Solid character building with the story flipping from past to present day. Typical plot of a mystery with some well paced reveals. It will leave you wondering if the past is repeating itself. It's not my favorite of hers, but it's worth the read.

You Belong Here
by Megan MIranda
Pub Date: July 29, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
A decades-old secret that drove a young woman from her hometown now threatens her college-bound daughter in this twisty new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda.

Beckett Bowery never thought she’d return to Wyatt Valley, a picturesque college town in the Virginia mountains steeped in tradition. Her roots there were strong: Beckett’s parents taught at the college, and she never even imagined studying anywhere else—until a tragedy her senior year ended with two local men dead, and her roommate on the run, never to be seen again…

For the last two decades, Beckett has done her best to keep her distance. Then her daughter Delilah secretly applies and earns a full scholarship, and Beckett can only hope that her lingering fears are unfounded. But deep down she knows that Wyatt Valley has a long memory, and that the past isn’t the only dangerous thing in town…
Megan Miranda is a master of the campus mystery genre, and You Belong Here is no exception. Fans of dark academia and literary mysteries will be drawn into this atmospheric college town where Beckett Bowery’s past might just be repeating itself. The split timelines, the rivalry between the town and the college, and the vivid sense of place kept me thoroughly captivated.

However, I did have one issue with the book: the ending felt a bit rushed. The setting, the complex mother-daughter relationship, and the intricate mystery are all wonderfully developed, but then, in the final pages of the book, the story accelerates toward a conclusion that, while satisfying, felt too quick.

I don't think there is a book by Megan Miranda that I haven't enjoyed so I figured this new one would be just as good, and boy was it! Twist after twist kept me guessing until the very end.

Beckett Bowery thought she'd left her troubled past behind when she left Wyatt Valley, but when her daughter Delilah earns a scholarship to the same college, old fears resurface. A decades-old tragedy still looms over the town, and Beckett knows that the past—and its secrets—might now threaten Delilah's future. Megan Miranda's twisty thriller explores the haunting impact of long-buried secrets.

Vowing to never return to her hometown of Wyatt Valley, Becket is shocked when her daughter Deliah chooses to go to college there. Dragging up hurts and secrets from the past, Becket must come to terms with the fact that Wyatt Valley and the incident that caused her to flee the country are no longer a bad memory but now a living nightmare.
This book has a little bit of a slow burn in the middle, but I felt the story did redeem itself with the ending. The characters all pretty much come to the table with some sort of agenda, who’s hiding what? Who can I believe? As the story builds, so does the mystery.
This was not my favorite Miranda book, but I am loyal to the author and I will continue to read everything she writes.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon Element for the ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

Relatively entertaining. The story dragged from about the 15% point until about 65% when it picked dup again. Once it became time to tie things up and have an ending there was a sudden rush to closure. So, overall it was entertaining enough but, with half of the book dragging a bit, it got quite slow. The characters were realistic. I felt the dynamic between and her mother was a bit glossed over given the abrupt and sometimes acerbic interactions.

Megan Miranda is one of those authors who I will immediately buy their book without having a clue what it is about, so I was super excited to get to read this one early. This is another solid, twisty, atmospheric thriller! Beckett has been avoiding her college hometown after her best friend was accused of setting a deadly fire and subsequently disappeared. But when her daughter ends up attending the same college and goes missing during her first semester, Beckett is forced to go back to campus and to deal with her past. I agree with other reviewers that parts of this book were a little slow, but stick with it, it gets there. There are a lot of twists so while parts of the book and certain characters might seem maybe unnecessary while reading, it all comes together in the end. I enjoyed the autumn academia vibes and family drama as well. I maybe wish we got a little more of the backstory during Beckett’s college years, but no real complaints here. Overall a fun read!

Thanks again to Simon Element and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book!

3.5/5 Overall a good thriller, though it seemed a bit slow at times for me. Would still be interested in reading other works by this author.

You Belong Here is a gripping small-town thriller that blends past and present with Megan Miranda’s signature atmospheric tension. The story follows Beckett Bowery, a woman who’s spent years distancing herself from a traumatic event tied to a deadly college fire. But when her daughter goes missing at the same university, Beckett is forced back into the town—and the secrets—she’s tried so hard to forget.

The novel is fast-paced and filled with intrigue, pulling the reader through layers of mystery, guilt, and long-buried truths. I especially enjoyed the eerie setting of Wyatt Valley and how the town itself felt like a character, steeped in rumor and legend. Beckett’s journey back into her past and her desperate search for her daughter were emotionally charged and kept me turning the pages.

Some of the twists were a little predictable, and the central mystery followed a fairly expected path, but the execution was still satisfying. Miranda does a great job of dropping just enough clues to keep things engaging without giving too much away too soon.

Overall, this was an entertaining, suspense-filled read with well-timed reveals and a strong emotional core. A solid 4 stars!

I’ve read several of Megan Miranda’s books and always enjoy her writing — You Belong Here was another great read! It started out a bit slow, but once the story picked up, I was completely hooked. There were so many twists that kept me guessing, and I love how she builds tension while slowly revealing each character’s secrets. If you enjoy suspenseful, emotional thrillers with a few surprises along the way, I definitely recommend this one!

The author writes some pretty twisty books. I have read all of her previous books as she is an auto buy for me and this one did not disappoint. It was twisty and engaging and the way she brought the characters to life and made them relatable was amazing.

A solid read from Miranda. It’s was interesting and suspenseful like everything else they’ve written. However the pacing of this one felt off. It was very slow to start. But once it started it all wrapped up very quickly. I wasn’t a fan of the epilogue, it felt like it should have been more. But overall it was enjoyable and once the story really picked up, I couldn’t put it down until I finished it.

Thank you Netgalley and S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Megan Miranda returns to her roots with “You Belong Here”—a haunting, fast-paced thriller steeped in long-buried secrets, broken friendships, and the quiet terror of history repeating itself. Fans of dark academia, slow-burn tension, and layered mysteries will find plenty to love.

Beckett Bowery fled Wyatt College decades ago after a devastating campus fire left two young men dead and her best friend missing. Branded a suspect, Beckett chose exile over fighting the whispers. Now a ghostwriter living a quiet life, she’s thrust back into the past when her daughter, Delilah, enrolls at the very college that destroyed her future—and then goes missing after a chilling, late-night call. Forced to return to Wyatt Valley, Beckett confronts old enemies, half-buried memories, and a town that still remembers her all too well. As the search for Delilah unravels, so do decades of secrets—and Beckett must finally face what she ran from, or risk losing her daughter forever.

Miranda crafts an atmospheric, dual-timeline narrative that masterfully toggles between Beckett’s college years and the frantic present-day search. The setting—a misty, isolated college town where town-gown tensions simmer just under the surface—is vividly drawn, giving the book an immersive, almost cinematic quality.

Beckett is a refreshing protagonist: a flawed, fierce mother whose overprotectiveness feels raw and real. Her relationship with Delilah, fraught with love, guilt, and misunderstanding, adds emotional weight to the mystery. Miranda also brings in fascinating glimpses into Beckett’s past relationships, both romantic and platonic, especially the tragic friendship with Adalyn, the girl who vanished after the fire.

However, while “You Belong Here” excels in building suspense and delivering layered twists, it does falter slightly in its final act. The ending feels a bit rushed. After a steady, deliberate buildup, the climax barrels toward a conclusion that, while satisfying, could have benefited from more breathing room. A few late reveals come a little too quickly and didn’t have much time devoted to them to really help them sink in.

Overall, “You Belong Here” is a suspenseful, atmospheric thriller that pulls you in with its gripping setting, flawed characters, and slowly unraveling secrets. While it may not hit quite as hard as Miranda’s very best, it’s a strong, addictive read that fans of campus thrillers, dark academia, and mother-daughter dramas will thoroughly enjoy.

If you’re looking for a story that combines a haunting setting, layered mystery, and emotionally charged stakes, “You Belong Here” absolutely deserves a spot on your TBR. Just prepare yourself for a wild, breathless ride through the last quarter.

I was really excited to get an early copy of You Belong Here by Megan Miranda, and it completely delivered. It’s about Beckett, who thought she left her small-town past behind — until her daughter chooses to go back, pulling old secrets to the surface. The story has that slow-burn tension Megan Miranda does so well, and the setting felt so real I could picture every street and corner. I loved how the past and present twisted together, and even when I thought I had it figured out, there were still surprises. If you love a smart, layered mystery that keeps you thinking long after you finish, this one’s for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC.

3 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Megan Miranda always knows how to write a good thriller! You Belong Here has its all small-town secrets, slow burn thriller, and a mystery that has you on the edge of your seat. I felt that some of it dragged on for a little bit the end and the twists made it worth it!!!

"You Belong Here" grabs the reader's attention from the very beginning. It continues all through the book to keep the reader wanting to turn the pages until the end. I was a little confused about the main character's part in all of it, but toward the end it made a little more sense. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense and action. It definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat!

I was in a terrible reading slump when I made myself pick this one up. It took about 6 pages for me to get sucked in. Megan Miranda did a fantastic job with this one. The plot was great. Not the same old mystery storyline. The characters were likeable and interesting. The pace was perfect. I found myself just wanting to read one more chapter every time I picked it up. I didn’t love the ending, but it had to end that way and I get it… I just wish it didn’t lol.

This book was filled with suspense and had me guessing at each turn. When Beckett leaves college, she never anticipated coming back to Wyatt Valley. That is until her daughter applies and is accepted to the same school filled with secrets, history, mysteries, and two unsolved deaths. Even twenty years later, small towns don’t forget and certainly don’t forgive. I enjoyed trying to piece the mystery together, guess what really happened that night twenty years ago, and discover what happened during the last howling. No one is innocent, and everyone is capable of something unthinkable.

This book had so many twist and turns. It was such an enjoyable fun read. It was my second ARC by Megan Miranda and my favorite book of hers so far! This is told in dual time lines which I loved. It was very easy to read and sucks you in from the very beginning in true Megan Miranda fashion. I would recommend this to anyone who likes dark secrets, dual time lines & eerie mystery. I felt like the plot and the characters were so well developed but the ending was a little rushed for me. Thank you so much NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for this ARC!

This was a twisty thriller that left you guessing until the end and I really enjoyed this one. It was a fast read and I loved all the twists and layers that were uncovered as Beckett kept digging and finding out all these secrets that people were keeping to protect her. Everything came full circle and her daughter Delilah was the catalyst that brought everything out in the open finally. Just a really good read.

Thanks to Simon Element and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.