I wavered between a 3-3.5 ⭐️ for this book and I’ll explain why.
Was this a good story that had twists and turns? Yes. Was the story somewhat predictable yet the twist & turns make you scratch your head that maybe you have it all wrong who you think committed the heinous crimes?Yes. Was the story fast paced and interesting? Also Yes. Here is the plot and issue that I personally had with the book: it begins with the FMC Brooke who is a young single mother to a 10 year old boy. She is a nurse practitioner who moves back to her hometown in her childhood home after her parents pass away due for a fresh start, mainly for her son as he’s being bullied at his school bc he doesn’t have a father (*this was the first strike for me bc this day and age it’s extremely common for single parents raising their kids in this day age. Didn’t make sense). She can’t find a job anywhere she applied save for the prison that happens to hold her ex boyfriend from high school - Shane- who tried to murder her when they were dating in HS and she was the one to put him there. Extremely Sus. Next we have Tim who was the boy next door that was always in love with her growing up and warned her about Shane before the crimes. As a teen Brooke grew up in a strict household. There is a murder of a teen girl that happened recently and her parents tightened the reigns even more. Her parents never approved of Shane Nelson so she could never tell them he was her boyfriend. It was unclear why they didn’t like him. In the story she mentions more than once that Shane was wild in junior high, he doesn’t know his own father and lives in an old run down farm house with his mom. They struggle to make ends meet. But Brooke is not pretentious and likes him for who he is and how he treats her. Granted, they are only 17, he’s the Star quarterback, she’s the cheerleader - typical HS trope. Shane’s mom is going out of town which gives the teens the perfect opportunity to have some friends over and spend the night together for the first time. Shane does tell her that it could be just the two of them instead of having their best friends over but Brooke is still innocent & wants her bff there too. Shane obliges, reminds her to be at his place by 7:30 and she exits his 3rd hand vehicle (that he rebuilt himself bc he can’t afford to buy a used car. I can see the appeal that Brooke sees in him). Tim just so happens to hear the tail end of their conversation as Shane drives off and asks Brooke what is going on at 7:30 with the dangerous Shane Nelson. Brooke cares about Tim bc they grew up close so she invites him to go with her and her friends to Shane’s for the big sleepover/small get together in hopes Tim can get to know the Shane she knows and everything will be kosher between them all. She even arranges for her bff to find another girl to come who hopefully will hit it off with Tim. At Shane’s thar evening the teens play NEVER HAVE I EVER as a drinking game. Tim tries to expose/humiliate Shane for putting a boy in the hospital for no reason. Brooke is shocked and upset Shane and his football buddy did this to a skinny nerdy kid at school. Shane explains what happened and why, seems remorseful. Then Shane strikes back by exposing Tim dated the girl who was recently murdered. Brooke and everyone there is shocked. Tim never spoke to the police that he dated the girl supposedly only two times, the last time was also the same night the girl was murdered. So suspicions are now elevated. But Brooke tell’s herself how she’s known Tim her entire life, there is no way he’d harm anyone. The night progresses, everyone goes to their respective rooms with their significant others. Brooke and Shane are asleep when she is awoken to hearing her name being screamed by her bff only to find that the girl’s boyfriend has been stabbed to death. The wifi doesn’t work at the house, the storm is raging, the power has gone out, the knives are missing in the kitchen……Shane and Tim are adamant everyone should stay until the storm passes and since the killer is someone outside…….or is it?? So what I didn’t like about this story was that Brooke doubted herself after 11 years of the events that happened. She didn’t believe the facts in front of her, she didn’t bother to question anything enough or listen to ppl she’s known her whole life and then the very ending was like COME ON!!!! There would’ve been evidence of what happened in the woods (the epilogue) without giving anything else away, you just have to read it to see what I mean. It’s definitely a worthy read. It’s just too far fetched even for fiction.
Donna Canady 
GGmom