From the very beginning, this story had me completely hooked. The tension builds with every chapter, and I found myself fully absorbed in the twists and turns. The characters felt real and layered, which made the suspense hit even harder. It’s fast-paced, addictive, and the kind of thriller that keeps you reading long past when you planned to stop.

This story is a masterclass in psychological suspense that profoundly touched my heart. From the very first page, the narrative is a gripping exploration of a mother's love and the incredible lengths she will go to protect her child.
Steph Nelson has proven, once again, that she knows how to design and build a truly powerful thriller. The plot is meticulously well-developed, and the characters are so incredibly well-constructed that you feel their desperation, their fears, and their inner turmoil with every turn of the page.
I was completely captivated from start to finish. The ending was a huge surprise, and I was very pleased with the outcome. It left me deep in thought, forcing me to reflect on how often our decisions are driven by emotion and influenced by others.
Make No Mistake is a testament to the fact that a thriller can be both a heart-pounding and a deeply emotional experience. I highly recommend it.
Without a doubt, this is a 5-star read, and Steph Nelson is officially one of my favorite thriller authors.

Steph Nelson wrote this well and was glad I got to read this, it had that suspenseful atmosphere that I was looking for and enjoyed in the genre. It had that writing style that I enjoyed from previous work from Steph Nelson. The characters were everything that I wanted in this and had that secrets that I was expecting. This was a strong psychological thriller novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from this type of book.

I've heard really good things about Steph Nelson's other books, so I was very excited to read this! Dalice, a single mom, has a toddler named Cash who is in desperate need of a heart transplant. Dalice's pleas are seemingly answered when she meets Shane, who is part of a secretive group with a leader who can heal anything wrong with someone, including disease and injuries. I was a little hesitant about the supernatural aspect of the healer, but I think the author keeps the rest of the content grounded in reality. As the book goes on, the leader becomes more and more of a threat, until you can't decide what is worse for Dalice, staying and getting Cash healed or leaving. The ending was absolutely shocking, and VERY dark. It should come with a warning, in all honesty. I think this was a really unique plot and is worth a read!

Emotional and very gripping tale of a mother and how far she will go to save her child there are no boundaries and this novel will show you that it’s a page turner you will not be able to put down till the ending it will have you thinking about it long after your done

Emotional and gripping, this thriller had me hooked from the very beginning.

At its core, it asks the haunting question: How far would you go to save your child? Told through dual timelines, the story captures a mother’s desperation and fierce determination as she fights against impossible odds.

This isn’t just a twisty thriller—it’s an intense, emotional ride with well-drawn characters you can’t help but root for until the very last page. The pacing, suspense, and heartache blend beautifully, making it impossible to put down.

Thank you to Steph Nelson and Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Make No Mistake by Steph Nelson is a gripping and emotional read that kept me turning pages late into the night. The story of Dalice’s desperate fight to save her son is both heart-wrenching and suspenseful, blending emotional depth with intense moments that left me breathless. The cult element added a chilling layer that kept me hooked until the very end. I truly enjoyed this book and rated it five stars.

I originally read this book when it was released as the threshing floor.
I really enjoyed this book. It grabbed me right away and I didn’t want to put it down.
It’s definitely a page turner.
Highly recommend!

Another hit for me from Steph Nelson! I’ve previously read two of her other books “Sawtooth” and “The Final Scene” and I’ve become a big fan of her work! This one was no exception, it’s a slow burn thriller with lots of character building.

I loved how complex her characters were even the villain you still had sympathy for. I feel like you got enough time with the main characters that you really could feel and relate to them and their struggles. It was an emotional ride but well worth it!

Make No Mistake by Steph Nelson is sharp, emotional, and quietly devastating. It’s the kind of story that creeps up on you—layered, intimate, and unafraid to sit in the messiness of being human. The writing pulls you under in the best way, and the emotional weight sticks long after the final page. A slow burn that hits hard when it wants to.

Please note this is a re-release of a novel previously published under the title THE THRESHING FLOOR. 

When Dalice’s young son, Cash, is diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition, her world is turned upside down. As a single mother, she’s overwhelmed by the cost of a heart transplant and terrified that a donor won’t be found in time. Just when hope seems out of reach, she crosses paths with a man named Shane who introduces her to a mysterious group led by someone who claims they can heal anything—no surgery, no medicine, just miracles.
At first, Dalice is skeptical. The group's secretive rituals feel strange and unsettling. But after she sees an injury healed right in front of her, she starts to believe. With her son’s life on the line, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to save him—even if it means joining this strange group.
But as she gets pulled deeper in, Dalice realizes these miracles come at a terrifying cost. Now she must face a horrifying question: how much is she really willing to sacrifice to keep her child alive?
Make no mistake is an unsettling, emotional, and thought-provoking horror novel that explores how far a mother will go to save her child—even if it means joining a cult. Steph Nelson masterfully blends occult horror with psychological suspense, crafting a story that’s both deeply personal and terrifying in its implications.
At the center of the story is Dalice, a single mom doing everything she can to care for her sick toddler, Cash, who’s in desperate need of a heart transplant. She’s broke, exhausted, and out of options—until she meets Shane. Through him, she’s introduced to a strange healing group led by his sister, Reva, who performs seemingly impossible miracles. But nothing in this world comes without a price, and Dalice soon finds herself caught in a nightmare she can’t easily walk away from.
The novel moves between timelines and perspectives, which works beautifully to build tension and uncover layers of backstory—especially Reva’s disturbing transformation from a traumatized girl with a gift into a powerful (and dangerous) cult leader. Shane’s inner conflict, Dalice’s desperation, and Reva’s chilling presence make for a character-driven story that grips you from the start and doesn’t let go.
Nelson’s writing is both haunting and immersive. The horror is psychological more than gory, but the dread builds steadily, and the cult’s rituals are genuinely unnerving. The story doesn’t rely on cheap scares—this is horror with heart (literally and figuratively), and it’s clear the author poured her soul into the story, especially given the emotional weight of Dalice’s journey.
My only slight critique is that some parts moved a little slowly, but overall, the pacing allowed the tension to simmer in just the right way. And the ending? It’s as thought-provoking as it is intense.
If you enjoy horror that dives deep into emotional stakes, trauma, and the seductive power of belief systems, make no mistake will stay with you long after the last page. I’d especially recommend it for fans of cult horror, psychological thrillers, and character-driven suspense.

Favorite quote: 
“I can’t believe I’m considering going back. I shouldn’t. But I’m afraid that the possibility of Cash being healed is like elastic tying me to this place, and no matter how hard I try to leave, it’ll snap me back.”

wow. how and what would you do to save your child? well, my first instinct is anything and everything at all. but then i know of cults and i know of exactly what they are and it pulled me up short. because how can you then say you? but then this is your child so how could you ever say no?
this books take you to the darkness and then leave you there with all your emotions up in the air. i was tense i was involved and i was reading with slight slowness at points thinking what might comes next. but also with greater quickness so i could find out what was to come next.
the book brings us Dalice who is a single mother working all she can just to provide for her son. because her son needs a heart transplant there is extra weight# in this game. so when a man comes to her with a way she can save him, a cure, she is drawn immediately.
the answer he says lies with his sister who can heal. but boy was i red flagging my red flag at this point. i was wafting it around in front of the book hoping Dalice would see!come on!
the tension builds like something inside your chest as we find out and are taken deeper into the realities. we learn more and grip harder to the book. where will this go? where can this go? Dalice needs to get out but just how will that ever happen now?
Reva was a chilling character. learning of her and her brothers backstory gave me chills. then what was now being inflicted was further brrrrrr tones all over it.
this was a read that had me scared. not for the horror or gore. but for the fears it brought up in emotions, pace and characters within it.
but it was good. so very good. a thriller it was indeed that and then some. it thrilled and spilled me. and i was reading and reading and needing to finsih so i could wrap this thing up and know what was going to happen. it was a must, i had to now right now.