This is my 2nd book from Stacy Willingham and it was BETTER than the 1st one. I feel like a lot of times authors have a hit with their first book, but then the second book falls flat. This is NOT the case for Stacy.

She is my new auto buy author. Unlike Flicker in the Dark, where I actually guessed the twist, I DID NOT guess 1 single twist in this book.

Isabelle loses her son after he’s kidnapped, her marriage falls apart, and her troubled past keeps coming back to her mind.

She’s sleepless with a history of sleepwalking. This book will have you thinking everyone is a suspect, but I guarantee that you will NOT get the twist and if you do, kudos to you!

I absolutely loved the dual timelines which Stacy wrote in perfectly since both timelines have some sort of case to solve.

Read this if:
😴 You like dual timelines
😴 You like thrillers were everyone seems like a suspect
😴 You want to second guess every theory you come up with until the twists are revealed!

OK Willingham hit it out of the park with this one!

I read A Flicker In The Dark last year and was totally underwhelmed. I know I’m in the minority and when I read it before pub date and before any of the hype, I knew that would be the case. Therefore, to say I was hesitant to pick up All The Dangerous Things is an understatement. But boy, am I glad I did!!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. The pacing was awesome, I had no idea what to believe or who to trust, and even though I guessed part of the mystery, I was way way off base for other parts so that was spectacular.

I have a 19 month old son and man oh man did some of the abduction parts hit me hard. I was honestly sobbing at times!

I did the audio for this novel and it completely enraptured me. The narrators were great and it was so was so well executed I sometimes felt like I was watching a film, not listening to an audiobook!

It’s safe to say Willingham has redeemed herself for me and I will without question be picking up her next novel.

Thank you to Libro.fm, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you so much to Minotaur books for sending me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Although I did not read this book prior to its publication date, I did finish it this week.

I absolutely loved this second novel by Stacy Willingham. Our main character, Isabelle, is actively working to find out what has happened to her missing son, Mason, one year later. She kinda becomes obsessed with finding answers, that she starts to doubt her own memories and everyone around her.

What I loved:
-super engaging
-unreliable character
-the author keeps you guessing up until the very end

There isn't anything that I didn't love about this book. The author has a way of writing that sucks you into the story. You begin to think like the main character and she keeps you guessing. I didn't figure out the major twist until right before it was revealed and even then ,I wasn't sure that was the big twist.

Overall, this was a well written novel. It was hard to put down; I could have binged it in one sitting, but work and adult duties call :)

I gave this one 4.5 stars. I definitely recommend this one to everyone and I am looking forward to what Mrs. Willingham puts out next!

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

A year has passed since Mason was taken from his crib and his desperate mother Isabelle, turns to anyone who will listen. She turns to True Crime enthusiasts and now has turned to a podcaster who wants to help her. Due to her sons’ disappearance, Isabelle is experiencing sleep deprivation. While she is hiding secrets, so too are the people in her life. Do the police believe that she had nothing to do with his disappearance? Does her estranged husband? Does the podcaster who wants to help tell her story?
Isabelle grew up in a family that was distant from each other. Her father is in government and never home during the week, her mother is an artist, working up in her studio. Isabelle and her younger sister Margaret are often left on their own to make their own food and keep themselves busy. Isabelle is like a mother to Margaret, until she wakes up one day to find her missing.
This story is told from Isabelle’s point of view and uses two-time lines, then and now. It was easy to follow them along and gave the reader more information from the past. The author uses such beautiful descriptive language “The way the oak trees have formed a giant archway over the Bluff, their limbs getting mangled together in time like the lacing together of arthritic fingers”. While the story is a mystery thriller, she made the story so enjoyable to read.
This book took me on a roller coaster of emotions as I was reading it. My feelings towards Isabelle were constantly changing. Is she innocent or guilty? What lies do we believe?
All the Dangerous Things is an incredible thriller. Just when you think what will happen next, everything shifts again. She is a smart writer, keeping you guessing all the way to the end! I can’t wait to read the next Stacy Willingham novel.
Trigger warnings for postpartum depression, infant kidnapping and missing children.
Many thanks to both NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an ARC of All the Dangerous Things in exchange for my honest thoughts.

All the Dangerous Things was my first book by Stacy Willingham…. I know! How did I skip A Flicker in the Dark?! It’s on my TBR and I’m going to read it soon!

Anyway, back to All the Dangerous Things! Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I took a few days after finishing this book to actually sit down and write the review and when I went to do it - I could not remember what this book was about. I had to read the entire synopsis again before it clicked. After I refreshed my memory, I knew I enjoyed the story while I was in it and read it in just a couple of sittings but obviously it didn't leave a lasting impression. I didn't quite connect with the characters the way I would have liked.

Overall I'd give it 3 stars because lack of staying power but engaging while immersed! I'm truly looking forward to finally getting A Flicker in the Dark off the TBR and into my hands to see what else Stacy has in store for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC and audiobook.


Description from NetGalley:
One year ago, Isabelle Drake's life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads for the police to chase, the case quickly went cold. However, Isabelle cannot rest until Mason is returned to her—literally.


Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year.


Isabelle's entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever. In hopes of jarring loose a new witness or buried clue, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster—but his interest in Isabelle's past makes her nervous. His incessant questioning paired with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of Mason’s disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust... including herself. But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads.

I enjoyed Stacy Willingham’s first book, A Flicker in the Dark. So, I was excited to read All the Dangerous Things. The story focuses around a missing toddler, which made part of this hard for me to listen/read as I have a toddler. However, Stacy did not disappoint. The narrator did a great job with the book. This book has a dual timeline, but I was definitely more interested in the modern timeline. I felt for Isabelle as she works with people and continues to look for her son a year after his disappearance.


Overall: 4/5

One phrase to sum up the entirety of this book: The ultimate gas lighting. A different kind of domestic thriller for lovers of the genre. It keeps the reader guessing if they're being over critical, reading too much into the situation. And the ending does not disappoint.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

AMAZING read! 5 stars
This book will please any thriller fans that enjoy twists. This author is now on my list to read, without looking at the summary!

OK, I 100% thought I knew where this book was taking me. I was getting so mad because I thought I had figured it out, BUT I WAS WRONG. AND thank god cause I was ready to rate this lower HAHA

I thought the pace of the book was great, but I do think I liked A Flicker in the Dark a little better. I'm kinda over the whole unstable woman main character vibe.

I really like this author's writing style. I was hooked right from the beginning and was fully engaged in the characters and the mystery. I did see a few of the plot twists/motivations of a few characters coming, but the suspense and intrigue was still there. A really enjoyable read.

This was SO GOOD. I was truly guessing until the very end - there were so many random surprises that completely knocked out everything I thought I had figured out. This was very well executed, awesome second novel, and I can't wait for more!

I loved A Flicker in The Dark, so I was excited to read this one and Willingham has done it again. She has given the reader an unputdownable page turner that has fresh ideas and perfectly flawed, realistic characters.

This is a dual timeline story told from POV. When her baby, Mason goes missing from the home she shares with her husband Ben, she starts to wonder guiltily if it has anything to do with her sleep disorder or if she is somehow responsible.

We learn about her past, grief, postpartum depression, as themes of motherhood permeate the story.

Pick this up if you’re in a reading slump. It’s bound to get you out of it.

I don’t do specific spoiler alerts but this one has some heavy topics. Read the synopsis to make sure it’s for you. It was definitely for me.

What a twisty, dark, slow burn! I absolutely enjoyed reading this from start to finish. I highly recommend this if you want a domestic psychological thriller. One of my favorite themes in a thriller is the unreliable narrator being a mom. I think it makes for such a rollercoaster when reading.

I listened to the audio and really enjoyed the multiple POVs and timelines. I loved being tossed back and forth in theories and though I had an inkling about the ending I feel most people will be surprised.

The narrator did a fabulous job as well. Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and Libro.fm. For my advanced copy & audio!

CW: Kidnapping, child loss, mental health

Stacy Willingham is one of the few authors who can completely leave me speechless. If you know me in real life, that is a rare occurrence. Thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review. This was absolutely fabulous.

**spoiler alert** I feel like the meme of Travolta standing alone in the room walking around. Is it me?

I absolutely hated this book. Isabelle Drake suffers from insomnia after her young son went missing from her home. Her husband leaves, and detectives are no help they even suspect her. She does true crime conferences to keep money coming in and meets a true crime podcaster that would love to speak to her about the unsolved disappearance. We get flashbacks of her childhood.

When was younger, she suffered from sleepwalking and wouldn't have any memory of what she did btw something bad happened to her younger sister during one of these blackouts.


Need I say more?
This was all so cliche, and predictable, and the writing was terrible. More passages are wasted detailing irrelevant things and not enough actual mystery and suspense. The chapters introducing us to her husband were very cringe. I also hate the way the female character is portrayed, this was also my main issue with her first book. They are always gaslighted, alcoholics or drug addicts, and never make smart decisions every horrible female trope you can think of. Halfway through I stopped caring for Mason completely.

This will be my last book from this author.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me an advance copy for my honest review, I wish I had a more positive experience

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This was a solid, twisty thriller with a narrator that grew to distrust herself, which is a fun angle to take on the crime genre. The back and forth in timeline felt a bit sluggish at times, but I understand the motivation for it in the storytelling. A solid thriller.

This read like two stories in one. First is the mystery of the main character's childhood and what happened to her sister. Then the book switches gears to the disappearance of the young boy. I found the way these storylines were revealed odd and not very cohesive. The author's lack of attention to details and her lack of knowledge was evident in several areas, such as the young child and sleepwalking. I realize this is the author's second book and would be interested in reading future ones. even though I found this one just okay.

I absolutely loved this book. It was very dark and the unreliable narrator was super unreliable which I love. I definitely want to read more from this author.

Stacy Willingham does it again! Something I am most impressed by is her ability to encapsulate motherhood — the good, the bad, and the ugly — without being a mother herself. It’s clear that she did thorough research and spoke with many mothers to ensure she does the motherhood conversation justice. As a mother, I really appreciate that.

As in A FLICKER IN THE DARK, Willingham engages the reader with a case of unlikable and untrustworthy characters, including the MC, descriptive detail and settings, and twisty turns you won’t see coming. I wish there would have been on twist, even minor, in the first half to keep the plot moving a little more, but the second half and ending especially really delivers on all the things you expect from a pulsating thriller. Can’t wait to read more from this author!