The story was pretty interesting and had a lot of twists. There were a lot of characters and i found it a little hard to keep all of them straight. The lead character, Olivia was intriguing. She basically is a basket case and not very likeable. But I was compelled to read on and find out more. The book moved a bit slow at the beginning for me, but then picked up the pace. The ending had some surprises but was pretty satisfying. I would be interested in reading other books by this author. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A famous actor, Oliva Reed is having a crisis in her life and her manager sends her to a retreat to get it together. Olivia adapts at first but things get strange and cultish. The death of former members and weird practices could be indicative of something sinister. When Olivia is asked to leave she embarks on a mission to discover how the girls died and where missing members are by starting a podcast.
I found this book to be slow and didn't hold my interest. I had to push myself To keep reading to the finish. Olivia herself is not a very together person and I didn't care for how she told the story nor how she tried to move in on another woman's husband.
I thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC this book wasn't for me but I can't assume you wouldn't like it. Just was too slow and left a few strings hanging.

I took a chance on this book but it didn’t pan out. A woman has a breakdown and is sent To a New Age therapy place to manage her issues. I was turned off by the setting and the rituals. This book wasn’t for me.

Intriguing thriller about a cult like situation. MC wasn’t likeable but the story was captivating enough to continue with the book. The ending was a bit predictable and lack luster. I wanted more of a bang.

Liv’s conversational tone won me over, even if she wasn’t always likable, and the writing style was casual and easy to read. I have watched just about every documentary out there about the MLM turned sex cult NXIVM, and I definitely could see a ton of parallels. The twists were shocking while still being believable, and I loved the included transcripts from the podcast. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the (somewhat random) romantic/sex scenes. I really didn’t think they added anything to the story, and ended up just slowing down the pace. I do plan to read more from this author, and can see this being the perfect mystery to binge read on a beach vacation!

This was a difficult read for me. To be fair, most of my kindle reading has been done in the early hours of the morning while trying to get my newborn back to sleep, so I really need something that flows easily. I didn’t enjoy this one much because of that.

DNF-45%
I was intrigued by the premise of this book. An actress needs a break from her spiraling life, and ends up at a new age, spiritual retreat. There she meets a conspiracy theorists who has some information about some mysterious deaths that have happened around the vicinity of the retreat, and she uses her stardom to start a podcast to investigate the deaths, and the House of Light, which may or may not be a deadly cult.

Sadly, I just could not get into this book. Liv is pretty unlikeable. She's self-centered, arrogant, entitled, and dumb. Sometimes this is okay in a book, but I just did not like her as a narrator and didn't care at all what happened to her. The narrative felt tedious, flat, and lackluster.

I generally try not to DNF a book, especially if it's one that I requested. But if I make it through 25% and I'm finding it a chore to read, I will decide whether to abandon or not. I like to enjoy my reading experience. In this case, I had tried to at least reach the halfway point, but I just couldn't...I was bored, and reading it was just not enjoyable to me. I can see from other reviews that others may enjoy this book, so I don't want to discourage anyone from giving this a try. It just personally did not appeal to me.

3.5 stars rounded up. I enjoyed a lot of elements of this book - the celebrity angle, podcast work, the setting in the Finger Lakes area - but ultimately I just felt like the ending felt so rushed and didn't adequately wrap up the many storylines with the detail that I wanted. The main twist was somewhat predictable and I wanted a few more twists and turns - but overall I did enjoy the book.

A solid 3.5 to 4 stars for this one. It took me a while to read, but I attribute that to my mood (I am most definitely a mood reader) than the book itself.

Olivia Reed is in all the tabloids and her life is spiraling out of control. She needs to step back, so her assistant/right hand woman, Jess, is sending her off to a retreat in upstate NY.

At first The House of Light, which is the name of the retreat, seems to offer the relaxation and recentering she needs in her life. But things aren't what they seem and everything feels off. A death happens that seems suspicious. She becomes friends with Ava, a repeat retreat guest. And the two of them begin investigating several mysterious deaths of young women who seem to be connected to The House of Light.

Olivia is removed from The House of Light, reaches out to a contact she has, and starts a podcast in an attempt to expose what is going on. Strange things happen. Will she expose them? Or will they stop her before she can?

I loved the celebrity, the podcast, the cult like feel of The House of Light, and the twist at the end that I never saw coming!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

She started off whining and cussing. A great combo. I liked the cover but wasn't drawn in. I didn't like the tone of the dialogue or descriptions.

If you enjoy books that center around creepy cults, you will probably enjoy this book. I will admit, while I did find the book interesting, it was a very slow read for me. I wanted more action, more twists, and turns. I also figured out the main twist about halfway through the book. There were also additional stories lines that I felt a bit let down by (Olivia's mother; Ava, and Wyatt - I won't say why so there won't be any spoilers).

The story follows down-on-her luck celebrity, Olivia Reed who is pushed to go to a rehab/spiritual center by her best friend and manager, Jess. Once there, she befriends Ava (notorious in the town and a frequent visitor to The House of Light) and learns about the mysterious disappearances of several women, and starts to investigate further (and start a podcast.)

Like I wrote earlier, I enjoyed the book. It was an interesting story, but I felt like some of the plot lines weren't resolved, were rushed, or simply didn't have the WOW factor that I was hoping for.

All in all, a good read.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars. If you like reading about cults and are interested in celebrities or podcasts, this book may be your cup of tea! Thirtyish Olivia Reed, a sort of down-on-her-luck actress, checks into a “rehab” center (dubbed a spiritual center called House of Light) and the adventure begins as Liv takes part in the investigation of alleged suicides at the center and starts what becomes a wildly successful podcast about it. Olivia is an engaging character who is likable enough, and the podcast element of this novel definitely strengthens the narrative. All in all, this was an enjoyable and interesting read.

I am unfortunately easily bored. I’d rather reread something I’ve already read rather than read something new that leaves me wanting. Dark Circles grabbed me right away and held my interest all the way through. Actually I found it hard to put down. If I had to stop reading for another task I got back to it as quickly as I could. It was, simply, addicting.
The main character, Olivia, is a television actress is caught up in an affair and a (very) bad breakup. Her assistant books her into a retreat to hold her until the bad press dies down and Olivia quickly realizes all is not well. Four young women from the retreat have committed suicide over the preceding year and Olivia wants to know what is going on. She investigates, eventually working her way to creating a podcast about the parent company overseeing the retreat.
Olivia’s character is somewhat likable but definitely rootable- a must for me. Dark Circles is a very good book and one I will enjoy reading again.

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

I enjoyed this novel with an unreliable narrator and lots of little mysteries to solve, but I feel like it needed one more round of edits. The protagonist is well-developed and the plot moves along well, but a few of the characters are stock--Bart, for example, and Wyatt. I liked the diversity of the cast and the complicated layers Olivia deals with, and the ending has just the right touch of ambiguity.

I struggled a bit with this book. Things started off with a bang, but it went downhill from there. I kept hoping things would pick back up, but that didn't happen. Lots of predictability, so that made it hard for me to stay engaged. The book definitely had potential, but it never really came together in the end.

What a wild ride! Olivia, Liv's, is an actress who had a bit of a breakdown and needs a break. Enter The House of Light, a spiritual center with yoga and meditation. When Olivia arrives and meets Ava she learns there's something strange about the place. Theres series suicides that are two common to be a coincidence. Olivia leaves the House of Light, does research and starts a podcast to try and figure out if or how the House of Light is connected to the deaths.

I very much enjoyed this story. I loved how the storyline went from present to podcast recordings, to conversations or interviews with people. True crime podcasts are so popular that I think that really appeals to readers. It's a cult-like story that is dark, mysterious, fast paced and engaging. It was such a fun read. I really liked Liv's character too even if she was a bit unlikable in the storyline.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the copy of Dark Circles. Liv was a great character even though she was self-centered, which fit in with her profession but didn’t make her likable or sympathetic. Her self-centeredness was a key to a lot of the incidents in the book, but it didn’t make it any easier for this reader to get engaged in it!
The story started out interesting but then I started to lose interest - was it about the HOL, Liv’s mother, the deaths? So many different things going on and they didn’t feel focused or cohesive to me. I was actually most interested in Ava and Wyatt even though they were pretty minor characters.
The final paragraphs seemed just tacked on to me. I will look for other books by this author because I thought this book had promise!
If you like books about cults and don't have a need to connect to or like the MC, you will probably love this book!

I recently reviewed a different book and complained about unlikable characters. My basic rule is that you can have unlikable characters, but they must be entertaining. Well, meet Liv Reed. If this were real life, Liv would have been murdered years before this book even begins. She’s…terrible. She’s arrogant, entitled, completely oblivious, and so much fun to read!

While the pacing does slow down once in a while, the mystery is compelling and Liv, terrible as she is, is simply a blast to read. I was not surprised by the conclusion – I mean anyone but oblivious Liv could have seen that coming – I still thoroughly enjoyed Liv’s realization that she’s kind of a tool.

Absolutely fun book!

*ARC via Publisher

An embattled actress turns to podcasting when she becomes entangled in a dark conspiracy at a spiritual retreat in this absorbing mystery about fame, violence, and our morbid fascination with murder…

Olivia Reed is an actress who needs some time off after a huge meltdown hit the tabloids. She goes on a spiritual retreat at The House Of Light. Liv soon learns its not all yoga and sunshine…

I found Liv to be an unlikeable character. She is a bratty starlet. I somewhat changed my mind about her after she started the podcast. She still had her shallow moments, but it seemed like the artistic change from TV to podcaster was what she needed.

I picked this one up and put it down a few times. The chapters are long, and that is just a struggle for me. Every time I felt like the story was heading in an interesting direction, it would take a turn and fall flat. I didn’t totally understand the point of Liv’s mom’s part in the story. Also - there is a strange ritual I was hoping would be explained that never really was.

If you are into mysteries that include cults or celebrity MCs this one would be for you! Thank you @netgalley and @ballantine for this eARC!