I have to be honest, I had a hard time with this one. I was intrigued by the story but not enough that I was desperate to read it and couldn't put it down. The premise was definitely interesting and I liked it, but it wasn't my favorite thriller.

I did enjoy trying to solve the mystery along with the characters, and was surprised with how it all wrapped up, but overall it just fell a bit flat for me.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and St.Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

One of my favorite things about books is being surprised by them. I went into this book not remembering anything about the setup so everything that happened was unexpected to me. I like the "trapped on an island" trope and the horror twist just made it even better. Laney is a main character to root for, and even though there are definitely a few moments where one may wish for different choices by the characters, I could not put this book down. It's perfect for spooky season reading!

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

Kelley Armstrong has done it again! A locked room (island?) mystery meets horror story?! Yes!!! This book starts on the slower side with some character development and scene building, but it picks up the pace and you won’t be able to put it down!

So.... thank you this book for proving why it’s always a bad idea to be anywhere secluded or even visit a lone house on an island and most certainly absolutely never go ANYWHERE without phone service and Wi-Fi... no thank you... sounds like a good way for something weird or murderous to happen....

Laney is trying to manage her life post divorce with her recently deceased sister’s teenage daughter. Frantic phone calls in the middle of the night wake Laney and Madison one night. In order to maintain the vacation house she got in the divorce Laney has been renting out the house located on a small secluded island. Strange things have been happening that seem like some bad pranks so they go out to check on things after the last renters call. What Laney doesn’t expect is to find her ex-husband and his sister her ex-best friends showing up too. They have learned of the goings on and came to help investigate. What none of them expect is two additional uninvited people to show up to the island. Another old ex-friend who brought her brother in tow to “help” in his capacity as a cop. What they really don’t expect is for things to take a far more sinister turn. Because maybe someone was trying to scare Laney into selling... which is logical make perfect sense. People do crazy things when they want something all the time. There’s also possibly some past secrets that might be at the root of this because people do hold grudges... But a severed hand, one of them going missing and other strange dangerous things prove that nothing about this just a prank or someone trying to scare them. And then there are the bodies....

Laney was rather annoying mostly because I can’t stand people who pile unnecessary guilt onto themselves... her parents should have gotten her sone therapy so that maybe she might have gotten out of that habit. Because really she could have told Sadie and Garret to leave, she didn’t want them there with good reason and honestly I can’t even fathom why she would ever want contact with Sadie in the first place. But again therapy. Kit and Jayla aren’t innocent either because they could have had conversations with Laney about certain things and they didn’t. I guess I’m not as nice as I thought I was because I would not have been nice to Sadie and especially not Garret. Laney frustrated and annoyed me but I did like her though who knew you could be toxically understanding because her always being so understanding of everyone was definitely a problem. A simple conversation could have made things between Laney and Kit so much easier. The only person in the whole book who did anything sensible consistently was Madison the teenager.

So character rant aside what happens on the island? Some crazy stuff. I did like the story even though technically what it all came down to was a supernatural misunderstanding of sorts. Crazy and weird but I like crazy and weird so it works for me. I just think the people had annoying problems and they annoyed me. But the way it ended? Ehh... I mean I wasn’t that surprised about who ended up wanting sone revenge on Laney and it was actually interesting. It’s just that it really didn’t need to end like it did. The end kind of ruined it for me.

Anyway Madison was awesome the adults in her life not as much. Oh but also secluded/private island = bad.

This story was like a locked door mystery meets the exorcist and I am here for it. The story starts off a little slow as we learn some of the backstory of the characters and the island. However, once the story kicks off, it is a non-stop ride of twists and turns. I felt like I was there with them on the island and I needed to keep reading to find out what happens next. Another great standalone novel from Kelley Armstrong.

Let me say right away that I’m not generally a reader of the horror genre. In fact, this may be the first one I’ve read, but I wanted to try it because I love the other books by Kelley Armstrong that I’ve read, and I wanted to step out of my comfort zone a bit.

There are plenty of appropriately creepy things that happen in this book. (If you’re “into” horror stories, you can guess some of them without me getting into specifics, to avoid spoilers.) Laney owns a gorgeous custom house on a private island about 5 miles off shore in Lake Superior - part of a divorce settlement. Since she’s a teacher and a not-yet-successful writer, she can’t really afford to keep up the place, so she rents it out for extra income. The action starts when she finds out that there have been complaints by renters about weird/scary stuff they’ve experienced. Her ex-husband, Kit, comes along to help check out what’s been happening, as well as his sister Jayla, who used to be Laney’s BFF. Also along is Madison, Laney’s teenage niece who lives with Laney since her mom (Laney’s sister) died. Plus two others who Laney has fallen out with, Sadie and Garrett. So it’s an odd assortment of people who go to the island to investigate. You eventually get everyone’s backstory and why they are no longer friends, etc.

The island descriptions are very atmospheric. Armstrong does a great job of building up the tension. If you’re looking to dip your toes into the horror genre, this would be a good place to start.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Hemlock Island easily sucked me into it private island and had me completely engrossed in the story. This is my first book by Kelley Armstrong. and it defiantly won't be my last, her writing if fantastic. The Island has it secrets and they are slow leaking out and be coming out and the feeling of desperation and cluelessness was so good. I really liked all the characters and their shared history, and that we get the little clues we get to what went wrong with him. So many secrets , I loved it! It was super fast moving pace that I flew through. The things that happen on the island were terrifying, a little gore, the sneaking feeling something bad was about to happen, and the stuck feeling!
4,5 stars
Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for my gifted copy

2.5 Stars

I had to think about what I just read for a few days. I was worried that my review would be too snarky if I didn't stop and think about it!


Okay, I didn't like this book, but I do believe that many, many others are going to love it. I do recommend it to those who love what I'm about to describe.


If you love those horror movies where everyone does exactly what they shouldn't, then you are going to love this book. These are adults acting like teenagers and not in a good way. Okay, I understand that the author (whom I love when she is writing her Rockton Novels) is writing to many different ages, but it sure didn't seem like that to me. All I wanted to do was yell at the characters and even the situation (the author should have done better research!) Stranded on a "deserted" island with no cell service. A locked door mystery. Little by little, all means of escape are lost---none of the stranded can figure out what the people outside really are. (something very popular in horror fiction) then add in a mystic quality, mysteries, and lies between friends. Then, the unusual conclusion.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher St. Martin's Press, the author, and NetGalley.

As a life-long lover of horror, I was intrigued by Hemlock Island. A beautiful and haunting cover. An isolated setting. with a locked-room feel. A group of friends and family with secrets to hide. All the things that make for a spine-tingling tale. But, for me, the story fell short. I did not feel any emotion for the characters, and I never felt like I got to really know them. The cast was diverse, but I felt like they were diverse just to check diversity boxes: a gay character, a bisexual character, a gender non-conforming teen, a Black brother and sister, a Middle Eastern couple, an interracial relationship, etc. What drew these people to a remote area in and off Lake Superior? Why do they talk to must without really talking about anything?

The reveal felt equally as odd to me. There just wasn't enough background around the trope to make it feel real. Most of the horror was just the main character running around her property with her favorite flashlight and tripping over roots. I didn't feel any particular terror.

2.5 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

BOOK REVIEW: Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong
2023 Publication Date: September 12

⭐️⭐️⭐️

T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books Of 2023

Pages: 304
Genre: Thriller
Sub-Genre: Ghost Thriller
Time Period: Contemporary
Location: Lake Superior (US)
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

PUBLISHER BOOK SYNOPSIS:

Laney Kilpatrick has been renting her vacation home to strangers. The invasion of privacy gives her panic attacks, but it’s the only way she can keep her beloved Hemlock Island, the only thing she owns after a pandemic-fueled divorce. But broken belongings and campfires that nearly burn down the house have escalated to bloody bones, hex circles, and now, terrified renters who've fled after finding blood and nail marks all over the guest room closet, as though someone tried to claw their way out...and failed.

When Laney shows up to investigate with her teenaged niece in tow, she discovers that her ex, Kit, has also been informed and is there with Jayla, his sister and her former best friend. Then Sadie, another old high school friend, charters over with her brother, who’s now a cop.

There are tensions and secrets, whispers in the woods, and before long, the discovery of a hand poking up from the earth. Then the body that goes with it...

But by that time, someone has taken off with their one and only means off the island, and they’re trapped with someone ― or something ― that doesn’t want them leaving the island alive.

BOOK QUOTE:
"Whatever this spirit is, it goes beyond good or evil. It is above good and evil. It is nature... And its' justice is blind..." — Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong

--------------------

All my book reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at thisismyeverybody.com/blog/what-book-should-i-read

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Laney divorced and received a vacation home from her ex-husband in the settlement. In order to afford the upkeep on her schoolteacher salary, she decides to rent the house out. It’s am odeal destination for those looking to unplug and get away – it’s the only house on the island and there is no cell service. When she receives a frantic call early in the morning one day from a renter that there are odd markings and appears to be blood in the closet.

When Laney shows up to investigate her sister and best friend are all coming to help, and one of them has a brother who is a cop, and he decides to tag along. When things start to go sideways, Laney wonders if she is going to make it off the island alive.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book and absolutely loved it so much. I am not a huge horror fan but is usually a genre that I have fun with when I read it. This one did have some graphic scenes, but they weren’t over the top and horrible, they were tastefully done within the bounds of the storyline. This one was very atmospheric and just flowed easily. I am a fan of locked room type thrillers, and I adored that this was a secluded island horror. The story was so captivating and perfect for my mood. I really needed a good read to break up the slump I was in and this one was perfect. The characters were all wonderfully developed, and I thought they worked great together. I was really rooting for them all to make it off the island.

If you are looking for a fun horror book, then grab a copy of this one September 12th!

Thank you to the publisher St Martin’s Press, @stmartinspress, and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An itchy, creepy read. And oh, there are plenty of twists!
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion

Hemlock Island is ab Agatha Christie murder-mansion trope on steroids, and every bit as entertaining. I'm not generally a fan of gore, but what's here is effective and not overdone. This thriller is paced with humor, interesting characters and and a very unique villain. Light entertainment that's perfect reading to get you into that screaming Hallowe'en mood. #netgalley

A compelling and readable thriller horror set at an isolated home on a Lake Superior island. A report from renters sends Laney and her niece to investigate. They are joined by friends or perhaps not so friends to discover what is really happening on Hemlock Island.

The tension escalates immediately, both with the island happenings, as well as the group of who have traveled to the island. The secrets unfold in a fantastic way that keeps you guessing with the characters. Hemlock Island had me clamoring to know who or what was causing the mysterious and hair-raising events.

Read if you like:
- thriller x horror
- people vs. nature
- is it people or is it supernatural?
- isolated settings
- body horror

CW: animal death, gore, body horror, suicide, death of parent, rape, cancer, confinement, emotional abuse, pandemic

Miles from the shores of Lake Superior sits Hemlock Island -- a remote, beautiful, wild place with only one home on it. It's a home that Laney Kilpatrick and her ex-husband built together during their marriage, and the only thing she wanted to keep when they got divorced. In order to afford it, she rents the home out to tourists. But lately, her renters have been reporting eerie happenings on the island. After a hysterical late-night call from a renter claiming to have found blood and claw marks in a closet, Laney decides to travel to the island with her teenaged niece to investigate. But her ex-husband, Kit, had the same idea -- and he's brought along his sister, Laney's former best friend Jayla. Then another brother-sister duo with whom Laney has a complicated history shows up. Soon the group finds themselves stranded on Hemlock Island, their only means of transportation to the mainland destroyed, but that's only the beginning of their problems. There are hex circles, severed hands, and grisly totems just waiting to be found...

Eerie and atmospheric, Hemlock Island is tension-filled folk horror with a few scenes that left me thoroughly spooked. At times I was lulled into a sense of reading a locked room mystery or a domestic drama, until Kelley Armstrong dropped me squarely into a scene of visceral horror, laced with disturbing imagery, to remind me just what kind of book this was. Those are the moments of the book that were most successful for me -- the creepy and chilling ones that highlighted how much danger the characters were in, how isolated and far from help they were.

But the characters themselves -- that's where Hemlock Island started to fall apart for me a little bit. They're all linked together by secrets, which makes their dynamic a bit clunky because Armstrong doesn't reveal those secrets right away (and when the big secret is revealed, it's more than a little problematic). There's not much chemistry among them, and they act like acquaintances rather than people who've known each other their whole lives. All of them could've been a bit more fully-developed. In addition to the abundance of relationship drama, there's also a lot of expository dialogue and actions based on assumptions. And while I enjoyed the ending in theory, I thought it could've been executed better.

Despite its flaws, though, there's enough spooky stuff here to make Hemlock Island a solid choice for some rainy-day October reading. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the early reading opportunity.

This one is really good. I loved how atmospheric it was. It was so creepy, suspenseful, and scary. A rental property on Lake Superior, all the peace you could possibly want. Thsy is until all the creepy things start happening. A renter complains of scary sh*t that is happening and finds claw marks and blood in the closet. Then the owner, Laney, decides to go there with her niece to find out what is going on. Then her ex and her ex's sister also show up. The secrets among these people made for a fun story on top of the mystery of this island. The ending brought it down a bit for me. It was twisty but maybe just a bit unbelievable and off the rails. Lol. Stil, I really enjoyed this. It was an easy read and I thought it was pretty tense and entertaining.

Out NOW.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A great book to get you in the mood for spooky season! I went into this one pretty blind and I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the storyline with the paranormal/horror elements. I liked the characters and that they made rational choices versus every horror movie mistake. This story is dark and creepy with Blair Witch vibes for sure. Overall this was a 4 star read for me and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a horror story.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the spook factor of this book - it is the perfect read to kickstart my creepy Fall reading! Part lock-room mystery, part horror (yes, there is some mild gore in this one), part thriller/suspense - this book had it all. I really liked the characters and thought they had a depth that a lot of stories in this genre can sometimes lack. I loved the setting as well, and the author did a great job bringing it to life. Some parts of the story did feel unbelievable or forced, such as Laney finding the time to tell her niece a life-changing story about their family while something/someone was terrorizing the group. Overall, this was a fun read!

I am a big Kelly Armstrong fan and love the Rip Through Time series. So when I saw she wrote a horror novel I jumped at the chance to read it. I’m typical Kelly fashion I was hooked. I read this one in a night and I think I’m traumatized. No joke we have a vacation in a remote location soon and I might cancel because of this book. There is a super natural flare to this which I could see being a pro or con depending on the reader’s preferences. Great debut horror novel from a fantastic author.

Happy pub day to HEMLOCK ISLAND by Kelly Armstrong. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher @macmillan.audio for the audio-ARC.

Unfortunately...this one did not work for me. I felt like the story had an erratic pace, the characters were somewhat one-dimensional, and my least favorite, the narrator generally was telling you what happened or what you think instead of letting the story lead you in that direction.

I liked the idea of the story and started out with lots of notes about the characters but it went downhill from there - so this one was not for me. I DNFed at about 80% which was way longer than I should have!

I have heard this author tries out lots of different genres and styles so maybe this one just didn't work for her? Or at least me..

I should DNF books a lot faster but I have some serious FOMO for unfinished stories. Someone send help! 😵‍💫

How quick are you to DNF a book?

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