This book just didn't work for me. It dragged on, the plot didn't feel believable, and the twist was just kind of ridiculous. I found myself skimming through the parts of the book that take place in the past. These characters were not developed enough for me to care about what was happening with them. They called themselves "The Spires" like they are a family, but they did not seem to really care for one another. I did enjoy some aspects of the plot in the present - I kept reading to find out what would happen with Willa. I received and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. While somewhat predictable, I enjoyed the twists and turns. My only complaint is I felt like the end belonged to another novel. It just didn't seem to fit.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

The Spires follows a woman named Penelope, 20 years after a tragic house fire that upended a friend group forever. Penelope has done everything in her power to distance herself from the events of that tragedy, abandoning all contact with the 4 friends that were almost like family.

When one of those old friends, Willa, shows up at Penelope’s doorstep in need of help - she welcomes her with open arms. Things start to spiral quickly as Willa inserts herself into every facet of Pen’s live, getting involved with her husband and her kids.

The story toggles back and forth between past and present, leading to a dramatic ending. I found the story to be a fun, quick read, but slightly predictable and redundant. I recommend this story to anyone that likes thrillers, mysteries, and stories that cross timelines

i'm split on this one. on one hand, i was very intrigued to find out what was going on, and i stayed interested throughout the entire book. on the other hand, it was almost too slow at times - i wanted things to start coming together a bit earlier. i'm also a bit obtuse at times with clues, so perhaps it did and i just missed it? either way, the end was satisfying, and i'll be recommending this based on how badly i wanted know what was going on. lots of dark secrets and what the fuck moments.

Having loved other books by Kate Moretti, I was excited to pick this one up. Although I enjoyed the story and felt the main characters struggles, I didn’t love it as much.

I loved this book! It is told from the POV by mainly Penelope and then by "Willa" and when you read the story you will understand the quotes for Willa since she seems to have so many personalities to her going on between the past and present! This was an addictive read with so many past secrets and lies to unfold that also intertwined with a murder... eeek!! Penelope the year after college lived with her four best friends in a "church house" formerly just a church, and then a fire happened and they all dispersed to carry on with their own lives... so the gap year they all planned to be their best year didn't end well. Twenty years later Willa comes knocking at Penelope's door and the past rears it's ugly head and so the rabbit hole opens on the past, tragedy, secrets, lies, and of course shhhh..... murder!! Penelope seemed to have the perfect life from the outside looking in, but what is lurking under the surface? Why did Willa really show up on her doorstep? Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Kate Moretti for another great read to review with my honest opinions!

The Spires was less thrilling than i had hoped. It was well-written, both in present day and in flashbacks, and it was compelling enough that i kept coming back to it, but it wasn’t as dark and twisty as the synopsis made it sound, and the ending was unsatisfying.

The Spires is a thriller centered around Penelope (Pip) and a group of college friends. It's written as an alternating time-line of present-day 40something year old Penelope and post-college, young 20something Penelope. We get bits and pieces of what happened at the old Church house weaved through out the current troubles that are happening in Penelope's home.

Since the time of the big accident at the house, Penelope lost touch with her friends / roommates Willa, Flynn, Bree and Jack. Until one day, many many years later, a lady shows up at her door asking for help -- this turns out be to Willa, running away from an abusive relationship and looking for a place to stay. So as any long-time BFF would do, Penelope lets her stay in the guest room.

Penelope starts to distrust Willa as items are missing and misplaced. The stories aren't adding up and Penelope starts to feel like she is losing her mind. Even her husband doesn't believe that anything is amiss.

The twist in this one, I have to say I didn't guess it until shortly before it was revealed. And it was one of those moments when I audibly gasped and said "NO way!".
This was my first book by Moretti and I enjoyed it immensely. I will pick up her other books in the future.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I enjoyed this one a lot! A quick, easy read that was fast-paced. An engaging and well-developed plot that kept me turning the pages. A cast of intriguing characters, all wrapped up in a satisfying ending. What more can you as for?

**ARC Via NetGalley**

This is a fun read with a lot of twists. Twenty years ago, in the year after college graduation, Penelope and four friends lived in a converted church and didn't do much beyond enjoying themselves. Now, Willa, one of the friends, appears on her doorstep, claiming to be running from an abusive relationship and needing a place to stay for a few weeks. Willa carves out her place in the home - taking care of things, Penelope doesn't have time for with her children, cooking meals and seeming to begin the process of gaslighting Penelope. Thing move at a quicker pace from there to the conclusion of all of the secrets - past and present - being revealed.

I was hooked on this from page one though it isn't without it's flaws. First of all, who would let someone they haven't seen in 20 years live with them and their family? My alarm bells would have been ringing loud and clear. So, yes, there are going to be some things you will just have to accept in order to enjoy this. That being said Moretti was able to build and maintain tension and suspense through it's entirety so turning the pages was a pleasure. We go back and forth between the present and the summer with the Spires until we find out what befell the friends. I'll admit that I did like the present chapters more as Willa got under my skin in the best way possible. I was desperate to know her endgame. The past chapters weren't nearly as exciting but are necessary in telling this tale. I found the five of them obnoxious, self-centered, and terribly pretentious causing me to roll my eyes on several occasions. I had a hard time believing that these five were as close as they were because by all appearances they didn't seem to like one another very much.

The Spires is a surprisingly good psychological thriller. I think I fell for every false lead, which meant I didn't see any of the twists coming and was totally blown away.

The narrative is split between the present day and flashbacks of Penelope's time living with a group of friends just after graduating from college. The present storyline is a thrilling spiral into paranoia and delusion that is just delicious. The flashbacks are nostalgic windows into life as a young adult trying to find oneself - they are all fresh out into the real world but still acting as they did in college, partying and avoiding getting real jobs. While this group has a lot of personal (and interpersonal) problems, the close-knit family vibe is enviable at times. They clearly care about each other and the group as a whole. Unfortunately, they also have some substance abuse issues, which could twist 'caring' into 'territorial'. As the present storyline becomes crazier, the intensity of the past builds, until suddenly, everything is falling apart, and the line between reality and fiction becomes so blurry it's indistinguishable.

The entire story was well-balanced between present and past; it felt exciting, unique, and unpredictable. I really didn't see the last twist coming - Moretti nudged the story along so gently that I didn't question any of the facts in front of me. There were a few aspects that were a little too crazy to be believed, which is why I've rated The Spires four stars instead of five. It certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story, just the believability.

3.5
It was a sluggish start for me, this story. I think it was because I was so repulsed by Brett. What a tool. Really none of the characters were endearing. That aside, I liked the writing style and the premise was quite interesting.

The flashbacks did help lay the foundation for the story but I enjoyed the present timeline much more. There were definitely some surprises along the way. The finale was the biggest one. I can’t imagine anyone anticipating that (had to abandon a bit of reality but it was fun). I will look forward to the next by this author!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Thomas & Mercer for a copy in exchange for a review.

Penelope is married with two children. Unfortunately, her husband is unemployed and into having time to himself. Penelope is working to support the family. Penelope’s past, which she would rather forget, comes creeping back into her life. Penelope, eager to leave the past in the past and look forward rather than backwards has a rude awakening coming to her when her old roommate shows up in her life, again.

Willa, Penelope’s old roommate, shows up at Penelope’s house asking for a place to stay, as she is escaping an abusive relationship. How could Penelope turn a Willa’s request down?


Penelope dreads that her past has come back to haunt her, but there is nothing to escape it now. She has no choice but to face it head on. Twenty years ago Willa, Penelope, and a few other friends lived together. The five friends lived, partied, and did drugs together. The group called themselves “The Spires”. Unfortunately, when a group of so many live together, and spend every moment together-that is just asking for trouble. Jealously, love, lust, lies and obsession surround the group of friends.
After one horrible night gone wrong, the five friends go their separate ways, ever to speak again.

That is, until Willa shows up at Penelope’s door now. Can Penelope trust Willa? Can she let her in? Secrets start to come to the surface and things start to take a turn for the worst in this epic read!

The book is told from the POV of Penelope, and every now and then will throw in Willa’s POV. I do wish that the book gave a little more of Willa’s POV throughout. The book fluctuates between past and present. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing. I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending to others! Thanks so much for my gifted copy!

The Spires is a thriller with swirling secrets, lies and MURDER. 20 years ago Penelope and her friends lived in a house together. It was a converted church where the friends drank to excess and played mental games. Tragedy strikes and the friends go their separate ways to deal with the fallout.
Willa shows up at Penelope's door 20 years later, needing an escape. Why is she back? What does she want? Why go to her old friend's home when they barely know each other now?
This book is good although it has it's holes. There's a big unbelievable twist but this is a twisty, fun read with a lot to unpack. I hope others will enjoy it too! 3.5 stars.

Penelope Cox is a middle-aged working mother of two and the supportive wife of a recently unemployed husband, caught up in the day-to-day minutiae of her life. But 20 years ago, she was a recent college graduate and one of five friends calling themselves the Spires, who lived together in a refurbished church until a tragic accident caused them all to go their separate ways. Penelope finds her past and present colliding when one of those friends, Willa, shows up on her doorstep, begging Penelope for refuge from her abusive husband. When Willa moves in with Penelope's family, Penelope realizes she must come to terms with her past before it consumes her.

Unfolding on dual timelines, The Spires is an addictive domestic drama, albeit one that does require some suspension of disbelief throughout. In order to make the entire plot work, you just have to accept the central idea that Penelope opens her house to Willa after having not seen her for 20 years -- which seems more than a little implausible. Certain aspects of the plot are outlandish and don't make sense if you think about them too hard -- including the twist at the end, which I did not see coming only because it was so far out of left field. But even so, Kate Moretti is able to create and maintain tension in the narrative through a strong group of core characters and dramatic scenes straight out of a juicy soap opera. I've read several of her books, and she has a real gift for creating textured, authentic characters. The ones in this book are no exception, and they, along with Moretti's luminous prose, carry the plot even through its more nonsensical moments.

On a deeper level, The Spires provides thoughtful insights into modern motherhood and marriage and explores how the past can echo down through the present in myriad ways. Mostly, though, it's just pure escapist fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Penelope Cox thinks she's put her college years behind her, when, twenty years later, her old friend Willa shows up unexpectedly on her doorstep. Willa Blaine needs help escaping her abusive husband. Penelope hasn't seen Willa since their gap year after college, when they and three other friends lived together in a converted church. Calling themselves "the Spires" they were a close-knit group, until hidden resentments and jealousies tipped over. Focused on their leader, Jack, things started to change when he brought home a girlfriend, Grace. Then tragedy struck and the group went their separate ways. Now, Willa seems the perfect guest, bringing order and happiness to the Cox household. But Penelope feels like her friend is putting her life off-balance and bringing up horrible memories: memories she'd rather leave long buried.

"Six months after they moved in, he brought home Grace and sent them all into a tailspin."

This is slow burn read--it's sluggish to start, but picks up as the story gets moving. Less thriller, more character-driven, THE SPIRES focuses on relationships more than mystery, though there is certainly plenty to figure out as the tale progresses.

The book skips back and forth between the group's gap year after college at The Church House and present day, when Penelope's friend Willa shows up without warning. The two haven't seen each other since they scattered after The Church House tragedy. We know something bad happened at The Church House, but it takes a while (basically the whole book) to get it all figured out. There is a lot of drama and angst as this all happens. None of the characters are particularly likeable, but there are plenty of motives and secrets tossed in along the way.

I didn't find THE SPIRES as thrilling as some of Moretti's other books. Still, it became more interesting and suspenseful as I read, and there are definitely some good twists. This is an especially good read for those who like a good psychological mystery.

4.5 stars
In the beginning, I felt the timeline for this story was hard to follow and understand. Also, throughout the story, the amount of exclamation points used for internal dialogue felt too much at times. However, those are the only things I would tweak to make this story better which is just based on my personal preference.

I really enjoyed this story and the characters. Every time I would start reading I’d become completely absorbed by another shock factor that would make it nearly impossible to put the book down voluntarily. I stayed up until 4AM so I could finish this and don’t regret it 🙈

The mystery behind the whole story and how bizarre every situation was really pushed this to be a gripping read. Is she crazy? Is there really an ulterior motive? Does everyone have secrets? How did she die?

While I assumed I’d be constantly trying to figure out the answer to many questions so I could guess the ending, I would’ve never guessed that plot twist thrown in!

I really enjoyed this book, particularly the past narrations of The Spires. It was fun to watch from the wings, as their friendships evolve and dissolve, especially when one of them bring in an outsider to join their tight knit group. Even I found myself being turned off by this person, suddenly territorial about adding another person into their fold. Then, you have Willa returning in the present, overstepping her rights as a guest, acting as a surrogate parent to Pen’s children. For me, unlikeable characters can make or break a book. I find them to be too much of a distraction for a book to be enjoyable. However, this was not the case. The character traits (good and bad) added layers of depth within the past and present that made THE SPIRES an enjoyable read.

I expected to enjoy this book and I really tried. But for some reason and the slow pace of the book, I almost lost interest by the end of it. The shocking twist did not surprise me as much which put me off a little. It felt as though there were too many characters to keep track of. However, I still liked the protagonist and her character. But it was not enough to keep me hooked. It was written well but a few tweaks would've have definitely improved the reading experience.