Little White Flowers

Little White Flowers #1

by Amber Hathaway

“Much like Shirley Jackson, Hathaway’s gentle storytelling is like inhaling the aroma of a fresh cut flower, oblivious to the undercurrent of rot until it has settled deep into your bones.”
— Sage Nestler, author and Editor-in-Chief of Pride with a Bite

When she and her brother are sent to clean out an estranged relative's estate, horror enthusiast Alice Drayon’s life begins paralleling her favorite page-turners. The sojourn in their grandmother’s “wicked” hometown provides the perfect opportunity for Alice to delve into Grammie’s mysterious past. However, she soon discovers that the horrific event that drove Grammie away is but one small piece of the town’s blighted history.

Confronted with increasing hostility from Evanston’s insular religious community as she closes in on the truth, Alice must risk everything to save lives. Her soft-spoken new neighbor, Riley Moore, seems to have answers ... and some dark secrets of his own. Can Alice trust him to help her put an end to Evanston’s wicked practices, or will she become yet another casualty?

Little Eve meets “The Lottery” meets “Children of the Corn”

Perfect for readers who love:
Slow burn horror
Family secrets
Creepy small towns
Religious cults

Genres: Horror

374 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2025

Reviews

[Amber Hathaway]

Thank you for taking interest in my debut novel, Little White Flowers! I am so excited for you to read it! If you'd like to read a sample of the book to find out if it's a good fit for you, you can preview the beginning on Amazon or Kobo:

https://mybook.to/LWFpbk

(This link should automatically take you to the correct Amazon or Kobo site for your region when you click on the appropriate icon. If it doesn't, you can go to the Amazon or Kobo site for your region and type in, "Little White Flowers book," and my book should pop up.)

Happy reading!

Amber

[Brend · Rating 4 out of 5]

This goes into the list of books that have filled me with an immense sense of dread

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my most anticipated reads of the year!

Alice and Andy are sent to Evanston, Maine to clear up their recently passed grandma's house, so their parents can sell it on.

For Andy, the task is simple. Clean up the house and get back home. Nice and quick. Especially when he notices a few oddities about this little rural town.

For Alice, it's a bit more complicated. Her grannie's past holds such mystery. This town holds such a mystery too. Why are the locals so unsure of her and her brother? Why do they act as if they're locked in a time long ago? Why, quite concerningly one might say, do so many death anniversaries land on the same day? At least there is Riley though! He's cute, and seemingly, not like his family and friends in their beliefs.

Wow! What a world Amber has created. While it took me the week to get through, it was all I could think about and I'm glad I had the time to really be in it. The writing style is so descriptive and Amber really brings her characters to life.

The little town was so eerie, and I was suspicious of everyone! Even when a few people were being nice. I wasn't sure. There was something not right about everyone and everything!

The final parts of the book are so tense too! I had no idea how it'd play out, and how Alice and Andy would deal with what they were thrown into. Absolutely anyone would struggle with this ordeal, but Alice already had her struggles with a few things in life, so she had to find her strength painfully fast. I personally found Alice very relatable, and I appreciated finding little parts of myself in her character.

This book has elements of horror, thriller, mystery and lots of representation such as mental health, disabilities, LGBT etc.

Perfect if you like:-
- Children of the Corn / The Wicker Man vibes
- The Burning Girls (very similar vibes and focus on family / first relationships / lots of history!)
- A more serious Hot Fuzz
Or just anything with weird little towns where the people are just painfully suspicious and deffo up to no good!

Can't wait for book 2!

[Shae Bentley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ - Little White Flowers is a beautifully unsettling mystery that quietly builds into something far darker than it first appears. Siblings Alice and Andy arrive in the strange, isolated town of Evanston to sort through their late grandmother’s estate. But Alice quickly becomes entangled in the disturbing secrets of her family’s past. What she uncovers is only a fragment of the town’s long and harrowing history.

I really enjoyed the tense, oppressive, and deeply uncomfortable atmosphere surrounding the town. The townspeople are consumed by a fanatical form of religion that borders on cult-like. Their behaviour is driven entirely by a warped sense of morality, and their hostility towards Alice is as terrifying as it is infuriating. The things they condemn, and the values they cling to, made my blood boil - but it gave the story a powerful emotional weight.

The writing is easy to get into, with just the right balance of mystery, emotion, and tension. I sometimes struggle with religious-themed stories, but I appreciated that this one focused on exposing the disturbing beliefs and rituals upheld by the townspeople. While it felt slightly drawn out at times, the story remained engaging throughout. I liked it!

A big thank you to Hanna and Haley from @twinsandtalent for the gifted ebook.

[Madelynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely want to see how this trilogy unfolds.

[Khristina Justice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐
This is an excellent debut novel. If you love a slow burn, this novel is for you! The atmosphere is a sweltering, sticky creepiness. Cult horror with heavy Stephen King vibes. The pacing was a little slow for me, and I found myself skimming to get ahead to the good part. But overall, I really enjoyed the story. I loved the representation of ADHD, addiction recovery, and autism. It felt genuine and authentic. I look forward to seeing where the story goes in the next book of this series. Thank you Twins and Talent for the opportunity to read and review Little White Flowers!

[Cassandra LaRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know the author and I’m so excited to read her debut novel!

[Joseph Hallett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This brilliantly written story is subtle and chilling with undertones reminiscent of ‘Midsommer.’ Pay attention to the details; Amber Hathaway spins together a flawless narrative that creeps up on you. Perfect pacing and very relatable characters. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more of her work. An easy 5 stars for me.

[Kate | Date With A Thriller · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️s rounded to 4 ⭐️s

This was a great debut novel! Can I tell you how much the genealogist in me loved seeing the genealogy angle in this one? Loved it! 🥰

I did feel the pace slowed quite a bit at times and there were a lot of characters to keep track of 🫠 But overall this was a great start to the series and I’m looking forward to the next installment! 👏

Thank you to Twins and Talent for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

[Maddi Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Amber Hathaway for gifting me a copy to review! 🖤

“𝕬𝖓 𝖎𝖓𝖋𝖊𝖗𝖓𝖔 𝖎𝖌𝖓𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖓 𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖈𝖔𝖗𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖋𝖑𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖘 𝖈𝖍𝖊𝖜𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖛𝖊𝖎𝖓𝖘. 𝕸𝖆𝖞 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖞 𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖗𝖔𝖙 𝖎𝖓 𝕳𝖊𝖑𝖑.”

Wow, what a story. The beginning pulls you right in with the mystery of grandma and the mürďér of her 3 sisters. While attempting to piece together the genealogy of her family, Alice weaves you through (and lives) a story of family secrets, heartbreak, and a gross abuse of religion and power.

This is a slow, creeping horror. There were times I felt the story getting slow, then all of a sudden it would pick up and I’d be sucked into the tension and dread before I could prepare myself.

Alice and Andy are so relatable and easy to love. The way Hathaway writes makes you feel like you’re in the story. There were scenes that played in my head like a movie. I’d get kicked out of the moment and realize I was the one doing the reading. 🫢

The emotions are heavy and keep you on the edge of your seat. Even sitting here after having finished with the book, I can’t shake the defeated feeling.

That cliffhanger at the end of the book has me chomping at the bit for book 2! I flipped to the author’s note and literally yelled “WHAT NO!” I wanted more! 🤣

The introduction is such a deeply personal look into Hathaway’s life and I wanted to thank her for sharing a piece of her story with us. 🩷

I would suggest this if you enjoy books with:
📿 Cults
🧠 Well done neurodivergent representation
🔪 Dark mysteries
💔 Forbidden love

[Mallory McCartney · Rating 4 out of 5]

phew what a ride!!!

Hathaway writes beautiful prose as she weaves a tale thick with a quiet horror that will have you feeling claustrophobic and unnerved by the end, as well as screaming at the main characters to get out of a town that is home to a religious cult.

I cannot wait to read what happens next!

[A.D. Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

What begins as a renovation of an inherited home, paired with Alice’s chance to really delve into the past(and mysteries therein) of her own family, soon becomes something much more claustrophobic and scary.
Friendships(or maybe more) will be made, secrets will be revealed, and the practically zealot religious beliefs of the townsfolk will breathe heavily down Alice and her brothers necks as they discover just what is actually going on in the small town of Evanston.

I love a small town book. If it’s a creepy one, even better and Hathaway has created quite the doozy in Little White Flowers. Things start off just fine until the much outdated ideals of the townsfolk come a knocking.
The story flows smoothly and the information is doled out in small portions to let the reader uncover the towns secrets alongside Alice. Then things, as they should, really kick off! A wonderful debut!

[ScarlettAnomalyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky to get to read this in exchange for an honest review, also my first read with this author, I actually enjoyed it.
I am a sucker for the story set up, siblings set to live with a mysterious strange relative, come on now, it’s going to be fucked up, and I am living for it.
Add in a smidge of religious horror and a super fucked up dark community, or well maybe I just assume its a fucked up one, but from what I’m seeing, they aren’t winning any Home and Garden awards from best town .

I don’t want to give away too much, but my obsession with Riley was crazy and I needed them to be what Alice thought, in every way possible, but this is horror, so remember, dont fall in love with a character too soon…

I noticed this said it was book one, and I am hopeful a book two happen, I will be checking it out.

[Dave Holwill · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid fan of any and all small town horror, and particularly anything set in New England (thanks Stephen King), I loved this. A brother and sister head for a little town in the middle of nowhere to sort out an inheritance and find themselves thrown into a religious community with dark secrets. There they learn things about their own family history they'll wish they never found out.
The author uses every trick in the book to keep them town and keep you guessing and every word had me wanting to read all the rest straight away. The neurodivergent representation was seamlessly woven into the plot withough ever feeling forced, the characters resonated with me long after I'd finished, and I can't wait for the second installment.

[Kim Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this book and it didn't disappoint. When Alice and Andy are sent by their parents to tidy up their great grandfather's house to sell on, their lives take a dark turn when Alice starts to look into the deaths of her old relatives there. Riley helps Alice figure out some of the story behind it all. Are they in a cult like society? This book was so well written, each detail described so well. I really felt like I was there with Alice and Andy. I'm not sure how many are in the series but I can't wait until I can read book two in the series to see where it goes from here.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little White Flowers is Amber Hathaway’s debut novel, and I had the pleasure of reading an eARC of! Her narrative is very detailed, and I liked how the dark side of the town’s religious cult was slowly revealed. Without giving anything away, Andy, Alice, and Riley are very relatable characters, and we get in-depth perspectives of each. I am really interested in finding out what happens in the next book. I also loved Hathaway’s introduction where she discussed representation of autistic and neurodivergent characters, and these are voices we need to hear more of! Look for this book when it releases on July 1st!
Thank you to @twinsandtalent for this eARC!

[L. Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amber Hathaway plants a deep-rooted mystery that sows suspicion and shows its thorns when it's in full bloom.

[Sage Nestler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little White Flowers by Amber Hathaway is one of those rare horror novels that gets mental illness and mental health concerns strikingly right. This is certainly due to the author’s experience living with some of the conditions she incorporates into her story. While she highlights mental illness (extreme anxiety, panic attacks, and substance abuse), she also highlights autism and neurodivergence. It is a book that will resonate with those of us living with these conditions – some of which I live with myself. But she does something that so many other authors struggle with. She portrays them in a way that those who don’t live with these conditions will gain some understanding of how hard they are to manage day to day. She does this by providing descriptions that puts the reader into each character’s shoes.

“Why was interacting with people so difficult? Sometimes it felt like everyone else had acquired a manual telling them what to say and when, and no one had bothered to share a copy with her.”

Folk horror is my favorite subgenre of horror. This is largely due to its quiet and eerie nature. It worms its way under your skin and attacks you from within before you know what is coming. Not to mention that it usually focuses on religious themes, which resonates well with those of us who have religious trauma. Little White Flowers incorporates religious themes in a classic way that are used well within Hathaway’s take on folk horror. It will resonate well with the queer community of which Hathaway is part of. She also handles religious themes of the sect she presents well because she does so in a way as to not re-traumatize her readers.

“It was just a house. Wood and metal. Those bad vibes were her imagination doing what it did best: reconfiguring the mundane into the menacing. If every place that had seen trauma carried a memory of its past, the entire world would be uninhabitable.”

Trauma is a sensitive focus of Hathaway’s novel, particularly in the form of domestic violence, sexual assault, and religious trauma. My experience with a lot of horror novels is that these forms of trauma can sometimes be used as a shock factor, rather than an essential element to the story. As a survivor of both religious trauma and multiple sexual assaults, l usually find this unnecessary or bordering on cruel. But Hathaway presents trauma in a way that is essential to the story. While she incorporates these sensitive subjects, she doesn’t use them to hold the reader hostage in a world of true to life horror. Her insight into how trauma can permeate the places where it takes place gave me chills, because I feel that way about places where my traumas have taken place. Hauntings don’t just involve ghosts, they can be caused by events, and that is one of the scariest realities of them all – what remains when the people involved are gone, because the event lingers.

“This was where it happened. Abuse, murder, whatever transpired all those years ago. It was a statistical reality – abuse most often occurred inside the home – but there was something deeper too, as though the trauma lingered still, its malignancy poisoning the air.”

Hathaway’s care for her readers is evident in her detailed content note at the beginning of the book, which is more than necessary for the mental health of every horror reader. This is something that I speak strongly about including, despite the constant debate about providing content warnings in the horror genre. While Little White Flowers is the first in a series, it introduces us to the depth of each character and the air of mystery surrounding their circumstances. Hathaway focuses on characters who have mental health struggles but does not portray them as weak.

Instead, she presents them as powerhouses fighting back against forces designed to destroy them – a religious community that holds much malice – as well as feeling othered based on their experiences and conditions.

I don’t often call books flawless, but when it comes to Little White Flowers, there is no better word to describe it. It is atmospheric, relatable, painful, and made for this forever fan of Stephen King’s Children of the Corn and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.” I am excited to see how the story unfolds in the rest of the series.