Gemma

by Lauren A. Forry

For readers of Megan Miranda, Megan Abbot, Taylor Adams, and Catriona Ward, a twisty psychological thriller about sisters, family, and the friend we would do anything for
 
Sometime between the late night and early morning hours, in a dank, uncomfortable interrogation room, sits a young woman with a chilling story. Her pregnant sister, Sarah, is missing. Her cousin Jeremy is in an adjoining room. She is cold, terrified, and confused about what happened earlier last night. But the police, instead of trying to help her get her sister back, keep asking about her ex-flatmate, Gemma. Gemma, who came into their lives offering a six-month cash deposit up front, disrupted their routines with her manipulative behavior, her secrets, and her bizarre habits—like salt sprinkled outside her door, the chanting and whispering coming from her room at night, the candles, her irregualr comings and going as if in search of someone—only to disappear quietly several months ago, leaving them to deal with the fallout. Did something sinister happen to Gemma? What does it have to do with Sarah’s disappearance? Are they part of some trickster’s elaborate game, or is something else going on? And what really happened by the river last night?
 
From the author of They Did Bad Things , Gemma is a devious new mystery and slowly escalating psychological thriller with a touch of horror.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 2024

About the author

Lauren A. Forry was brought up in the woods of Bucks County, Pennsylvania where her FBI agent father and book-loving mother raised her on a diet of The X-Files and RL Stine. After earning her BA in Cinema Studies from New York University, she spent some time in film production before moving to London where she earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Kingston University. There she was awarded the Faber and Faber Creative Writing MA Prize for her first horror novel, The Compulsion. Her short stories have since been published by Brick Moon Fiction, Lamplight Magazine, and in multiple sci-fi and horror anthologies. She currently resides in the woods but can, on occasion, be found in the quieter parts of London.

Reviews

[STEPH · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went in blind with this one—had no idea what the premise was or how the story would play out.

It was a bit confusing, honestly. The format felt like diary entries, with the main character narrating events and emotions in a pretty conversational tone. I would’ve preferred to hear the perspectives of the other characters rather than just one POV.

There was a lot going on. The story was told in bits and pieces—sometimes repetitive and boring—but I pushed through because I wanted to see what would happen next. The narrator felt a bit unreliable, and with all the foreshadowing, the creepy roommate vibes, and Sarah’s secretive nature, I was sure the big reveal would shock me.

Well… I can’t say I was blown away by it. It was missing something—more spice, maybe? More bite? Or maybe just cleaner execution?

Overall, it was okay.

[Madelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5. so maybe I am this book's biggest fan on Goodreads.

as some other reviews say, this book is in the format of a protagonist responding to a police interview after her sister's disappearance. I thought this was a unique format and I didn't have an issue following along. what very few of these reviews mention is how absolutely harrowing and claustrophobic this book feels. like something is obviously extremely wrong, but you're not sure what, and you're not sure if it's all in the protagonist's head or there's some seriously fucked-up shit happening, or maybe both. there are some scenes that aren't even scary on the surface, like the scene where Gemma, the protag, and the protag's best friend go out to brunch, but were written in a way that made me feel like I was on the verge of a panic attack. this book is one of those books that just feels wrong, and I mean that as a compliment.

the ending is probably more ambiguous and ... flat? than I was expecting, but in a way it works. like this was never a book that was going to give you all the answers. there's still a lot to think about.

ngl the fact that this book was at only 3 stars on here when I was reviewing it, an incredibly low score for GR, was shocking to me. I thought Gemma was pretty incredible for what it was going for.

[Cats W. Bats, Esq. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

what a trippy mindfuck of a book! is the narrator making it all up? is she suffering a psychotic break? is gemma some sort of supernatural entity who targets troubled families? who knows! not me!

[Eydie sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book, although I found it confusing. The entire book is the main character being interrogated about a missing roommate. The book is divided into five different versions of the story she tells police. It's well written, but as I said, confusing.

[Alicia Kirkman · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. I was all ready to give this book 3 stars because, while it wasn’t a great book by any means, it kept me entertained and I wasn’t bored. Then an abrupt ending that didn’t really completely close out the story changed that for me.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, and have never read anything quite like it before. As other reviews have mentioned, it was written entirely in the format of someone giving a statement to the police after their sister goes missing, which I thought was really unique and creative.

The story downright scared me, especially the second section, which had me walking around my house for an entire night, constantly looking over my shoulder. The narrator was beyond unreliable, and the storyline changed frequently, bouncing between themes of true crime, psychotic episodes, and the paranormal, to the point where on several occasions I really wasn't sure which direction the story was headed, but was terrified nonetheless.

I had a good deal of questions at the end of the book, and walked away wishing more had been explained. I honestly felt the ending was almost anticlimactic compared to the chaotic nature of the rest of the story, but keeping in mind this was a one-sided account of events, and we were receiving information at the same time as the narrator, I do understand why it ended the way it did.
Overall, I really liked this book and would read more from this author.

[Abbie Gann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
The format and writing style of this book is interesting it’s told as if you’re listening to the interview of the main character as she tells you what happened to her missing sister and their mysterious old roommate Gemma.

Without getting into spoilers if you love an unreliable narrator and plot that shifts and you keep changing what you think happens. You may enjoy this read!

A few things left me wondering and wanting more clarity but overall it was a fun read!

[Bridgett Syzdek · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t waste a second of your life reading this book. What a stupid story. It focuses on one girl the entire book telling 5 versions of her story of a missing roommate and sister to the cops. It’s confusing, has zero character development and has the most predictable ridiculous ending ever. I’m actually irate I read this in its entirety. She killed her sister.. the end. U saw it coming from first two pages.

[Elizabeth Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

A woman in a police interrogation room tells multiple variants of her story. I thought it an ambitious attempt by the author that didn't quite work.

[HALEY · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the craziest books I think I’ve ever read!