Thank you @minotaur_books @netgalley for my most anticipated book this year! 💚@jenniferhillierbooks never disappoints!! She is one of my favorite authors! The plot was so intriguing especially starting off with an arrest of Paris for the murder of her celebrity husband! Hillier always makes her characters seem real and I forget I’m getting lost in a fiction book! I found one twist to be predictable but I only read 5+ thrillers a month 😉 I found the ending very satisfying!

Things We Do In The Dark, by Jennifer Hillier

Short Take: Not the author’s best book, but still a good one.

Hello my beloved nerdlings! I ended up getting sucked into a good book while at the pool, and I am now violently sunburned, so I’m going to just go right into the review. Also! Wear your sunscreen.

In Things We Do In The Dark, Paris Peralta’s husband is found murdered in their bathtub, and Paris is holding the straight razor that probably killed him. Needless to say, it looks pretty bad for Paris. Just like last time.

Duckies, I thought this book was OK. Ms. Hillier is one of my favorites, and believe me when I say that she has set the bar for twisty thrillers somewhere in the stratosphere. Paris’s story, her childhood and her resilience left me with my jaw on the floor.

But it just felt like there was something missing. The twists didn’t quite land like her usual shockers. Other than Paris, the characters were mostly one-dimensional. Drew is the eternal Good Guy, Ruby is a raging narcissist with zero redeeming qualities, Zoe is the overachieving assistant who worships her boss, etc.

The backstory was just too much. Paris’s childhood was a horrorshow, and a hell of a story, but parts of it felt repetitive, more like wallowing in the misery than letting it be just one part of the story. Especially when the rest of the story was so much fun.

But even though I wasn’t doing backflips over this book, Jennifer Hillier is still Jennifer Hillier, and I’ll still be first in line for her next one.

The Nerd’s Rating: THREE HAPPY NEURONS (and some lumpia, YUM)

If twisted, dark and disturbing thrillers are your thing, Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier must be on your radar. Putting it very precisely, this is about a high profile murder and a woman with a million secrets trying to escape her past.

The beginning of this book is so strong that I literally read the first 150 pages in a single sitting. The author does an excellent job of building up the story and just as you get invested in the present timeline she takes you back to a more intriguing backstory that is twisted and heart-wrenching and has even more mysteries embedded.

There are quite a few twists and if you're an avid thriller reader you might guess them, you might even figure out the killer like I did, but honestly that did not hinder my reading experience, because the story easily kept my attention and I was invested enough in the characters to want to know how things happen.

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier is a solid summer thriller, mysterious and suspenseful enough to keep you reading through the night.

I don’t know how Jennifer Hillier does it, but she has written another fantastically twisty novel with great pacing, great characters, and I loved Things We Do in the Dark.

When we first meet Paris Peralta, she has been arrested for the murder of her husband, Jimmy, a celebrity comedian from a nostalgic TV show - I totally pictured Joey (Dave Coulier) from Full House. Anyway, she was found covered in blood, holding a straight razor, next to his body in the bathtub, and, perhaps my favorite detail, wearing floofy slippers that make for ridiculous tabloid pics of her arrest.

Paris has been on the run for a long time and has done everything possible to stay out of the limelight, because her history is dark, and has more bodies in the closet. Enter Ruby Reyes, aka the Ice Queen, and she is threatening to spill all of Paris’s secrets upon her imminent release from prison.

How this all unfolds is nothing short of fantastic, and I would have read it faster if I hadn’t gotten COVID and been completely out it it. Thriller fans will gobble up this novel- sure one of the twists is sort of predictable, but Hillier’s writing is so freaking good that I second guessed my hunch multiple times, AND I would read it anyway because of how amazing her writing is.

Five stars, all the way. All. The. Way. This will go on my rec lists for months to come.

**Thank you SO, so much to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress / #MinotaurBooks for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own.**

I absolutely loved LITTLE SECRETS so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, it was an overall miss for me. I did not find the plot intriguing, did not enjoy reading about the characters, and IMMEDIATELY guessed every single twist before they happened (I think there were three or so "main" twists). I will be picking up her next book, but this one was not her strongest to me.

I am a huge Jennifer Hillier fan so couldn’t wait to get my hands on this dark little twisty book.

Paris Peralta tries to leave her past behind her but returns from a trip to find her famous husband (Jimmy Peralta) dead. Jimmy is very close to a few women including his oldest friend who is a lawyer (Elsie) and his assistant (Zoe). They are all distraught about his death. While put in the limelight due to being accused of Jimmy’s murder, Paris receives blackmail letters from someone threatening to reveal incriminating secrets of her past.

This was an enjoyable book. The characters were well developed and there were enough turns to keep the story moving at a nice pace and bring everything together. The entire time you are learning about the past while trying to figure out the present. Great ending.

Thank you Jennifer Hillier, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ebook ARC. The opinions are mine alone and not biased in any way.
#ThingsWeDointheDark #JenniferHillier#NetGalley

This was an interesting read! I flew through it and even though I guessed some of the twists I still didn’t want to put it down because I had to know what really happened.

It starts with Paris Peralta being arrested for her celebrity husbands murder and as most accused murderers do, Paris has a dark and secret past.

One thing I liked but also didn’t was the different POV and time jumps. I think they made the story move quickly but also were kind of confusing at times and sometimes stayed too long. Like the jumps would take me out of the present story or we would stay away from one character for too long. And although some twists were predictable I still didn’t guess the whole thing correctly.

This is a popular book right now and as with most highly hyped books I can really see it being a love or hate it situation. I am definitely on team loved it!

☺Excellent story led by a Canadian underdog🇨🇦

I loved Jennifer Hillier's dark thriller Things We Do in the Dark. The writing is straight to the point -- no flowery embellishments here. From the first pages I was hooked. Some of the twists are a bit predictable, but I have a feeling that's because Hillier wants you to recognize that things are never as they appear.

Definite recommend.

Thanks to Minotaur and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This is a well written psychological thriller! It’s a whodunit as well as a ‘am I safe?’ Kinda novel. It’s full of twists and turn. This book is sure to keep you on the edge of your couch! Highly recommend!

4.25-4.5 stars

Whew, okay. I was expecting a fun and twisty thriller, which I got, but there was also a lot more depth to the story than I had anticipated. Sensitive issues (child abuse, racism, violence, other types of trauma) are handled with care, and there’s some intriguing character growth. It is a mystery or thriller in some senses, but I didn’t really find the typical surprise elements to be too shocking; nevertheless, the plot was enthralling the whole way, and the writer is clearly very talented at crafting complex narratives with lots of little pieces that ultimately tie together. Again, it was not exactly what I was expecting, which was, as it turns out, a pleasant surprise. I can’t wait to check out other books from the author.

REVIEW

Things We Do in the Dark ~ Jennifer Hillier

READ IF:
* You believe age is just a number.
* Comedy specials are on your “For You” on Netflix.
* Sun salutations bring you peace.

SUMMARY: Paris Peralta has just been discovered in a bloody bathtub holding a straight razor with her dead husband by her side. No brainer, right?

Well not so fast - all is not as it seems to and Paris has secrets that go far beyond who killed her husband. It’s often the things we do in the dark that eventually come to light.

REVIEW: Please don’t come for me on this one but I have an unpopular opinion coming your way. Unfortunately this was just ok for me and I say “unfortunately” because this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. That might have been the problem for me - I think my expectations were too high - this was good, but not wow.

Cheers to Hillier for a strong start - this one grabbed me from page 1 and I was intrigued to see if I could piece together the who and what but then the middle slowed down and became a bit repetitive. I kept waiting for it to pick up and it never quite happened. And the characters? I didn’t really love any of them either, so without a plot to keep me going and characters to care about, I feel like I was just going through the motions. Not mad about it but this didn’t thrill me like I thought I would.

Things We Do in the Dark
Pub date: 7.19.22

I haven’t been reading nearly as many thrillers lately because they just haven’t been doing it for me. I think it might be the genre I judge the hardest 🙈

Having said that, I did enjoy and fly through this one. It was predictable in a lot of ways, so that was a little bit of a let down, but I still recommend it for a quick and easy thriller!

I really like books that go back and forth between two time periods, because it always feels like two separate puzzles I am gathering the pieces of and putting together to make one. I also love when a book makes me feel enraged because of horrible characters and their actions. It tells me that I was invested and believed what the author was selling.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc in exchange for my honest review! 💜

I am a big fan of Jennifer Hillier's writing and this was a well written book as always. This book however was more of a slow burn murder mystery.. If your anticipating a fast paced book in the vain of Jar of Hearts or Little Secrets I will forewarn you that this one is not one. I did find this one to be a bit more character driven and a bit slower and more predictable to me. That's not to say that I did not find the story interesting. - I did - This is not my favorite Hillier novel. I did think the story may have drug out just a bit and I did figure out quite a few of the twists of the book and it took me longer than normal to get this book read. I'll go middle of the road with my rating and give this one 3 stars.

A murder of a rich man. His wife, the lead suspect. A marriage of seemingly convience. The other suspects hiding in plain sight. The dark world of gangs and strip clubs. A mother and daughter relationship gone wrong. A true crime podcaster investigating. Finding unexpected answers. Childhood affecting adulthood. Questions answered sparking new questions. All this and more can be found in this psychological thriller. A bit of a slow starter, the book's plot begins to become more interesting as the pieces start to come together. It was hard to know if you should like the main character or not. I did find myself feeling for her as her story was revealed but at the same time didn’t find her likeable. I think that was the twisty point of this story though. What happens to a person often impacts who they are and their likeability. This isn’t an easy thematic read so make sure you pay attention to the trigger warnings. Having heard about this author from a favorite booktuber, I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

Thank you so much @netgalley and @minotaurbooks for my gifted e-copy!

Jennifer Hillier is a mastery storyteller, and her newest one is no different. She creates such intricate story plots that always tie together nicely! She incorporates some heavy topics in this one, so you may need to look up trigger warnings.

There are two POV’s, so not only are you trying to figure out the main “who done it person” but you are also trying to figure out the little mysteries in the other POV. It was almost like reading two separate stories, and they tied together nicely at the end!

The writing is so superb that I trusted no one. Everyone was suspicious and could be a suspect. Andrea and I had so much back and forth chat while reading this one with all the crazy details. I’m not sure I’ve ever sent so many 😱 emojis before!

Thank you so much @Minotaur_Books & @NetGalley for giving me this physical ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 19 July 2022)

SYNOPSIS | Paris wakes up on her bathroom floor covered in blood & holding a supposed murder weapon next to her dead celebrity husband. Even though she has no recollection of what happened, it is obvious the police think she did it & she can't help but think how much unwanted media attention this will bring especially as she has tried to reinvent herself & leave her past behind...

WHAT I LIKED:
- the past & present timelines worked together beautifully to create those slow burn vibes as we piece together snippets of information from the different POVs to try & figure out what is going on
- even though I guessed the main twist I still enjoyed the journey there
- perfectly bingeable writing that kept me flipping the pages (those mini cliff-hanger chapter endings!!)

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- Ruby was a cliché stereotype of a bad mother
- the change in POVs was quite jarring at times & the other storylines seem to just vanish depending on the POV we are reading from

This was a good book not as suspenseful as I thought that it was going to be at first but I liked the characters and they way that the story unfolded.

3.5 ⭐️’s! This is my first book by Jennifer Hillier and it won’t be my last. I enjoyed her writing style and how she intertwined the timelines in this book. She’s very talented and I’ve heard great things about her other books. Things We Do In The Dark is a very slow burn mystery and I am just very tired of slow burn books lately. So, while the twists were good I was just bored by the end. I needed the story to be faster paced and less of the background storyline as it just became unnecessary at times. So, Jennifer Hillier it’s not you - it’s me and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future!

I was kind of on the fence with this one. The main story line is intriguing, particularly with an unreliable narrator who has an unclear and dubious past. The past in question being the tangential focus of the sub story line.

I’ll be honest, I really didn’t care for the second storyline, particular due to the fact it was being told from the perspective of a not so likable guy. He meant well, but his behavior in the flashbacks was infuriating at best.

However the main plot does keep you on your toes as you slowly uncover how it all comes together in the end

I ended up not finishing the book. I appreciated the diversity in this book, but I couldn’t get myself to care about the storyline or the characters. There’s way too many traumatic things but not much happening in the plot. I ended up putting this down after 100 pages.