She Had Enough

by Stacie Grey

Six friends. One dinner. And a secret that won't stay buried.

Mallory Taylor was looking forward to a fun night out with old college friends—nostalgia, laughter, nothing more. But Caitlin, always the quiet one of the group, seems even more withdrawn than usual. On edge. Distant. Then, hours after the women all head their separate ways, a massive earthquake reduces San Francisco to rubble—and Caitlin disappears.

It isn't until six months later, as the city begins to recover, that Mallory learns the truth. Was her disappearance related to the earthquake? Or was something else, something sinister, going on with Caitlin?

No one else seems alarmed. No one is asking questions. But the more Mallory digs, the more she uncovers secrets from that night: fractures in their friendships, hidden motives, and quiet betrayals. The kind of secrets people would kill to protect.

Twisty, atmospheric, and impossible to put down, She Had Enough is a chilling exploration of friendship, silence, and what happens when one woman refuses to stop asking questions.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Suspense

336 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2026

About the author

Stacie Grey is an author and fan of mysteries who lives in Alameda, California, with her husband and dog. In what passes for normal life, she works in biotech research. She mostly posts to Instagram and Threads, and occasionally writes a newsletter.

Reviews

[Caseylt_books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved that this book had humor and mystery, it kept me intrigued I love a book that has you guessing in every chapter. The cat themes had me laughing! Mallory and a group of friends have dinner just before an earthquake hits San Francisco, the mystery lies after when one of their friends turns up dead and it seems as if Mallory is the only one interested enough to question the missing pieces. I love that she never gives up and she will stop at nothing to reveal the truth! Do you really know your friends?

[megs_bookrack]

And I totally failed yet again to thank Poisoned Pen Press for my ARC copy. They're so good to me, and I'm such a jerk ((most of the time)).



I started this one tonight and was quickly reminded how much I enjoy Stacie Grey's writing. I also completing forget that a major earthquake is part of the backdrop of the story, and I'm loving that aspect so far.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this EARC from NetGalley for review. This novel focuses on Mallory and her group of friends who have known each other since college. They go out for drinks one night, and in San Francisco an earthquake hits and the city is devastated. Amidst the chaos, Mallory learns that a newer member to the friends circle, Caitlin, has perished, but it appears she died shortly before the quake struck. The novel focuses on Mallory’s investigation into Caitlin’s death and how her friends could potentially be involved.

I enjoyed the pacing of this novel and Mallory was a relatable, fun lead character. As another 30- something cat lady I loved her sense of humor and worry for her and Caitlin’s cats; it added a touch of charm to the dark themes in the story. This book is a good “popcorn” novel to relax to and read when you want something to unwind to at the end of the day. The author does a great job exploring the themes of old friendships and routines and how life changes over the years - and wondering how well you may know your friends after all!

[Sadie E · Rating 4 out of 5]

“So then he says, ‘That’s why girls like you die alone surrounded by cats.’ And I’m like, Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

That single line on the very first page hooked me immediately.

There’s something wonderfully accessible about Grey’s writing. It’s descriptive and charming without being overly florid, and it pulls you straight into the story. Within the first chapter, I could easily picture myself sitting at the table with this group of women in a bustling restaurant, venting about bad dates and the existential horror of house hunting.

The whole setup carries strong Big Little Lies energy: layered friendships, secrets, and tension just beneath the surface.

Mallory is such a likable protagonist. She’s smart, independent, observant, and grounded. I’m so used to main characters who are slow on the uptake or frustratingly helpless, and Mallory is refreshingly neither. She asks the right questions, trusts her instincts, and refuses to back down when something doesn’t add up. Honestly, I need a friend like Mallory.

While all of the other characters felt mature, nuanced, and genuinely likable, Caitlin stood out in a different way for me. I struggled to connect with her; she often came across as emotionally immature, to the point where it sometimes felt like I was reading about a 12 year old rather than a woman in her thirties. She also has a sort of 'friend everyone tiptoes around' energy, which created distance rather than empathy. But, this detachment works thematically and reinforces the book’s focus on discomfort and what goes unnoticed.

I also would have loved to spend more time with the characters and their motivations rather than focusing quite so much on the earthquake itself. At times, the disaster element slowed the pacing when I was invested in the emotional and interpersonal stakes.

Overall, it's tense and emotionally resonant... just shy of perfect for me.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐

An earthquake, a tube of lipstick, a seemingly random break-in and a dead body all converge in what was one hell of a mysterious thriller! The premise is a very creative one and and the author used that to great advantage throughout the book. I absolutely loved the story taking place in San Francisco since it is a seldomly used locale in suspense books. During a night out with her girlfriends, Mallory is randomly given a tube of lipstick from her friend Caitlin without realizing how incredibly important it will become. That same night a massive earthquake ravages the city and everyone has to evacuate. Months later Mallory returns to her home but she finds herself constantly followed and discovers someone keeps breaking into her house.

​While trying to reconnect with her friends, Mallory can't get a hold of Caitlin and after some deliberation, she eventually files a missing persons report only to find out that Caitlin has been dead since the night of the disaster. Mallory soon realizes that random tube of lipstick is actually a hardware key and it is the exact reason she is being repeatedly accosted. She begins her own slow burn investigation into the key itself, what secrets her friend group might be keeping while desperately trying to stay one step ahead of the person trying to retrieve that hardware key.

I loved how unprepared Mallory was to lead the investigation into Caitlin's death instead of having the by the book answers right away. She definitely fumbled her way through the sleuthing at times and that made her character deeply relatable as her trust in her closest friends slowly dissolved. ​The earthquake was the perfect cover up for a potential murder so the massive question lingered in the air regarding what exactly happened and if foul play was involved.

Every so often the chapters focused on the other friends and that led to some incredibly ominous scenes. I loved how these women did not immediately come off as people harboring dark secrets so you always felt like Mallory might be completely off track regarding her deep suspicions. The suspenseful lead up to the climax was so well thought out and it truly ended in a highly satisfying way. I actually liked how slowly things came together as that allowed time for the entire aspect of the story to come together naturally unlike the fast paced thrillers I'm used to. I was very impressed with this read overall and enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.

[Mandy K · Rating 4 out of 5]

She Had Enough 4⭐️

I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read by Stacie Grey. In She Had Enough, Mallory finds herself digging into a deadly mystery following a dinner among friends that ended with San Francisco’s most intense earthquake. Now one of the friends are missing and Mallory finds out she’s holding onto something that someone wants enough to kill over. Like Mallory, I was suspicious of everyone. My only wish is that there was more character development for the characters other than Mallory. There were just a few chapters sprinkled in from other POVs. Mallory was well developed and exciting to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

[Carlita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this 3.5 overall. I liked it.

I enjoyed the main character and the cat lady parts. I liked how the ending came in the right time when everything unravels.

I didn’t guess the ending which is bonus points for me.

I liked the overall pacing. It did read a little YA but didn’t bother me too much. I would say the first half had a lot more digging and intrigue than the second half.

Overall I will recommend this book

Thank you to Netgally for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Justinstaysreading · Rating 2 out of 5]

Im sorry but this just wasn’t it for me. I didnt connect to any of the characters, and the entire premise felt very juvenile and YA. I expected more and was looking forward to being done with this one. Ironically the title matched my excitement level because I had enough.

Thank you NetGalley for this copy.

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 3 out of 5]

She Had Enough by Stacie Grey is a recommended mystery. "Six friends. One dinner. And a secret that won't stay buried."

Mallory Taylor meets old college friends, Caitlin, Lourdes, Sonali, Rachel, and Kendra for dinner one night. It is a evening among a group who have known each other for years. Caitlin seems more withdrawn and quiet, but after her mother's recent death this is understandable. When Mallory and Caitlin are in the bathroom, Caitlin gives her a lipstick tube that was her mother's for safe keeping as she claims it keeps wanting to fall out of her bag. Mallory throws it into her bag and the evening continues. Later, after the group returns to their respective homes, a massive earthquake hits San Francisco. Mallory left the city while the city started repairing damages and returned six months later.

When Mallory returns she learns from her landlord that her apartment was broken into several times after she left. The day before she left it had also been broken into. Nothing was taken so it appears that the perpetrator was looking for something specific. Mallory thinks about Caitlin's lipstick, tries to contact her, and eventually discovers she has died. The police attribute her death to the earthquake, but Mallory has questions, especially after she uncovers something in the tube of lipstick. She begins to contact their group of common friends, seeking the truth.

On the plus side, the writing flows smoothly and can be read quickly. All the action, such as it is, reaches a logical, exciting conclusion, and the plot ends with everything neatly tied up. Beyond that, you will have to set a massive amount of disbelief aside while reading this even-paced mystery. There are huge jumps of suppositions made in the service of the plot's goals and not all of Mallory's actions are logical or believable. Mallory herself repeatedly says she didn't know Caitlin well at all. So why go to all the effort she undertakes to contact her right after she returns to the city?

The group of friends she contacts with questions about Caitlin don't seem to really care about her either. Honestly, though, it has been six months since the earthquake and Caitlin's death, and no one had tried to contact her. They were all focused on their own circumstances and recovery, including Mallory who just returned after six months away. Quite frankly, the earthquake turns into a pointless plot element that could have been eliminated to tighten up the story line and keep the focus on the actual murder mystery.

Additionally, aside from Mallory who is an okay character, very determined but insipid, I found the rest of these characters annoying and this is in a character driven mystery. I truly became tired of reading about the designer's names of the clothing worn and the height of everyone as they met at different places for coffee, etc. Mallory's various ways to travel around the city are also endlessly discussed. Eventually I didn't care who did it because the motive was disclosed earlier in the narrative and I felt zero connection with any of these women.

She Had Enough will best be enjoyed by those who enjoy mysteries and can set disbelief aside. Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2026/0...

[bookedupnurse · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

Six friends. One dinner. A secret that won’t stay buried …

Mallory was looking forward to a fun night out with friends. All are feeling nostalgic, but on of her friends Caitlin seems withdrawn, distant and on edge. She leaves the meal suddenly and several hours later, a massive earthquake reduces San Francisco to rubble. Caitlin is never seen again. The group disperse over the US while San Francisco recovers and they return to the city six months later.

As they all begin to recover from the chaos of the earthquake, they come together again … without Caitlin. They all realise that Caitlin hasn’t been in touch with any of them since the night of the dinner. Was her disappearance related to the earthquake? Or was something more sinister going on with Caitlin?

Mallory is worried. No one else seems alarmed or concerned. No one is asking questions and they are all wrapped up in their own lives. The police rule that she must have been a victim of the earthquake, but Mallory doesn’t think so. Things aren’t adding up and she feels uneasy at their lack of compassion towards a friend. As she begins to single handedly investigate the mystery of Caitlin and begins to uncover secrets from that night, fractures in friendships, hidden motives and quiet betrayals.

When Mallory begins to be targeted, she realises that Caitlin is holding onto secrets that people would kill to protect … Will she be able to save herself before it’s too late?

Mallory is a compelling, likeable protagonist as she is determined, persistent and her investigation shows she is willing to turn over every stone to find out the truth, no matter if people attempt to silence her. Her character was well developed by SG as was the dynamics of the friendship group.

This group aren’t really friends. It is a habitual meet up of 6 girls of a similar age who have been a part of each others past lives, but it’s clear they do not trust each other not enjoy each others company. I think this is done intentionally for SG to create red herrings around who should be trusted. Because every conversation between the group results in disagreement, tension or upsetting comments, we are unable to get to know them outwith this which makes it difficult to determine who to trust and who not.

I feel the title doesn’t really go with the book and something mentioning the earthquake would have been more fitting.

A slow burn that never really picked up the pace in my opinion. Mystery, suspense and some humour, I felt I was guessing why this was happening and trying to investigate the obnoxious group myself, but not because I wanted to know what happened to Caitlin and if Mallory was right, more so I could finish the book! It just didn’t overly work for me and felt that at times it was really far fetched!

Thank you to NetGallery, Poisoned Pen Press and Stacie Grey for the ARC of this book.

[Uncaged Reads Uncaged Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

One night. An earthquake. A missing friend. An object that doesn’t make sense. To Mallory, they’re all just connections she can’t ignore. But while she’s looking for answers in the rubble of the last six months, her “friends” are busy building a brick wall of denial.

They say she’s being dramatic. They say she’s seeing things that aren’t there. It’s gaslighting 101, and it’s working.

We are all wearing masks, and as we age, our friends’ masks begin to slip. We think we know the people we grew up with, but do we really? Or are we just holding onto the memory of who they used to be? I’m at an age where I’d rather be in the company of animals that don’t speak and the comfort of my own walls than those outside them. Like Mallory, I’ve found that you have to earn the right to be trusted.

This isn’t just a whodunnit. This is a mirror. It forces you to look at your own life and ask yourself the questions you don’t want to: If your world got flipped upside down, who would actually be there for you? If you heard a scream in the night, or if you found your dead friend clouded by the suspicion of another, would you go looking for answers or would you turn the TV up and say to yourself, “not my circus, not my monkeys?”

In She Had Enough, Mallory’s had enough. She’s had enough of being placated. Had enough of being talked down to. Had enough of being lied to. Whatever it takes, she’s going to get to the bottom of what happened that night, even if she has to burn the town to the ground to find out.

The Verdict: 4/5 Stars. She Had Enough is a topical, tension-fueled exploration of just how far those closest to us will go to keep us in the dark. It is tense. It is relatable. It is sobering.

Release Date: July 21, 2026.

Preorder your copy now!

+++I have received this eARC in an exchange for an honest review+++

I want to thank @netgalley @staciegreyauthor and @poisonedpenpress for allowing me to read this amazing eARC. I truly feel honored to have had the privilege to read and review it.

[Michele Desoer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mallory, a somewhat boring, mousy going-to-be-a-cat-lady person, lives in San Francisco. One night, she joins five friends for dinner. Some are college friends and a couple she does not know as well. During a bathroom stop, one of them, Caitlin, asks Mallory to hold on to a lipstick, saying that it had been her recently-deceased mother’s and she was afraid to lose it because her purse clasp was broken. No big deal.

What none of these friends could know, however, is that later that night, a huge earthquake would strike the city. The shake is “The Big One” that Californians all know is around the corner as they go about their daily lives. The quake and its aftershocks demolish or seriously damage many buildings, there are an appreciable number of deaths, and the city loses all power, and all cell systems and WiFi are down. Although her home is not horribly damaged, after a couple of days, especially after a couple of scary break-ins, Mallory decides to leave the city to stay at her aunt’s home in Fresno while the city recovers,.

When Mallory returns to the healing city, she learns that her friend Caitlin has disappeared. She reports the woman missing and learns that she had been found dead a couple of days after the earthquake in the Palace of Fine Arts. Without ID, until Mallory’s report, she’d been listed as a Jane Doe. Although Caitlin was wearing the same clothes she’d worn to dinner and had no reason to be at this location in the middle of the night, the police chalk the death up to the earthquake since the body was found near heavy debris and death was caused by a blunt force injury to her head. Mallory is not so convinced and determines to figure out what happened.

Being Bay Area born, I enjoyed the earthquake plot point and the San Francisco setting. The author effectively weaves in quirky aspects of the city and the disparate characters who live there. The plot kept me guessing; I did not figure it out early, which is always a good thing. It is complex and the fact that Mallory is more than amateur adds to the intrigue. The ending is not contrived. My reason for giving it four stars is that I thought that there was a bit too much of Mallory’s repetitive musings about what happened. Of course, we needed to know her thoughts, but some of it just seemed redundant. Could also have had a bit more of the city’s character woven in. However, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy for review.

[TheNovelNomad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thriller that understands the quiet terror of being the only one who won’t let something go.

What begins as a familiar setup — old friends, a reunion, the small tensions that surface with time — quickly shifts into something far more unsettling. The earthquake is the inciting disruption, but the real rupture happens within the friendships themselves. The novel leans into that emotional fault line with confidence, turning absence into momentum and silence into suspense.

Mallory anchors the story with a compelling mix of loyalty, instinct, and growing unease. Her refusal to accept the easy explanation gives the narrative its drive, but it’s the emotional undercurrent — the sense that she is pushing against collective denial — that gives the book its weight. The tension doesn’t come only from what happened to Caitlin, but from the unsettling question of why no one else seems to care enough to ask.

The post-disaster setting adds a strong atmospheric layer. A city rebuilding itself becomes the perfect backdrop for a mystery about fractured relationships and buried truths. Disruption creates gaps — in memory, in timelines, in evidence — and the novel uses those gaps effectively, allowing suspicion to grow slowly and convincingly.

What works particularly well is the portrayal of female friendship over time. The book captures the uncomfortable reality that shared history does not always equal closeness, and that distance can exist even inside long-standing groups. The shifting perspectives and gradual reveals highlight how differently people experience the same night, the same friendship, the same secret.

The pacing embraces the slow burn. Rather than relying on constant twists, the story builds through accumulation — small inconsistencies, withheld information, subtle changes in behaviour. When the revelations arrive, they feel rooted in character rather than shock alone.

Mallory’s investigation becomes less about solving a disappearance and more about confronting the version of events everyone has quietly agreed to live with. That emotional tension — between truth and comfort, loyalty and honesty — is where the novel finds its strongest voice.

A quietly gripping mystery that blends disaster, friendship, and psychological tension, delivering a story that lingers not because of the twists, but because of what it reveals about silence, complicity, and the cost of asking questions others would rather avoid.

[Hu · Rating 4 out of 5]

She Had Enough is the first book I've read by Stacie Grey, and it definitely won't be my last.

Mallory Taylor is reunited with a group of old college friends for what should be a simple night of catching up. But after a devastating earthquake strikes San Francisco, one of the women, Caitlin, disappears. Six months later, as the city struggles to recover, Mallory begins digging into what really happened and uncovers a web of secrets, betrayals, and hidden motives that have been buried for far too long.

I more or less binged this book. It was one of those stories where I simply had to know what happened next and, more importantly, who was responsible. Grey does an excellent job building intrigue from the outset. While most of the story is told through Mallory's perspective, we also get occasional glimpses into the viewpoints of Sonali, Kendra, Rachel, Lourdes, and the missing Caitlin herself. These added perspectives helped flesh out the mystery without giving too much away.

The backdrop of a city reeling from a massive earthquake adds another layer of tension. With police and emergency services already stretched to their limits, it creates the perfect environment for secrets to stay hidden and suspicions to flourish. Add in a sleazy stepfather, fractured friendships, and a cast of young women who are secretive, cunning, and often mistrustful of one another, and you have all the ingredients for a compelling suspense novel.

I also appreciated the diverse cast of characters and the way Grey carefully scattered red herrings throughout the story. Some of the misdirection didn't immediately seem significant, but the ending tied everything together in a satisfying way and explained why certain clues mattered. Looking back, the pieces fit together far more cleverly than I initially realised.

Fast-paced, suspenseful, and highly addictive, She Had Enough kept me turning pages late into the night. If you're a fan of character-driven mysteries filled with secrets, lies, and twists, this is one worth picking up. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever Stacie Grey writes next.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Suesyn Zellmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of friends in San Francisco has dinner one night, with no idea that their lives are going to be changed forever in just a few hours when an earthquake hits. Even more so when it’s determined that one of the group disappeared. Of course, it’s not until six months later that they realize Caitlin is gone, mostly thanks to Mallory, our main narrator. And when she starts looking into what happened to Caitlin, she’s not met with the questions and panic that she expects from everyone. For women who are supposed to be great friends, these ladies are pretty terrible. It just gets worse when the more Mallory fights to figure out the truth, the more her friends push back and try to convince her to move on. But Mallory won’t stop until she knows the truth, even if it kills her.

So, I realize that earthquakes are terrible disasters, but the one in this story is front and center most of the time. Honestly, I’m surprised it’s not titled ‘The Earthquake.’ There are several points throughout the story where there’s no action, and it kind of lags, just a lot of Mallory theorizing in her head, and then the earthquake is used to pad out the story. Not the actual event, just more descriptions of the fallout, and how everyone is dealing with life post-quake.

And not a single one of Caitlin’s so-called friends seems to care about the obviously suspicious circumstances that occurred. So Mallory continually gets together with these terrible women to badger them with questions, and they just get annoyed and keep asking why she cares so much. Yet somehow she’s able to piece it together even with a mysterious stranger breaking in, following her, and threatening her.

Maybe if the women weren’t so obnoxious, I would have enjoyed it more. You can have secrets without being a complete jerk about it, like they all are. Literally, four terrible people and Mallory. And they’re all so obvious about not caring, they’re not even smart enough to pretend to care and look less suspicious. Less earthquake and more character development would go a long way with this one.

[Daria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for eARC.

She Had Enough by Stacie Grey is so far the most boring book I've read in 2026. Was it supposed to be a thriller, a mystery, a detective, or a story of survival after the QUAKE?
Six friends meet for dinner the night before the earthquake. One of them seems to be distracted: is she just mourning, or is she afraid of something? One of them is nervous, or is it just her personality? One of them says something uncomfortable. Another one just orders another drink. They are discussing their dream houses, laughing, drinking... But the evening ends with the EARTHQUAKE.

Why do I highlight it so much? Because all the events are set around the earthquake and its consequences. And as someone who lives with regular shelling, blackouts, and other not-so-great things, I am angry. That's America, there are natural disasters regularly, and are they really so unprepared for possible consequences? It's hard for me to believe. And six months after the QUAKE, not everything is repaired? How so? But ok, I got sidetracked.

During dinner the night before the EQ, Mallory was given something to store. An insignificant thing that was about to change her life, to turn it 180*. The night after the EQ, her apartment was broken into, so she packed her things and moved. Just to find out that there were other attempts to break in. Is it connected? To find out, Mal tries to contact Caitlin, the owner.

Is there such a thing as friendship? Can people try another person? I don't know, I'd rather not. Especially after this story.

For me, the storytelling was too slow-paced and was too concentrated on the quake, rather than on the investigation itself. It was low-key boring, and I didn't believe any of the motivation of any of the characters. For me, that's a sign of a poorly written book. If so, why not 2/5? Because that's me, who doesn't like slow-paced stories. Others might find it appealing.

[Kathleen Sleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

She Had Enough by Stacie Grey is a slow-burn psychological thriller that explores the darker side of friendship, trust, and the cost of asking questions no one wants answered.

The story follows Mallory, who reconnects with a group of college friends for what should be a simple dinner—until a devastating earthquake hits San Francisco and one of them, Caitlin, disappears.

Months later, while everyone else seems ready to move on, Mallory becomes increasingly convinced that something more sinister happened that night.
What stood out most to me was the novel’s focus on friendship dynamics rather than just the mystery itself. Grey does an excellent job of showing how people can share years of history and still remain strangers in important ways. The tension doesn’t just come from the disappearance, but from the unsettling realization that no one else seems to care enough to question it.

Mallory is a compelling protagonist—observant, persistent, and unwilling to be silenced. Her determination drives the story forward and adds an emotional depth that elevates the mystery. The themes of denial, gaslighting, and complicity are woven throughout, making the story feel both relatable and unsettling.

The pacing leans toward a slow burn, which works for atmosphere, though at times it felt a bit too drawn out for me.

However, the gradual unraveling of secrets keeps the reader engaged, and the shifting dynamics between the characters add layers to the suspense.

Overall, She Had Enough is less about shocking twists and more about the quiet tension of uncovering uncomfortable truths. It’s a thoughtful, character-driven thriller that will appeal to readers who enjoy mysteries rooted in relationships and psychological depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thriller set in San Francisco after an earthquake exploring friendship, betrayal and “what happens when refuses to let a murder go unsolved.”

Mallory Taylor meets up with five women (Caitlin, Kendra, Sonali, Rachel and Lourdes) for a girl’s night out. Mallory senses something is wrong with Caitlin but she refuses to say anything, instead she gives Mallory something to hold for her. A few hours later a violent earthquake shakes San Francisco - this is written frightfully well (I experienced a manmade one at a museum in SF and felt as I read Grey’s description I was back in that room). Caitlin’s body is found in the rubble and the police conclude she’s a victim of the quake. But not Mallory. She’s convinced foul play is at work but her other friends scoff at this until things prove otherwise. There a plenty of twists and the ending is pretty good - but you will have to read the book to see for yourself.

In “A Conversation with the Author” at the end of the book, Grey states she wants her readers to take away “a sense that it’s important to care about things, even if it seems futile.” I think she succeeded in doing this in her novel. Mallory is a strong, resilient character. She presses on because she believes I think that Caitlin’s life meant something, plus she wants the truth - though when confronted with it finds it hard to believe. The book is paced fairly well as secrets emerge and Mallory’s friends rally round her.

I enjoyed this thriller. San Francisco is one of my favorite US cities so I could imagine it as the earthquake happened and after through the author’s writing. I also enjoyed the give and take between the friends. This book is for lovers of friendship thrillers.

My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for granting me access to this ARC.

[Isabella Cavallero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
She Had Enough by Stacie Grey follows a group of friends in the aftermath of a massive earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area. One minute they’re enjoying a nice dinner together; hours later, the city and surrounding bay are devastated, and the friend group has been torn apart. In the days and weeks that follow, Mallory begins to suspect that something more sinister has happened to one of the group members who seemingly vanished after the earthquake.
Mallory is a smart and highly observant protagonist, and easily the most likable character in the group. That impression may partly come from the fact that the story is mostly centered around her perspective, with only a few filler chapters from the other female friends. I really enjoyed how the thriller elements were tied so closely to the natural disaster. With phone lines down, cameras destroyed, and communication systems knocked out, the mystery feels much more believable—under normal circumstances, it likely would have been solved quickly, but the earthquake creates realistic obstacles that force Mallory to dig deeper to uncover the truth.
I do wish the book had focused a bit more on the other characters, particularly through deeper inner monologues. That added perspective could have given the story more substance, as we don’t learn much about what happens to them after the earthquake until the very end. I also felt the setting could have been described more vividly. As someone who lives in the SF Bay Area, I could easily picture locations and geography, but readers unfamiliar with the area might find some aspects confusing.
Overall, this was a solid and engaging read, and I would recommend it. She Had Enough is scheduled to be released on July 21, 2026.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

She Had Enough is one of those thrillers that hooks you from the first page with its simple but irresistible setup: six old friends, one dinner, and a sense that something is very wrong. What starts as a nostalgic reunion quickly becomes a haunting mystery when Caitlin—always the quiet, fragile one—vanishes on the same night a devastating earthquake tears through San Francisco.

Mallory makes for a compelling narrator. She’s observant, loyal, and just unsettled enough by Caitlin’s behaviour to sense that her disappearance isn’t as straightforward as everyone wants to believe. The fact that no one else seems concerned only heightens the tension, giving the story a wonderfully claustrophobic feel as Mallory becomes the lone voice refusing to let the past stay buried.

The dual timelines—before the earthquake and six months after—work beautifully, slowly revealing the fractures in the group’s friendships and the secrets they’ve all been quietly carrying. The more Mallory digs, the more the story shifts from a missing‑person mystery to a deeper, darker exploration of betrayal, guilt, and the lies people tell to protect themselves.

The atmosphere is fantastic: a city still recovering from disaster, friendships strained by time and trauma, and a creeping sense that someone is watching Mallory’s every move. It’s twisty without feeling over‑the‑top, and the final reveals land with real emotional weight.

A gripping, quietly chilling thriller that blends suspense with a sharp look at the complexities of female friendship. Perfect for readers who love mysteries rooted in character, tension, and the secrets we hope no one ever uncovers.

with thanks to Stacie Grey, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

[lorenzodulac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so this wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read. Not even close. But it had its perks. I just don’t think I went into it with the right expectations, I was expecting more of a thriller and less of a thriller-y literary fiction. That’s my bad.
The premise wasn’t awful, it was actually pretty unique. It follows a group of friends, they know each other from college and they’re having dinner together, catching up. Not much after, an earthquake hits. And you follow the aftermath of that.
It’s mostly through the eyes of Mallory, but we do get snippets of the other friends and we’re very briefly inside their mind.
The problem I had with this book is that I just couldn’t at all connect with the plot and even less with the characters. They just read made up to me, you couldn’t fool me into thinking they were real. Because of the way they behaved, the way the plot was moving. I did like the cat though. And the little plot line we had following the cat. I also liked that for some reason, everyone that was important in this book was a woman. The little we had with the men was almost inconsequential. And that’s not something you see every day.
The writing was pretty good, it all flowed together smoothly, and the book moved veryy fast. The chapters were so short and so easy to read, and the book is your average book’s length, but it still read pretty fast.
I needed more of the thriller element, if I’m being honest. I wasn’t scared, on edge, nothing. It was a good story, but better on paper than in execution.
I will say, this book would work for some people. It kind of worked for me, I just needed to go into it with different expectations, maybe expect a subplot of something thrilling, which is probably what you should know going into this book.
All in all, I’m grateful I got to read it and still would recommend it, it’s probably around a 3.5/5⭐️ I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t feel much of any other emotion either. A middle of the road book, not great but not bad.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my introduction to Stacie Grey’s writing, and it was a fantastic place to start. She Had Enough features one of the most creative, high-stakes backdrops for a thriller I’ve read in a long time.

The story opens with a catastrophic earthquake in San Francisco. While the rest of the town is focused on survival, Mallory is derailed by a different kind of aftershock. Right before the disaster, a tense dinner with old college friends leaves everyone on edge—and immediately following the chaos, one of them vanishes.
But the real hook is a mystery object deliberately given to Mallory right before the quake. Her search to figure out why she has it and how to return it quickly spirals, threatening to expose every dark secret her friend group has spent years burying.

What worked:
The Atmosphere: Using a literal earthquake as a metaphor for fracturing friendships is brilliant. The physical devastation perfectly mirrors Mallory’s collapsing trust.

The Hook: The mystery object is a fantastic plot driver that forces Mallory into dangerous corners.

The Pacing: It starts with a bang and maintains a great "am I crazy or is everyone gaslighting me?" psychological vibe.

What didn't:
The middle gets a bit repetitive with the "who can I trust?" loops, but the final third completely makes up for it. The twists hit hard and fast.

If you love fast-paced domestic suspense, toxic friend groups, and suburban noir vibes, you’ll devour this. Stacie Grey is officially on my radar, and I'll definitely be checking out her backlist!

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

[Andria Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book read by the author, but I did recently purchase She Left and its on my tbr list.

She Had Enough is a novel that starts out with a group of friends getting together for drinks. One of the newer friends, Caitlin, her mother had recently passed away and she is acting very down. Caitlin goes into the bathroom with the main character, Mallory, and gives her something to hold. After everyone departs, an earthquake happens in the city and Mallory ends up leaving the city for a period of time. Six months later, Mallory returns to the city. She finds that her apartment has been broken into several times and that also that Caitlin had been missing and then she was found to have died due to injuries from the earthquake. However, Mallory had found something in the object that Caitlin had gave her to hold and things are not adding up Caitlin's death to being an accident, at least not in her mind. Mallory starts digging for answers and she seems to be the only one trying to figure out the real story behind Caitlin's death. None of the other friends are making efforts to get answers. Really these friends don't seem to be real friends, this story has that toxic friendship vibe.

There are twists and turns and secrets, and it does seem that any of the friends could be a possible suspect so this has a whodunnit vibe. The chapters were fairly short and the read was pretty easy. I thought it was solid thriller read and I do like the author's style of telling a story and would certainly read other books by her.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the complimentary copy of the story.

[KAITLYN · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of girlfriends, a devastating earthquake, and the question lingering beneath it all: is one of them a killer?

This thriller has a strong true-crime vibe and will appeal to readers who enjoy suspenseful mysteries centered around complicated friendships and buried secrets.

The story follows Mallory and her five close friends in San Francisco when a sudden earthquake turns their night upside down. The evening had already taken a strange turn when one of the friends, Caitlin, began acting oddly at dinner. In a brief, mysterious moment in the bathroom, she hands Mallory an ornate lipstick case before abruptly disappearing.

In the chaos following the earthquake, Mallory goes looking for Caitlin—only to discover she’s missing. When Caitlin is later found dead, the dynamic within the friend group begins to unravel and suspicion quietly creeps in among them all.

The mystery builds as Mallory starts to question what she really knows about the people closest to her. I enjoyed the suspenseful premise and the way the story kept hinting that everyone might be hiding something. The pacing makes this an easy, engaging read, and the unfolding mystery kept me curious about where things were heading.

Overall, this was an entertaining thriller with plenty of intrigue, tension, and shifting suspicions between the characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.75 stars)
Recommended for readers who enjoy friendship-driven thrillers, true-crime style mysteries, and stories where secrets within a tight-knit group slowly come to light.

[nao · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping, drawn-out thriller that highlights the complexities of adult female friendships, mixed in with a natural disaster at the heart of a city full of fault lines.

Wow, it’s been a long time since I last read an interesting and well-executed thriller, and this book really delivered! It’s really refreshing to integrate the added factor of an earthquake, which was one of the key scenarios for the pieces to make sense in Mallory’s head. 

The multiple POVs perfectly depicted what female friendships are like during adulthood; they may be focused on their own lives and careers, but I like the detail where they still think about and watch over each other. Even their chatting and reaching out felt natural, not too prying but enough indication that they’re there. But while female friendships do have the positives, the novel also sheds light on the darkness when the main character notices all the secrecy and distrust, the rose-tinted glasses of spending so much time growing up together, cracking piece by piece as danger looms closer. 

Were the characters lovable? Nope, but their motivations and monologues were relatable, which made sense for a very character-driven story. 

Do I recommend this book?

A million times yes!! It started slow at first, but it was a pretty easy and solid read. I wish we got more of the friends’ POV; that way I would probably be more confused and be kept at the edge of my seat. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 

[Noura · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was something about She Had Enough that really worked for me. The earthquake wasn't just a dramatic event it gave the story such a unique atmosphere and made everything that followed feel even more unsettling. I loved how the mystery unfolded months later, with Mallory refusing to let Caitlin's disappearance become just another tragedy everyone accepted.

Mallory was the reason I stayed so invested. While everyone around her was content to look the other way, she trusted her instincts, even when people made her question her own reality. Seeing her peel back the layers of secrets, lies, and betrayals kept me completely engaged. It made me wonder how well we ever truly know the people we've called friends for years.

I also appreciated that this story focused just as much on broken friendships and manipulation as it did on solving the mystery. Every conversation felt like someone was hiding something, and I found myself changing my mind over and over about who could be trusted.

The reason this is a four star read instead of five is that I wanted a little more intensity in parts of the middle. It never lost my attention, but I kept waiting for that extra spark that would make it impossible to put down.

Overall, this was a compelling, thought provoking thriller with a fresh premise, plenty of twists, and a protagonist I genuinely enjoyed following. It left me questioning how easily people can hide behind familiar faces and how sometimes the hardest truth to accept is that the people closest to us aren't always who we believe they are.

[Blair Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if a major earthquake happened and then afterwards someone kept breaking into your apartment but didn't take anything? That kept happening to Mallory after she had a dinner night out with the girls. She ends up leaving and when she comes back she finds out the break in continued and also Caitlin, one of the friends from the friend group had disappeared and ended up dead.
Then we have Mallory playing detective trying to figure out exactly what happened to her because it all seems so weird...especially the timeline.
This was a very easy read. I read it in a sitting. I liked how it was put together. We mostly see the story from Mallory's POV. It is told in the third person. But between chapters here and there we have a titled area that isn't a number chapter that is a different POV from the friend group. It would be Caitlin, Rachel, Kendra, Lourdes, or Sonali. Basically one of the friend from the friend group. While we go on this ride figuring out why Caitlin was acting the way she was acting at dinner and what really happened to her. One of them is a flashback to show us the interaction in which causes Caitlin's demise and I find I actually really liked that a lot. It wasn't a total time change like back and forth in timeline like some would do it and I think it really worked. Other than that it did keep my interest and I will be picking up the next Stacie Grey after this!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Kristin Yeager · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Friendship Might Be Worse Than An Earthquake.”
Stacie Grey’s She Had Enough is initially an objective thriller…what happened to Caitlin. Six months after six friends have dinner before going their separate ways, six months after a big quake hits San Francisco that night, six months after each woman has to figure out how to move on from disaster, FMC Mallory realizes that one of them is missing. Caitlin, newest to the group, dealing with her own issues prior to dinner, has disappeared. So, Mallory, hoping someone would do the same for her, starts asking questions. What happened to Caitlin? Then, it becomes a whole lot more personal and Mallory has to ask “how well do I know my friends?” Stuck piecing together clues Mallory finds on social media, from the security camera of a neighbor, and from remembered things mentioned at that fateful dinner; she hopes she can find out which woman not only isn’t a friend but is most likely a murderer. I really enjoyed this book. Grey builds things slowly at first, making you wonder if, maybe, Mallory is paranoid, like her friends think. People post-trauma can be in upheaval and unsettled. But as the book moves on, and different information adds, you start to question along with Mallory- how many coincidences is one too many. And, why does each friend respond to her questioning so defensively? You’ll be holding your breath, waiting for the next crumb, the next act, etc. as the pacing picks up. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Annica Fourie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is this a thriller? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Mostly.
Unfortunately, there was one detail that is repeated a few times in the first few chapters which made me question if I was reading the right book, which is disappointing.
Basically, the synopsis says that Mallory is looking forward to a night out with her college FRIENDS, and that Caitlin, who has ALWAYS been the quiet one, seems MORE withdrawn THAN USUAL. I assumed these people were good friends, they knew one another, but then in the first couple of chapters it's repeated multiple times that Mallory barely knows Caitlin. In itself that is probably not the most important detail to get hung up on, but if I'm going to launch a whole investigation into someone's disappearance you better know that I care about that person more than casual acquaintances.
Other than that, I quite enjoyed the book. It was an intriguing concept and I loved that the inciting incident was a natural disaster. It's something I haven't really seen done before.
I also liked the writing style. It kept me engaged enough to keep turning pages.
Mallory grew on me the further I read, but she isn't going to be making my favourites list.
I would still recommend this to others, with the caveat that there is a bit of confusion regarding character relations in the beginning of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-ARC of this title.

[JessKinoReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this book and was instantly hooked. You had the natural disaster event happen pretty soon, which creates the backdrop of the story, and then instantly pretty much gets into the drama.

This is a book where everyone in the story is a suspect, and while I enjoy the tension this creates in not knowing who are the friends and who are the enemies, something did fall flat for me. I think it potentially was the pacing and more importantly, it just felt quite repetitive. The start and ending where very strong and fast paced, and then we slowed right down in the middle section which made it just a tad boring. We were also going over plot points multiple times without really getting to the bottom of things.

On the other hand, I do think Stacie Grey knows how to end her chapters on a cliff-hanger and is able to get you to carry on reading. There were plenty of times where I had to read the next chapter due to how the previous one finished. Also, I really enjoyed our main character Mallory who had grit and determination to get down to the bottom of every situation.

This book is ultimately a mystery, and to be honest, I just felt it was a bit lackluster. While it wasn't a terrible book that I didn't enjoy, it's not one which will stick with me for months to come. It was a good read for in the moment.