To be honest, I don't understand what the book is about.
The book was supposedly character driven, it didn't really have a plot, or a storyline. It almost felt like the author picked a starting point and then decided to wing it from there.
Even the link between the two main characters felt forced, it didn't give any value to the book, apart from a minor story arch presented toward the end.
.
Both main characters felt super bland, which was shocking because it takes effort to make a sociopath sound boring!
.
Reached the ending, I was just skimming through, more focused on finishing the book rather than knowing what would happen.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

I waited far too long to download this to my Kindle. My sincere apologies to the author and publisher for this mis-step. Given that, I'm going to give an average rating.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Nearly a 5 star read!!

<b>PROS</b>
-- Fantastic writing.
-- Fast paced.
-- Extremely engaging plot.
-- Twists and turns.
-- Intriguing and well-developed characters.
-- Satisfying ending.

<b>CONS</b>
-- This was nearly a 5 star read for me. What ultimately knocked it down to four was the Henry arc. I just don't feel like the resolution fit with how Henry had been portrayed up to that point. The Henry the author gives us from page one would never have even considered that as an option. It just seemed to be a convenient way to move Alex's story forward. Which kind of made everything Henry did kind of pointless in a way. If that makes sense? 🤷🏻‍♀️

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Una lástima. Porque la idea es buena, pero la ejecución muy muy flojita. Vamos allá.
LA TRAMA: no sabría definirla, porque la novela empieza siendo una cosa y termina siendo otra. Alex Brantley es un joven médico que, al principio del libro, atiende a un niño al que los padres han maltratado (justo el día que ha decidio dejar el ejercicio de la medicina). Decide cambiar de vida y se pone a dar clase en un instituto, en el que conoce a Henry Wallis, un chavalín que está como un cencerro y que tiene comportamientos de asesino en serie.
Wallis, sádico adolescente, se carga a un vagabundo por el simple hecho de matarlo. Pese a que pensaba que no lo pillaría nadie, es descubierto y se suicida.
Entretanto, Alex el médico empieza a relacionarse con Stu, padre de una alumna y de perfil mafiosillo. Hacen un viaje a México en el que conocen a un tal Marcos Correa, otro tarado. A la vuelta, Alex descubre que la madre de Wallis lo ha demandado porque le acusa del suicidio del niño.
Alex tiene un problema financiero importante (de su préstamo de estudiante), y le faltaba la demandita. Pero entonces Stu se ofrece a resolverlo si él, a cambio, como es médico, le hace una cosita al tal Marcos...
En fin, demasiadas historias que empiezan pero no terminan. Lo de Wallis. La tal Wendy que se hace pareja de Alex en el penúltimo capítulo. El viaje a México que es aburrido a lo más.
Vamos, que no.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for an honest review. When I first started this I thought it would be a psychological thriller but it turned into much more than that!

Alex is a surgeon but hates his job. Devastated by a divorce, his huge school loan debt, and battling depression, he decides to leave it all behind for a new life and a new job as a teacher in a small town in Texas.

But it is a far cry from what he imagined. He finds himself the target of small town gossip, there's been a murder close by, a student dies, and the school wants answers. His creditors are threatening law suits. He is desperate and looking for a way out, when someone makes him an offer.

How far would you go to save yourself, and how do you live with the choices you make?

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded intriguing to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I went back and forth between 3.5 and 4 stars on this one. It’s very well written. Great characters, tightly paced. And it starts off incredibly intriguing and you can’t help, but to get hooked in. What it became though was entirely unexpected and while I enjoy being surprised I found a lot of the last half of the book to be ridiculous. At times I cringed and rolled my eyes. So much of this book is fantastic, but it isn’t able to stick the landing and in many ways a fascinating, moving, well written narrative unravels to become something so outlandish it makes you go “how the hell did we get here”. Still I feel many will enjoy and just go along for the ride because the writing is so strong. I would be interested in reading more from this author, but this one just jumped the shark for me near the end and couldn’t recover.

Haunting and chilling, this book twists and turns right until the surprising end. Alex Brantley is a surgeon whose task is to save lives. Brutal hours and wave after wave of emotions takes a toll and he makes life changes. And some poor decisions. Once certified, he teaches sciences in small-town Texas where he makes friends. But the skeletons in his closet cannot be ignored forever.

Sadist teen Henry Wallis is a constant worry and emotional strain on his mom. He is a very disturbing character. As a reader I could almost feel the darkness in which he enveloped himself. Not only are we privy to his black world and that of Alex, there is also a deeply sinister murder and layers of riveting plots which go in several breathtaking directions. And that is quite the ending!

Readers of mysteries and thrillers chock full of suspense ought to read this. Just know there is adult language.

My sincere thank you to White Bird Publications and NetGalley.