Samara is a flawed, often unreliable narrator. Her choices—like drinking on the job and ignoring red flags—I saw her as a realistic portrayal of someone spiraling under pressure.
The ending leaves some threads unresolved, which may appeal to fans of literary horror but frustrate those looking for a tidy resolution.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the arc.

Gritty and heartfelt, this novel explores resilience and generational ties with grace. Rivera’s writing shines in small, quiet moments that reveal deeper truths. While the pacing felt uneven at times, the emotional core stayed strong. A moving portrait of identity and family.

⭐️: 2.75 / 5

Publication Date: Sep 24, 2024

I want to thank Ballantine and Net Galley for allowing me to get an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The preface, sets the tone of the rest of the story in a way that I have not encountered before. The time of the preface doesn’t align with the rest of the story and isn’t even fully explained until the last 20% of the book.

Some of the coolest aspects of this story, was the Spanish sprinkled in throughout the story. In addition, the story focuses on a young woman starting a new job in California under a fashion designer. The description of the design process, and the seamstresses added to the atmosphere of the story.

As for my reservations, I felt that the resolution at the end didn’t really address all of the issues that the character had been experiencing. In addition to that, the pig imagery was just ok.

Overall I thought this book was just okay. While I found the message of community to be touching, the other side of the message, which focused on abuse of power over women and people of color.

Would recommend for those who are fans of
- California setting
- Character driven stories
- Haunted house stories

⚠️ violence, body horror, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, child abuse, sexual assault


Characters: 5
Atmosphere/setting: 10
Writing style: 7
Plot: 5
Intrigue: 6
Logic: 3
Relationships: 3
Entertainment: 5
Total: 2.75

Lilliam Rivera’s Tiny Threads is a lyrical, magical realism-infused novel that weaves together themes of family, cultural identity, and the invisible bonds that connect us. Set in a vibrant Puerto Rican community, the story follows a young woman who discovers she has the ability to see and manipulate the delicate threads that tie people’s destinies together. Rivera’s writing is lush and poetic, immersing readers in a world where magic feels organic and deeply rooted in tradition. While the mysticism is beautiful, readers who prefer hard magic systems might find the rules of the threads a little vague. Tiny Threads is a spellbinding, heartfelt novel that will appeal to fans of The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende or The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova. It’s a slower burn but rewards patience with its emotional depth and enchanting storytelling.

I really enjoyed this slow-burn, supernatural suspense novel. Thank you so, so much to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this title!

Blurb:
Fashion-obsessed Samara finally has the life she’s always dreamed of: A high-powered job with legendary designer Antonio Mota. A new home in sunny California, far away from those drab Jersey winters. And an intriguing love interest, Brandon, a wealthy investor in Mota’s fashion line.

But it’s not long before Samara’s dream life begins to turn into a living nightmare as Mota’s big fashion show approaches and the pressure on her turns crushing. Perhaps that’s why she begins hearing voices in her room at night—and seeing strange things that can’t be explained away by stress or anxiety or the number of drinks she’s been consuming.

And it may not be just Samara imagining things as her psyche unravels, because she soon discovers hints that her new city—and the House of Mota—may be built on a foundation of secrets and lies. Now Samara must uncover what hideous truths lurk in the shadows of this illusory world of glamour and beauty before those shadows claim her.

Samara’s dream of working for Antonio Mota quickly turns into a nightmare as the pressure to be perfect increases with every day that passes. As the days to the fashion show dwindle, Samara drinks more and more. She then starts experiencing strange things like hearing noises in her room and seeing things that are or aren’t there. At first Samara thinks that the pressure of working for Mota is getting to her but she soon discovers that the world of beauty and fashion she longed to be a part of has a hidden dark side.

I’ve seen people refer to this as the horror version of The Devil Wears Prada. I’d have to disagree. Tiny Threads is so much darker. I’d say this is more like The Last Night in Soho. However, I can see why someone who liked The Devil Wears Prada and horror would like this.

Although I enjoyed the book, I felt the pacing of the story was a little off. At first, the story moved slowly then the pace really picked up at the end. I found that the book had a satisfying conclusion, though. I didn’t mind that it was a slow burn. I have to say that I really enjoyed the direction that the author took at the end, especially when it came to a certain character. The only other criticism I’d have is that there were story elements that were introduced and then dropped, especially when it came to Mota’s background. Some things were hinted at and I would have liked for them to be explored a bit more. The characters in Tiny Threads were well written, some were very unlikable but it worked for the story. I liked that the main character Samara was flawed.

This wasn’t exactly what I expected but I was pleasantly surprised. I’m a sucker for this kind of story. If you enjoyed movies like The Last Night in Soho, Gothika, or Promising Young Woman then this book is for you. I’d recommend this book to anyone, really, especially those who are into thrillers. Just be aware that this story contains SA.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Del Rey, NetGalley, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy for review.

A dark tale about systematic oppression, ambition, trauma (both individual and generational), and substance abuse. A suspenseful read, if a bit repetitive and slow-paced at times.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC but I struggled to get into it. I DNF’d at 23%. I was really hoping to love it. The idea sounded great. The pacing was a struggle for me though.

I wanted to love this. The concept is wonderful, but the execution, particularly the pacing left me lukewarm. We spend far too much time in loops of similar, vague scenes that done enhance or advance plot or character. Because of this, the story begins to grow stagnant. The same thing happens with Samara’s character. By the time she begins to move to the truth, it’s hard to root for her, because we haven’t seen her really develop any further than her continued pattern of alcoholism. Secondary characters feel equally flimsy, falling into the same patterns to serve the protagonist.

I didnt get to this but it sounds very interesting!! I hope to read this at some point. Looks really cool

“ A young woman gets her dream job working for a famous designer— and discovers the dark side of the glamorous world of fashion.” This follows Samara, who leaves home to move across the country to work alongside Antonio Mota. Everything seems to be going well. She is enjoying her new home, work seems to be everything she hoped it would be, and sparks are flying between her and a new Beau but still some thing isn’t quite right. She begins hearing weird sounds and noises in the middle of the night and she doesn’t understand their meaning, if she’s actually hearing these things or if it’s all in her head. I will say this is a very slow thriller really picks up very near the end so keep that in mind. I did not know that going in and I felt like it felt very long. And it really was just us following Samara going to work and coming back home for a big part of the book which I didn’t love, but I kept me interested enough that I wanted to see what was behind all of these things she was seeing and hearing. A solid read. 3.5 ⭐️

I won't be reading this. I've tried multiple times and haven't gotten into it. Thank you though for the opportunity. If I read it in the future I will come back and change this review.

This was a fast-paced supernatural thriller that borders the horror realm. Loved the fashion world created, but wished the author had translated the spanish mixed in or used less. Otherwise was a great book!

This book was so atmospheric and good! It took a while for the buildup and action to begin but once it did I couldn’t stop reading! It’s a quick read but a powerful one. Highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. Tiny Threads took to reader on a journey in a world of fashion and design which I have hardly experienced and have very little knowledge about. The characters were intriguing and the story was suspenseful, with the plot twisting in ways that I could not anticipate.

I picked up this book because of the description of it being close to Silvia Moreno-Garcia's stories. However, I can't seem to like any of the characters the longer that I went on. Though I understand how money, power, and status can create pressure that is multi-dimensional and all consuming, I couldn't connect with the writing to really get to the meat of the story.

I’m not sure what to say about this book but I didn’t particularly enjoy it. It was slow at time and I just didn’t feel too connected to the characters. Overall it was an okay read.

I love an author who pants vivid scenes. so it pains me to say that i ddnt enjoy this book. it dragged until about 40 percent and it is full of suspense and itrigue. while there were some rollercoaster vibes< i had hope for things just to go a bit deeper

Samara was a difficult character for me. I had my reservations on if I understood her. She was often making contradictory actions and I could not cement where she stood on her thoughts and decisions. I feel like Dolores' character was a bit disjointed. Samara wanted her to be a parallel for her grandmother but the bits and pieces of Dolores were so abstract that I don't feel the point got through. I thought the range of characters were great in explaining the class dynamic in the community and how that factored into self reflection for Samara.

Okay, loved this. Much more social commentary than I expected, which I love in a thriller. Highly recommend, really well balanced suspense and has something to say!