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A review by nadiamasood
You Shouldn't Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book isn't exactly a fast-paced, heart-stopping thriller—well, except maybe for the last ten pages. It starts off as a small-town insta-romance that goes dark, shifts into a mystery, and then veers off course, attempting to become a psychological thriller with a rather underwhelming surprise twist at the end.
Reasons I'm giving this book 3 stars instead of the 2 stars I initially considered:
#1: The book cover is striking, immediately giving off strong horror-thriller vibes!
#2: Despite its shortcomings, the book held my attention enough for me to finish it.
#3: The ending did catch me off-guard!
What Didn't Work for Me:
Way too much cringe-worthy romance in what's supposed to be a mystery/thriller! With a cover like THAT, you'd expect suspense, but instead, you get Grace and Calvin swooning over each other for half the book. He cooks up baked beans with bacon and hotdogs; she counters with balsamic-and-honey-glazed Brussels sprouts with bacon. Then they walk, fish, ride horses, and basically gaze into each other's eyes like they've discovered the meaning of life at every glance.
Calvin gushes about Grace's "blue, blue eyes" about 18 times throughout the book!
On their THIRD day of knowing each other, Calvin—who barely knows Grace beyond her NYC roots—suddenly decides she’s “like an onion: layered, complex, with so much to offer.” And then, as if that weren’t enough of a whirlwind romance, they decide to go skinny dipping. Because, of course, that’s what you do after knowing someone for just THREE days.
"She was everything between the rising sun and the sun setting. She was the sensation you get after you felt a jerk on your fishing pole (literally)." Yes, this was exactly how it was written.
"She was everything and she was nothing, which made her the perfect amount of something."
However, in an effort to keep things mysterious (because, you know, this is a thriller), the author decided to toss in every suspicious trope they could think of: an isolated ranch with no Wi-Fi or cell reception, someone screaming in the night, missing guests, mysterious dead parents, a bitter ex, creepy townsfolk, estranged siblings, a mountain lion attack, killer bees, a padlocked basement—you name it. Honestly, I was half-expecting aliens to show up!
Ever find yourself flipping through pages, desperately waiting for something—anything—interesting to happen? That was my experience with this book. But somehow, I kept reading, so I’ve got to give the author credit for keeping me hooked, even when the plot was about as thrilling as watching grass grow in that isolated, creepy ranch.
Then there were the inconsistencies in Jeneva Rose’s writing. Grace would shift from suspicious to brave to flirty to terrified—all within the same chapter. This was particularly noticeable in the audiobook, where the narrator’s portrayal highlighted these abrupt changes even more.
My Problem with the Plot Twist at the End:
It came out of nowhere! Grace’s motivation for her killing spree was simply that she had an "itch in the middle of her back that she finally learned how to scratch." And to top it off, she plans to involve her daughter in her future killing retreats once the child is older?! This twist completely ruined the book for me!
Why did the audiobook narrator make us believe Grace was so terrified of the mysterious happenings at the ranch that she couldn’t wait for her car to be fixed just so she could make a quick getaway? I've read a lot of thrillers, and this isn’t how you build up to an ending like that!
Alternate Endings I've been Thinking Of:
The plot is great, by the way. You have a psychopath killer who randomly picks an Airbnb situated in a remote location, makes sure she's the lone guest, seduces and then kills the host, and leaves. Except in this particular ranch, she wasn't expecting her prey to be a killer himself!
After knowing how the story ended, I went back and reread some of Grace’s chapters, and they made more sense. If the narrative had hinted at Grace being an unreliable narrator earlier, the build-up would have been much more satisfying.
Imagine if Calvin and Grace discovered they were both killers and decided they were soulmates, leaving us with a cliffhanger! Or what if Grace turned out to be the missing girl who came back for revenge, determined to make sure Calvin never committed another crime?
Readers looking for a low-key thriller that doesn’t demand much brainpower will find some fun here with its ambiguous ending. And if you’re new to the mystery or thriller genre and love to sprinkle romance into everything you read, this book could be your dream come true.
Reasons I'm giving this book 3 stars instead of the 2 stars I initially considered:
#1: The book cover is striking, immediately giving off strong horror-thriller vibes!
#2: Despite its shortcomings, the book held my attention enough for me to finish it.
#3: The ending did catch me off-guard!
What Didn't Work for Me:
Way too much cringe-worthy romance in what's supposed to be a mystery/thriller! With a cover like THAT, you'd expect suspense, but instead, you get Grace and Calvin swooning over each other for half the book. He cooks up baked beans with bacon and hotdogs; she counters with balsamic-and-honey-glazed Brussels sprouts with bacon. Then they walk, fish, ride horses, and basically gaze into each other's eyes like they've discovered the meaning of life at every glance.
Calvin gushes about Grace's "blue, blue eyes" about 18 times throughout the book!
On their THIRD day of knowing each other, Calvin—who barely knows Grace beyond her NYC roots—suddenly decides she’s “like an onion: layered, complex, with so much to offer.” And then, as if that weren’t enough of a whirlwind romance, they decide to go skinny dipping. Because, of course, that’s what you do after knowing someone for just THREE days.
"She was everything between the rising sun and the sun setting. She was the sensation you get after you felt a jerk on your fishing pole (literally)." Yes, this was exactly how it was written.
"She was everything and she was nothing, which made her the perfect amount of something."
However, in an effort to keep things mysterious (because, you know, this is a thriller), the author decided to toss in every suspicious trope they could think of: an isolated ranch with no Wi-Fi or cell reception, someone screaming in the night, missing guests, mysterious dead parents, a bitter ex, creepy townsfolk, estranged siblings, a mountain lion attack, killer bees, a padlocked basement—you name it. Honestly, I was half-expecting aliens to show up!
Ever find yourself flipping through pages, desperately waiting for something—anything—interesting to happen? That was my experience with this book. But somehow, I kept reading, so I’ve got to give the author credit for keeping me hooked, even when the plot was about as thrilling as watching grass grow in that isolated, creepy ranch.
Then there were the inconsistencies in Jeneva Rose’s writing. Grace would shift from suspicious to brave to flirty to terrified—all within the same chapter. This was particularly noticeable in the audiobook, where the narrator’s portrayal highlighted these abrupt changes even more.
My Problem with the Plot Twist at the End:
Why did the audiobook narrator make us believe Grace was so terrified of the mysterious happenings at the ranch that she couldn’t wait for her car to be fixed just so she could make a quick getaway? I've read a lot of thrillers, and this isn’t how you build up to an ending like that!
Alternate Endings I've been Thinking Of:
After knowing how the story ended, I went back and reread some of Grace’s chapters, and they made more sense. If the narrative had hinted at Grace being an unreliable narrator earlier, the build-up would have been much more satisfying.
Imagine if Calvin and Grace discovered they were both killers and decided they were soulmates, leaving us with a cliffhanger! Or what if Grace turned out to be the missing girl who came back for revenge, determined to make sure Calvin never committed another crime?
Readers looking for a low-key thriller that doesn’t demand much brainpower will find some fun here with its ambiguous ending. And if you’re new to the mystery or thriller genre and love to sprinkle romance into everything you read, this book could be your dream come true.