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Haven Cliff #2
The Lost Summer: A Novel
A girl’s vanishing draws a detective into the crimes and mysteries of her own past in a shocking novel of psychological suspense by the New York Times bestselling author of The Fourth Girl.
Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy and her lifelong pals Talia and Kelly have reunited on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the disappearance of their friend Caroline, hoping to put that summer of loss behind them. But as the season draws to a close in Mulberry Bay, Midge is plunged into a missing person case with unsettling ties to the past.
Ordinarily, she wouldn’t suspect foul play when a sixteen-year-old girl is just a few hours late getting home on a beautiful summer afternoon. But her investigation yields a shocking glimpse of a familiar face, and mounting coincidences link Sarah Greene’s vanishing to Caroline’s.
The clues lead to Haven Cliff, an abandoned Gilded Age estate that’s been the stuff of cursed legend for generations. It’s also Kelly’s new home, restored after decades of ruin. Midge suspects that the wooded grounds hold the key to Sarah’s fate and Caroline’s. But will Haven Cliff—and Midge herself—give up long-buried secrets?
Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy and her lifelong pals Talia and Kelly have reunited on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the disappearance of their friend Caroline, hoping to put that summer of loss behind them. But as the season draws to a close in Mulberry Bay, Midge is plunged into a missing person case with unsettling ties to the past.
Ordinarily, she wouldn’t suspect foul play when a sixteen-year-old girl is just a few hours late getting home on a beautiful summer afternoon. But her investigation yields a shocking glimpse of a familiar face, and mounting coincidences link Sarah Greene’s vanishing to Caroline’s.
The clues lead to Haven Cliff, an abandoned Gilded Age estate that’s been the stuff of cursed legend for generations. It’s also Kelly’s new home, restored after decades of ruin. Midge suspects that the wooded grounds hold the key to Sarah’s fate and Caroline’s. But will Haven Cliff—and Midge herself—give up long-buried secrets?
- GenresMystery
357 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 14, 2026
358 people are currently reading
3509 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Corsi Staub
82 books1,929 followersNew York Times bestseller Wendy Corsi Staub is the award-winning author of more than ninety novels, best known for the single title psychological suspense novels she writes under her own name. Those books and the women’s fiction written under the pseudonym Wendy Markham have also appeared on the USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookscan bestseller lists.
Her current standalone suspense novel, THE OTHER FAMILY, is about a picture-perfect family that that moves into a picture-perfect house. But not everything is as it seems, and the page-turner concludes “with a wallop of a twist,” according to #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben.
Her critically acclaimed Lily Dale traditional mystery series centers around a widowed single mom—and skeptic—who moves to a town populated by spiritualists who talk to the dead. Titles include NINE LIVES; SOMETHING BURIED, SOMETHING BLUE; DEAD OF WINTER; and PROSE AND CONS, with a fifth book under contract.
Wendy has written five suspense trilogies for HarperCollins/William Morrow. The most recent, The Foundlings (LITTLE GIRL LOST, DEAD SILENCE, and THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER), spans fifty years in the life of a woman left as a newborn in a Harlem church, now an investigative genealogist helping others uncover their biological roots while still searching for her own.
Written as Wendy Markham, Wendy’s novel HELLO, IT’S ME was a recent Hallmark television movie starring Kellie Martin. Her short story “Cat Got Your Tongue” appeared in R.L. Stine’s MWA middle grade anthology SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN and her short story “The Elephant in the Room” is included in the Anthony Award-nominated inaugural anthology SHATTERING GLASS.
A three-time finalist for the Simon and Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award, she’s won an RWA Rita Award, an RT Award for Career Achievement in Suspense, the 2007 RWA-NYC Golden Apple Award for Lifetime Achievement, and five WLA Washington Irving Prizes for Fiction.
She previously published a dozen adult suspense novels with Kensington Books and the critically-acclaimed young adult paranormal series “Lily Dale” (Walker/Bloomsbury). Earlier in her career, she published a broad range of genres under her own name and pseudonyms, and was a co-author/ghostwriter for several celebrities.
Raised in Dunkirk, NY, Wendy graduated from SUNY Fredonia and launched a publishing career in New York City. She was Associate Editor at Silhouette Books before selling her first novel in 1992. Married with two sons, she lives in the NYC suburbs. An active supporter of the American Cancer Society, she was a featured speaker at Northern Westchester’s 2015 Relay for Life and 2012 National Spokesperson for the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. She has fostered for various animal rescue organizations.
Her current standalone suspense novel, THE OTHER FAMILY, is about a picture-perfect family that that moves into a picture-perfect house. But not everything is as it seems, and the page-turner concludes “with a wallop of a twist,” according to #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben.
Her critically acclaimed Lily Dale traditional mystery series centers around a widowed single mom—and skeptic—who moves to a town populated by spiritualists who talk to the dead. Titles include NINE LIVES; SOMETHING BURIED, SOMETHING BLUE; DEAD OF WINTER; and PROSE AND CONS, with a fifth book under contract.
Wendy has written five suspense trilogies for HarperCollins/William Morrow. The most recent, The Foundlings (LITTLE GIRL LOST, DEAD SILENCE, and THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER), spans fifty years in the life of a woman left as a newborn in a Harlem church, now an investigative genealogist helping others uncover their biological roots while still searching for her own.
Written as Wendy Markham, Wendy’s novel HELLO, IT’S ME was a recent Hallmark television movie starring Kellie Martin. Her short story “Cat Got Your Tongue” appeared in R.L. Stine’s MWA middle grade anthology SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN and her short story “The Elephant in the Room” is included in the Anthony Award-nominated inaugural anthology SHATTERING GLASS.
A three-time finalist for the Simon and Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award, she’s won an RWA Rita Award, an RT Award for Career Achievement in Suspense, the 2007 RWA-NYC Golden Apple Award for Lifetime Achievement, and five WLA Washington Irving Prizes for Fiction.
She previously published a dozen adult suspense novels with Kensington Books and the critically-acclaimed young adult paranormal series “Lily Dale” (Walker/Bloomsbury). Earlier in her career, she published a broad range of genres under her own name and pseudonyms, and was a co-author/ghostwriter for several celebrities.
Raised in Dunkirk, NY, Wendy graduated from SUNY Fredonia and launched a publishing career in New York City. She was Associate Editor at Silhouette Books before selling her first novel in 1992. Married with two sons, she lives in the NYC suburbs. An active supporter of the American Cancer Society, she was a featured speaker at Northern Westchester’s 2015 Relay for Life and 2012 National Spokesperson for the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. She has fostered for various animal rescue organizations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
April 14, 2026
A slow build with a strong payoff - and a cast worth returning to.
3.5 stars rounded up.
In The Lost Summer, the second book in the Haven Cliff series after The Fourth Girl , Wendy Corsi Staub returns to Mulberry Bay, where old secrets refuse to stay buried and the past continues to cast a long shadow.
Detective Sergeant Imogen "Midge" Kennedy reunites with her lifelong friends Talia and Kelly on the twenty-fifth anniversary of their friend Caroline's disappearance, hoping for some sense of closure. But when a teenage girl goes missing under unsettlingly familiar circumstances, Midge finds herself pulled into a case that echoes far too closely to the past. As connections begin to surface, the investigation leads to Haven Cliff - an abandoned estate steeped in local legend and newly restored by Kelly - where it seems the truth may have been waiting all along.
Though this is the second book in the series, it works well as a standalone. You'll get enough background to follow the story without feeling lost, and the characters are fleshed out in a way that makes it easy to invest in them even without prior knowledge. That said, there are clear references - and spoilers - for the first installment, so it's worth keeping that in mind if you plan to go back.
One of the novel's biggest strengths is its central trio. Midge, Kelly, and Talia are all strong, capable women with a long and deeply rooted friendship that isn't without its problems, and it's genuinely refreshing to spend time with them. Their dynamic adds an emotional layer that grounds the mystery and makes the stakes feel more personal.
That said, not all elements work equally well. Talia's story is often more distracting than engaging, and her children, in particular, take up a significant amount of space in the narrative. Some of those threads feel less essential to the core story - Hayley's subplot in particular, while clearly intended to build tension, is fairly predictable and doesn’t add much in the way of surprise.
While the sense of unease is strong right off the bat - with multiple points of view and threads being introduced, including a particularly sinister one - it's still a rather slow burn at first. The second half, however, picks up considerably as those threads begin to converge. Once the momentum builds, the story becomes gripping.
Overall, The Lost Summer is a layered, character-driven mystery that rewards patience. While not without its slower moments and more predictable turns, it ultimately delivers a compelling story anchored by strong female relationships and lingering tension. With the possibility of another installment on the horizon, it's a series I'd be happy to return to.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
"The Lost Summer" is slated to be released on April 14, 2026.
3.5 stars rounded up.
In The Lost Summer, the second book in the Haven Cliff series after The Fourth Girl , Wendy Corsi Staub returns to Mulberry Bay, where old secrets refuse to stay buried and the past continues to cast a long shadow.
Detective Sergeant Imogen "Midge" Kennedy reunites with her lifelong friends Talia and Kelly on the twenty-fifth anniversary of their friend Caroline's disappearance, hoping for some sense of closure. But when a teenage girl goes missing under unsettlingly familiar circumstances, Midge finds herself pulled into a case that echoes far too closely to the past. As connections begin to surface, the investigation leads to Haven Cliff - an abandoned estate steeped in local legend and newly restored by Kelly - where it seems the truth may have been waiting all along.
Though this is the second book in the series, it works well as a standalone. You'll get enough background to follow the story without feeling lost, and the characters are fleshed out in a way that makes it easy to invest in them even without prior knowledge. That said, there are clear references - and spoilers - for the first installment, so it's worth keeping that in mind if you plan to go back.
One of the novel's biggest strengths is its central trio. Midge, Kelly, and Talia are all strong, capable women with a long and deeply rooted friendship that isn't without its problems, and it's genuinely refreshing to spend time with them. Their dynamic adds an emotional layer that grounds the mystery and makes the stakes feel more personal.
That said, not all elements work equally well. Talia's story is often more distracting than engaging, and her children, in particular, take up a significant amount of space in the narrative. Some of those threads feel less essential to the core story - Hayley's subplot in particular, while clearly intended to build tension, is fairly predictable and doesn’t add much in the way of surprise.
While the sense of unease is strong right off the bat - with multiple points of view and threads being introduced, including a particularly sinister one - it's still a rather slow burn at first. The second half, however, picks up considerably as those threads begin to converge. Once the momentum builds, the story becomes gripping.
Overall, The Lost Summer is a layered, character-driven mystery that rewards patience. While not without its slower moments and more predictable turns, it ultimately delivers a compelling story anchored by strong female relationships and lingering tension. With the possibility of another installment on the horizon, it's a series I'd be happy to return to.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
"The Lost Summer" is slated to be released on April 14, 2026.
March 30, 2026
Did I realize this was part of a series when I started it? Nope.
Did I realize when I finished it? Still no… 😂
And somehow, I still fully enjoyed the ride.
It wasn’t until I sat down to write this review that I discovered not only is it part of a series—but I had actually already read book one. Honestly, that tracks. I read a lot, and sometimes stories start to blur together. A few moments did feel familiar, but I chalked it up to similar thrillers I’ve read recently.
The good news? This works perfectly well as a standalone. I never felt lost, and I was able to follow all the twists and turns without issue. That said, once I connected it back to book one, it did fill in a few gaps and added some extra depth. So while it’s not required reading, it definitely enhances the experience.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Alex Picard, who absolutely nailed it. The range she brought to the different characters was impressive, and her pacing was spot-on at 1x while still holding up beautifully when sped up. Her tone stayed consistent throughout, which made it an easy and immersive listen.
This is one of those books that kept me fully engaged in one sitting—which is always a win. There’s enough going on that your brain has to stay active, juggling multiple characters and timelines without ever feeling overwhelmed.
I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from this author. This hit that sweet spot of a fun, layered psychological thriller that keeps you guessing and wanting just a little bit more.
I am thankful to have received a complimentary ALC from Brilliance Audio as well as an eARC via NetGalley, which gave me the opportunity to share my voluntary thoughts.
Did I realize when I finished it? Still no… 😂
And somehow, I still fully enjoyed the ride.
It wasn’t until I sat down to write this review that I discovered not only is it part of a series—but I had actually already read book one. Honestly, that tracks. I read a lot, and sometimes stories start to blur together. A few moments did feel familiar, but I chalked it up to similar thrillers I’ve read recently.
The good news? This works perfectly well as a standalone. I never felt lost, and I was able to follow all the twists and turns without issue. That said, once I connected it back to book one, it did fill in a few gaps and added some extra depth. So while it’s not required reading, it definitely enhances the experience.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Alex Picard, who absolutely nailed it. The range she brought to the different characters was impressive, and her pacing was spot-on at 1x while still holding up beautifully when sped up. Her tone stayed consistent throughout, which made it an easy and immersive listen.
This is one of those books that kept me fully engaged in one sitting—which is always a win. There’s enough going on that your brain has to stay active, juggling multiple characters and timelines without ever feeling overwhelmed.
I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from this author. This hit that sweet spot of a fun, layered psychological thriller that keeps you guessing and wanting just a little bit more.
I am thankful to have received a complimentary ALC from Brilliance Audio as well as an eARC via NetGalley, which gave me the opportunity to share my voluntary thoughts.
April 24, 2026
6/10: 3⭐️’s
I read 2 reviews before starting this one. (Neither are friends of mine on GR (meaning I am not familiar with their reading taste and such…didn’t mean anything bad by this.) none of my friends had read it yet at the time I started it.) One said they couldn’t tell it was part of a series, the other said they could tell, but it didn’t give them any confusion. So I went ahead and started it. Well……I beg to differ I guess.
This was definitely a continuation of the first book. I admit to being more easily confused than probably a lot of others. A lot of things from book one are brought up in book two. Some series you can jump into it in the middle and it’s not such a big deal. Some character storylines might make more sense if you had read the previous book(s) but otherwise it’s nbd (first time I have used that acronym! Go me acting like I am with it!). For me, this isn’t one of those. I paused at maybe 30% in and decided to request the first book from the library. Then got impatient and decided to keep going a few days later.
What I am trying to say, in an annoyingly long and rambling way, is that I would have most likely enjoyed this quite a bit more had I read book 1 first. That is definitely my fault and not the authors. So please keep that in mind. And yay for those of you who didn’t need book 1 to enjoy this one a lot!
Midge, Talia, and Kelly, friends since childhood, meet at Kelly’s (possibly cursed) estate in honor of the anniversary of their friend Caroline’s disappearance 25 years ago. It just so happens that another young girl has gone missing in the area.
I loved the relationship between these 3 friends.
I so wish I had read book 1 first. Things would have flowed so much better for me. Still a little frustrated that I didn’t have more patience to wait for book one and then continue on with book 2. It probably would have been a 3.5 if I had done that. So again, completely my fault for the confusion I had. So I am not sure how fair my rating really is? A few things did kind of bother me, but again, would it have bothered me less had I read book 1? I don’t know. Make sure to read other reviews please!!!!!
Clearly, I personally recommend reading the books in order for this series. Others say it doesn’t much matter. So….up to the individual I guess🤷♀️. If there is a book 3, I am definitely interested in it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. It is out now.
Rating and review posted: 4/24/26
I read 2 reviews before starting this one. (Neither are friends of mine on GR (meaning I am not familiar with their reading taste and such…didn’t mean anything bad by this.) none of my friends had read it yet at the time I started it.) One said they couldn’t tell it was part of a series, the other said they could tell, but it didn’t give them any confusion. So I went ahead and started it. Well……I beg to differ I guess.
This was definitely a continuation of the first book. I admit to being more easily confused than probably a lot of others. A lot of things from book one are brought up in book two. Some series you can jump into it in the middle and it’s not such a big deal. Some character storylines might make more sense if you had read the previous book(s) but otherwise it’s nbd (first time I have used that acronym! Go me acting like I am with it!). For me, this isn’t one of those. I paused at maybe 30% in and decided to request the first book from the library. Then got impatient and decided to keep going a few days later.
What I am trying to say, in an annoyingly long and rambling way, is that I would have most likely enjoyed this quite a bit more had I read book 1 first. That is definitely my fault and not the authors. So please keep that in mind. And yay for those of you who didn’t need book 1 to enjoy this one a lot!
Midge, Talia, and Kelly, friends since childhood, meet at Kelly’s (possibly cursed) estate in honor of the anniversary of their friend Caroline’s disappearance 25 years ago. It just so happens that another young girl has gone missing in the area.
I loved the relationship between these 3 friends.
I so wish I had read book 1 first. Things would have flowed so much better for me. Still a little frustrated that I didn’t have more patience to wait for book one and then continue on with book 2. It probably would have been a 3.5 if I had done that. So again, completely my fault for the confusion I had. So I am not sure how fair my rating really is? A few things did kind of bother me, but again, would it have bothered me less had I read book 1? I don’t know. Make sure to read other reviews please!!!!!
Clearly, I personally recommend reading the books in order for this series. Others say it doesn’t much matter. So….up to the individual I guess🤷♀️. If there is a book 3, I am definitely interested in it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. It is out now.
Rating and review posted: 4/24/26
January 13, 2026
This was a great follow up to first Haven Cliff book! I loved the continuation of the story. The characters were relatable and the story was suspenseful. No jaw dropping twists but it kept me interested and anxious to fit all the pieces together.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for this advanced read!
Thank you so much to NetGalley for this advanced read!
April 28, 2026
This slow burn mystery returns to Haven Cliff and Mulberry Bay, where secrets still simmer and a steady sense of unease lingers beneath the surface. The atmosphere is thick with tension, creating an ever present feeling that something is about to unravel.
Told across past and present timelines, the story leans heavily into its character driven core, following three strong, relatable women bound by a friendship that is as deep as it is complicated and shaped as much by loyalty as by shared trauma.
On audio, Alex Picard delivers a standout performance, seamlessly navigating shifting perspectives and giving each character a distinct, compelling voice while adding meaningful emotional depth. It’s an elevated listening experience.
While this can be read as a standalone thanks to the well integrated backstory, I’d say the series is best enjoyed in order to fully appreciate the character development and layered history.
3.5 stars rounded to 4 for Goodreads
Told across past and present timelines, the story leans heavily into its character driven core, following three strong, relatable women bound by a friendship that is as deep as it is complicated and shaped as much by loyalty as by shared trauma.
On audio, Alex Picard delivers a standout performance, seamlessly navigating shifting perspectives and giving each character a distinct, compelling voice while adding meaningful emotional depth. It’s an elevated listening experience.
While this can be read as a standalone thanks to the well integrated backstory, I’d say the series is best enjoyed in order to fully appreciate the character development and layered history.
3.5 stars rounded to 4 for Goodreads
April 16, 2026
I received approval to read this book via NetGalley. It is the second installment in the Haven Cliff series. The pacing felt a bit slow for my taste, and I found some sections to be dragging. However, it is still an enjoyable read, filled with secrets and twists. The narrative intertwines both past and present timelines, centering around a 25-year-old case involving the disappearance of a teenage girl.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!
I read The Fourth Girl last year so when I saw this second book in the series, I knew I had to read it. This picks up roughly two months after the previous book ends,
Friends Midge and Kelly live in their hometown of Mulberry Bay where 25 years ago their friend Caroline went missing. Talia is returning to spend Labor Day weekend with her friends and show her husband and children where she grew up.
Talia's daughter is your typical 12 going on 20 preteen. But she has a secret she's keeping from her parents.
Midge is called out to investigate a 16 year old girl who hasn't come home from Bible study.
A girl from a nearby town has also gone missing recently.
Kelly is restoring the Winterfield estate which was the ancestral home of their friend Caroline.
One thing ties all these things and people together and as the story unfolds, the mystery deepens and you're compelled to keep reading.
I knew I would love this book like I did the first one and I tried to drag the story out and enjoy it instead of knocking it out in a couple days. We get to know the characters better in this book and get a little more personality from them. It's so nice to read a book about childhood friendships lasting into adulthood and all the roadblocks they had throughout their early adulthood.
All the characters have their own quirks and personalities that make them feel real. The mystery in this story is so realistic and makes you think about how this could happen in the real world. I had feelings about who the 'bad guy's was throughout the story and was pretty close on my theory.
As someone who has read a ton of thrillers, this was a fun and enjoyable read. I look forward to continuing the series, but for me the plot twists aren't mind blowing or surprising. When I wasn't reading, I was itching to get back to reading and that's a great feeling to have when reading a book.
I read The Fourth Girl last year so when I saw this second book in the series, I knew I had to read it. This picks up roughly two months after the previous book ends,
Friends Midge and Kelly live in their hometown of Mulberry Bay where 25 years ago their friend Caroline went missing. Talia is returning to spend Labor Day weekend with her friends and show her husband and children where she grew up.
Talia's daughter is your typical 12 going on 20 preteen. But she has a secret she's keeping from her parents.
Midge is called out to investigate a 16 year old girl who hasn't come home from Bible study.
A girl from a nearby town has also gone missing recently.
Kelly is restoring the Winterfield estate which was the ancestral home of their friend Caroline.
One thing ties all these things and people together and as the story unfolds, the mystery deepens and you're compelled to keep reading.
I knew I would love this book like I did the first one and I tried to drag the story out and enjoy it instead of knocking it out in a couple days. We get to know the characters better in this book and get a little more personality from them. It's so nice to read a book about childhood friendships lasting into adulthood and all the roadblocks they had throughout their early adulthood.
All the characters have their own quirks and personalities that make them feel real. The mystery in this story is so realistic and makes you think about how this could happen in the real world. I had feelings about who the 'bad guy's was throughout the story and was pretty close on my theory.
As someone who has read a ton of thrillers, this was a fun and enjoyable read. I look forward to continuing the series, but for me the plot twists aren't mind blowing or surprising. When I wasn't reading, I was itching to get back to reading and that's a great feeling to have when reading a book.
April 14, 2026
There is something deeply chaotic about jumping into book two of a mystery series without reading book one, and yet here I was, living my truth, rawdogging The Lost Summer like I had all the context in the world. Did I read The Fourth Girl? Absolutely not. Did that stop me? Also absolutely not. And honestly… I mostly survived. But if you actually want the full emotional payoff, maybe don’t be me, read the first book.
So we’re in Mulberry Bay, where Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy and her childhood besties are still emotionally tethered to the disappearance of their friend Caroline twenty-five years ago. Which, first of all, that is not a friendship, that is a lifelong trauma bond with a group chat. They reunite, vibes are tense, nostalgia is doing a little too much, and then boom, another teenage girl goes missing. Because apparently this town said, “What if we processed grief… but make it generational?”
The setup? Delicious. Truly. A missing girl in the present that eerily mirrors a missing girl from the past, plus a cursed, crumbling estate called Haven Cliff that has “absolutely haunted” written all over it. You could not design a more perfect spooky Pinterest board if you tried. I was ready to spiral. I was seated. I had snacks.
And for a while, it works. The atmosphere is moody, the dual timelines are doing their little dance, and the connections between Sarah Greene’s disappearance and Caroline’s case start weaving together in a way that feels genuinely creepy and compelling. There’s this sense that the past is not just unresolved, it’s actively side-eyeing the present and waiting to ruin everyone’s weekend.
But then… the predictability crept in. Quietly at first. Then louder. Then it sat down next to me and started whispering plot points before the book could get there. And I hate that for me, because the bones of this story are so good. But a lot of the twists felt less like “OH MY GOD” and more like “yeah, that tracks.”
Now let’s talk about the audiobook, because Alex Picard really said, “I will carry some of this emotional weight on my back, thank you.” The narration is honestly one of the stronger elements here. The shifting perspectives, especially when we dip into younger characters’ viewpoints, feel distinct and believable. Kids actually sound like kids, which is rare and deserves applause. The pacing of the narration keeps things moving even when the story itself starts to meander a bit.
That said… there are moments where the tension should be screaming and instead it’s kind of politely clearing its throat. Some scenes that should feel like a full-body clench just land a little flat, and I found my attention drifting in places where I really wanted to be locked in. And listen, if I start mentally redecorating my kitchen during a supposed high-stakes moment, we have a problem.
The multiple POV structure is a mixed bag. On one hand, it adds layers and gives us emotional range. On the other, the killer POV? Not my favorite flavor. It doesn’t ruin anything, but it also doesn’t elevate the tension the way it clearly wants to. Sometimes it felt like the story hitting pause to say, “Be scared now,” and I’m like, “I would love to, but you just pulled me out of the vibe.”
Where the book really shines, though, is in the friendships. Midge, Talia, and Kelly feel lived-in, messy, complicated in that very real way where you love someone but also occasionally want to shake them like a snow globe. There’s history here, and not just the murdery kind. The emotional weight of what they went through as teenagers still lingers in how they move through the world now, and that part actually hit.
And I do appreciate that this isn’t just a straight-up thriller. It’s slower, more reflective at times, almost like it’s just as interested in how people carry secrets as it is in what those secrets actually are. But that also means the pacing can feel… leisurely. Like the book occasionally takes a scenic route when I’m begging it to just hit the gas.
By the end, I wasn’t mad. I wasn’t blown away either. I was just kind of sitting there like, “Okay, that was a solid time, I guess?” Which is the most 3.5-star feeling a book can give. Enjoyable, engaging, occasionally frustrating, and just a little too predictable to fully wreck me the way I wanted.
Whodunity Award: Most Likely to Make Me Say “I Knew It” Out Loud Like an Annoying Psychic at a Dinner Party
And a chaotic thank you to Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for the ALC, for letting me emotionally spiral through haunted real estate and generational secrets while pretending I absolutely had my life together.
So we’re in Mulberry Bay, where Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy and her childhood besties are still emotionally tethered to the disappearance of their friend Caroline twenty-five years ago. Which, first of all, that is not a friendship, that is a lifelong trauma bond with a group chat. They reunite, vibes are tense, nostalgia is doing a little too much, and then boom, another teenage girl goes missing. Because apparently this town said, “What if we processed grief… but make it generational?”
The setup? Delicious. Truly. A missing girl in the present that eerily mirrors a missing girl from the past, plus a cursed, crumbling estate called Haven Cliff that has “absolutely haunted” written all over it. You could not design a more perfect spooky Pinterest board if you tried. I was ready to spiral. I was seated. I had snacks.
And for a while, it works. The atmosphere is moody, the dual timelines are doing their little dance, and the connections between Sarah Greene’s disappearance and Caroline’s case start weaving together in a way that feels genuinely creepy and compelling. There’s this sense that the past is not just unresolved, it’s actively side-eyeing the present and waiting to ruin everyone’s weekend.
But then… the predictability crept in. Quietly at first. Then louder. Then it sat down next to me and started whispering plot points before the book could get there. And I hate that for me, because the bones of this story are so good. But a lot of the twists felt less like “OH MY GOD” and more like “yeah, that tracks.”
Now let’s talk about the audiobook, because Alex Picard really said, “I will carry some of this emotional weight on my back, thank you.” The narration is honestly one of the stronger elements here. The shifting perspectives, especially when we dip into younger characters’ viewpoints, feel distinct and believable. Kids actually sound like kids, which is rare and deserves applause. The pacing of the narration keeps things moving even when the story itself starts to meander a bit.
That said… there are moments where the tension should be screaming and instead it’s kind of politely clearing its throat. Some scenes that should feel like a full-body clench just land a little flat, and I found my attention drifting in places where I really wanted to be locked in. And listen, if I start mentally redecorating my kitchen during a supposed high-stakes moment, we have a problem.
The multiple POV structure is a mixed bag. On one hand, it adds layers and gives us emotional range. On the other, the killer POV? Not my favorite flavor. It doesn’t ruin anything, but it also doesn’t elevate the tension the way it clearly wants to. Sometimes it felt like the story hitting pause to say, “Be scared now,” and I’m like, “I would love to, but you just pulled me out of the vibe.”
Where the book really shines, though, is in the friendships. Midge, Talia, and Kelly feel lived-in, messy, complicated in that very real way where you love someone but also occasionally want to shake them like a snow globe. There’s history here, and not just the murdery kind. The emotional weight of what they went through as teenagers still lingers in how they move through the world now, and that part actually hit.
And I do appreciate that this isn’t just a straight-up thriller. It’s slower, more reflective at times, almost like it’s just as interested in how people carry secrets as it is in what those secrets actually are. But that also means the pacing can feel… leisurely. Like the book occasionally takes a scenic route when I’m begging it to just hit the gas.
By the end, I wasn’t mad. I wasn’t blown away either. I was just kind of sitting there like, “Okay, that was a solid time, I guess?” Which is the most 3.5-star feeling a book can give. Enjoyable, engaging, occasionally frustrating, and just a little too predictable to fully wreck me the way I wanted.
Whodunity Award: Most Likely to Make Me Say “I Knew It” Out Loud Like an Annoying Psychic at a Dinner Party
And a chaotic thank you to Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for the ALC, for letting me emotionally spiral through haunted real estate and generational secrets while pretending I absolutely had my life together.
April 18, 2026
The opening chapter in THE LOST SUMMER, the latest psychological thriller from Wendi Corsi Staub, involves someone receiving results from a genealogical website, which will make far more sense as this twisty thriller rambles forward.
We then jump between the present day and twenty-five years in the past in the Ulster County upstate New York town of Mulberry Bay. It was here, two and one-half decades earlier, that lifelong pals Midge, Talia, and Kelly last saw their friend Caroline. Her disappearance, and alleged death, has always haunted them and not only are three of them reuniting for a weekend gathering in the present but the disappearance of another young woman will coincide with their reunion and present shocking similarities to other cases including Caroline’s.
Midge is now Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy, and she has been tasked with locating the missing 16-year-old girl Sarah Greene, who never made it home after an event at her church. As both Kelly and Talia arrive in Mulberry Bay with their own families, they are devastated and extremely concerned at not only the news about Sarah Greene but also to learn that she is just one of a handful of young women who disappeared in the same fashion as their bestie Caroline. Midge makes a disturbing connection early on in the case when she learns that Sarah Greene was dating Michael Klatte, whose father Gordy died in mysterious fashion just two months earlier. She begins to realize that this may be another case in a much larger series of deadly crimes that are terrorizing this small town.
Kelly has elected to involve a private investigator in the case regarding their long-lost friend Caroline, and they are able to turn up some interesting information as well. Meanwhile, Midge believes that answers may be found with Caroline’s incarcerated sister Mary Beth and we get to go into her past to see her involvement in a crime she may have been innocent of. Midge also focuses on the church where Sarah Greene was last seen and makes yet another eerie connection to Caroline. The question is whether the dark killer who abducted Sarah Greene will take her life before they can get to her.
Dark secrets abound, not only between the three remaining friends Midge, Kelly, and Talia, but also with Mary Beth, who is doing time for reasons even Midge could have never conceived of. Midge gets her chance to meet with Mary Beth behind bars, and it is more than enough to get her to work on freeing her on bail. What this will lead to is having Mary Beth fully involved in the growing dangerous events in Mulberry Bay that threaten not only all of these dynamic women but also the secrets they have all worked so hard to keep for years.
Everything leads to a stunning finale set at Haven Cliff, an abandoned Gilded Age estate that has hosted generations of secrets including the disappearance of Caroline. It is also the property Kelly has just purchased, creating an uncomfortable and darkly ironic setting for the climatic events that are to occur there. Wendy Corsi Staub has had much success in the psychological thriller genre, and THE LOST SUMMER finds her pulling out all her greatest tricks and plot twists along the way to presenting a chilling tale that never fails to surprise.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
We then jump between the present day and twenty-five years in the past in the Ulster County upstate New York town of Mulberry Bay. It was here, two and one-half decades earlier, that lifelong pals Midge, Talia, and Kelly last saw their friend Caroline. Her disappearance, and alleged death, has always haunted them and not only are three of them reuniting for a weekend gathering in the present but the disappearance of another young woman will coincide with their reunion and present shocking similarities to other cases including Caroline’s.
Midge is now Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy, and she has been tasked with locating the missing 16-year-old girl Sarah Greene, who never made it home after an event at her church. As both Kelly and Talia arrive in Mulberry Bay with their own families, they are devastated and extremely concerned at not only the news about Sarah Greene but also to learn that she is just one of a handful of young women who disappeared in the same fashion as their bestie Caroline. Midge makes a disturbing connection early on in the case when she learns that Sarah Greene was dating Michael Klatte, whose father Gordy died in mysterious fashion just two months earlier. She begins to realize that this may be another case in a much larger series of deadly crimes that are terrorizing this small town.
Kelly has elected to involve a private investigator in the case regarding their long-lost friend Caroline, and they are able to turn up some interesting information as well. Meanwhile, Midge believes that answers may be found with Caroline’s incarcerated sister Mary Beth and we get to go into her past to see her involvement in a crime she may have been innocent of. Midge also focuses on the church where Sarah Greene was last seen and makes yet another eerie connection to Caroline. The question is whether the dark killer who abducted Sarah Greene will take her life before they can get to her.
Dark secrets abound, not only between the three remaining friends Midge, Kelly, and Talia, but also with Mary Beth, who is doing time for reasons even Midge could have never conceived of. Midge gets her chance to meet with Mary Beth behind bars, and it is more than enough to get her to work on freeing her on bail. What this will lead to is having Mary Beth fully involved in the growing dangerous events in Mulberry Bay that threaten not only all of these dynamic women but also the secrets they have all worked so hard to keep for years.
Everything leads to a stunning finale set at Haven Cliff, an abandoned Gilded Age estate that has hosted generations of secrets including the disappearance of Caroline. It is also the property Kelly has just purchased, creating an uncomfortable and darkly ironic setting for the climatic events that are to occur there. Wendy Corsi Staub has had much success in the psychological thriller genre, and THE LOST SUMMER finds her pulling out all her greatest tricks and plot twists along the way to presenting a chilling tale that never fails to surprise.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This one was interesting, although I wish NetGalley had noted that this was book #2 in the series. I had no idea… until I went to write my review. That being said, I would have to say the author did a great job in retelling the story, as I did not know this was book #2… and I did not feel like I was missing info.
So, this is a kind of dual timeline as four friends, dating back to the 90’s, are growing up in Upstate NY. They are seniors in HS and are very close. TICK…Talia, Imogen (Midge), Caroline and Kelly. They would do anything for each other! And they did. They kept a huge secret…
Because…. Caroline walked away one day, promising to return in one year. But no one ever saw her again…
Fast forward to current day. The girls (women) are getting together again. Talia has come to town with her husband, teenage daughter and young son. She’s staying with Kelly in her newly renovated mansion… and Midge is going to join them soon.
But, Midge is a cop and a young girl has just gone missing. She’s trying to tell the parents not to worry too much, but she remembers all too well what happened with Caroline. It’s always right there…at the edge of her conscience… and she IS worried.
Even stranger is the fact that this girl was on her way to Bible study… she appears to be a good, quiet girl!
As Midge investigates she meets the covering pastor of the church… and just the sight of him brings back memories. Ones that she’d rather forget…
And as the search for the girl intensifies, so do all the old feelings associated with Caroline!
A lot of info comes to light as Midge tries to get to the bottom of this, and not much of it is good. But at least she has a starting point.
Sad but sweet story of four close HS friends who were thrown a huge curve ball in their young lives and continued to carry on as best they could… always hoping that one day the truth would reveal itself and they’d find Caroline living her best life!
#TheLostSummer by @WendyCorsiStaub and narrated beautifully by @AlexPicard.
3 1/2 bright, beautiful, friendship-filled, small-town-vibes stars for me, happily rounded up to 4! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
**** This one RELEASES TOMORROW! So look 👀 for it then! 4/14/26. ****
Thanks so much to #NetGalley, @BrilliancePublishing and @BrillianceAudio for an ALC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
You can also find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Instagram: @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine
Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!!
And as always, thanks for reading along with me! 📚⭐️📖🩷
So, this is a kind of dual timeline as four friends, dating back to the 90’s, are growing up in Upstate NY. They are seniors in HS and are very close. TICK…Talia, Imogen (Midge), Caroline and Kelly. They would do anything for each other! And they did. They kept a huge secret…
Because…. Caroline walked away one day, promising to return in one year. But no one ever saw her again…
Fast forward to current day. The girls (women) are getting together again. Talia has come to town with her husband, teenage daughter and young son. She’s staying with Kelly in her newly renovated mansion… and Midge is going to join them soon.
But, Midge is a cop and a young girl has just gone missing. She’s trying to tell the parents not to worry too much, but she remembers all too well what happened with Caroline. It’s always right there…at the edge of her conscience… and she IS worried.
Even stranger is the fact that this girl was on her way to Bible study… she appears to be a good, quiet girl!
As Midge investigates she meets the covering pastor of the church… and just the sight of him brings back memories. Ones that she’d rather forget…
And as the search for the girl intensifies, so do all the old feelings associated with Caroline!
A lot of info comes to light as Midge tries to get to the bottom of this, and not much of it is good. But at least she has a starting point.
Sad but sweet story of four close HS friends who were thrown a huge curve ball in their young lives and continued to carry on as best they could… always hoping that one day the truth would reveal itself and they’d find Caroline living her best life!
#TheLostSummer by @WendyCorsiStaub and narrated beautifully by @AlexPicard.
3 1/2 bright, beautiful, friendship-filled, small-town-vibes stars for me, happily rounded up to 4! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
**** This one RELEASES TOMORROW! So look 👀 for it then! 4/14/26. ****
Thanks so much to #NetGalley, @BrilliancePublishing and @BrillianceAudio for an ALC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
You can also find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Instagram: @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine
Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!!
And as always, thanks for reading along with me! 📚⭐️📖🩷
April 19, 2026
The opening chapter of Wendy Corsi Staub’s latest work of psychological suspense, THE LOST SUMMER, involves someone receiving results from a genealogical website. This will make far more sense as this twisty thriller rambles forward.
We then jump between the present day and 25 years earlier in the upstate New York town of Mulberry Bay. It was here, two-and-a-half decades ago, that lifelong pals Midge, Talia and Kelly last saw their friend, Caroline. Her vanishing and presumed death has always haunted them, and now they are seeing each other for a weekend gathering. But the disappearance of another young lady will coincide with their reunion and present shocking similarities to other cases, including Caroline’s.
Midge is now Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy, and she has been tasked with locating 16-year-old Sarah Greene, who never made it home after an event at her church. She makes a disturbing connection when she learns that Sarah was dating a boy whose father died under mysterious circumstances just two months earlier. She begins to realize that this may be just one in a much larger series of deadly crimes that are terrorizing this small town.
Kelly has decided to enlist the help of a private investigator in Caroline’s case, and they are able to turn up some interesting information. Meanwhile, Midge focuses on the church where Sarah was last seen and makes yet another eerie connection to Caroline.
Midge meets with Caroline’s sister, Mary Beth, who is in prison for her participation in a crime of which she may be innocent. This prompts Midge to work on getting her freed on bail. As a result, Mary Beth becomes fully involved in the increasingly dangerous events in Mulberry Bay that threaten not only all of these dynamic women, but also the secrets they have worked so hard to keep for years.
Everything leads to a stunning finale set at Haven Cliff, an abandoned Gilded Age estate that has hosted generations of secrets, including Caroline’s disappearance. This is also the property that Kelly has just purchased, which creates an uncomfortable and darkly ironic setting for the climactic events that will go down here.
In this stunning follow-up to last year’s THE FOURTH GIRL, Wendy Corsi Staub pulls out all of her greatest tricks and plot twists along the way to present a chilling tale that never fails to surprise.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
We then jump between the present day and 25 years earlier in the upstate New York town of Mulberry Bay. It was here, two-and-a-half decades ago, that lifelong pals Midge, Talia and Kelly last saw their friend, Caroline. Her vanishing and presumed death has always haunted them, and now they are seeing each other for a weekend gathering. But the disappearance of another young lady will coincide with their reunion and present shocking similarities to other cases, including Caroline’s.
Midge is now Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy, and she has been tasked with locating 16-year-old Sarah Greene, who never made it home after an event at her church. She makes a disturbing connection when she learns that Sarah was dating a boy whose father died under mysterious circumstances just two months earlier. She begins to realize that this may be just one in a much larger series of deadly crimes that are terrorizing this small town.
Kelly has decided to enlist the help of a private investigator in Caroline’s case, and they are able to turn up some interesting information. Meanwhile, Midge focuses on the church where Sarah was last seen and makes yet another eerie connection to Caroline.
Midge meets with Caroline’s sister, Mary Beth, who is in prison for her participation in a crime of which she may be innocent. This prompts Midge to work on getting her freed on bail. As a result, Mary Beth becomes fully involved in the increasingly dangerous events in Mulberry Bay that threaten not only all of these dynamic women, but also the secrets they have worked so hard to keep for years.
Everything leads to a stunning finale set at Haven Cliff, an abandoned Gilded Age estate that has hosted generations of secrets, including Caroline’s disappearance. This is also the property that Kelly has just purchased, which creates an uncomfortable and darkly ironic setting for the climactic events that will go down here.
In this stunning follow-up to last year’s THE FOURTH GIRL, Wendy Corsi Staub pulls out all of her greatest tricks and plot twists along the way to present a chilling tale that never fails to surprise.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Title: The Lost Summer
Series: Haven Cliff #2
Author: Wendy Corsi Staub
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: April 14, 2026
My Rating: 5 Stars!
Pages: 368
Talia, Imogene Kennedy, Caroline Winterfield, and Kelly Barrow ‘TICK’ were best friends and an inseparable group who looked out for each other. However the night of senior Prom Caroline goes missing. Now twenty-five years later three of the friends get together on the anniversary of Caroline’s disappearance.
(‘Caroline actually contacted them and told them she was fine but didn’t want anyone to know where she was as she just wanted to disappear.)
Imogene ‘Midge’ Kennedy has lived in Mulberry Bay her whole life and is now Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy.
Midge and friends were hoping to let go what happened to Caroline until n sixteen year-old Sarah Greene disappears.
Detective Sergeant Kennedy is on the case and wonders if there is a connection.
• Sarah was dating Michael Klatte
• Caroline went to the prom with Gordy Klatte – Michael’s Father.
• Gordy Klatte recently died in an accidental fall in fact, on the Anniversary of Caroline’s disappearance.
As the clues mount – we start to wonder if there is a connection to Kelly's new home, ‘Haven Cliff’. We learn it was an abandoned/crumbling estate that she has had restored. However the original owners were Caroline Winterfields’ – great-great grandparents!
In the early nineteen hundreds it was a ‘Tuberculosis Sanatorium “but locals called it a “lunatic asylum”.
Kelly states that there were skeletal remain found believed to be
Caroline!
However Sarah Green’s disappearance has the story go deeper into secrets – it was a different direction than I expected.
I didn’t read The Fourth Girl Book #1 but I have read other Wendy Corsi Staub stories so knew she wouldn’t disappoint
I do hope to read Book #1 and am looking forward to Book #3.
Want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this awesome early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 14,, 2026.
Series: Haven Cliff #2
Author: Wendy Corsi Staub
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: April 14, 2026
My Rating: 5 Stars!
Pages: 368
Talia, Imogene Kennedy, Caroline Winterfield, and Kelly Barrow ‘TICK’ were best friends and an inseparable group who looked out for each other. However the night of senior Prom Caroline goes missing. Now twenty-five years later three of the friends get together on the anniversary of Caroline’s disappearance.
(‘Caroline actually contacted them and told them she was fine but didn’t want anyone to know where she was as she just wanted to disappear.)
Imogene ‘Midge’ Kennedy has lived in Mulberry Bay her whole life and is now Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy.
Midge and friends were hoping to let go what happened to Caroline until n sixteen year-old Sarah Greene disappears.
Detective Sergeant Kennedy is on the case and wonders if there is a connection.
• Sarah was dating Michael Klatte
• Caroline went to the prom with Gordy Klatte – Michael’s Father.
• Gordy Klatte recently died in an accidental fall in fact, on the Anniversary of Caroline’s disappearance.
As the clues mount – we start to wonder if there is a connection to Kelly's new home, ‘Haven Cliff’. We learn it was an abandoned/crumbling estate that she has had restored. However the original owners were Caroline Winterfields’ – great-great grandparents!
In the early nineteen hundreds it was a ‘Tuberculosis Sanatorium “but locals called it a “lunatic asylum”.
Kelly states that there were skeletal remain found believed to be
Caroline!
However Sarah Green’s disappearance has the story go deeper into secrets – it was a different direction than I expected.
I didn’t read The Fourth Girl Book #1 but I have read other Wendy Corsi Staub stories so knew she wouldn’t disappoint
I do hope to read Book #1 and am looking forward to Book #3.
Want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this awesome early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 14,, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a follow-up story that’s probably better understood if you read the first one, The Fourth Girl, before this one. Midge, Talia, and Kelly still have unanswered questions about their friend, Caroline, who disappeared twenty-five years ago. But now, on top of that, another girl has gone missing, and it reminds the women of Caroline’s case. The similarities the two girls shared might spoil some of the story, so I’ll just leave it at saying they had similar lifestyles.
Midge is a detective, so it’s hard for her not to compare the two cases, especially because she was close with Caroline and knew things no one besides the four girls knew. But this case goes in a new, unsettling direction that could finally clear things up about Caroline and hopefully bring both girls justice.
Whereas the previous story was partly told in the past, this one is mainly focused on the current lives and relationships of the three women. And how Caroline and the past keep affecting the present. We finally get the truth about Mary Beth, Caroline’s older sister, who is more sympathetic in this story than where we left her at the end of the first book.
While it’s good to finally get answers, it’s not too suspenseful a story. It moves a little slowly, and I can’t help wondering why this was stretched out into two books. There’s a lot of extra filler that could be removed from both, and I think it would have been a more powerful and engaging story that way.
My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the free advanced reading copy of this book.
Midge is a detective, so it’s hard for her not to compare the two cases, especially because she was close with Caroline and knew things no one besides the four girls knew. But this case goes in a new, unsettling direction that could finally clear things up about Caroline and hopefully bring both girls justice.
Whereas the previous story was partly told in the past, this one is mainly focused on the current lives and relationships of the three women. And how Caroline and the past keep affecting the present. We finally get the truth about Mary Beth, Caroline’s older sister, who is more sympathetic in this story than where we left her at the end of the first book.
While it’s good to finally get answers, it’s not too suspenseful a story. It moves a little slowly, and I can’t help wondering why this was stretched out into two books. There’s a lot of extra filler that could be removed from both, and I think it would have been a more powerful and engaging story that way.
My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the free advanced reading copy of this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance listening copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I didn’t realize going in that this was the second book in a series, but it worked well enough as a standalone and I never felt completely lost. The story follows Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy as she becomes involved in the disappearance of a 16-year-old girl—one that is chillingly connected to events from decades earlier.
Overall, this was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The premise is compelling, and the connections between past and present are unsettling in an intriguing way. However, the inclusion of the killer’s point of view didn’t land as strongly as I’d hoped and at times disrupted the tension rather than adding to it. That said, the author is clearly a skilled storyteller, and there are elements here—particularly the character relationships and underlying mystery—that will appeal to fans.
The audiobook itself was well done. The pacing felt steady, and I especially appreciated the shifting perspectives. The sections told from the children’s viewpoints felt authentic and believable, capturing the differences in how younger characters see the world. The narrator did a great job adjusting tone and cadence to reflect these changes, which added to the listening experience.
This is a darker story that touches on some heavy themes, but it’s balanced with moments of friendship and emotional connection that keep it from feeling too heavy.
Overall, I would rate this 3.5 stars.
I didn’t realize going in that this was the second book in a series, but it worked well enough as a standalone and I never felt completely lost. The story follows Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy as she becomes involved in the disappearance of a 16-year-old girl—one that is chillingly connected to events from decades earlier.
Overall, this was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The premise is compelling, and the connections between past and present are unsettling in an intriguing way. However, the inclusion of the killer’s point of view didn’t land as strongly as I’d hoped and at times disrupted the tension rather than adding to it. That said, the author is clearly a skilled storyteller, and there are elements here—particularly the character relationships and underlying mystery—that will appeal to fans.
The audiobook itself was well done. The pacing felt steady, and I especially appreciated the shifting perspectives. The sections told from the children’s viewpoints felt authentic and believable, capturing the differences in how younger characters see the world. The narrator did a great job adjusting tone and cadence to reflect these changes, which added to the listening experience.
This is a darker story that touches on some heavy themes, but it’s balanced with moments of friendship and emotional connection that keep it from feeling too heavy.
Overall, I would rate this 3.5 stars.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I did not realize when I began this that it is a the second book in a series. However, I did not feel completely lost, so it can be read as a stand alone. That being said, I might have enjoyed it more if I had read the first one, or maybe not!
Detective Midge McKinney is looking into the disappearance of a 16 year old girl. She is compelled to find the girl because it is eerily similar to the way her friend, Caroline, disappeared decades earlier. Midge, Talia, Kelley and Caroline were best friends growing up. They all want to know what happened, and they are all holding onto secrets. They come together for a week to reunite, and to hash out what happened to Caroline.
The characters are written well, and each woman has her own voice. However, Talia did tend to get on my nerves! I felt that the relationship between Kelly and Talia's daughter was a bit off. The investigation is solid, and the ending? Well there are some threads left hanging, so I am assuming that there will be another.
So this should have been one that I was totally engaged with- but it fell flat for me. It was a solid "mystery", and I liked the connections between the past and the present. However, there was one POV that seemed to take away the suspense of the story. The tension/pace really doesn't kick in until the second half of the book.
There are many other reviews rated higher than mine- so it might just be me! 😅
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Detective Midge McKinney is looking into the disappearance of a 16 year old girl. She is compelled to find the girl because it is eerily similar to the way her friend, Caroline, disappeared decades earlier. Midge, Talia, Kelley and Caroline were best friends growing up. They all want to know what happened, and they are all holding onto secrets. They come together for a week to reunite, and to hash out what happened to Caroline.
The characters are written well, and each woman has her own voice. However, Talia did tend to get on my nerves! I felt that the relationship between Kelly and Talia's daughter was a bit off. The investigation is solid, and the ending? Well there are some threads left hanging, so I am assuming that there will be another.
So this should have been one that I was totally engaged with- but it fell flat for me. It was a solid "mystery", and I liked the connections between the past and the present. However, there was one POV that seemed to take away the suspense of the story. The tension/pace really doesn't kick in until the second half of the book.
There are many other reviews rated higher than mine- so it might just be me! 😅
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Secrets Don’t Stay Buried Forever
The Lost Summer is the kind of atmospheric, emotionally charged thriller that pulls you in slowly and then refuses to let go. From the very first pages, there’s a sense of unease woven through the story—one that only deepens as past and present begin to collide.
What really stood out to me was the way the mystery unfolds. It’s layered and immersive, revealing just enough at a time to keep you fully invested while still holding onto its biggest secrets. The dual timelines add depth, making the story feel richer and more emotionally impactful.
The setting plays a huge role in the overall tone. There’s something haunting and almost nostalgic about it, which perfectly complements the tension building beneath the surface. It creates that perfect blend of suspense and atmosphere that makes you want to keep reading late into the night.
The characters feel real and complex, shaped by their past in ways that slowly come to light. Their relationships and buried truths add an emotional weight that elevates the story beyond just a mystery.
This is one of those books that keeps you guessing while also drawing you into the emotional core of the story. It’s gripping, layered, and incredibly satisfying.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.
The Lost Summer is the kind of atmospheric, emotionally charged thriller that pulls you in slowly and then refuses to let go. From the very first pages, there’s a sense of unease woven through the story—one that only deepens as past and present begin to collide.
What really stood out to me was the way the mystery unfolds. It’s layered and immersive, revealing just enough at a time to keep you fully invested while still holding onto its biggest secrets. The dual timelines add depth, making the story feel richer and more emotionally impactful.
The setting plays a huge role in the overall tone. There’s something haunting and almost nostalgic about it, which perfectly complements the tension building beneath the surface. It creates that perfect blend of suspense and atmosphere that makes you want to keep reading late into the night.
The characters feel real and complex, shaped by their past in ways that slowly come to light. Their relationships and buried truths add an emotional weight that elevates the story beyond just a mystery.
This is one of those books that keeps you guessing while also drawing you into the emotional core of the story. It’s gripping, layered, and incredibly satisfying.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Lost Summer is a thriller set in small town in New York 25 years after a young woman named Caroline disappeared. Her friends Talia, Brenda, and Midge get together to catch up with each other and remember Caroline. Midge is now a police detective, working on Caroline's case and the cases of several other missing young women from the area. Haven Cliff is an old Gilded Age mansion with a tragic history, and Kelly's new home. The friends are gathered there.
I wanted to read this book because the missing person story sounded interesting. I enjoy mysteries.
This is the second book in the Haven Cliff series. It took me a bit to catch up with the characters, and I think it would be ideal to read the two books together. I did enjoy this read as a standalone though.
We get glimpses of the three friends' lives, including Talia's family (who is vacationing with her). The author did a good job with characterizations; these three very different characters are all interesting.
Caroline's story was compelling, especially as Midge began to look at other missing person cases in the area. I stayed up ridiculously late one night to keep reading and see what happened next!
Fans of mysteries and thrillers will enjoy this book. It would be a good summer read, with the setting.
I wanted to read this book because the missing person story sounded interesting. I enjoy mysteries.
This is the second book in the Haven Cliff series. It took me a bit to catch up with the characters, and I think it would be ideal to read the two books together. I did enjoy this read as a standalone though.
We get glimpses of the three friends' lives, including Talia's family (who is vacationing with her). The author did a good job with characterizations; these three very different characters are all interesting.
Caroline's story was compelling, especially as Midge began to look at other missing person cases in the area. I stayed up ridiculously late one night to keep reading and see what happened next!
Fans of mysteries and thrillers will enjoy this book. It would be a good summer read, with the setting.
May 3, 2026
Twenty five years ago, Caroline Winterfield went missing from Haven Cliff house. What the town of Mulberry Bay doesn’t know is that she was running from something and swore her 3 best friends to secrecy, that they should never tell anyone they knew she was leaving. She promised she would return to the house one year to the day of her disappearance to meet them. But when she doesn’t appear, and they don’t hear from her again, they have always wondered what has happened to her. What was Caroline running from? And 25 years later, with a spate of girls going missing in the town, is it possible they could all be related?
A powerful 1st chapter, a slow burn and an okay ending. Far too many stories from different characters that could have been cut, and less detail spent on them - for example Talia’s children.
Strong themes of adoption, kidnap, deadly secrets, complex parent - child relationships, abuse and murder. This one just didn’t quite hit the mark for me and felt a little too predictable given then time frames (1997 - present).
Would highly recommend reading the first of this series for understanding the background better.
*TW - would encourage these to be checked prior to reading*
Thanks to NetGallery, Thomas & Mercer and Wendy Corsi Staub for the ARC copy of this book.
A powerful 1st chapter, a slow burn and an okay ending. Far too many stories from different characters that could have been cut, and less detail spent on them - for example Talia’s children.
Strong themes of adoption, kidnap, deadly secrets, complex parent - child relationships, abuse and murder. This one just didn’t quite hit the mark for me and felt a little too predictable given then time frames (1997 - present).
Would highly recommend reading the first of this series for understanding the background better.
*TW - would encourage these to be checked prior to reading*
Thanks to NetGallery, Thomas & Mercer and Wendy Corsi Staub for the ARC copy of this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
“Everything changes. Everyone is nostalgic”
I really should pay more attention when requesting a DRC - “The Lost Summer” is Book 2 of The Haven Cliff series - my bad! So, after reading “The Fourth Girl”, I picked the above back up.
The pace seems quicker in the 2nd book, but I expect that’s just me. Both books change timelines frequently and as there’s no particular order that I could see, book 1 took some time to adjust to .
However, aside from different perspectives, character wise, and the jumping timeline, the story itself is both well written, and written with imagination. It’s not a wholly original storyline but plotting, timeline and characters bring unusual elements to what would otherwise be a run-of-the-mill thriller.
Although there is a conclusion to the overall questions, there are enough strings that allow for the possibility of further books in the series - I would definitely read more from Wendy Corsi Staub.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and may be found on Goodreads, Amazon, and NetGalley.
My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the DRC of ‘The Lost Summer’ by Wendy Corsi Staub.
‘The Lost Summer’ is due to published and available on Amazon on 14 April 2026.
I really should pay more attention when requesting a DRC - “The Lost Summer” is Book 2 of The Haven Cliff series - my bad! So, after reading “The Fourth Girl”, I picked the above back up.
The pace seems quicker in the 2nd book, but I expect that’s just me. Both books change timelines frequently and as there’s no particular order that I could see, book 1 took some time to adjust to .
However, aside from different perspectives, character wise, and the jumping timeline, the story itself is both well written, and written with imagination. It’s not a wholly original storyline but plotting, timeline and characters bring unusual elements to what would otherwise be a run-of-the-mill thriller.
Although there is a conclusion to the overall questions, there are enough strings that allow for the possibility of further books in the series - I would definitely read more from Wendy Corsi Staub.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and may be found on Goodreads, Amazon, and NetGalley.
My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the DRC of ‘The Lost Summer’ by Wendy Corsi Staub.
‘The Lost Summer’ is due to published and available on Amazon on 14 April 2026.
May 4, 2026
Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy, acting police chief of Mulberry Bay, is planning to spend the Labor Day long weekend with 2 of her best friends from high school, Talia and Kelly. Talia is bringing her family up from the city, things still a little rocky with her husband after she didn't tell him everything about her visit back to her hometown earlier in the summer that are covered in the first book of the series (which I have not read but felt like the information provided in book 2 more than filled me in) and relate to the disappearance of the 4th of their high school group, Caroline, 25 years ago. The weekend starts off with a local 16-year-old girl going missing, and as she investigates, Midge starts to suspect connections to Caroline's case as well as that of another girl who recently went missing from a neighboring county. There is a lot going on in this story, but the author nicely meshes the different cases (including hold-overs from book 1), so I didn't find it overwhelming. I liked the characters and found the relationships between them to be well written and believable. The ending (mostly?) wraps things up but the "bad guy" gets away, so I assume that will lead into a 3rd book in the series, and I will definitely be on the lookout for it, having enjoyed this one.
March 4, 2026
Unfortunately, I did not read The Fourth Girl and although this is the second book in that series, I had no problem following this book. Wendy Corsi Staub has long been a favorite and I was glad to read this arc from Netgalley and Publisher, Thomas Mercer.
Twenty-five years ago, one of four close friends went missing at Haven Cliff. One of the girls, Talia moved away. Kelly also moved away but has returned and renovated Haven Cliff. Midge stayed and is now a police sergeant on the Mulberry Bay police force. On the anniversary of Caroline’s disappearance another girl has gone missing Coincidence? Midge would like to think so, but she has learned not to dismiss anything. The characters, especially Midge and Talia play a major role, Talia became a little tiresome to me with her over protective ways. Especially since she and her family have returned to Haven Cliff for a long weekend. But I suppose that was because of Caroline’s disappearance. There are many secrets in this book from before and still. Slow paced till its volatile end, the author delivers a good mystery.
I received a complimentary copy of this book without remuneration and this review is my own opinion.
Twenty-five years ago, one of four close friends went missing at Haven Cliff. One of the girls, Talia moved away. Kelly also moved away but has returned and renovated Haven Cliff. Midge stayed and is now a police sergeant on the Mulberry Bay police force. On the anniversary of Caroline’s disappearance another girl has gone missing Coincidence? Midge would like to think so, but she has learned not to dismiss anything. The characters, especially Midge and Talia play a major role, Talia became a little tiresome to me with her over protective ways. Especially since she and her family have returned to Haven Cliff for a long weekend. But I suppose that was because of Caroline’s disappearance. There are many secrets in this book from before and still. Slow paced till its volatile end, the author delivers a good mystery.
I received a complimentary copy of this book without remuneration and this review is my own opinion.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I didn't realize that this was a second book in a series to begin with. I am interested in now going back and reading the first one. In this story, there are multiple characters and multiple timelines, but it was interesting and kept me wanting to read more to find out how everything and everyone all ties in. Midge, Tahlia and Kelly had a friend Caroline, who disappeared about 25 years ago leaving behind a lot of unanswered questions. Midge is now a detective, she looking into the disappearance of a teenage girl, and there are some similarities to her missing friend from years ago. There is some connections that can't be ignored. Other girls have also gone missing in the area. Midge keeps investigating into the case. There are some twists and turns. This story has small town vibes with a creepy mansion thrown in, mysteries, suspense, and secrets and murder. One of those stories where the past doesn't remain buried. I feel like maybe there might be a third book coming in the series and I would be interested in reading it also. Thank you Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the complimentary copy of the story.
May 10, 2026
The book opens with a teenager who has gone missing. She was supposed to be at a Bible study group but the group was cancelled because the AC was out. Wen another teenage girl goes missing, Detective Sgt Midge Kennedy is pulled into both of these cases. For her, these cases are reminiscent of another unsolved case 25 yrs ago when one of her best friends went missing.
The book brought in some background information which, for me, not having read the first book in the series, was helpful and really made me see the relationships of the characters.
The story develops the close friendship that 4 women had as teens and picks up their thoughts from that time to the present. The story describes some pretty unsavory characters in this little town, and had me guessing who the perpetrator was.
Of course, there were some red herrings...and mis-directions, but that only served to keep me turning the pages as fast as I could to solve the mystery. It was a satisfying read, a well plotted mystery, and a great story of friendship.
I received an ARC of tis book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.
The book brought in some background information which, for me, not having read the first book in the series, was helpful and really made me see the relationships of the characters.
The story develops the close friendship that 4 women had as teens and picks up their thoughts from that time to the present. The story describes some pretty unsavory characters in this little town, and had me guessing who the perpetrator was.
Of course, there were some red herrings...and mis-directions, but that only served to keep me turning the pages as fast as I could to solve the mystery. It was a satisfying read, a well plotted mystery, and a great story of friendship.
I received an ARC of tis book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I love a good small town thriller series, but there is something special about this one. It has an all star cast and I love how their relationships work together, even when they are far apart. This book was a pageturner, especially after the questions of the previous book. It left so much tension, I couldn’t stop turning the pages because I needed to find out what was going to happen next. I was pretty excited to find out that all of my suspicions about the previous book proved correct. I’m even more excited that there are more books to the series! I’m so curious how the next one will go now that the true killers has been revealed. This author is an absolute master at giving you just enough information to have you chomping at the bit before you realize it’s 6am and you’re supposed to be getting for work. If you’ve never read any of her books, I highly recommend buying her entire backlist. You will not be sorry!
Huge thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!
Huge thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was a mystery and psychological thriller all packed under one cover featuring a cold case that starts to get hot again as a new case arises. It was atmospheric, chilling, disturbing and utterly gripping.
Three lifelong friends, Midge, Talia and Kelly, are together again 25 years after their other best friend, Caroline, mysteriously disappeared one night. Midge is now a detective. When a young girl disappears, the similarities between this girl and other missing girls, as well as her friend, are too much to ignore. What she discovers is more than a little disturbing.
I never dreamed this story would go in the direction that it went. There was a razor sharp balance between creepy and compelling as the story goes from past to present, with a twist that left me reeling.
I am still flabbergasted as each layer of the past was peeled away revealing deep, dark secrets that left me stunned and disturbed. Prepare yourself for a wild and crazy ride.
Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Three lifelong friends, Midge, Talia and Kelly, are together again 25 years after their other best friend, Caroline, mysteriously disappeared one night. Midge is now a detective. When a young girl disappears, the similarities between this girl and other missing girls, as well as her friend, are too much to ignore. What she discovers is more than a little disturbing.
I never dreamed this story would go in the direction that it went. There was a razor sharp balance between creepy and compelling as the story goes from past to present, with a twist that left me reeling.
I am still flabbergasted as each layer of the past was peeled away revealing deep, dark secrets that left me stunned and disturbed. Prepare yourself for a wild and crazy ride.
Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
When a sixteen-year-old girl vanishes in a small town, it is disturbingly similar to a disappearance 25 years earlier. Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy was friends with the girl who disappeared when she was in high school and is now in charge of taking care of the new disappearance. Secrets from her past, along with her two other best friends that know what happened to the missing girl from their past, bubble up and the connection between the two disappearances is the key to solving the mystery.
I enjoyed the overall story, but all three of the women gave “It’s good that nobody knows what really happened when we were young” so many times that it started to drive me a little bit crazy. Midway through reading this book, I learned that it was book 2 of a series and I can honestly say that it did not affect my understanding of the book. I will say that I wish I had read it beforehand and would have, if I had known that it existed!
The audiobook narrator did a good job making it easy to follow the different perspectives of the characters and the duel timeline that occurs from time to time during the story.
Thank you to Brilliance Publishing, Brilliance Audio, and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the overall story, but all three of the women gave “It’s good that nobody knows what really happened when we were young” so many times that it started to drive me a little bit crazy. Midway through reading this book, I learned that it was book 2 of a series and I can honestly say that it did not affect my understanding of the book. I will say that I wish I had read it beforehand and would have, if I had known that it existed!
The audiobook narrator did a good job making it easy to follow the different perspectives of the characters and the duel timeline that occurs from time to time during the story.
Thank you to Brilliance Publishing, Brilliance Audio, and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
January 9, 2026
📚Book Review: The Lost Summer
Author: Wendy Corsi Staub
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Psychological Suspense
Pages: 367
Coming April 14, 2026
📚My Book Review:
The Lost Summer by Wendy Corsi Staub is a psychological suspense novel. It is the second book in The Haven Cliff Series. (The first book is The Fourth Girl) Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy and her lifelong friends reunite on the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of their friend.
I LOVED this book. It was a quick moving read and kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters are very relatable and likable. Brilliant story line, that all comes together at the end. Multiple twists and turns that had me scratching my head. Not predictable! You will not see it coming! I love the multiple point of views! I’m hoping that there will be a book 3!
My rating is a strong 5 stars! This book is a great read and I was not disappointed. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from Wendy Corsi Staub in the future!
Author: Wendy Corsi Staub
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Psychological Suspense
Pages: 367
Coming April 14, 2026
📚My Book Review:
The Lost Summer by Wendy Corsi Staub is a psychological suspense novel. It is the second book in The Haven Cliff Series. (The first book is The Fourth Girl) Detective Sergeant Midge Kennedy and her lifelong friends reunite on the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of their friend.
I LOVED this book. It was a quick moving read and kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters are very relatable and likable. Brilliant story line, that all comes together at the end. Multiple twists and turns that had me scratching my head. Not predictable! You will not see it coming! I love the multiple point of views! I’m hoping that there will be a book 3!
My rating is a strong 5 stars! This book is a great read and I was not disappointed. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from Wendy Corsi Staub in the future!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The second novel in the Haven Cliff series finds Detective Midge Kennedy looking once again at the Haven Cliff mansion, which is reputed as cursed. In her own youth, her friend Caroline disappeared over 25 years later. This time, it's a missing sixteen-year-old girl- Sarah Greene, who's vanishing is almost exactly like her childhood friend Caroline.
Secrets have a way of surfacing themselves when you least expect or when its entirely convenient. Midge must make some hard choices that include outing her own history of mistakes and misdeeds. I strongly recommend that you read The Fourth Girl first, otherwise, much of this book will not make sense. Make sure you add this to your TBR for late spring- you'll take this tale to the grave.
Thank you, Thomas & Mercer, for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
#TheLostSummer #NetGalley #Goodreads #libraryninja📚
Secrets have a way of surfacing themselves when you least expect or when its entirely convenient. Midge must make some hard choices that include outing her own history of mistakes and misdeeds. I strongly recommend that you read The Fourth Girl first, otherwise, much of this book will not make sense. Make sure you add this to your TBR for late spring- you'll take this tale to the grave.
Thank you, Thomas & Mercer, for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
#TheLostSummer #NetGalley #Goodreads #libraryninja📚
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This story has a compelling premise—old wounds resurfacing, a missing teen echoing a disappearance from decades earlier, and a haunting estate at the center of it all. The multiple POV structure adds an interesting layer, giving the mystery a wider emotional lens. However, the execution didn’t always work for me.
The opening moves at a very slow pace, and even around the 20% mark I still wasn’t entirely sure what direction the plot was taking. The shifting perspectives could have helped build momentum, but the chapters weren’t labeled, which made it confusing to track whose voice we were in at any given moment. Once the narrative finally settled in, the connections between past and present became more engaging, and the eerie atmosphere of Haven Cliff added a nice touch of suspense.
Overall, it’s a solid mystery with some strong elements, but the early pacing and POV confusion kept it from fully landing for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The opening moves at a very slow pace, and even around the 20% mark I still wasn’t entirely sure what direction the plot was taking. The shifting perspectives could have helped build momentum, but the chapters weren’t labeled, which made it confusing to track whose voice we were in at any given moment. Once the narrative finally settled in, the connections between past and present became more engaging, and the eerie atmosphere of Haven Cliff added a nice touch of suspense.
Overall, it’s a solid mystery with some strong elements, but the early pacing and POV confusion kept it from fully landing for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I wanted to be into this, but it just didn’t land for me.
The audio narration was a big part of it. It felt flat and kind of drained the energy out of scenes that should’ve had tension. I found myself zoning out more than once, which is never a good sign.
The story itself felt drawn out. There’s a lot going on, a lot of secrets, a lot of back and forth… but instead of feeling layered, it felt tangled. I honestly think not reading the first book worked against me because I kept feeling like I was missing context the whole time.
Also, the killer POV between chapters just isn’t my thing. It always feels a little forced, and here it didn’t add anything for me. If anything, it tugged me out of the story every time it popped up.
There are twists, but a lot of them didn’t feel believable enough for me to really get behind. By the end, I wasn’t surprised or impressed, just kind of ready to move on.
Not awful, just not for me.
The audio narration was a big part of it. It felt flat and kind of drained the energy out of scenes that should’ve had tension. I found myself zoning out more than once, which is never a good sign.
The story itself felt drawn out. There’s a lot going on, a lot of secrets, a lot of back and forth… but instead of feeling layered, it felt tangled. I honestly think not reading the first book worked against me because I kept feeling like I was missing context the whole time.
Also, the killer POV between chapters just isn’t my thing. It always feels a little forced, and here it didn’t add anything for me. If anything, it tugged me out of the story every time it popped up.
There are twists, but a lot of them didn’t feel believable enough for me to really get behind. By the end, I wasn’t surprised or impressed, just kind of ready to move on.
Not awful, just not for me.
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