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Dark Things I Adore: A Novel
A debut thriller for fans of Lucy Foley and Liz Moore, Dark Things I Adore is a stunning Gone Girl-esque tale of atonement that proves that in the grasp of manipulative men, women may momentarily fall. But in the hands of fierce women, men will be brought to their knees.
Three campfire secrets. Two witnesses. One dead in the trees. And the woman, thirty years later, bent on making the guilty finally pay.
1988. A group of outcasts gather at a small, prestigious arts camp nestled in the Maine woods. They're the painters: bright, hopeful, teeming with potential. But secrets and dark ambitions rise like smoke from a campfire, and the truths they tell will come back to haunt them in ways more deadly than they dreamed.
2018. Esteemed art professor Max Durant arrives at his protégé's remote home to view her graduate thesis collection. He knows Audra is beautiful and brilliant. He knows being invited into her private world is a rare gift. But he doesn't know that Audra has engineered every aspect of their weekend together. Every detail, every conversation. Audra has woven the perfect web.
Only Audra knows what happened that summer in 1988. Max's secret, and the dark things that followed. And even though it won't be easy, Audra knows someone must pay.
A searing psychological thriller of trauma, dark academia, complicity, and revenge, Dark Things I Adore unravels the realities behind campfire legends-the horrors that happen in the dark, the girls who become cautionary tales, and the guilty who go unpunished. Until now.
Three campfire secrets. Two witnesses. One dead in the trees. And the woman, thirty years later, bent on making the guilty finally pay.
1988. A group of outcasts gather at a small, prestigious arts camp nestled in the Maine woods. They're the painters: bright, hopeful, teeming with potential. But secrets and dark ambitions rise like smoke from a campfire, and the truths they tell will come back to haunt them in ways more deadly than they dreamed.
2018. Esteemed art professor Max Durant arrives at his protégé's remote home to view her graduate thesis collection. He knows Audra is beautiful and brilliant. He knows being invited into her private world is a rare gift. But he doesn't know that Audra has engineered every aspect of their weekend together. Every detail, every conversation. Audra has woven the perfect web.
Only Audra knows what happened that summer in 1988. Max's secret, and the dark things that followed. And even though it won't be easy, Audra knows someone must pay.
A searing psychological thriller of trauma, dark academia, complicity, and revenge, Dark Things I Adore unravels the realities behind campfire legends-the horrors that happen in the dark, the girls who become cautionary tales, and the guilty who go unpunished. Until now.
416 pages, Paperback
First published September 14, 2021
500 people are currently reading
16007 people want to read
About the author
Katie Lattari
3 books156 followersKatie Lattari holds degrees from the University of Maine and the University of Notre Dame. Her first novel, AMERICAN VAUDEVILLE, a small indie press work, was published by Mammoth Books in 2016 and her debut thriller DARK THINGS I ADORE was published by Sourcebooks Landmark in 2021. In July 2022 DARK THINGS I ADORE was named Barnes & Noble's national mystery/thriller pick of the month.
"[C]areful and sinewy plotting, which reveals in chilling detail who gets to make art, and who gets subsumed in the process."—New York Times Book Review
"A smart, nuanced exploration of victims and villains, inspiration and theft, and the intersection of these things, in every artist. Pay attention to Katie Lattari. She's the real deal."—Sarah Langan, author of Good Neighbors
"This vengeful tale that pits artistic genius against mental health and happiness will captivate fans of dark suspense."— Library Journal (starred review)
"[C]areful and sinewy plotting, which reveals in chilling detail who gets to make art, and who gets subsumed in the process."—New York Times Book Review
"A smart, nuanced exploration of victims and villains, inspiration and theft, and the intersection of these things, in every artist. Pay attention to Katie Lattari. She's the real deal."—Sarah Langan, author of Good Neighbors
"This vengeful tale that pits artistic genius against mental health and happiness will captivate fans of dark suspense."— Library Journal (starred review)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 778 reviews
March 3, 2022
The best thing I can say about this one was that it was a fairly quick read. It is told in two timelines, both of which are quite distinct and easy to follow. I love a good revenge story, so I was happy with that theme throughout.
The things that didn't really work for me:
In the 1980s timeline, the characters are mostly known by their camp nicknames (Juniper, Moss, Mantis, Coral, etc.) Let me say that the nickname Mantis kept bringing up GOTG vibes and pictures in my head and I had to keep reminding myself that he is a guy not an empath with antennae, but I digress... I get the author's purpose for this, she was trying to hide their identities for the present day timeline so we didn't guess who was who, but it didn't work. It was quite obvious nearly from the beginning and just got tedious.
It was also pretty obvious to me what was going on in the Audra/Max storyline. And Max the absolute BIGGEST idiot for both not putting things together, but also just in general with his choices. Maybe because he was so full of himself he couldn't see the GLARING hints she was giving him, but I choose to believe he was just dumb as a box of rocks (sorry rocks).
And then there are all of these disjointed notes/art pieces and maybe now it's ME who is dumb, but I just don't really get art and how all of these things represent everything that happened. So this is probably a case in this instance that I was the wrong reader for this book. Here's a warning to anyone who listens to this as an audiobook (I did not) those notes are going to be weird and not sure they will translate well to audio.
It does wrap up nicely and everything is explained in the end. Even the last twist that is supposed to shock the reader didn't shock me, I had figured that out a long time before.
There are lots of great reviews for this book, so if you like mysteries with some art thrown in with a side of intense revenge, you might like this a lot more than I did.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
The things that didn't really work for me:
In the 1980s timeline, the characters are mostly known by their camp nicknames (Juniper, Moss, Mantis, Coral, etc.) Let me say that the nickname Mantis kept bringing up GOTG vibes and pictures in my head and I had to keep reminding myself that he is a guy not an empath with antennae, but I digress... I get the author's purpose for this, she was trying to hide their identities for the present day timeline so we didn't guess who was who, but it didn't work. It was quite obvious nearly from the beginning and just got tedious.
It was also pretty obvious to me what was going on in the Audra/Max storyline. And Max the absolute BIGGEST idiot for both not putting things together, but also just in general with his choices. Maybe because he was so full of himself he couldn't see the GLARING hints she was giving him, but I choose to believe he was just dumb as a box of rocks (sorry rocks).
And then there are all of these disjointed notes/art pieces and maybe now it's ME who is dumb, but I just don't really get art and how all of these things represent everything that happened. So this is probably a case in this instance that I was the wrong reader for this book. Here's a warning to anyone who listens to this as an audiobook (I did not) those notes are going to be weird and not sure they will translate well to audio.
It does wrap up nicely and everything is explained in the end. Even the last twist that is supposed to shock the reader didn't shock me, I had figured that out a long time before.
There are lots of great reviews for this book, so if you like mysteries with some art thrown in with a side of intense revenge, you might like this a lot more than I did.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
April 27, 2022
Dark Things I adore by Katie Lattari is a 2021 Sourcebooks Landmark publication.
Well, that was different.
In 1988 a group of offbeat artists gather at a remote campsite located in the Maine woods. They each go by an ‘artistic’ name and not their given names. This even applies to those who are on staff at the campsite, which includes Cindy- who goes by the name, ‘Coral’. Coral was hired to clean up after the campers, but she too has an artistic flair, so they allow her to sit in on their art sessions. What should have been a nice place for artistic exploration and inspiration turns sinister, dark and ugly, as jealousy and desires boil over, made even more tense by Coral’s battles with her own demons and those who wish to use her for their own creative ambitions.
2018- Max Durant, an esteemed art professor is keen on mentoring a brilliant art student named Audra- and naturally, he’s also entertaining the idea of seduction.
When he’s invited to visit her home to look over her artistic thesis, he’s beyond eager to get her alone. What he doesn’t know is that he’s stepped right into Audra’s trap…
I admire the ‘artistic’ approach the author utilized to keep this book from looking and sounding like every other psychological thriller out there. Unfortunately, it was a little too artistic at times, and I struggled to keep all the characters strait, on top of dealing with a dual timeline which didn’t always transition smoothly.
Nevertheless, I was invested enough in the story to stick with it, if for no other reason than to see how it all came together in the end. I finally started to get into it, in earnest, in the last quarter of the book and began to understand the method to the madness a little more.
The wrap-up is solid though. It does all come together in the end, and it is obvious the author put some thought behind the plot and the way it would reveal itself. Her method is successful, to a degree, as it kept me in the dark for a long time. Sure, some portions of the mystery become obvious in time, but it took me a while to finally piece together what had led to such a strategic and intense line of retaliation and to figure out all the whodunit parts, too.
Overall, this is an interesting concept for this genre. It’s a weird story in some ways, but at least it had some originality. I just wish the execution had been better.
3.5 stars
Well, that was different.
In 1988 a group of offbeat artists gather at a remote campsite located in the Maine woods. They each go by an ‘artistic’ name and not their given names. This even applies to those who are on staff at the campsite, which includes Cindy- who goes by the name, ‘Coral’. Coral was hired to clean up after the campers, but she too has an artistic flair, so they allow her to sit in on their art sessions. What should have been a nice place for artistic exploration and inspiration turns sinister, dark and ugly, as jealousy and desires boil over, made even more tense by Coral’s battles with her own demons and those who wish to use her for their own creative ambitions.
2018- Max Durant, an esteemed art professor is keen on mentoring a brilliant art student named Audra- and naturally, he’s also entertaining the idea of seduction.
When he’s invited to visit her home to look over her artistic thesis, he’s beyond eager to get her alone. What he doesn’t know is that he’s stepped right into Audra’s trap…
I admire the ‘artistic’ approach the author utilized to keep this book from looking and sounding like every other psychological thriller out there. Unfortunately, it was a little too artistic at times, and I struggled to keep all the characters strait, on top of dealing with a dual timeline which didn’t always transition smoothly.
Nevertheless, I was invested enough in the story to stick with it, if for no other reason than to see how it all came together in the end. I finally started to get into it, in earnest, in the last quarter of the book and began to understand the method to the madness a little more.
The wrap-up is solid though. It does all come together in the end, and it is obvious the author put some thought behind the plot and the way it would reveal itself. Her method is successful, to a degree, as it kept me in the dark for a long time. Sure, some portions of the mystery become obvious in time, but it took me a while to finally piece together what had led to such a strategic and intense line of retaliation and to figure out all the whodunit parts, too.
Overall, this is an interesting concept for this genre. It’s a weird story in some ways, but at least it had some originality. I just wish the execution had been better.
3.5 stars
March 6, 2022
3.5 stars!
Set across two timelines, the 1980s and 2018, Dark Things I Adore is the suspenseful story of a murder that occurred at an art camp in the woods of Maine.
The story has elements of art, trauma, secrets, and revenge. Audra knows what happened that fateful summer, and she’s determined that someone will pay the price.
I would say this book lands more on the mystery suspense side, and while I had an idea of which direction the story was going, I was invested and along for the ride to see if I was correct.
Dark Things I Adore is a slow burn where the two timelines gradually come together for the conclusion of a tense and dark revenge story.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Set across two timelines, the 1980s and 2018, Dark Things I Adore is the suspenseful story of a murder that occurred at an art camp in the woods of Maine.
The story has elements of art, trauma, secrets, and revenge. Audra knows what happened that fateful summer, and she’s determined that someone will pay the price.
I would say this book lands more on the mystery suspense side, and while I had an idea of which direction the story was going, I was invested and along for the ride to see if I was correct.
Dark Things I Adore is a slow burn where the two timelines gradually come together for the conclusion of a tense and dark revenge story.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
September 19, 2021
A tale of vengeance, two storylines, 3 POV's, campfire, secrets, complicity academia, and artistic genius!
1988 - Prestigious art camp in the Maine woods
They are gathered around the fire, they have potential, they are driven, they have ambition. They never thought about the truths they told and how it will come back to haunt them.
2018 - A remote home
Max, an art professor, has arrived at his protégé's (Audra) remote home to view her thesis collection. Little does he know that she has planned everything to a "T” She knows his secret. She knows what happened in 1988...
I found this to be slow and even when it grabbed my attention, it didn't completely "Wow" me. First off, I am not a fan of the whole "Gone girl" comparison that many book publisher’s tout. It irks me. I think we all know when we read books in certain genres that there may be unreliable narrators and/or there is going to be twists and reveals. Getting off my soap box now...
But I did enjoy this book. I am not the biggest fan of slow builds or books on the slower side, so in parts - especially those in 2018, I wanted things to hurry up and get going already. The 1988 timeline was more enjoyable and worked better for me. Plus, I won’t lie, I enjoy works of art, but I have found that I'm not such a fan of a lot of talk about it. Yes, this book involves artists, art professors, etc. so talk of art is to be expected but....
It sounds like I am griping because I am. I love the title of this book and the synopsis was enticing but the slowness really brought the book down for me. I so wanted to love this. There is a good story here and while, I enjoyed it, I didn't love it as others did. So do yourself a favor and read their reviews as well.
Although there were parts that did not work for me, I found it to be enjoyable but slow. I would read this author again.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
1988 - Prestigious art camp in the Maine woods
They are gathered around the fire, they have potential, they are driven, they have ambition. They never thought about the truths they told and how it will come back to haunt them.
2018 - A remote home
Max, an art professor, has arrived at his protégé's (Audra) remote home to view her thesis collection. Little does he know that she has planned everything to a "T” She knows his secret. She knows what happened in 1988...
I found this to be slow and even when it grabbed my attention, it didn't completely "Wow" me. First off, I am not a fan of the whole "Gone girl" comparison that many book publisher’s tout. It irks me. I think we all know when we read books in certain genres that there may be unreliable narrators and/or there is going to be twists and reveals. Getting off my soap box now...
But I did enjoy this book. I am not the biggest fan of slow builds or books on the slower side, so in parts - especially those in 2018, I wanted things to hurry up and get going already. The 1988 timeline was more enjoyable and worked better for me. Plus, I won’t lie, I enjoy works of art, but I have found that I'm not such a fan of a lot of talk about it. Yes, this book involves artists, art professors, etc. so talk of art is to be expected but....
It sounds like I am griping because I am. I love the title of this book and the synopsis was enticing but the slowness really brought the book down for me. I so wanted to love this. There is a good story here and while, I enjoyed it, I didn't love it as others did. So do yourself a favor and read their reviews as well.
Although there were parts that did not work for me, I found it to be enjoyable but slow. I would read this author again.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
August 11, 2021
4.5****
I hardly ever award anything the full 5 stars but this came pretty damn close!!
This book features camp secrets, a girl dead in the trees, and one vengeful women who wants these men to pay.
Max Durant, a has-been narcissistic and egoistic Arts professor is invited by his enigmatic and cool student, Audra, to her home town, expecting a lust filled weekend with his protégée. However, what he gets is something VERY different. Because what he doesn’t know is that Audra knows the truth about his fatal summer in 1988 at an art campus, where it ended with the suicide by hanging of a beautiful dead girl. And Audra has invited him there to make him pay.
I LOVED this. This was such a twisty book that I had to keep making notes throughout about my theories/hypothesise. And even when I was correct, it was exciting to read how the information splayed out across the pages.
I loved Audra as a character-she was great; a woman on a mission and is indeed vengeful (my favourite type of character!).
This book took place across 2 timelines and 3 different POV’s (one being of Audra, one of Max, and one of Juniper- a witness to the events in 1988). It was pageturning to go through these events and watching it all unfold, with the backdrop of a prestigious art college and world.
This book depicts trauma, lies, manipulations those that are complicit. I loved the academia setting in an arts college too. The author issues fantastic descriptions using art-based-terminology and depicts emotions such as terror in such a visceral way, it was hard not to imagine the settings and characters.
I hardly ever award anything the full 5 stars but this came pretty damn close!!
This book features camp secrets, a girl dead in the trees, and one vengeful women who wants these men to pay.
Max Durant, a has-been narcissistic and egoistic Arts professor is invited by his enigmatic and cool student, Audra, to her home town, expecting a lust filled weekend with his protégée. However, what he gets is something VERY different. Because what he doesn’t know is that Audra knows the truth about his fatal summer in 1988 at an art campus, where it ended with the suicide by hanging of a beautiful dead girl. And Audra has invited him there to make him pay.
I LOVED this. This was such a twisty book that I had to keep making notes throughout about my theories/hypothesise. And even when I was correct, it was exciting to read how the information splayed out across the pages.
I loved Audra as a character-she was great; a woman on a mission and is indeed vengeful (my favourite type of character!).
This book took place across 2 timelines and 3 different POV’s (one being of Audra, one of Max, and one of Juniper- a witness to the events in 1988). It was pageturning to go through these events and watching it all unfold, with the backdrop of a prestigious art college and world.
This book depicts trauma, lies, manipulations those that are complicit. I loved the academia setting in an arts college too. The author issues fantastic descriptions using art-based-terminology and depicts emotions such as terror in such a visceral way, it was hard not to imagine the settings and characters.
July 23, 2021
You know how when you see M. Night Shyamalan directed a movie you go in expecting a twist? Likewise when you read a multiple-perspective thriller you go in expecting some big twists, especially one that has a gone-girl-esque feel like this one. I think that works against you, part of why Gone Girl worked was that we didn't know there was a twist, and it can leave you feeling quite unbalanced in a book like this one where, it turns out, there isn't actually a big twist. Which is almost a twist of its own.
For me this didn't fully work, particularly in the 2018 side of the plot, because it just takes sooooo looong to do everything. A scene that should be a couple pages is drawn out to two or more long chapters. There's also not much tension, it's quite clear to the reader how Audra and Max connect to the 1988 storyline by about halfway through the book, and it's also quite clear what Audra's general intentions are even if we don't know her specific plan. At that point there aren't really anymore stakes and we already know how the 1988 storyline is going to go, so it starts to fall pretty flat.
The fact that I felt like I knew what was going to happen meant I was waiting even more for some twist to pull the rug under me but it never really came. There were a couple of small reveals near the end, but nothing that really changed anything.
And once you know everything, you realize there's not a lot of there there. Especially if, like me, you find all the scraps of too-purposely-strange diary entries to feel not at all natural.
I don't need books to be super twisty and I think I would have liked this one better if it hadn't presented itself as a twisty book and just let us deal with everything, knowing everything all along. Give us more emotional stakes and not rely so much on suspense when there's not much suspense to be had.
For me this didn't fully work, particularly in the 2018 side of the plot, because it just takes sooooo looong to do everything. A scene that should be a couple pages is drawn out to two or more long chapters. There's also not much tension, it's quite clear to the reader how Audra and Max connect to the 1988 storyline by about halfway through the book, and it's also quite clear what Audra's general intentions are even if we don't know her specific plan. At that point there aren't really anymore stakes and we already know how the 1988 storyline is going to go, so it starts to fall pretty flat.
The fact that I felt like I knew what was going to happen meant I was waiting even more for some twist to pull the rug under me but it never really came. There were a couple of small reveals near the end, but nothing that really changed anything.
And once you know everything, you realize there's not a lot of there there. Especially if, like me, you find all the scraps of too-purposely-strange diary entries to feel not at all natural.
I don't need books to be super twisty and I think I would have liked this one better if it hadn't presented itself as a twisty book and just let us deal with everything, knowing everything all along. Give us more emotional stakes and not rely so much on suspense when there's not much suspense to be had.
August 22, 2021
After reading some fantastic reviews on n Dark Things I Adore, I was excited to have my wish granted on Netgalley. I
Unfortunately when I started this book I struggled to get into it. I put it aside and tried again but still I was lost. I found myself confused by the multiple characters and timelines. There is also alot of art talk and jargon that made my eyes glaze over.
So many people have enjoyed this so don't just take my word for it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this book to read
Unfortunately when I started this book I struggled to get into it. I put it aside and tried again but still I was lost. I found myself confused by the multiple characters and timelines. There is also alot of art talk and jargon that made my eyes glaze over.
So many people have enjoyed this so don't just take my word for it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this book to read
November 8, 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was probably one of my favorite reads so far this year. I thought it was phenomenally well written and well paced. The plot was captivating and kept me engaged throughout. The characters were intriguing. Not a one of them likable, but I don't think we were meant to like them. 🤷🏻♀️ I didn't really feel the "Gone Girl" vibe, however I think this would make a great movie or series (taps 🎙️ Netflix...). And the ending was satisfying. With a nice little "twist" throw our way. So yeah, just a really solid read that gets two thumbs up from yours truly!
**ARC Via NetGalley**
This was probably one of my favorite reads so far this year. I thought it was phenomenally well written and well paced. The plot was captivating and kept me engaged throughout. The characters were intriguing. Not a one of them likable, but I don't think we were meant to like them. 🤷🏻♀️ I didn't really feel the "Gone Girl" vibe, however I think this would make a great movie or series (taps 🎙️ Netflix...). And the ending was satisfying. With a nice little "twist" throw our way. So yeah, just a really solid read that gets two thumbs up from yours truly!
**ARC Via NetGalley**
October 10, 2021
This book was very interesting. The writing was lyrical and shared some similarities with the art it described - personal, abstract, jumping back and forth in timelines and subjects, full of color and atmosphere.
The book begins with two seemingly unrelated storylines. The first takes place in 1998, at a sort of art commune in the woods, where everyone lives and loves intensely while creating their art. At the beginning, I was slightly less compelled by this storyline, but grew more interested as the stories began to converge.
The second, and more interesting to me, storyline was about an older, clearly creepy art professor named Max who has come to visit one of his young and beautiful students at her secluded home. Max is clearly consumed with the desire to possess the talented and beautiful Audra, both artistically and sexually. But Audra is more of a cipher. What is her motivation and what plans does she have in store for Max?
What I liked about this story was the very interesting undercurrent and theme about artistic inspiration. Why does art arise only out of pain for some people? And why does a certain type of artist thrive specifically on objectifying and even hurting female subjects to make art? I thought these issues were thought-provoking and they were presented in a very interesting and unique way here. I also LOVED the ending. The first half of the book was a bit slower and meandered a little bit before getting to that very powerful and compelling ending, so it took me a little while to get to the enjoyment of this unique book.
Karie Lattari is a creative and interesting new writer with a lot of potential. I really look forward to seeing what she might do in her next book if she can tighten up the plot somewhat and make the whole book as intense and creative as the last half of this one. Ultimately moving, thoughtful and unique. 3.75 stars.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this interesting ARC!
The book begins with two seemingly unrelated storylines. The first takes place in 1998, at a sort of art commune in the woods, where everyone lives and loves intensely while creating their art. At the beginning, I was slightly less compelled by this storyline, but grew more interested as the stories began to converge.
The second, and more interesting to me, storyline was about an older, clearly creepy art professor named Max who has come to visit one of his young and beautiful students at her secluded home. Max is clearly consumed with the desire to possess the talented and beautiful Audra, both artistically and sexually. But Audra is more of a cipher. What is her motivation and what plans does she have in store for Max?
What I liked about this story was the very interesting undercurrent and theme about artistic inspiration. Why does art arise only out of pain for some people? And why does a certain type of artist thrive specifically on objectifying and even hurting female subjects to make art? I thought these issues were thought-provoking and they were presented in a very interesting and unique way here. I also LOVED the ending. The first half of the book was a bit slower and meandered a little bit before getting to that very powerful and compelling ending, so it took me a little while to get to the enjoyment of this unique book.
Karie Lattari is a creative and interesting new writer with a lot of potential. I really look forward to seeing what she might do in her next book if she can tighten up the plot somewhat and make the whole book as intense and creative as the last half of this one. Ultimately moving, thoughtful and unique. 3.75 stars.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this interesting ARC!
April 26, 2021
I was browsing NetGalley one day and this title caught my eye. I mean, how could I not click on a book entitled Dark Things I Adore? So I did, and it wasn't available for request, but I wished for it, and my wish actually got granted! For the very first time!
I've been reading a lot of thrillers recently, specifically female-driven ones, so I was excited about this. It was very well-written and twisty, and to top it all off, art was intrinsic to the plot! It's rare to read about art in fiction in an authentic, accessible way, but the author carried it off so well. The setting, an artists' retreat in New England, was fresh and unique. Some parts were genuinely chilling, which is so important in a thriller.
Once things started falling into place, I felt this story required just a little suspension of disbelief. But at that point I was eager to get to the conclusion, so I didn't even mind. I was pretty much hooked from start to finish, and I'll definitely be reading more of the author's work in the future.
4-4.5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review!
I've been reading a lot of thrillers recently, specifically female-driven ones, so I was excited about this. It was very well-written and twisty, and to top it all off, art was intrinsic to the plot! It's rare to read about art in fiction in an authentic, accessible way, but the author carried it off so well. The setting, an artists' retreat in New England, was fresh and unique. Some parts were genuinely chilling, which is so important in a thriller.
Once things started falling into place, I felt this story required just a little suspension of disbelief. But at that point I was eager to get to the conclusion, so I didn't even mind. I was pretty much hooked from start to finish, and I'll definitely be reading more of the author's work in the future.
4-4.5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review!
September 1, 2021
Dark Things I Adore is a darkly observant and beautifully plotted revenge drama, layered and emotional, with an artistic sense of reality and a deeply emotional relevance.
The characters are so real on the page, whilst this novel uses the popular past/present vibe to showcase its story it is done in a unique style, a mosaic of memories and feelings that is really effective in drawing in the reader and holding them there enthralled.
Loved it. I sank into this one and it left me with all the feelings. Very much recommended.
The characters are so real on the page, whilst this novel uses the popular past/present vibe to showcase its story it is done in a unique style, a mosaic of memories and feelings that is really effective in drawing in the reader and holding them there enthralled.
Loved it. I sank into this one and it left me with all the feelings. Very much recommended.
September 14, 2021
Dark Things I Adore is a riveting, absorbing and profoundly disturbing debut thriller that revolves around narcissism, ambition, vengeance and souring relationships and is effectively a very Gone Girl-esque tale of atonement that proves that in the grasp of manipulative men, women may momentarily fall. But in the hands of fierce women, men will be brought to their knees. Audra Colfax is the star painting student at the Boston Institute for the Visual Arts. At her remote family home in the wilds of Maine, she's putting the final touches to her thesis project, Benefaction. It's ready for her advisor, the esteemed Max Durant, to come up and review on this chilly October weekend. He doesn't know that Audra has obsessively engineered every last detail of his visit. Or that it had to be him from the start, advising her, so she could get to him by doing what he does best. He has no idea she knows his worst secret and that's the sole reason why he's there. What comes to light, chapter by spellbinding chapter is that one grand, grotesque act of selfishness committed by Max as a young man, followed by years of manipulating women for art, has set into motion the machinery of his own fatal undoing.
A man should pay for his crimes, and no one is more deserving of revenge than the women to whom he owes his career. He should go into this weekend far more vigilant, but he's distracted, as always, by an overwhelming desire to have his own way. But Audra, who is well aware that he's a monster, doesn't know everything that simmers beneath his surface. This is an enthralling and compulsively readable thriller from start to finish which is full of toxic relationships and deviant behaviour in which the hunter becomes the hunted. It is a carefully plotted tale that well and truly flips the script and eviscerates the notion that a powerful man may simply apologise for his transgressions regardless of what they are and move on unscathed. It's complex and multilayered and the slow-burning start soon builds to a crescendo along with the nail-biting suspense and an underlying feeling of pure dread and unpredictability. Told in dual timelines that merge to form a scintillating but ultimately chilling conclusion, Dark Things I Adore is a deliciously dark, captivating read that is fraught with tension and surprise reveals, peopled by a morally ambiguous cast of characters and narrated by a rather unreliable individual. Highly recommended.
A man should pay for his crimes, and no one is more deserving of revenge than the women to whom he owes his career. He should go into this weekend far more vigilant, but he's distracted, as always, by an overwhelming desire to have his own way. But Audra, who is well aware that he's a monster, doesn't know everything that simmers beneath his surface. This is an enthralling and compulsively readable thriller from start to finish which is full of toxic relationships and deviant behaviour in which the hunter becomes the hunted. It is a carefully plotted tale that well and truly flips the script and eviscerates the notion that a powerful man may simply apologise for his transgressions regardless of what they are and move on unscathed. It's complex and multilayered and the slow-burning start soon builds to a crescendo along with the nail-biting suspense and an underlying feeling of pure dread and unpredictability. Told in dual timelines that merge to form a scintillating but ultimately chilling conclusion, Dark Things I Adore is a deliciously dark, captivating read that is fraught with tension and surprise reveals, peopled by a morally ambiguous cast of characters and narrated by a rather unreliable individual. Highly recommended.
September 15, 2022
3.5 stars. This book had a unique premise and was more literary than your typical suspense novel, but it was pretty clear where the story was going very early on. Told in two separate timelines and with 3 viewpoints, this is a story of trauma, murder and revenge set in the art world. I had a bit of difficulty getting into it, but I was soon invested in the plot and the characters. and it ended up being a quick read with a few minor, but not very surprising, twists toward the end.
August 21, 2021
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Are you seriously telling me that this is a debut novel? It certainly did not read like one
This story follows a dual time line. In the present timeline of 2018-2019, we see Professor Max Durant and his protégé Audra Colfax. Max is a renowned artist, but he definitely is problematic. The way he just thinks about women in general did not make me warm up to the character from the beginning itself. I am guessing this was deliberate. This is how the character needed to be painted. Max is trying hard to get close to Audra. This is something he has done before with various female students of his.
The other timeline is that of 1988-1999, with the events taking place in a sort of art camp at Lupine Valley owned by old man Gus. He had a fondness of giving everyone nicknames. We follow several characters and the incidents they were involved in while at the camp. The important ones would be Moss, Mantis, Juniper and Coral.
How is Max and Coral related to the people mentioned at the camp. The reader is easily led to believe that Max’s weekend getaway to Audra’s home is not going to turn out in his favour. What exactly are Audra’s intentions and why does she want to harm Max?
Things get dark very quick and I love the build-up. It is slow yet much needed. The way art is incorporated and used for the narration left me wanting more.
The story begs the question, where does the artist draw a line between differentiating their muse simply as a subject and a human being.
Are you seriously telling me that this is a debut novel? It certainly did not read like one
This story follows a dual time line. In the present timeline of 2018-2019, we see Professor Max Durant and his protégé Audra Colfax. Max is a renowned artist, but he definitely is problematic. The way he just thinks about women in general did not make me warm up to the character from the beginning itself. I am guessing this was deliberate. This is how the character needed to be painted. Max is trying hard to get close to Audra. This is something he has done before with various female students of his.
The other timeline is that of 1988-1999, with the events taking place in a sort of art camp at Lupine Valley owned by old man Gus. He had a fondness of giving everyone nicknames. We follow several characters and the incidents they were involved in while at the camp. The important ones would be Moss, Mantis, Juniper and Coral.
How is Max and Coral related to the people mentioned at the camp. The reader is easily led to believe that Max’s weekend getaway to Audra’s home is not going to turn out in his favour. What exactly are Audra’s intentions and why does she want to harm Max?
Things get dark very quick and I love the build-up. It is slow yet much needed. The way art is incorporated and used for the narration left me wanting more.
The story begs the question, where does the artist draw a line between differentiating their muse simply as a subject and a human being.
October 18, 2022
This was an interesting mystery. The story is told with 4 POV. Audra is your main POV. She's the one with the plan, the barely concealed anger and the most vague of all the characters. Max is another POV, unfortunately. I didn't think his POV was necessary and I hated every time a chapter started with him. There is also Juniper, a girl at a camp for artists and we learn about her, her huge group of friends and this art community. Finally, there are notes that give little info to start - some are poems but most are little notes about depression, goals and love. It's hard, for at least the first 200+ pages, to really see how all these storylines go together. It's slow paced, meandering, and it was hard to push through. Once you get through about half way, it speeds up and you get more details and a lot of reveals. But for me, that was about 100 pages too little too late. I wish I'd liked this more but it was just too slow. The ending was shocking through, heartbreaking and gasp-worthy and deserved an extra star!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
February 8, 2022
Not sure where to begin with this review. What can I say about this book?
1. There was a lot of "filler." The long, drawn out descriptions of alleged "art" and the crazy notes left all over the place and where each note was found probably took up half the book and is totally skim-able. It's not worth reading.
2. The descriptions of the art were so pretentious! Ugh. I'm an artist. I went to art school. I have a BFA. People don't talk like this. Sorry.
3. The twists weren't twisty enough because you inadvertently guess them long before they're revealed. And then it's just a waiting game until the characters in the book figure it out.
4. The characters aren't likable enough. They all suck.
It's also pretty boring. I had to make myself finish it. It's another case of I wanted this to be so much better than it actually turned out to be. Sigh.
1. There was a lot of "filler." The long, drawn out descriptions of alleged "art" and the crazy notes left all over the place and where each note was found probably took up half the book and is totally skim-able. It's not worth reading.
2. The descriptions of the art were so pretentious! Ugh. I'm an artist. I went to art school. I have a BFA. People don't talk like this. Sorry.
3. The twists weren't twisty enough because you inadvertently guess them long before they're revealed. And then it's just a waiting game until the characters in the book figure it out.
4. The characters aren't likable enough. They all suck.
It's also pretty boring. I had to make myself finish it. It's another case of I wanted this to be so much better than it actually turned out to be. Sigh.
December 5, 2022
3.5 stars. I needed a quick, engaging (but not too deep) book this weekend, and this one was available and gripped me right away (thank you, Libby App!).
Basically, it is an artist’s narrative with a convoluted, overly elaborate plot device that I ultimately found *ridiculous*; however, I was still into it because it explores the very real imbalance of power dynamics often found in creative-based academics (pick a discipline, any discipline!), and the narrative did an excellent job of showcasing what petty, unchecked egos can do to destroy talented, aspiring artists.
I found one of the main POV’s shockingly irrelevant, so I felt a little cheated at the end when that voice added *nothing* to the denouement. Booooo.
Still, I appreciated the palette.
File Under: Bob Ross’ Sad Brother’s “Depressed AF Trees” Painting
Basically, it is an artist’s narrative with a convoluted, overly elaborate plot device that I ultimately found *ridiculous*; however, I was still into it because it explores the very real imbalance of power dynamics often found in creative-based academics (pick a discipline, any discipline!), and the narrative did an excellent job of showcasing what petty, unchecked egos can do to destroy talented, aspiring artists.
I found one of the main POV’s shockingly irrelevant, so I felt a little cheated at the end when that voice added *nothing* to the denouement. Booooo.
Still, I appreciated the palette.
File Under: Bob Ross’ Sad Brother’s “Depressed AF Trees” Painting
March 11, 2021
I received an ARC of this upcoming novel. I can't imagine a world in which it does not become a bestseller. Lattari weaves a captivating tale of secrets, lies, and ambition over multiple timelines in a Maine woods setting that starts out as idyllic and quickly turns sinister. It is a meditation on complicity, generational trauma, and the price of revenge. It haunted me - in a really good way.
August 6, 2024
Friend recommended this book, a pretty decent thriller! Not as mysterious as I thought, but good storytelling. I really enjoyed the thesis sections with art pieces, made the story more appealing.
Outcasts in an art camp in the 80s bond, love, hate, secrets. Fast forward to the 2000s where one woman is out for revenge.
Outcasts in an art camp in the 80s bond, love, hate, secrets. Fast forward to the 2000s where one woman is out for revenge.
April 21, 2021
Between the past and the present, a story unfolds of love and loss, secrets and lies. In the present day, a gifted painter, Audra, is traveling back to her remote home in Maine. She takes her art professor from Boston with her, a man by the name of Max Durant. A successful artist, but one who peaked decades ago, and everyone knows it. He is enchanted by Audra and has taken her under his wing to aid her career and serve as his unknowing muse. He believes he is coming to see her thesis collection, but Audra has so much more to show him.
Thirty years in the past, we see through the eyes of Juniper, one of the young instructors at Lupine Valley, an art retreat where students and teachers of all ages and talents come to learn and create. They are endowed with 'camp names' by the grizzly owner, Gus, so that they can all but be someone else completely when they are here. Even Coral, the nineteen year old who works as a cleaner has her own aspirations as an artist. But her fragile mental health continues to plague her, even amongst the circle of her supportive friends. But these friends have secrets and one night they are regretfully spilled. Suddenly, the friendships are strained and the secrets threaten to come out. But someone won't let that happen.
The story unfolds slowly between the two narratives, and it doesn't take long to make the connections of who was who, then and now. It's a long journey if you're not a fan of art, as there are many long passages filled with creative meanderings, mostly through the narrative of Max in the present day. The inclusion of brief dated notes by one of the characters is intriguing at first, but became exhausting. Themes of manipulative abuse are rampant, yet the retribution for those who were wronged felt excessive. It's hard to justify behavior that is precisely as immoral as those you vilify, if not more so. Perhaps that is the message, after all. Just wait until you read that epilogue...
Thirty years in the past, we see through the eyes of Juniper, one of the young instructors at Lupine Valley, an art retreat where students and teachers of all ages and talents come to learn and create. They are endowed with 'camp names' by the grizzly owner, Gus, so that they can all but be someone else completely when they are here. Even Coral, the nineteen year old who works as a cleaner has her own aspirations as an artist. But her fragile mental health continues to plague her, even amongst the circle of her supportive friends. But these friends have secrets and one night they are regretfully spilled. Suddenly, the friendships are strained and the secrets threaten to come out. But someone won't let that happen.
The story unfolds slowly between the two narratives, and it doesn't take long to make the connections of who was who, then and now. It's a long journey if you're not a fan of art, as there are many long passages filled with creative meanderings, mostly through the narrative of Max in the present day. The inclusion of brief dated notes by one of the characters is intriguing at first, but became exhausting. Themes of manipulative abuse are rampant, yet the retribution for those who were wronged felt excessive. It's hard to justify behavior that is precisely as immoral as those you vilify, if not more so. Perhaps that is the message, after all. Just wait until you read that epilogue...
Read
August 1, 2021Brilliant book. Told frim different pov and time lines - Audra the contemporary time line tells her story of a weekend getaway for her mentor a artist professor Max. He is thinking romance (or rather sex) but she has a surprise for him. She wants revenge - the other time line is Juniper - 30
Years prior at an artsy camp in the woods of Maine /
The same woods Audra has taken Max.
You will not be able to untangle this one - there is a murder, ambition, art and it’s so so good
Years prior at an artsy camp in the woods of Maine /
The same woods Audra has taken Max.
You will not be able to untangle this one - there is a murder, ambition, art and it’s so so good
June 15, 2024
Ngl i was gonna give it 3 stars for majority of the book but I thought the ending was so well laid out I bumped it up to 4. I kind of wanted more of a scary twist but I thought the author planned out this book so well I didn’t even mind that much.
Audra is the definition of gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss.
Audra is the definition of gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss.
September 12, 2021
My Review Of
DARK THINGS I ADORE
By Author, Katie Lattari
Published & Gifted by @Bookmarked
On Sale: 9/14/21 - Purchase Link in my Bio
*****
This was a dark and twisted portrayal that uses art to express emotion and the feelings of many of the many main characters in this phenomenal & unpredictable read. It is told is a dual timeline, both past and present using nicknames for characters in the past and real names in the present. That presented a bit of a challenge at first until I was able to memorize who was who in each timeframe. Once I did, I was aghast as well as perplexed at the personalities and behaviors that could lead someone down a dark mindset and use someone else’s pain for their own creativity. The sickness of the brain presents itself in so many forms and the Author explores so many themes that envelop you and hold you hostage to the page, to make you want to keep turning and turning and turning….
DARK THINGS I ADORE
By Author, Katie Lattari
Published & Gifted by @Bookmarked
On Sale: 9/14/21 - Purchase Link in my Bio
*****
This was a dark and twisted portrayal that uses art to express emotion and the feelings of many of the many main characters in this phenomenal & unpredictable read. It is told is a dual timeline, both past and present using nicknames for characters in the past and real names in the present. That presented a bit of a challenge at first until I was able to memorize who was who in each timeframe. Once I did, I was aghast as well as perplexed at the personalities and behaviors that could lead someone down a dark mindset and use someone else’s pain for their own creativity. The sickness of the brain presents itself in so many forms and the Author explores so many themes that envelop you and hold you hostage to the page, to make you want to keep turning and turning and turning….
August 21, 2021
Three campfire secrets. Two witnesses. One dead in the trees. And the woman, thirty years later, bent on making the guilty finally pay.
In 1988 a group of outcasts gather at a prestigious arts camp in the Maine woods. There are dark secrets from those days. Now, 2018, Max Durant is an esteemed art professor. He has been invited to his student's home, a privilege given she doesn't let anyone in. But as the story goes on, it is clear his student, Audra, has other motivations and a mystery unfolds. While I started to enjoy this one, the now and then, going back to 2018 didn't really work for me. The 2018 timeline felt drawn out and I lost interest in parts as I couldn't easily place the connection. This is probably more about me than the novel and perhaps poor timing, as the book has some wonderful reviews.
Thanks to Netgalley for this advance review copy.
In 1988 a group of outcasts gather at a prestigious arts camp in the Maine woods. There are dark secrets from those days. Now, 2018, Max Durant is an esteemed art professor. He has been invited to his student's home, a privilege given she doesn't let anyone in. But as the story goes on, it is clear his student, Audra, has other motivations and a mystery unfolds. While I started to enjoy this one, the now and then, going back to 2018 didn't really work for me. The 2018 timeline felt drawn out and I lost interest in parts as I couldn't easily place the connection. This is probably more about me than the novel and perhaps poor timing, as the book has some wonderful reviews.
Thanks to Netgalley for this advance review copy.
September 15, 2021
I found this one a bit hard to get into at first. There were quite a few characters to sort through but as the story progressed, the main characters started to emerge. While there were no great twists and most readers will quickly figure things out, it’s still a very compelling, dark and suspenseful revenge story. I stayed up way too late reading the last quarter of this book and couldn’t wait until the next day to find out what happens and how it all pans out. The fact that this story takes place in the art world was an added plus for me. I found this to be a very well-written thriller that slowly builds momentum to an explosive conclusion. I’ll certainly be looking for future works from this author.
Highly recommended. This was a Goodreads giveaway win for me.
Highly recommended. This was a Goodreads giveaway win for me.
November 8, 2022
⭐⭐⭐⭐
𝘼 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙇𝙪𝙘𝙮 𝙁𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙇𝙞𝙯 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙚, 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙄 𝘼𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙂𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡-𝙚𝙨𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙥 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙣, 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣, 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙨.
I went into this book not knowing much and was a tad bit nervous as I am a huge Lucy Foley and Gone Girl fan - and this book was recommended to fans for those readers. Fortunately, I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I was expecting to. It’s obviously better to go into this one not knowing much.
I loved the multiple POVs and dual timelines the author gave us. I felt so entertained by the change of POV and timeline - past and present. I feel like I was a bit more interested in the 1988 timeline, which followed a member of an artists' commune, Juniper. We basically follow Juniper talking about other members and the drama. Also, I’m not super into art but I found it interesting to read about in the story. We also follow Audra and Max in the 2018 timeline - who are taking a trip in the woods… where there may be an affair with a teacher…
I really enjoyed the visuals of the artwork. Not many stories talk about it and I found it super entertaining here. I also instantly clicked with the author’s writing style, it was beautifully written. I’m glad I read in during the fall season as it's the perfect season. There were some creepy scenes and the autumn scenery brought so much. This was super atmospheric and while I did enjoy that, I think it took away from the thrilling aspect. The twists were also predictable.
Overall, this was a super enjoyable read. I was expecting it to be a bit spookier, but I did really enjoy the atmosphere. The characters weren't too relatable and a bit unlikeable, but they were still fun to read about. The academic vibes were also top-notch. I also liked the ending and the way the story came to an end - this is the perfect fall book!
Thank you so much to the publisher for my gifted physical copy - all thoughts are my own!
𝘼 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙇𝙪𝙘𝙮 𝙁𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙇𝙞𝙯 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙚, 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙄 𝘼𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙂𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡-𝙚𝙨𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙥 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙣, 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣, 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙨.
I went into this book not knowing much and was a tad bit nervous as I am a huge Lucy Foley and Gone Girl fan - and this book was recommended to fans for those readers. Fortunately, I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I was expecting to. It’s obviously better to go into this one not knowing much.
I loved the multiple POVs and dual timelines the author gave us. I felt so entertained by the change of POV and timeline - past and present. I feel like I was a bit more interested in the 1988 timeline, which followed a member of an artists' commune, Juniper. We basically follow Juniper talking about other members and the drama. Also, I’m not super into art but I found it interesting to read about in the story. We also follow Audra and Max in the 2018 timeline - who are taking a trip in the woods… where there may be an affair with a teacher…
I really enjoyed the visuals of the artwork. Not many stories talk about it and I found it super entertaining here. I also instantly clicked with the author’s writing style, it was beautifully written. I’m glad I read in during the fall season as it's the perfect season. There were some creepy scenes and the autumn scenery brought so much. This was super atmospheric and while I did enjoy that, I think it took away from the thrilling aspect. The twists were also predictable.
Overall, this was a super enjoyable read. I was expecting it to be a bit spookier, but I did really enjoy the atmosphere. The characters weren't too relatable and a bit unlikeable, but they were still fun to read about. The academic vibes were also top-notch. I also liked the ending and the way the story came to an end - this is the perfect fall book!
Thank you so much to the publisher for my gifted physical copy - all thoughts are my own!
January 17, 2022
I feel half-powered in this light, half-real. Like I could do anything inside this veiled suffusion and get away with it. Like she could.
First of all, well, the title of this book! Amazing. I mean I also love dark things, so of course I wanted to read this! :)
This book..oh, it was very.. artsy.
Sometimes you read books just for the beauty of it, the poetical words, the setting, I felt like I was there, in Maine, in that art camp.
Is the author the painter as well? Because it feels like it, the way she wrote, the way she described colours..
Overall, if you love art, revenge plotlines, dual timeline, morally ambiguous characters, this is for you.
Enjoy the dark thrilling ride.
First of all, well, the title of this book! Amazing. I mean I also love dark things, so of course I wanted to read this! :)
This book..oh, it was very.. artsy.
Sometimes you read books just for the beauty of it, the poetical words, the setting, I felt like I was there, in Maine, in that art camp.
Is the author the painter as well? Because it feels like it, the way she wrote, the way she described colours..
Overall, if you love art, revenge plotlines, dual timeline, morally ambiguous characters, this is for you.
Enjoy the dark thrilling ride.
April 16, 2021
Holy WOW! This book covers everything a suspense novel requires, and then some. Communal campfire, cottages, lakes, woods, cliffs and mental health issues, suicidal behaviors, abuse, reckless behaviors, secrets and friendships, lovers, artsy students, ambitions. The story switches between 1988 and 2018 through a spattering of found things. I absolutely love the transitioning of time and how everything was laid and played out.
May 10, 2021
Wow wtf was this? It evoked such emotion and the rollercoaster ride was by far the most stomach dropping I’ve ever experienced. I loved every page. Coral was so so haunted and max so so ..well I won’t ruin it. One of the best suspenseful thrillers I’ve read in awhile., and I’ve read a lot. The ending was like a gut punch. I will keep thinking about this one..
Thank you NetGalley for this arc
Thank you NetGalley for this arc
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