This book grasped me from the very start. I wished it was longer! I finished it in 24 hours! It’s more of a suspense book than a thriller (in my opinion) but that’s not a bad thing. This was definitely a page turner and kept me guessing! I will definitely be reading more book by this author!

Katie Sise's new novel, *You Must Be New Here*, is a compelling story about suburban secrets and psychological twists that reveal the hidden problems in a seemingly perfect community. If you enjoyed her previous books like *Open House* or *The Vacation Rental*, this one ups the emotional stakes and dark surprises.

The story follows Sloane Thompson, a single mom who feels like an outsider in the charming town of Sycamore Glen. Everything changes when her lively new neighbor, Harper Wilson, moves in. Their fast friendship quickly turns sour when a young woman named Margaret goes missing.

Sise skillfully creates tension and suspicion in their interactions, leaving readers to wonder if Harper is as perfect as she seems. The novel explores themes of identity, betrayal, and the burden of secrets.

The dynamic between Sloane and Harper drives the story, making it more than just a mystery. *You Must Be New Here* reflects on what it means to belong and the risks of not knowing those close to us. The ending ties it all together in surprising and satisfying ways.

Thank you, Little A for providing the copy of You Must Be New Here by Katie Sise. The premise of the book drew me in, but didn’t live up to its promise for me. I was expecting a character-driven story, but the characters weren’t very well-drawn and they were easy to confuse with each other. This made much of the already confusing story more confusing. Some side stories could have been edited out to make more room for character development. If you want a popcorn thriller that might not shock you but has a good premise, this is the book for you! 3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! This was an interesting quick thriller about, well, shitty men & strong women.

I really wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I started this one, and I definitely had to make a chart on who was who to keep track of everyone and their relations to each other, but I enjoyed this read. I do believe trigger words are necessary & sometimes the dialogue and POV of the teenage characters (specifically Margaret) seemed too adultish & elegant. However, if you love quick thrillers and appreciate great wrapped up storylines with fleshed out female characters, I recommend this one!

Sloane lives with her daughter on the edge of some woodland with only a few other houses nearby. When new neighbours, Harper and Ben, move in next door, Sloane hopes that this could be the chance to make proper friends she has been waiting for. Things go well and Harper and Sloane hit it off, despite Harper's odd behaviour at times.

When local babysitter, Margaret, goes missing, the links between her, Sloane and other people in the small community, become more apparent and it's clear that a lot more is going on behind the scenes than is first thought.

I enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and kept me guessing, not so much about what happened to Margaret, but more about how and why. The characters were all pretty simple and not necessarily that believable but this was a good read nonetheless and I will check out the author's other work.

I was initially drawn to this book by its intriguing premise - a missing babysitter, simmering suburban tension, and the promise of secrets unraveled within a seemingly idyllic community. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t live up to the potential.

While the setup had all the ingredients for a twisty, suspenseful read, the writing felt overly simplistic and at times cringeworthy, making it hard to stay immersed. The characters, particularly the central friendship between Sloane and Harper, lacked the depth and complexity needed to make their dynamic compelling.

Worse, the plot unfolded in a way that felt both predictable and instantly forgettable. This one didn’t deliver the emotional or narrative payoff I was hoping for.
A promising idea that, sadly, didn’t quite come together.

Thank you NetGalley and Little A for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. 2.5 Stars rounded up.

This is an emotional, dark and nuanced tale about deception, abuse, and despair. It's a story of a woman called Sloane, whose marriage has broken down, during one of the most challenging ordeals of her life - her daughter, Daisy, has an illness that means she's vulnerable and in and out of hospital lots. It's a story of the mystery that develops around mother and daughter, as soon as they get new neighbours. This is a character-driver psychological suspense - one of the best types of suspense in my opinion, and as nail-biting as the drama was I really appreciated the quieter moments of reflection on marriage, love, friendship and parenthood. Wonderfully done! It was my first Katie Sise read, but won't be my last.

First things first, thank you Netgalley and Little A for this ARC!

This was maybe not as unhinged as some of the thrillers I am usually reading, but it was still a suspenseful story able to hold my interest throughout the book.

The book switches between the POVs of Sloane - single mom with a daughter and a friendly ex-husband, her babysitter Margaret, and Clara, the mother of Margaret's boyfriend. I did struggle a little sometimes with all of the different characters, but I guess that mainly a me problem. It was still a good book. 3.5 stars from me!

ARC
📖 You Must Be New Here ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Katie Sise

Guys, it has been a whiiiiile since I read a mystery that had me guessing until the end. This one did it!

Sycamore Glen is a small town where everyone seems to know each other, but we quickly find out that most everyone has a secret. When a local girl disappears the secrets start to spill out as people come together to try to find her.

While I really enjoyed this one, the one flaw I had was the ending epilogue. It felt a little rushed and unbelievable but it was satisfying so I couldn’t hate it too much.

Thank you to @netgalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

You Must Be New Here comes out July 8, 2025!

Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Interesting characters make this suspenseful novel a thrilling read as marriages, friendships new and old, and secrets from the past sidestep red herrings and tragic misunderstandings to build to a gripping climax. Living in a bucolic, but often lonely, cliffside community, Sloane welcomes the friendship of new neighbors the Wilsons, particularly that of the lovely and offbeat Harper, as she navigates a divorce along with a child in poor health. But is all as it seems? This page turner kept me guessing.

This narrative centers around Sloane, a divorced single mother residing in surburbia. The dynamics of her life shift with the arrival of her new neighbors, Ben and Harper Wilson. Sloane becomes friends with Harper, and with that, brings some complexities. Sloane’s teenaged babysitter disappears, and with that drama ensues. This book uses a multi-perspective approach alternating between points of view which is great for character development and getting to know the characters. While the story has a slower pace in beginning, after the disappearance of Megan, the story has a notably quicker pace. I was engrossed in the book, due to the character development, various perspectives, and unforeseen twists. This is an engaging examination of friendship, secrets, and the more sinister aspects of suburban life.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. I've read all of Katie Sise's books, so it was easy to compare her other books to You Must Be New Here. Sloane, a divorced single-mom, and her young daughter, Daisy live in a bedroom community of NYC. Sloane's ex-husband, Dave, is still around and is an active participant in their daughter's life but Sloane feels isolated with few friends. Ben and Harper Wilson move in next door and they become friendly neighbors. The twists and turns in the book come a little later in the book and involve Daisy's babysitter and some suspicious members of the community. The beginning was slow-paced but picked up after the babysitter disappears. You Must Be New Here was enjoyable - the characters seemed like real people you'd meet at school or in the neighborhood.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

When Sloane and her daughter, Daisy, see a their new neighbors arrive, they were eager to meet. They looked forward to connecting and having new friends in the neighborhood. And in this situation they got lucky, they immediately connected with Ben and Harper and Sloane finally felt like she had made a new friend beyond her daughter's school. But as you can imagine in this thriller that has to be a twist. In this case, Daisy's babysitter, Margaret, goes missing and the last people to see her were Sloane, Ben and Harper. We learn more about the lead women's characters by switching back and forth from their perspectives and eventually how they all have one unfortunate thing in common...

This was an excellent book! It was intriguing and kept me on the edge the whole time. It read like a Dateline episode which, for me, is high praise since i am a fan.

There were a lot of characters to keep track of at first but worth it. Each chapter was told by a different character and really made you want to find out what was happening. My only note was i was still left with some questions about Harper and her past bc she seemed somewhat sketchy.

The ending was perfect! The readers who helped the author decide which ending to go with chose correctly! I’ve read books by this author and this one doesn’t disappoint. My thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this superb book.

This was SO DANG good! There were several times I thought I had it figured out, only to be confused again. This was fast-paced, a whirlwind of a domestic thriller, and that EPILOGUE!!! 👏🏻👏🏻

Thanks so much for the opportunity to be an ARC reader ❤️

Thanks to Net Galley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first experience with Katie Sise’s work. At first I didn’t know if it was going to pull me in, but I’m glad I didn’t give up on it.

Sloane lives in a small town in upstate New York with her young daughter when new neighbors move in next door and she immediately forms a friendship with her new neighbor Harper. When her daughter’s babysitter goes missing, secrets are revealed that impact multiple families.

I ended up enjoying this book. It was a little predictable, but it wasn’t until about 75% of the way through that I figured it out. If you’re looking for a thriller that’s a quick read, I would give this one a go.

What. The. Heck. did I just read?
This kept me on my toes and I did not see the plot twist coming until it smacked me right in the face.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and hope to read more by this author soon in the future.

I loved the premise of a missing babysitter, but the journey felt underwhelming. I struggled to connect with the characters, and the pacing was a bit too slow for me. However, the strong writing and short chapters kept me reading.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

Idk why but it seems like missing children or missing babysitter style books are on the rise. I loved this I really liked the developing friendship between the two moms but when everything started happening i didnt like the friendship as much. Super solid book I liked the plot and it kept me on my toes.