This book is very atmospheric, and creepy and I ate that shh up! I haven't picked up any other books from this author, so this was very new to me, the writing style included, but I fell in love with every part of this book.

Even if the the action picks up towards the end of the book, I wouldn't say this is "just the last 100 pages" that did it for me. I feel like everything was carefully built for the reveal at the end, and without those tiny details throughout the book, it just wouldn't hit the same.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I hope that it will get the hype that it deserves!

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion! Needless to say, as always, all thoughts are my own and I have not been influenced in any way.

Tiny Wild Things by Danielle M. Wong was an entertaining read that I truly enjoyed reading.
A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
I really liked the writing style. I found myself hooked, turning the pages.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC.

Fran Hendrix is going to interview Jobathan Kramer, a recluse artist, and this article will make her career. However, when she arrives at an undisclosed location, Kramer seems to be withholding from Fran. He makes excuses, cuts the interviews short, and rarely answers the questions. Soon, Fran starts to feel creeper out. She starts to see things and can't connect with anyone back home because there is little to no cell service.
Fran is in trouble, and it isn't only from Kramer himself. It seems that there may be someone roaming the hidden halls of Kramer's home. Kramer is lying to Fran, and she is about to find out some horrible things about her family.

Loved the premise, and each revelation is better than the next. I just couldn't help gasp. And the end, now that is the twist of all twists!

Thank you, Netgalley and Storm Publishing, for this ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

What an opening line! The whole prologue absolutely gripped me.

The entire book I felt completely unsettled. The author has created an eerie, isolated setting where the main character, Fran, while on assignment to get an exclusive interview from reclusive artist Jonathan Kramer, not only is essentially trapped on his secluded estate, but she has no idea where she actually is, and her connection to the outside world is all but cut off due to no signal.

We get a glimpse of Fran struggling with something in her past. It gave depth to her character and made me lean into her story, wanting to know more about her and what had happened.

With the message she receives we see her struggle with trusting her instincts and trying to leave, or staying to get her story and find out the truth.

The interactions she has with Jonathan and his housekeeper Laurel, increase the feelings of unease, turning from unsettling, to haunting, to terrifying.

It's a slow burn psychological thriller but the short chapters really have you flying through the pages. When the twists start dropping, it really picks up and you question everything you thought you knew. I did not see any of it coming and the ending is just perfection!

Perfect for Freida McFadden fans.

Thank you to Storm publishing for this advanced copy

This book is wildly atmospheric, and the author brings Fran, her past, and present to life as if you're right there. The estate she's at, and the desolate woods surrounding it, made me feel unnerved, even though I was reading in bed.

This story moves more slowly in the beginning, with the tension ratcheting up. Fran is initially frustrated with the artist, Jonathan Kramer. He keeps stopping and starting the interview, and one second is forthcoming, and then shuts down the next. But as her time on the estate goes by, she slowly becomes more aware that something is not right. Random text messages from an unknown number, strange sightings in the hallway.

One thing I really enjoyed about this story is it takes aspects of a locked-room popcorn thriller without being entirely one or another. Fran is on a desolate estate, but it's a reclusive artist and she just has spotty cell reception. So it's a little locked room, but it's not to the point where it's predictable. The last third of the book is insane.

This story is really a mix of a slow-burn, but also a popcorn thriller. I normally don't enjoy those, but I think it works here because the twists are nuts. Like insanely crazy. If you're looking for a book to make you feel creeped out, and then driving in wild twists, you should read this.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. This was a creepy one!
I did like the way it is written and how the characters are described. I got lost in the middle but then it was back to be very suspenseful!

2.75 stars

This book is like an entire season of Riverdale condensed into 270 pages. As an ardent lover of truly preposterous thrillers, I had to think long and hard why it didn't really work for me. Ultimately, it was the lack of internal consistency where Tiny Wild Things fell short. I can roll with a million choices that are unhinged from a reader's perspective, as long as they make sense to the characters. The motivations in this - when there were any beyond 'lunacy' - didn't ring true.

It didn't help that this is very much a book of two halves. The first is a psychological thriller in the vein of AJ Finn. It's a slow, sloooow burn where we spend more time with Fran tossing and turning restlessly in bed than the plot progressing. The second half is a balls to the wall, lightening speed action thriller worthy of Harlan Coben. While both were fine, the transition between them was unconvincing and probably the weakest section.

I wish I could have bought into this story more. Even in the scenes that had me on the edge of my seat, I wasn't invested in the outcome.

Thanks to Storm Publishing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Danielle M. Wong for the advanced copy of this book.

I’m giving this book a 3.5/5.

The beginning was very slow, I almost DNF’d it because the story kept repeating itself and became confusing at times. The very ending was completely unexpected.

The author really knows how to write characters that feel unhinged. Some of them had me questioning their sanity!

The setting was a highlight for me. I always love a giant, creepy mansion in the middle of nowhere, it really set the mood. My personal guess for the location was the state of Maine.

TINY WILD THINGS - I haven't been so bored by a book in a while. Over 60 percent of the story was slow, boring and repetitive about the thoughts and actions of this silly woman. Then the story takes off into the world of ridiculous. I had to force myself to read this finished. Never once did I experience interest, intrigue, or suspense, just boredom. I did like the survivor but that's because I disliked all the characters and it felt like payback for my suffering. Source: Netgalley. 2*

Fran dearest. i have one question for you. what are you doing!? Haha, because i had this question from the start. and then it continued. stranger, secret locations, keeping things quiet, notes oh and lets hunt together. no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the red flag were tripping you up Fran.
this was a read that had me uneasy in the best way that a thriller like this should. i was delighting in the creepy vibes and darkness i felt would unfold.
i was constantly waiting for the next twist, or the next shiver of unease, or the next....anything and everything to come.
Fran is someone who obviously had her own stuff going on and we get to know these as we get to know the book. is this another case of someone seeing a victim they could target? her frame of mind leaving her open? but when she is chosen to interview a man who's kept himself out of the way since his wife's tragic death she cant believe it! it means she has to travel to his equally out of the way estate. pretty quickly we get our first "eeesh" moments when Fran receives a warning note. but of course she doesn't heed this she is going to uncover this story. its odd how much Kramer seems to know quite a lot more about her than she him, or than he should?
then he invites her to go hunting. and Fran sees this as getting more personal, he might let his guard down in his own space and hobby? but things very soon dont feel right (errrm hello!) and she begins to doubt not taking the warning and not escaping while she could.
the tension and atmosphere builds and builds to the climax of this book. when i didn't think i could get any more anxious it threw me once again with a great ending.
i loved being on the ride with this book. i cant wait for others to go on it too. and just when you think its all done, you breathing can mellow...well if you haven't quite finished the book at that point then you are NOT done yet...

Tiny Wild Things is a psychological thriller with an intriguing setup: Fran Hendrix, a determined journalist, heads to the remote countryside to interview a reclusive artist who hasn’t spoken publicly since his wife’s tragic death. But when she arrives, the atmosphere quickly shifts — and an anonymous warning message tells her: He is lying to you. Get out while you can.

It’s a compelling premise, and the story does a good job of building tension through isolation, suspicion, and emotional undercurrents. I appreciated the pacing — it was quick, digestible, and perfect for a weekend read.

That said, this wasn’t one of the strongest thrillers I’ve read. I picked up on several key reveals early on, so the “twist” didn’t fully land for me. The ending also felt like a missed opportunity — I would’ve personally preferred something a little bolder or less neat.

Still, the writing was solid, and the story kept me engaged. If you’re looking for a short, twisty read that doesn’t ask too much of you, this is a great pick — especially for fans of The Hunting Party or The Silent Patient who enjoy thrillers with a lighter psychological edge.

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

This was such a gloriously strange book.

I accidentally reset my timer whilst reading this so I have no idea how long it took to read, which is oddly fitting for this fever dream.

I haven’t watched Riverdale but I’ve seen the memes about how crazy the plot winds up as, and it seems to match the same vibe as this book.

At the beginning, it’s comparable to a similar new release- Ghostwriter- with elements of The Reappearance of Rachel Price and even The Only One Left; not in quality, I hasten to add, but in the storyline.

Then, it deteriorates into a convoluted take of crime and savage personalities; Fran was just an unsettled journalist desperate to land a big scoop by interviewing reclusive artist Jonathan Kramer, but she’s embodying Laura Croft by the last page.

Despite the ludicrous writing, this book is entertaining to read, and hams up the thriller vibes.
It may take itself seriously but that makes it no less interesting to watch the plot snowball, and the pieces being shoehorned into place.

Personally, it’s an ideal read for bad weather or bad health- too unrealistic to cause any nightmares and too cheesy to resist.

why not celebrate that sometimes more is more?

Turn off your favourite reality TV show and tune into this trainwreck!

Wow I don't really know where to start. This is the first book I've read by this author and I'll definitely check out their others. The first half of the book is a bit of a slow burn, which I quite enjoyed the mystery of it. The second half was a wild ride that I wasn't expecting. The ending was another twist I wasn't expecting and it kinda threw me. The writing style definitely created good atmosphere and it felt easy to get to know the characters. Thanks for the ARC! I really enjoyed it!

Thank you, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for letting me review Tiny Wild Things, to provide an honest review in return.

I picked this book out to read right away, because the cover and the title just dragged me in. It was mysterious and it made you want to know more.

I have never read a book from this author before, and I am so glad I chose this one! I can’t wait to see what else this author has out there!

This book had, suspense, mystery, and even the creep factor - and well executed in all three categories.

I guessed most of what happened but that was okay for me, because this book was just written so well. The ending - OMG! I had all of the emotions at one point. Just even saying it or where, will give it away. You have to read it!

This is a MUST read book of the year, if you are looking for creepy, mysterious, and suspense, with characters to fall in love with, characters you hate to your core, and a well written plot.

I highly recommend this book, even though I only rated it 3 stars because I was able to guess almost all of the mysteries, and I hate when I am able to be right. I also felt Fran should have asked more questions before taking on this crazy assignment for work, to make the book more believable in the beginning.

Reporter Fran Hendrix has landed an interview with reclusive artist J. Kramer. This is the interview of a lifetime!
After extensive negotiations to guarantee Kramer's privacy, Fran is sent to an undisclosed location for an undetermined length of time.
Fran's unconventional assignment quickly goes from interesting to creepy. Things become unsettling quickly and Fran questions what is really happening. Why would Kramer, a world-renowned artist select her?
Tiny Wild Things starts as a slow-burn psychological thriller and picks up speed quickly.
This is a dark story filled with twists! The ending surprised me!
Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for sending me this ARC!

I recently came across this author and was intrigued by the book after receiving the widget, mainly because I was drawn to the cover. Admittedly, I usually skip over the blurb and choose books based on their visual appeal.

Journalist Fran Hendrix is excited for the opportunity to interview a reclusive artist who hasn't spoken to the media since his wife’s tragic death. Upon arriving at his remote estate, she receives an anonymous message warning her that he is not to be trusted and urging her to leave. Despite the warning, Fran is determined to uncover the story, even as the artist remains evasive and seems to know more about her than he should. When he invites her to go hunting, she hopes it will help her break through his walls. However, as they venture into the wilderness together, she begins to doubt her decision and considers whether she should have heeded the warning to escape.

The story follows the main character, Fran, who carries some dark secrets while trying to lead a seemingly normal life. She just ended a relationship due to some troubling behaviors, but there’s much more to uncover—if you want to find out, you’ll need to read the book yourself.

This is a slow-burning tale, but I found it hard to put down. With its short chapters and atmospheric setting, it felt like a quick read. I kept turning the pages, eager to discover what would happen next. The pace didn't pick up until the final quarter, and I was left astonished by the ending and all the twists that unfolded. It was quite a ride, and I’m thrilled to have experienced it!

The biggest twist? The one that hits just before you reach the last page? Absolutely jaw-dropping and completely unexpected! Kudos to the author for that!

This book is a great fit for anyone who enjoys a clever mystery that doesn’t give away too much until the very end. You might find yourself left speechless as the story comes together in those final chapters. It's definitely a binge-worthy read thanks to the short chapters—I loved every moment!

Thank you, Storm Publishing, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A Lyrical and Lethal Game of Truths
Danielle M. Wong’s Tiny, Wild Things is a hauntingly atmospheric thriller that lures you in with poetic beauty before dragging you into the dark. Journalist Fran Hendrix arrives at a secluded estate hoping for a career-defining interview but what unfolds is a chilling spiral of mistrust, manipulation, and the primal instinct to survive.
Wong masterfully blends lyrical prose with taut suspense, crafting a story where nothing is what it seems. Fran’s determination makes her a compelling lead, but it’s the eerie setting and enigmatic host that truly elevate the tension. As secrets unravel in the wilderness, the question isn’t just who’s lying but whether Fran will make it out alive. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Fran is a budding journalist at a trendy magazine hoping to be something bigger. Her big break finally seems to come when a famous reclusive artist, Jonathan Kramer, asks specifically for her to write his final interview. Under all sorts of secrecy, the likes of which she could never fathom would happen, Fran is whisked away to his manor in an undisclosed location. While she was told the interview would take place under his timeline, she never imagined she would be secreted away at his place for days, with scarcely any cell phone reception. But even stranger are her dreams and the warning texts she gets saying Kramer isn't what he seems. The longer she stays, the deeper she finds the secrets go.
While the book started as somewhat of a slow burn, the mystery mainly being why Fran was chosen, and just what Kramer really intended for the interview, as he and his companion give virtually nothing to Fran. But somewhere shortly after the midway point, the book turned into an out of control car speeding down a mountain side with craziness coming from all angles. While I guessed the main secret very early on (one that was pretty far-fetched to begin with) I never could have guessed the myriad others, mainly because each one seemed like it was placed there simply to outdo all the previous ones. If you like Lifetime Channel and/or sensationalist thrillers, heavy on surprises, light on plausibility, this may be for you. I'm not sure how much the plot ever had me, but it utterly lost me the more over the top it became in the second half.

In this searing, elegantly constructed psychological thriller, Danielle M. Wong delivers a taut, cerebral exploration of paranoia, perception, and power through the figure of Fran Hendrix, an ambitious journalist whose professional hunger becomes the gateway to her personal unraveling. The novel, with its claustrophobic atmosphere and masterful manipulation of psychological tension, secures its place within the contemporary canon of psychological suspense fiction, establishing the author as a consummate storyteller and a formidable voice in the genre.

At the narrative’s core is Fran’s arrival at the remote estate of a reclusive artist, a figure both charismatic and ominous, who has chosen her to conduct his first interview in the aftermath of his wife’s mysterious death. What initially appears to be a career-defining opportunity gradually curdles into a nerve-fraying descent into psychological disorientation. The anonymous warning Fran receives—He is lying to you. Get out while you can—functions as a narrative detonator, shifting the reader’s expectation from journalistic inquiry to existential threat.

The novel’s brilliance lies not merely in its plot, which unfolds with precise, inexorable pacing, but in its use of literary devices that elevate the familiar into the uncanny. The setting—a sprawling, isolated country estate—functions as both physical trap and metaphorical mindscape, a liminal zone in which truth blurs and identity fractures. The wilderness surrounding the estate, particularly during the climactic hunting scenes, becomes a mirror of Fran’s growing inner disorientation, with nature weaponized as both setting and symbol. This interplay of environment and psyche evokes the gothic tradition while remaining firmly rooted in the modern psychological thriller.

Characterization, too, is wielded with surgical control. Fran, though initially confident and sharp, gradually reveals the fragilities that make her the perfect prey for manipulation. Her desire for professional validation, paired with unresolved traumas and a tendency toward self-delusion, renders her a compellingly flawed protagonist. The artist, enigmatic and performatively elusive, remains a cipher for much of the novel, and it is this sustained ambiguity that injects the narrative with relentless unease.

The author excels at narrative misdirection. Flashbacks, dream sequences, and unreliable interior monologues destabilize the reader’s certainty at every turn. The prose, lean yet evocative, traffics in suggestive detail—fragments of memory, glimpses of suppressed truths, and elliptical dialogue—that invite speculation while withholding resolution. This technique is not only a hallmark of the genre but is here employed with particular finesse, creating a reading experience that is both intellectually engaging and emotionally harrowing.

Ultimately, what distinguishes this novel from more conventional entries in the psychological thriller genre is its interrogation of the act of storytelling itself. Fran’s quest for “the story” is mirrored by the reader’s own pursuit of narrative coherence, and both quests are subverted by the novel’s chilling denouement. In the end, the story resists being fully told—just as its central mystery resists being fully solved—leaving the reader in a state of suspended dread.

With this novel, the author does not merely craft a suspenseful narrative; she constructs a psychological labyrinth in which readers are invited to lose themselves. It is a work of sharp intelligence and artistic precision, one that unsettles not through shock alone, but through a slow, meticulous erosion of certainty. In doing so, she cements her place as a master of the contemporary psychological thriller, an architect of dread whose work lingers long after the final page.

Fran is a journalist who finally has her big break when she’s given a chance to interview a notoriously private artist. So private that no one even knows where he lives. Of course, that just makes him that much more intriguing, and there’s no way she’s passing up this chance. After some subterfuge while traveling to the mystery estate, she arrives and is impressed with his beautiful home. He’s less intimidating than expected, but just as stubborn when it comes to revealing any details about his personal life. When she receives an anonymous message claiming he is a liar, his silence becomes more sinister, and she wonders just how safe she is and what he really wants from her.

Without spoiling anything, the plot takes a turn, and the story veers off in a different direction. At that point, the credibility stretches and the more implausible it becomes. There’s a familiar trope that I couldn’t believe was included. And it’s not the only one! The others aren’t as cringeworthy, but it’s almost like the author took two different story ideas and meshed them together. But instead of an intricately woven storyline combining the two, it’s just messy.

If the story had continued to be a credible mystery, I would have enjoyed it more. I like that the author was going for something different and unexpected, but it just went a bit too far.