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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
💭This book? Absolutely unhinged—in the best, most terrifying way possible.
We’ve got a serial rapist with a disturbingly specific type: teenage virgins. He stalks his victims through social media like it’s his personal buffet (brb turning off all my location settings). Once he’s got them, they’re locked in a soundproof basement, groomed, broken, and discarded like yesterday’s trash. It’s horrifying. It’s gritty. And yes—it’s gripping as hell.
Enter Ella, the survivor who fights back. She escapes. She sets the others free. And for a second, you breathe. But only for a second. Because the nightmare isn’t over—it’s evolving. Especially once you meet Sarah, the longest-held captive with secrets stacked as high as her trauma. And trust me, you’ll feel that trauma like a weight on your chest.
Told in dual POVs with a chilling “then and now” structure, this book wraps its hands around your throat from page one and doesn’t let go. The chapters are short, sharp, and crazy addictive—the kind that tricks you into saying “just one more” until it’s 2 a.m. and you’re still wide-eyed and sweating. I devoured this in a day.
Lucinda doesn’t just tell a story—she digs into your psyche. The book dives deep into the psychological aftermath of abuse without ever feeling exploitative or cheap. The way Lucinda gets into their heads? Chilling. Heartbreaking. And disturbingly real. It's raw, messy, unflinching, and disturbingly real. The suspense is taut, and the emotional weight is heavy—especially with the way the victims’ voices are portrayed. You feel their pain, their confusion, their fight.
It’s one of those books that makes you pause and really think—about trauma, recovery, and how terrifyingly easy it is for predators to blend in and get caught in their web when we overshare online. It’s uncomfortable in all the right ways—and it should be. This isn’t a book that coddles you. It slaps you with reality and dares you to look away.
One thing this book nailed was the reminder of how dangerous social media can be. We’re out here posting our every move—where we live, where we hang out, what we love, who we love. And we think, “It won’t happen to me. I’m smarter than that.” But this story? Yeah, it slaps that arrogance right out of your hands.
Was it perfect? Almost. But I felt the ending was rushed. A little too quick for my taste. Like, we spent all this time building the tension, and then boom—done. And that final line? It packs a punch, don’t get me wrong, but I needed more. Especially when it came to John. I wanted a deeper peek into his mind; I mean, how is this guy operating under the radar for so long? No suspicions? No slip-ups? Gimme some background, some FBI frustration, something to chew on! It didn’t ruin the experience, but it left me hungry for just a bit more.
Still, it’s a solid thriller. One that hits hard, especially emotionally. Lucinda’s writing is sharp, fast-paced, and disturbingly intimate. And while something small felt missing, it doesn’t take away from how unputdownable this book is.
𝐏.𝐒 If you’ve ever accepted a friend request from a stranger on social media, this book might haunt you. This book will make you question every check-in and status update you've ever posted!
𝐏.𝐏.𝐒 Last line of the book = GOOSEBUMPS.
⚠️This one gets dark. Like, really dark. Kidnapping, murder, grooming, abuse, rape, manipulation—Lucinda Berry doesn’t shy away from the heavy stuff. So proceed with caution if that’s something that could be difficult for you.
🔸𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔸𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction
🔸I’d 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅 this to - fans of dark psychological thrillers, readers who love dual timelines, and anyone who appreciates a character-focused story that explores trauma in a raw, real way.
🔸 𝑭𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔:
“When kids go through trauma, they do incredible things to survive their situation. Sometimes it means their brains create different stories and other realities to help them cope, elaborate fantasies to make something horrible make sense.”
“I used to think the world was a good place. Now I know it was only a fairytale. Bad things happen and they happen all the time. They’re everywhere. You can’t stop them.”
“He has an appetite for innocence and a very short attention span.”
We’ve got a serial rapist with a disturbingly specific type: teenage virgins. He stalks his victims through social media like it’s his personal buffet (brb turning off all my location settings). Once he’s got them, they’re locked in a soundproof basement, groomed, broken, and discarded like yesterday’s trash. It’s horrifying. It’s gritty. And yes—it’s gripping as hell.
Enter Ella, the survivor who fights back. She escapes. She sets the others free. And for a second, you breathe. But only for a second. Because the nightmare isn’t over—it’s evolving. Especially once you meet Sarah, the longest-held captive with secrets stacked as high as her trauma. And trust me, you’ll feel that trauma like a weight on your chest.
Told in dual POVs with a chilling “then and now” structure, this book wraps its hands around your throat from page one and doesn’t let go. The chapters are short, sharp, and crazy addictive—the kind that tricks you into saying “just one more” until it’s 2 a.m. and you’re still wide-eyed and sweating. I devoured this in a day.
Lucinda doesn’t just tell a story—she digs into your psyche. The book dives deep into the psychological aftermath of abuse without ever feeling exploitative or cheap. The way Lucinda gets into their heads? Chilling. Heartbreaking. And disturbingly real. It's raw, messy, unflinching, and disturbingly real. The suspense is taut, and the emotional weight is heavy—especially with the way the victims’ voices are portrayed. You feel their pain, their confusion, their fight.
It’s one of those books that makes you pause and really think—about trauma, recovery, and how terrifyingly easy it is for predators to blend in and get caught in their web when we overshare online. It’s uncomfortable in all the right ways—and it should be. This isn’t a book that coddles you. It slaps you with reality and dares you to look away.
One thing this book nailed was the reminder of how dangerous social media can be. We’re out here posting our every move—where we live, where we hang out, what we love, who we love. And we think, “It won’t happen to me. I’m smarter than that.” But this story? Yeah, it slaps that arrogance right out of your hands.
Was it perfect? Almost. But I felt the ending was rushed. A little too quick for my taste. Like, we spent all this time building the tension, and then boom—done. And that final line? It packs a punch, don’t get me wrong, but I needed more. Especially when it came to John. I wanted a deeper peek into his mind; I mean, how is this guy operating under the radar for so long? No suspicions? No slip-ups? Gimme some background, some FBI frustration, something to chew on! It didn’t ruin the experience, but it left me hungry for just a bit more.
Still, it’s a solid thriller. One that hits hard, especially emotionally. Lucinda’s writing is sharp, fast-paced, and disturbingly intimate. And while something small felt missing, it doesn’t take away from how unputdownable this book is.
𝐏.𝐒 If you’ve ever accepted a friend request from a stranger on social media, this book might haunt you. This book will make you question every check-in and status update you've ever posted!
𝐏.𝐏.𝐒 Last line of the book = GOOSEBUMPS.
⚠️This one gets dark. Like, really dark. Kidnapping, murder, grooming, abuse, rape, manipulation—Lucinda Berry doesn’t shy away from the heavy stuff. So proceed with caution if that’s something that could be difficult for you.
🔸𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔸𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction
🔸I’d 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅 this to - fans of dark psychological thrillers, readers who love dual timelines, and anyone who appreciates a character-focused story that explores trauma in a raw, real way.
🔸 𝑭𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔:
“When kids go through trauma, they do incredible things to survive their situation. Sometimes it means their brains create different stories and other realities to help them cope, elaborate fantasies to make something horrible make sense.”
“I used to think the world was a good place. Now I know it was only a fairytale. Bad things happen and they happen all the time. They’re everywhere. You can’t stop them.”
“He has an appetite for innocence and a very short attention span.”
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is a difficult, tough, disturbing read. The way this author writes characters, trauma, and truly captures a realistic healing journey and perspective is astounding.
Lucinda Berry knows people, and she captures them perfectly while maintaining an engaging plot.
Lucinda Berry knows people, and she captures them perfectly while maintaining an engaging plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Abortion, Pregnancy
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is SO close to being a 5 star read for me. It challenged me on all the ways I view main characters of stories and I couldn’t put this down. I finished it within 36 hours. Berry just GETS the human psyche, and her way of writing about terror, pain, and sadness is captivating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated