Stacy Willingham hit it out of the park with her sophomore novel, All the Dangerous Things! I really enjoyed her first novel, but I loved this one.. Isabelle has not slept since her son, Mason, was taken from his crib over a year ago. She is obsessed with finding who took her son, as any mother would be. But some things aren't adding up - did Isabelle actually do something to her son ? Her husband has left her, the local cops are sick and tired of her, but Isabelle is steadfast and will not give up. This keeps you going until the very end, on the edge of your seat! A solid 4.5 stars.

As much as it hurts me to say, this one was not for me. The writing was great, but it is a nightmare for those around kids in their real life. So much anxiety to read it! I will definitely read what she writes next, but hopefully it won’t be like this one.

Thank you to Minotaur Books, Stacy Willingham, and NetGalley for my digital advance review copy.

A year ago, Ben and Izzy’s lives are turned upside down when their young son, Mason, disappears from his crib in the middle of the night. They each cope (or don’t) in their own ways. For Izzy, this means keeping Mason’s case alive by speaking to true crime junkies and podcasters. After one such interview that dredges up painful memories, Izzy begins to doubt her own mind. This is compounded by the raging insomnia she has experienced since her son’s disappearance. Now, she’s not sure if she can even trust herself.

I literally have nothing bad to say about this book and couldn’t think of something if I tried. The writing, pacing, twists, and dimensional characters were all there. This hit every mark and stuck the dismount. I loved Willingham’s A FLICKER IN THE DARK, but I think I loved this one a teensy bit more for all of the interesting female characters sprinkled throughout the story.

STACY, YOU BEAUTIFUL HUMAN, I WILL OFFICIALLY READ ANYTHING YOU WRITE. You better believe I’ve already purchased a finished copy of this, I loved it so much.

Mark your calendars because ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS is available from Minotaur Books on January 10th 2023.

When your kid goes missing the obvious response is to do whatever it takes to find out what happened ---right?!

The protagonist of this book is an unreliable narrator with a sleep disorder that leads to her making some questionable decisions. The reader is left questioning her every move and doubting every character. I read a lot of thrillers, so I guessed part of the ending, but there still was a twist that took me by surprise.

This author is only getting stronger and I can't wait to read whatever she writes next!

I requested All the Dangerous Things from Netgalley after loving Stacy Willingham’s first novel, A Flicker in the Dark. I’m not usually one that loves slow burn novels, so I surprised myself with a four star rating on this one. The mystery begins with a missing baby and depicts a sleep deprived mother’s struggle with finding her son. The story alternates between the mother’s childhood and her current search. I think the alternate timelines slowed the story down a bit. That said, I was fascinated by the protagonist, Isabelle, and the way she processed her past and current life. She was deeply flawed which led me to question most of her actions. I love an unreliable narrator. Halfway into the novel, the story‘s pacing sped up, and the twists were ones I did not anticipate. I loved how the ending came together and especially loved the afterward from Willingham. Her explanation for the why behind this book has me hoping she will write more in the same vain. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I had such high hopes going into this one because A Flicker In The Dark was a 5 star read for me and sucked me in from the beginning, but I kept waiting to enjoy this one.

I enjoyed the plot overall and thought the ending was done very well, but everything leading up to it felt slow and repetitive. I'm not a fan of the "unreliable narrator" trope especially when a woman is written as crazy and unreliable so I think that skewed my impression.

I thought the twists were great in the story and couldn't see them coming. I also liked how there were two similar storylines so it felt like two mysteries to follow!

GREAT READ! Imagine your baby being abducted while you're asleep in the next room. Isabelle Drake hasn't slept for the entire year that her son has been missing. Her marriage failed, and she's struggling to get through each day. Isabelle went to TrueCrimeCon to share her story in hopes of stirring up leads and on the flight home she meets Waylon, a podcaster. Isabelle invites Waylon to her home to tell her story to reach an even broader audience, and that is just the beginning of the story. 5 beautiful stars for this fast-paced read with an unexpected ending.

Thank you #NetGalley for offering this ARC. I appreciate the chance to give my thoughts.

Although a bit slow and murky for much of the beginning and at times throughout, in the end this was a surprisingly well-resolved book.

Isabelle, struggling with trauma, yet determined to solve the disappearance of her baby, finds many obstacles including self-doubt. Her husband, moved on after six months is of no help. Then Waylon enters her life and she thinks she has found a partner. But has she?

This book requires stick to it devotion in order follow Isabelle’s progress and find out what happens. You can’t give it one eyed attention. So be prepared. Again, it felt slow getting off the mark and at times bogged down in her family history, but in the end a good, if not great, read.

💧ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS by Stacy Willingham💧

📆Pub date: Jan. 10th, 2023
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read if you like:
2️⃣Dual timeline
🌪️Big twist
🎙️True crime podcast element

I’ve seen some rave reviews for this book lately, and I’m here to add one more! This was such a good atmospheric thriller that felt unique. I didn’t know where the story was going to go and had an unsettling feeling while reading it, all signs of a good thriller for me. I love when there is a true crime podcast element, and while we don’t get snippets of the podcast in this book, we closely follow the host and how things come to light about how he is connected to the case.

There wasn’t one huge twist, mostly a combination of a few really good ones. It is slightly far fetched, but aren’t most thrillers? I highly recommend you pick this up in January! Thank you @minotaur_books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review🥰

I loved this book so much and read way too long into the night. But it was worth it! Wow!

Edge of your seat, can't turn the pages fast enough kinda ride!

This book explored motherhood and not the light, fun side it instead explored the darker, let's not talk about that side of motherhood which I found extremely refreshing.

It also explored the stories we create about ourselves and others based on our perceptions, right or wrong, truth or not.

What I loved: the writing, the imperfect characters, the twists (and yes more than one twist at the end), the end.

What I didn't love: nothing

A big big thank you to Minotaur Books and Stacy Willingham for this advanced reading copy.

Isabelle wakes up one morning to find that her son is missing from his crib. After a whole year, he is still not found and the police have no leads. She takes matters into her own hands, studying her neighbors and scrolling true crime forums. Because of this, she can’t sleep. She hasn’t slept for a whole year, which caused extra strain to her marriage leading them to separate. She meets a true crime podcaster who wants to get her story out, but as time goes on working with him, she realizes he isn’t who he seems to be.
💭Thoughts💭
The first 30% of this book had me frustrated and kind of bored. It was only as it went on that I got more into it and the story did lead to some good twists and turns. It was not as thrilling or suspenseful as I had anticipated either, but the plot did have some depth once you got to the end.
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⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
I didn’t really have a favorite moment, so I’ll just say that I loved envisioning her murder board at her house. She really did go so in depth and try everything she could to get her son back.
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🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Waylon, the podcaster, makes Isabelle his chicken Marsala with red wine. You could also listen to some true crime podcasts, though they won’t be as good as Waylon’s !

“Nothing about grief makes sense.”

Phew! I’m so glad I read this book so quickly because as soon as I started to read I was holding my breath and can finally exhale. The way this book captures the true ‘grit’ of feeling like a zombie mother with never ending guilt was phenomenal.

Izzy’s son was taken from his crib in the middle of the night and she will never stop trying to find out what happened to him and why. Wouldn’t any mother do the same thing? Although she is filled with her own childhood trauma, and entranced by her insomnia, she is determined to think back about every possible clue. Although her husband has encouraged her to move on, there is truly no moving on from losing a child.

The details about the characters, bouncing between past and present and the twists- I truly devoured this book!

Great thriller read! All the Dangerous Things had me awake way past my bedtime, unable to stop reading! The mystery of what actually happened to baby Mason, had me on the edge of my seat and the ending did not disappoint! Great read!

I really enjoyed this! It was a slower burn, but the payoff is worth it. I liked the casual podcast element and the quips on true crime culture. I did enjoy Willingham's debut, but much preferred this one!

This was such a good book! I was in a reading slump for a while but this brought me back! This kept me on my toes pretty much until the end when the antagonist was revealed and I kept going back and forth between 2 others thinking it could be them and then I was so surprised when I learned who it was. It was so heartbreakingly and beautifully written, I would highly recommend checking it out when it comes out!

Stacy Willingham is a force In the literary suspense world and I’m excited to continue to read her books. This was an excellent sophomore novel. She takes certain overdone tropes (alcoholic - unreliable in Flicker) and insomniac in Dangerous and adds a certain complexity and humanity to the storyline that pulls you in. You search for answers along with the protagonist, all while questioning everyone. I devoured this in about 24 hours. Happy with the conclusion and how things were wrapped up as well.

It’s been a year since Isabelle Drake has slept.
One year ago Isabelle Drake put her two year old son Mason to bed and woke up to find him missing. With no evidence or leads the case has went cold. Waylon A true crime podcaster has approached Isabelle to tell her story and reluctantly she agrees. Isabelle soon begins having flashbacks to her childhood and begins questioning events from the past. Soon Isabelle feels as if she can’t trust anyone, not even herself.

As a mother this story is my worst nightmare. I try to stay away from stories about child abduction but since I enjoyed the authors debut novel, A Flicker In The Dark, I decided to give this one a shot.

Initially it took me a bit to get into this one. It does have a slower start however the author’s descriptive imagery and use of unique analogies drew me in. Isabelle’s relentless search for her missing son, all the while suffering from crippling insomnia absolutely broke my heart. I so desperately wanted Isabelle to find the happy ending she deserved and without giving anything away I will say that the ending was perfect. I love a cleverly written twist that surprises me and when the twist hit, I was completely blindsided.

I'm so glad that I picked this providing story up! As much as I enjoyed A Flicker In The Dark, I have to say that All of the Dangerous Things is my favorite of the two. I absolutely cannot wait to see what Stacy Willingham’s brilliant mind writes next.

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham will be available on January 10. A massive thanks to Minotaur and NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

Wow, All the Dangerous Things, the sophomore offering by Stacy Willingham, is as good as her debut, A Flicker in the Dark.! This new chilling domestic thriller with a missing baby at its core, will have you on the edge of your seat wondering if this book will stay true to its dark beginnings.
Isabelle is wracked with sleep disturbances for most of her life from sleep walking as a child to severe insomnia after the disappearance of her baby boy. This sets the stage for a double storyline of then and now. As Isabelle continues to try to find clues to her missing son, she is beginning to notice her mind flirting with the idea that she knows more than she first thought. Her marriage implodes, the police are no closer to answers, and cryptic messages are sent and disappear electronically all causing Isabelle to realize she might be the guilty one.
From dubious choices that sets her adult life into motion, to taking control of her fate, Isabelle is determined to find out what happened to her son.

Thank you to Minotaur Books, the author and Netgalley to an early copy. All opinions are mine.

This gripping thriller drew me in from the first chapter.

Stacy Wiilingham tells the story of every parent’s worst nightmare. A year ago, Isabelle Drake’s son disappeared from their home while she and her husband slept. Now Isabelle hasn’t been able to sleep since. She and her husband are handling grief differently. While he’s ready to move on, she’s determined to keep the case relevant. Isabelle spends her time booking speaking engagements and talking about her experience while hoping for a new clue in the case. When a true-crime podcaster offers to interview her for his show, Isabelle’s past and memories are revealed, adding even more questions about the event.

All the Dangerous Things is written with many twists to keep the reader guessing. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, there’s another turn. This is my first title from Stacy Willingham and I will be adding her to my favorite thriller authors.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title before its release.

Today is three hundred and sixty-four days since Isabelle’s last good night of sleep. Three hundred and sixty-four days since someone stole into her house at night and took her sleeping child, Mason. During the past year, Isabelle has spent night and day looking for clues to her son’s whereabouts. Today she walks onto yet another stage and tells the story of her son’s abduction. The people in the audience are hungry, they feed on her anguish like parasites but Isabelle keeps attending these symposiums hoping someone can tell her something about her son’s disappearance.
On her plane ride home to Savannah, the stranger in the next seat strikes up a conversation, something she desperately doesn’t need or want. He attended the true crime convention and tells her she is a very good speaker. His name is Waylon Spencer and he has a true crime podcast. Would she be interested in coming on his show? Sorry but no, she tells him. Then she turns her face away hoping to discourage him from any more conversation.
This year has been particularly hard. She can’t concentrate to work a job, her husband left her when she couldn’t move on, the police haven’t found any clues and dismiss her every time she contacts them for an update. Isabelle is beyond frustration. So, she picks up Waylon’s business card and thinks why not? It will be so much easier to talk to one person instead of a sea of hungry eyes. This one step seems to open up doors and Isabelle forms new alliances in her search for the truth.

This is Stacy’s second book and I found it better than her first one. Her talent for misdirection is strong, her characters are deep. You can’t help but feel for Isabelle. If you like B. A. Paris, you will devour this book.