I'm still not really sure what I think of this one. It was interesting and I did enjoy parts of it but I'm not sure on some parts. Overall an interesting read

The plot follows two women whose lives intersect and offers multiple points of view and timeline crossovers through alternate chapters. Abigail has moved to Soap Lake in support of her husband. She is left alone when he is away traveling for work, and out of boredom, she begins to explore, leading her to find a mysterious young boy running through the desert. She is intrigued enough to investigate the history and secrets of this unusual town. Esme is a Soap Lake local who is interested in the legend of Treetop. She intends to leave the town, but events lead to her return. The book contains elements of mystery, conspiracy, legends, and a paranormal aspect. It is not within the usual genre but provides lots of intrigue.

Just when I thought I knew who did it, I discovered how many layers Treetop had. I enjoyed learning about the real Soap Lake region and Lava Lamp. Treetop is truely creepy because he has been around for years and may continue to be (sequel?)
Superb writing kept me engaged and loved the character of Sophia trying to stay clean, get a job, provide for herself. And then take over for Preston's investigations.

Midnight in soap lake is a mix of mystery and small town secrets. Abigail is the main character who is married to Eli, they both recently moved to soap lake so Eli could study the lake. Abigail make it her mission to find out what’s really going on in soap lake. I wish the author would have separated the chapters out by saying present and past in the titles to help keep time straight, and I also feel that there was some unneeded fluff in here where the book could have been made a bit shorter

Pros:
• Unique setting
• Engaging mystery with unexpected turns
• Well-developed characters.

Cons:
• A slow start that requires patience.
• Some plot points feel unresolved

I’m happy today to be bringing you this novel; it was an engaging read by a new author to me. It was part mystery that is current day, but with tie-ins to the past that were integral to the plot and the over all mystery of the lake. There were family secrets, murder, missing children, and a lake that held secrets of its own. I really liked the characters in this story and the overall “quirkiness” of the setting (though based on a real place – lava lamp plans and all!). Don’t miss the author’s note at the end.

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for the opportunity to read and review Midnight in Soap Lake by Matthew Sullivan. All opinions are my own.

Welcome to Soap Lake, a body of water with lots of healing stories and a small town holding on by a nail to survive. Our main character in the current timeline is Abigail and she has moved to this small town with her husband who is a scientist that will study the properties of the lake. Early upon arriving to Soap Lake her husband must travel to Poland for 6 months to pursue another study of lake water, leaving Abigail alone. During his absence Abigail learns more about Soap Lake than she probably bargained for. The second main character is Esme, born and raised in Soap Lake, and we follow most of her life from a timeline in the past. Eventually circumstances bring the two timelines together. Not to mention we add in a folklore story about TreeTop that is just creepy.

I really liked this book. Very unique storytelling. I don't think I have read anything like it in the past. For some reason I totally got Twin Peaks kind of vibes. The two main characters are likeable and smart. This cast has many characters to follow, but it was not overwhelming in any way. The book cover is great and upon reading the story everything on the cover makes so much sense now. I enjoyed going back in forth in time as the author tends to answer any questions you may and gives you more clues as to how this story is going to end. Again, I really liked this one. If you like mysteries with some weirdness attached to it, this one might be for you. Midnight in Soap Lake is now available at all major retailers to purchase. Happy Reading!!

rounding down from 4.3 stars

When I started this book I expected an Erin Brockavich type scenario mixed with a Slenderman type lore.

This was so much more! There was murder, local lore, corruption, mystery, and serious character growth.

At times you are left wondering if you are just looking for conspiracies that don't exist or if you're actually onto something.

This was quite different from other suspense novels I've read. it kept me intrigued and I'm anxious to read another book by Matthew J. Sullivan

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Welcome to Soap Lake. A town to rival Twin Peaks and Stephen King's Castle Rock.

This is a really unique story with quirky characters, a mysterious lake, and a mystery to solve. I really liked the use of dual times to tell this story! I definitely connected with Esme and Abigail. I recommend going into this one blind and avoiding spoilers. This isn’t one of those books where everything will be perfectly be tied up at the end…but if you like a little extra mystery in your life, I would give this a read!

✨What to Expect:
🏡Small Town
🌊Lake With Mysterious Properties
🔍Mystery
⁉️Thriller Vibes
⏰Dual Timelines
🔪Urban Legends
🧩Puzzle Hunt Scenarios
💖Quirky Characters

I definitely love the quirky small town and the inclusion of elusive urban legends. It definitely helped move the story especially when the plot got slow. It was paced well most of the time but there were some times that dragged with the characters. That could have been a me thing, but I didn’t feel overly attached to the characters. I did love the relatability of the monotonous vibe of the small town until it was upended by tragedy. It was a slower thriller read for me, but I still enjoyed it. Plus the cover is absolutely too notch for me. I love the randomness of it and that’s what drew me in.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

3.5 stars. This started out as a really interesting premise but ended up a little confusing and long. It was hard to understand the motivations of any of the characters - particularly Abigail. But it was well written and an interesting story. I loved Matthew J. Sullivan's last book but this one didn't pull me in in the same way. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

3.5 stars - overall I liked this book. I liked the different POVs and timelines intersecting. I was scared of Treetop!! Initially I was drawn to the cover because I was curious what this would be about, but putting treetop on the cover would sell as horror!! There was a lot of scientific jargon about the lake that I didn’t really understand.

A really interesting mystery/thrilling that had me questioning everything. The eerie atmosphere, the creepy town, the juxtaposition of the desert and the lake, the third person point of views, and the multiple time periods created an immersive and unforgettable read. I thought it was extremely well written but at times a bit slow. I also wanted a bit more at the end to wrap everything up, I felt I had to work just a little too hard to understand it all. But once I did, I was really impressed and I would definitely recommend this to fans of the mystery genre!

Thriller / Mysteries are not my usual go to read, but I couldn’t help but find myself sucked into this one as it progressed. I remember being at the last maybe 10% and telling my husband to wait on dinner because I need to find out who the murderer was.

I really don’t know the best way to put my thoughts together on this one. Jumping back and forth from the perspective of two women as the course of events unfold, this story tells the tale of a Soap Lake and the urban legends that surround it. But as we all know, urban legends are sometimes steeped in truth.

Vibes: Eerie
Murder: Lots
Mystery Solved: Sort of
Characters: Interesting enough

It ends sort of opened. We don’t know how the future is going to look for Soap Lake or if history will repeat itself.

This book was so interesting and had a creepiness that lasted through the whole book. I could feel the dread in the pages as Abigail was left alone (her first encounter seeing Treetop was creepy!). The book had a lot of mysterious things happening and the town itself was a character much like my favorite show Twin Peaks. I can see how this book is similar in a lot of ways. I actually didn’t mind that the book ended with some things left unresolved. I enjoy an open ended ending to where I can continue to think on the book and discover for myself the answers I think are correct and not be spoon fed everything. This was enjoyable and can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.

This moves back and forth in time and between Abagail (in the present) and Esme (in the past) to tell the story of a creepy town and its secrets. While this wasn't for me (I got a bit confused), I'm certain that others will appreciate the worldbuilding and characters. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Over to others.

The description of this book compares the setting to Twin Peaks or to Stephen King's Castle Rock. I think the Twin Peaks comparison is especially accurate. The story in this unique book unfolds through a dual timeline and alternates points-of-view between two young women living in the small town of Soap Lake, Washington. Esme grew up in the town, but flees suddenly, only to return with a small child that nobody in her family knew she had. That boy, George, connects her with Abigail, who moved to Soap Lake with her husband, a scientist who is studying the unique properties of the lake. 

Abigail wants to learn more about Esme and some of the strange happenings in the town, including the urban legend of TreeTop, who stalks the town from the apple orchards. I enjoyed the character of Abigail as she digs for information and finds new purpose in her life, separate from her husband. Her connection with little George is touching and I liked her friendship with George's uncle, Daniel. I couldn't really connect with most of the other characters who range from evil to quirky to dull. However, the book is very engaging, and I was invested to find out the reasons behind the curious events, including some deaths, in the town and the lake itself. The book's ending was a bit more ambiguous than I prefer, but I am glad I read this book by new-to-me author, Sullivan.

I received an advance copy of this book from Harlequin Trade Publishing and The Hive for review consideration. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

I really had a hard time getting into this book. It goes back and forth between two characters and I found that confusing at times. I do think the book was well written. However it was just a little too long and drawn out. I’m sure others will enjoy it but it just wasn’t for me.

I was excited to read this book because the premise sounded really intriguing, and I really liked the cover. This was my first time reading anything by this author, and I did enjoy his writing. The beginning of this book was really interesting, and I was curious about the mysteries in the town.

The story is told in two timelines. In the present, we follow the main character as she moves to a small town with her husband. The past timeline follows a girl who grew up in the same town.

This is mainly a mystery with some fantastical elements; there’s a mysterious figure known as TreeTop and a lake believed to have healing powers. I liked the strange vibes of the book, but I felt like the story was a little too long and drawn out. As it went on, I started to lose interest. The ending was okay, but a little underwhelming.

This is a very intriguing story about a small eastern Washington state town that borders the desert. The lake that the town surrounds is an ecological wealth of information is you are the right scientist. There are many strange happenings in the small town. A young, newly married couple, Eli and Abigail, move to this little town. Eli is there as a scientist with a grant to discover the secrets of the lake. Abigail is left to her own devices and tends to walk the outskirts of town. She doesn't know what to do with herself. Eli is called away for a few months to Europe to help with another project. Abigail is then thrust into the mysteries of Soap Lake when a young child comes running to her out of the desert.

This is such a well written story. The characters are all well developed. I really enjoyed it.

This book ended up giving me many mixed feelings by the time I finished reading it. The synopsis had me intrigued when I first read it. I loved the odd town, the buried secrets, and the overall mysterious vibes. While there was so much potential for the story, I did feel like it didn’t live up to expectations. Even after finishing the book, I felt like we didn’t get a clear explanation for the reasoning for what happened. There was a superficial answer for some things as characters slowly put puzzle pieces together, but not a solid answer for the murders and everything surrounding the TreeTop lore. I mostly enjoyed the read, just was disappointed to be left hanging with many questions.