Cheating time cheating death: YOU BELONG HERE.

You Belong Here by Megan Miranda
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am always willing to read anything by Megan Miranda, even if some books are more of a hit than others.  YOU BELONG HERE is a solid 3.5 star read.

I found its overly theatrical writing style a bit much at times, but it’s a great twisty thriller with some excellent turns that took me by surprise. Plus, I’m always a sucker for a Virginia setting, even if it’s fictious (I hope!). Beckett attended local Wyatt College, thanks to the fact that her parents were both professors there. But senior year, tragedy strikes, leaving two local men dead, and Beckett is shipped off to finish her college years overseas. She returns pregnant with her daughter Delilah and rarely speaks of the incident again.

So, imagine her surprise when Delilah secretly applies to Wyatt and receives a scholarship! When she gets a strange phone call for Delilah and can’t reach her, Beckett worries that the past is coming back to haunt her.  This is such a tense book, brimming with parental fear and small-town anger and secrets! The dark, academic setting shines; you can practically hear the wind (“the howling”) whipping through the mountains behind Wyatt College. Miranda deftly ties together Delilah’s story with her mother’s past, slowly revealing what happened with Beckett via flashbacks that intertwine with the present-day story. It’s a very effective mechanism, as I found this story very difficult to put down. At the same time, beyond its eerie vibes, this is a story of motherhood—and how far a mother would go to protect her daughter. It’s a little wild sometimes, but a good page-turner.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Simon Element in return for an unbiased review.

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The bridges that I burned and the trains I didn't catch: DAUGHTER OF MINE.

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This felt more like classic Megan Miranda--a taunt page-turner that keeps you reading until the end. Hazel returns to her hometown upon her father's death and is surprised to learn that he, the town's beloved Sheriff, left her (and only her) his house on the lake. This does not go over well with her brothers, Caden and Gage, who now serve in the local force as well. His death literally brings up the past, when a drought unearths two cars in the nearby lake.

DAUGHTER relies on the oft-used trope of someone returning to their hometown, always a small town where everyone knows your business, to try to puzzle out a crime on their own. Miranda does a good job with the material though, building up suspense while slowly revealing more details. The story is dark and atmospheric. Hazel tended to pontificate a bit much for my taste, but I enjoyed how the book delved into the twisted world of family ties and secrets. Hazel is scarred by her mom leaving her behind as a teen, and mother issues permeate the tale. It gets a little wild at the end, but I was along for the ride.

This is a tense and suspenseful tale for those who love small town thrillers. 3.75 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Simon Element / Marysue Rucci Books in return for an unbiased review.

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And I told myself I wouldn't fall apart: THE GIRL FROM WIDOW HILLS.

The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda

My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars


Arden Mayor was just a child when she was swept away while sleepwalking during a terrifying rainstorm and went missing for days. Then she became the miracle of her small town of Widow Hills, Kentucky when she was found clinging for life to a storm drain. Her mother, Laurel, wrote a book. The family received money, fan letters, and, yes, stalkers. Soon it became too much and when she was old enough, Arden changed her name. She became Olivia. Now, as the twentieth anniversary of the incident nears, she has her own life. No one in her new world knows about her past. But when she receives word via phone call about her mother's death, something jolts loose in Olivia. She starts sleepwalking again, waking outside her house. And then one night she awakens, outside yet again, the body of a corpse at her feet. Even worse, the man is someone she knew from her previous life as Arden. Suddenly, Olivia's right back where she started: under scrutiny and media attention. And this time, she isn't the media darling, but a murder suspect.


"I was the girl who survived. The girl who held on. The girl you prayed for, or at least pretended to pray for--thankful most of all that it wasn't your own child down there, in the dark. And after: I was the miracle. The sensation. The story."


I don't have a lot of notes from reading this, but I think it's because I was too caught up in the story. This was a twisty thriller, and I simply wanted to know what happens. You can't ask for much more in a good mystery, can you? I've read a few books lately that cast a strong shadow of doubt on the protagonist (Heather Gudenkauf's This Is How I Lied being a great example)--and Miranda does great work of it here. Olivia sleepwalks, and we have a hard time fully trusting her throughout the novel. Heck, she has a hard time trusting herself.

Of course, there are plenty of other suspects and lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. I enjoyed the story of a girl escaping her past, only to find it catching up with her, no matter how hard she tried. We see how the media and attention can unravel even the happiest of tales, how Olivia's mother couldn't handle the pressure, how Olivia had to become a different person to survive. Why, we wonder, does society have to take a happy thing and ruin it.


"The case made all of us, and then it unmade us."


Overall, this was a fast-paced and intriguing read. Olivia is an interesting character, oddly sympathetic despite her possibility of being a murderess. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4 here.

I received a copy of this book from Simon & Schuster and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. It releases on 6/23/2020.

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Chase the demons out of my head: THE LAST HOUSE GUEST.

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


Typically the locals and the summer visitors don't mix much in the resort town of Littleport, Maine. But when summer resident Sadie Loman and local Avery Greer meet, they form a fast, intense friendship that lasts nearly a decade. It ends the night of the Plus-One party--the one night where locals and summer guests come together at the summer's end. It's also the night Sadie dies; her body is found on Breaker Breach, where she has drowned after falling off a cliff. The police believe Sadie has committed suicide, but Avery isn't so sure. A year later, she begins digging more into Sadie's death. What she finds leaves her more convinced that ever that Sadie's death wasn't at her own hand--and the more she discovers, the more she wonders if she's in danger, too.

So, I read this book in about 24 hours. It's a fast, quick read. A lot of the plot seems familiar--it was the second book of the last three, I'd read, for instance, where someone died suspiciously after falling off a cliff. The plot definitely has the tried-and-true feel of "friend obsessed with richer/prettier/etc. friend's death yet won't leave it to police even though it makes no sense to investigate on their own." You know where I'm coming from, right? You've been there before.

In this case, Avery is, of course, the local, with no money, who has been taken in by Sadie's family. They've funded her coursework, given her a place to live, and a job--she oversees all of the Loman's rental properties in Littleport. They even bought her grandmother's house. So Sadie--and her family--mean a lot to Avery.


"Sadie was my anchor, my coconspirator, the force that had grounded my life for so many years. If I imagined her jumping, then everything tilted precariously, just as it had that night."


The book is told entirely from Avery's point of view, but it goes back and forth in time. We get the night of the party, when Sadie died, and then the present, a year later. A memorial is coming up for Sadie, dredging up memories for Avery and causing her to question what happened that night. It's an effective formula--Miranda is good at playing with time.

The book has an ominous, creepy feel to it. Weird things start happening at the rental properties for instance, and you can't help but feel that something bad is going to happen. The setting is a good one--a beachy, resort town--and it's easy to visualize the scene. I did enjoy how much this one kept me guessing. Maybe I should have figured things out earlier, but I didn't. I was intrigued about what happened to Sadie, and I kept reading because of that. That being said, I didn't really care about any of the characters in the book. Most of the characters, including the Lomans, seem rich and spoiled, and somehow, I just couldn't find a ton of affection for Avery. I was reading more out of curiosity versus an investment in their storyline.

Overall, this thriller is a quick read that kept me guessing. The characters aren't particularly likeable but the mystery is interesting and the setting somehow both ominous and picturesque. 3.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Simon & Schuster in return for an unbiased review (thank you!); it is available as of 6/18/2019.

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All unhappy ends will be behind us then: COME FIND ME.

Come Find Me by Megan Miranda

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Kennedy Jones has survived a horrible family tragedy. She now lives with her 29-year-old uncle, Joe, and monitors her brother Elliott's radio telescope. Elliott was focused on looking for alien life, so when Kennedy finds a pattern on her brother's telescope, she thinks it might be a sign. Meanwhile, nearby, Nolan Chandler's older brother Liam disappeared two years ago--the day after Nolan had a weird premonition about his disappearance. His parents have become obsessed with the case and those of missing kids in general. They have basically forgotten about their child left behind. When Nolan finds an odd signal in his brother's room, he too wonders if it's a sign. The two signals draw together Nolan and Kennedy. They begin to wonder how things are connected. Or, are they being warned off by a strange force instead?



"The brother tells them, with an air of inevitability, that Liam is gone. No, they say, he's with Colby. He's out for a job, He'll be back soon. The premonition tingles like static electricity. The boy and the dog are never seen again."


Megan Miranda is an author where I'll read whatever she writes. The topic of this book is slightly bizarre, but it's a completely compelling and fascinating read. I read it in less than 24 hours, as it's very easy-to-read, and I totally fell for the characters. Kennedy and Nolan are united in grief--two kids who have been through so much for being so young.

This novel is creepy and often inexplicable, but the plot is really great. I was completely hooked. Kennedy and Nolan are tied together in interesting ways, and there's also a mystery-type story that unfolds as well. There are a couple of great twists that fully surprised me.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It's compelling and heartfelt, with strong characters and a sort of fun yet creepy undertone. 4 stars.

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Like lies don't need the truth: FRAGMENTS OF THE LOST.

Fragments of the Lost by Megan Miranda

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


When Jessa Whitworth's high school ex-boyfriend dies suddenly, it's as if the world stops. One moment Caleb is at her track meet, taking the butterfly necklace she handed to him, and the next, he's gone, his car washed over a flooded bridge on a stormy day. Caleb's mom eventually asks Jessa to pack up his room--she blames Jessa for the accident, since Caleb had gone to see her that day, and she feels she cannot say no. She's left to clean out his room and winds up piecing together bits of Caleb's life as she does. Each photograph, article of clothing, and notebook reminds her of parts of her life with Caleb. Even worse, she realizes there is so much she didn't know about him. With that realization, Jessa wonders, what really happened the day Caleb went over the bridge?

This novel isn't really what I expected at all, though I should have realized that it would be less teen angst and more teen angst and psychological mystery, as the two Megan Miranda novels I have read, The Perfect Stranger: A Novel and All the Missing Girls, are more in the suspense/thriller category.

The biggest issue for me was that this one starts off really slow. It's hard to get into any kind of momentum as every forward plot movement is broken by Jessa finding something and immediately remembering back into her past with Caleb. I was a little frustrated in the beginning, wanting more to happen.

I really enjoyed the character of Jessa, though. She was a little hard on herself in relation to Caleb's death, but she was also a teen dealing with both the death of a loved one and a recent breakup (their split occurring not too long before his death). She came across as pretty realistic. The supporting cast was a little more nebulous for me--Caleb's mom was pretty harsh, and we didn't see too much of Jessa's family, though I liked her older brother, Julian. Caleb's best friend and neighbor, Max, was probably the other character that was easiest to get to know and he was rather well fleshed out. Caleb himself--whom we learn about through Jessa's point of view and flashbacks--is a hard one to figure out, but that only adds to the mystique of how he ended up at the bridge that day.

Overall, if you can bring a little patience, this book is one to enjoy. It eventually picks up and while the storyline is somewhat different (this whole novel is rather hard to describe), I really did enjoy it. I felt satisfied with the ending--it was worth reading. I enjoyed Miranda's two adult mysteries and while this is the first of her YA novels that I've read, I will definitely investigate others. 3.5 stars.

You can read my review of THE PERFECT STRANGER here.

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And you feel you've come undone: THE PERFECT STRANGER.

The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Leah Stevens needs to get away from Boston. Due to an article she published, her job as a journalist is over thanks to fears of a lawsuit coupled with an in-place restraining order. So when she comes across her old friend Emmy in a bar, the timing seems perfect. Emmy is coming out a bad relationship and she suggests the pair--once former roommates--move to rural Pennsylvania and start over. Leah gets a teaching position at the nearby school, and Emmy picks up a series of odd jobs. But their fresh start is jeopardized when a local woman, with a startling likeness to Leah, is attacked. Then Emmy vanishes, and Leah really starts to worry. Leah works with the local police, but quickly fears she may be under suspicion as well, as it rapidly becomes clear that Leah didn't know Emmy well at all. In fact, Leah is starting to wonder: did Emmy even exist?

This is Miranda's follow-on to All the Missing Girls, and I actually found myself liking THE PERFECT STRANGER even more. While GIRLS hooked you with its backward narrative shtick, STRANGER pulls you immediately with the strength of its story, and it never lets go. Everything in the novel is complicated and interrelated, it seems, and you're constantly digesting details and facts and trying to put these intricately interwoven pieces together, just as Leah is. Because she has a past as a reporter, she's great at digging through facts, but you also can't trust her as a narrator, and it puts you--the reader--in quite a bind. What is true? Who is real? It was a frustrating (in a good way) dilemma, and I loved it.

The novel gets progressively creepier as it unfolds: to the point that I found myself checking the curtains when I was up late at night (frantically reading the book, of course!). I kept wondering what on earth was going on and how everything could possibly fit together. At one point, there was a great plot twist that I totally didn't see coming. I love when that happens! The book kept me puzzling right up until the end. It's really quite spellbinding.

It reminded me a bit of a Mary Kubica novel; you really do start to doubt if Emmy exists. As mentioned, Leah is a very unreliable narrator in many ways. She brings her reporter instincts to this small town (despite trying to escape that part of her past), and it's truly fascinating watching her try to unravel the story. Her searches become really exciting, even if you don't completely trust her or know if you can believe her.

Everything ties together really well. The only downside for me was that the ending was a bit anticlimactic, but the "aha" moments when everything fits together are amazing. It's a really intricate and well-plotted novel. I stayed up late to finish it because I could not go to bed without knowing what had happened. I was more excited about finishing this book than Duke's defeat in the NCAA tournament - that should say a lot. :)

Overall, a very exciting and interesting (and often spooky!) thriller. Definitely recommend.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 04/11/2017.

You can read my review of Megan Miranda's ALL THE MISSING GIRLS here.
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For every time that I've been foolish when I wish that I'd been wise.

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Nicolette Farrell left her hometown of Cooley Ridge ten years ago and, if she'd had her way, she wouldn't have looked back since. But Nic's brother Daniel and her father still remain in Cooley Ridge. When Nic gets a call from her brother that her father's memory is truly failing and they need to sell the family house for his care, she knows she must come back and help deal with things. But coming back also means facing the memories of her feisty best friend, Corinne, who vanished right before Nicolette left. Nic's dad has been mentioning seeing "that girl." Is he talking about Corinne, or is that just his confused memory talking? What really happened to her? Meanwhile, once Nic is back, another girl goes missing: Annaleise Carter, who lives behind Nic's family's house. Suddenly, Nic finds herself in the middle of a police investigation, one that involves herself, Daniel, her father, and her old high school boyfriend, Tyler, who was also dating Annaleise when she disappeared.

The "shtick" with All the Missing Girls is that, with the exception of a little intro, it's told backwards, counting from Day 15 to Day 1, as Nic tries to figure out not only what happened to Annaleise, but also to Corinne so long ago. At first, the mechanism took a little getting used to, as it's a little confusing keeping track of time and what is happening. However, as the novel continues, it really hooks you, and at one point, I got chills as some of the key details were revealed.

Overall, I enjoyed this one -- it's definitely exciting and a quick read. My issues were that I guessed some of the plot, which took some of the excitement away for me, and that it reminded me almost too much of a book it's being compared to (Luckiest Girl Alive). Both this one and "Luckiest" have main characters who are hard to love and relate to, which made it difficult for me to really get into this one, at least as much as so many other readers. Still, don't get me wrong, this is a fascinating book, and I would still recommend it, especially if you like twisty thrillers that mess with your head. It's an intriguing read that stuck with me; I found myself dreaming about the characters after finishing it, which never happens to me! 3.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley (thank you!); it is available everywhere on 6/28/2016.



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