Megan Miranda’s You Don’t Belong Here delivers a moody, atmospheric thriller with her signature twisty plotting. The novel centers on a woman drawn back to a small town haunted by secrets, where she uncovers long-buried truths that blur the line between memory and reality.

Overall, it’s a solid read with a compelling mystery

Beckett Bowery was accused of helping her college roommate/best friend set a fire that killed two local men. She had to leave college and start fresh in a new town. Twenty years later, her daughter, Delilah, chooses to attend the same college, Beckett can’t help but worry. When that middle of the night phone call comes, Beckett must rush back to the place she left all those years ago. Delilah is in danger and Beckett needs to tread carefully.

This book is exciting and addictive. Once you start, it’s near impossible to put down. The characters are well thought out and you can feel the emotions that Beckett and Delilah are feeling. I highly recommend this one. Thank you, NetGalley and Simon Element for the advanced reader copy.

I am an avid admirer of Megan Miranda work, and when "You Belong Here" was released, I was thrilled to obtain a copy. Regardless of the subject matter, this author consistently delivers exceptional stories.
Beckett Bowery left her college town, never expecting to return after a tragedy claimed two lives and drove her roommate into hiding. However, her fears resurface when her daughter Delilah secretly applies to the same college, is accepted and leaves a chilling message that compels Beckett to revisit a town that never forgets.

This novel is another outstanding read filled with unexpected twists and turns. Truly a must-read.

Megan Miranda’s You Belong Here is a compelling novel that explores the intertwined lives of its characters with sensitivity and depth. The story delves into themes of belonging, secrets, and the ways people search for connection — themes that resonate long after the last page. The narrative is beautifully written, with Miranda’s signature skill of creating atmospheric tension and nuanced character development. While some plot points felt a bit predictable, the emotional undercurrents and authentic dialogue truly drew me in. The pacing is steady, allowing moments of introspection amidst the unfolding mystery. What I appreciated most was the way Miranda handled complex relationships and the genuine portrayal of vulnerability. It’s a book that makes you think about where you belong and how the past shapes us, even when we try to move forward. Overall, You Belong Here is a heartfelt story that combines suspense with meaningful insights. It may not be groundbreaking, but it’s thoroughly enjoyable and well-crafted — definitely worth the read!

I have told myself so many times to give up on Miranda, but the premise of this one sounded so interesting, and yet. And yet. The “secret” the basis of this book is around is not scandalous enough to set the tension throughout. Miranda has a great talent for writing characters I never root for and feel like wet blankets, that follows through here. The weird parent subplot never quite felt resolved. I especially hated the ending. Intriguing premise or not, this definitely needs to be my last for this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Megan Miranda does it again with a twisty, chilling story that’s hard to put down. You Belong Here takes us to a quiet college town hiding some big secrets. Beckett, a mom with a dark past, returns after 20 years when her daughter decides to go to school there and things really start to unravel fast and it’s a wild ride!

The mystery keeps you guessing, and the small town vibes make everything feel extra eerie, which I loved!! It’s a perfect mix of suspense, emotion, and that signature Miranda tension that keeps me going back for more!

If you love her other books—I’m looking at you All The Missing Girls— then you’ll definitely want this one on your summer reading list!

You Belong Here releases July 29th!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon Element for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was gripping from the first page. I loved the higher ed setting and Megan Miranda's writing was, as always, engaging and interesting! The story was twisty, thrilling, and unexpected. Megan Miranda is an automatic read for me, and this book did not disappoint!

Beckett Bowery never thought she’d return to Wyatt Valley, a picturesque college town in the Virginia mountains steeped in tradition. When she was in college here two men were killed, and her friend, the suspect, was on the run. For twenty years she has stayed away until her daughter, Delilah, enrolls in the school, and the danger returns.
It had my attention from the beginning, became a slow burn, and had a satisfying ending with lots of twists and turns. Another good one by Megan Miranda.
Also recommended by Megan Miranda: The Only Survivors, The Safest Lies, All the Missing Girls.

I really enjoyed the concept of The Howling and the way it tied into old college traditions—it brought back memories of mischief night from my own college days. The mysterious atmosphere and the lore surrounding the tradition gave the story a fun and nostalgic edge.

That said, I found Beckett a bit frustrating at times, especially in her stubborn need to handle everything on her own. Her dad (whose name escapes me, unfortunately) clearly loves her and wants to support her, and it felt unnecessary for her to push him away so often.

I also found it slightly unrealistic how deeply her parents were involved in the secret behind everything—it stretched believability for me a bit.

Overall, though, the book was engaging, and the unique premise kept me hooked.

TW: This book was emotionally challenging for me to get through after recently experiencing a house fire.

Megan Miranda is an auto buy author for me. You Belong Here was such a good thriller, with many twists and turns. I love the mother/daughter element in this one. Add this to your TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a solid slow-burn thriller with Megan Miranda’s usual atmospheric writing. I wasn’t really into the daughter going to the same college as main character storyline, and honestly, most of the book dragged for me. But the last 10%? Totally worth it. Super fast-paced, twisty, and impossible to put down. Not my favorite of hers, but still a satisfying read if you’re okay with a slow buildup.

The title alone of You Belong Here evokes the strong feeling of being unable to escape one's past. From the introduction, this theme is palpable. The story revolves around a woman whose past is inescapable, impacting not only her but also her daughter.

Beckett had hoped to never return to Wyatt Valley and her childhood home. This was not due to her upbringing but because of a tragic event she may have been more involved in than even the local police realize. Unfortunately for Beckett, her daughter has always been captivated by her mother’s hometown, especially since her grandparents live there and have previously worked at the local university. When Delilah applies to Wyatt College and receives a scholarship, she is determined to attend.

As Beckett helps her daughter settle into campus, she is immediately overwhelmed by memories and encounters with old acquaintances. Many don't trust her because of her suspected involvement in a fiery incident that claimed the lives of two young men, whether through a misguided prank or something more sinister. Others believe she helped hide the true culprit.

One night, Delilah appears to go missing after Beckett receives a dropped call from her. Panicked, Beckett rushes to the campus to find her daughter and is drawn back into the tangled web of lies that she and others wove nearly two decades ago. If she finds Delilah, will it be too late to amend her past mistakes?

I appreciated the buildup of suspense throughout the novel as Beckett searched for her daughter. However, the plot felt rushed toward the conclusion. Overall, this was a quick thriller worth reading, but it did not seem to measure up in intensity to the author's other works.

This was good, and I was really interested in it, although it wasn't crazy new or inventive. The twists felt pretty predictable, but it was still a fun ride.

4 stars

A solid entry from Megan Miranda. Her books can be hit or miss but I enjoyed this one.

The plot was compelling and moved at a good pace. I liked that it was told over just a few days and was very self contained.

I liked the main character and understood her motivations. I hate in books like this when characters do stupid or out of character actions for the sake of the plot and that didn’t happen here.

This was a straightforward mystery and I think it worked well.

I loved this book! I don't mind how slow-pacing Megan Miranda books usually are, I always feel invested in the story and in the main character's drama. And this one was no exception.
I particularly liked even more the fact that this is a campus mystery kind of story, with a mother, with a dark secret from her college days of the past, trying to save/protect her daughter - now at the same college she used to attend to.
So much mystery, so many shady people, I love this kind of trope. And Megan Miranda writing style always works for me. Very atmospheric and filled with hidden clues.
This is now easily one of my favourites by this author.
I'd highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Megan Miranda novels and mysteries set in college campus. NOTE: personally, I do not consider this book to be dark academia.

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon Element | S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books, for providing me with a free eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a fan of Megan Miranda since All the Missing Girls, I was thrilled to receive an ARC of her next novel, You Belong Here. In true Miranda fashion, You Belong Here was a thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I love the way the author brings you along for two intersecting narratives, between the past and present. There have been times I guessed the ultimate twist before the reveal but not in this book. I was captivated from start to finish. The epilogue left me wanting more and I already cannot wait for her next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Beckett Bowery hasn't been home since the winter of her senior year at college. So when her daughter Delilah applies and gets into the same college, Beckett is forced to return to her dangerous past and everything that comes with it.

Megan Miranda is always one of my go-to thriller authors. I feel like a lot of the time I'm able to predict how a book is going to end but she always leaves me reeling. I will say that this book didn't follow that typical pattern however and I was able to see where this was going about 60% into the book--although that didn't take away from keeping me engaged in the story line.

Her writing is always compelling, and the pacing is well done in that it keeps you interested and eager to learn what happens next. The first half of this book felt kind of spooky, this would be a great read for the fall or heading into Halloween season just because of it's overall vibe.

This book also seemed a bit different then other Megan Miranda books just due to how involved the story line was. There was a story within a story in this book so I will admit that sometimes I got a bit lost but that was honestly probably on me.

Overall this was an enjoyable read and definitely one to add to your TBR if you like a twisty, heart racing story.

Beckett „Beck“ Bowery reluctantly returns to her small home town in the Virginia mountains when her daughter Delilah enrolls at the local college. Having fled Wyatt Valley almost two decades earlier, when she was a student herself and a tragedy at the college cast her in a cloud of suspicion and blame, Beck is unnerved at the thought of confronting her past, but even more concerned to leave her daughter behind in town once classes begin. And a few weeks into the semester, it seems that all her worst fears are confirmed when, after a dropped call in the middle of the night, Delilah is nowhere to be found.

Author Megan Miranda has used the „traumatized heroine returning to her home town“ trope more than once in the past, and usually does so quite well, but her latest book fell a bit flat for me.

The book started strong, but while there is definitely an eerie atmosphere throughout, the looming threat was undermined by the fact that Beck‘s traumatic backstory never felt quite believable to me, and neither did the whole guilty by association treatment she received from the people in town even decades later. The more Beck’s backstory was revealed, the less plausible and more ridiculous it became. Sure, kids do dumb things, but really? Over a game of dart?

As a long-time reader of the author’s books, this one ranks well below some of her others for me. I liked the characters, and especially Beck’s relationship with Delilah, but beyond the mystery of finding Delilah, I was not as gripped by the book as I had hoped. Nevertheless, if you enjoy a campus thriller full of sinister atmosphere, red herrings (even if the final reveal is about what you’d expect), and plenty of thrills, you might enjoy this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon Element | S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

„You Belong Here“ is slated to be released on July 29, 2025.

The ending!!!!! Ugh, my heart. This is my second ARC for Megan Miranda, but I've read so many of her books at this point. I loved this! She did not disappoint. If you like domestic/popcorn style thrillers this is for you! This has a college and mom/daughter family secrets type of thriller. It has a past and present POV going on. Thank you to Megan Miranda, publishers, and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. Lots of family drama, lots of tension, and twists.

*Actual rating of 4.5 stars

Big fan of how Megan Miranda does slow burn, atmospheric mysteries. The settings are always vivid, the suspense a slow build that creeps like mist through the trees, and the characters are always complex. This book is obviously no exception, so I can safely say I loved it. I felt on edge the whole time I was reading, like I could really hear the wind blowing, sinister, through the leaves off a mountain. As someone who has been to the Blue Ridge Mountains area many times, I was able to very vividly imagine the setting of this book which only served to make it better. I also loved how the author wrote a complex mother and daughter relationsip--between the MC and her daughter as well as between her and her own mother. This book also had one of my favorite plots of all her her books, one that kept me guessing right up until the end. The only reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars is because the resolution felt jarringly fast and then the book was simply over with barely anything else after. I felt like I had whiplash at the end and not necessarily in a good way. Other than that though, I enjoyed the whole book and devoured it in just a couple of days. Definitely recommend this one if you like her other books, and if you want a little more "action" out of them.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

(PS I was SO excited to get approved because I have loved every single book of this author's and have been dying for more after Daughter of Mine came out last year.)