I had high hopes for this one. The introduction to the story only raised my expectations, but as the first few chapters dragged on, I felt myself lose interest.

Instead of building suspense, I felt the prose was uninterested and dull, and the rare dialogue stiff and unnatural. In one of the first chapters, there's also not a single sentence that doesn't have at least two brand names or media references back to back.

Because of my short attention span and low patience, this book just wasn't for me, but I'm sure some people'd enjoy it.

This was a really well done thriller novel, it had everything that I was hoping for and enjoyed in the genre. The characters were everything that I was looking for and enjoyed how good everything worked. Caroline Wolff has a great writing style and thought the overall feel of the story worked well. I enjoyed the dark academia elements to this and loved how everything worked.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

1.75 star read for me unfortunately.

I do think that this book would be enjoyed more by a person who has not ready many different psychological thrillers or thrillers in general, like if this was my first or second psychological thriller novel, it might be rated higher.

I think if this book focused more on the dark college society (plus it's a secret) instead of the loss/grief the mother was experiencing, I would have enjoyed it more. This book just took me forever to get through which typically tells me that a book just is not for me, but I did want to finish it so I could give a full and honest review.

I rarely will give harsh criticism, but I was on the struggle bus trying to finish this book. The premise of the novel sounds good. Mysterious death of mother’s son and others at prestigious university causes mother to search for answers. Unfortunately, the author tried to be too culturally relevant and the story went off the wayside. Aside from mourning her son, the main character is struggling with her sexuality and deciding whether to get in a relationship with a student. That aside, the story moved so slowly I felt like I was slowly being dragged through an unmedicated root canal. It felt like the author was trying to check all sorts of boxes to be accepted in every type of genre but missed the mark with what could have been a truly amazing story.
Thanks Net Galley for the advanced copy.

I was truly intrigued by this one it was definitely a gripping and engaging read, it was just not what I was expecting. I wanted a little more suspense and less of the grieving mother.

This highly tense psychological thriller blends mystery with dark academia, dysfunctional family dynamics, mental health issues, and queer representation.

It delves into the depths of motherhood, exploring how far a mother can go while grappling with guilt, grief, and the quest for answers about the last days of her son, who died under suspicious circumstances just before his 21st birthday. Did he simply fall off a cliff, or was it something more sinister?

Kate Clearly's son, Jake, a student at an elite liberal arts college, was found dead beneath a cliff. Despite their strained connection in his final days, Kate refuses to accept that he had suicidal tendencies. As she searches his room and reads his diaries, she discovers a suspicious correspondence with a mysterious individual. Her obsession with the incident intensifies when she learns that another student has also died under similar circumstances.

What dark secrets lurk within the walls of the school her son attended? Was he part of a secret community that drove him to the brink, or was he silenced by someone else?

Kate's quest for the truth leads her into a relationship with a woman who harbors secrets of her own, possibly connected to her son. But as Kate delves deeper, she realizes that ignorance may have been the safer choice, and that the ugly truth could destroy her life forever.

Overall, the final chapters and twists are truly heart-wrenching and intense. While the main plot may lean more towards family drama and women's fiction than dark academia, the execution of the story as a whole is satisfying. It's a promising debut that you shouldn't miss.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with this digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was fantastic. I couldn’t put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Kate Cleary’s son Jake is a student at Paloma College, a prestigious liberal arts school. When he dies of what appears to be an accident or suicide Kate refuses to believe it was either, so she remains at the school to investigate. Then another student dies. What is happening at the school?

Ooooh, give me a dark, secret college society any day and I am in! In fact, I could have used more intrigue, less grieving mother. But I liked it OK.