Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy. I usually love Darby Kane’s twisty thrillers, but this one didn’t land quite as strongly for me. The pacing felt slow in parts, a few twists were predictable, and I didn’t connect with the main character as much as I’d hoped.

That said, I still appreciate Kane’s sharp writing and messy, layered characters — just not my favorite of hers. I’m looking forward to what she does next!

This book had me at the creepy autumn cover and Sleepy Hollow! If you’re into family drama and nonstop secrets being revealed, look no further. This book is full of complicated characters who are all involved in some way in the disappearance of several members of the Tanner family. The way in which they were involved really surprised me! I’d love to see another installment focusing on Audrey. She was such an interesting character!

Such A Clever Girl is told in short chapters from multiple POVs, and it will have you constantly thinking what the ever loving world is going on. Hannah, Marni, and Stella share a secret from the night the Tanner family went missing fifteen years ago. They haven't spoken to anyone about it since then, not even each other. Everyone thought the four members of the Tanner family were dead until Aubrey suddenly turned up. Then everything goes awry. Hannah, Marni, and Stella must confront their past, and it's a convoluted tangle of questions, secrets, and manipulation. This is marketed as a thriller/mystery, but it's filled with family drama. In fact, there's almost more drama than thrills in this one. I will admit I couldn't figure out where this one was going by the end. If slow paced murder mysteries with morally grey characters are your cup of tea, then make sure to add this to your tbr.

DK knows how to hook 🪝 me from the jump. I knew from the minute Aubrey was still alive, but I was going to finish this book like a cheesecake. The multiple POV was a bit, jarring a few times, but also gave great perspective for each character.

15 years ago, the Tanner family disappeared without a trace. Their family home left to crumble and the teenage daughter under suspicion for being the murderer. Gramps kicks the bucket and his will reading has three different women who were there that night all in the same room again for the first time in 15 years. Imagine their surprise when the missing, presumed dead granddaughter walks in to the courtroom, very alive.

What happened to the Tanner family? I guess we’ll find out soon.

Wow wow I am a fan of this author work !! The way that this story came together the characters are brought to you it’s just a brilliant story like and I loved it I will recommend other will not be disappointed

I really liked aspects of this book quite a bit at times but it is probably not my favorite by this author. It was kind of confusing at times keeping track of the different points of view, which slowed down the pace quite a bit. I did think it was an intense thriller but I did not feel super connected to any of the characters. I do very much appreciate the opportunity to read this book.

DNF at 20%. I'm not invested in the mystery at all. It's the slowest of burns and too many characters to keep track of.

Thank you to Netgalley & William Morrow | William Morrow Paperbacks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒂. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝑰'𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑰'𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈...

The town of Sleepy Hollow was the perfect setting for Darby Kane's latest domestic thriller! Fifteen years before, the Tanner family vanished—Patrick, Victoria, their young son Noah, and their teenage daughter Aubrey, who showed several tell-tale signs of sociopathy. The disturbing scene left behind was as if the family was at dinner, as evidence of an interrupted meal was on the table along with blood streaks on a door. No one could make sense of the scene, and the case went cold.

When the family patriarch Xavier Tanner dies, everything changes when Aubrey Tanner, written off as dead, returns as a thirty-year-old. No longer the sullen teenager she was, she's now a woman of secrets. Was she responsible for her family's disappearance, or was she herself a victim? If so, has she returned to point the finger of blame at someone in the town?

Three women hold a piece of the puzzle concerning what really happened that fateful night. And when their own secrets come to light, it becomes clear that someone is desperate to keep what happened that night in the past. But some secrets just won't stay buried. Another winner from this author! Many thanks to William Morrow Books and Thriller Book Lovers: THE PULSE for my early copy. Look for this one January 20, 2026.

This is a story about secrets that have a way of coming to the surface- even 15 years later. The story is of three women: Stella, Marni , and Hanna. 15 years ago the Tanner family disappeared without a trace. And now 15 years later the daughter Aubrey walks back into town right in time for the reading of a will. We meet ex spouses and children of the women. Each woman holds a secret of some sort. And some of the other characters have secrets too. I enjoyed the learning about the ladies and their past. A buried body is unearthed, a nosy reporter calls them together and gets under their skin. There is abuse uncovered. This book was fast paced and suspenseful until the very end.

This was my first Darby Kane book, and it did not disappoint! The twists! The suspense! If you're a thriller lover this is the book for you! Clever, chilling and completely reeled me in.

Okayyyy I LOVED THIS. Darby Kane has always been a favorite of mine, all that I’ve read were fast paced and so hard to put down. Page turners are my favorite and this met all my expectations! Thank you so much

Such a Clever Girl by Darby Kane
A whole family just disappears one night leaving everything behind and some blood in the entryway of their home. The small town of Sleepy hollow is left with nothing but speculations and wild theories. 3 women in town know more than they ever admit and go on living day to day. That is until the missing family’s daughter resurfaces- alive.
I enjoyed the way the author has the characters ‘think’ out loud but had to pay extra attention as to whether they were only ‘thinking’ that or saying it sometimes. There also was quite a few characters to get to know. I had to back track a few times. I kind of felt it was somewhat unrealistic. Other than that it was a decent read.

This is a great thriller with soooo many twists and turns! The different POVs kept the propulsive tale moving at a frenetic pace!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This books twist and turns were so good that I devoted it in a day. The different POVs and the short chapters makes it easy to fly through.

4⭐️
Once again, I am a sucker for a twisty thriller in which there’s a group of friends tied together by a tragic and secretive past, haunted by a return of the person they believed to be dead, who is desperately seeking answers from them.
Woven through multiple POV’s, it did take a few chapters for this book to find its footing and create distinction between our three FMC’s, Marni, Stella, and Hannah. Once there though, we are taken for a ride while these women are caught up in the web of what happened to the Tanner family, and how their ties to that family are a key in solving that.
I appreciated that every character seemed to be morally gray; at one point, I suspected each of them of having some nefarious involvement in the Tanner mystery, and then a few chapters forward, I’d see how although they had made flawed choices, it didn’t necessarily mean they had been the cause.
Thank you, NetGalley for this e-ARC!

Such a Clever Girl is exactly the kind of twisty, propulsive thriller I can’t get enough of—dark secrets, morally gray women, and a plot that pulls you deeper with every chapter. Darby Kane delivers another addictive page-turner that’s sharp, smart, and just the right amount of sinister.

The protagonist is the kind of character I love in thrillers: calculating, clever (as promised), and playing a long game you don’t even see coming until it’s too late. Kane masterfully blurs the line between justice and revenge, keeping you guessing who’s manipulating whom until the final, breath-stealing twist.

The pacing is relentless, the tension high, and the voice? Perfection. It’s biting, intelligent, and loaded with just enough vulnerability to make the darker moments hit even harder. I flew through this in a single sitting, fully invested in the secrets buried beneath polished lives and perfect facades.

If you love thrillers with fierce women, messy pasts, and plenty of moral ambiguity, Such a Clever Girl is a must-read. Darby Kane knows exactly how to keep you hooked—and just when you think you’re ahead of her, she proves you’re not.

Darby Kane always delivers dark domestic suspense with a psychological twist. Of all the Kane books I’ve read, each features clever, morally gray women and tightly layered mysteries.

A brief summary of the book-Fifteen years ago, the entire Tanner family vanished overnight. The house became a macabre relic of mystery that haunted the town. Now 30, Aubrey Tanner returns to her hometown burdened with silent secrets. Rumors swirl—was she a helpless survivor, or the keeper of a dark truth?

“Such a Clever Girl” had a more detached and deliberate tone—like “Pretty Little Wife”—but placed greater focus on the bonds between women and the impact of past trauma that was buried for years. It was a bit more subtle and psychologically deep than “Pretty Little Wife”, but just as twisty and dark.

Compared to “The Replacement Wife”, where paranoia and mental health were at the forefront, this one leaned more into deliberate manipulation and control. Additionally, I really liked how “Such a Clever Girl” returned to the tight, small-town mystery that made her debut stand out. Even more, I liked how the stories contained communities with dark histories that fueled suspense and hinged on a cold case being forced into the present, shaking up long-buried alliances and truths.

Like Darby Kane’s other novels, this one used dual timelines, multiple points of views, and strategic flashbacks. Alternatively, what was unique to “Such a Clever Girl” was the generational trauma, what happens when women stop staying quiet, and the consequences of being “clever” in a world that punishes it.

In my opinion, “Such a Clever Girl” came across as Darby Kane’s most refined work to date. It was smart, carefully crafted, and led by women who were no longer willing to stay quiet or play by the rules.

I have been a long time reader of Darby Kane’s writing and was so happy to have gotten to read an advance copy. Similar to her other books, “Such A Clever Girl” was a tightly woven domestic thriller that blended a haunting cold case with a contemporary disappearance. I’d recommend this one to readers who enjoy cold cases that resurface in claustrophobic communities, female protagonists with secrets, and atmospheric tension.

Net Galley and William Morrow, thank you for providing me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book gave me I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes with a dash of Mean Girls mixed in. There are a lot of characters and moving parts to keep track of in this book but the twist will blow your mind!

Synopsis: Fifteen years ago a family of four vanished without a trace. Now, at a will reading, Aubrey Tanner returns to town. Aubrey was part of the missing family and is here to see about her inheritance. Where has she been for the past fifteen years? Three women, Hanna, Stella, and Marni are tied to the disappearance and are rattled by the reappearance of Aubrey. They are forced to reveal secrets sot hee truth about that day can be revealed.

Review: I really enjoyed this thriller. Darby Kane is an author that never disappoints me. I found myself trying to figure out what happened and who was telling the truth throughout the entire book. It was fast paced. I liked the family drama that was a primary focus.

When I read the premise for Such A Clever Girl, I was intrigued. When I saw the author was Darby Kane, I couldn't request it fast enough. A long-time fan of Darby, I was not disappointed with this latest jewel of a thriller from her.

A family disappears 15 years ago and is never seen or heard from again. Rumors swirl, but no one knows the truth of what happened to them. That is, until Aubrey Tanner, one of the missing children, suddenly re-emerges during the settling of the patriarch's estate. Three of the women in attendance all have reason to be panicked by her arrival. All are covering up some pretty shocking lies and secrets. Each woman is wondering why she's suddenly back and what she wants.

This story is devious and chilling.The main characters are interesting and well developed. It is told through multiple perspectives, making the storyline easy to follow. The ending is multi-layered and so unexpectedly twisted. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy