
Member Reviews

This is a solid read with an intriguing premise that caught my attention. However, the pacing was all wrong for me, and made it hard to get into the story. It was slow to the point useless and tension never reached any climax which was really disappointing.

In _If You Knew Me_, SP Miskowski has once again captured the nuance of women's anger and frustration in characters who through their invisibility become dangerous. While we're never sure what is actually true or what is an all-consuming fantasy, in this story, disappointment is a powerful driver of violence. it's a rare treat to find female characters this powerfully motivated.
Parker the reporter and Ann the illusive subject of the story Parker hopes will save her career on the surface have little in common. But just underneath they harbor the shared fantasy that life would be more interesting if they burned it all down. As the story unfolds we get a fascinating peek at internal lives of women and the choices they make.
Miskowski is a powerful storyteller and her writing is beautifully crafted as always. _If You Knew Me_ is a journey not to be missed.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
“If You Knew Me” by S.P. Miskowski is a slow-burning, psychologically rich story that reads like a character study wrapped in a mystery, laced with dark humor, and infused with subtle dread. It’s not a thriller in the traditional sense (don’t expect high-octane twists or page-a-minute pacing) but rather a cerebral, disquieting journey into obsession, delusion, and the blurred lines between truth and performance.
The story centers on Parker Dillon, a journalist recently laid off after her aunt's small media company is sold. While cleaning out old files in her aunt’s office, she finds a strange and unsettling letter from Ann Mason, a woman claiming to have committed an unforgivable act. Intrigued by the potential of an exclusive story, Parker embarks on a cross-country investigation that takes her from Seattle to Arizona to California. But what starts as an ambitious pitch quickly turns into a personal unraveling.
Ann, as we come to learn, is a deeply unreliable narrator. Much of her character is revealed through her obsessive fan letters to a washed-up TV actor who once played a detective—letters that serve as both confessions and fantasy. Through these epistolary elements, Miskowski masterfully shows us a woman untethered from reality, consumed by parasocial relationships and self-delusion. Ann sees herself as an investigator, a wronged party, a tragic heroine—anything but the disturbed and dangerous figure we come to suspect she truly is.
The book alternates between Parker’s grounded but sometimes meandering search and Ann’s increasingly unhinged inner world. Parker herself is a likable and relatable anchor to the story, and her budding LGBTQ+ romance adds a refreshing softness amidst the tension. Still, the pace can lag, especially toward the end, and I found Ann’s long letters and inner monologues slow or repetitive. However, these details do paint a disturbing yet eerily believable portrait of someone lost to their fantasies.
What’s most compelling is the ambiguity: Is Ann dangerous, or simply deluded? Is her story real, exaggerated, or entirely fabricated? Miskowski never gives us clear answers, and that’s exactly the point. The ending may feel unresolved or even underwhelming to some, but it fits the book’s tone—quietly unsettling and frustratingly real.
Overall, “If You Knew Me” isn’t just a mystery; it’s an exploration of the stories we tell ourselves, the lies we believe, and the hidden menace behind seemingly harmless obsessions. With layered characters, understated suspense, and elegant prose, S.P. Miskowski delivers a story that lingers long after the final page. It’s a perfect fit for readers who enjoy character-driven fiction with a psychological edge and don’t mind a few open-ended threads left dangling.

If you Knew me is a psychological thriller that follows Parker, a journalist working for her aunt’s company. Her job is lost when the company is sold, but her aunt helps support her by giving her the task of sorting through and disposing of the company files. She comes across a strange letter from Ann Mason, which inspires her to write a story on the unusual woman. This is the start of a story about obsession, truth and identity.
I loved this book, I found the characters well developed and complex, I enjoyed how as the story unfolded, the characters history and development moved alongside the plot, driving motivations and the story forward in an engrossing way.
I especially enjoyed the epistolary aspects of the book, making it seem more realistic, it pulled me into the story effectively and made me feel involved in Parkers investigation and Anns obsessions.
The writing is fantastic, beautiful prose without being overly flowery and descriptive, it was easy to read yet intricate enough to enjoy and ruminate over.
This is a great book for fans of thrillers, slow burn reads, and character led stories.
Thanks to NetGalley and S.P. Miskowski for the ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

If You Knew Me had an intriguing premise and moments of strong, moody atmosphere, but overall it didn’t fully land for me. The story is a slow burn, which can work well in a psychological thriller, but in this case, the pacing dragged a bit too much in places and made it harder to stay fully engaged.
The writing itself is solid—introspective and thoughtful—but I struggled to connect with the characters, and the tension never quite reached the level I was hoping for. It felt like it was building to something more impactful than what we ultimately got.
That said, there were definitely compelling elements, especially in the exploration of identity and past trauma. It wasn’t a bad read by any means, just not as gripping or memorable as I had expected.

This was the oddest book. So much unnecessary detail. The writing felt cluttered and dragged on. The plot was confusing and scattered and just kind of uninteresting to me. The characters were interesting but the way they were written felt like the author had developed some deep backstory and then as they wrote the would throw in some deep detail with backstory over halfway through the book…
Not my style, not recommending.

This book was so good I want more from this author loved the storyline it was great a page turner till the very end people will not be disappointed thank you for this read

The book has no ending, the writing just stops. 48% there was a 6 word email and 3 sentences later she said "those seven words haunted her" and I wanted to throw my kindle. I should have stopped, especially when she kept referencing covid and then copy/pasted an entire fake reddit thread.

As a former journalist, I admittedly love any story about writers. But the book never took off for me. The first 10% was so much telling — Parker's career, her ex, her aunt's career — that I got restless, I'm bummed because I really thought I would love this book, but it wasn't for me.

Thriller lovers, watch out for your next great read. If You Knew Me by SP Miskowski was a great read.

Title: If You Knew Me
Author: S.P. Miskowski
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review: S.P. Miskowski’s If You Knew Me is a gripping psychological thriller that explores the fragile boundary between truth and perception. The story follows Parker Dillon, a novice reporter who, after losing her job, becomes obsessed with a chilling story pitched by Ann Mason—a woman with a dark confession. As Parker follows Ann from Seattle to Arizona, their lives begin to mirror one another in unsettling ways, drawing readers into a suspenseful, character-driven narrative.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the layered storytelling and tense atmosphere, the book had a noticeably slow start and included some extra details that felt unnecessary to the plot. However, once the story gains momentum, it delivers a compelling examination of identity, guilt, and obsession. Miskowski’s thoughtful prose and complex characters make this a memorable and haunting read. This book will be available to purchase on September 25, 2025.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Publications for providing an advanced reader copy of this book.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I had trouble with the author’s writing style, and much of it seemed to be rambling. I couldn’t connect with the characters. I DNF’d at around 40%.
Thank you for the opportunity to read in advance!

I am a big fan of S.P. Miskowski's short fiction, I Wish I Was Like You, and the Skillute Cycle novels and novellas. I was excited to see a new novel from her and picked it up right away. Thank you to S.P. Miskowski and NetGalley for the advance reading copy.
I love the way Miskowski uses the story-within-a-story structure as well as an innovative kind of narration later in the book, giving us a closer view of Ann than we might otherwise have. Ann is an unforgettable character, and uncomfortable as it was to be in her head, I also found her quite entertaining and relatable at times.
I'll be recommending this to lost of horror readers, for sure!

This book tells a story about Parker, a writer who got laid off because of COVID-19. One day when she cleaned her Aunt's desk (she worked in her Aunt's company), she found a package from woman named Ann Mason. Since then, Parker's life has changed..
This is the first time for me to read this kind of book and also first time for me to read a book by S.P. Miskowski. Yes, I usually read thrillers; but this one, it surely hits different. It builds slowly, making readers wondering what will happen next. From the start to finish, I couldn't understand what Ann's intention. I don't even know whether she's faking it all or it really happened. But I know for sure that she has this weird obsession; what started it, sadly doesn't explain in the book. The ending has this ambiguity because we don't know what happen to Ann, and I think it made me a little bit disappointed.
But despite everything, I love this new experience from Miskowski and can't wait for this book to be published on September!
Acknowledgements: Thank you to NetGalley and S.P. Miskowski for providing an advance review copy of If You Knew Me in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I had trouble with the author’s writing style, and much of it seemed to be rambling. I couldn’t connect with the characters. I DNF’d at around 40%.
Thank you for the opportunity to read in advance!

I was very disappointed with this book. The long, rambling passages by Ann bored me so much that it took away from the moments that should have been shocking. Plus, there were tons of moments that just didn’t serve any purpose whatsoever. The worst part, though? Ann’s story wasn’t all that interesting.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

I just reread the book description for If You Knew Me. Let me see what I can add to it without giving anything away.
Chapters switch between Parker( more chapters are by her)and Ann’s POV. I have to say, even though Ann had a front row seat on the Cray Cray train, her chapters just pulled me in and even managed to make me laugh more than once. Between chuckling at some of her mannerisms and thoughts, then being shocked by her actions, she was an unforgettable character. I loved her devotion to Vann Marshall: Private I and how she called her parents, the Old Dears. If Ann wasn’t totally bonkers, she might’ve had a career as a writer.
When I first finished, I thought to myself, this is not my favorite ending ever. I can’t say why, without giving the plot away, but I guess, even though it was wrapped up, there were still more loose ends than I like. That is just a personal thing, and I am sure as I start seeing other reviews, I will find just as many people who thought it was the perfect ending.

This story was different, that’s for sure. Parker Dillon lost her job working for her aunt’s website when the company was sold. Now she can’t afford her apartment, and she has no other work lined up. She’s temporarily staying at her aunt’s house and cleaning up the remaining company files to keep herself busy. She finds a pitch someone mailed in a few years back, and after reading it, she’s instantly intrigued. The writer, Ann, claims she did something unforgivable and is ready to tell all. She contacts the writer and immediately sets out to meet and interview her. Perhaps this story will set her on a new career path and show that she’s got what it takes to discover new talent.
But something’s a bit…off about Ann. She disappears before Parker even arrives in Arizona to interview her. She claimed to be so excited about meeting Parker, so what happened? And why does it seem like she’s ghosting her? But Parker’s determined to stay on the story and figure out what Ann really did and what her true intentions are.
Ann is an odd character. What the reader has to determine is if she’s harmless or if there’s a more sinister side to her hiding deep inside. Or maybe not so deep! Is she a liar, or is she simply deluded? You kind of go through the story, taking everything in her narrative with a grain of salt. I flew through the pages, wondering how everything would work out. Not everything was explained by the end, which was a bit disappointing, but it does make the story more realistic. It’s certainly not your typical mystery, which made it all the more entertaining for me.

In S.P. Miskowski’s new novel “If You Knew Me,” Parker Dillon is adrift. She’s lost her job, lost her apartment and has suffered the end of a relationship. Trying to regain her emotional footing and find a new career direction, she settles into reviewing a stack of correspondence as a favor to her aunt, who is on a sabbatical.
It’s not long before Parker reads a “pitch letter” from Ann, who has been dealing with emotional trauma from her own past and is seeking her own resolution to past emotional scars.
The happenstance intersection of these two women’s lives kicks off the action of this thriller. Miskowski has crafted a tale that is equally devoted to the mysteries that Parker discovers when she starts communicating with Ann and to the families and environments that shaped (and continue to shape) each character as the story moves forward.
“If You Knew Me” is a fun read, with enough tension and mystery to propel the reader, yet taking time to offer insights about the formative power of family relationships on adolescents. It’s a suspenseful tale, sprinkled with humor and memorable characters. Put it on your reading list for the next time you think you might hear someone following you home.
I was provided a reviewer's copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.