Cherry

by Rose Wilding

It starts as a love song. It ends with murder.

1999

Gifty is a woman adrift in the wake of her wife's death. She's living in stasis, unable to bring herself to enter the bedroom where Helen died after a long illness. Her therapist tells her to confront her grief, but instead she wanders the streets looking for someone from her past.

Fallen nineties pop star Isobel has done everything she can to reinvent herself. Gone is the girlish make-up and provocative manner. When she lands a job working for a middle-class family, she decides to embody the perfect nanny.

Ally has always prided herself on running a successful business and being a good parent to her two children. But when her husband announces that he is leaving them to work in Indonesia for six months, and hires Isobel without consulting her, she is left angry and struggling with her chronic illness.

The women soon become tangled in a dangerous web of obsession and infatuation. Someone is going to die, the question who?

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller

352 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication November 3, 2026

Reviews

[Caz]

4.5⭐️ Well… I really don’t know where to start with this one.

Actually, yes I do.

There is a man in a freezer.

A MAN.

IN A FREEZER.

And that was probably the moment I realised Rose Wilding and I were about to have a very different kind of reading experience.

Cherry is a dark psychological thriller set in 1999, and honestly, it is one seriously twisted ride.

We have Gifty, who is struggling to cope after the death of her wife Helen. Instead of dealing with her grief, she becomes completely fixated on finding Cherry, a missing 90s pop star who she believes she has seen again.

Then there’s Ally, who has built the life she always wanted, with her business, her home and her children, but everything starts to unravel when her husband Charles leaves for Indonesia and brings Isobel into the family as an au pair.

And Isobel…

Well.

Isobel used to be Cherry.

The fallen pop star who has reinvented herself and is now determined to become the perfect nanny and leave her old life behind.

Except you know what they say about secrets.

They have a rather annoying habit of coming back to bite you on the arse.

And when these three women become tangled up in obsession, grief, desire and secrets, things start getting VERY dark.

I mean, when you have a dead man in a freezer and you’re wondering exactly how the hell he got there, you know you’re not reading a gentle little domestic drama.

What I really loved was how Rose keeps making you question everyone.

Is Gifty grieving… or becoming obsessed?

Is Isobel really the sweet, perfect nanny she appears to be?

And Ally… well, let’s just say I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near that house when everything starts falling apart.

Everyone has something they’re hiding.

Everyone has a reason to lie.

And everyone seems to have their own version of the truth.

The psychopath element really got under my skin too. There is something particularly disturbing about the way violence sits alongside these ordinary domestic scenes. One minute you’re reading about family life and everyday routines, and the next you’re thinking, HANG ON… WHY IS THERE A BODY IN THE FREEZER?!

That contrast worked SO well for me.

And Rose Wilding’s writing…

Honestly, this woman can WRITE.

Her characters are messy, complicated and sometimes downright disturbing, but they never felt flat. I could understand how they got to where they were, even when I was sitting there thinking, girl, WHAT are you doing?!

I also loved the 90s setting. The pop-star world, the music industry, the obsession with image and reinvention, the drugs, the relationships… Rose brings that whole era to life without making it feel like we’re being given a history lesson.

And the writing has this wonderfully unsettling quality to it. There is always this feeling that something isn’t quite right, even when nothing particularly awful is happening.

You just KNOW something is lurking around the corner.

And then there are the short chapters.

Oh, Rose.

You knew exactly what you were doing.

Just one more chapter.

Just one more.

Oh look… it’s 1am.

What makes Cherry work for me isn’t just the murder or the twists. It’s the women. Their grief, obsession, loneliness, anger and desire all become tangled together until you genuinely don’t know where one person’s story ends and another begins.

It’s dark.

It’s creepy.

It’s completely messed up in places.

And somehow I couldn’t stop reading.

Rose Wilding has written a psychological thriller that gets right inside the heads of its characters and then leaves you wondering whether you should trust any of them.

And that freezer…

I don’t think I’m ever going to look at one quite the same way again.

Rose, what on earth goes on in that brain of yours?!

Absolutely loved the writing and the sheer madness of it all.

Thank you, NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Rose Wilding for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Publishing date: November 3rd 2026

[Megan Magee]

It's 1997, and we follow Gifty, who has lost her wife Helen, Isobel, a former 90's popstar burned by fame, and Ally, a married mom of two. This is 100% a story of obsession, a la Fatal Attraction Sharon Stone bunny boiling type stuff. I genuinely LOVED our town setting, and the time period it took place in. The POV's are straight forward enough- the pace of this one is so fast, the chapters were short, and the genuine WTF moments never let up. Visceral is a great description for this one, as the way it is written and the content it covers will absolutely make you feel watched, sick, queasy etc. There is on page animal violence a few times, I have to put out as a warning. I wish this one had had a bit more than "mystery and thriller" labeled on it because it's hard to review this book under that umbrella, personally, with how gruesome it gets. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

[Jess]

This was such a fun read! With how much I loved Wilding's previous book Speak of the Devil, I was nervous that this wasn't gonna hit quite the same but I shouldn't have been worried. This is another five star book for me & I'd recommend to everybody needing a sapphic horror/thriller full of female rage & a villain you love to hate.

The prologue had me gripped immediately. The pacing of the book overall was fairly steady, some parts I'll admit felt slightly rushed but not enough to lose my interest. I loved how eerie & mysterious parts of the plot were & the nostalgic feeling of it being set in the 90s. For a good half of the book I was conflicted on how to feel about the main characters & there was a strong unreliable narrator vibe all throughout this which I really liked & thought was executed well, even right up till the end. Isobel was one of the best fictional villains I've read— she was mysterious, strange & so many of the WTF moments in this book revolved around her. I hated her in the way we're meant to hate a villain but I loved how the writing made her so intriguing at the same time, I was desperate to figure out her backstory of which I did predict one of the twists early on.

Speaking of predictable twists, there were a few I could sense coming but this didn't put me off at all. I liked reading how things came together & seeing the plot developing how it did. I loved how fast paced the last few chapters were with the constant quick switches of POV between Isobel, Ally & Gifty. The scenes as it was getting to the end were SO tense, I didn't want to put it down before getting to the final page. All three FMCs were complex & flawed in their own ways but I still can't stop thinking about them long after finishing this.

I would say to suspend disbelief to an extent at times whilst reading this & a warning that there is an on page scene of animal cruelty which almost caught me off guard but none of this was enough to lower my own rating. I had a lot of fun reading this, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending & especially loved the epilogue. I liked how different this felt from Speak of the Devil but with Wilding's same addictive writing style. I'm excited to see what she does next & for more readers to discover this when it's out!

Thank you John Murray Press & Netgalley for my free eARC!

[Zoe Lipman]

3.5/5

This book has a little bit of everything, genre-wise, so I think a lot of different kinds of readers could have a really good time with this. That made this book intriguing, always having something going on. And I appreciate that. I was never bored.

This is also for readers who love stories about obsession (and how that can twist).

I did find worrying about the dog peeing in the house during murder time to be absolutely hilarious. And relatable. Worrying about dog pee is totally valid, but maybe you have bigger fish to fry in that moment.

I would recommend looking up trigger warnings (I'm sure some other reviews have also included some).

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Gabby Hurley]

4/5

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author Rise Wilding for gifting me with this ARC to review!

Liked:

-oh this chick is actually crazy. I’m not even joking when I’m telling you that Cherry/Isobel’s obsessions and delusions are next level, I’m not joking. The way she justifies her actions and swings wildly from seemingly being a “normal” loving person to psychologically deranged one is crazy. She constantly needs to be the center of attention to whoever she’s fixated on and if she feels like she not then the cuckoo starts slipping out.

-I liked the multiple POVs. I could’ve maybe done without Gifty’s (they weren’t bad but they just felt a bit unnecessary in the being) but I enjoyed watching the story and lies unraveling through the 3 women. Gifty has a lot of guilt she hasn’t really addressed surrounding both her partner (rip Helen) and Cherry. Ally is a chronically ill mom whose husband is a piece of garbage and has an au pair that can do anything. Isobel is a woman obsessed and will do anything to make sure she gets who she wants.

Disliked:

-The wrap up and ending felt a bit rushed to me. I thought the pacing was pretty good up until the last couple of chapters. It just felt rushed and that we were going from one scene to the next and scrimping on more detailed scenes.

-Ally you kind of suck as a pharmacist lol. I feel like you should be able to recognize certain symptoms happening after you take your medication. I refuse to believe you are going to blame everything on your illness and magically forget why you think something might be off with your meds. You’re smarter than that, I would hope.

[Lynsey Spedding]

Set in 1997, this was a compelling and unsettling read, centred around obsession, grief, fame and the dangerous lengths people can go to when desire takes over. Following Gifty, who has lost her wife Helen, Isobel, a former ’90s pop star, and Ally, a married mother of two, the story explores these lives through multiple perspectives, gradually revealing how their experiences connect.

The concept was intriguing, and I particularly enjoyed the small-town setting and the nostalgic time period. The short chapters and shifting viewpoints made the book easy to move through, with plenty of shocking and genuinely disturbing moments along the way. The writing creates an increasingly uncomfortable atmosphere, and the story certainly lives up to its darker, more visceral elements.

That said, I did find the pacing a little uneven in places, and I struggled to connect with some of the characters. While the mystery had some strong moments, I felt the book could have benefited from a little more depth in certain areas. I also think it’s worth noting that this is considerably more gruesome than the typical “mystery and thriller” label might suggest, with animal violence and other disturbing content that may not suit every reader.

Overall, this was an original and memorable read that kept me curious, even if it wasn’t a personal favourite. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy dark, character-driven mysteries, psychological suspense and stories that explore obsession in deeply unsettling ways.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

[Alyssa Smith]

Thank you Minotaur Books for my gifted copy!

Rose Wilding’s writing is like quicksand. It is poetry. It is a painting of scenery I have longed for all my life. Cloyingly atmospheric and addictive.

I loved Speak of the Devil so much. I remember the moment I finished it, feeling like my world had been altered. So when I got the email from Minotaur inviting me to read Cherry, I jumped. I was all in. And from the second I opened this book, it consumed me.

I am a sucker for an unreliable narrator. And we meet a cast of them. Whew. The last time I felt this way was The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. She cemented the unreliable narrator trope, and while it has been over- used and hung out with the wash, a few authors still manage to nail it, Rose Wilding being one.

I can’t say much without spoiling it, but you’re truly in for a ride with this one. It made me recoil in horror, cringe in disgust, gasp in surprise. I am not exaggerating. There were some scenes that had me crawling my back to the wall just to support me to the next chapter. I love whatever is wrong with your mind, Rose Wilding. Please write more, because wow. Just wow.

This book was brilliant. It deserves all of the hype.

[Eric Lustbader]

There are very few novels that come my way that make me want to throw up. Oddly, two of them arrived in the last month. The first I gave up after about 30 pages of incessant gore. Cherry is in another category entirely. It is, in fact, well written and psychologically well thought out. It is, in essence, an indelible description of one character's horrifying descent into delusional insanity. The novel is relentless in this regard. It affected me greatly in a visceral way. It's not an easy read, though it starts out as such. In fact, the setup at the beginning is eerily reminiscent of The Housemaid, but believe me when I tell you that's where the similarity ends. Oddly, some of the characters are depicted at a remove, so you never really get under their skin. One in particular grieves constantly throughout the book; it gets to be too much and her singular feature. This is one where you'll have to make up your own mind. Just remember: you have been warned. Rated 3 1/2 stars.

[Cynthia Brendel]

I’ve really been struggling with thrillers lately...everything I’ve read has just been kind of predictable or flat. BUT! I really enjoyed this one! It follows three women whose lives are intersecting with each other in different ways, a dangerous obsession blooming, and of course a POS man. It was definitely a page turner and kept me invested. I think maybe two-thirds of the way through or so I started to kind of figure out where it might be going, but the ending was really well done. Cherry is DIABOLICAL, and I thought this was super dark for a thriller. I kind of love that it was the teenage girl who started to figure her out first? All of the characters were relatable in some way, they were all lying to themselves in one way or another, and they were all looking for someone to really see and love them. Super fun and quick read. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for opportunity to read this ARC!

[Milliesbooknook]

This book had me intrigued from the prologue. The journey it then took me on was wild; while I felt the pace slowed down quite a lot at times, the feeling of dread kept me turning the page. The cleverly woven plot revealed itself through three points of view and multiple timelines. The story was highly unique, which made it all the more captivating. In fact, I think this book features one of the most unhinged female characters I have read in a while.

The story follows the lives of three women: Gifty, a music teacher; Ally, a pharmacist and mother of two who is married to an archaeologist; and Isobel, an au pair who is trying to improve herself.I don't want to say to much more other than buckle up.

The narrative covers grief, betrayal, obsession, and some totally unhinged behavior. I would recommend this book, but please note that it contains two instances of animal cruelty.

[Kheyra Santos]

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

This was an interesting read with a unique concept that kept me curious to see how everything would come together. The mystery had some strong moments, and I liked how the different perspectives slowly revealed more of the story. That said, it was a little slower than I expected, and at times I found it hard to connect with some of the characters. The pacing picked up toward the end, but it took a while to get there. Overall, I'm glad I read it, even if it wasn't a favorite. I think readers who enjoy character-driven mysteries with multiple points of view will probably enjoy this one more than I did.

[Stephanie Jackson]

This book I received as a nice arc surprise. While I wasn’t sure what it 100% was about the blurb was interesting and I was immediately drawn in. While I will say it is slightly different than my usual choice for a book it was good. Fast paced and definitely some “excuse what did I just read moments” the book was good!

[Kathy]

I really enjoyed this book. 4.5 stars. Well done!
Thank you goodreads for the ARC.

[Jess Laur]

Cherry had me in a chokehold!!! The obsession, desire, lust … the juxtaposition between character’s POV. I loved everything about this! Thank you for the ARC Minotaur Books!

[Crissy]

Thank you goodreads giveaways for the arc.

I have been reading over the last few days and will later update the reviews.

Omg, what did I just read. Cherry is not an easy read.