This book pulled me in slowly and refused to let go. It is haunting and quiet, the kind of story where the tension is always just beneath the surface, tightening with every chapter.

The writing is sharp and deliberate, and the sense of atmosphere is impeccable. The past and present are woven together so seamlessly that you start to question everything, including your own instincts. I found myself completely immersed in the mystery, but what kept me hooked was the emotional weight behind every decision, every silence, every glance.

This is not a fast-paced thriller. It is thoughtful, layered, and eerily timely. It asks what we owe to the truth and what we are willing to forget in order to move on. The answer lingers long after the final page.

If you love suspense that makes you think as much as it makes you feel, this one belongs on your shelf.

Megan Miranda has become a go-to author for me for great mystery/thriller books. She never fails to disappoint. I've ready many of her books.

Description:
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 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 to Wyatt College 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…

My Thoughts:
Beckett never wanted to return to Wyatt Valley after what had happened to her there, but she has no choice when her daughter, Delilah, gets accepted and enrolls at the university there. Then when Delilah goes missing, everything from Beckett's past comes back to her. There were definitely some unexpected twists to this story and it kept my attention. It was an engrossing read and I was anxious for Delilah to be found. I also wanted to know what was really going on in the house - so unsettling. I enjoyed the characters and they were relatable. The plot moved well and there were some tense moments. This is a good mystery/thriller and I think those who like the genre will enjoy it..

Thanks to Simon Element | S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.

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 to Wyatt College and earns a full scholarship, and Beckett can only hope that her lingering fears are unfounded.

⭐️⭐️ (2/5)

I was disappointed with this book. I had high hopes and was underwhelmed. The book revolves around a college and town tradition, and the tradition seemed not fully developed in my mind. I’ve read books with school/town traditions and this was just meh.

I felt like there wasn’t anything that stood out to me that I loved other than the past vs present. Overall I finished the book and moved on.

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

Loved this dark, twisty, and suspenseful book! The setting is a college in the VA mountains, and it’s perfect if you're looking for a dark academia book.

Classic Megan Miranda—a moody, suspenseful, atmospheric mystery/thriller.

Beckett Bowery returns to her old college to drop off her daughter Delilah for freshman year, but stepping back on campus stirs up memories she’s tried to bury. The story moves between past and present, slowly unraveling the mystery of a tragic night that still casts a long shadow.

If you’re into dark academia (think secret tunnels and hazing) and slow burn thrillers, this one’s for you.

I typically love this author and devour each and every book. Unfortunately, this one was disappointing and I could t get into it. For me, this was a DNF.

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And then I had a birthday credit from Book of the Month and used it on this. I usually find Megan Miranda’s books to be…fine. There are a few that I’ve really liked, but for the most part it’s a serviceable popcorn mystery. I requested this one because it had some dark academia vibes, but the whole narrative felt sort of flat to me.

It feels a little like we’re following the wrong story. Beckett Bowery grew up a townie in a college town (but because her parents were both professors, she was in a unique position of being on both sides). When she was a senior, she and her roommate were involved in a prank that resulted in the death of two men from the town. Her roommate fled and literally hasn’t been seen since, and Beckett herself fled to London to finish out the semester at the college’s sister school. There’s this whole thing called “the howling,” where the students run around in the woods at night when the winds kick up. It’s a well known thing that happens - the townies also run around in the woods trying to scare them. I feel like there was supposed to be this dread associated with it, but I never really felt it. Like…it’s windy? So you go run around and swim in the quarry?

Anyway, Beckett’s daughter Delilah gets into the school, so she’s headed to the last place Beckett wants her to be. And things go OK for a bit, but one night Beckett gets a call from Delilah that seems like she’s in distress. Before she can talk to her, the call drops and Beckett can’t get ahold of her again. So she drives the several hours back to campus to try to find her. In the meantime, her parents have left for a semester teaching abroad, so she breaks into their house…but it seems like someone else might be staying there too because the spare key is missing. And the past seems to be trying to come back to haunt her.

We get some flashbacks to Beckett and Adalyn (the roommate) to sort of explain what happened. Basically the two guys chased them through the underground steam tunnels. Beckett locked them in, sort of. They couldn’t go forward, but should have been able to retrace their steps and get back out. Except Adalyn set the building on fire. And then she vanished. I feel like we should have been following the Beckett in college story. The whole Delilah thing is so removed from the actual mystery, and so much ends up just getting info-dumped that it really lacks impact (I finished this book two days ago and I’m already forgetting plot points).

Megan Miranda is one of my favorite thriller writers and I think You Belong Here might be her best book since The Last House Guest.

In You Belong Here, a series of strange and tragic events led Beckett to leave her hometown behind with plans to never return. When her daughter (unbeknownst to Beckett) applies to Beckett's alma mater, she's forced to reckon with her past.

Told in the pulse-pounding way of every Megan Miranda book, this was an exciting thriller from page 1 to the end.

This author is definitely one of my most liked authors and I absolutely enjoyed it!! All the characters were untrustworthy, plenty of secrets and so many twisted moments. This one is totally my favorite from this author!! Add this to your TBR!!!

Much thanks to NetGalley for the advanced arc!

When Beckett left her hometown in a hurry, she thought she was leaving the secrets of her past behind. But she’s forced to revisit her past when her daughter Delilah decides to attend the same small college that Beckett herself was attending when tragedy struck. Is it possible for that part of her history to stay hidden? Unfortunately not, especially when it appears that Delilah is being targeted by someone with intimate knowledge about what happened all those years ago. This book was just okay for me. I did like the dark, moody atmosphere and the mysterious setting. However, I thought the storyline was hard to follow at times and it was difficult to see where it was going.

I was really disappointed with this story and since it is an author I have really enjoyed in the past, it was even more disappointing as i had looked forward to another good one.

Imagine some "bad thing" happened when you were in high school and you are determined never to go back there. Now, 20 years later, your daughter secretly applies to the college your parents used to work at in that same town. Add to that the fact that your relationship with them is strained to say the least. You consent to her going to school there, after all, she has a free ride there, but when you bring her to school and see your parents, they are all packed up to leave for South America for the semester. Can you say No communication here? This is too implausible and way too soon in the storyline for the rest of it to be the least bit believable.

You leave her there at school in spite of all your bad feelings about being there. Oh, there is one tradition at that school that you were a part of way back then and your roommate has been missing ever since; Yes, for 20 years. Mysterious text messages appear on your phone and then you get one middle of the night one from your daughter's phone and now can't reach her.

I won't go further as it just got more ridiculous as it went on. Wish I had something good to say about it, but even though I read till the end, I did not come up with anything.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.

🧩ARC review 📖

You Belong Here by @meganlmiranda

5 stars

Beckett fled her college town after a senior‑year disaster, her roommate vanished, two local men died in a dorm fire, and Beckett became the town pariah. Two decades later, when her daughter Delilah secretly enrolls at that same college on a full scholarship, Beckett returns to Wyatt Valley—and when Delilah mysteriously disappears, old secrets begin to surface with dangerous consequences.

I just finished You Belong Here and wow, I couldn’t put it down! The mystery had me guessing the whole time, and I loved how the past and present slowly came together, solving the puzzle. I didn’t see the ending coming at all, and now I need someone else to read it so I can talk about it!

@marysueruccibooks @simonandschuster #marysueruccibooks #simonandschuster #youbelonghere #meganmiranda #thrillerbooks #bookstagram #arcreview

I was hooked from the start! Honestly the cover and the title are so appealing to the eye that it makes a reader want to pick it up. I was invested in the story and with every turn of the page I didn’t know what to expect. There were so many secrets and hidden truths that makes you doubt what’s really going on in the story. My opinions kept changing as the book went on and I couldn’t piece everything together until the final page. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good thriller! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review and feedback.

Megan’s thrillers never disappoint, and this one was no exception! From the very first page, the fast-paced plot pulled me in and didn’t let go. I found myself flying through the chapters, completely hooked by the nonstop suspense. The story was packed with unexpected twists and turns that kept me guessing the entire time. It was such an exciting and enjoyable read! I honestly didn’t want to put it down!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

*Spoilers*

Unfortunately this book fell flat to me and I found it boring. Everything that had potential never worked up to be interesting or meaningful in the storyline. I have several issues with the story, in no particular order:
-Why would Beckett’s parents give everything they had up to fund Adalyn’s life? And it seemed like they had a terrible relationship with Beckett, their own daughter, but they lost their jobs to give her ex-best friend money when she needed it..? Also how was Adalyn just casually walking amongst the town folk never being noticed by, I don’t know, the police?
-The night of Adalyn’s murder was so confusing, that definitely could’ve been written more clearly. She gave her life up for Delilah? I don’t think that’s completely accurate.
-Trevor and Beckett’s almost rekindled love was like a weird afterthought. There for sure could’ve been more chemistry between them.
-I found it strange that Beckett was surprised when people from her hometown were still there and had kids going to the college there. Like wouldn’t that be obvious? Also why would she not give Delilah any kind of heads up about the things that happened there when she was a college student? That was really just setting her up for failure.
-Every single chapter had to end on a “super mysterious” note like it was alluding to this huge mystery the entire time. This is a personal pet peeve of mine, when it feels like the story isn’t really progressing and the main point is a super secret bad thing that you’ll find out at some point. It feels cheap like the story isn’t really building on its own, you’re relying on this huge plot point that in this case fell flat.
-The “game” that they played in the woods with the wind was never fully explained, it was mentioned multiple times and was clearly a big deal.
Overall I felt like this story did not flow well and the end was disappointing.

I appreciate the opportunity to have read this as an advanced reader copy and am providing my honest feedback in this review.

I have to say it was a slow start. I definitely wanted to keep reading to know what happened in the end but the last 60% of the book took you for a ride! It made the book all worth it! I didnt want to stop reading and couldnt put it down! The characters were great and it was extremely well written.

The twists that happen I was absolutely not expecting! Mind blown! If you like medium paced thrillers with an ending you don't see coming this is for you!

Beckett never wanted to return to her hometown. But when her daughter secretly applied to her alma mater and is accepted, she is reluctantly returning, bringing back memories of what drove her away 20 years ago. This is a book filled with a dark atmosphere, it's creepy with old building with tunnels built underground.

Although I was never fully pulled into the secrets and plot surrounding Beckett, it was still an entertaining read. I enjoy dark academia thrillers and this was a solid read.

I always enjoy a Megan Miranda read and You Belong Here was definitely what I’ve come to expect and appreciate. With every chapter, it almost seemed there was a new twist or lead that added to the list of culprits and I always like when I can’t quite figure it out. The end did seem like it was a tiny bit rushed compared to the build up of the story but it was still an enjoyable read nonetheless. Thanks to Simon and Schuster for my eARC.

Set against a fog-drenched college campus with a chilling past, You Belong Here is a classic Megan Miranda mystery: fast-paced, atmospheric, and layered with secrets. It leans into the dark academia vibe with creepy rituals, unreliable cell service, underground tunnels, and that sense of being watched that keeps you flipping pages late into the night.

Told from Beckett’s POV, a mother who once fled Wyatt College after tragedy struck and is now drawn back when her daughter goes missing, the story unfolds in three acts. The first half simmers with unease as we glimpse both past and present, while the final third brings the adrenaline, chases, and dramatic reveals.

Though the pacing and setting shine, some elements fall flat. The twisty mystery lacks depth, and Beckett, while relatable as a worried parent, occasionally misses the obvious. The ending, in particular, didn’t land for me, and I wish characters like Daphne had been more fleshed out.

Still, if you’re looking for a quick, spooky season read with culty campus vibes and a few satisfying twists, this will scratch that itch. Think Parents Weekend meets School of Lies, perfect for fans of dark academia lite.

A solid smoldering mystery! Kept me turning the page - a book that gets you in trouble because you can't stop reading!

Beautiful setting + a daughter that doesn't understand her parents and finds trouble trying to get answers.

Great back to school read.