Omg where do I start! If you like a book that has you guessing who dunnit then this is the book for you. I thought my suspect was the right one the whole time. That plot twist was something else. Ms. Shanora is amazing.

Thank you for the ARC!

I would definitely recommend this book. Although I am not a seasoned thriller reader (yet), I am slowly starting to appreciate the genre. This book by Ms. Williams is a psychological thriller, which means it focuses on the complex mental states of the characters and events that could happen in real life, more so than a traditional thriller. The content of this genre is very well described in this book.

The main characters, Eve and Rose, both possess qualities that I found difficult to connect with. Their pasts have a great influence on their current lives. Although they may be somewhat aware of this, they still live under the weight of their traumas, which affects both themselves and others. There seems to be a lack of willpower and discipline to change, as if they are operating on autopilot. About a third of the way through the book, I had a hard time tolerating Eve and Rose. Eve's recklessness caused pain for others, and Rose's weakness led her to constantly reach out to others, while simultaneously putting her own priorities aside.

However, about halfway through the book, I began to calm down. I realized that change is not always easy and that, like many of us, I have habits I would like to break. Our behavior is shaped by both our DNA and upbringing, which sometimes continues well into adulthood.

By the end of the book, I felt a sense of relief with the revelation of the conclusion of the story. The characters seemed to face the consequences of their actions, and some were hopefully even able to make more conscious, different choices. It got me thinking: Who should I banish from my life? What habits should I drastically break? Who should I forgive, even if it means the relationship with that person is over forever? Is there an underlying jealousy or entitlement that I should address?

As for the potential perpetrators, the story was written quickly and realistically. The circle of suspects was relatively small. As is often the case, the most obvious suspects were not the perpetrators, and the twist revealed the true culprit. The storyline had a gradual build of suspense from about halfway through, with the revelation unfolding towards the end.

The addition of the romance between Rose and Jayson provided a nice balance, lightening the mood just enough to temporarily take the psychological weight off the story.

In conclusion, this was a compelling psychological thriller with a strong focus on character development and the consequences of past actions. Ms. Williams crafts a gripping and thought-provoking story that I would highly recommend. I absolutely loved the cover of the book—it perfectly captured the essence of the story, especially since it revolved so much around the little house by the lake. I'm already looking forward to reading more psychological thrillers with maybe a fictional twist, dark and strong characters.

This fast-paced psychological thriller had me completely immersed, intrigued, and excited by the end. The duration felt just right, leaving a sweet aftertaste of sharing this short life together with the main characters.

The dialogues, feelings of the characters, and the surroundings all felt natural. However, I had a lingering impression that I’ve been watching a typical horror movie that has the main characters enter dark rooms even though it's scary, they're alone, and something strange happens around them. Rose ignored her friends and the police and continued to come to the crime scene, which was clearly risky for her too.
But. Usually I don’t get stuck on these moments and let myself be naive, so I just enjoy the book.

What makes Shanora Williams' book stand out is the psychological line she adds to it: how Eve's past, her traumatic childhood, explains her actions and how it shapes her personality. It's possible in real life that someone's childhood was terrible and could have a negative influence on their future. This realization was truly chilling.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the ARC!

This book literally had me on the EDGE of my seat the entire time ! I just had to know what was going to happen and what would be revealed. This is definitely a page turner!

First things first , I want to say I did NOT see that twist coming. I spent the whole book guessing, thinking by the end of the big reveal I’d have it all figured and was nowhere near correct . This thriller literally kept me on my toes the entire time and still left me shocked by the end.

This story follows Rose who is coming to terms with heartbreak and loss by both her husband and bestfriend committing the ultimate act of betrayal against her . Rose tries to move on and pick up the broken pieces of her life but her best friend Eve has a way of taking up space in it no matter if Rose wants her to or not. Eve’s little sister contacts Rose concerned about the whereabouts of her older sister, since she hadn’t heard from her in a while and it wasn’t normal for Eve not to respond to her calls. Which leaves a reluctant Rose to travel to a small town to uncover truths that might just cost her to disappear along with her ex-bestfriend .

This book is so good and so engaging . You will not be able to put it down !

This was an easy read and a page turner. I wanted to know what happened to Eve. I would recommend to others. But it didn’t connect with me to be a really good story.

There were no huge twists for me during this book. The end had more things happening while the beginning and middle of the story was just letting the plot unfold slowly. Some earlier shocks or twists in the book might have made it better.

I’m convinced Shanora Williams cannot write a bad book!!! Her writing style is so addictive & the relationships she portrays in her stories are always really beautiful!

Thank you so so much to Shanora Williams, Kensington Publishing, & NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!!☺️

I would like to start off by saying Shanora Williams is an auto buy author for me, when it comes to her thrillers. I’m not a “cozy” thriller type of girl I don’t really care for slow thrillers. Williams thrillers are very much fast paced, keeps me locked in from the beginning to end, and she always has a crazy plot twist. So my opinion maybe a little biased.

Let’s get into the book. Although this was giving cozy thriller vibes, because the setting takes place on a small town at a cottage. It was still fast paced. We are following Eve who fell out with her best friend over something most of us women would not be able to accept. She completely cut off her best friend and her marriage with her husband is rocky. In the midst of this, she is also fighting for senior position with her job, as one of the best investigative reporters. As she is working on one piece, she now has another story unfolding. A missing persons case of her ex best friend.

Like I said Shanora can do no wrong for me when it comes to thrillers. It’s always exactly what I need when I want a good thriller to read. That’s also very entertaining, not filled with too much pointless info. She never disappoints. I’ve read all of her thrillers so far. When I seen this was coming out, very much excited. Even more excitement when I got approved for the ARC. So, yes go read it when it comes out. Releasing June 24, 2025

Side note: although Jayson had a small cameo, I really liked him 😌 he would make a great romance novel 🤌🏾

Just finished my first read by this author, and let’s just say... I was left wanting more! 😕 The juicy setup—an investigative reporter’s husband cheating with her best friend—had me hooked! 💔📖

But then came the trip to the lake and the diary entries… 📖✨ The friend's disappearance added suspense, but honestly, the twists felt more like fluff, cluttering an otherwise intriguing plot. Was the town sheriff guilty or just good at looking shady? 🤔👮‍♂️

Overall, I was hoping for a tighter story with fewer loose ends.

I’m a big fan of Shanora Williams’ thrillers and this one did not disappoint. Every chapter had me on the edge of my seat and the journal entries from Eve sprinkled in the book were a nice touch! I can tell you Rose had a heart of gold going the distance to see about Eve. I love the suspense she provided and I felt like I was right there with Rose trying to figure stuff out. The ending gagged me! I had been in a thriller slump but this one got me right out lol! Definitely check this one out!

Great read! First read from this author. This book makes me want to read more from this author. Kept my attention and interest until the end.

3.5 stars. This is my 3rd book by Shanora and she definitely gives us binge worthy stories that are easy to devour. I enjoyed the storyline a lot, having a friend search for her best friend who she hasn’t talked to in months. And for good reason. Each chapter left us on a cliffhanger that made it easy to keep going. I will say the beginning started off a bit slow for me, but it definitely picked up later in the book. Not to mention the thriller has some juicy tea in it. I was not expecting that, but it was greatly appreciated. Overall, solid thriller to devour in a day.

I felt this was very Cliche. I wasn't invested in the story as much as I hoped I would be.

The characters were unlikeable. I think the one thing that bothered me THE MOST was the constant use of how her husband cheated on her with her best friend. It was like every chapter she was reliving it. I just grew tired of it.

Overall this was an average read for me. Nothing spectacular.

Thank you to NetGalley, Shanora Williams and Kensington Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I want to start by saying I really enjoy reading Shanora Williams thrillers. They are always very fast paced, thrilling, twisty and the short chapters are definitely a plus. This particular book on the other hand, was an okay read. It kept my interest in the beginning but as I continued reading, I started to lose interest. I was not a fan of any of the characters which is rare because I usually like at least one.

I would say that I continued reading because I genuinely wanted to know what happened to Eve, but once I found out who killed her and how she died I was not really surprised.

If you want to read a book that is not filled with twist and turns and just a straight forward thriller then I definitely recommend. Although I have personally read way better from this author, I still thought this book was okay.

Right off the bat I want to remind my readers that I received an Advanced Copy of this novel so the things that I am going to start off with may well have been corrected (and I hope they are) by the time this novel is released to the public. That being said.

Can authors/editors please start keeping track of the details that they put into their books so that they aren't constantly changing? There were two glaring inconsistencies that I noticed with this novel. To begin with when Rose first comes to the cabin on the lake she notes that there is a TV and a full-sized bed in the second bedroom. It would appear that this is the only bedroom in the house as it is distinctly mentioned that there isn't one in the living room. Only in one of Eve's journal entries it is expressly stated that she is sitting in the living room watching television. There was also the many (many) times Rose complained about their being absolutely no cell phone reception (and barely any wifi) inside the home and yet later on she is laying on the couch scrolling Eve's instagram. There was also another instance where Rose is at a hotel and realizes she needs gas for her car. The person with her says that they will "follow her" to "the closest gas station" only to go directly across the street from the hotel? Where she then evidentially leaves her car parked at the gas pumps so she can hop in her friends car to follow someone else? Or the time when Rose sees Eve's backup laptop but can't get into it because she doesn't know the password, then later on in the story suddenly knows it? I mean sure Eve's sister Zoey could have told her, but we were never told that so for me it was just one more instance of details changing without reason. Again, these are things that have hopefully been fixed before publication, but I have been asked to review the novel that I was given and I pride myself on pointing out things like this whether its in an advanced copy, or a book that has been out for years.

ALL OF THAT ASIDE, LET'S GET INTO THE STORY SHALL WE?

I thought that the premise of this one was interesting, although I cannot for the life of me understand why Rose just wasn't honest with everyone about the reason for her falling out with Eve, much less why she would drop everything (including the deadline for an article that she knew would help her career) to go chasing after someone she herself called "obnoxious, reckless & attention-seeking." In fact, in my opinion she went above and beyond for someone who had betrayed her often time engaging in that same reckless behavior that she accused Eve of having. Why else would she flee a place in the interest of her "safety" only to not only return, but to then engage in openly stupid behaviors while there?

And don't get me started on Eve. I simply did not like her. At first her journal entries made me want to sympathize with her, as she had a rough upbringing. And some things that happened were out of her control. But then after that? Yeah no. I found myself just not caring what happened to her whatsoever. I didn't even care if she was dead.

On the other side of things, this was a fairly straightforward you kind of know who is guilty and who isn't from the start (even if there are a couple good red herrings thrown in) as well as one twist that might be surprising if you didn't read so many thriller novels that you kind of expected it. I do think this novel will do well with others who like the genre, and I would definitely check out this author again.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Another hit from Ms. Williams! This book was so thrilling! Throughout the story I was screaming at my kindle, talking to myself outloud, and having full on debates with myself. Lol. The ending definitely surprised me, I was suspecting someone else. This entire book was captivating and thought-provoking and had me on the edge of my seat. Very well done!

Shanora just has my entire heart. I will literally read anything she writes and know I will have a good time. I love how fast paced this was, while simultaneously having a good build up. At the end of each chapter, I kept telling myself I would "only read one more chapter" but I found myself not able to stop at times.

Rose is trying to find her best friend (Eve) who went missing unexpectedly. They aren't really on the best of terms so it's really hard for Rose to put a lot of effort into the investigation and she almost seems annoyed to do so. Rose is still close to Eve's younger sister, who is worried about Eve, so she decides she will fully investigate what is going on. Now you're basically following her journey of figuring out what is going on and where Eve is. I thought it was bingeable, quick, and entertaining.

Thank you to Shanora, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the eARC.

What would you do if your former best friend went missing? Would you try and understand the clues left for you or unfollow her for good? Rose Howard has been through enough. While she is waiting for her ex-husband to sign the divorce papers her former best friend's little sister reaches out and says she hasn't heard from Eve in days. Eve Castillo is a travel vlogger and unreliable at best. However, her social media hasn't been updated and she won't pick up the phone thats usually glued to her ear. Out of a feeling of duty Rose books a couple nights at the cabin Eve was last seen at. While the lake is picture perfect, the water holds some dark secrets...

Williams wrote the perfect vacation mystery with a fast paced storyline and unique characters. I was totally wrapped up in the complex history of Eve and Rose's friendship as well as the secrets inside the cabin. Williams is able to write scenes that are easy to visualize and I felt as though I was watching dateline snuggled up on my couch!

Rose Howard is an investigative reporter and even though her best friend betrayed her. Rose is still worried when Eve goes missing and promises Zoey she will find out what happened to eve. I just didn't like Rose or Eve. Rose because she was too nice to be true and just unrelatable. I think anybody else would have ended a relationship with Eve and never looked back. This alone made me want to toss the book against a wall and stop reading.

She knows Eve was last at a remote cabin so she books the same place. Rose files a missing person for Eve but the local police are very little help. Eve was a self centered, self absorbed, out for herself and didn't care who she hurt along the way which made me not care that she was missing.

Oh Shanora, you’ve done it again! I believe this is the fourth book I’ve read by this author, and once again, she took me on a twisty, messy, entertaining ride. I was lucky to receive this ARC from NetGalley, and I could not put it down. Full of my favorites in thrillers: toxic friendships, an isolated setting, and lots of unease and tension. 4 ⭐️