I thought the story itself was interesting but the timeline made it hard to follow with all the different timelines and jumping around. I also felt it was kind of slow at first but did get more interesting and faster paced near the end. I really think I would’ve enjoyed it more with less timeline jumps and POVs.

Raw, riveting, and deeply human, this thriller cuts to the bone.
Mel and Chloe aren't just survivors of a buried crime, they're bound by it. What begins as a hunt for a missing girl spirals into a reckoning with love, guilt, and the ghosts that refuse to stay buried. The tension crackles, the pacing is razor-sharp, and the emotional stakes never let up. This is more than a murder mystery, it's a story about the weight of secrets and the lengths we go to protect the ones we love. Unforgettable.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

**thank you to NetGalley and FSG for the e-arc

I fw the thriller aspects of this story so much, I didn't even mind the romance (give it up for Tess bringing back that YEARNING that everyone has been... well... yearning for).
There were a few minimal plot points, and a few names I would have changed for clarity (I confused Chloe for Claire in the first quarter of the book, and reread the same 3 pages SO many times trying to make sense of it), but the plot had me hooked early on, and the villains were just classically 'bad' enough to add a sense of comedic relief without being over the top. I was grateful the twists didn't require me to fully stop to suspend my disbelief (though there was certainly foreshadowing).
I also took off a star because the ending just seemed TOO perfect with a cherry on top. If Chloe's dad had jumped up from his deathbed claiming to feel fine in the final pages, I wouldn't have been shocked.
3.5 stars

This book was...strange. Good character work, and a pretty fast-paced plot, but the whole thing relied on some logical leaps right out the gate that I'm just not sure I could buy? Like, Chloe, a rich teenager, goes on the run and successfully stays in hiding for six years by, I guess, just becoming a survivalist and learning to build traps and going underground in a way that I just found so spectacularly hard to believe in the good year 2025.

The other main character, Mel, manages to be equally hard-boiled but at least I believed it a bit more due to her difficult childhood. But both of them read more like 40somethings who grew up in an apocalyptic wasteland than 24 year olds from contemporary suburbia.

There was so much going on but it seemed like some of the really important parts got kind of skimmed over (Did we ever see exactly how the initial murder happened? I also completely missed how the plane got sabotaged), and then when we got to the final big confrontation it all shook out a little anticlimactically. Some really interesting concepts here but I don't know, man. It felt like watching a weird 1990s Canadian TV series. Good ingredients, strange choices of what to do with them.

This was a great book!! It was fast-paced enough that I read much of it in one sitting, but still had enough tension and build-up that when the girls first kissed the book might as well have burst into flames.
I really loved the setting as well- as someone from the American South, I could really see (and hear) all those old men’s voices and the arrogance that comes along with it.
All in all, I would absolutely read this book again when it comes out, as well as recommend it to anyone who loves ‘Outer Banks’ if it was a little gayer and ‘Drive Away Dolls’ if it took itself more seriously.

A well-written thriller with a main character who is smart, tough, and determined. Mel is young to have her own PI business, but she's using her common sense and her intelligence to make a difference in others' lives. She has some unfinished business in her hometown, so she decides now is the time to clear everything. Mel and her friend, Chloe, were responsible for the death and burial of a young man who thought the world owed him. Chloe left town soon after and has not been seen since. Mel is going to find her. This is the backstory that takes the women into a run-for-their-lives situation in the Cascade Mountains. Tess Sharpe has penned a fast-paced thriller that kept me flipping pages quickly to keep up. I enjoyed the book so much, I'm off to research Sharpe's back library to see what I've missed.

a rapid-fire thriller that i finished in a sitting!

i'm a fan of tess sharpe's works; i enjoyed her ya thriller duology and when i saw that she was putting out an adult thriller, i was excited (also the title is a taylor swift song that i'm a fan of). when i received the arc, i sat down right then and there and finished the book in one sitting; it hooked me from the jump.

this book follows mel and chloe, two women who were brought together over a deadly secret, as they try to survive amidst a dangerous family hunting chloe. the book jumps between timelines, fleshing out who mel and chloe are before the deadly secret, and the consequences that arise from it. i thought the dual timelines helped the book, as we're shown, not told, what mel and chloe went through in the past, and the dual povs also really help give the reader a sense of who both of them are. the secondary plot line with mel's best friend/chloe's ex friend is interesting, but i felt that the side characters were only a bit lacking (the mcs and the villains were thought out well).

a exciting thriller that i had fun with and would definitely recommend if you've read sharpe's previous thrillers, and are looking for a more adult story.

thanks to netgalley and farrar for the arc!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Tess Sharpe continues with her strong ability to write crime narratives that have a lot of heart and strong character development. Crime narratives are not something I typically like but I really enjoy Sharpe's writing. On top of that, majority of her stories also include sapphic romance and this is a space it's rarely included. Not only do I appreciate the thriller aspects but she also writes damn good romance.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I would say I enjoyed the first half more than the second half. The first half was a lot of mystery, character build up, secret backstories and angst between the characters, family and past. This really pulled me into the story and I didn't want to put it down. The second half was still enjoyable, however, toward the end I felt like we lost the plot a bit. The ending wrap up of the thriller aspect got a bit too tangled and convoluted for my taste. I felt many times that we could wrap up the mystery aspect and call it a day but it just kept unraveling.

This story is a bit "I know what you did last summer," which is a film I personally love. It combines elements from the past, we go back and forth in time as we get to know our two main characters and what lead them to such a stressful situation. Even though there are parts I didn't love I would still highly recommend this novel. I feel like Tess Sharpe as an author is underrated and hope more people will give her work a chance.

This was so fun to read! I was gripped from the start. It’s a great combination of thriller/mystery with a little romance and a lot of evil rich nonsense to untangle. Even though I was a little thrown off by the 4 narrators to start with, in the end, I thought each one brought a valuable POV. Shout out to the MVP of the story (Most Valuable Peacock) Doris, for being a delight.

4 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A really promising first foray into adult fiction from Tess Sharpe, I must admit I'm not a huge thriller fan but I did still enjoy this! It checks a lot of the boxes of a typical thriller but it's better because it's sapphic. I liked it more than her 'Girls I've Been' books but 6 Times We Almost Kissed [and One Time We Did] reigns supreme.

At points the plot felt slightly convoluted but it wasn't so bad that it damaged the story to any significant degree.

Also has a pretty good second chance romance though I would have loved to see a little more of the romance, perhaps even a little spice (which is usually pretty present in these types of hetero thriller/action books).

It honestly would make a pretty good movie.

That's all I have to say really.

Thank you to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an arc in exchange for an honest review

"This is why you were so weird the last two years of high school? It wasn't because you like girls, it was because you murdered a boy with the girl you liked?"


Writing

The writing was gripping, and no matter if I suspected the twists, I was still gasped when they were revealed. If I hadn't been in a reading slump, I would have rushed through this in the matter of hours. All the characters voices felt distinctly different to each other.

Might be controversial, but the Dicks' POVs were the most fun, just because of how silly they were. Despite being on a serious topic. But come on, this man has personal beef with a fucking peacock! Particularly in these moments, the writing reminded me a lot of Maggie Stiefvater's in the Raven Cycle.

It is written in a non-linear timeline, sometimes jumping as far as six years into the past, sometimes only a few hours or even minutes. Considering how that is a difficult thing to accomplish, it was handled BEAUTIFULLY.


Characters

It was fascinating to see the way Mel and Chloe evolved over six years, yet all their steps seemed natural and logical to me. I was constantly rooting for their relationship, and all their "fights" were reasonable considering their setting.

Gigi and Whitney were at times difficult to differentiate, but particularly the revelation that Whitney was still alive was done beautifully. I had my suspicions, but seeing them proven right? Oh, so satisfying!

This is my first Tess Sharpe novel. Was quite an action packed book with lots of action, sarcasm & heat. An enjoyable read

Tess Sharpe is a must-read author for me and this book doesn't disappoint. A sapphic thriller with two strong queer leads, an interesting cast of side characters, engaging twists and action sequences, all with a delicious mix of humor and angst.
PI Mel is tasked with tracking down her ex-girlfriend, Chloe, who disappeared six years ago and with whom she shares a bloody secret. But it turns out finding Chloe is the easiest part. Dropped into a feud with a powerful family, Mel and Chloe reconnect as Mel unravels what sent Chloe running in the first place.

What worked for me:
-time jumps between Mel and Chloe's past actions and present adventure, which helped slowly unravel the mystery
-the twins and their relationships with Mel and Chloe
-vicious peacocks
-flawed but strong FMCs
-unusual villains with a nice balance of realism and humor

What didn't work for me:
-multi-POV occasionally confusing, particularly on a certain character's reveal
-suspension of disbelief in survival skills
-ending wrapped up a bit too easily

All in all, this was an excellent read and I certainly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time with this book because while the characters were strong and I was invested in the relationships there were parts of the plot that really took me out of the moment while reading, particularly the plot line with the peacocks.

That being said I enjoyed the writing style of Tess Sharpe and the pacing was immaculate creating a story reminiscent of a movie.

I really enjoyed this book!
A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
They are realistic and very well developed.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself hooked, turning the pages.

In *No Body No Crime*, Tess Sharpe delivers a pulse-pounding thriller that masterfully blends gritty noir with a haunting love story. At its center is Mel Tillman, a rural private investigator whose past is littered with secrets, chief among them a murder she committed as a teenager with her best friend—and first love—Chloe Harper. Sharpe’s skill lies in how she slowly unspools this past, anchoring the novel in Mel’s guilt, longing, and fierce sense of justice. When Chloe resurfaces after years off the grid, the narrative explodes into high-stakes suspense, plunging readers into a deadly cat-and-mouse game that’s as emotionally resonant as it is action-packed.

Sharpe’s storytelling is razor-sharp, weaving themes of trauma, love, and loyalty into a taut mystery that refuses to let go. The chemistry between Mel and Chloe crackles with unresolved tension, and their shared history adds a layer of emotional depth rarely found in thrillers. As the pair confronts the powerful family hunting them, long-buried truths are exhumed with devastating impact. *No Body No Crime* is both a gripping page-turner and a poignant exploration of what it means to survive, to protect, and to love against all odds.

I was very excited going into this - the cover is absolutely stunning - and I'm sad to say that I came out just feeling kind of meh. I have no idea why I was not more into this than I expected to be, it feels right up my alley and it's well-crafted, but it just wasn't hitting for me :(

The pros: The strongest part of this book are the characters and their bonds. The emotional throughline with Mel and Chloe (and by extension, Nat and Gigi and Whitney) was so incredibly rich. These people who's lives were intertwined so unexpectedly become such wonderful friends and family, and it's great to watch. The strength of the characters and their bonds extends to the villains, too - the Newells are a rich tapestry of toxicity and hatred and bizarre loyalty, and it's truly fascinating to read and see how they interact. The plot is also super intriguing. I guessed a couple things, but others took me totally by surprise. I don't want to spoil any of it, but I do think it was really good!!

The cons: So after all that. Why am I only at three stars. I also would like to know, lmao. I've come to think that a large part of why I didn't like this more was that it took me a shockingly long time to get invested in it. First two chapters I was there, I was in it, and then after that, I was kind of floundering for a while. I'm pretty sure it's because of how the story is structured - we jump back and forth between Mel and Chloe (and others) in the present, and Mel and Chloe eight years prior, when they first met (and killed a guy and hid his body). Because we're thrown right into it in both timelines, it's super hooking!! ...But then we take a while before we get back to that. I really liked getting to know these characters, but I think it just slowed down too much for me. Plus, I think that Chloe shouldn't have been a POV character, at least for the beginning bit of this book, because we get so little from her perspective. She tells Mel nothing and she tells the reader nothing. It takes until almost halfway through this book for us to even start to understand why all of this is happening, and Chloe certainly contributes to that. And despite how good the plot is, it's not airtight, and the issues that come up with it are big enough to be irritating. Chloe says she couldn't remember the color of a car, but is somehow able to track down it's driver anyway. The timeline of things that happen between Mel taking the case and finding Chloe is confusing at best. Why was [spoiler] back in town to meet up and how long had she been there. So on, just a handful of little things that bugged me. Also, this is super a me thing, but I wanted to see where the body was buried.

Overall, I liked the story, it was just difficult to get into, I think because of how it was structured. But it wasn't bad! I'd recommend giving it a shot if you're into this genre.

This murderous suspense sapphic story follows Chloe and Mel as they deal with the repercussions of an experience that altered the course of both their lives. Even though Mel was always on Chloe’s radar as the girl who hangs out in the park where she runs, she never really thought twice about her until the night where they were both forced to commit murder. Toby Dunne had been terrorizing both Mel and Chloe in very different ways, but that shared hatred is what brought the three of them together on the night of Chloe’s sweet sixteen and ended with Toby buried where no one would ever find him.

It was also what began Chloe and Mel’s secret love for each other. Even though Chloe comes from a rich family who doesn’t know she’s queer, and Mel lives in a trailer park with an abusive father, they both have a special bond that neither can deny. Which makes it all the harder when Chloe suddenly up and disappears without a trace, leaving Mel to pick up the pieces of both her heartbreak and everyone Chloe left behind. Now that six years have passed, and Mel has become a prominent PI, her closest mentor and boss, tasks her with finding Chloe as her dying wish. Unable to resist the chase and finding the answers she has longed for the past six years, Mel is finally able to track Chloe down in the Canadian wilderness.

When Mel is able to confront Chloe about what happened all those years ago and why she is still living off the grid, she doesn’t expect to find out that the body they buried so long ago is coming back to haunt them. Apparently, when they buried Toby’s body, they didn’t know that he had in fact stolen something extremely valuable from a very powerful family. So now, that family is after Chloe in the hopes that she can help them retrieve what was taken from them. Little do they know that Chloe is not the right girl they need…

I really really loved Mel and was definitely rooting for her from the start. Having to deal with an abusive father, basically fend for yourself, and balance school and taking care of her older brother is no small task. I loved her resilience and the fact that the rich girl ends up falling for the tough poor girl gets me every time. Working her way to becoming a PI and learning how to use her intelligence and unique skill set was super badass and very admirable, given her upbringing. Given her rough around the edges personality, I loved how Chloe was able to bring out her softer and quirkier side and how adorable their banter was. Chloe took a little longer to get behind, I think because she was the one who contained all the information and secrets, and once they were all (slowly) revealed, you truly begin to sympathize and understand her reasoning for doing the things she did. I just melted knowing that for six years they both still longed for each other and were able to eventually find their way back to one another. I especially love that Chloe was so good with a bow and arrow and how she was able to teach herself how to survive out in the wild completely on her own.

The chemistry between the two was so so good. While the story did a great job of balancing plot and romance, I greedily wanted so much more romance or at least some explicit sex scene details, which I was disappointed about. But at the same time I understand it is not a romance story. Either way, I enjoyed the story so much more when Chloe and Mel were together and I just loved seeing how well they complimented each other and still took care of each other even when they were mad or didn’t like what the other person was doing or withholding. Though it would have been nice if they had taken a chapter to truly rekindle their feelings and actually talk about how they both felt and those six years without each other actually felt like. My only complaint is that I wish we had gotten more details about when they started dating in high school and more than just a glimpse of how they had to always sneak their time together in the archery field. That way it would feel more romantic rather than bonded through trauma.

As for side characters, I definitely loved the twins. Gigi especially had such an intense and loving personality and how she never gave up on her sister. The villains (or bag of Dicks lol) were definitely not your typical villains. The amount of tension and danger that Chloe and Mel were in, did not match with the way you would expect from a powerful family. Yes it would have been more believable with slightly more fear, higher stakes, and better organization, but I also couldn’t help but love how disastrous and comical they were. Special shout out to Doris and her flock of loyal peacocks! You don’t normally get to see inside the head of the villain so it was a nice change to have Rick get his own chapter to balance out the dual narrative between Chloe and Mel. The slow reveal of information was agonizing, but made the final reveal all the better. A few of the plot twists were definitely unexpected, but I did find myself correctly anticipating what was going to happen most of the time. And while I liked the ending, especially Chloe’s mom calling Mel her girlfriend, I still feel like more time could have been spent unveiling everything at the house and there could have been more drama or something to have made it harder for the information to finally reach the sheriff. Basically with all that time spent on running, I would have expected it to be harder for the characters to get what they wanted in the end.

But overall, I deeply enjoyed the premise of the story, and was completely rooting for not only Mel and Chloe the entire way, but also the reunion between Gigi and Whitney!

This book had a Pretty Little Liars vibe about it with the character who went missing and all of the mystery around what happened and what her and the other main character were hiding. I definitely think fans of PLL and Alison/Emily would enjoy this. The split POVs and jumping around in time kept things mysterious and tense, but also made it more difficult to follow and get invested at first. There was definitely some humour to this book, but while it was funny, having several characters have variations of the same name did make it a little more confusing. I was interested in finding out the answers to all the questions raised and I appreciated that we did get those answers, but would have liked a little more beyond where the story left off.

I've loved Tess Sharpe's novels and really liked this story alternating between the main characters in high school & also in their mid-twenties. The twenties age group doesn't often feature in thrillers & I loved that this book focused on that. Unfortunately, i never connected with any of the characters. I'm generally not very critical of plots that are a bit far fetched, but I was feeling incredulous at each turn. The idea that these young women would be able to go into hiding for years & survive without being found all over some missing diamonds was a little much for me. Too much of the plot required me to suspend belief; that combined with my detachment from the characters left me feeling disappointed during most of the story. I think it's possible that some young adults & early adulthood readers may be drawn in if they can go along for the ride. This book just didn't land for me.