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Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC copy. This has not affected my review at all, which are my own thoughts.

In "The Wild Things", we follow true crime writer Kendall Casey, who has always been drawn to dark stories and unsolved or complicated cases, and whose latest project leads her to a neighborhood shrouded in secrets: The Cove. It may look like paradise, but nothing beyond reality, for Kendall's neighbors are like water and oil, never really mixing. The Guffs are clearly and understandably despise by everybody, while her next door neighbors, the Robinettes, are the life of the party, quite literally, and loved by all. Kendall included, at first.
Until Kendall’s wayward sister, Holly, arrives unexpectedly and vows that she’s changed, that she's leaving her addictions behind; eventually, Kendall agrees to house her for a few days until Holly goes back to their parents. An when the Robinettes make way for Holly into their inner circle, the visions and nightmares and possible paranormal encounters that are making Kendall doubt it all get worse, making her jump straight to action and seek the truth for everybody's sake.

So, I kind of got addicted to this one and read it in one sitting😂 Though, in the end, I didn't like it as much as i expected :| Yes, I'm conflicted here. The book was entertaining, I never got bored with it, the plot was consistent and the characters were goof enough. I think, my main problem is that I never quite felt the fear that assaulted Kendall from almost the first day after her arrival to the Cove, and for these type of books, that's an important point for me to really enjoy the book.

Kendall is an amazing character, three dimensional, with goals and contradictions of her own like a regular person. Her paranoia was well written and realistically depicted in my opinion, with putting up cameras and having a hard time trusting the neighbors she didn't know previously, all derived from her job. Enter Sam, and old friend of hers and the only one she had on her side at the start, because, later on, she makes more friends, which I liked for her. There's a whole twisted subplot happening with Sam and I think it was the part that I enjoyed more about this book and the changes it brought to the both of them.

The Cove is definitely an interesting place to be, though I would never lived there even if they paid me to😂 The neighborhood is definitely something else, and that's my point: the Cove feels like a real place, with all types of people living there. Even when reading contemporary I like the world to feel real, coherent within itself and, if possible, to be able to picture it vividly. And, I have to say, that London Clarke managed to do so in "The Wild Things"; my congratulations to her.

Now, the thing is that, while this book has strong elements that make it stand out from others, it didn't convince me much about the horror elements, or, better said, the aspect of fear that Kendall was going through with everything happening around her. Yes, it was messed up, and horrifying and her paranoia was absolutely right, but Kendall was supposed to be afraid of shadows visiting her house, of strange figures stalking her and the possibility that her neighbors were part of a cult. Yet, the descriptions of the book were almost never in depth or accurate enough for me.

And I say this is conflicting to me because there were other installments were I felt what Kendall felt, the weird events, the convenience of it all some times regarding the Robinettes and whatever happened around the Cove, and even Kendall, though being strange from her sister, being protective of her the moment the Robinettes took interest. Even the mystery of it all kept me glue to the pages. But a lot of other aspects were lacking for me to make me like this book more. Also, and this is completely personal, since what drives Kendall to the Cove is her job as a true crime writer and the case she's investigating at the moment, I would have loved for it to have more of a prominent role, instead of being something that Kendall did in her free time not investigating or spending time with the people of the Cove, as if her job was more of a second thought than what was going to pay her house. But, as I said, this is personal and I'm sure other people will love it the way it is.

Overall, I was entertained making theories and proving myself right or wrong and Kendall's character was an amazing one to follow. Even though I didn't found "The Wild Things" groundbreaking or something that sticks out for me across the genre, I do recommend it to the thriller audience that may want to read about having contradicting neighbors and characters with humanly interactions leading to something sinister happening closer than expected

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This is from one of my favourite horror authors. London Clarke did really a fascinating job in here. I never know this kind of topics are in there like, manipulating people and mind reading etc, but those are on next level in this book. For that, I really liked it.

Anyway so, Kendall is a true crime author, who moves to a secluded town as a part of investigating a young girl's disappearance case from a decade ago. Her college best friend, Sam, just so happens to be her neighbor. But well he’s not the only one who’s hot and entertaining because there’s Flip and Blair. Everyone loves them so much. They have the best parties, get along with everyone, and they seem to always get their way.

There was few twists and turns which kept me on my toes the whole time. Every single time I had a prediction, author would throw a twist that made me rethink my whole process because she is able to blend normal elements of thriller with horror and paranormal aspects like I said.

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Clarke delivers a real wham, bam, what the heck is going on, ma'am! I started this one last night and dropped my tablet on my head when I fell asleep. I wanted to power through but didn't quite make it. So, I finished today.

This is quite the ride. Our MC, Kendall, is a true crime writer struggling through her latest project. She's moved to a remote mountain town down the block from her hunky college bestie. Twenty years after college, they've grown and tensions exist between them, but this book is not a romance. Oh, no. It's a twisty story that blends the supernatural with the superbly messed up. The Wild Things (aka The Robinettes) are the neighborhood's "it" couple and they're at the center of something very sinister.

The title here is fitting. This truly is a wild ride. Check it out if you're into dark tensions and twisty rides.

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3.75⭐️
Great paranormal thriller. It got a bit far fetched at times but still a page turner. Terrifying in parts and a wild read. The story was captivating and incredibly vivid. The twist was a bit disappointing and predictable but otherwise a solid thriller.

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The Wild Things is a gripping, eerie thriller with unpredictable twists and a touch of the supernatural. Kendall is a compelling protagonist, and her reactions to the strange neighborhood dynamics reveal much about her character. Chilling moments, like the trees full of shoes, create a classic thriller atmosphere. The complex “will they, won’t they” relationship between Kendall and Sam adds depth and suspense to the story.

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Rowan Beck is a newly-divorced author who retreats to a remote cottage in the Appalachian wilderness to finish her novel and heal, expecting peace and solitude. Instead she finds eerie noises in the woods, vanishing items, and a growing sense that she’s being watched. As Rowan uncovers the area's dark folklore and a history of disappearances, she begins to question her sanity and whether she’s truly alone.

The Wild Things is a chilling, slow-burn psychological thriller with a touch of the supernatural. London Clarke expertly builds atmosphere, crafting a story that blurs the line between reality and delusion. Rowan is a relatable, flawed protagonist whose isolation and unraveling mental state pull the reader deep into the mystery. The pacing is deliberate but rewarding, leading to a tense, satisfying climax. Fans of gothic suspense and eerie wilderness settings will find plenty to love here. The author's evocative writing made this a memorable read for sure!!

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True crime writer Kendall Casey gets absorbed by her stories, so much so that she often relocates to where the stories originate so she can feel truly immersed in her writing. For her next story of a missing girl, Eliana, she relocates and buys a house in a development called the Cove in the North Carolina mountains. Her old university best friend Sam also lives there and the two reconnect. The Cove is an interesting neighbourhood, the Robinettes seem the most glamorous of neighbours, the Guffs are mean and openly disliked. What Kendall doesn’t realise is that the true crime story she’s about to write is one that involves herself!

This book was well written and kept me entertained and read in 2 sittings. I’ve down graded it from a 4 to 3.5 due to the implausible supernatural element that I don’t think the book really needed and isn’t my thing but would have worked just as well without it. Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc.

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First of all thank you to the Author, NetGalley, and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

There were many aspects of this book that I very much enjoyed. And some others that I didn’t as much. I really liked the setting, the characters, and the plot in the first half. It was chilling, mysterious, and dreamlike. The characters were all pretty fleshed out and had strong personalities which I liked. I read most of this book at night and I’ll admit there were a couple of times I had to turn on my bedroom light because I got scared from certain scenes in this book.

I felt like the plot kept switching between supernatural and a true crime story. I personally didn’t love the supernatural elements in this story. I think sticking to one would have been more my cup of tea.

Overall this was a fun and fast paced book that had you answering questions the whole time. Definitely kept you on your toes. I had no idea where this book was going to go. I can’t wait to read more of this author!

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The wild things by London Clarke is part true crime and part supernatural mystery.

The story begins with a picture/map that shows mountain cove road. At the top of the road is Sam Walsh's house. Going down on the right side is empty, the pools house, the guffs house, two more empty houses. On the left going down is an empty house, the martinis, Kendall Casey's, the robinettes and empty house. Marla Delacruz's house is top left off map. I did study the map a bit before moving on to the story as I thought it would factor into the story more than it actually did.

Ty milchek is finally in jail, after killing his wife, he is convicted of first degree murder. He also threatened to capture and kill Kendall Casey. Kendall is a true crime writer who will be living in ivy Laurel for the next year or so. In a community called the cove. Sam her best friend from college also lives there.

Kendall is writing her next book this one is about Eliana Conway who disappeared 13 years ago. Shortly after moving into The Cove, Kendall begins to meet her neighbors and they are weird to say the least.

Georgia and her husband Tate live across the street. Georgia is a bitchy lady who complains about the moving truck and where Kendall is parked. They definitely got off on the wrong foot. Then Kendall's
next door neighbors show up, Blair and Flip. They own a vitamin water company and brought over a basket of products to welcome her to the neighborhood. They seem very friendly and invite her over to a party they are hosting the next day.

As the days go on, Kendall's interactions with her neighbors become more and more concerning. Kendall begins to wonder, is her newest book getting intoher head, or is there something more sinister going on in The Cove?

Thank you London Clarke for partnering with NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

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This book and me have a love hate relationship. There were such excellent segments of the book, and I was enthralled. Then there were the not so great, poor character, outlandish and skimpy developments.

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I really like this book! The writing was gripping, story was fast-paced, and the characters were well developed. I could not put it down! My only critique is that the ending felt like it wrapped up too neatly, but honestly I'm just being picky. I definitely will check out more by this author!
Thanks netgalley and the publishers for the ARC!!

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"Don't worry. You live right next to the Robinettes. You're probably in the safest place you could be."

The Wild Things follows Kendall Casey. who is currently writing her latest piece about a child who had gone missing. She moves to the area the child was last seen and as the story progresses, we meet all the neighbours, hear the gossip and eventually find out what happens behind closed doors.

I did enjoy the plot. It didn't pull me in initially, but as we started to see Kendall interact with others, it starts to draw me in every night to pick the book back up. A few good twists, impressive tension and very authentic. I loved the overall pacing, and I rarely read supernatural/paranormal stories, but elements of this book make me want to read more!

I found it at times to visualise certain parts a bit difficult. Not sure if its the way it's been written or I was just fairly tired that night when reading. This was minority of the time however.

Overall, I am giving the book 4/5 stars and would recommend this book to others who are interested in very modern thrillers/supernatural. I have recently found out that this book is part of a series! Those books have made it onto my TBR list!

Thank you London Clarke, Carfax Abbey Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

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The Wild Things by Landon Clarke:



Brief overview of the Premise

Kendall, a true crime author, in on the trail of a cold case where a 10-year-old goes missing from her home. Just coming off a very difficult case, Kendall is paranoid that someone is after her and she starts seeing the apparition of the little girl she is searching to find. Kendall moved to The Cove to so she could work on her newest novel and to near her best friend Sam, Kendall quickly realizes this place is not as quaint as it is cracked up to be.

Rating overall

⭐⭐⭐

Themes – Power and Corruption, Family, Good vs. Evil, Paranoia vs Reality, Addiction, Manipulation, Rituals, Occult

Genre

1. Horror ☠️☠️ - 2 out of 5 Skulls for horror – did not give me the Heebee Jeebee’s

2. Thriller - 🎢🎢🎢 - 3 out of 5 Roller-coaster – It has some good twists and turns, but it was

3. Paranormal 👻 👻 - 2 out of 5 ghosties – Had its moments where it got me but most of the time just a little silly.

Characters

⭐⭐ ⭐ - All the characters were well formed. The backstories were well done given how much happened in the novel and the amount of people involved, but it was not backstory heavy in the slightest or over explaining in any way. It was a great balance.

Worldbuilding

⭐⭐⭐⭐ - The world building for this was well done. I could picture the Cove and the secondary locations. The descriptions contributed to the atmosphere and created an amazing backdrop to the story.

Story

⭐⭐⭐ - I thought overall the story was entertaining. Overreaching at times but not detrimental to the narrative. I thought the casual voice was refreshing and added an uncompromising edge to the plot and progression.

Tropes: Nasty Neighbours, Mysterious Things Are Happening, Curiosity Kills the Cat, Forced Proximity, What doesn’t Kill you, Drinking the Kool-Aid

Final Comments: I enjoyed this book. It was entertaining and fun.

Who would I recommend to: Anyone looking for a good campfire tale, quick read.

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This is the 1st book in the series that I have read and will probably read the others it was that good. It was quite a different storyline to anything that I have read so was a nice change. Fats paced throughout with plenty of suspense to keep you guessing.

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I got attracted to the cover, man... I'm glad that I judged the book by its cover. It started slow at first, while I hope there's romance between Kendall and Sam, I'm fine with the friendship between them. I love how I can't wait to read the next chapter because the story keeps getting better. I wish there is more backstory though. There's twist that I didn't expect and I love how the book ends. Hoping to read more from this author.

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Kendall Casey has never stayed in one place for long. After unearthing a certain truth about the victim of her last book, she has understandably developed a bit of PTSD and paranoia. Her new book is about Eliana Conway, a little girl that disappeared 13 years ago around the Asheville area. It made sense to her to put down roots in a community nearby where her best friend, Sam, also lives. Kendall has no idea what she signed up for when she put her name on the deed.

This one had me on the edge of my seat a couple of times and asking myself “WTF?”. It intertwines many classical scary tropes all wrapped into one. You never do know what kind of people your neighbors are going to be when you to move to a new place. This one is worth the read.

#ThxNetGalley #LondonClarke #TheWildThings

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Suburban paranormal thriller? Yes, please!

True crimes writer moves into a small suburban community where her best friend lives to be closer to an unsolved missing girl case, the subject of her new book.

I love how London Clarke builds up tension without jump scares. And you are not sure until the end what to think. Is it all a supernatural horror, crazy scientist horror, is it all connected somehow, is it just a tired brain playing tricks, a regular thriller?

Once I started, I couldn't put it down. I've read it yesterday in one sitting. Very well written and perfectly paced with a right amount of information to keep the reader interested but also not revealing too much.

I will continue reading Clarke's work so I actually might move to a forest or somewhere far far away from everyone - wait, I've read thrillers and horrors about that as well. I am doomed!

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Be careful with who you let walk inside your house and in your life, this book fed into my paranoid tendencies. Moving from place to place has its drawbacks, wanting to make stronger connections leads our FMC into a mystery which is funny since it’s keeps distracting her from the one she writes. Her curiosity slowly brought out the truth in the covert actions of those around her. And she wasn’t even trying too hard just normal interactions which I found concerning that no one else in the neighborhood had done. I love these types of mysteries that are drawn out while also getting relative answers and information. The characters having personality and adding tension to the story not just drama. As the story continued and more was revealed you could feel the anxiety, distrust, confusion and paranoia in all the characters. My only problem with the story was Kendall’s behavior multiple times where things didn’t seem right or didn’t add up she paid no attention to. Like excuse me ?!? Are we blind and that even when she knew there was unexplainable danger she still interacted with them, still let them in. I had a hard time writing this review with so many things that went on, I didn’t want to spoil anything.


Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial publishing I received a ARC for an honest review !

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Zero stars. Utter trash. Racist, boring “thriller” ultimately just trying to villainize witchcraft. I knew it was bad from the beginning, but made the poor decision to power through to the end hoping maybe it would get good. It only got worse. Will not be reading any other books from this author.

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This was a pretty good thriller, I finished it in one day. I always like paranormal aspects of books, and this one had quite a bit. Farfetched 0f course, but that's what makes it good. And teriffying to be honest. All in all, a decent book.

Thank you to Net Galley an Booksgosocial for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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