Tony Wirt's "Just Stay Away" is a gripping psychological thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.

When the Finnegan family moves to a new neighborhood in Minnesota, they hope for a fresh start, but their peaceful existence is shattered when their daughter, Alice, befriends the mysterious neighbor boy, Levi. Craig, a struggling stay-at-home dad, is racing against time to finish his book, but his efforts are hindered by Alice's demanding nature. Initially relieved that Alice has found a playmate in Levi, Craig soon realizes that there's something unsettling about the boy when their cat is found in distress and Alice is injured. As Levi's behavior becomes increasingly disturbing, Craig finds himself locked in a battle of wits with a child who seems devoid of emotion. His credibility is called into question as he struggles to convince others of Levi's malevolent nature, leading to tensions within the community and his own family.

Reminiscent of William March's "The Bad Seed," "Just Stay Away" is a suspenseful story filled with twists turns that will leave you breathless until the conclusion. While there are moments of frustration as Craig's decisions and actions may leave you questioning his judgment, this is a must-read for fans of gripping thrillers.

When the family moves to a new neighborhood, they hope to meet new neighbors and give their 7 year old a playmate.
Craig works from home as an author, and with a deadline approaching he is relieved when 9 year old Levi seems to just pop out of nowhere and show their daughter some interest.
Craig soon begins something is wrong with Levi, but no one else sees it.

4/5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I was excited to get this based on the premise alone. The story was very repetitive and frankly quite boring. Huge disappointment

Craig is a stay-at-home dad. He is also an aspiring writing and determined to finish his novel over the summer. His seven-year old daughter, Alice, complicates things as she wants to play and is quite noisy, making writing difficult. One day, Levi, a child who lives in the neighbourhood, shows up in the backyard to play with Alice. Craig is happy - this means that Alice has someone to play with while he concentrates on writing his novel. However, as time goes on, Levi's behaviour changes. He is no longer the shy little boy that Craig first met. Strange things also begin happening around the house. Craig is convinced that Levi is behind everything. But is Craig just paranoid? After all, a child couldn't be behind all of this, right?

Starting with the good - I chose to read this one because of the premise. It sounded really unique, disturbing, and suspenseful. I also really enjoyed Wirt's writing style. Easy to read and flowed well. It is also super quick.

Craig was a SUPER frustrating main character. His decisions as a parent were ridiculous. For lack of better words, he came across as an idiot! Every decision that he made had me wanting to bang my head. I get that main characters have flaws and other issues, but this was next level and led to making this book hard and unrealistic to read at times.

I also kept waiting for something to happen. There are actually very few suspenseful and thrilling parts. Most of the novel is Craig starting his day wanting to write his novel and sending Alice outside to play.

I would not bother reading this one. It is a frustrating and annoying read!

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the book, I kept turning the pages to find out if Craig was right about Levi, or if the boy wasn't doing anything wrong. Stories like this usually leave me stuck reading and this one was no different. The premise of the book is good, but sometimes Craig acted like the child in the book and not the adult.
I will definitely read other books by the author!

What a super interesting read! This was very different to other thrillers I have read. The writing has a great pace and was easy to dive into. I absolutely loved the way the writer has created the character, Levi! What a crazy series of events. I would have loved to learn more of his back story and his parents. But overall really enjoyed it.

SERIOUSLY.THIS.BOOK.NEEDS.ALL.THE.HYPE.

Dont believe me? Read it for yourself and tell me I'm wrong

Wirt really captures your attention and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the entirety of this 287 page thrilling masterpiece.

No doubt questioning the main characters sanity as well as your own the whole way. Is this really happening or is it just sleep deprived paranoia!?! ITS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL.

While also shedding some light on realistic challenges and emotions a stay at home parent may experience made me feel so seen.

I had absolutely no problem tearing through these pages in one afternoon. I could not put it down.

AND OH YEAH, did I mention CREEPY KID VIBES

A huge thank you to @netgalley @wirter for the advanced readers copy. I loved this so much and I can't wait to see whats next 🖤

Creepy kids are the best! This was an intense book and I would have enjoyed it more if Craig wasn't such a crummy dad.

I thought this was a fantastic book! It was a book that kept me wanting to read and not put it down! I was really shocked at some of the items that happened in this book but it was a fun read! I really liked it alot.

When a mysterious neighborhood boy befriends his young daughter, stay-at-home dad Craig considers him a godsend—until it becomes clear that there’s nothing angelic about him at all.

Craig Finnigan is determined to finish his book this summer, but being an aspiring writer while wrangling his seven-year-old daughter is not easy. So when Alice makes fast friends with a neighborhood boy, Levi, Craig is happy she has a distraction from her constant visits to his home office. But that happiness soon turns to misgivings as Levi’s behavior evolves from that of a shy, odd boy into something far more disturbing.

Strange noises in the middle of the night and things disappearing from their home could be explained away—maybe it’s the water heater, or maybe Craig simply misplaced his flash drive. Craig can’t explain his paranoia, but he feels sure Levi is behind it. As Levi’s visits to their backyard become more and more frequent, Craig finds himself the unwilling participant in a game he never asked to play…and one he’s not sure he can win.

Really enjoyed this story. It was a nail biter of a read. Will recommend to those who love thrillers.

The author skillfully builds tension as Craig grapples with his growing suspicions about Levi, questioning whether the odd occurrences are mere coincidences or part of a more sinister plot. The narrative keeps us on edge, exploring the fine line between paranoia and a genuine threat. It is a gripping tale of suspense and psychological unease, showcasing the authors ability to craft a compelling and atmospheric thriller that delves into the complexities of trust and fear.

Good characters and solid 4 star story. A bit is unbelievable but it didn't take away from how much I enjoyed this book. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This book has it all: enough suspense, creepy child, pretty girl in possible danger, family/police/etc-who-does-not-believe-the-mc, and so on!

Craig, the main character, works from home and balances housework, his daughter, and his own work. I experienced this too and totally associated myself so mostly Craig’s behavior didn’t surprise me at all.

He got Levi, a neighbor boy who comes to the house to play with Craig’s daughter. Finally, Craig can have more time to write! But something is off, Levi acts weird and somehow creepy. So Craig decides to stop Levi from coming but the boy doesn’t think so…

The perfect popcorn thriller! I was pissed off at Craig’s wife and police but later realized the story just won’t happen if things go a different way.

Enjoyed a lot!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. All I’m going to say is instead of me binge listening to only this, I found myself listening to my music more often. Until I was searching for Kindle for other things to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC copy of this one (out now!!)

First, oh my goodness I don't know if I have ever disliked the actions and thought process of a character more than I did with Craig from this book. He literally drove me insane!!!!
There seemed to be such a disconnect in the families involved in this story also.

Creepy kids are fun to read/watch, but this book drove me crazy!!!

Craig is a stay at home father trying to meet a deadline for his first novel. The thinks he’s found the perfect solution to keep his daughter occupied, the neighborhood boy but what starts out as innocent fun turns dark. how far will Craig go to prove this 9 year old boy is not as innocent as he appears?

I thought this was a very interesting plot. Craig was very frustrating though, at first he ignored all the red flags boy was giving in order to have time to work on his book!!

This was a ARC from #netgalley

Craig is a stay-at-home dad trying to balance writing and parenting, so he’s happy when his daughter makes a new friend who can keep her occupied. But he starts seeing signs that this friend is no ordinary child…and could, in fact, be dangerous.

I was riveted by this story and couldn’t stop turning the pages. The author did a great job of making the setting and characters feel real, and of slowly building the tension. I did find the main character and his hands-off approach to parenting to be very unlikeable in the beginning, and I had trouble sympathizing with him. However, I don’t think we’re meant to see him as a good parent at the start of the book.

Overall, this is the kind of fun thriller that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to a friend.

I really enjoyed this storyline, Craig was a bit of a self absorbed father/husband. When he met this creepy child that came to play with his daughter and all the red flags went up he still allowed his daughter to play with him so he could keep her occupied while he worked on his book.. I truly thought at one point that Craig was having a mental breakdown and that he was imagining all the things that were happening, he was obsessing over that creepy child. Very good read and seems like the author left the door open for a sequel book if he chooses to continue the storyline.

The truth is that I simply don’t care about parents. I don’t care about being a parent, the stress of parenting, the struggles of being a good parent, or kids in general. And I end up finding myself being unable to relate or not caring at all what happens. I know that makes me a jerk to some people, and I don’t want to feel like that, but I do tend to find my eyes glaze over if there’s too much emphasis on being a parent. I just can’t relate.

2.5/3 stars
“Just stay Away” was “meh”. I read it about a month ago and can’t remember much about it, except the dad wasn’t the brightest nor the best dad and the kid was creepy and weird.