What do you think?
Rate this book
Just Say The Word
Some words unlock pleasure. Others unleash hell.
For Athena Vale, language is more than sound, every word is a taste on her tongue, a riot of color behind her eyes, a razor’s edge of pain or the most exquisite pleasure. In Cassian’s hands, her mind is every trigger a love note, every command a surrender to ecstasy and safety.
But in the hands of Dr. Nolan Mirth? Words become surgical. Addictive. Athena is the first mind that ever truly fed him—her terror, her arousal, her fractured beauty under the knife of fear and desire. He’s tasted her secrets, felt her body break and bloom to a single syllable. After two sessions, he is obsessed. Nothing compares. No one else will satisfy him.
If Athena won’t surrender her mind willingly, Nolan will tear through anyone, give up everything, to possess what he craves.
Now, obsession seeps into every boundary. Each memory, each whisper, each word is a a promise, a violation, a slow, exquisite undoing. Cassian will kill to protect her. Nolan will kill to possess her.
In a world where the same word in one man’s mouth means salvation and in another’s means annihilation, Athena’s mind is the battlefield.
Every mind has a trigger. Some people just love to pull it.
A dark, psychosexual thriller where language is the ultimate weapon, and the greatest vulnerability.
For Athena Vale, language is more than sound, every word is a taste on her tongue, a riot of color behind her eyes, a razor’s edge of pain or the most exquisite pleasure. In Cassian’s hands, her mind is every trigger a love note, every command a surrender to ecstasy and safety.
But in the hands of Dr. Nolan Mirth? Words become surgical. Addictive. Athena is the first mind that ever truly fed him—her terror, her arousal, her fractured beauty under the knife of fear and desire. He’s tasted her secrets, felt her body break and bloom to a single syllable. After two sessions, he is obsessed. Nothing compares. No one else will satisfy him.
If Athena won’t surrender her mind willingly, Nolan will tear through anyone, give up everything, to possess what he craves.
Now, obsession seeps into every boundary. Each memory, each whisper, each word is a a promise, a violation, a slow, exquisite undoing. Cassian will kill to protect her. Nolan will kill to possess her.
In a world where the same word in one man’s mouth means salvation and in another’s means annihilation, Athena’s mind is the battlefield.
Every mind has a trigger. Some people just love to pull it.
A dark, psychosexual thriller where language is the ultimate weapon, and the greatest vulnerability.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2025
2 people are currently reading
About the author
Annalise VanGallows
7 books28 followersAnnalise VanGallows writes immersive psychological thrillers about love and obsession.
She is a recluse by necessity and an author by compulsion. Life has pressed her into shadows, but that’s where the best stories bloom—along the edges of windows, in the quiet between walls, inside the hush of books that stare back when you read them. Her world is a manor with eyes and ears. The flowers bite, but they bloom. And in the enchanted library, there’s a hammock strung between logic and madness where she can swing and read in peace.
Writing is how she leaves. Each novel is a door, a key, a descent.
Her obsessions? Thought experiments involving truth and lies. Love that rots you from the inside out. The cost of surrender. The reward of choosing it anyway. She believes in passion that devours, wounds that seduce, and the terrifying clarity that comes from falling completely apart.
Her debut novel, Mad Honey, invites readers into a house where nothing is as it seems—where the sweetness of survival comes laced with venom, and where the only way out is through.
Do you come out clean and cleansed on the other side?
Or are you still filthy?
She is a recluse by necessity and an author by compulsion. Life has pressed her into shadows, but that’s where the best stories bloom—along the edges of windows, in the quiet between walls, inside the hush of books that stare back when you read them. Her world is a manor with eyes and ears. The flowers bite, but they bloom. And in the enchanted library, there’s a hammock strung between logic and madness where she can swing and read in peace.
Writing is how she leaves. Each novel is a door, a key, a descent.
Her obsessions? Thought experiments involving truth and lies. Love that rots you from the inside out. The cost of surrender. The reward of choosing it anyway. She believes in passion that devours, wounds that seduce, and the terrifying clarity that comes from falling completely apart.
Her debut novel, Mad Honey, invites readers into a house where nothing is as it seems—where the sweetness of survival comes laced with venom, and where the only way out is through.
Do you come out clean and cleansed on the other side?
Or are you still filthy?
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 1, 2025
The book is called Just Say the Word and honestly, I wish the author had said none.
I was given an advanced reader copy of this book, and unfortunately it didn’t work for me. The writing felt extremely juvenile, and characters were often introduced as if the reader should already know who they are, with very little context to establish their relevance. It made the story feel scattered and difficult to follow.
There were also major structural issues. The point of view switched from first person to third person, sometimes mid-sentence, which was extremely confusing and made it hard to stay anchored in the narrative. Combined with multiple plot holes, the overall flow simply never came together.
The grammatical errors were too frequent to ignore, including tense changes within the same sentence and basic mistakes that should have been caught during editing.
The spicy scenes were awkward at best. They lacked chemistry and emotional buildup, and instead of enhancing the story, they felt out of place and uncomfortable to read.
Overall, even as an ARC, this book didn’t read like a polished or fully developed work, and the issues throughout made it very difficult for me to stay engaged or enjoy the story.
After finishing this book, I can honestly say it has set a new baseline for me—and not in a good way. I will probably judge every book I read from this point forward against it, simply because this was, without exaggeration, the worst reading experience I’ve ever had. The lack of structure, the constant POV and tense switching, the plot holes, and the overwhelming grammatical issues created such a chaotic reading experience that anything else I pick up will automatically feel elevated by comparison. If nothing else, this book permanently redefined what a one-star read looks like for me.
I was given an advanced reader copy of this book, and unfortunately it didn’t work for me. The writing felt extremely juvenile, and characters were often introduced as if the reader should already know who they are, with very little context to establish their relevance. It made the story feel scattered and difficult to follow.
There were also major structural issues. The point of view switched from first person to third person, sometimes mid-sentence, which was extremely confusing and made it hard to stay anchored in the narrative. Combined with multiple plot holes, the overall flow simply never came together.
The grammatical errors were too frequent to ignore, including tense changes within the same sentence and basic mistakes that should have been caught during editing.
The spicy scenes were awkward at best. They lacked chemistry and emotional buildup, and instead of enhancing the story, they felt out of place and uncomfortable to read.
Overall, even as an ARC, this book didn’t read like a polished or fully developed work, and the issues throughout made it very difficult for me to stay engaged or enjoy the story.
After finishing this book, I can honestly say it has set a new baseline for me—and not in a good way. I will probably judge every book I read from this point forward against it, simply because this was, without exaggeration, the worst reading experience I’ve ever had. The lack of structure, the constant POV and tense switching, the plot holes, and the overwhelming grammatical issues created such a chaotic reading experience that anything else I pick up will automatically feel elevated by comparison. If nothing else, this book permanently redefined what a one-star read looks like for me.
December 30, 2025
WOW. I was fortunate enough to be selected as part of the ARC team for this book and I am so glad I was. What a book I completed this book is just over 24 hours.. I couldn't put it down. This genre is a new for me but just wow the characters the twists in the story. it was all just soooo good. One of my favourite reads so far. There are some triggers in the book so please check your trigger warnings before starting this one.
December 1, 2025
I recieved this book as an ARC from the author.
So there's a lot I have to say about this book, ill start with the good. The concept of the book was unique, interesting and had so much potential. The characters were interesting, although a little underdeveloped and unrelatable. Sometimes they would act in ways contradictory to other aspects of their personality that had been shown at other points in the book.
Now for the rest of my feelings. The book started very disjointed and difficult to follow, I attributed this to how some suspense books set up their plots so I kept going. The story itself was choppy at times, and there were massive plot holes just never addressed in the book, like difficult to look past they were so glaringly obvious. The next thing that made the book difficult to read was the grammar overall, something I usually am able to ignore pretty well. In this book however there were so many times where I had to mentally substitute words to make a sentence make sense, the past and present tense changed throughout the book, sometimes mid sentence, and it felt like I was trying to decipher the book at times. Lastly I thibk wat really bothered me was how at times, especially the ending, the characters did things so inconsistent with their personality that it felt like they weren't even the same characters at the end of the story.
I hate to leave such a poor review on a book but I truly would not reccomend this book to others.
So there's a lot I have to say about this book, ill start with the good. The concept of the book was unique, interesting and had so much potential. The characters were interesting, although a little underdeveloped and unrelatable. Sometimes they would act in ways contradictory to other aspects of their personality that had been shown at other points in the book.
Now for the rest of my feelings. The book started very disjointed and difficult to follow, I attributed this to how some suspense books set up their plots so I kept going. The story itself was choppy at times, and there were massive plot holes just never addressed in the book, like difficult to look past they were so glaringly obvious. The next thing that made the book difficult to read was the grammar overall, something I usually am able to ignore pretty well. In this book however there were so many times where I had to mentally substitute words to make a sentence make sense, the past and present tense changed throughout the book, sometimes mid sentence, and it felt like I was trying to decipher the book at times. Lastly I thibk wat really bothered me was how at times, especially the ending, the characters did things so inconsistent with their personality that it felt like they weren't even the same characters at the end of the story.
I hate to leave such a poor review on a book but I truly would not reccomend this book to others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2025
Just Say the Word
~Annalise VanGallows
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Mark your calendars now! December 1, 2025 is a release day you do NOT want to slip past you! Just Say the Word by Annalise VanGallows isn’t just another psychological thriller ready to sit on the shelf. It’s bold, unusual, and completely arresting. One of those rare stories that grips you by the edges of page one and refuses to let go until you are wrung out, breathless, and begging for more.
I’ve been with Annalise from the beginning – when Mad Honey went out for it’s first ARC – and every single time I think, there is no way she will top this. Then she proves me wrong. Her gift for crafting characters, building emotionally rich histories, and weaving atmospheric tension into every scene is nothing short of extraordinary. Her work always feels less like reading, and more like stepping through a portal into another world.
Just Say the Word introduces us to Athena Vale, wife to Dr. Cassian Vale. Athena is not your average character – she lives with synesthesia, a condition that colors every moment of her daily existence. Desperate for balance and control, she turns to a new form of experimental therapy. The problem, you ask? The only doctor in her area using this treatment shares office space with her husband. Despite Cassian’s unease, Athena begins treatment only to find Dr. Nolan Mirth is fascinated more by her suffering, than the healing aspect. Piece by piece, Mirth drains her until Cassian is forced to intervene.
But, is Cassian already too late? Can he shield Athena from the emotional devastation that threatens to consume her? Or is she fate to relive her deepest wounds under the guise of healing from a man who feeds off her pain?
When I say no one builds characters like VanGallows, I mean it. Every single one feels alive, bruised, hopeful, terrified, and achingly real. She writes emotional trauma with a tenderness that cuts deep, and her atmospheric worldbuilding pulls you straight into the storm. You don’t just read Athena’s journey – you feel every fractured moment as if you are deep inside her psyche.
If you are needing a unique, fresh, immersive, and capable of haunting your thoughts long after you’ve closed the book, then Just Say the Word belongs at the top of your list! Pre-orders are live now – so be sure to grab your copy to make sure you are there for every gripping, heart-twisting second of this amazing psychological thriller when it releases on 12/1/2025!
I would like to thank Annalise VanGallows for allowing me to Alpha/Beta/ARC for Just Say the Word. As always, all opinions and reviews are of my own volition. I have not been promised any compensation, current or future, by the author or publisher for a fair and honest review.
~Annalise VanGallows
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Mark your calendars now! December 1, 2025 is a release day you do NOT want to slip past you! Just Say the Word by Annalise VanGallows isn’t just another psychological thriller ready to sit on the shelf. It’s bold, unusual, and completely arresting. One of those rare stories that grips you by the edges of page one and refuses to let go until you are wrung out, breathless, and begging for more.
I’ve been with Annalise from the beginning – when Mad Honey went out for it’s first ARC – and every single time I think, there is no way she will top this. Then she proves me wrong. Her gift for crafting characters, building emotionally rich histories, and weaving atmospheric tension into every scene is nothing short of extraordinary. Her work always feels less like reading, and more like stepping through a portal into another world.
Just Say the Word introduces us to Athena Vale, wife to Dr. Cassian Vale. Athena is not your average character – she lives with synesthesia, a condition that colors every moment of her daily existence. Desperate for balance and control, she turns to a new form of experimental therapy. The problem, you ask? The only doctor in her area using this treatment shares office space with her husband. Despite Cassian’s unease, Athena begins treatment only to find Dr. Nolan Mirth is fascinated more by her suffering, than the healing aspect. Piece by piece, Mirth drains her until Cassian is forced to intervene.
But, is Cassian already too late? Can he shield Athena from the emotional devastation that threatens to consume her? Or is she fate to relive her deepest wounds under the guise of healing from a man who feeds off her pain?
When I say no one builds characters like VanGallows, I mean it. Every single one feels alive, bruised, hopeful, terrified, and achingly real. She writes emotional trauma with a tenderness that cuts deep, and her atmospheric worldbuilding pulls you straight into the storm. You don’t just read Athena’s journey – you feel every fractured moment as if you are deep inside her psyche.
If you are needing a unique, fresh, immersive, and capable of haunting your thoughts long after you’ve closed the book, then Just Say the Word belongs at the top of your list! Pre-orders are live now – so be sure to grab your copy to make sure you are there for every gripping, heart-twisting second of this amazing psychological thriller when it releases on 12/1/2025!
I would like to thank Annalise VanGallows for allowing me to Alpha/Beta/ARC for Just Say the Word. As always, all opinions and reviews are of my own volition. I have not been promised any compensation, current or future, by the author or publisher for a fair and honest review.
December 2, 2025
Thank you for the opportunity to read this as an ARC!
The description of this book really drew me in, it seemed really up my alley, but unfortunately it felt really flat for me. The book had a lot of potential but wasn’t executed in a way I enjoyed.
The POV jumped around without explanation, it switched from 1st and 3rd person sometimes mid sentence. There were a lot of grammar errors, which I can over look a few but there were a lot! The story felt very choppy and didn’t flow well for me. It almost felt like I was coming into a story half already told…Athena’s nickname, certain characters that just came in like they had been there the whole time and deeper descriptions of things, like I was supposed to know them already.
I did enjoy the revenge that Athena got at the end and there were a few twists & turns I didn’t see coming.
I feel like the MMC might have been an homage to Cassian from acotar, there were so many things that he said and did that reminded me of him. Including his name obviously lol
Overall this was a solid 2.5⭐️ for me!
The description of this book really drew me in, it seemed really up my alley, but unfortunately it felt really flat for me. The book had a lot of potential but wasn’t executed in a way I enjoyed.
The POV jumped around without explanation, it switched from 1st and 3rd person sometimes mid sentence. There were a lot of grammar errors, which I can over look a few but there were a lot! The story felt very choppy and didn’t flow well for me. It almost felt like I was coming into a story half already told…Athena’s nickname, certain characters that just came in like they had been there the whole time and deeper descriptions of things, like I was supposed to know them already.
I did enjoy the revenge that Athena got at the end and there were a few twists & turns I didn’t see coming.
I feel like the MMC might have been an homage to Cassian from acotar, there were so many things that he said and did that reminded me of him. Including his name obviously lol
Overall this was a solid 2.5⭐️ for me!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2025
Thank you for the opportunity of reading this as an arc! The summary sounded so promising and intriguing to me and I was really looking forward to getting into it! There were a couple twists I wasn’t expecting but overall I think the execution of the storyline was just not written in a style that I enjoy. The jumping around in the story with no warning was kind of confusing for me personally.
December 2, 2025
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to ARC read.
Unfortunately, it was a 2 ✨️ read for me. The blurb hooked me and really had me excited about this one! The writing was quite juvenile. However, I did love the revenge that unfolded in the end. I originally had it at a 2.5, but the more I think about it, the less I liked it. I just feel there were a ton of plot holes and no real character development. I felt like I was missing something the whole time I read it.
Unfortunately, it was a 2 ✨️ read for me. The blurb hooked me and really had me excited about this one! The writing was quite juvenile. However, I did love the revenge that unfolded in the end. I originally had it at a 2.5, but the more I think about it, the less I liked it. I just feel there were a ton of plot holes and no real character development. I felt like I was missing something the whole time I read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2025
For starters, I never expected a book to portray a neurological condition as well as Vangallows did. I have this condition, and wow, I could feel this book in its entirety.
The dual POV kept me on my toes, and the twists and turns pulled together in so many "AHA!" moments. There were so many times I went back and reread some parts, because I thought *no, there's no way that ties together like that.*
Highly, highly recommend adding this to your TBR for the end of the year, or putting it on your 2026 TBR, or both!
The dual POV kept me on my toes, and the twists and turns pulled together in so many "AHA!" moments. There were so many times I went back and reread some parts, because I thought *no, there's no way that ties together like that.*
Highly, highly recommend adding this to your TBR for the end of the year, or putting it on your 2026 TBR, or both!
November 25, 2025
Just finished my arc book!!!! Just Say The Word it was a wild ride Athena went through some sh!ttttt. the story was intense!!!! darker then I expected but absolutely amazing 5/5!!! the spice was there not overly spicy though. but I deff recommend it!!!! @Annalise VanGallows u have done it again!!! such a masterpiece
#LostInAStory #HiveOfLies #AnnaliseVanGallows #BookBeforeHousework #booktok
#LostInAStory #HiveOfLies #AnnaliseVanGallows #BookBeforeHousework #booktok
December 1, 2025
This novel stands out for its unique premise and its meticulous examination of how words something so ordinary can become instruments of control, desire, and psychological warfare. Athena Vale is a strikingly compelling protagonist; her rare neurological relationship with language is portrayed with nuance, depth, and emotional clarity. Through her perspective, the sensory and psychological impact of every word feels vivid and immersive.
The tension between Cassian and Dr. Nolan Mirth forms the backbone of the story, creating a chilling contrast between protection and predation. Cassian’s steady, grounding presence directly opposes Nolan’s calculated, clinical fascination, resulting in a psychological tug-of-war that is both disturbing and gripping. Their conflicting intentions elevate the stakes and keep the narrative taut throughout.
The author handles the darker elements with precision, never leaning into gratuitous detail but instead focusing on the psychological complexity of obsession, trauma, and power. The prose is controlled and deliberate, mirroring the book’s central theme: that language itself can be weaponized.
This is a meticulously written and deeply atmospheric thriller intense, unsettling, and thought provoking. Readers who appreciate dark psychological narratives with rich characterization and high-stakes emotional tension will find this an exceptional and memorable story.
The tension between Cassian and Dr. Nolan Mirth forms the backbone of the story, creating a chilling contrast between protection and predation. Cassian’s steady, grounding presence directly opposes Nolan’s calculated, clinical fascination, resulting in a psychological tug-of-war that is both disturbing and gripping. Their conflicting intentions elevate the stakes and keep the narrative taut throughout.
The author handles the darker elements with precision, never leaning into gratuitous detail but instead focusing on the psychological complexity of obsession, trauma, and power. The prose is controlled and deliberate, mirroring the book’s central theme: that language itself can be weaponized.
This is a meticulously written and deeply atmospheric thriller intense, unsettling, and thought provoking. Readers who appreciate dark psychological narratives with rich characterization and high-stakes emotional tension will find this an exceptional and memorable story.
December 2, 2025
I was blessed to read this ARC
When I first read some of the reviews about this book, I was a little hesitant, even though I absolutely loved the other two books by this author so it took me a little while to kind of get into it.But I finally did just settle down.Start reading it and I absolutely thought it was fantastic
It did not go the way that I was thinking it was gonna go at all.I was really intrigued by the plot and the premise of it, and I learned a lot of new terms, and I really enjoyed this book
The ending was very not surprising, but kind of shocked.
At the very very last
Highly recommend for anyone who likes dark psycho thrillers with a little bit of spice but not too much
When I first read some of the reviews about this book, I was a little hesitant, even though I absolutely loved the other two books by this author so it took me a little while to kind of get into it.But I finally did just settle down.Start reading it and I absolutely thought it was fantastic
It did not go the way that I was thinking it was gonna go at all.I was really intrigued by the plot and the premise of it, and I learned a lot of new terms, and I really enjoyed this book
The ending was very not surprising, but kind of shocked.
At the very very last
Highly recommend for anyone who likes dark psycho thrillers with a little bit of spice but not too much
December 11, 2025
Just Say The Word is a razor-sharp, intoxicating descent into obsession, power, and the dangerous beauty of language. Annalise VanGallows delivers a dark, hypnotic thriller where every word carries weight pleasure, terror, surrender and every character pulses with raw intensity. Athena, Cassian, and Nolan form a chilling, unforgettable triangle of desire and danger that keeps the tension wound tight from the first page to the last. Bold, unsettling, and brilliantly crafted, this story grips the mind and refuses to let go. A must-read for fans of psychological thrillers that push boundaries and leave you breathless.
November 29, 2025
Athena’s journey is a wild, intense ridedarker than I expected, with just the right amount of spice, and I’d recommend it, but be sure to check the trigger warnings first.
December 30, 2025
excellent read, and very powerful when it comes to those in power. Enjoyed the concept of the mind within this book.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews