This was so cute. I loved it. The characters, world building and story telling were great. It kept me interested and involved.

Amy survived a tragedy as a teenager - now an FBI agent, she has the opportunity to meet with a small group of other people who were involved in the case decades ago, including the mother of the prime suspect, a police detective, and the brother of one of the victims. Located in a remote location, the guests soon realize that some one is hiding something as people are murdered one-by-one. A locked-room mystery with an added element of solving two mysteries, this story was an entertaining read, but hard for me to connect with.

This was a wild ride and I knew that no good was going to come of this reunion! And I was right! But at least the "bad guy" was out and they lived to tell the tale! This was my 1st book by Stacie Gray but will not be my last!

#SheLeft
#NetGalley

Thanks to Dreamscape & NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great premise bogged down under somewhat boring execution. Amy Brewer walked home after leaving a party of "friends" (mostly frenemies plus one guy she liked) after an evening of emotional abuse and cattiness, arriving home only to find that everyone there was murdered not long after she left. The crime was partially solved, but there have been rumors that the guy who confessed had an accomplice who was pulling his strings, while he was just the bomb expert (there was an explosive device detonated, then the surviving teenagers were stabbed to death).

Now Amy, now going by Therese to distance herself from the crime, is back in her hometown after being invited to a get-together of people affiliated with the event, ostensibly organized by a local reporter who wants to revisit the story for the 20th anniversary. Don't trouble yourself wondering why someone who moved out of state and changed her name after this crime was willing to go back and draw attention to her role in it - it happened and here we are. It becomes obvious that the reporter is not actually the person who invited them after they are drugged via their food, and wake up in their (locked) rooms to discover that their phones and keys are gone. Like I said, great premise.

The problem? Too many characters, and it's difficult to keep them straight. Their relation to the crime is a bit of a stretch, and we go through reveal after reveal (and death after death) of the players while we try to figure out who's picking them off one by one. This is fine, but it just takes SO LONG. The middle of the book is bogged down in this stuff that moves the plot forward very slowly. Therese is now an FBI agent and she attempts to take charge, but the others in the group are aggressively unpleasant and forceful and she just ...backs down? And of course there is a storm and the Airbnb is not structurally sound, and begins to fall to pieces while they're in it trying not to die.

The voice acting is fine, and I had no trouble telling one character from another. I think the author just tried to cram too much into one story and it got overloaded and bloated. The bones are there, and I'd be interested to see what she does next. Therese is not a super dynamic character, though, and I would've liked more about her and less about the other characters.

Three stars

This story reminded me so much of Christie's And Then There Were None and Clue/Knives Out. It's a whodunnit story where characters are picked off one-by-one until ultimately we learn who murderer is. While I liked the story, I found it extremely predictable. I was sure I knew the culprit after the first few chapters and turned out being correct. I didn't really care much for the voice acting. The actor's voice was monotone and hard to focus on. I didn't feel engaged and often had to re-listen because I stopped paying attention.

I loved this mystery thriller!! This is my first time reading work by this author and I will definitely have to keep on a look out for future books! This book was full of mystery, suspense and amazing atmospheric vibes. If you are a fan of “whodoneits” this will be a great next read!! I loved that when I thought I knew what was going to happen next was totally different from what I was expecting!!

Twenty years ago Amy left a house party early…and it was the best decision she ever made, but it’s also a decision that has haunted her ever since. You see after she left everyone in the house was murdered. Now twenty years later a small group has been invited to a remote retreat under the belief that a magazine is doing a story on the horrible event. The truth is the hunt for the killer is still on…and someone at the retreat just might be the long sought killer.

I’ve always enjoyed locked room mysteries, or in this case a locked location mystery. This one features a solid cast of characters, and excellent setting. While I had a few minor issues with the story, overall it’s well plotted and maintains a solid pacing. Linda Jones delivers a solid performance and was a pleasure to listen to. I’d like to thank Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review an advanced audio copy of She Left by Stacie Grey.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2KCV9HCR9HVE6/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Suspenseful and fast paced with "I Know What You Did Last Summer" vibes. This audiobook is well-narrated and kept me guessing whodunit.

Absolutely loved this book! Would definitely recommend to others! I didn't expect the turns that it took!

3.5/5 Stars! Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook of She Left by Stacie Grey narrated by Linda Jones.

First off, the narrator did a great job narrating this story and playing the voices of the different characters. This is my first book by this author and she delivered! This is a mystery of "whodunit" and it was entertaining. It was a pretty quick listen for me and got me hooked from the beginning. The way that the different characters bantered each other was quite entertaining and what do you sort of expect when you have some past history with each other? However, the plot wasn't as twisted as I had hoped it would've been and was just okay for me. Granted...I have been on a roll with listening to thrillers and mystery back to back so this may be a sign for me to take a break and return to this one. I'd be intrigued to read/listen to this author's other books when available.

I enjoyed this read. I never really felt like I had it figured out, and was constantly changing my guess as to “whodunit”. I truly suspected everyone. I enjoyed hearing multiple POVs. It added to the suspense, in my opinion.

3.5 stars - I really enjoyed the plot of this, as it is a classic isolated closed circle mystery premise. Lured to an isolated spot and then victims get got one by one. However, I felt that the character and description work was rather flat, so it read a bit like a novelization of movie rather than a story in its own right

This locked room mystery that weaves the past and present was thoroughly entertaining.

Twenty years ago a tragedy that has been named The Memorial Day Massacre occurred which ended with a group of teens murdered. While someone was convicted for the crime there are still many questions and many things that do not quite add up. Amy Brewer was the only person that was there but got lucky after she left the party due to an argument and was unharmed. She's done her best to put the tragedy behind her. However, when she's invited for an interview by a reputable journalist that's doing a story on the murders she's ready to share her story. Amy and nine others connected to the crime head to a remote cabin and while there they realize there's more to their invitation there than an interview. People start dying and a storm leaves them stranded. Now they have to figure out how to get away and who is desperate enough to kill people to keep secrets about that night.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. It was a quick listen and between the writing and the narration my attention was locked in. There's quite an array of different characters and the narrator did a great job of really making you experience each character. The annoying ones were really annoying, the rude ones I couldn't stand, and I was really rooting for the smart and kind seeming ones. The different characters and the way they interacted with each other didn't leave a dull moment in the book. Each character is suspicious of the others while also trying to cast suspicion away from themselves.

The location is perfect. It gives you enough of a foreboding without being completely shocked that anyone would choose to go to the location with people they don't know (though I still don't think I would). The weather adds the perfect touch that makes an already stressful situation downright terrifying. While I enjoyed the character, the setting, and the story as a whole I did find the ending a bit flat. There was something about it that just wasn't quite satisfying but I can't put my finger on it. I was still left with suspicions I guess.

Highly recommend this thriller!

I loved the atmosphere of the locked room mystery with a large cast of characters trapped at a secluded estate with a murderer in their midst. The concept of the characters barely knowing each other, and being drawn together under false pretenses, was amazing for the plot since they can't trust each other. The main character Amy, a special agent and survivor of The Memorial Day Massacre, is an intriguing and sharp investigator, and I really enjoyed her POV. Fans of slower-burn locked room mysteries and thrillers will really enjoy this one.

I always enjoy a good thriller book based in a secluded area with no contact to the outside world. I love the suspense and tension of this type of trope so I was immediately drawn to read She Left.

The story was decent. Five teenagers were murdered years ago in what was called The Memorial Day Massacre. The motive and the killer have yet to be found. With the upcoming anniversary of the massacre, a group of people are invited by a journalist to a remote cliffside home under the impression they will be interviewed.

Upon arrival, the journalist is no where to be found. There is no extra bedroom even if there was a journalist around. Who invited them and why? When a storm rolls in (of course it does!) things start to get tense and guests are suddenly suspiciously dying. Everyone is a suspect.

The story had a Clue vibe with people throwing accusations around. The downside of the story for me was the lack of emotion with people dying, or even more so, the lack of being scared. Despite the fact Therese (known as Amy in high school) is an FBI Agent, she seems not overly concerned about a killer on the loose and her idea of preserving evidence is to just leave it alone.

I did enjoy the past and present context of the story but it did take me a long time to get all the characters straight. There are a lot of them.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of She Left thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Dreamscape Media. The narrator Linda Jones does a fantastic job.

This was a fun locked-in mystery. The suspense and characters fell a little flat for me but it was still an enjoyable read.

SHE LEFT is two thriller tropes in one, and while it isn't neat as a pin, it's a super fun thriller with some terribly creepy elements!

When Amy is bullied by her friends at a teenage getaway Junior year, she storms out of the cabin on a rainy night in a huff. Minutes later, her five friends would all be brutally murdered in what would become known as the Memorial Day Massacre, tearing apart the town she grew up in. Now twenty years on, she goes by Therese, works for the FBI, and has put her past behind her, until a chance to clear her family's name comes up. Therese takes a trip back near home to another cottage getaway, this time full of others who have ties to the Memorial Day Massacre. And then they start to die one by one...

A mix of a (kinda?) final girl story and a direct reference to AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, SHE LEFT is as purely entertaining as slasher novels can get. Pack in a room a cast of curmudgeonly, sassy, suave, terrible people. Take away their phones. Watch them lose their minds. Because author Stacie Grey roots her novel in a singular murder to kickoff her locked-room-mystery, there's a lot of characters and set-up she has to do, and the balance between the Memorial Day Massacre storyline and the present day killings teeters. But there's so much to enjoy in this one - The lush, wooded terrain and the fragile house that holds the group hostage. The insanity of some of these characters -- Wendy, with her vanity and over the top theatrics... Lorelai, the ever-so-wise ex-homeless woman, and Joseph, the queer voice of reason in a house of crazies - will always live on in my mind. And then there's the Massacre storyline itself, which truly is quite gruesome and electrifying to learn more about. When you understand who is involved in who's murder and why, you do get quite the sense of dread for the characters in this tale. Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this thriller amidst a few I didn't quite love, and I recommend you take this one on your next trip!

The premise of this book was fantastic, Therese was an easy heroine to root for. I loved the suspense building and the cast of characters, each with compelling motives for being a murderer.

I felt we could have seen a bit more depth from Therese, I loved hearing about her youth as a sports star, her reasoning for joining the mean clique, etc. but I felt I could have gotten to know her as an adult more. I really enjoyed getting different POVs from other characters, and wish there had been a bit more of that to flesh out the suspects even further and draw things out. Overall, a great read! I hope we see more of Therese, I feel like she would be a great character for a series.

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

She Left is a slow burn in the first half, while Stacie Gray introduces the characters and sets the scene, but, once she's laid the groundwork, the pace picks up as characters are slowly picked off in this locked-room mystery. Set in a remote location and cut off from all communication (what kind of a thriller would it be if they weren't), is my favorite setting. Add in the requisite red herrings, and I had each of the characters pegged as the villain before all is revealed in the end (which I did not guess). All in all, this is a strong debut, and I will be anxiously awaiting Stacie Grey's next book!

What happens when a group of people tied to a mass murder that happened years ago are lured to a remote cabin in the mountains during a nasty storm, and there’s a killer among them? Chaos and one disaster after another! I absolutely love a locked room murder situation and REALLY love a remote cabin twist. She Left was twisty and full of suspense. My stress level while listening to this audiobook was through the roof, which in my world is high praise! This is an excellent book to read or listen to on a stormy day when you’re stuck inside. I recommend the audiobook, the narrator did an excellent job voicing the characters!