I love a good mindfck book! Very twisty and suspenseful and kept me guessing & on the edge of my seat the WHOLE TIME!

SYNOPSIS
-Melissa, freshly divorced and trying to start over with her five-year-old son, moves to a new city.
-At a dinner party, she meets Thomas, a charming pediatrician and single dad who seems perfect… except for the whole “was accused of murdering his wife” thing.
-He was cleared, but the town still whispers. Melissa gives him a shot anyway.
-Their whirlwind romance gets rocky when Melissa receives a creepy anonymous note.
-She starts digging into Thomas’s missing wife trying to figure out if she’s in love with a misunderstood man or walking straight into danger.
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MY THOUGHTS
-Definitely more romantic suspense than thriller. If you’re looking for something twisty and edge-of-your-seat, this probably isn’t it.
-The mixed media stuff? LOVED. Rose’s journal entries and Thomas’s therapy transcripts were the most interesting parts. They added layers & depth to the story.
-Everything with Melissa and Thomas felt so fast. She falls for him instantly, despite giant red flags, and he’s definitely laying it on thick.
-Honestly, both Melissa and Thomas annoyed me. She felt oddly naive for a woman in her 30s with a kid, and he was too perfect on the surface. It made it hard to connect with either of them.
-The pacing dragged a bit in the middle. It wasn’t boring exactly, but it could’ve used a bit more suspense to balance all the relationship stuff.
-Some solid twists, but if you read a lot of thrillers, you’ll probably see most of them coming.
-Overall? Entertaining, just not super memorable.
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TL;DR⭐️⭐️⭐️Romantic suspense with a side of mystery. Great mixed media elements, but the central romance felt rushed and a little frustrating.
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THANKS: Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on July 8, 2025.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me early access to this title!

I liked this overall, the plot moved along at a good pace, enough to keep the reader engaged. Our FMC, Melissa, just got out of a bad marriage has moved to a new town with her son to make a new start. This is where she meets Thomas and the story goes from there. Is he a wife killer masquerading as a kind hearted doctor? Or is he an innocent man trying to get out from under these horrible accusations?

My favorite aspect of this was the character who was a psychiatrist - I love reading about this profession and seeing human behavior analyzed, especially those who might be lacking in the empathy department. As far as the twist goes, I didn't see it coming, I think DeYoung did a good job with several red herrings. Weirdly, I found myself not enjoying the chapters in Rose's perspective. We get more reasoning as to why she is the way she is later in the story, but she came across as such a pity-me character and I know I shouldn't feel that way but honestly, yeah.

The only reason I'm not rating higher is, though this was enjoyable, I don't see it sticking with me in the future but for a quick, fun read it definitely works.

I understand this may be the author’s debut novel, and while every writer grows over time, there are debut thrillers that manage to hit the mark right away—this, unfortunately, wasn’t one of them for me.

I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters—even the youngest. Their actions often felt inconsistent, and their inner thoughts and dialogue seemed unconvincing or contradictory. The protagonist, Melissa, came across as impulsive and emotionally erratic and extremely needy, making decisions that were difficult to relate to—especially when it came to prioritising attraction over judgement or her child’s safety. The portrayal of the victim, through diary entries, also lacked depth and came off as extremely unlikeable and repetitive, without enough development to understand her perspective.

All plot points felt implausible or forced—for instance, a police officer seemingly knowing a character had been drunk driving with no clear indication and following her home and sleeping with her, then stalking her, or a therapist making an inappropriate joke about a patient being a murderer. Reactions between friends were also strangely timed and emotionally off-key, making it hard to believe in their relationships.

There was no premise, the execution didn’t quite land for me. It was implausible and exaggerated. Anyone who has read thrillers will know the murderer is never who is indicated ever. That said, I do appreciate the effort it takes to complete a novel, and I hope the author continues to develop her voice and style. For that, I would rate it a 3.

I really enjoyed the journey this book took me on. The mixed media format—diary entries, audio tapes, and Melissa’s perspective—was a standout. It added layers to the story and kept me guessing about what really happened to Thomas’s wife.

Melissa is a devoted mother, but I found her a bit hard to connect with. She falls quickly for a man who may have killed his wife, which made her frustrating at times. That said, I think her choices came from a place of wanting stability and a good father figure for her son. Thomas, comes across as overly confident and somewhat narcissistic, which made unraveling his true intentions really fun. Is he a manipulative killer, or was his wife truly unstable? That uncertainty kept me hooked.

The supporting characters added depth and complexity. I was constantly second guessing who to trust. While I had a strong suspicion early on about who was behind the threatening message, the overall outcome still managed to surprise me.

The ending is dark, and I loved that twist. It gave the story a strong, chilling finish that stuck with me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC! All opinions are my own. This one comes out July 8, 2025.

Read if you’re into:
✍️ Mixed media chapters
❤️ Head over heels romance
❓ Whodunit
🔪 Dark twists

My favourite part of this book has to be the various writing formats. We have the point of view of the main character Melissa, a mother and divorcee who moves with the hopes of self healing but ends up falling for Thomas a widower. Relationships can be harder the older you get especially after divorce and grief but everything seems like a whirlwind romance until Melissa’s starts to have questions and concerns about Thomas.

That takes us to our next writing format, the perspective of Thomas as seen from therapy sessions and transcripts. This one was super interesting for me because I was still trying to decide whether to take this POV at face value or whether to question my opinion on Thomas if he is trustworthy or not.

And lastly my favourite format is the pov of Thomas’ deceased wife via her journal entries.. I mean you can find out a lot of tea in journal entries so this was a fun portion of the book for me!

Overall a well rounded suspense / thriller with lots of character driven plot and a couple surprise twists.

Thank you for the gifted copy!

Publishes : July 8th

4.75 stars
story started slow but wow once it got going it sucked me and was hard to put down
this was one twist i did not see coming
if you enjoy psychological thillers you need to add this one to your TBR list

Wow— I was hooked from the very first page!

When Thomas’s wife, Rose, goes missing, suspicion immediately falls on him. It’s always the husband, right? At a dinner party, Melissa meets Thomas, and they quickly hit it off. But everyone warns her to stay away. Then she starts receiving anonymous threats. Who can she really trust? What about Amelia, who used to have a thing with Thomas and never seems far away? Or Kelli, Rose’s close friend? As secrets unravel, Melissa begins to piece together who might have killed Rose.

I was completely shocked by the killer’s identity — I never saw that coming! I thought I had it figured out, but the twists kept coming.

Andrew’s writing is fantastic, and I can’t wait to dive into more of his books. This one was so gripping, I didn’t want to put it down!

Big thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Andrew for the eARC!

Publication Date: July 8, 2025
Rating: ✨✨✨✨

I had high hopes for this book but it just wasn’t for me… the chapters were insanely long, the quick love story of the two main characters, Melissa and Thomas was super unrealistic, and the plot was so slow. I did like the mixed media through out and the ending was great and was what saved the book for me.

10 second review: Stay Away From Him by Andrew Deyoung. Ok I really liked this one. It’s a situation most of us have been in, meeting a friend of a friend that could possibly be more. Melissa meets Thomas at a dinner party and they quickly become more than friends. Soon Melissa has to question her instinct, because she finds out that Thomas has been accused (and acquitted) of his first wife’s murder. Is Melissa in danger? Is her son safe around Thomas or should they get out while they still can? Loved it! So easy to read and hard to put down- my favourite combo. Definitely get your hands on this one!
Thankyou NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

What a fun thriller! This was my first Andrew DeYoung book. Recently divorced Melissa quickly falls for friend-of-a-friend Thomas, who also happens to have been recently accused and acquitted of killing his wife. Thomas seems normal, Melissa falls hard, but then she begins to have her doubts about him as unsettling issues arise.

This was a refreshing narrative in its genre. Fans of Mary Kubica and Shari Lapena should enjoy this book and all its domestic thriller elements. I definitely didn't see the ending coming, and I had my suspicions about pretty much every character throughout the book. The book was hard to put down, and I finished it quickly. I would definitely recommend! Some of Melissa's decisions were questionable, but they made for a fun story.

4.5/5

Hot wealthy man, who becomes obsessed with you? What could go wrong…oh maybe the fact that he’s been accused of murdering his wife.

I knocked this out in 2 sittings, from page 1 until the end the suspense was killing me. I think I changed my mind on who murdered Rose at least 3 times, and then the actual reveal completely shocked me. It’s hard for a thriller to pull me in after reading so many, but this did just that. If you enjoy questioning yourself, gaslighting, drama, and some murder then this is for you.

I loved how this incorporated not only present day POVs, but transcripts from Thomas’ therapy sessions, and Rose’s journal entries. It just added more to the thrill of trying to figure out who killed Rose. Overall, very much enjoyed this and would recommend it to others.

Stay Away from Him by Andrew DeYoung - not for me, but I think we will buy a copy for our collection as we have lots of suspense/thriller readers.

My first time reading a book by this author, and it did not disappoint. From the first page to the last page, I was captivated and could not put this book down. Throughout the who story, it was a rollercoaster ride, keeping you guessing of what would happen next. I enjoyed this book so much and would highly recommend to any suspense/thriller genre lover. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy read.

I hate the word "unputdownable" but....this is just that. I could NOT stop reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Throw this one into the category of “stayed up wayyy past my bedtime and read in one sitting”! This book was excellent all around: the plot, the characters, the execution. I was completely hooked from the very first page all the at through to the satisfying ending. The chapters were a great mix between social media content, recorded interviews and present day. Fans of psych thrillers will absolutely love this one!

Thank you to Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Andrew DeYoung for an opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review! Stay Away From Him comes out July 8th!!!

3.5⭐️
I enjoyed this book, a real page turner. I loved the way the story was told by POV, journal entries and recorded transcripts. Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for ARC .

Thank you to Net Galley for the Advanced copy of this book for my honest review!


Melissa is in danger—and I was hooked from the start. This book is super easy to read, fast-paced, and genuinely entertaining. From the first few chapters, I was all in, eager to figure out what was really going on.

The creepy, weird moments kept me guessing, even when I found myself side-eyeing Melissa for ignoring some massive red flags. Seriously, girl… c’mon. But part of the fun was laughing at her wild choices while still being pulled deeper into the mystery.

It’s a total page-turner—my guesses were constantly wrong, and I loved that I couldn’t predict where it was headed. But when we finally got to the big reveal… I have to admit, I was a little let down. The twist felt more out of nowhere than cleverly planted. I wanted to look back and find those breadcrumbs, but they just weren’t there.

Still, it was a quick, engaging read that kept me invested to the end. If you’re looking for something fast, twisty, and a little bit ridiculous in a fun way—this might be your next weekend thriller.

Absolutely gripping from the very first page! This was dark, twisted, and full of tension in all the best ways. The psychological suspense is next-level — eerie, clever, and totally addictive.

Andrew DeYoung nails the pacing and keeps the twists coming right up until the end. I couldn’t put it down. Creepy, smart, and so well written — I’ll be thinking about this one for a while!

This book is given freida McFadden Lisa Jewell, etc. it’s a Page Turner. You will not regret it. Give it a chance I loved it. I didn’t want it to end. I’m gonna read more from this author in the near future. It was so so good thank you for this read