creepy and very atmospheric! just my thing! only thing is I felt it was just a bit too much of a slow burn for me but that is just my person taste. this was a great read. love how twisty it was.

3.5/5 (rounded up)

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the advanced listening copy!

Charlie and her niece, Katie, are having a relaxing holiday in an English seaside town, where Charlie used to holiday when she was a young girl. What is supposed to be a relaxing research trip to Charlie's new book quickly turns into something much darker when Charlie finds out a young girl has recently gone missing. Soon, she's dredging up a long and unsolved history of young girls going missing from this tiny town and, with that, dredging up secrets of her own past, too. Suddenly, Charlie finds herself in the middle of something much bigger than she had anticipated, forced to reconcile with her own dark past and an even darker present.

This one started off a bit iffy but definitely grew on me! The first 1/3 was semi-hard to follow and I found myself a bit confused by all the switching back and forth between perspectives and timelines. However, once I figured this out, things really picked up speed and I was hooked! This was a super creepy, atmospheric thriller with a hint of horror that I wasn't expecting. Horror isn't really my thing and there were a few frustrating aspects about the book that are keeping me from a higher rating -- though I can't specify without spoilers. All in all, I think some people would really like this one. To me, it was good, but not great.

Oof.....this one is a bit of a mess. I listened to the audio on this one, and I wondered if reading it in print would have been better, but based on other reviews I'm seeing I do not think it would matter. There are 3 different timelines that are going on throughout the story, and it takes waaaaaaay too long for it all to come together. I often found my mind wandering as I was trying to hold on to all the pieces, and it takes more than half the book for anything really exciting to happen. I think the idea behind this one had potential, but it just was not well executed in the end.

This could have been a good book. Instead, it became a something that was over the top. Actually, I will change that, it could have been a good SERIES of books with connecting storylines. This is the problem. The author tried to cram too much into one book, instead of allowing more attention to each story and spreading this over a series. Other than that, she is a good writer with a solid, spooky thriller idea that is still a good read.

In 1988, when Charlie was 11 she used to visit a caravan in Hithechurch with her extended family during the school holidays. Here, she made friends with another girl named Emily, they hung out together most days, sometimes with her cousin Jenny. Until one day, something strange happened and things only got weirder and darker from there. Now, years later Charlie is returning to Hithechurch. The townsfolk are under the illusion that her name is Sarah as she does not want to be connected with her past, under the guise that she is writing a book on local folklore. Soon Charlie starts receiving odd texts, with pictures from someone who is clearly following her and they want to meet.



In 1960 Derek had a head injury as a child. This left him with neurological issues; once doing well in school, he began to fall behind with his studies, becoming frustrated. Derek’s father was a surgeon and his dream was for Derek to follow in his footsteps, but after the accident this was no longer possible and Derek became obsessed with his fathers wax anatomical teaching props especially ‘Harry’ who visited him in his dreams.



Slow from the start and very muddled in places with no explanations, there are 3 timelines in this book and a ton of characters - Present day, 1988 and 1960, which will always make it somewhat hard to follow. I even went back a few chapters more than once to try and get a better grasp of what was going on. At one point I thought Katie was Jenny. When was the original 1988 Katie introduced to the story? I have no idea. Derek becomes Harry/ Harold.

I think either remove the name changes or put some effort into explaining them.

It’s a shame because this style of psychological horror/thriller incorporating folklore is right up my street and there is a good level of suspense and mystery, but the execution was just not good sadly. If there was a bit more clarity in the changes in time and characters etc it could really be great.


The narrator was believable and worked well, bringing the book to life.

Charlie is returning to the seaside town of Hithechurch, England with her niece Katie after receiving a cryptic message. She and her family used to holiday in the caravan park at Hithechurch every year, but she hasn’t been back since she was eleven. She tells Katie, and anyone else who asks, that she is doing research for a book she is writing about the area – but she is actually digging into the past. The story is told from Charlie’s present point of view, then from an eleven-year-old Charlie’s perspective, and the perspective of a boy named Derrick from the 1940s-1960s.

When Charlie is eleven and on vacation with her family, she is excited to make a new friend that she can hang out with instead of her cousins. Her new friend, Emily, seems to have a tough personal life. To distract Emily from that, Charlie does what she does best – tells creepy tales. One story in particular, the tale of Stich-Faced Sue, changes the course of both of their lives forever. What happened that summer, and why have so many girls gone missing?

This book is creepy, the atmosphere is the perfect backdrop for spooky stories. Jen Williams did a great job of world building, I felt like I had been to Hithechurch myself. I was attached to the characters of Charlie and Katie and intrigued as to what they were getting into as they went on their journey. The style of writing was easy to follow and kept me engaged throughout the story. I also recommend the audio version of this novel! Mhairi Morrison narrates, and she does a fantastic job of embodying each of the characters. I didn’t ever feel like there was any need for a second narrator.

My main criticism of this book is that it feels like there are two storylines, and that they are competing at times. There are three different timelines, and all three are very interesting storylines, but they progress slowly and do not converge until the very end. The themes of creepy folklore stories, girls going missing, a hidden secret from childhood, and a small town hiding a dark underbelly hold so much potential! I feel like the author just tried to do too much with one story. I did enjoy this author, though, and I hope to read future books! Overall, this is a 3-star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Jen Williams for the audio ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review!

Narrated by Mhairi Morrison ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Story by Jen Williams ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What an fantastically creep creeeep story!!!
I couldn't help but sing 🎶It rubs the lotion on its skin, Or else it gets the hose again🎶 while listening to this.

I have a friend in mind I'm buying this book for and definitely a book I'd recommend to my audience. Great voice too

I enjoyed the narrators voice but that's pretty much it. It's not that it's a bad book it's just so slow and never could keep my attention.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was twisted! Emily creeped me out throughout the whole book and she was totally a sociopath. I liked how an urban myth was mixed in with the story and used to creep readers out.

An author MC, spooky urban legends + dark secrets, paired with the atmospheric, small beach town setting, made for a creepy, gripping and intriguing thriller.

Three timelines switch between the 50s, 80s and ‘now’ and we are drip-fed red herrings and information from several unreliable narrators throughout the plot. This was most definitely a slow burn mystery, which I know a lot of people LOVE, but personally for me, i need a fast paced plot to keep my attention.

Having said that, I switched to the audio version about a third of the way in — I listen to audiobooks between 1.5-2x speed (this definitely depends on the narrator!) and this definitely upped my enjoyment and allowed me to connect with the claustrophobic cave setting and intriguing urban legends.

There were no MAJOR twists that took me by surprise, but overall I enjoyed how the multiple storylines weaved together and if you like an atmospheric, CHARACTER-DRIVEN mystery, you’d definitely like this! 🫶🏼

📍 Thank you to the publisher, author + NetGalley for an advanced review copy. All opinions are my own. Review also posted to @redheadbookgirl (IG), Goodreads and Storygraph.

𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @ 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 🥀

4.5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for allowing me to listen to an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say that at first I was thinking this was going to be a 3.5 star book but then the story began to go deeper and I knew that this deserved a higher rating.

When Charlie returns to the small coastal town that her family vacationed at when she was younger. Something terrible happened Charlie's last Summer there, something that changed her life forever. Though she thinks she is heading there with her niece for one reason she uncovers a secret in the town, one that may just kill her.

The narrator Mhairi Morrison did a wonderful weaving the complexities of Charlie and of course Jen Williams wrote a wonderful book. This a more than meets the eye story that I think you will enjoy.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Girls are going missing and one lady sets out to find information while trying to keep her own scandalous past hidden.

The bad guy element was pretty twisted but all in all I found this book a bit lacking for me. I wanted more from the ending. I did like the multiple time lines and it was easy to keep track of which was which. But the main character just felt a bit flat. And one of the bad guys just didn’t really get enough of an ending.

Okay so this was better then I expected! I couldn’t put it down! But alas, things got in the way. I’d recommend d this to any mystery or horror fan!

Thank you Net Galley for the audio ARC of this book. I’m sorry to say that I could not follow or get into this book. The writing style and presentation was just awful.

This was a very slow burn with a bit of a convoluted premise, multiple POV's and dual timelines, making it hard to follow at parts. However saying this the actual plot is really interesting and when I got into the book I did enjoy it but it was just so slow it's hard to get hooked. The narration and writing is good, just needs to move a bit quicker to give it that thriller, suspenseful feel.

Thank you Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Dreamscape Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This novel follows two past timelines that both converge during the third modern-day timeline. The first timeline is in the 1980s following Emily and Charlie as they begin an intense and bizarre friendship with deadly consequences. The second is in the 1950s-60s following Harry, his troubled past, and his present. The modern timeline follows Charlie as she returns to the seaside town where all those years ago, she met Emily. She has returned to dig up their past and prove once and for all the kind of person Emily is.
The premise of this novel was interesting, but for me, there was a major flaw in execution when it came to pacing. The pacing can be best described as odd and slow-paced. As I’ve seen many other reviewers mention, it took a lot to power through this novel, and it was almost a DNF. There would be several present timeline chapters where nothing of significance would happen and it felt like filler.
As for the 1950s-60s timeline, its characters, and its involvement with the modern timeline, it felt extremely out of place with the rest of the story. Honestly, the entire plotline could have been scrapped and I think it would have made no difference to the main story, and honestly, it probably would have helped the pacing of the story.
Overall, it was a promising idea with poor execution and unfortunately, my enjoyment took a dive because of it.

Games for Dead Girls by Jen Williams

Publish Date: April 18, 2023
Publisher: @crookedlanebooks
Page count: 320

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Happy early pub day! Out tomorrow and you won’t want to miss this one!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and @netgalley for providing me with an #advancedreaderscopy of the audiobook.

If I had to describe the genre of this books I’d probably call it a psychological horror. There are so many twisted things about this book it is to hard to guess what’s going to happen.

I love the dual timeline going back and forth between the past and present. This type of writing is my favorite as it keeps you wanting more at the end of each chapter.

I also love that the primary setting was at an old camp ground which is perfect for the upcoming camping season.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

The narration of this book worked perfectly for the setting and characters! She’s very easy to listen to for hours and I always can identify who is supposed to be speaking. The story takes place is a small coastline English town and Eva’s multiple characters stories during many different timelines. I don’t want to give anything away, but it’s one of those books that connects all the storylines and by the end, everything makes sense and all the pieces fall into place. If you’re into thrillers and mysteries, this book will probably interesting you!

This book took a little bit to get into but once I did I was HOOKED! I love the flashbacks and plots along multiple timelines and how everything tied together at the end. I love seeing a story get wrapped up and this one truly did. If you are into mysteries that involve childhood friends, scary stories come to life, and psychological thrillers then you will love this book!!

"If you want to stop her, find what you buried together."

Thank you Jen Williams, Crooed Lane Books, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

In the seaside town of Hithechurch, England, eleven-year-old Charlotte meets Emily, a clever and secretive girl her own age with a dark family history. In an attempt to get rid of Emily's abusive father, Charlie and Emily perform a ritual to try and summon the spirit of a Hithechurch girl of urban legend-named Stitch Face Sue by Charlie-who was killed by pirates and supposedly haunts the town in a quest for revenge. Emily becomes obsessed with Stitch Face Sue, and ropes in another girl-but the game goes tragically wrong when the new girl is killed. Charlie and Emily are caught trying to hide the body, and both are carted away to institutions. Past meets present when Charlie returns to Hithechurch as an adult to research a book on the folklore of the area, but is drawn into the cases of several girls who have mysteriously vanished. Emily has published a bestselling memoir on the fateful incident from their childhoods, one that lays the blame squarely at Charlie's feet. Outraged, Charlie scours the town for evidence to back up her side of the story-and in doing so exposes an older, even darker tale. In a town haunted by tragic disappearances and unrelenting urban legends, Charlie's determination for truth is laced with secrets buried deep in Hithechurch's past.

This book was very slow paced for the first half. It starts to pick up around 55% in. However, I didn’t really find myself getting into it until 70% into the book. I was able to read the ebook and listen to the audiobook. I really enjoyed listening to the narrator and their narration is really what kept me engaged. I was definitely surprised with the twists of this book after reading the description. If you are a Lisa Jewell fan, you will enjoy this book.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️