Breakneck Bay got it's name for a reason. The owner doesn't care about injuries, safety or lawsuits. One day a teenage employee goes missing and the blood in manager Mitch Blue's office points to him. Kit, Mitch's wife, starts questioning the girls disappearance, along with incidents from the past. Along the way, someone starts leaving Kit a series of clues that she doesn't know what to do with. Kit starts to question everyone around her, including her husband. I have enjoyed all of Faith Gardner's books and this was another fast paced mystery.

🎢 ARC REVIEW 🎢

PUB DATE: Jul 23rd 2025

My Rating : ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Tubular Stars

Y’All better buckle up for this onboarding 👀 because you’re in for a wild ride!!

Breakneck Bay was a fun, dark popcorn thriller and it was so addicting, so be sure to have a big tub of extra buttery popcorn for this one 🍿!!

What I loved about the setting was how much it oozed this 80’s nostalgic vibes and totally transported me back in time , right down to the music it was playing .

Breakneck Bay is a well executed thriller that jumps back and forth between past and present . While we’re in the present day we are following our morally grey protagonist Kit who is married to Mitch and gets caught in the crossfire when a young woman from their common workplace goes missing !

When we are in the past we are following the grotesque Hawk who is the Canine Killer and he enjoys getting his way with young girls and leaving them unrecognizable collecting their teeth as a souvenir…and he’s getting away with murder 😱

This book ENTERTAINED me to the point it stole hours of my sleep and had me guessing all kinds of who done its ! The delivery of that ending was gnarly 😜

I loved how the author spread little Easter eggs 🥚 throughout the story really throwing me off as to what was going to transpire !

Faith Gardner writes with such fortitude that makes it easy for the reader to sink their teeth 🦷 into her stories , making them unique and entertaining all on their own .

If you are a fan of Contemporary & Historical Fiction and like to dabble from time to time with serious thrillers then No I don’t think this is for you , however if you love a good popcorn thriller that is nonsensical and meant to have fun with and enjoy the show then absolutely 💯 this one is for you and I encourage you to try this author , she so talented!

And Breakneck Bay is without a doubt the darkest & gruesomest popcorn thriller I ever read yet and I loved every minute of it 😜🖤

Thank you @netgalley , @faith.gardner and Mirror House Press for this Righteous ARC

This has everything you want in a thriller: mystery, suspense, intrigue. It keeps you guessing and on your toes. A love letter to the 80s.

This book was so much fun in the most messed-up way. A shady waterpark, a missing girl, a blood-soaked crime scene, and a marriage full of secrets?? YES. I was hooked from page one.

The setting alone is creepy perfection—grimy, dangerous, and full of bad vibes. And Kit? Loved her. Watching her go from clueless newlywed to full-on detective mode was so satisfying. The tension builds fast and never lets up—there’s this constant sense that something is really, really wrong, and the twists just keep coming.

It’s got everything: sketchy husbands, creepy employees, a seriously haunted past, and that feeling like you’re being watched the whole time. I flew through it.

I love faiths writing, she makes it easy to immerse myself. I also enjoyed the summer 70/80’s vibes of the book. Con’s for me was the predictable and the FMC was just insufferable and kind of naive. But overall a good time

A thriller set at a waterpark? Say less—I was in. It’s such a cool, underused setting, and while I wish the park had played a bigger role in the atmosphere and plot, the concept still hooked me. The creepy calls were a standout element, and the slow unraveling of the mystery kept me turning pages. The back half did lose a bit of steam, and overall I just wanted more—more tension, more payoff, more waterpark weirdness. But even with that, I really enjoyed this and appreciate a thriller that tries something different.

I’ll definitely keep an eye out for more from Faith Gardner! 4.5 rounded up.

4.5 rounded up.

When I saw that Breakneck Bay was set at a waterpark, I was instantly intrigued. It’s such a fresh, underused setting for a thriller, and I was ready for all the creepy, sun-faded, slightly grimy vibes that come with it. Add in a serial killer? Solddddd. I do wish the waterpark had been used more as a character itself, though. The setting was so unique and full of potential, but it felt like it faded into the background. I kept waiting for it to really come alive in the atmosphere or the plot, and it never quite got there.

That said, there are some really compelling elements here. I appreciated how the mystery slowly unraveled. There were definitely moments that had me leaning in, trying to put the pieces together, and I loved the undercurrent of unease that runs throughout. The story did lose a bit of momentum in the back half for me, and I found myself wishing for more intensity, more payoff, more something—but I still really liked the concept, and I flew through the pages. This is a great pick if you’re looking for something a little different in your thriller rotation. I’ll always show up for books that take risks with setting and structure, even if they don’t hit every single note perfectly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Mirror House Press for an e-ARC copy of this book.

I started reading this on a plane and I have never wanted to stay on a flight longer than I did while reading this. I loved the nostalgia and the water park setting. Some of the twists were predictable which is a bummer. But this is fast paced and an easy read. I really enjoyed it!

Thanks NetGalley for this e-arc.

Overall I think a well-done mystery with a sense of nostalgia. This book is set in the '70s and '80s so there is a different sense of mystery given the lack of cellphones or internet access. There's also a hint of summer nostalgia as this mostly takes place at a summer waterpark.

I was hoping for a twist and almost was sure it was going to happen but the story did have a somewhat predictable ending.

Breakneck Bay by Faith Gardner is a thriller slated to be released on July 24th. The read includes tropes such as complex characters, dual POVs, and dual timelines. This is by far my favorite book by this author, and I highly recommend adding it to your TBR!


I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was one of my favorite ARCs I have ever received! Thank you NetGalley and Faith Gardner. This was very much a thriller and the setting and characters were unique. The idea of a place like "Breakneck Bay" existing in the year this story was set in made sense, and I appreciated that I didn't have to suspend disbelief.

A gripping psychological thriller that you can devour in a day. It keep’s you guessing about who the Canine Killer is while expertly throwing you off the scent.

I'll definitely be reading more books by Faith Gardner.

4.5⭐️
Thank you Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for allowing me to read this as an ARC. I personally I really enjoy Faith’s writing and look forward to any book of hers I read so I was extremely excited to read this one early.

I enjoyed this from start to finish. This thriller masterfully blends suspense, mystery, and emotional depth, creating a story that kept me completely captivated the entire time. She feeds you just enough information to keep you guessing, yet constantly shifts the ground beneath your feet. Some parts did feel like filler but in the end did help make the story descriptive and give more of a visual imagination of the story for the reader. Some parts also felt like it leaned a little young adult but I think that’s because there are so many teens involved in the story it has to take that path at times. I was able to predict some things but she did such a good job blindsided you throughout in other areas. Kit as a character infuriated me most of the book and made me want to just shake her to wake up and stop being so naive.

I didn’t understand the point of the dual story relation at first but at the end it all came together so well. Hawks story reminded me of an infamous serial killer in the 70s-80s. I’m fascinated by serial killers and books relating to one so I appreciated his aspect of the book added in.

I’d recommend reading this one for sure it was a fun read

I so enjoyed this book, it was a quick read, there was some twist, but nothing you couldn’t figure out
It was my first book by the author, but it will definitely not be my last

I haven't read a book that had me so hooked in a really long time. I couldn't stop reading, and when I had to do other things, I was still thinking about it. I don't know exactly what it was, because it wasn't super suspenseful and it didn't have insane crazy twists or anything like that. It was just so captivating; I was completely lost in it.

It was a little bit predictable, but I was so hooked that I can't fault it. I think the story itself would be a 4 star read, but because of the way I couldn't stop thinking about it, I'm going up to 5.

📚 E-ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚

Breakneck Bay By Faith Gardner
Publication Date: July 24, 2025
Publisher: Mirror House Press

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded Up To 5⭐)

Thank you to Mirror House Press, Faith Gardner, and NetGalley for this #gifted e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

As soon as I heard Faith Gardner's upcoming release, Breakneck Bay, was available on NetGalley, I immediately logged in and requested it. Gardner is one of those authors who is masterful with crafting unexpected twists and who can write foreboding suspense so brilliantly! I couldn't wait to devour this one, and devour it I did!

There was an underlying sense of unsettled tension in the pages, and I just knew there were dark secrets waiting to spill out at any moment. As the book shifted into dual POVs in dual timelines, including the POV of a serial killer, I was hooked and could NOT put it down.

This book takes place in the early 1980s at a California water park called Breakneck Bay, or Break-Your-Neck Bay as it's known by the locals. The park has questionable standards and it's had its fair share of troubles over the years. Kit & Mitch are newlyweds, and since Mitch is the park's general manager, Kit is happy to be running the park's infirmary this summer so she can spend more time with Mitch. But when a teenage employee vanishes, leaving behind a blood-soaked crime scene, it’s clear this summer will not be all that Kit anticipated. And when suspicion begins to swirl around Mitch, Kit is forced to confront some nagging questions she's had about her new husband. Add in the skeezy park owner Creighton, Kit's troubled older brother Freddie, and Kit's childhood trauma....and you've got a twisty thrill ride.

The dual POVs in this one were nothing short of chilling and sent shivers of creepiness down my back. As the pieces of Kit's world unraveled, I wondered who was going to be revealed as the villain. And per usual with Gardner's books, I didn't see this ending coming...but loved every minute of it.

With its water park setting, nostalgic 80s vibes, and hot suspense, this unputdownable thriller is the perfect read for this summer! You're going to want to get Breakneck Bay in your hands as soon as you can. Available to request now on NetGalley and publishing in late July!

#BreakneckBay #FaithGardner #MirrorHousePress #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARCs #thrillerreads #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #booklover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

i liked this enough because of how fast-paced it was and the vibes it gave off, but overall the plot was quite a letdown. this made the book just ‘okay’.

in general, i thought it was really unique to utilize a waterpark as a setting for a thriller/murder mystery, and the author did a good job of making it really feel like it took place in the 80s. i really liked Kit and sympathized with her a lot, and all the minor characters that work at the waterpark were pretty entertaining too. however, we actually don’t really get to see much of the actual waterpark in operations, which felt like wasted potential.

i felt that the twists were way too predictable. it was easy to pinpoint who did what, most likely because there wasn’t really that many suspects to begin with. you can start to piece the puzzle by yourself halfway through the book, and that makes the last 30% just waiting for Kit to realize what you already know. something that happened near the end also left a sour taste in my mouth. iykyk.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Faith Gardner, and Mirror House Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Check out my GoodReads review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7603026854

This is a fun summer read, nothing too deep. Everything was very predictable, and I kept hoping for a twist at the end, but it didn't happen. It plays out pretty much how you expect, with no surprises.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! Faith Gardner is always a homerun for me. While the ending of this was super easy to figure out, I enjoyed the ride! I LOVE the character development and all the little quirks within these characters. I don't think I will be visiting Breakneck Bay anytime soon.

Breakneck Bay is known for wild rides, frequent injuries, and endless lawsuits. But when a teenage employee vanishes after hours, leaving behind a bloody scene, things turn deadly. Park manager Mitch Blue is the prime suspect, and his wife Kit is forced to question everything, his past, their marriage, and whether she really knows the man she married. As secrets surface and danger closes in, Kit must face a terrifying possibility, the real threat might be right beside her.

Breakneck Bay is a neon-drenched psychological thriller set in a nostalgic 80s waterpark, full of secrets, lies, and deception. What starts as a vibrant, retro backdrop soon reveals a chilling mystery, how does a serial killer from the 1970s connect to a missing teenage girl in the 1980s? The story unfolds through two gripping points of view, Kit, a woman whose already fragile marriage is pushed to the brink when her husband Mitch becomes a suspect in the disappearance of a teenage park employee, and a serial killer battling his urge to kill again. Their narratives intertwine in a suspenseful, unsettling way that keeps the tension high and the pages turning. With its blend of nostalgia and psychological depth, Breakneck Bay is a perfect summer read for thriller fans, moody, fast-paced, and full of twists. However, be aware that the story explores dark and potentially triggering themes. Be sure to check content warnings before diving in.

Thanks @netgalley @faith.gardner and xpressobooktours for this ARC. Breakneck bay will be published on 24th July.