few times and it doesn't seem to stick with me. I definitely believe this is a case of the reader and not the book.

I really tried to get into this read but I could not. The premise is so intriguing but the execution did not hold my interest. I was unable to finish this book after trying a couple of times to get interested.

3.5, really. While there is definitely enjoyable stuff here, the characters are all...everyone is just so...they're all a bit awful, is what I'm saying. It was difficult to care much about what happens to them.

SHUTTER was a book I was really excited about. However, it didn't work for me. Not even the author's writing style (which I liked) could get me to connect with this one.

Would you pack up everything and go to a remote island to create a movie for some famous guy you've only met twice? Betty did!

I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I started this book. As I almost always do, I didn't read the description, just took a look at the cover and though - thriller/suspense, you got it! But this would definitely be categorized as a VERY slow burn suspense for me.

After the suicide of her father, Betty takes off and goes to New York to stay with a high school friend and her boyfriend where they convince her that their 'famous actor friend' is brilliant and she should audition for his movie.

Okay...I kept thinking, when is it going to get creepy? And it did, but probably not until about 30-40% at first, and that wasn't so much creepy as it was 'this is odd'. Being in Betty's POV we're sorrowfully uneducated about what this movie is, what the famous Antony is doing, and what is really going on. That, to say the least, was frustrating, but I think part of the point of the book.

Truthfully, I found myself skipping massive paragraphs of Betty's thoughts because I'd signed up for a thriller (so I thought) and got a morose look into a very sad life of this 21 year old. Yes, she's 21 and I think most of the book you don't remember that.

Looking back, with her age in mind, I could justify a bit more of the actions that she made that - to me - felt extremely foolish. Often times I was thinking "what in the world is she doing"? But, again, I think that was part of the point.

In all, I did find myself wanting to rush to the end--to see what this whole book is about--and when I got there I wasn't exactly disappointed...but I wasn't satisfied either. I wanted more. More connection between her odd family and her strange friends and her willingness to let Anthony do whatever he wanted. I wanted...foundation?

As per a recommendation - I found the story interesting, most parts definitely held my attention, and if I were to frame it as a slight psychological/thriller, with some turmoil and a bit of a twist at the end - then that would have set up my expectations better. But, just because it wasn't my cup of tea doesn't mean it can't be yours!

My rating: 2.5*

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Thanks to NetGalley for this gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

I made it to chapter 9 and I had to tap out. I know Betty isn't from NYC and I know her mom can be a bit much but she shouldn't have agreed to do this movie. Also who leaves their home and comes to NYC one of the most expensive cities in the world with no money? I don't trust her friend Sophie or her boyfriend Ben. The movie director is sketchy. Why does Betty keep calling him by his full name? Pacing wise this story is slow moving and isn't giving me thriller vibes at all. Betty has a lot of baggage and her internal monologues are getting on my nerves.

This story was just okay. I didn't really connect with most of the characters and I found myself getting bored and the story progressed. I am very thankful to have received an advance reader's copy but this one wasn't anything special or anything I haven't already read before.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book.

Love a good psychological thriller, but this story was too drawn out and not enough of a thrilling read for me.

This book felt ominous and exciting. It was a great read, with a flawed yet likable main character! Would recommend!

The main character is terrible in this story. She's way too naive and I couldn't keep reading after the first few chapters.

I loved the idea behind this book, it was a great idea and the setting was creepy. I loved the horror movie vibes. The book ends up posing some interesting questions like what happens when you push someone to far and what are people capable of. The suspense builds nicely and I liked the surprise twist at the end of the book. What I didn't like was the main character Betty. She spends a lot of time complaining and doubting Anthony's motives but does nothing about it. I had a hard time reading some of the chapters because it was the same thing over and over again with her. Overall it was an enjoyable read.

Shutter has an interesting premise and a mystery that held enough weight to keep me reading on to the last page, but I struggled to find anything solid to dig into here. If any of these elements had been a bit a stronger - the atmosphere or the depth of characters and their interactions, - the lack of one may would have likely been able to compensate for the lack of the other, but without a strong sense of either I came away from this one a tad wanting.

When Betty Roux’s father dies, she flees her life in California and lands on and old friend’s couch in New York City. Through her, she meets a famed indie director, Anthony Marino, who offers her a role in his sophomore film after an unconventional audition process. Charmed by Marino, Betty agrees, though Anthony tells her little about the film except that it will film on an island off the coast of Maine with a small five-person cast and crew.

Arriving on location, Betty learns that Anthony has rechristened her Lola, and that she is playing a damsel in distress, but that the film is largely improvised and that the island’s caretaker, Sammy, an old friend of Anthony’s, has a complicated relationship with the family. She at once feels scared of and sorry for him.

As the production progresses, Lola/Betty becomes closer to Anthony but finds the line between reality and fantasy blurring—and she begins to question her sense of self and the boundaries of what she thought she was capable of.

SHUTTER by Melissa Larsen has a great conceit and claustrophobic, creepy setting perfect for inciting horror movie vibes, and Sammy is a complicated, frightening character. I had trouble, though, suspending belief that an accomplished director would select a lead actress who had no experience and no training and that the filming would happen as described. Because of that, I was often taken out of the story. I did, however, enjoy Betty as an unreliable narrator, and the ending left me reeling!

Running from ghosts of the past and a failed relationship, Betty decides to change her life. She goes to New York with plans to become an actress. When a friend introduces her to a film maker, Betty believes everything she dreams of might just fall into place. Anthony Merino is a talented director, but things get steadily more bizarre and distressing as they film a hidden camera style movie on an island off the coast of Maine.

This story is a slow build. As it started, I just got the artistic vibe from the characters....but as things developed those vibes got more and more bizarre and distressing. The main thought in my head as the film project progressed wasn't about the plot, but more about what people would be willing to endure or participate in for $40,000 and a chance at an acting career. Would you allow a person you hardly know to name you Lola, change your appearance, and install cameras in every room of the house you are staying in....for $40,000 and a shot at More. Would you venture into the middle of nowhere, knowing very little about the people you are with, or the project you are working on?? There are some who are willing to endure a hell of a lot for .... More. Or a Whole New Life. A New Beginning. All those phrases we use.....all those things we want.

Worth it??

You be the judge -- read this book!

I liked this story. The plot builds slowly but the characters kept my attention riveted on the story. Although I have read several books with a plot about a film maker and a mysterious project gone wrong, this one wasn't as predictable. I was never sure what was going to happen next. It made me....uncomfortable. That was my main emotion....uncomfortable. As Anthony Merino built on his project -- creating Lola -- in my head I was screaming at Betty "Do you know what you are getting yourself into??'' Even as the story descended into a very creepy vibe, I found myself having to keep reading (and listening as I bought the audio book too). I had to know the final outcome.

I did not expect the ending.

A suspense story that can make me uncomfortable and creeped out....and that surprises me....is definitely a success!

I read a review copy of this book, and also purchased the audio book. The audio is just short of 10 hours long and is narrated by Megan Tusing. I have found that I enjoy suspense stories more in audio format. Megan Tusing did a great job narrating. She has a pleasant voice, reads at steady pace and gives a skilled acting performance. Very enjoyable listening experience.

This book is Melissa Larsen's debut as an author. I'm interested to see what she comes up with next! The cover art for the book is awesome! Perfect for the story!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I really wanted to like this, the premise sounded amazing - but all in all, it unfortunately just didn't work out for me.

I think the book started off strong & had an inkling of a great idea, but then it just fizzled out right away & never regained balance. I had major, major issues with the pacing - in all honesty, I tried to finish this book multiple times over a month & it just wasn't happening, getting through a handful of pages at a time was a struggle to say the least. I'd say I read a solid 60% before finally giving up & just skimming the rest to see what happens &, again , in all honesty, I'm not sure I think the end was worth all of that buildup. I enjoyed what the author was trying to go for here, this is definitely more horror than thriller territory, but the execution just didn't do it for me.

Having said that, I'd still read more of this author's work. I know debuts can be rocky & I did enjoy a good amount of the atmosphere she created, horror can be hit or miss even for someone like myself who generally enjoys the genre. I'd just say skip out on this & wait for her next one.

Thank you so much to Melissa Larsen, NetGalley & Berkley for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review!

2.5 STARS

A young woman agrees to star in a filmmaker's latest project, but soon realizes the movie is not what she expected in this chilling debut novel.

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Oof...this book. It started off with such an interesting concept...but really lacked any execution. I also hated Betty and am so glad to be out of her head. Why wasn't this a DNF you ask? Because I needed to figure out what Anthony's (the filmmaker) "angle" was. Which ended up to be super ambiguous and I'm really not sure how I feel about the whole thing.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my ARC.

Melissa Larsen and I are in total agreement. If a handsome movie director asks you to star in a reality-style movie set on an isolated island with just a crew and cast of five after an odd and awkward one-on-one screen test, there’s only one thing to do. Just say no.
Larsen is the author of “Shutter,” a psychological thriller whose central character is Betty Roux, a lost young beauty who has cast her previous life behind following her father’s suicide. She’s severed relationships with her boyfriend and mother, moved to New York with vague ambitions but no experience, of becoming an actress. Now she’s sleeping on the couch of her high school friend, someone she hasn’t seen in years. But in serendipitous connection, her friend’s husband works with Antony Marino whose first—and so far only—film has won accolades. Betty loves the movie, has watched it incessantly and soon finds herself auditioning for the starring role. That she gets it is a surprise as she has no acting experience at all.
Of course, she doesn’t say no.
“I don’t think I would have either at that age,” says Larsen.
If this were a romance novel, then the entrance of Marino, would lead to the inevitable happy ending. But Larsen’s tale is much darker than that. If Betty wasn’t in such a funk of grief, she might see the warning signs which are more like flashing neon lights. The job entails filming on a remote island off the coast of Maine with a cast and crew consistently of a total of five.
Really, what could possibly go wrong? Well, as it turns out, just about everything.
“Somebody asked me what advice I would give Betty and I said I’d tell her to run,” says Larsen, who previously held high level, high stress jobs working for a talent agency in Los Angeles and then for a New York publisher. But she had started writing a novel in college and wanted to try writing again. “Shutter” is her first novel, and it has already garnered praise with the New York Times Book Review calling it a “chilling debut novel” and making Pop Sugar’s list of most anticipated novels.
Developing the plot for “Shutter” was like a very fluid brain storm says Larsen detailing her creative process.
“I’m a very image-based writer, and the first thing I saw was Betty covered in blood asking me for help,” she says recounting how she plotted the book. “So I decided to start writing with that in mind. It was like I was seeing a billboard in the distance, and I kept walking towards it.”

This cover and synopsis really hooked me and it was such a let down.

I didn’t connect with any of the characters. Betty’s inner monologue was a bit of a struggle to read and with that, I couldn’t really care about any of her journey.

Plot wise, it was meh. There’s no build up, no sense of urgency, and the small reveals didn’t add anything. And the ending was mildly interesting, but left me wanting a bit more.

Overall, the story had potential and I did love the atmosphere and the story, but that just wasn’t enough.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**