This was my first read by this author and I loved how fast paced and suspenseful it was. The short chapters kept me intrigued and I really love the character depth.
Felt like an actual 80s horror movie playing out.

Breakneck Bay by Faith Gardner is a fast-paced, twisty thriller that blends small-town secrets with chilling suspense. Set in a community where everyone seems to be hiding something, the story introduces readers to a cast of distinct, well-drawn characters—each with their own motives and mysteries—while a deadly threat looms in the form of a local serial killer.

Gardner’s writing is sharp and engaging, making it easy to get pulled into the eerie atmosphere of Breakneck Bay. The plot moves at a brisk pace, with secrets unfolding in clever ways and a twist that lands just when you think you’ve figured it all out. What’s especially appealing is the broad accessibility of the story—it’s layered enough for adult readers but also well-suited for older teens who enjoy dark, character-driven mysteries.

With a mix of suspense, strong character dynamics, and a satisfying final reveal, Breakneck Bay is an entertaining and addictive read. Faith Gardner delivers a thriller that keeps you hooked from the first page to the last.

I absolutely loved this book! I was sucked in from the very beginning! I had to keep reading, when I had to stop reading I kept thinking about the book! Well done! I would definitely recommend this!!

I recently listened to a podcast about a dangerous waterpark on the east coast that had poorly created rides and lots of injuries. Well, this book takes that idea and adds a serial killer to make the perfect summer horror treat for readers! Whether you are watching kids at a waterpark, or not, this will make you look over your shoulder a few times and probably rethink some of your plans. Other than Kit, character development is minimal. Even the Canine Killer's background isn't explained much. But, that helped make this book feel like one of those cheesy teenager slasher bikini horror movies from the 1980s! It all worked really well together. This was my first book from this author that wasn't centered on Silicon Valley and technology/AI stuff. I really enjoyed this book and am glad to know I can rely on Ms. Gardner for a wider range of stories to read!

This was an engaging thriller perfect for the summertime. Set in the 80s in a waterpark that borders on illegal, the tone for this story was perfected. It was nostalgic yet eerie and created an almost slasher/horror type vibe that was lurking in the background throughout the read.The protagonist, Kit, was naive but also smart. Her brother was the typically written drug addict but one of the more Iikable characters. There weren't any twists, but that was fine because, honestly, not every story needs one. Overall, this was a solid mystery perfect for the season. Three and a half stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Mirror House Press, for this ARC.

Breakneck Bay delivers a gripping thriller with unsettling retro horror undertones. Set in a chaotic 1980s waterpark, where the river is murky with mystery and the rides are barely safe, the novel follows Kit, a newlywed whose idyllic summer job takes a turn when a teenage employee disappears. With blood staining the park and eerie phone calls, Kit starts to question her husband’s past and her own instincts.

The setting oozes atmosphere. Gardner paints every scene with nostalgia and creeping dread, Band-Aids floating in the water, shady lawsuits swept under chlorinated carpets, and a cast of characters that feel vividly real. Dual perspectives help sharpen the tension and add a psychological edge.

Some twists are easy to spot, and the waterpark setting could’ve been pushed further for full effect, but the pacing, emotional stakes, and eerie atmosphere make it well worth the ride. As someone who devours horror films and dips into Stephen King when the mood strikes, this book absolutely scratches that genre-blending itch of a thriller with horror aspects. Breakneck Bay has just enough horror tucked into its thriller framework to make me crave more reads that blur those boundaries.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Four Stars-A Retro thriller Bite
Thank you to NetGalley and Mirror House Press for the digital copy of this book!

Breakneck Bay delivered exactly what I wanted in a summer thriller: fast pacing, nostalgic vibes and just the right amount of danger. From the moment I picked it up, I was pulled into a story that blends the eerie charm of a deserted amusement park with the adrenaline rush of an 80's style mystery. Think Neon lights , secrets in the shadows, and the kind of twists that make you do a double take.

I absolutely loved the retro aesthetic, the throwback setting added a moody, cinematic quality that made it easy to visualize every scene. Gardner writes with sharp tension and keeps the stakes high without overcomplicating the plot. The main character's determination and vulnerability felt real, and the unraveling of the truth behind the bay kept me fully engaged.

It's the kind of read that's perfect for a beach day or a stormy night, with just enough grit and notalgia to make it stand out

Thank you for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! The vintage '80s setting at a sketchy water park with a serial killer created the perfect summer thriller. The author vividly describes a water park where nothing seems to be properly maintained, teenagers are running the rides, and there's a loud boss who always gets his way—a perfect backdrop for suspense. The dual-point-of-view storyline with multiple characters kept me engaged and wanting to read more.

I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, and I'm so glad I picked it up. I finished it in just 48 hours and can't wait to read more from this author.

A thriller set in the 80s at a water park? I was instantly drawn in. The story was fun and well paced. There wasn't a big twist like you usually get in a thriller but there were a few small ones thrown in. I enjoyed this very much!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

This book starts with vibes and ends with vertigo. Faith Gardner has gifted us a delightfully campy, unnervingly propulsive summer thriller that reads like a fever dream set at the sketchiest waterpark in history. Picture a place where tetanus is basically part of the ticket price, teen lifeguards are running the show, and the health inspector stopped showing up in ‘79. Now drop a murder into it. You see where this is going.

Our main girl, Kit, is a newlywed and first-aid-station queen, and has a rapidly crumbling sense of security. Her husband Mitch is the park manager with big charming-guy-who-might-also-have-a-shed-full-of-secrets energy. When a teen employee vanishes and a literal bloodbath is discovered behind his office door, Kit has to start asking some hard questions. Like, “Am I married to a murderer?” and “Why does my husband have more red flags than a Soviet military parade?”

From there, it’s dual timelines, multiple POVs, and a steady drip of dread. Enter Hawk, the other narrator, who is exactly the kind of unwell you hope lives only in fiction. His chapters are deeply unsettling in the best way. He is the human equivalent of a warning label, and reading his spiral gave me full-body nope reactions. The book bounces between Kit piecing things together and Hawk slowly revealing just how long this horror show has been in the works. It’s messed up. It’s fascinating. It works.

And let’s talk setting, because chef’s kiss. The waterpark is so vividly gross and nostalgic, I could practically smell the chlorine, sweat, and lawsuits. Faith Gardner absolutely nailed that vibe where everything’s a little too sticky and nothing is actually safe. Do I wish the park played a slightly bigger role in the final act? Sure. But the atmosphere? Immaculate.

Now, real talk. Is the ending perfect? Not really. It ties things up a little neater than I wanted for a book that spent 300 pages making me deeply suspicious of every breathing character. I wanted one last gasp. One final wait, what?! But instead it kind of exhales and calls it a day. Still, it didn’t ruin the ride. It just felt like getting off the rollercoaster one loop early.

But what this book does deliver is tight pacing, vintage unease, and the kind of slow unravel that makes you second-guess everything. Kit is a solid protagonist, even when she makes some deeply questionable choices. Her internal tug-of-war between love, suspicion, and self-preservation is raw and believable. You feel for her, even when you want to shake her.

Also, shout out to the 80s details. The phones, the fashion, the complete lack of adult supervision. It’s perfect. And don’t even get me started on the true crime undertones. If you’ve seen "Class Action Park" or fallen into a serial killer podcast hole, this one will scratch that itch in a very specific, very creepy way.

So yeah, it’s not reinventing the genre. But it is a thoroughly entertaining summer thriller with a killer concept and just enough dread to keep you flipping pages with a mild case of anxiety. And honestly? That’s all I needed.

It’s weird, fast, a little unhinged, and exactly the kind of popcorn thriller you read in one sitting and then immediately side-eye your spouse. 3.5 stars.

Whodunity Award: For Turning a Murder Mystery Into a Corporate Liability Nightmare in Flip-Flops

Huge thanks to Mirror House Press and NetGalley for the early access to this book. I am now terrified of waterparks, which honestly feels like a healthy response.

Love love this book! My first by this author and she didn't disappoint. It's a fast-paced thrill ride from the start and doesn't let up. It's the perfect murder-filled summer thriller book!

It’s a glossy summer thriller meet marital meltdown, tense, fast-paced, and full of suspicion. that kept me hooked.

I loved the 80s setting and waterpark craziness. Faith had my ‘whodunnit’ thoughts looking like a tennis game I went back and forth so much.

Digital ARC provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

I was really intrigued by the premise, talking about dangerous waterpark, missing girl, secrets in a marriag, but unfortunately, this one just didn’t land for me. The pacing felt off and some parts dragged. I didn’t connect with the setting or the story as much as I hoped, which made it hard to stay engaged.

Still, I appreciate getting the chance to read it. This might work better for readers who enjoy slow-burn mysteries with complex relationships.

Absolutely loved this book! I could not put it down. I drawn in by the characters but stayed for the secrets, twists and deceit.

This thriller takes place in an amusement park, set in 1982 which gave me a sense of nostalgia.
The author’s writing style is straightforward and the story is engaging.
Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity to read this complimentary advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Okay, so I didn’t expect to get sucked into a murder-y nostalgia trip set in a lawsuit-magnet of a 1980s waterpark, but here we are. Faith Gardner clearly knows how to reel in a reader with some good ol’ fashioned “someone’s missing and everyone’s acting shady” drama. You’ve got dual timelines, a missing teenage employee, a newlywed who’s suddenly side-eyeing her husband like he might be a murderer, and a waterpark so sketchy it should come with a tetanus booster.

I tore through this thing like a kid on a sugar high. The pacing is relentless, the tension is thick, and the dual POVs actually work—especially the chapters from “Hawk,” who gave me the emotional chills and made me yell “nope” more than once. The retro setting? Deliciously eerie, even if I lowkey wanted more from the park itself. Like, if you're going to give me a haunted waterpark, let the wave pool haunt me, you know?

My one gripe: the ending was a little too polite for the chaos that came before. I wanted a punch to the face and instead got a firm handshake. Still, it didn’t ruin the ride.

This is your next read if you like your thrillers fast, your settings weirdly specific, and your trust in fictional husbands rapidly deteriorating. Four stars and a side-eye at anyone named Hawk. If you are interested in crazy water parks with lots on injuries, check out documentaries about Action Park in New Jersey. It had to be an influence.

The only thing deadlier than the rides at Breakneck Bay is the truth. When a teenage worker vanishes, Kit, is forced to look at her new husband and manager at the park. Someone knows the truth and they will stop at nothing to finish what they started.

This setting was everything! I loved the water park and everything that came with it. It was a twisty read with lots of dark secrets just waiting to be revealed. A great summer read to cool off with!

Faith Gardner’s Breakneck Bay is a fast-paced, twist-filled thriller set against the unlikely backdrop of a dangerously mismanaged waterpark. When a teenage employee goes missing and a possible murder scene is discovered, suspicion falls on park manager Mitch—plunging his wife, Kit, into a spiralling search for the truth.
The novel expertly weaves elements of mystery, suspense, and '80s nostalgia, delivering a plot filled with ominous messages, hidden secrets, and escalating tension. While the book’s relentless pacing keeps the reader hooked, the link between the two viewpoints seemed obvious.
Still, Gardner delivers a compelling, entertaining ride with memorable characters. Breakneck Bay is perfect for readers seeking a high-stakes, summer-ready thriller.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mirror House Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

"𝑰'𝒎 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒕𝒔, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒊 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎. 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒓 𝒂 𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒛𝒚. 𝑯𝒆'𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒖𝒔𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅."

Special thanks to @mirrorhousebooks @faithgardner & @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.

👉🏼 swipe for synopsis ➡️

𝙈𝙔 𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙄𝙀𝙒:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kit and Mitch work at Breakneck bay in Hill Valley within the Sierra Nevadas. It starts out with one of the park employees missing and turning into one crime scene after another. Secrets, serial killers, and lies pepper the pages during this fast paced thriller. Definitely bingeworthy with roller coaster thrills and jaw dropping revelations.

This is my first by @faith.gardner but certainly not my last. The build up, the reveals - they're so perfectly laid out, I was clinging to every word. The characters all have such deep personalities, it weaves such a great story. I'm a sucker for a serial k!ller novel, and add in the Waterpark theme - heaven!!

𝙋𝙐𝘽 𝘿𝘼𝙔:



ℚ𝕆𝕋𝔻❓️⁉️❓️ Do you like waterparks? When's the last time you went? What's your favorite ride?

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