Stone is an auto read author for me so I was happy to request and read/listen to this one! Elise's sister was murdered many years ago when Elise was only 10 years old. Fast forward to now when Elise's ex-lover is murdered. Elise’s brother is being secretive and her mother won't leave the house now Elise needs to figure out what is going on! The audio was great!

After her sister went missing as a teenager, Elise and her family’s lives were turned upside down. Decades later it still haunts them.

Elise tried to reinvent herself and move on with her life as an adult. She was as successful as she could have been in doing so, until her ex winds up murdered too. Now her world is crashing around her yet again. Her older brother is convinced that there is a conspiracy surrounding both murdered that ties them together. It’s this idea that gets them into more trouble than they bargained for ….

I thought the story was okay. I enjoyed how it ended but it felt like it fell a bit short for me. I love VHS’ Jane Doe books and was hopeful that this would be just as good. Unfortunately I didn’t feel that way. However it was still worth a read and kept me intrigued the whole way through.

I listened to this on audio and I don’t feel like I was able to connect with the characters or their problem much so I might give this a try to read it physically. There are areas I feel like had opportunities to go deeper to build the connection with the character and the storyline but just didn’t do it for me.
I did think the ending was good but again, I didn’t feel it. This is very much a slow burn so if you like slow burns then give this a try!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I struggled with this story. I didn’t like the cops. I found them aggravating. I think the narration was done well. But I wasn’t super into the story.

Thank you Brilliance Audio/Netgalley, #partner for the ALC of Follow Her Down in exchange for my honest review.

I became an instant fan of Victoria Helen Stone when she wrote Jane Doe. That was such a crazy psychological thriller – so unique and twisted, and so fun to read that I knew I would be reading everything this author writes and I pretty much have! Plus, I’m constantly recommending her books to thriller readers…you really can’t go wrong with her books!

This is such an emotionally charged thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! It is completely atmospheric and full of suspense. It is also a story about emotional trauma over a loved one’s murder and I loved seeing how that played out within a family – from the mother suffering from crippling anxiety to the brother and his paranoid conspiracy theories to Elise who is just so emotionally broken she can’t seem to find herself. All these characteristics were so vividly portrayed with each character, especially Elise.

This book had so many twists and turns and it went in directions I did not see coming. I think I suspected nearly every character at one point. It’s such a complex, layered plot and the setting – that small-town feeling, with the little cabins isolated in the woods – only adds to the overall tension of the story. Be sure to clear your schedule when you pick this one up because once you start reading it, you are not going to want to put it down!


Audio thoughts: This was such a great book to listen to and Nicol Zanzarella did an amazing job bringing the story to life. I ended up listening to the book in one day because I just couldn’t put it down! Her pacing was spot on and she infused just the right amount of tension and emotion into her voice as needed.

I had this on audio, which was amazing, and finished it in one day! I’ve seen it described as slow burn, but I found that suspense building captivating and was listening any chance I had.
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The dual timeline was perfect for this story and the small mountain town setting added to the suspense as well.
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Elise’s sister was murdered years ago and each member of her family dealt with things in their own way. Their mother fell heavy in her grief which lead to severe anxiety and she can barely leave the house. Brother Kyle is paranoid and chasing one conspiracy theory after another about the murder. Elise felt the need to escape and moved away. But now she’s back home and running her own mountain lodge.
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A local guy eventually confessed to the murder. Kyle still won’t let go of his conspiracy theories.
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When Elise’s ex turns up dead in the same location of her sister’s murder, police look toward her. Things spiral. Secrets are revealed. And Elise starts to think maybe Kyle isn’t so paranoid after all.
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And that ending!

This is my first book by this author but I will be adding her others to my TBR. This book was definitely a slow burn to begin with but it picked up and I didn’t want to put it down. I almost made my family listen to the audiobook while on our trip yesterday because I wanted to know what happened! But I decided against that. When I did finish, I was so surprised. That was not what I had expected at all! This is a great, suspenseful whodunnit. I did want a little bit more on the murder and disappearance of the sister. Maybe we could get a prequel?! This was narrated by Nicol Zanzarella. She did a wonderful job! Kept me engaged. Her tone and pacing was perfect for this book.

This is a new to me author. I highly suggest going into this one cold. I’m usually pretty good at being in the ballpark of figuring things out but this one had me. But looking at the synopsis might have swayed me.

People around Elise keep dying. Her sister years ago. Her ex in the present. The police keep questioning her.

Elise is a haunted character. Along with her mother and brother, they are all still grieving her sister’s death. Each in their own way. This study in grief added to mystery.

I felt for Elise as she tries to move on and yet keeps getting drawn back in.

Every time I was sure I had it worked out, there was another death.

This atmospheric story drew me in from the start. I needed to know what was really happening.

Nicol Zanzarella did a great job voicing Elise and painting that atmospheric vibe.

Follow Her Down was my first book by Victoria Helen Stone, and she completely blew me away. This story was nothing short of amazing. Gripping, twisty and utterly unputdownable. It will definitely be one of the top thrillers of the year! It's definitely on my all time favorites list.

This is my first novel by this author and I really enjoyed the premise of this story.

I was on board with all of Kyle’s conspiracy theories which sounded quite plausible to me, and at one stage he had me suspecting each and every single person in the book. That’s why the ending was so utterly surprising!

We follow Elise as she tries to put her life back together after a traumatic experience years ago disrupted her family.

25 years ago, her sister Robin disappeared and a local boy confessed to killing her shortly before committing suicide.

Now, Elise rents mountain cabins near her home town and tries in vain to ignore all the conspiracy theories her brother Kyle still regularly puts forward about her sister's death...
...Until the body of her ex is found near the lake where her sister's killer claims to have disposed of the body.

It had some great suspense moments too!

Thanks @netgalley and @amazonpublishing for my ALC.

"Follow Her Down" is a gripping audiobook that blends suspense with a slow burn thriller, keeping listeners engaged and on the edge of their seats. With perfect pacing, it skillfully weaves a whodunit plot through dual past and present timelines, leaving breadcrumbs of clues throughout until the very end. Just when you think you have all the pieces figured out, the ending takes a sharp turn, leaving you stunned

The narration is fantastic, with great pacing and tone that held my attention, enhancing the overall plot and experience of the book. This is a must-listen for anyone who loves a suspenseful mystery with a twist. Make sure and add it to your summer reading list!

This was such a dark, intriguing plot, it was so unique. All of the characters had complicated family relationships that lead to entertaining mystery that will leave you wanting to fly through the book. So many twists and turns left for a shocking ending and left my mind wondering.

I went between reading and listening to the audiobook and both options were great but I am always a sucker for a good audio.

****Many thanks to Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse, Victoria Helen Stone, Brilliance Audio, and Amazon Publishing for the gifted copy.

I enjoyed this first person narrative and trying to solve two mysteries at the same time. This was a very entertaining read and I really liked the narrator.

Thank you so much to Brilliance Publishing Brilliance Audio and author Victoria Helen Stone for my advanced audio copy of this book. Everyone at Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse has been talking about this book and I see why! It definitely deserves the hype and I really enjoyed it!

When she was a child, Elise Rockwell’s sister, Robin, went missing. Robin’s body was never found, but she was ultimately determined to have been killed. A boy who knew Robin confessed, but questions remain regarding her disappearance. Without closure of who was behind her death, the Rockwell family has never been able to heal. Elise’s brother, Kyle, becomes a paranoid conspiracy theorist and their mother spends her life as an agoraphobic. Elise had reckless years of wild nights full of alcohol and regrets before deciding she needed to change her life. She takes over a cabin rental company and spends her days trying to live a normal life. But when her ex is found dead, not only does she become a suspect, but she soon learns that her ex has connections to her past, and potentially to Robin as well. If she can find out the connection, maybe she can finally know exactly what happened to Robin…

I loved Elise as a character! Described as “a foul mouthed local with all the morals of a stray cat,” she was a very strong female protagonist without being overbearing or pushy, and I loved her sense of humor. She was really someone to root for. I LOVED her interview at the end of the book where she discusses DV and how the ripple effect of this violence impacts hundreds of lives. This point was very, very well written and I greatly respect it.

Our narrator did a fabulous job on this story, with perfect pacing and tone. She kept my attention on the story the entire time! I did not see that ending coming, and my jaw dropped. It was definitely a bit of a cliffhanger and I’m wondering if there is a sequel coming up next.

When Elise Rockwood’s sister was murdered, it understandably shattered her entire family. Her mother’s anxiety kept them all in the house, while her brother Kyle saw conspiracies everywhere. Elise, however, numbed her grief in a lifestyle with no real path or direction. Now years later, she attempts to reinvent herself and purchases a lodge in the mountains close to home. But her brother refuses to let things go. He is convinced that there is more to their sister’s murder and that the confession from the alleged murder doesn’t quite add up. When her ex-boyfriend ends up dead, Elise finally begins to wonder herself.

I loved Victoria Helen Stone’s previous book, The Hook, so I was eager to read this one too and it did NOT disappoint! Deeply atmospheric, “Follow Her Down” is so much more than a mystery. It is also the story of flawed, relatable humans and how grief essentially follows them down (see what I did there?!) I really respected how Elise was trying to start over and rebuild her life after it had fallen apart so many years ago. Her stories as a groundskeeper of the lodge were entertaining (spoiler alert: the story pretty much starts with her cleaning up animal carcasses outside of the cabins - LOL!) The tension in this book kept me glued to its pages and as the mystery unraveled, there was one twist that I had predicted but that did not keep me from enjoying this book in the slightest!

”Follow Her Down” is another book we are loving over at The Pulse! Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Victoria Helen Stone for the beautiful autographed ARC! This story releases June 4, 2024 and this review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

This was a suspenseful, slow-burn thriller with a well-executed whodunnit plot. Told from the brilliantly limited perspective of Elise Rockwood, we get delicious breadcrumbs as the situation unravels. We also get her perspective of her brother and mother as they all struggle to come to terms with the murder of Elise's sister Robin. Things get even more complicated for Elise when her former lover is murdered and the police focus on her. I don't want to say more and spoil the book, but I highly recommend this book for fans of mystery and revenge thrillers. The narration on the audiobook was haunting and pulled me into the story.

I take great pride in my ability to figure out a mystery. I thought I had this ending figured out, but I was dead wrong. For that fact alone, I recommend this book. additionally, it had a gripping plot, the pace was perfect, and I was highly entertained the entire time. This was a great thriller, and I can't wait to read more from this author.

★ 5 Stars ★
I’ve been busy reading incredible thrillers since joining @thrillerbookloversthepulse. I feel guilty giving out so many 5-star ratings, but the books are totally worth it.

“Follow Her Down” is another twisted novel deserving of five stars. The ending alone is worth five stars. I was dumbstruck for a minute. There has to be a sequel. Tell me there’s more!!

I discovered the author when her "Jane Doe" series was recommended to me, and I keep meaning to read more of her books but haven't found the time. When I was offered an ARC of "Follow Her Down." it was an absolute YES without reading the blurb! I mean, who could turn down this stunning cover?

The story revolves around siblings Elise and Kyle, who were young when their older sister Robin was murdered. While Elise turned to alcohol and reckless behavior to deal with the trauma, Kyle started exploring conspiracy theories. Years later, Elise is settled down, but Kyle is still chasing his crazy ideas about Robin's death.

When a murder occurs in the area, it turns out the victim was an old flame of Elise's and at the center of one of Kyle's conspiracy theories. Just as Elise starts to believe he might be onto something, everything blows up. You've got to read this one to find out what wild twists Ms. Stone came up with!

I want to thank Lake Union Publishing, Brilliance Audio, and Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse for providing me with these ARCs through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#FollowHerDown #VictoriaHelenStone #ARC #NetGalley #BrillianceAudio #LakeUnionPublishing #pageturner #bookbuzz #bookalert #honestreview #thriller #bookreviewer #thrillerbooklovers #thepulse #pulsepoint #hottestthrillers #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerobsessedbookishclub #ReadersOfTheLateArc #TalkWordyToMeTeam #lovetoread #lovebooks #booknerd #bookstagrammer #booktoker #CapCut

𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻 was my first read by this author and I found it to definitely be a slow burn, but towards the end it picked up the pace. There were multiple possibilities on who the suspect could have been, and I really didn’t the ending twist. 🤯 I do wish there would have been more on the murder of her sister, but it wasn’t a big issue. I listened to this one on audio and thought the narrator did a fantastic job. I’ll certainly read more from this author.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse for my advanced audiobook. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻 will be published 6/4.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BrillancePublishing and #ThrillerBookLoversPromotions for the book #FollowHerDown by #VictoriaHelenStone. This book is about a sister that was murdered decades ago and now her ex is murdered. It made me crazy as I read through wanting to know who was behind it all. I highly recommend this thriller and its crazy plot twist.