I would like to thank Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this Advanced Reader's Copy. All opinions are my own.

Beckett's daughter is attending the same college her mother attended 20 years ago, where the tragedy still lingers and when her own daughter disappears it brings up long buried secrets.

Megan Miranda has done it again, creating a suspenseful story with plenty of plot twists to keep you guessing. I couldn't put this book down, this book is so full of twists and turns that it keeps you hooked until the very end.

I'm giving You Belong Here by Megan Miranda 4 out 5.

My favourite part of this book was the “dark academia” aspects and the school hazing tradition called “THE HOWLING” that (of course) went terribly wrong one year leading to catastrophic events.

The rest of the book I found to be a little mid for me. I am grateful this book was fast paced and possible to be a one sitting read because it definitely kept me reading until the end and if it was slow burn I don’t think I would have made it.

Small town mystery 💃🏼

Thank you for the gifted copy!

Publishes - July 29th

As a longtime fan of Megan Miranda, I was excited to read her latest. It wasn’t my favorite book that I’ve read from her, but I still really enjoyed it.

I found this dark academia novel to be bingeable and suspenseful with a sense of unease that built throughout.

Single POV storylines are often hit-or-miss for me, but it worked well here. I never got the sense that I was only getting one side of the story or yearned for the introduction of another POV to mix things up.

It had a slow start, but the plot picked up by the 50% mark and I was fully dialed in from that point onwards. In fact, I finished the majority of the second half of the book in one sitting.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the e-ARC and ARC.

Megan Miranda has done it again. Another incredible thriller that, honestly, kept me guessing right up until the end.

Beckett left her hometown under a dark cloud, vowing to never return to the college where she was viewed as a guilty party to a terrible fire. Wyatt Valley, in the Virgina mountains, is a beautiful place with a howling wind. Beck is blindsided when her daughter decides to go to the college she once attended and where her grandparents once taught, completely unaware of what it could mean for her mother.

This book was an incredible twisty story of how lies become tangled webs that we can never fully get out of, and eventually the truth will always find a way to break free.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster CA for sending me a digital ARC. You Belong Here will be available for purchase or loan from your local library on July 29 2025.

3.5⭐️.... I've read a few of Megan Miranda books in the past and so far this one is my favorite . I found it slow at the beginning but the other half was more like a page turner and it was harder to put down 🙂

You Don’t Belong Here - Megan Miranda

3.75⭐️

It should be pretty clear now that I am a Megan Miranda fan.

Her upcoming release was no exception.

A mystery decades old. And now Beckett is back in her college town. Her daughter is going to the school she had to leave. And something is very wrong.

This kept me wondering and stressed and the level of distrust was incredibly high. I did want a bit more, especially at the end.

Pub Date: July 29

Thank you @simonandschusterca for the earc 🤍🤍

Just finished You Belong Here by Megan Miranda, and it’s exactly the kind of thriller I love—moody, suspenseful, and impossible to put down. 👀✨

Megan Miranda does such a great job creating an atmosphere that feels both beautiful and unsettling. The writing pulls you right into this town where everyone seems connected, and every detail feels important. It’s definitely a slow-burn, but the tension keeps building with every page until it all comes together in the end.

If you’re in the mood for a twisty, character-driven thriller that explores family, loyalty, and the idea of belonging, this one definitely delivers. Perfect for fans of mysteries that are more about the journey than just the final twist.

I’ve read nearly all of this author’s books - some have pulled me in, while other’s didn’t hit the mark. So I was curious (and hopeful) when I received an advanced copy of this new book from the publisher. Is this one on your radar? 📖

You Belong Here follows Beckett, who left her hometown nearly two decades ago after a tragic night left two people dead. Her college roommate was accused of the murders but disappeared, and while Beckett wasn’t charged, many believe she was involved. She swore she’d never return - but now, 18 years later, she finds herself back as her daughter is accepted into the same university. When strange and threatening things begin happening to her daughter, Beckett becomes convinced that someone is targeting them. Is her former roommate somehow back? Or is someone else seeking revenge? 😒

While the premise had promise, I wouldn’t call this a thriller - it leans more into the slow-burn mystery territory, exploring past secrets and present-day consequences. Personally I struggled to connect with the characters, and I found the pacing to be too slow. It didn’t quite hold my attention as I hoped. That said, fans of character mysteries may like this one, it just wasn’t for me. ⭐️⭐️

You Belong Here publishes on July 29th.

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#bookrecommendations

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Another classic Megan Miranda! Told from Beckett's POV with some then timeline sprinkled in this was a pretty solid read! I really enjoyed the small college town and the characters. The mix of the past and present stories worked so well and while I correctly guessed some pieces, other parts of the ending were a surprise!

I've seen lots of reviews that this was a slow paced mystery but I flew through it and couldn't put it down - which I always find with Megan's books!

Thanks to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster Canada for an advance copy!

This mystery/thriller has Megan Miranda written all over it! It was a fun ride, with a few caveats. The first half felt like it was dragging, and most things I did see coming, although a few did surprise me. It was yet another story fueled by teenagers' bad decisions, college kids with secrets from the past being exposed, which is not my favorite trope, but I still read this in one sitting and enjoyed the ride.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I don’t know what it is but I love Megan Miranda’s writing style. The small time, wilderness vibes always set the scene of a mystery so nicely.

This had a good mystery, wrapped up in past mystery and each chapter had you wanting more.

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for an advanced copy of You Belong Here. All opinions in this review are my own.

You Belong Here is a slow burn, small town suspense that I've learned to love from Megan Miranda. She is a true master of setting the scene, they are always so vivid, easy to play out in your mind. There's always this dark chilling atmosphere that follows you throughout the book. I really loved the campus setting with its underground tunnels, crazy rituals and deep woods.

The characters were a highlight for me, I loved following them and never knowing who to trust. The secrets in this small town dive deep. The plot unfolded nicely, told in 3 parts with past and present timelines. I truly enjoyed how it unfolded, how every little thing was uncovered piece by piece.

Overall, this was a great suspenseful read that kept me hooked right from the start. I was unable to put it down and just kept wanting to pick it back up to know how the story would unfold.

✨️Thank you to @stmartinsca, @marysuericci & @meganmiranda for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Megan Miranda’s *You Belong Here* is a suspenseful and emotionally charged novel that explores the complex themes of grief, identity, and belonging. The story follows Ivy, a 17-year-old who moves to a remote town in the Pacific Northwest after the sudden death of her father. As Ivy navigates this new, isolated environment, she struggles with feeling like an outsider in a tight-knit community filled with secrets.

Miranda excels at creating an eerie, atmospheric setting where the town itself feels like a character—its moody landscapes and quiet streets add to the tension that permeates the novel. Ivy’s internal conflict and her journey toward self-discovery are at the heart of the narrative. As she unravels the town’s hidden truths, Ivy learns more about herself and the complex relationships that shape her world. The slow-building suspense keeps readers engaged, and Miranda’s ability to weave emotional depth with mystery creates a compelling, multifaceted story.

The characters are well-drawn, with Ivy’s growth and the relationships she forms being key elements that drive the plot. Though the ending leaves some questions unanswered, the open-ended nature of the conclusion invites reflection on the themes of ambiguity and personal growth.

In *You Belong Here*, Megan Miranda crafts a gripping and poignant story that keeps readers on edge, offering a thought-provoking exploration of what it means to truly belong.

This was a very interesting story. Fast paced and leaves you constantly wondering what will happen next and what on earth is going on.
It was refreshing to read something that didn't revolve around the same old tired tropes.

2.5

*Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!*

I’m not sure exactly what it was about this book, but I found it really hard to get into. I think it was that not much happened? I enjoyed the college campus setting, but honestly that was about it. I also found it really hard to like any of the characters because they were kind of one dimensional. I almost wish we had some chapters from Delilah’s perspective because she was a big part of the story and I just had no idea what was going on in her head, but maybe that was the point! When it came to the big reveal at the end, by that point I was kind of underwhelmed.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this advance readers copy in exchange for my honest feedback. This mystery/thriller is slow paced but well worth the wait in the end! The character development is extremely good. This book is written with a past and present timeline. I really enjoyed this one and was not expecting that ending!!

This was definitely a slower paced thriller, it only really picked up by part three, which is unfortunate as I do tend to enjoy a faster paced thriller.

Overall I did enjoy the story, especially the setting. I could imagine the campus so clearly in my mind.

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the ARC!

📖 ARC BOOK REVIEW 📖

PUB Date :July 28th 2025

My Rating - 3 Howling Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

Where are my dark Academia book lovers ?? This one is for you !!

You Belong Here is a slow burn caper that definitely took its time to unravel.

Set in the picturesque mountains of Wyatt Valley Beckett Bowery a ghost writer makes her way back to town as her daughter Delilah will now be attending the same college she did .

What we quickly learn is Beckett has many secrets from her past and it involved the death of two male colleagues and a missing student .

Now after years of avoiding it seems her daughter may be caught in the crossfire of past secrets and is Delilah hiding her own secrets??

This slow burn is a game of cat & mouse with lots of red herrings.

The story bounces back and forth between past and present and at times the book has very suspenseful moments and I felt myself gripping the pages waiting for these secrets to reveal themselves .

As time went on I found my dynamite 🧨 was slowly burning out as it got a bit repetitive for me and I did feel a lot of the plots that were webbed through out were rather unnecessary and did nothing to the story to gain traction .

The writing is done well but the plots I found were unimpressive and left me feeling a bit underwhelmed and frustrated as I found the ending to leave some things unanswered.

I do think a lot of people that like dark academia , and a good slow burn 🔥 read will enjoy this one , I didn’t love it nor hate it , but I don’t think I’ll remember this one come new year 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thank you NetGalley , Simon & Schuster Canada & Megan Miranda for this chilling ARC 🙏

Respectfully Another Read by Angie 🖤

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was an edge-of-your-seat thriller novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

This was a slow burn for sure but sadly didn’t quite live up to its potential and what I’ve come to expect from this author. There were many moving parts and characters that needed further development. I was also hoping that the university/college setting would play a larger role. This book had potential but didn’t quite it the mark. That said - I will continue to look forward to the next offering of Megan Miranda. Can’t win them all! Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this eARC.