It looks like this was one of those books that people you either loved ir or hated it. I may be one of the few that was sort of inbetween.
The book focuses on an actress Liv, who is on a search to better herself but instead finds herself caught up in a string of deaths at the location of her retreat. Ever the true crime loving addict, she begins to dig deeper into these deaths.

Its a fast pace thriller but at times I do feel like it may have been a little slow at times, it was still well written and was able to keep me interested in it!

I was surprised what a good combo of "remote place" + "podcasting" + "cult" could be. The pace was good, the characters interesting and the interactions felt genuine for the most part. I didn't see the ending coming entirely so that was nice and when I thought through the book in reverse, it did hang together. The only quibble I have is the character Ava, she seemed to float in and out "as needed" vs having a held together story. I will be checking more out by this author.

I received an advance copy from Netgalley and the publisher to review.

Olivia (Liv) Reed, an actress on a path to self destruction, enters a spiritual retreat, The House of Light. At first, it seems to be a typical New Age, health restoration facility. But, Liv soons discovers cult like behavior and sinister goings on. After being kicked out, she investigates and starts a podcast to expose the group, which, in turn, puts her in danger.

I thought this book a bit disjointed and slow paced. I found myself skimming to get through some of the less interesting and tedious parts.

Liv is not an endearing character and I found myself not really caring about her…in fact, I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable. There also seemed to be some loose threads hanging at the end.

The best part of the book, for me, was the podcast (except for the commercials although they did lend a bit of humor)….the organization of it, the actual script, and the listeners social media input.

I’m sure others will like this book better than I did, but it just wasn’t a top read for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the DRC.

I gave this book the best shot I could but could not finish. Very repetitive. Also reminded me of a series on television and seemed predictable. Maybe next time!

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm noticing a trend here – I can't resist thriller novels when they promise a person taking the law into their own hands via starting a podcast. I don't know why, but this is my weakness. Enter the latest thriller to trap me with this trope: Dark Circles by Caite Dolan-Leach.

Olivia Reed is used to having her name in all the tabloids – and she hates it. So she heads off to a spiritual center to get a bit of a break from the world. Only...this center isn't what she was promised. Not at all.

There's something wrong with this place. But nobody will believe Liv. She keeps trying to get others to listen, but the more she fails, the more she questions her perception.

Dark Circles has a little bit of everything – drama, thrills, cults, a murder mystery, and even somebody stuck in the limelight. It's a lot, but the balance of all these elements was pretty well done.

I loved parts about this book and parts that could have been tighter. I was pleasantly surprised by the humor that made its way into the story (courtesy of Liv's personality/commentary). That went a long way in making me like Liv's character, though it did admittedly take a little bit of time.

There were times when the mystery part of the plot sort of just dragged on? I won't say that it dipped to a slow pace, but it wasn't the speed I wanted; that much is true. Still, it didn't stop me from reading to the end, which I appreciate!

Overall I'd have to say that this was another successful podcast/crime/stubborn character read for me. I'd recommend Dark Circles to any others that have such a specific preference for reading.

Liv's just done too much of everything and now she's at the House of Light (HOL) to dry out, cool down, and recharge. She's not thrilled about some of what she's hearing but then Ava, another resident, tells her about the four young women associated with HOL who have committed suicide. As one does these days, she decides, at Ava's urging to solve the cases using a podcast which they hope will get lots of publicity thanks to her fame. The novel merges narrative with podcast transcripts and snippets of reddit among other things. It's less a thriller than it is a slow burn (that's not a bad thing btw) until someone decides Liv must be stopped. Ava, btw, was the main character of Dolan-Leach's first novel but it's not necessary to have read that to enjoy this. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read.

I received an ARC of this book. This book pulled me in and didn't let go until the end! This unusual story filled with complex twists and lots of suspense kept me reading and wondering how it would turn out.

Dark Circles is an intriguing concept for a mystery/thriller, with an aging starlet who needs a break from fame, a cult-like yoga retreat center, and mysterious deaths/suicides of young women. When Liv Reed escapes the pressures of Hollywood at a zenlike retreat center little does she know that her retreat neighbor will clue her in to sinister happenings and spark her detective side.

The book has a creepy, 'can't trust anyone' vibe, and the author does a great job spreading the suspicion around...I really did not figure out the ending until I was reading it! There are multiple possible explanations, and as Liv's podcast gets the internet wheels spinning, even more possibilities surface.

Two things kept me from absolutely loving Dark Circles, though. First, I really disliked Liv Reed. She is a terribly narcissistic, morally bankrupt character, and I found it difficult to accept many of her present and past decisions. On the plus-side, she does demonstrate some growth through the novel, but I just couldn't empathize with her manipulative nature. Second, there are so, so many loose ends that are not wrapped up and many questions remain at the end. I found the resolution to be somewhat unsatisfying.

I would recommend the book for readers who enjoy mystery/thrillers with a cult-vibe.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House-Ballantine for the ARC of Dark Circles. The opinions in this review are my own.

If you are someone who likes crime stories, true crime podcasts or stories about cults, you will enjoy Dark Circles. That may simplify the book, which is also about celebrity, power dynamics between men and women, and other difficult topics. I really enjoyed the book, it is written well. I thought the ending was a little abrupt, it seemed like there should be a little more, but I don't want to give anything away, and it didn't ruin the rest of the book for me.

Liv is a famous actress who has aged out of the starlet roles and is self-destructing. She comes from a troubled childhood for various reasons and struggles to stay healthy. Her manager and best friend, Jess, arranges for her to stay in the House of Light, a cross between rehab and spiritual meditation. Pretty quickly upon arriving, Liv hears about a number of women who have been murdered connected to the center, and decides to create a true crime podcast to solve these crimes. It may be unrealistic how quickly she gets this podcast published and it becomes a huge hit, but that makes the story go along faster. While investigating these crimes, Liv makes various connections with current and former members of the House of Light, and finds connections with her own family.

This book took a bit of time for me to get into. Liv was pretty self destructive and made it difficult to like her; she does have some growth through, and pretty good dark humor.

I liked the idea of a podcast and a cult but it just wasn’t my favorite. This is a slow paced, compelling, dark story, that definitely had some intriguing parts but dragged on at times too.

Thank you for an ARC for my honest review.
3.5 ⭐️

This book started off so slow, but after reading a bit more it eventually picked up. It was so dark and twisty! I had such an enjoyable time reading this and haven’t heard many talk about it. I do think it’s an interesting thriller and after getting through the slow parts, everything else is worth it!

This book started out slow for me. The main character, Olivia, was not very likeable at first but she became a strong character later. She stopped centering on herself and began to notice others. Her interest in the young women who had mysteriously died became a focus for her. The more that Olivia delved into the deaths of these ladies, the stories that surrounded the House of Light, and the strange rituals the darker the secrets became. Olivia knew that with her experience that she could help expose the people behind this and tell the world. Intriguing twists and turns await Olivia as she enters the darker side of the House of Light.

Out May 10, 2022! [Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

When aging starlet Liv Reed heads to a meditation retreat in upstate New York to “recenter” herself, she quickly finds that all is not what it seems, and the House of Light may be hiding some very dark secrets. Determined to expose the truth, she launches a true crime podcast and begins an investigation into the mysterious deaths of young women connected to the retreat.

DARK CIRCLES is a book that has a super interesting premise with a lot to enjoy—it’s extremely well-written, and Liv is a lovable main character. I’m also loving the trend of true crime and/or podcasting as a frame/trope in thrillers, and this executes that really well, including sections written as podcast episodes and even the inclusion of short “ads” for random products.

I was a bit confused by the pacing/structure in the beginning—the podcast episodes are interspersed with the chapters and I wasn’t exactly sure what was happening when—but it’s fast-moving enough that it kept me engaged. The plot takes a bit of an unexpected turn towards the end, which is what ultimately kept this from being a 4 or even 5 star review—I felt like there wasn’t enough foreshadowing and I didn’t get the opportunity to work out the mystery for myself as a result, plus I felt like there were a few too many threads and a lot left hanging in the final chapter—but overall this is a solid thriller, especially if you love cult and true crime vibes!

Recommended if you like: cult-based thrillers; rural settings; the dark side of fame.

CW: Suicide; mental illness; addiction.

A twisty, dark mystery with a celebrity looking for answers. Who can she really trust? Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

Dolan-Leach keeps you reading compulsively.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Olivia Reed, an actress who has just suffered through a breakup and a significant scandal, is essentially ordered by her publicist to attend a retreat. When Olivia arrives at the House of Light, everything is as she expected-fasts, group time, yoga, and sunrise hikes. But then a local woman, Ava, who has spent many sessions at the House of Light, starts telling Olivia about the women who have committed suicide after spending time there. Olivia begins investigating, even starting a podcast as she dives deeper into what is truly going on at the House of Light.

Olivia is a complicated character trying her best in the world she has been thrust into. The House of Light is just mysterious enough to make it ominous, and the podcast parts are very cool. The ending of this surprised me so much in the best possible way. I was truly shocked, but everything made sense looking back. I definitely recommend picking up this book.

This book had a slow start and a fairly unlikeable main character. Usually that’s enough to make me stop reading. But in this case I plowed through and the story became more and more interesting and a lot more intriguing. By the end of the book I was wishing there were about 100 more pages! I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the characters. Even though they were all basically self involved and I heartily disliked all of them, they were worth reading about. Probably because the mystery was so entangled I needed a little more time to absorb it fully. A good read overall. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Olivia Reed is an actress with issues to put it mildly. She finds herself at The House of Light in upstate New York for what she thinks is going to be a sort of rehab experience, then slowly realizes something more nefarious is going on. She starts a podcast based on information she receives from a fellow Light attendee, and her investigation into mysterious deaths surrounding this cult like group begins.
I was unsure what to expect but this book came highly recommended by my best friend, so I knew it had to be good. I only wish I had the time to just devour this book all at once, because it was that good. While the story itself takes a little bit of time to build up, it is very attention grabbing. Especially the way the podcast pieces are interspersed throughout the story with a few small flash backs to the past of Olivia’s history.
I will absolutely be putting this author’s other works on my to read list.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is an interesting concept and there are all the elements of a good mystery. A creepy locale with creepy people running it, vulnerable people, and a self-absorbed main character (who wasn't very likeable imo). The story moved slowly, though, and there seemed to be a lot of filler before any real mystery or action occurred. For me, it was good, not great.

This book had everything that I needed right when I needed it: actress that’s beyond the term “eccentric”, coastal backdrop, cultish group with oddball guru leader, podcast play-by-play narrated by said actress…I loved it! I needed more! This was definitely what I was looking for from the blurb!