A little disappointed. This felt a little drawn out and like it was going no where. I was intrigued but then it felt like all the lose ends got tied up and they didn’t make totally sense.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars

You Belong Here by Megan Miranda is a fun and reliable thriller set on a college campus in the main character’s hometown - the hometown Beckett planned never to return to. But when her daughter decides to attend, Beckett is forced to face the history she’s spent twenty years avoiding.

Some twists were predictable while others I didn’t see coming, but I just didn’t quite get that satisfaction from the ending that I usually look for with a thriller. Still enjoyable and easy reading and just the kind of read you want sometimes!

Thank you to netgalley, Simon Element, Mary Sue Rucci Books and Megan Miranda for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Publication date: 7/29/2025.

Another great read from Megan Miranda! I’m typically drawn in by her books and hooked from the start and this was no different. Every time I predicted what was going to happen, Miranda threw something in to make me doubt my predictions. I liked the non-linear timeline with the majority of the book in present time and sporadic parts going back to when the mother was a student at the same college. This book had a few more characters and moving pieces than other books of Miranda’s and seemed a little deeper and made me have to focus a little harder, which made the ending that much more of a shocker!

Publication Date: July 29, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My kind of thriller! Rounding up from a 4.5. I stayed up so late reading my husband started asking me what it was all about. All my favorite tropes--dark academia, small town vibes, revisited trauma, a little mystical element with The Howling tradition. Likable characters and unexpected twists. Megan Miranda has another hit. Expected publication at the end of July--what a perfect time to read something with this energy. And also a great fall read if you are looking for something with just a little spooky suspense--this got my heart rate up a couple of times. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the advanced copy and the opportunity to share my review.

I have read several Megan Miranda novels, and in general I enjoy her novels and find that the dual time approach works well. You Belong Here is a mystery, actually a couple of mysteries. The plot, itself, is convoluted and seems to be suggesting that the past is never really in the past. There are a number of confusing aspects, most of which are finally tied together at the end. Although the mystery is good, You Belong Here moves very slowly. I found the pace slow in too many places. which ment reading this novel did not seem compelling, which was not a problem in her previous novels..

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for sending this ARC for me to read, in exchange for my honest review. I think You Belong Here will work well for most readers. It just did not work as well for me.

3 stars

Stacy Willingham has never let me down. This book delivers a more subtle kind of mystery—nothing too heavy, really easy to get into, but still completely captivating. The main character isn’t super complex, so I didn’t feel deeply connected to her, but honestly, that worked just fine. Overall, it was a really solid, quick, and unique read.

I always love Megan Miranda books. They are automatic buys for me.

Beckett had a traumatic ending to her college career at Wyatt Valley. When her 18 year old daughter Delilah wants to return to her mom's alms matter, Beckett has reservations. Almost as soon as Delilah steps foot on campus, secrets are unburied and the mystery and tension all resurfaces and Beckett is sucked right back in.

Positives:
Great pace, hooks the readers from the first page
Dark academia setting
Twists I didn't see coming with a satisying conclusion
Small town secrets, dark college traditions, unburied secrets, the past resurfacing and coming back to haunt, generational trauma
Dual timeline
Short chapters

Negatives:
I did not enjoy the whole "howling" tradition that set the backdrop for the entire book,

"You Belong Here" is a dark academia mystery set at a college in the mountains of Virginia. Beckett must return to the town where she grew up--and where her parents still live--and the the college she attended until a tragic event forced her out. Her daughter is now attending this school, much to her dismay, and it only takes a few weeks before things start to unravel. Beck is forced to confront the legacy and traditions of the college, the role that she and her friends played, and the direction her life has taken, in order to help her daughter and resolve long-standing mysteries. I liked this book overall, although I found a few scenarios implausible. There were plenty of red herrings and twists to keep me entertained. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to provide an honest review.

MM does it again with a nail-biting mystery thriller that made me stay up way past my bedtime!

#YouBelongHere is told through Beckett's flashbacks and present day voice when her own daughter Delilah decides to attend the college where a tragic incident occurred almost two decades earlier. Beckett's bestie Adalyn vanishes immediately after the incident, so it's Beckett left to face the police, her parents and the town who suspect she's an accomplice. Forced to leave the college, Beckett makes a new life in London, meets a fellow American, has her daughter and returns to the states a single parent.

Back in present day, Beckett's worse fears return when a dropped call from Delilah brings her back to the college to search for her missing daughter. Joining her is Delilah's father, Trevor, the one person Beckett trusts and seems to have the most regrets about in her life.

Fans of MM and new readers will find the twisty plot and deliberate pacing potentially frustrating since the clues are strewn like pebbles across a grassy plain and the frequent flashbacks sloooowly peel back the onion layers to this story. I wanted to know Adalyn's side of things. I didn't quite understand the "howling" and why a key scratch could start an inferno of vengeance. But murder and a coverup doesn't have to make sense. And that's why Beckett's story of regret works and shows that justice (or karma) always wins in the end.

Thank you to #Netgalley, the publisher and author for the ARC! Look forward to reading the final published version!

Is Megan Miranda my favorite author? Very good chance she is - fun fact I didn't realize that until I alphabetized my books and realized that I own 7 or her books but now I know and I always say yes to her books.

You Belong Here tells the story of Beckett, who must return to her hometown in order to send her daughter, Delilah, off to college. Years ago she left and vowed to never return but here she is. Shortly after starting the semester her daughter calls her but then the call is dropped and she is no longer answering. She drives through the night to try to find her daughter but as she is back her old ghosts come back to visit her.

Can she solve the mystery that is 20 years old while also figure out what happened to her daughter?

Great page turning thriller and lots of twists. As always great read

Thank you so much and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a great thriller. I think you're going to have a TON of success with this in the summer. For those who like Lisa Jewell and Riley Sager, check this one out!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book!

In this captivating read, Miranda draws readers into a suspenseful world filled with secrets where everyone is a suspect! A web of dangerous secrets and morally ambiguous choices will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Miranda skillfully crafts a cast of characters that embodies the duality of human nature, with ulterior motives often expertly masked. The interplay between desperation and ambition drives the plot forward, inviting readers to explore themes of trust, deception, and the lengths one will go for a chance at keeping secrets hidden. This book is perfect for fans of domestic thrillers and psychologically frightening monsters!

This is a bit of a hard review for me to write as I really struggled to get into this book. I was able to finish it in a day. But that doesn’t reflect the pace of the book. It’s definitely a slow burn style thriller, which is not my favorite. This was my second Megan Miranda book, the first (Daughter of Mine) I rated 2.5 stars and I feel that’s about where I would put this one too. I think Megan Miranda seems to write books that do not speed up until the last bit of the book. I think a lot of people will enjoy this, but if you like a high intensity fast paced thriller this is not that type of book. There was really only one huge twist towards the end that got me. I unfortunately did not find myself connecting with Beckett or Delilah which also probably reflects my lower rating. The story was easy to follow, but the chapters are extremely long being around 20-30 minutes a chapter. Another reason this was not my favorite thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. Megan Miranda is an auto-buy author for me, and this book didn’t disappoint. While the beginning was a bit slow to draw me in, once the plot picked up, I was completely hooked. It kept me engaged from start to finish with plenty of twists and turns that had me guessing until the very end.

Megan Miranda delivers another gripping, twist-filled story in You Belong Here. With vivid prose and a hauntingly atmospheric setting, Miranda masterfully builds suspense while unraveling a web of secrets and past traumas. The characters are complex and compelling, and the pacing keeps you hooked from the first page to the last. A must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and slow-burn mysteries—Miranda proves once again why she's a standout in the genre.

Thank you Megan Miranda, NetGalley, and Marysue Rucci Books for this ARC! Megan Miranda is a favorite author of mine, and every time I read another ornery book of hers, I think I have a new favorite of hers. But, this one… wow. Definitely my favorite by far. It’s been a while since I read a mystery/thriller this good. It kept me forming new theories and reevaluating characters and events throughout. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Add this to your TBR now! You won’t regret it!

The release of a new Megan Miranda book is something I look forward to as part of each summer, and this one was no exception. It immediately pulled me in - as Miranda books generally do - and I was solidly along for the ride with protagonist Beckett and her daughter Delilah as they're drawn back into the surroundings of the college Beckett attended in the town she grew up in...which, of course, holds pieces of the dark, mysterious secrets of the tail-end of Beckett's college days. Unfortunately, the mystery seems to wrap up all too quickly at the very end of the book, and the conclusion isn't wholly satisfying. It's not a bad read - the characters are well-drawn, and their relationships lovely - but it just feels rushed in the last fifty pages. I'll recommend it to folks, though - it'll be a decent summer read, even if the ending isn't all it could have been.

You Belong Here had me on the edge of my seat – kinda like a Liam Neeson movie where he stops at nothing to get the answers he needs. Twists and turns and mystery unfolds in directions that I never thought it would. This has to be my favorite from this author. Thank you for the ARC Net Galley #YouBelongHere #MeganMiranda #NetGalley

Thank you for the advanced reader, copy of you belong here. I always enjoy Megan's books in this one was excellent. Wasn't able to put it down, and read it in 2 days.

Another twisty thriller from Megan Miranda that leaves the reader mystified by the complicated relationships that can come with small towns. How a mother’s actions as a teenager shape the experiences of her teenage daughter. This book had me wondering what was going to happen until the last page!