Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton for this book. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

In this book we are following Annie Shaw, a mother and artist who has just discovered her dead mother. Annie and her mom have a very interesting relationship. Annie's mother clung to her from the moment she was born after leaving Vietnam and having mental health problems. The mental health representation is excellent in this book. For much of this novel Annie is seemed to be an unreliable narrator but that is not the case towards the end of the novel. There is more than one toxic relationship in the novel but luckily Annie is able to let go of what happened in her childhood and in her marriage and able to renew her relationship with her daughter. Annie is believed to be going insane when in reality her husband is making it seem that she is going crazy in order to rebuild his life and save face with his daughter. Annie ends up having to save her own daughter from the husband when he takes her to the same place he killed Annie's mother. Duncan confesses to killing Annie's mother, dog, mentor, and almost killing her one night stand. Luckily Duncan is stopped and Annie and her daughter Tabby are able to have a healthier relationship then the one she had with her own mother. This book was hard to put down and I enjoyed it immensely.

I can appreciate what this book did and the story was engaging and compelling-but ultimately I did not enjoy my reading experience. I became too frustrated with the MC's decisions, and the daughter and husband also got on my nerves. Overall, I think many readers will enjoy this story but I found myself too annoyed throughout.

Wow what a wild ride. This book was truly so thrilling.

It touched on generational trauma, childhood trauma and mental illness and how all three can affect people long term. Truly such an interesting look into how OCD presents and how debilitating it can be.

The complex mother daughter relationships were so well done. If you’re a fan of Everything Everywhere All At Once, LadyBird, any mommy trauma things, this is a great book for you.

I was so satisfied with this book up until the end. There was too much doubt on every single character to tie up nearly and the ending felt a bit rushed because of it.

I really loved the unreliable narrator in this, it’s one of my favorite tropes.

I am just coming into my thriller era and this is one of the books that was at the top of my list. I was hooked from the first 10 pages and I finished this book in one sitting. If you like gone girl and other Books in that vibe, you’re gonna like this one.

Annie Shaw, dealing with her mother's sudden death and her own OCD diagnosis, faces a series of mysterious deaths around her. As suspicion falls on her, Annie grapples with unsettling questions about her own mind. Despite a slow pace, the story delivers unexpected twists, especially towards the end. Exploring themes of culture, family dynamics, mental health, and deception, the book creates an eerie atmosphere and delves into complex relationships. While the plot could benefit from a faster tempo, the chilling tension and surprises make it a compelling read.

Gratitude to Penguin Group, Dutton, and NetGalley for the review copy.

I REALLY wanted to love this book but I really found it to be a bit disjointed. Overall I'd still recommend it but I can see it not being for everyone.

I was interested in this book because the description said it was for Lisa Jewell fans. It was a good thriller with a twist at the end. However, for me, it was a little depressing. The characters were mean to each other and the storyline did not always make sense. I kept losing interest.
I received this galley from NetGalley.

Loved how the book looked at generational trauma and the baggage carried from the past. A unique thriller. Thank you for an advance copy!

This didn’t work for me so DNFing at 5%. It felt very YA to me with childish writing, and I didn’t like the set up for a mental health trope of the “did I/did I not do something because I can’t remember due to my meds.” Thanks anyway for the ARC.

Thank you so much Dutton books for the ebook via NetGalley and PRH Audio #partner for the audio! I absolutely loved the narration by Kim Mai Guest!
——
Annie “Ahn Le” Shaw comes from a poor and turbulent childhood having had a complicated history with her immigrant mom. Nonetheless, Annie has managed to have a stable life with a husband who’s able to provide her with everything and a daughter she adores.

However when Annie’s mom dies, Annie’s mental health begins to spiral and her OCD resurfaces to the point that Annie loses control over her surroundings and can’t trust herself of the actions she takes. Deaths of two of her close acquaintances in different capacities lead the police at her door and Annie is forced to regain control of her life to save herself from the looming investigations and keep her family safe.

This thriller was action-packed with back and forth timeline of events, unique elements of contamination OCD, toxic familial relationships and generational trauma as well as the immigrant experience. Even though Annie was a very intense character to read (with an often repetitive loop of her intrusive thoughts and mental state) and an unreliable narrator, I kept rooting for her to thrive and the complicated mother-daughter relationship really pulled at my heartstrings. Annie’s friendship with Ike was also a lovely respite in an otherwise grim state of relationships that Annie endures. Also, be warned, there’s a dog that’s unalived in the story. All in all, this was a very unique and memorable thriller to read! I can’t wait to find out what K.T. Nguyen will come up with next!

Annie looks like she has it all, but inside she’s unraveling. Struggling with her relationship with her mother and OCD, PTSD and memory lapses, she’s far from being in control. Distancing from her family, Annie wakes up in a hotel room next to a dead body. As an unreliable narrator it’s difficult to know what’s true. Even Annie is questioning what’s real. Dark and dreary, this one dragged for too long making it hard to connect with the story. The writing is good, the storyline wasn’t a favorite. Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

With vivid prose, this novel delves into trauma, intergenerational struggles, and the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters. It offers both thrills and emotional depth.
Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Duttonand to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Gripping thriller with twists I didn’t see coming. Fast paced, easy read. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for forwarding me this ARC.

It took me a long time to finish this book. Not because it was bad but because it was really hard to get into. The writing style is very unique and the storytelling did take a while to pick up. But once it did, I couldn’t stop.
This book tells a haunting tale of racism, gaslighting and toxic relationships.
Our main character Annie is suffering from OCD and is also the unreliable narrator.
Honestly if you love a good unreliable narrator this is THE book for you. It may be one of the best books I’ve read with that trope.
This thriller told the story of domestic horror so so well and it reminds us that often your daily life and the people you think you know and love are your worst enemies. I seriously devoured this.
I loved how this all wrapped up and am looking forward to read more by this author.

"A first generation Vietnamese American artist must confront nightmares past and present ,,,"
Literally? Say less.

I was so excited by the premise and the dark, moody atmosphere of this book, but unfortunately the plot was not plotting and could not hold my attention all the way through. A solid 2.5 stars for me.

Thank you to both NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the ARC copy of this psych thriller out now!!!

While I do love me a great psych thriller, unfortunately this one was a bit too slow paced for me personally. It felt as though the beginning was filled with a tad bit of fluff, and it took a while before we really started to get into things.
I would've liked a little bit more happening to keep me engaged with the story line.

I also thought the ending was a little predictable.

However, there are plenty of readers that have rated this highly! So it may just be that it didn't quite work for me, but it will for you!

Unfortunately this just wasn't working for me. I am having a lot of trouble staying interested. I am thankful for an eARC!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this arc in exchange for my honest review!

Rating 3.75

This novel was really interesting and fun, though it did feel slow at some points. I loved the unreliable narrator and how it kept me on the edge of my seat when it wasn't dragging in those slower moments.

I always love thrillers. The cover art had me interested and the comparison to Lisa Jewell made me know I wanted to read this book. I devoured the book, constantly guessing at the ending, but never quite getting it right.

This was a great story.

Following the main character and her complicated relationship with her mother from childhood to after her mother’s passing. With suspense of did she do something to her mom, to someone else, interwoven through the story, you’ll stick around past bedtime turning pages to come to the satisfying conclusion and the answers that await you.