This book was so good! I had no idea what was happening when I went in. I just knew I liked the cover. It was mysterious and atmospheric and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! Really you think you know it’s happening, but you really don’t I recommend this to all thriller mystery lovers

started out strong with an interesting locked-cabin setting, but i felt like there just wasn’t enough going on in the story to keep the reader engaged

Solid horror novel! Kelley Armstrong hit this one out of the park!
Laney has a house on a remote unreachable island in Lake Superior. It's her holy place. But since she was divorced, she had to rent it out. She is notified of some strange occurrences on Hemlock Island, so she goes to investigate. Spooky, gory and a bit horrific. This novel had all the darkness that I needed for my spooky read season.
Everything came together at the end and it was a perfect Fall read. I can't wait to read Armstrong's next horror book! 4.5 stars.

I liked this story. I found it full of regrets and reflections on past behavior. It also analyzes how people often rely on information from others that is flawed or intentionally inaccurate or manipulative. It’s a lesson in making sure others know how you feel. It is also a well laid out horror-supernatural story with twists and turns. I liked it but was a bit disappointed with the ending. I felt like too much was given up and not enough was negotiated. I’m not sure if that was a spoiler so I will mark it as such. Anyway, as usual, I love Kelley Armstrong’s writing and will continue to read whatever she writes. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Kelley Armstrong is a superb write no matter what genre she writes. Hemlock Island was a fun, horrifying suspense that kept me interested throughout the entire read.

Me and my mother love Kelly Armstrong so when I got this copy early I was so excited to read it as fast as I could and I can’t wait for the next one

This is the horror story I've been craving this year. Kelley Armstrong, whom I admire, always manages to win a little more of my affection whenever she explores a new genre. I can easily picture this book as a fantastic movie, and I sincerely hope that becomes a reality someday. Laney Kilpatrick, who maintains her vacation home on a secluded island post-divorce, faces the reality of needing to rent it out to cover the expenses and taxes on her teacher's salary. When multiple tenants report occult-like pranks, Laney decides to visit the island to unravel the mystery. She brings her niece, for whom she's the guardian, and refuses to leave her behind. Upon arrival, her ex-husband and an old friend join the investigation. Their group is further complemented by another friend who had drifted away from Laney and her recently minted detective brother. As they delve deeper into the mysteries of the island, an overwhelming sense of dread and impending doom steadily intensifies. This is a spine-tingling read, perfectly suited for a fall season escape.

This was an odd read, I'm still not quite sure what to make of it.

To start, it's an interesting mystery. Laney owns an island almost entirely cut off from civilization. No internet, cell service and only accessible by boat and/or plane, it feels as isolated as it sounds. People Airbnb it in order to get away from the world and it's the only way that Laney can afford it.

There is a whole cast of characters in play but we do meet them relatively slowly. Their tangled web of ways they are connected is also slowly revealed and it had some shocking twists. But the most surprising revelation was what was actually going on with the island. Laney's guests are finding cult-like paraphernalia on the island and finally, one guest abandons their stay in the middle of the night because of blood found in the actual house. Laney and all of her friends gather to investigate and they are trapped on the island by a huge storm coming in.

The mystery was interesting and the twists kept me on my toes but something held me back from really loving it. I think maybe Laney was just a little too squeaky-clean nice and I think I would have loved a little less forgiveness and a little more anger from her. It was a good read, I just never found myself loving it.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Woah! As a very long time reader of horror and other creepy things, it takes a lot to give me gooseflesh, but Hemlock Island did it, several times! It may not seem like much, but there are very few things that have that effect on me, so this is a high honor! I will definitely be watching (in the least creepy sense) this author for more! Well done!

I should probably start this off by saying that I am a huge fan of Ms. Armstrong. I have always enjoyed her books and am currently reading a couple of different series that she is still in the middle of writing. So, I was thrilled to see the ARC. I actually started it before reading the summary and was a little surprised to see that it was in the Horror genre, but I was looking forward to jumping in.

With all that being said, I'm not sure why, but it didn't work for me. I know that part of the expected experience with horror movies is watching the people walk into the barn with the chainsaws instead of running towards the running car. And yes, I guess maybe that's expected. Is it really though?

Well, it bothered the heck out of me seeing the main characters continually making stupid decisions and STILL deciding to run off into the woods instead of the safer house, even after realizing that something was wrong. It would have been one thing if it happened once, maybe a couple of times, but this happened for most of the book....ugh.

Then there was the HEAVY use of both foreshadowing and then in the same breath, of the dropping of the hints of the "event" that happened in the past. This was without bothering to reveal what the "event" was until the later part of the book. This didn't end up working because after that reveal, I had a hard time believing the relationships and the dynamics between this group of people. It felt off. I think that was the main problem. We are thrown right into the group setting of this group of 6 people on an island without understanding who was who - in terms of the characters. Ms. Armstrong then tried to build suspense by giving clues that all was not well within the group. But it wasn't done in a way that made sense. So when things start going wrong, I had a hard time because I wasn't really invested.

I don't know. As usual, everything would have been so much easier if the characters had just talked to each other. We spend the entire book trying to figure out why the female MC Laney and her ex-husband Kit's marriage fell apart and when the answer is finally revealed I thought, "are you kidding me?" Seriously, it made absolutely NO sense.

The actual scary plot, well it was a bit out there. That would have been okay because it is a horror book but it felt like the book wasn't sure what it wanted to be. Yes, there is the suspense because the characters are seemingly trapped on a deserted island without a way off, so there is that. But then.....well, without going into spoilers, let me just say that there were too many things going on for it to be cohesive. When the 15 or 16 year old girl is the most mature, something is not right.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

I always love a good creepy book, but Hemlock Island definitely surpassed creepy into "I can't read this book in the dark or while home alone" kind of scary. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed being scared reading this one and I thought the plot was well done, but this is not one for the faint of heart. It's also quite gory.

The story kept me guessing until the end about what was causing the murders and all the creepy happenings, and I have to say, I wish it was explained a teeny bit more. Perhaps a bit more background, but I just needed a little more clarification. Either way, it was a good twist and I liked the ending of the book. It wrapped up the book well.

A good read for spooky season, or when you're looking for a book that will send chills down your spine.
Thank you, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

Omg what did I just read?! Hemlock Island was not at all what I was expecting but in a totally good way. I will say that this book is Horror, straight up horror and it is creepy and scary and even gory. Just a warning in case you struggle with those things. I definitely do but I was so invested in this book I couldn’t put it down and had to keep going to see what happened. This island, was like a living, breathing character. It came to life in this book. The things going on throughout the story, the lives and decisions of the characters involved were nothing short of terrifying. This was a perfect spooky season read and I am honestly still a little spooked when I think about this one. But it was really good, really terrifying and unputdownable

This was spooky, atmospheric and everything I was looking for. I also listened to the audiobook which I also enjoyed.

First, never buy an island named after a poisonous plant. Secondly, never travel to poisonous island without backup connection to the outside world and weapons.
It was a weird book and events occurred so fast it was hard to keep track.
The ending was jumbled and stretched reality.

This was a perfect Halloween read, filled with creepy, unexplainable events that keep you guessing until the very end. The character development was fantastic. I grew to love Laney and those closest to her as we learned the secrets from their past and hoped for their future.

Book that is difficult to sum up. Just when you think it's a murder mystery it takes a weird turn into the supernatural. The bisexual plot device seems a bit contrived and doesn't further the story.

I picked this one up without reading the blurb and unfortunately it didn't quite work for me. I had difficulty connecting to the supernatural element and felt the characters weren't developed fully. As other reviewers have mentioned, there is a very obvious message the author is portraying within the story. While this wasn't my cup of tea, this would be good for fans of horror who are looking for a quick read with some gore.

Hemlock Island is Kelley Armstrong’s first horror novel. I have seen some not great reviews but I liked it. It’s quite a page turner filled with a mystery I did not figure out ahead of time and some very creepy moments with fully realized characters. Does the main character do some stuff that’s dumb? Of course, but that’s true for lots of horror novels.

**Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.**

▪️ I must start by saying that this story mentioned one of my favorite horror short stories – The Monkey’s Paw written in 1902 by W. W. Jacobs. It is only mentioned briefly, and with no explanation, but if you know the short story you would have understood the reference. I encourage you to go read the story if you have time. You can easily find it online.

▪️ I really enjoyed this book! It was a little gorier than I anticipated, but it wasn’t gratuitous. The scares were good, the plot was great, the relationships were a mess (which makes it more interesting), and the reveals were unanticipated. I was buckled in and enjoying the ride!

▪️ It’s a very visual read! I felt more like I was watching a movie than reading a book. There is a lot of action and intrigue, and the plot moves at a quick pace.

▪️ This is a perfect October/Autumn read! I highly recommend it, particularly if you love horror, and I hope the author continues her venture into this genre.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a copy of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

An enjoyable story until I got to the zombie parts, which was an error on my part for not looking into the sub-genres. I liked the premise of the story, especially the reflective ending, and the island on Lake Superior had a personality all its own!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this unique story.