3.5 rounded up.

I liked the mystery and setting a lot, that’s what kept me hanging on. The writing style and inner monologues got in the way.

Energy: Menacing. Undecided. Disapproving.
Scene: 🇺🇸 Fictional Oxford University in Ohio.
Perspective: We follow our main character in present day returning to the house where most of their roommates were murdered Yr 4 Uni, along with flashbacks to her time in the house before the massacre.

🐺 Growls: Unfun dumb MC (and inconsistent). Flowery writing style that interrupting itself with over-the-top simile.
🐕 Howls: Repetitive explanation of minor things. Repetitive withholding of major things.
🐩 Tail Wags: The setting, especially Midnight House. The slowly evolving eeriness. Action scenes.

🤔 Random Thoughts:
Too explainy. We get the rationale for our MC writing/interviewing/visiting someone so many ways and all say the same thing. Then withholding about the mass murder we already know happened, but no details, but the writing acts like we don’t know there was a mass murder for way too long in the book. Either take it out of the synopsis or move the story along if you plan on using withholding as a suspense device.

Lazy cliffhangers. We get a clue to ‘see’ a pic, then a statement on how they didn’t know it was the last time they’d be seen together. Cut to commercial? There’s a reason we all pay for streaming over cable…it’s a book, it’s so unnecessary to be that dramatic and it makes me not want to read the next chapter if it’s always a fake-out.

The writing style is too simplistic and flat. Cuticles and coltish legs everywhere 😅

Too interruptive and clunky of a writing style. The character dialogue starts, is interrupted by inner monologue, background, memories etc, then suddenly a quoted answer and I forget the original context and it loses momentum/realism/flow.

The inner monologue was also annoying. Our main character is terrified, hiding in a room…then happily walks out to the FRONT porch where everyone can see her and interact and there’s not rationale or transition to why she’s no longer afraid or hiding?

Thankfully the action scenes worked. Not filled with endless villain monologue or escape-trap loops. Some of it I didn’t predict and even when I did it was interesting to watch.

🤓 Reader Role: Overhearing on the periphery. Lots of being left out of the loop. The MC talks to us then drifts off and starts talking to herself and we’re just standing around waiting for her reaction or for her to answer someone’s question.
🗺️ World-Building: Built a foundation for imagining, but later on had highly detailed layout in mind that could somewhat shatter your imaginings. Prime candidate for having a layout/floorplan at the beginning of the book.
🔥 Fuel: What happened in the Midnight House? Who survived and who didn’t? Who was responsible? Are they save living there now?
📖 Cred: Plausible-ish

Mood Reading Match-Up:
October chill. Senescing leaves. Carved pumpkins. Ballet shoes. Classical music. Footsteps overhead. Boozy cocktails. Rain on umbrella.
-New adult murdered roommates mystery
-Romantic suspense with sprinkling of forbidden romance and enemies to lovers

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Content Heads-Up: Murder. Stalking/peeping. Sexual harassment (unwelcome advances, power dynamics, groping/grabbing). Vomit. Alcohol. Overdose. Potental false accusation. Blood. Gore. Loss of sibling/adult child. Loss of friend. Home invasion.

Rep: White Americans. Cisgender. Heterosexual.

📚 Format: Advance Reader’s Copy from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley

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