Shade Owens delivers a gripping and immersive thriller in Beneath These Walls, a novel that masterfully blends suspense with psychological tension. From the very first page, the sense of unease is palpable, as the protagonist constantly feels the unsettling presence of being watched. Owens’ writing pulls the reader into this paranoia, creating an atmosphere so vivid that it feels as though you, too, are part of the story.

The novel’s pacing keeps the tension high, leading to a twist that is both unexpected and highly satisfying. This revelation not only adds depth to the narrative but elevates the entire reading experience. The unpredictability of the plot keeps readers engaged, making it difficult to put the book down.

With compelling storytelling and a well-executed twist, Beneath These Walls is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. Owens crafts an absorbing tale that lingers in the mind long after the final page, proving once again the power of a well-told suspense story.

This books narrator was great and you felt the fmc anxiety, and stress. The twist at the end you never see coming. The fmc goes into hidong from her ex husband with her 2 kids in an old victorian house she inherits from a distance uncle. Shortly after weird stuff happens... this book was heavy on dv talk .

🎧The description of this book sounded very appealing to me. But it turned out to be largely about domestic abuse. I had a hard time hearing what transpired between Alice and James.

Alice ran away from James, her abusive husband, and took their two boys with her. She had recently inherited a mansion from her uncle, whom the family had thought was already dead years prior. After moving into the mansion, in a small town, Alice (although she changed her name to Emma) discovered it wasn’t going to be easy escaping her past. Shortly after arriving, her son found a secret space under the house, and a dead body.

I wish there was more mystery included around the house and her reclusive uncle, but it was primarily focused on Alice always bring afraid.

Thank you to NetGalley and Red Raven Publishing for this advanced audiobook copy.

Beneath These Walls by Shade Owens and narrated by Amanda Davidson was an excellent audiobook from start to finish especially as it had creepy vibes that just wanting more. . . . .

Six months ago, my husband tried to kill me.

"I need more!!! I need to turn my phone off and listen to this audiobook! WoW! "

The main character and her her sons are living in an old Victorian house which was passed down to her by my uncle. The house may be big, but the town is small... but, it's safe, which is something she hasn't felt in a very long time. And best of all, it's very far away from her ex.

But, as soon as they move in, she discovers that this house has an eerie reputation, and rumor has it her uncle was a mysterious man accused of atrocious things, which is drawing a lot of unwanted attention our way.

"WoW! This is so good!"

The very last thing they all need, is attention; they all need to stay invisible if we want to stay alive.

But how can they remain invisible when things keep happening in this house?

She means strange things. Horrific things that has the whole town watching. But, who else is watching them?
Maybe, even her ex husband!. They were supposed to be safe here, but it's becoming glaringly apparent to them all, that we're in real danger.

This book was excellent! I loved it!

Amanda Davidson the narrator was fantastic she just bought the story to life with every word she read.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Red Raven Publishing for my ARC.

What a crazy book! But, beware!!
**** It’s pretty heavy duty on Domestic Abuse, Violence, Gaslighting, etc… ****
So, if you cannot handle any of these, please move on, as some scenes are pretty intense!!

The book opens with Alice and her two sons (a 7 yr old [Lucas] and a 14 year old [Greyson]) driving in a car, in the middle of the night, running away from her husband (James)…their Dad. You can FEEL her anxiety and nerves…right from the get-go…and honestly, throughout the entire book! 😮🫣😮

Throughout the book we have TWO narratives: Then and Now.

THEN: Alice paints the picture of how they met, how in love they were, when things started changing, and how he separated and isolated her from EVERYONE who loved her…
Then when her oldest was born. And next, the baby. And her love for her boys… ❤️❤️
She tells of his attempts at making it big, as well as his business failures along the way…
And then, the drinking. And, the awful abuse.

NOW: Alice tells of their escape. All that she went through to get to this point.
And just when she thought there was no hope at all, well, destiny steps in… and changes everything!
At least, that’s what we’re hoping for! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
BUT, sometimes life is just cruel… and, things don’t always work out as planned…

And so now,they’re living in a big old house in Maine. One that’s kind of creepy, and maybe haunted… or something like that. And Alive keeps hearing things. Did James find them after all of this??

Twists and turns galore… right from the start!

4 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, easily rounded up to 5!

#BeneathTheseWalls by #ShadeOwens and narrated intensely by #AmandaDavidson.

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #RedRavenPublishing for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.
*** Release date was 3/3/25, so look 👀 for it on shelves now !! ***

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Alice, has left an abusive marriage and following, receiving an inheritance of her late uncles house, she is able to move herself and her 2 boys away to hopefully a safe place. Shes changed her name to protect their whereabouts from her husband who has vowed to kill her for leaving him.

Can her and her boys be safe in their new home? She is struggling to settle, she feels the threat of James everywhere she turns. Then the unthinkable happens and they discover a body in their Cellar, who was it and how did they end up trapped in the hidden room down there? When Alice, starts finding notes telling her to leave, she at 1st believes it’s James. Then she begins to doubt the friendships shes made and her sanity.

Are they safe staying there or should they run before it’s too late?


I enjoyed listening to this title, the author did a good job creating the characters and the narrator brought them to life.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this title.

I am very keen to now explore more from this new to me Author

"But how can we remain invisible when things keep happening in this house?"

Alice/Emma is on the run from her abusive husband and finds out she has inherited her estranged uncle's huge home, which is the first sign something's wrong. She moves in with her two sons, and soon learns about her uncle and his house's dodgy reputation. Murders? Kidnapping? Torture? Not cool. But she has few options, and all she has is rumours and whispers around town keeping her off balance. Alice wants to protect her children, but how can she do that when she doesn't know what is threatening them?

This book was a miss for me- I couldn't relate to Alice and the choices she makes, and of course as others have noted, the last quarter of the book is bonkers (but not in a good way). Narrator Amanda Davidson did a great job, but on the whole, this book wasn't for me.

I received a free audiobook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

**UPDATE** The audiobook was recently released and I listened to this book and it's still 5 stars for me! Amanda Davidson did a great job making me feel all the creepy vibes the author intended to convey throughout this story.

This book was so INTENSE!! Some authors have a writing style that makes me feel creeped out reading their books in the dark, and this was one of those books. There were moments I found myself holding my breath.

There is domestic abuse in this story, but it was not the main focus point of the book. What we get instead is a masterfully crafted, suspense building plot. There was healing, mystery, suspense, and fear woven into this one. This one definitely had my anxiety on HIGH. The main character, Emma (formerly Alice), was tough as nails in her own right, and I loved her character. Owens did a great job developing Emma as a character, and I truly felt I knew her by the time this story was over. I was rooting for Emma the whole way through. I love a female main character that is courageous and determined.

The plot flows and develops beautifully. I found myself left saying "one more chapter" over and over again until I finished the book. There was a timeline from the past, that gave us a glimpse into life before her escape. This book is an ode to how far a mother will go to protect her children. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Red Raven Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

*Beneath These Walls* by Shade Owens is a gripping tale of resilience, survival, and self-discovery. Set in a dystopian world of stark inequality, the story follows Delilah, a determined young woman seeking to escape the oppressive confines of her underground society. Her journey to the surface reveals harsh truths about humanity and uncovers the fragility of her own existence. Owens masterfully weaves intricate world-building with profound character development, exploring themes of freedom, sacrifice, and hope. This novel captivates readers with its vivid prose, emotional depth, and unexpected twists, making it a must-read for fans of thought-provoking dystopian fiction.

Beneath these walls is a psychological thriller about a woman who escapes her past with her two children to move into an inheritance property. The property has a dark reputation and added to the constant looking over her shoulder makes for a stressful relocation for her and her children particularly as the history of the house begins to surface. I liked the portrayal of the protagonist and I think her constant projection of distrust on everyone she meets is well portrayed. The plot is straightforward but had me questioning my judgement of the characters. The twist at the end seemed misplaced at first, particularly because there seemed to be a change in the narrators tone. This was justified somewhat by the personality types but seemed a little convenient by means of exposing/getting a confession. Overall I enjoyed it but not my favourite Shade Owens book.

This book kept my attention from the beginning til the last sentence. It may be because I lived with a psychopath as a child, or may be just my love for a good thriller! The book also kept me guessing and my heart racing. I love when I don’t know what’s going on til the end! Well written and a must read for anyone who loves psychological thrillers!

Wow. Just wow. This was one that I didn’t want to stop when I had to get to work. Definitely a page turner. As this to your TBR!!!

This audiobook started off really strong! I could not wait to get to the bottom of what was going on. Who was leaving notes? Who killed the persons whose body was discovered in the basement?

Unfortunately, the “twists” fell flat for me. Not really surprising at all. There was one that I didn’t see coming, but it felt forced and unbelievable. The storyline was entertaining and I enjoy an unreliable narrator. Small town where everyone knows everyone! Very claustrophobic.

The narrator was great! I listened at 2x.

All in all, it was a decent audiobook.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Shade Owens, and Red Raven Publishing for the audiobook. I absolutely enjoyed this one! Amanda Davidson’s narration was fantastic, bringing the story to life with every word. The plot was gripping, and the eerie old mansion setting added to the suspense. As the story unfolded, I found myself completely hooked!

Good storyline, but not much of a thriller.

The book follows Alice, a woman who escapes an abusive husband who almost kills her. She inherits an old house from her late uncle and moves there with her two sons to start a new life and in the hopes of finding safety. However, the house comes with dark secrets that complicate everything.

Then, strange events start happening and rumors about her uncle’s mysterious past begin to surface. As she tries to keep herself and her sons protected, unsettling things that are impossible to ignore begin to happen. She’s forced to repeatedly call the police as more disturbing things happen in the house.

The book’s main theme is domestic violence and focuses on the emotional trauma and the challenges that survivors face when rebuilding their life.
While the plot is engaging and straightforward, there’s no real thrill or much intensity. There’s also no major twist … it was easy and uncomplicated.

This book was so thrilling. I loved the way the author kept leading your thoughts and accusations in so many different directions. The side characters each had their own mysterious storylines that kept everything interesting. The narration was great too. This is the second book I’ve listened to recently from this author and I’ve really enjoyed both. 😊

For pure escapism a Shade Owen's novel is great you can just relax into the book. For this one the main character was conflicted which I think comes from the domestic violence angle. I loved the ending didn't really see it coming and I was trying to work it out.
I liked the narration.

My second Shade Owens book and I may have a new auto-buy author because this book was phenomenal! Owens had these turns so twisty that even i was starting to doubt Emma's sanity despite getting alternating backstory with the current POV. I loved the inclusion of the chapter by the ex to show that it was absolutely his intention to break her down and hurt her. I also loved the community of women that Owens had to help Emma, because it usually takes that village for women to make it out. This book was *intense* and so, so good! Audio just make it even better, thank you fantastic narrator!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Shade Owens, and Red Raven Publishing for my ARC of this audiobook.

Beneath these walls was a solid, well-written story about a woman and her two kids, who flee an abusive father and husband. It reminded me a bit of a movie I saw years ago, Sleeping with the Enemy, which was brilliant.

It got a tiny bit fanciful at the end, although these days, who knows? People have done worse for less.

A sparkling 3 and a half stars.

This book had me hooked from the start—I finished it in just a few days! The story is gripping, intense, and unflinching in its portrayal of trauma and survival. The author does an excellent job depicting abuse in a way that feels raw and authentic without glorifying it. There were moments that were truly difficult to digest, yet they added to the depth of the story and the emotional weight of the characters' experiences.

While I enjoyed the book overall, I have to be honest—I personally didn’t love the audiobook narrator. Her voice felt too sultry for the tone of the story (though I’m probably in the minority on this). However, when I sped it up to 1.5x, it worked much better for me.

Despite that, I would absolutely recommend this book. It’s an emotional and engaging read that tackles tough topics with care. I’m giving it a solid 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Shade Owens, and Red Raven Publishing for the opportunity to listen to Beneath These Walls in exchange for my honest review.