Penelope “Pip” Cox lives a moderately contented, albeit stressful, life. But when her husband loses his job, his quest to find himself turns into a personal midlife crisis, which becomes her midlife crisis by proxy. In the midst of all this, a very old friend turns up on her doorstep, asking for help. Though it’s hardly an opportune time to play host, Penelope can’t say no to such a desperate plea and for a friend who she hasn’t spoken to in years. Willa Blaine was once one of the most important people in her life; they lived, with a handful of other friends, in a dilapidated church and existed in their own perfect microcosm for a long time. Closed off from the rest of the world with only each other, they affectionately called themselves The Spires. It was perfect, until it wasn’t. An outside threat made the roommates go to great lengths to protect their (seemingly) idyllic lives. Now the past is coming back to make sure the score is settled.

This book is a lot of fun. For me, it’s reminiscent of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, but much more simplified (this is in no way a criticism, although I do love Secret History, too). I was tearing through the story in an effort to uncover the secret Penelope and the other Spires harbored for so long, and I was curious to find out if she would survive it all. The ending, though a stretch in terms of realism, was also predictable in terms of a thriller novel. Despite this, I still found it such an enjoyable read. Penelope is trying so hard to keep her family going smoothly, dealing with her husband’s idiosyncratic tendencies and health kicks, raising her two teenage kids, and trying to stay afloat at her demanding job. When Willa enters the picture it almost seems like a blessing in disguise, until Willa’s presence brings back more than just friendly nostalgia. Something sinister is at play but Penelope might be too close to the situation and overwhelmed by the memories of her previous life to notice before it’s too late.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Kate Moretti for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book, and it just fell flat for me. Too many characters without enough strong character development and too many side stories just detracted from the plot. I enjoyed it, but it was not a "must read" for me. Thankful for the ARC.

I mean, this book was ok, I guess?
It was a bit slow (especially the "then" parts) and the final twist wasn't particulary shocking.
The whole base of the plot - Penelope agreeing her friend (whom she hasnt seen in like 20 years) was dubious at best.
The plot itself wasn't anything new. How many times have we seen a mysterious person from the past creeping into protagonist's life just to get over the top revenge for something that happened eons ago?

Not to be all negative though, I sort of enjoyed Penelope and her journey. But that's it.

Excellent read by an excellent writer. Kate Moretti does it again with another enjoyable read that focuses on 5 friends and the secrets they keep. The book had a great amount of twists and turns and was wonderfully written. The characters were likable and I really enjoyed the alternating time lines.


Thank yo ufos getting the chance to read this advanced copy.

I loved this book! The characters were incredibly written, and the ending was so good. I couldn’t put it down! I loved each of the characters in this book. I’m very grateful for an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Thomas & Mercer) on NetGalley.

The Spires, what a group of college friends call each other, decide to live together in a converted church for a year after graduation. The to tight quarters and constantly being together brings forward all of the little things that they've been able to disregard about each other in the past. Flash forward 20 years and Penelope (Pip) has a happy, boring life until Willa, one of her college friends from the past shows up asking for somewhere to stay. Willa brings back all of the old memories, "the fire", and her presence makes Pip rethink things that are happening in her (not so great) current life. Is Pip starting to lose her mind? Is Willa making things happen in her house? I liked this book and it kept me wondering out how this would end.

Sometimes a piece of your soul can rot, she thought. If you can’t get it out, it festers like an infection."

Such a great, creepy cover and an interesting plot. But I'm so so sorry book, I'm just burnt out on your side story. I'm so sick of woman creeping in to another woman's life just to mess it up. I'm just tired of it. This was so over-the-top Lifetime movie I just couldn't anymore. I think I'm just burnt out on cheating and bad marriages that would just be cleared up if people would just communicate.

If this book sounds great, go for it! I'm sure you will love it more than I did.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

The Spires by Kate Moretti had me hooked from the beginning! What happens when the past comes calling twenty years later? Five friends, a terrible fire, mysterious death and secrets galore! So many twists and I definitely did not see that last one coming! Highly recommend this one!!!

Another great psychological thriller! When everything burned, but nothing is forgotten.. the last will always come back.
Couldn’t put this one down. I enjoyed the dual timeline and the dark and twisty plot. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Spires by Kate Moretti is a twisty thriller about Penelope and her former roommate Willa. Twenty years earlier, they were roommates along with three other friends; and they all formed their own special dysfunctional family. But one night, their partying ended in a deadly fire, and they all went on to do their own separate things after that. Now, Willa has come back to ask Penelope for a favor, but all the old secrets have come back with her. This book had some great twists, but it also had a lot of unlikable characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Net Galley for a copy of The Spires by Karen Moretti. This is a Mystery/ Thriller. This is about a group of post college friends who go to live in a house together. There was a house fire and one person died. The present story is centered around Penelope and Brett. I enjoyed this very much.

Not quite ready to move on after college, five friends move into a converted church, enjoying life and their close friendship and calling themselves the Spires. But after a party turns into a tragic fire, the group breaks apart, never contacting each other for twenty years.
Penelope has a normal suburban life... husband, two kids, large beautiful home. But when her former best friend Willa shows up on her doorstep begging for a place to stay for a couple weeks, that horrible night she's tried to forget returns full force. Something just doesn't seem right with Willa and she's causing a rift between Penelope, Brett, and her children. Small things, seemingly inconsequential, but when added up leave Penelope feeling threatened. What is Willa really after? Will Penelope's perfect life survive?
This was a slow burn thriller. With each incident the story has you questioning Penelope's sanity, or Willa's possible motive. I hated how Penelope supported Brett and let him walk all over her knowing he wasn't even trying to find another job. Although I found it strange that they waited twenty years to knock down the remains of the burned out church, I thought the beautiful building was a great representation of their friendship. A beautiful thing destroyed in one night by jealousy and buried resentments, never visited again until the end of the story.
I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

The Spires, (Thomas & Mercer) by Kate Moretti, just came out September 21st. I was super excited to read this one as Moretti is a "Tall Poppy" and I've heard great things about her stories. This is the first I've read, and I started it on the plane during my honeymoon.

Our main character Penelope ("Pip") has a demanding job, two teenagers, and an unemployed husband. She's dealing with all the stress that brings when unexpectedly one of her college room mates, Willa, knocks on the door asking for a place to stay as she escapes a dangerous marriage. Pip of course says yes, two weeks tops, to the disapproval of her husband.


As Willa seems to infiltrate every part of Pip's life, all of the memories of the year after college come rushing back. During this year Pip and Willa lived with 3 other room mates. None of them have seen each other since some sort of tragedy at the end of that year.

As Penelope's family quickly warms up to Willa considering her the perfect guest, Penelope becomes increasingly frustrated. Willa not only crosses the line multiply times but she is heavily gaslighting Pip. What happened the last year together may shine line on what's going on now so Pip starts to try to figure it out.

This dual timeline is quickly paced and the end is twisty. I typically enjoy dual timelines as they read so quickly. The chapters weren't super short but they weren't super long either. There were multiple surprises through out the story, which I always love because I usually can figure at least part of it out. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and would recommend.


A copy of this book was provided to me for review by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Here is what we are told as the story opens: Years ago, Penelope Cox - then known as “Pip” - and four college friends lived together in a rented home that had once been a church. They called themselves “The Spires.” We are told there was a fire at the church.

From those bare details, the story unfolds as it goes back and forth between Penelope’s present life as the mother of two children; wife of Brett, an irresponsible and unlikeable character; and close friend of her neighbor Jamie with whom she is having an extramarital flirtation, and her past life as Pip while she lived at the church with the other Spires. Penelope thinks she has long ago left her life at the church behind. She couldn’t be more wrong.

Twenty years after the fire, Penelope is shocked when Willa, her best friend from college and one of The Spires whom she has not seen since the night of the fire, shows up at her home claiming that she is going through a personal crisis and needs a place to stay for a few days. Against her better judgment, Penelope allows her to stay. But a few days turns into weeks as Willa insidiously inserts herself into the middle of Penelope’s life, charming Penelope’s husband and children while wreaking such havoc on Penelope such that both Penelope and her husband begin to question Penelope’s sanity.

Suffice it to say that from the point Willa arrives at Penelope’s home, nothing is as it seems, either in the past or present, as the story takes off and moves back and forth in time with multiple twists and turns until the past meets the present at the church where it all began. My bet is that like me you’ll never see the final plot twist coming.

The Spires is a new psychological thriller from bestselling author, Kate Moretti.
The Spires tells a story of Penelope and the danger of secrets as the narrative flips between Then and Now. Twenty years ago the lives of a close knit group of friends was changed forever. As these secrets and history begin to bubble to the surface with the arrival of Willa at Penelope’s door, Penelope is forced to examine exactly what happened all of those years ago.
Great quick read. Highly recommended.

*I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

3.5 stars!
If this book teaches you anything it's that the past never stays in the past.

The Spires was an addicting read from the first page. I felt like Penelope was hurting from the beginning and we just couldn't see it yet. Jack was charming but intimidating. Flynn was loveable, even if he was meant to be a side character. Willa was infuriating at times, but ultimately a good person to her core. Nobody is innocent, though.

This wasn't the most unique story, but it was written beautifully. The twist was one I never saw coming.

When Penelope's old college friend Willa knocks on her door, memories of her old self as Pip come rushing back. Along with the memories are what happened that tragic night of the fire, when she stopped all contact with her friends. Willa wastes no time inserting herself in Penelope's life. Her two teens enjoy having mom's fun friend around and even her husband Brett has warmed up to her. So why is Penelope uneasy having Willa back in her life?

I thought this was a slow-paced, interesting read being told in the past and present. Penelope, Willa, Bree, Flynn and Jack were living together post college in a converted church and called themselves The Spires. Their time together was fun and carefree but also filled with secrets kept from one another. When Jack brings home Grace, it causes a disturbance with the dynamic of the five. One night the tension escalates and a tragedy occurs. Penelope thought she can forget about it and move on, but having Willa back in her life is making it difficult to keep the past in the past. I thought Penelope was not a strong character and was too much of a pushover, always trying to placate everyone's needs before her own. The ending was surprising and unexpected. Overall a good read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Moretti and Thomas & Mercer for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I really love novels centered around a creepy house or school and that's what I expected of this novel. but it is much much different and deeper than that. I loved the characters and how different from each other they are and the twists are AMAZING! I totally didn't expect the final twist and although it is slightly hard to believe, it was amazing and really brought the whole book together for me. I would definitely recommend! Another tense, atmospheric novel from Moretti.

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.

Can I just say that I think Kate Moretti is becoming one of my favorite authors? She also wrote Girls of Brackenhill, which I devoured last summer, and The Spires is another book that just knocked it out of the park for me.

I LOVE books that involve the past and present, especially when the past is during a trying time in nearly everyone's life, like what happens right after college. In The Spires, we meet a group of friends who decide to take a gap year after college and move in together in a home that used to be a church. They're a crazy bunch of friends that have maybe borderline toxic relationships, and one day something happens that changes their lives forever.

In the present day, Penelope's life as not quite as perfect as it seems, and when her old friend Willa appears, needing a place to stay, at first things seem like they get better. Except then they get so much worse.

I could not put this book down. I had to know what happened that split up the group of college friends, and I had to know what the heck was going on in Penelope's present day and why Willa is really back. This book is twisty and turny and will really leave you guessing until the end. 

And then the end happens and your jaw will just hit the floor.

Must read by the fire? Absolutely.