Thank you netgalley and the publishers for the ARC. Such a Clever Girl by Darby Kane had me hooked from page one—and yes, I read it in under a day because I could not put it down. This thriller is sharp, twisty, and full of deliciously dark secrets that keep smacking you in the face (in the best way). Every time I thought I had it figured out? Nope. Wrong again. The writing is fast, the characters messy in all the right ways, and the ending? Chef’s kiss. If you love thrillers that make you cancel plans just to keep reading, grab this one ASAP. 🔪🔥 #ThrillerObsessed

This is a great thriller with soooo many twists and turns!

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

This is fine, as far as that goes, but missing stars attributed to every single character acting like a comic book villain and an overly complicated relationship history.

I love a good Darby Kane thriller and this one did not disappoint!

This is a fast-paced mystery with some pretty wild twists. The characters were well-developed and complex. I enjoyed the different POVs and the short chapters made this one super easy to read in one sitting.

Highly recommend picking this one up on release day!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Fifteen years ago, the Tanner family vanished without a trace, leaving behind a chilling scene: half-eaten meals, a bloodstain by the door, and a smoldering fire consuming their business across town. The once vibrant home stands untouched, a haunting relic of the past. As rumors fade into local folklore, the mystery of their disappearance seems destined to remain unsolved until Aubrey Tanner returns! Good book! This book had suspense, murder, mystery, intrigue and a few shocking moments! The story was interesting! It wasn’t a top favorite but still worth reading! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This was unfortunately a dud for me. The pacing was too slow and while there was a bit in the middle that picked up, the ending dragged. I wasn’t invested in any characters and the ending just was unsatisfying. I liked Kane’s first book but the subsequent ones have been pretty meh to me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The tanner family disappeared 15 years ago and rumors have been heard about what locals think happened that night. Hanna, Marnie and Stella all were there that night and kept the secrets of what really happened. They all have secrets that they have gone to great lengths to protect. Now Audrey Tanner returns and she wants to punish those who destroyed her family. You get multiple points of view and are hooked trying to solve the mystery of who did it. The author lets clues drop slowly building the suspense until the end. It was intricately woven together to keep you on the edge until the end.

I was extremely excited to get the opportunity to read an early copy of Such a Clever Girl.
15 years ago, an entire family, Patrick, Victoria, Aubrey, and Noah vanished. They left behind a home that looked like they would return soon, but they never did. Until Patrick’s father, Xavier died. As people gather for the reading of his will, the door opens, and Aubrey walks in. What! How! Where are the other members of the Tanner family? Aubrey is silent about her whereabouts and where the rest of her family went.
There are three women who seem very rattled by Aubrey’s return. Stella, Marni, and Hanna each look like they have seen a ghost. Each one of them knows more about the disappearance than they have admitted. But is one of them a killer?
Told from these four women’s perspectives, every chapter provides a bit more information about their lives and their connections to the tanners. Lots of potential suspects and four women who I was certain each needed a T-shirt that said, ‘Killer’at different points in the story.
A treadmill read that kept me moving. The last chapter made me go 😮

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Darby Kane does so well at dark and complex thrillers and Such a Clever Girl (I can’t get rid of the Jurassic Park echoes thinking of the title) slots right in. The story takes place years after the Tanners abandon their home one day at surely dangerous circumstances - the scene left behind is one of a family mid life but with bloodstains and a related fire to make things further feel not quite right. Years later Aubrey Tanner returns to town for a reading of a will - tightlipped about what happened that night but clearly not planning to let past indiscretions involving her family and three women involved with them around the time of the disappearance stay hidden. With a lot of teasers of the dark events and personalities in the Tanner Family, readers slowly get the full story of why Aubrey poses such a threat to the women’s pasts and how they were involved with the Tanners, making things in the present as dark and dangerous as they were the night of the disappearance.

I couldn’t stop reading until I got to the bottom of what happened that night and there is no way I could have guessed at it, thanks to the twists.

2.5 🌟 Despite an intriguing premise involving missing relatives, buried secrets, and a surprising return after fifteen years, this story failed to fully draw me in. As Stella, Marni, and Hanna work to settle Xavier Tanner’s estate, hidden truths come to light and the mystery of what really happened to the Tanners slowly unfolds.

Darby Kane never misses! A family disappeared 15 years ago and one of them returns. Does she know something? Did she do it? This was a wild ride with shocking twists! I loved the theme of girl power and showing what happens when you mess with dangerous women! Having this book take place in Sleepy Hallow was just icing on the dark and twisty cake! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

When I saw that this book had been released for NetGalley approval, I nearly dropped my phone scrambling to get to the site. And for good damn reason- when I say I'm looking for a thriller to get lost in, I **specifically** mean a Darby Kane thriller, and Such a Clever Girl is EXACTLY what I needed.

This book is a multi-POV thriller/mystery that had me FULLY invested in each POV, character, and twisty turn of the storyline. I usually find myself caring less about at least one character when it comes to multiple POV books, but that wasn't the case here at all. Our characters are complicated and flawed in the best ((& worst)) ways, and watching the picture come together had me unwilling to put my Kindle down. If you get fully invested in unsolved true crime cases and disappearances, just stop reading my review now and add this to your TBR because you're NOT going to want to miss this book.

The setting of this story is also something I really needed right now. Sleepy Hollow in the Fall? Close to Halloween? Yes, please. Give me all of the cozy vibes. ((Because who says reading about disappearances, reappearances, and bones CAN'T be cozy? Not me. I'll NEVER say that.))

I can't talk much about the ending without giving spoilers, so I just won't do it. BUT know that I REALLY enjoyed it, and it left me HOPING our dear author here can somehow read my mind and know what I'm asking for.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I ABSOLUTELY recommend Such a Clever Girl. Sure, it doesn't come out until January, BUT that means you have between now and then to read Darby Kane's backlog, and THAT is a gift in itself.

((While the viewpoints shared are my own, I want to thank NetGalley, William Morrow Books, & Darby Kane for this complimentary copy.))

This is an emotional, suspenseful read. Told from multiple POVs, mostly 3 “friends”. I really enjoyed it & never saw the many surprising twists & NEVER would’ve guessed the perpetrators! Solid read!

A gripping psychological suspense told in multiple POVs that made the characters relatable and even admirable at times. That then leaves readers with the question: “are they all bad people in disguise or decent people in impossible situations?”

Thank you so much @williammorrowbooks @hkdimon @netgalley for this ARC!

Murders, clandestine affairs, and sociopathic behaviors is the foundation of this book. The chilling disappearance of a wealthy picture-perfect family 15 years prior is put back in focus when its last known surviving member dies. The story is told in 4 POVs, all of whom could be villains. But they were also so vividly relatable that I could see myself befriend them yet never fully trust them. Kane let each character drive the story forward through their struggles like divorce, single motherhood, forbidden love, having a narcissistic parent. I guessed and theorized the entire time!

The Tanner family vanished a decade and a half ago, leaving everything behind and creating multiple questions in their wake. Now, the family's daughter returns and sends the town into a tizzy. Three local women who had connections to the Tanners must come together to solve the case of the disappearance and protect themselves.

For some reason I had a lot of trouble with the three main women, constantly mixing them up, however that didn't make me like the story any less, in fact all of the book's characters were interesting and well written. The book is action packed and contains compelling twists and turns that keep you guessing until the very end. 4 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This book had me hooked from first page! At the end it could have wrapped up a little faster. I struggled with giving this 3 starts or 4. But landed with 4!
Definitely recommend.

I’ve read all of this author’s books and my favorite is The Replacement Wife. Unfortunately, this latest one from her did not work for me. There are a lot of characters introduced early on, a lot of unrealistic plot twists, and very little character development leading me to not really care who dunnit. I wish I had liked it more!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Such A Clever Girl
By: Darby Kane
Pub date: January 20, 2026
Publisher: William Morrow
Tour: Thriller Book Lovers THE PULSE

Besides loving this authors books, this cover and title drew me in.

The word clever can be deceiving!
How does an entire family go missing and the case go cold?

The Tanner family vanishes from Their home in Salem leaving their home like it was lived in and things semi normal. Except there is blood, mystery and rumors spreading.

Fifteen years go by and one of the family returns. What does she know?

Get ready for lies, secrets and see if you can figure out what really happened.

THE PULSE is thrilled to get to read and share her books.

Darby Kane continues to put out solid thrillers, year after year!

This book follows several women, all tied to a 15 year old mystery of what happened to a family of four. The Tanner family- two parents and two children disappeared with no warning one day, and the how and why and who survived was never solved.

Then the patriarch of the family dies, and chaos ensues when his wishes for his estate is read. And a surprise guest shows up- someone who might hold all the answers the town has been looking to find. It's Aubrey Tanner, one of the missing kids.

But three women must hold their secrets closely, or they could lose everything they've gained in the last 15 years. Will they band together, or crumble one by one as the Aubrey watches?

This book held my attention, but I would not consider it "unputdownable". Is it worth a read? Absolutely!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

This book begins with a pretty big twist, with a lot going on. A whole family disappears then one family member suddenly returns. While this sounded very interesting, I found it fell just a touch short of my expectations. I felt that 4 different POV’s was a little hard to follow. There’s also a lot of characters and a lot to keep track of. To the point I was taking notes in my phone to keep everything straight. Once you get the characters figured out, it’s easy to follow. It felt slightly repetitive and I got to the point where by the 50 percent mark I was ready for some type of answers. Because no massive twist had happened since the beginning. The pacing felt slow to medium, not a fast paced intense thrilled as expected. This seemed to lack the mystery or thrill and mainly focused on drama between the different characters. I did really like the setting and felt that it added to the overall development of the plot, and I also enjoyed the ending. I did not see that coming! This honest review was in exchange for an arc. Thank you to Darby Kane, William Morrow Publishing, and NetGalley.