August is still burning hot, my iced coffee is basically a personality trait at this point, and apparently I’ve decided the perfect summer escape is an abandoned mountain lodge where an entire family vanished without a trace. Very on brand. 🏔️🩸☕ I LOVE this vibe for my thrillers!!! Ah, so excited for this new release from Lisa Gardner.
You’ll Be Sorry follows newlyweds Raquel and Theo, who move to a remote New Hampshire town hoping for a fresh start after tragedy. Except their new home is the infamous Dixon Lodge, abandoned for thirty years after a family of six disappeared one August night, leaving behind nothing but bloody footprints.
And then a stray dog digs up a human skeleton on their property.
Now the old mystery is wide open again, the neighbors are suspicious as hell, everyone seems to have something to hide, and Raquel and Theo have secrets of their own.
A creepy mountain town, a gorgeous abandoned lodge, six missing people, and thirty years of buried secrets? Yeah. Cancel my plans. I need to know what the fuck happened here. 🔦🖤
The premise is SO good. We have action, mystery, ghost stories, and a foresty lodge in a small town full of curious and weird people. Such a summer vibe!
I really liked Amanda’s storyline and the fact that she’s trying to solve a crime her father couldn’t solve in his entire lifetime. I NEED that closure. I also think the new, suspicious couple was an interesting addition to the story. I mean, why the hell would you move into a house with such a tragic history? Usually, that kind of energy sticks around, cause we are all energy, right? You know what I mean… I wouldn’t move into a house like that. Everybody needs a good fresh start!
I think I actually enjoyed the detectives’ storyline the most, especially watching them slowly uncover what really happened. I also liked that the book didn’t rely entirely on the lying-and-secretive relationship between Theo and Raquel.
That said, the book was a little hard to follow at times because there are, like, 100 characters. Or maybe the fact that I’m reading at my desk at work instead of in the comfort of my own home means I can’t focus properly? Anywaaaaay… I read wherever the fuck I want.
I loved the forest, ghost stories, witches, Wiccans, and creepy small-town atmosphere, but this book was just way too long for me. It felt like one very long buildup that wouldn’t fucking hit already. Like a foreplay session that goes on forever, and by the time the punch finally comes, you’re already bored.
I did enjoy some of the twists, but there was simply too much happening for me to stay invested.
So this one is probably a 3-star read for me. ⭐⭐⭐
Great premise, fantastic atmosphere, and some twists I genuinely enjoyed—but way too long and ultimately not exciting enough for me.
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