Claire Ross disappears on her wedding day. Claire’s mother hires Nina Travers to find Claire.
Claire Ross is an author and has written Starlit Ballet which was a love story set over many centuries. Claire has a lot of fans who are obsessed with Claire and her novel.
Nina Travers is a private investigator and has some strange ways of solving a case. Nina moves into Claire’s mother’s home to better immerses herself in Claire’s life, family and especially to see if there are any clues to Claire’s disappearance in the novel Clair took ten years to write.
Set mostly in the Hamptons in the present time. There were lots of twists and turns and unexpected revelations. I like reading about people who are obsessed with stalking. It was a bit strange, but still enjoyable.
Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher Little a for a chance to read and review this e-book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed this novel but I definitely liked the first half better. The twist to me was predictable and the book took a turn that I didn't really enjoy. I've read a lot of unreliable narrator books and this one didn't really hold up. I do think a lot of readers will enjoy this one and I am definitely interested in reading more from this author. I enjoyed the social commentary which usually is secondary to these types of genre novels, but to me elevated this novel where the plot failed. I enjoyed the close look at author's and superfans, the influence of the internet on the literary world, the price of fame, and the demons and darkness that authors sometimes must deal with to be as creative as they are. It seemed a little meta to me especially in the middle and I don't think that's a bad thing.

3.5 stars

See goodreads for my full review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6440726461

This was a delightfully unexpected psychological mystery with an ending I didn't see coming. Not really dark but definitely an intimate portrait into the ramifications undealt with trauma can have on a person. I don't want to give anything about the story but all is not what it seems as the story progresses. The author does a good job of building the story to its conclusion and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What a great book! I just was so captivated by this story right from the beginning. It was wonderful! A great read. It'd be fun for a book club

I really liked the way this one started, and loved the premise of an investigator using an author's work to figure out her disappearance. It started strong, but about a quarter of the way in I was forcing myself to keep turning pages and unfortunately from there things never improved for me... I found the protagonist to be, well, odd. I liked her at first, until I started getting sketchy stalker vibes and realized things about her didn't quite mesh for me. The family elements also felt odd, with difficult relationships abounding. That's not necessarily a problem - conflict makes for great storytelling opportunities, after all - but somehow I just kept getting more and more irritated at all of the characters and had a really tough time generating enough interest in them to see how things would pan out. This wasn't a good fit for me at all...

This book was truly unlike anything I've read before. The first half was engaging, articulate, and well-written, but the second half went off the rails a bit for me. The characters weren't particularly likable, nor were they so unlikable you were intrigued, making it difficult really connect. Others would probably enjoy if they enjoy content that straddles genres, but this wasn't ultimately for me.

Claire Ross writes a book that spans thousands of years where the same souls find each other in each life and don’t get married until they have both matured and are finally ready to be in love.
Nina Travelers is a Private Detective that is hired to find Claire after she goes missing on her wedding day.
Claire spent 10 years writing this book, and she alienated herself the further she got into the book.
In the book we find that Nina is obsess with Claire and the Starlit Ballet. Nina has read the book countless of times, watched every interview and read every article. She immerses herself in Claire’s home that she shares with her Mother Miranda and sister Kyra. Nina interviews them all as well as Claire’s fiancé Roger and party planner. Throughout the book we are led the believe that Nina is just really good at her job; then we find out that she is obsess with Claire (ever since they met at Harvard years ago when Nina snuck into classes and worked on campus).
Nina ultimately finds Claire across the country and meets her so she could tell her not only how much she loved the book, but how much she loves her and that they should be together.
You don’t know what is worse; the deceit between Nina and the Ross family or between Claire and Nina.

Favorite Quotes:
“She was beautiful, but when she opened her mouth, you forget what she looked like- which i goes was the point of the book”
“What matters transcends skin and bones. her greatest assist was her mind”
“if Claire had a superpower, its belief or a sense of purpose”
“Stephen King did call books a unique kind of magic. That’s never felt more accurate than it does right now, the Starlit Ballet is possessed”

That was… odd. Started out strong and then the wheels fell off. Sadly, not my jam. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I have a hard time rating this one. I found it well written and it kept me reading to find out what happened. It’s definitely twisty and has an interesting premise. I didn’t particularly like or relate to the main character or see the appeal of the supposedly irresistible author who had millions of obsessive fans. It left me feeling unsettled and a little unsatisfied, as if I had spent days putting together a puzzle and the last pile of pieces all fit but formed a different picture than the rest or what was on the box. But it was a very cerebral book and I did enjoy it.

I read an ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I have a hard time giving overall feedback - I really enjoyed the first half and the premise was interesting but I struggled with the second half. I’m glad I finished the story but the characters were generally unlikable and aspects felt really far fetched.

This was a NetGalley book AND an Amazon kindle free pick, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Unfortunately, this book was so bizarre to me and did NOT do it for me. The entire concept is about Claire Ross, bestselling author of a romance novel that swept the world, who disappears on her wedding day without a trace.

Nina Travers, a private detective, is pulled in by Claire’s family to try and locate her. What really bothered me about this book was how obsessed everyone was with this author of ONE successful book. Like, paparazzi, tons of TV appearances, throngs of wild obsessive fans. It just seemed so unrealistic to me - even the most famous authors aren’t generally THAT famous to my knowledge.

As the book unfolded, things went completely haywire and I was seriously confused and disappointed by the “shocking” ending. Ultimately, I hate to say it, but this book felt immature to me. The writing, Nina’s perspective and voice, it all just felt painfully ridiculous to me. I was hoping for a good mystery/thriller, and this novel did not deliver.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little A for providing me a free copy of My favorite terrible thing by Madeleine Henry.

Eccentrically weird and creepy. 

Detective Nina Travers has put her past aside and excels in her job occassionally using unorthodox methods. But something feels amiss, she knows it and when a renowned and adored author of an epic romance - Claire Ross goes missing on her wedding day, she realizes finding her will be the breakthrough moment she's been looking for.

I've been putting off writing this review as it might come across as harsh but this was an utter disappointment. The synopsis intrigued me, so I quickly downloaded and started reading, even with limited time. The first half of the story was promising as the writing is easy and the chapters are short. However, it all went downhill after that as the execution was poor causing the story become irreparably messy.

Overall, the premise is intriguing and makes for a good binge read while snacking on popcorn. A detective searching for clues to find the bestselling author of an epic, time-transcending romance within her own book naturally piques your curiosity, prompting you to form your own theories. There were unexpected twists. However even they couldn't salvage the story, which ultimately fell flat.

The beachiest of beach reads. This novel begins in the Hamptons. The protagonist is an outsider looking in, a shadowy outsider with secrets of her own and a dangerous ability to blend in. Her love of a good story helps her slip into characters and discover hidden motives. As her pursuit of a missing author gets twistier, the novel's pace picks up, bringing the reader on a dramatic adventure where all is not as it seems.

It's an unusual plot and I have difficulty to select a genre. It's not really a thriller -there's not much thrill or suspense. It starts great, the writing is very good, Nina is interesting. Past traumata play their role, fame and obsession too.
This book is actually too books, the one about Nina and the one written by Claire. It's intersting, intriguing but also a little disappointing at the end.

So unfortunately, this was simply not it for me. The twists were twisting =(like the switch up when you realize that actually Nina is crazy - didn't see that coming) but the overall plot was just meh. I was never super invested, and finished this only because every time I was about to put it down, I felt like something would happen to make me pick it back up.

I'm seriously questioning why I kept reading. At some point in the first half, it became apparent that the book was just boring, the author tried different approaches with the genre but they all flopped.
It wasn't a thriller, nothing was even vaguely thrilling about. For seasoned thriller readers, the whole search arc was pretty underwhelming, if it weren't for the author saying through the MC how the book was kind of a trail map, no one would have thought it was all connected. It was a case of the-author-wanted-it-that-way.
It was definitely the kind of book that tested your patience.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

4.5 Stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and Little A for sharing an advance copy of MY FAVORITE TERRIBLE THING.

This novel hooked me from it's strong opening page. It follows Nina, a private eye, as she tries to track down the missing celebrity author Claire Ross. Nina's voice is compelling as she describes the world of the Hamptons and her place (or lack thereof) in it. Forever an outsider, she must contend with her dark past, Claire's obsessive fans and her privileged family, and the case itself, which has plenty of twists.

For me, MY FAVORITE TERRIBLE THING combined the momentum of a thriller with lovely, lush writing. A great read for fans of Peter Swanson and voice-driven thrillers. Easy to read in a day and helpful for getting out of a reading slump.

this was,, interesting. genuinely unlike anything i've read before. it starts as a literary mystery with immaculate vibes (winter on the beach, old money, the hamptons). then it takes a strange turn-which i'm not going to spoil-, and that's where it started to become less enjoyable to me. if you're into intellectual main characters and weird fever-dream plots, try this one!

My Favorite Terrible Thing by Madeleine Henry is a masterclass in suspense and intrigue. From the moment I picked up this book, I was drawn into the world of Detective Nina Travers and the mysterious disappearance of bestselling author Claire Ross. The novel’s blend of mystery and psychological depth is nothing short of brilliant.

Henry’s writing is sharp and evocative, crafting a story that is as much about the characters’ inner demons as it is about the external mystery. The way she weaves the narrative through the clues hidden in Claire’s novel is ingenious, keeping me guessing at every turn. The exploration of toxic fan culture and the dark side of literary fame adds a compelling layer to the plot that resonates in today’s celebrity-obsessed society.

This book is a triumph of storytelling, with twists that left me shocked and a conclusion that was both satisfying and unexpected. It’s a thrilling hunt through mind games and twisting suspense that had me riveted until the very last page. For anyone who loves a good thriller that challenges the mind and tugs at the heartstrings, My Favorite Terrible Thing is an absolute must-read!!

A private detective gets hired to find a missing person - her favorite author. This twisty page-turner engaged me from the very first page and kept me on my toes the whole time! The twists were twisting. I didn't see some of them coming and they SHOCKED me! If you're looking for a whodunnit that will keep you guessing, this book delivers!