📘April Read: Stay Away from Him by

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
( Pub Date: July 8, 2025)

I was fortunate to received a ARC of this book. I finished it in 2 days. I was truly a great book and kept me up wanting to read “just one more chapter”. The character development was on point. The story line moved fast and kept it very interesting from the first meeting of the main characters.

It had passion, family secrets, old flings, accusations, mental health, and much more.

At the end of the book I thought everything figured out…..NOPE I did not see that coming.

Story: Relocating with her 5-year-old son to a new city after an ugly divorce, Melissa Burke isn't looking for a new relationship right away. But an unexpected relationship is exactly what she finds at a friend's dinner party when she meets Thomas Danver, a charming widower who asks for her number at the end of the night.

Thomas's first wife went missing three years ago, presumed dead, and Thomas was eventually cleared of her murder in an investigation that became a local media sensation. But while some still believe he killed his wife, Melissa's friends insist that he was unfairly targeted by the police and couldn't hurt a fly.

But when Melissa receives a chilling, anonymous threat—or perhaps it's a warning—she begins to question how much she truly knows about the man she's falling in love with. Is he really innocent?

Highly Recommended

Thank you @netgalley and @Poisoned PenPress

This was a great thriller. I really enjoyed reading it. It started a bit slow, but then it picked up pace and went totally twisted. It kept me guessing back and forth, who did what to whom. Loved it all the way. I'm so glad I got this opportunity to read this before publication.
I also liked the bit where you can read bits and pieces of Rose her diary throughout the book and you understand slowly what went so horribly wrong.

If you want a twisted story with a great plot, you have to read this one...
Thank you, Netgalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for my copy!

This mystery thriller was a quick read which at times vaguely reminded me of Gone Girl. “Work hard to be more his manic pixie dream girl than her opposite: depressive harpy nightmare woman.”Although, this story took a slightly different approach with an expected twist.

I enjoyed the inclusion of audio transcripts and journal entries as they helped provide a deeper, fuller picture of the main characters. However, there is some repetition regarding background information due to the multiple perspectives.

I had to remind myself that this is fiction because of the timeframe. The meeting to romance was quite rushed given the past history and current situations that Melissa and Thomas both face. Hopefully, Melissa has learned how to take a compliment and does not fall for the next man she meets just because he gives her attention.

Ultimately, this was a very enjoyable fast-paced mystery thriller that kept me on my toes.

Thank you to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review. Stay Away from Him will be released on July 8th, 2025.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Expected publication date - July 8, 2025

WHAT I LOVED - The unexpected twist.

WHAT I LIKED - It was a quick read.

WHAT I DISLIKED - Melissa was kind of a dumbass. She left a bad marriage and jumped into a relationship with a guy who was throwing out red flags almost immediately 🙄

WOULD I RECOMMEND? Yes, if you are looking for a quick read and can get past Melissa being an idiot.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Really liked this fast paced thriller. While the plot wasn’t exactly a new idea, I still really liked it and couldn’t put it down.

Stay Away From Him is a Thriller/Romance with a few plot twists I didn’t see coming. Melissa (recently divorced with a 5-year old son) and Thomas (charming pediatrician who is accused of murdering his wife 3 years prior with two teen daughters) meet at a dinner party and are instantly attracted to one another! Things between the two of them progress pretty quickly but Melissa always seems to have this hesitation when it comes to Thomas because of the accusations! Thomas’ friends stand behind him that he didn’t murder his wife and things get interesting when they find her body shortly after they start dating. It will keep you wondering “who did it”!

I enjoyed this read. It was a slow burn that picked up about 60% through with some great plot twists!

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Andrew DeYoung for the ARC!

Wow what an amazing book. I loved all of the twists. I will be recommending this book to everyone I can on my book group on Facebook.

Book/Story: ⭐️⭐⭐️ ️
Book Cover: ⭐️⭐⭐⭐

Trigger Warning(s): Murder
Domestic Abuse
Mental Health
POV: Singular, Third Person, Mixed Media
Genre: Psychological/Romance(?) Thriller
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥
Safe or Dark: Dark ️️️
Release Date: July 8, 2025

Quick Take Review 💥:

More of a romantic suspense than a thriller, since the relationship between the two main characters more or less overshadows everything else. Entertaining enough, with good twists, but it's pretty easy to figure out who the killer was fairly early on if you pay close enough attention.

This is a slow burn, so be prepared to sit tight for a while until the action starts.

A lighter read to pick up between denser books.

In Depth Review 👇

Plot/Writing 📄:

After an ugly divorce, single mother Melissa Burke and her five-year-old son move to a new city for a fresh start on life. One evening at a friend’s dinner party, she meets Dr. Thomas Danver, a pediatrician and father, who, unbeknownst to Melissa, had been exonerated for the murder of his ex-wife, who had been missing for three years.

Although Melissa hadn’t been looking for a new relationship at the time, she feels unexpected sparks with Thomas and finds herself excited when the charismatic widower asks for her number. The people around her insist that Thomas was innocent and unfairly targeted by police, so Melissa agrees to go out with him, and after one date the pair find themselves caught up in a whirlwind romance.

Things seem to be going well, and as the relationship progresses, Melissa finds herself on the receiving end of an anonymous threat. How well does Melissa know the man she is falling in love with? Is Thomas as innocent as he makes himself out to be?

Main Characters 👫:

Melissa Burke – I just couldn’t get on board with Melissa. She wasn’t a dumb woman by any means, but she seemed to make dumb choices. I really found it hard to like her. I’m not sure why. I think her reckless decisions with Thomas made me lose sympathy for her relatively quickly. While she wasn’t unenjoyable enough to ruin the book for me, she did make me roll my eyes a TON.

Thomas Danver – I surprisingly enjoyed Thomas’s character. He seemed kind and charming enough. He was respectful towards Melissa and her son, Bradley. Thomas was an all-around good guy (or was he?). Despite that, he did give me the ick at times. I mean, come on, nobody is THAT perfect.

Side Characters 👫:

Amelia Harkness - I found myself feeling indifferent towards Amelia. I didn’t like nor dislike her. She was a bit intense when it came to Thomas, although she was his ex-girlfriend, so that could be due to some lingering feelings on her end. In general it did seem like she did her best to be welcoming towards Melissa.

Kelli Walker At first, I didn’t care for Kelli’s character; however, she slowly grew on me. In her mind, I do believe she thinks she is doing what’s best for all parties involved with Thomas, despite going about it the very wrong way.

Pros 🙂:

* We get right into things from the very first page. The author wastes no time, and we dive headfirst into the night Melissa and Thomas meet. I don’t enjoy when it takes a while for things to really get going in a book and the main characters crossing paths is super drawn out.

* The twists in this book were very well done. I wasn’t able to figure it out at all. I never saw it coming. The bread crumbs were planted well within the plot and did not jump out right away.

* I really enjoyed the mixed media parts of the book. It was interesting reading Rose’s journal entries to get her perspective on the situation and reading the transcripts from Thomas’s therapy sessions with Amelia. Getting a peek into all the characters’ minds in different ways was so fun.

* Everyone was a suspect, and I AM HERE FOR IT! I did find it fun that most of the characters we were introduced to were a bit shady.

* The ending of the story was decent enough, and while nothing about it stood out, I left the book feeling satisfied.

Cons 😟:

* Things with the plot were a bit hard to believe at times (elaborated on in the “Other Thoughts” section).

* I’m not a big fan of the whole “love at first sight” thing, but to each their own! This aspect of the story seemed unbelievable and over the top. (elaborated on in the “Other Thoughts” section).

* Despite (more or less) everyone being a suspect, I managed to figure out who Rose’s killer was fairly early on. I was pretty bummed about this since I was hoping for more of a challenge. While not a lot of clues are dropped throughout the book, if you pay close enough attention, it’s not hard to figure out.

* Even though I was pulled into the story right away, I was never dying to know what happened next. The plot held my interest enough, but I often found myself struggling to pick this up at times. I honestly thought about DNFing once or twice.

Other Thoughts 💭:

* At times the story was a bit far-fetched, and you had to suspend reality a bit. Especially the romance aspect. However, that happens in a good chunk of fiction books, and the story was overall enjoyable, so that aspect of the plot didn’t bother me too much.

* The whole relationship between Thomas and Melissa moved WAY TOO FAST! (In my humble opinion). Within 24 hours of meeting, they are having sex and talking about very heavy topics. Within 48 hours of meeting, they are telling each other that they’re falling in love with one another. Given what both had been through in the past, I found it odd.

* Melissa made reckless choices for a woman who had recently gotten out of an abusive marriage. I don’t believe she would have fallen for a man the moment she met him after dealing with such a traumatic situation. Bringing Thomas into her home/bed, inviting him to meet her son, and “falling in love” almost instantly just didn’t seem realistic.

* I feel as though Thomas would have been more hesitant as well, given he had lost his wife in a traumatic way three years prior. Surely, being accused of and subsequently acquitted of murder would give him trust issues and make him wary of the people around him.

* This shouldn’t have been marketed as a thriller. It was at best a romantic suspense book. There is a thriller aspect to the plot, but it is heavily overshadowed by the romance between Melissa and Thomas. In my opinion, this is being improperly marketed.

Favorite Quotes 💕:

“They’re more tied up than we think, love and hate— both emotions are a confession that someone matters to us, that they have power over how we feel.”

“Our genuine feelings aren’t always what others would recognize as socially appropriate.”

“An unhappy woman would usually turn her problems inward and hurt herself, emotionally or even physically.”

“Respectable men can be evil too.”

Final Verdict ⚖️

I would recommend this book to a friend but let them know not to expect too much going into it.

As always, please remember that reading is subjective, and that’s what makes it so great. 😊

I would like to thank Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

This is my voluntary, unbiased, and honest review.

I really liked the concept of introducing the presumed murderer right from the start and letting the rest of the book unravel whether he was wrongly accused—or wrongly acquitted. The added layer of mystery around whether Thomas’ wife, Rose, was even dead kept things intriguing. That said, I found the main character, Melissa, pretty frustrating and hard to connect with. Still, DeYoung did a great job building a solid lineup of believable alternative suspects, which kept me guessing. By the end, I had a good sense of who the killer was, but the exact sequence of events still surprised me.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat! Everytime I thought I had things figured out, another twist threw me in a different direction! The characters were easy to relate to, which helped you stay engaged. By the end you cared about what was happening to the main characters. This brought on a whirlwind of emotions for me throughout the book.

As a single mom myself, the synopsis drew me in, and this was an overall solid thriller. However, the beginning moved a little slow for me, and I was able to guess the big twist (which typically is not the case for me). I definitely suspected multiple characters for a while, but the ending was a little too easy to figure out. I liked the pieces of court transcripts we get to see throughout, which dealt with Thomas's first wife's murder, and thought that added a little true crime aspect to the story. I truly appreciated that we got different forms of media throughout, like the audio from therapy and old diary entries.

I am really still trying to figure out how I feel about this one....While the plot line is super intriguing, the beginning moved terribly slow as their relationship budded super quickly (and oddly). I definitely figured out the twist in the story VERY early on! I'm really torn for my star rating because I didn't want to put this book down, however, I'm not completely obsessed?!

Stay Away From Him by Andrew DeYoung is about Melissa, a new in town single mom that’s escaped an abusive relationship that meets Thomas, a beloved pediatrician, at a dinner party. Thomas also happens to be a widow…..that’s been charged with his wife’s murder. Melissa isn’t apprised of this information initially. Without giving any spoilers away, just know that this story will keep you guessing until the end!

I felt immediately drawn to Melissa’s story as she navigated the challenges of starting over in a new city with her young son. I admired her strength in facing the emotional scars left by her divorce, and I could relate to her cautious approach to forming new relationships. I found myself equally intrigued and unsettled by Thomas’s character. I appreciated how the author portrayed him as both charming and mysterious, which kept me questioning his motives throughout the story. I couldn’t stop wondering whether Thomas was truly innocent or if Melissa was unknowingly falling into something dangerous. I loved how the story balanced emotional depth with suspenseful twists. I felt invested in Melissa’s struggle to protect her son while grappling with her own feelings. This gripping tale kept me guessing until the very end and left me questioning how well we can truly know someone.

I love a good thriller and this did not disappoint. I couldn't wait to find out if he was really "that guy" or not. You'll have to read to find out, and it's so worth it.

Overall, I thought this was a good read! I was hooked from the beginning. When I wasn’t reading, I was still thinking of the book.

There were a few “oh snap!” moments when something happened I did not expect. Every time a new character was introduced I immediately suspected they were guilty LOL!

The mixed in transcripts were fun, I really like those included. Felt like we were getting other point of view other than Melissa. The diary inserts from Rose were a nice touch too. At first, I didn’t see how they were tying in with the story. I was wrong, they really helped build the plot!

There were a few plot holes, where I was left what happened to some of the characters. What happened to Melissa’s ex? Derek, where did you go? What about Kelli’s family??

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

Thank you for the opportunity to advance read this incredible book, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press 🩷

I absolutely devoured this book!! The writing really pulled me in and the characters were likable and well developed. This was a story that kept me on my toes with the view points from Melissa (our FMC) and the snippets from Thomas (our MMC). I kept guessing plot lines and had my suspicions along the way- because who wouldn’t trust a pediatrician and doting father!?- but found that I had it all wrong…which I loved!! I enjoy books that aren’t predictable and keep you engaged and wanting more. This story did just that for me and has left me wanting to read more from this author!!

Stay away from him by Andrew DeYoung is a heart pounding thriller.

No one bothered telling Melissa that Thomas Danver was an accused murderer until she spend the whole night flirting with him. Thomas had been accused of killing his wife Rose Danver.

After a bad divorce Melissa Burke isntly looking for a new relationship. She meets someone at a dinner party, a charming widower named Thomas. Thomas's first wife went missing 3 years ago and is presumed dead.

This book is very twisty, just when you think you have figured out who did it, your problem wrong . It also has inserts of court transcripts of Ramsey county vs Thomas Danver from when he was accused of murdering his wife.

Thank you Andrew for partnering with NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

You can find this thriller in stores July 8th 2025!

🔪 Multiple POVs
🔪 Diary Excerpts Throughout
🔪 Slow Burn
🔪 Unexpected Twist
🔪 Narcissistic Behaviors

This one was not one for me. Wildly slow, the diary excerpts were not at all compelling for me, and I was not satisfied with the major twist. Some of the pacing seemed a bit off kilter as well.

With that said, I felt there were no loose ends. Some of the earlier moments in the book, while at the time were minor, made a lot of sense at the end. I nearly DNF this one, but ultimately I gave this two stars because it had a good premise and it made me want to finish it.

Stay Away From Him by Andrew DeYoung is an upcoming new release that I received an Advanced Readers Copy ebook through NetGalley approved by Poisoned Pen Press 
*Release date is set for: July 8, 2025

After an abusive marriage, FMC Melissa moves to a new area to start over and escape her ex when she meets Thomas. On the surface, he is a perfect match, completely opposite of her ex-husband and everything she wants in a partner. When she discovers that 3 years ago, he was married and accused of causing his first wife's death after she was reported missing. A body was never found, with no trace of where she may have gone, and presumed dead, but he was never charged without evidence showing he was the cause of her disappearance. Melissa is torn on what to believe regarding a seemingly perfect man, or does she believe all the rumors and is he hiding a past that would paint him as the monster everyone believes him to be?

This story is told from multiple perspectives, using mixed media, current events, old diary entries, and therapy audio sessions. I enjoy having information derived from different sources as it makes for a more realistic experience. It's a short, quick read that kept my interest throughout. The instant love aspect was less believable, but who am I to judge love at first sight? It happens sometimes. I believe thriller fans will enjoy this book, especially between longer novels.  

Domestic thriller
Suspense
Multiple POV
Mixed Media
Red Herrings
Plot Twists

Thank you to: Poisoned Pen Press & NetGalley for this ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.