Ashley McConnell (1)

When a lonely and naive woman develops a relationship with her mysterious next-door neighbor, her best friend's misgivings about him start to become a reality.

This is a slow-charged debut suspense novel that is told from three POVs. We are introduced to Sadie Augustine who has started her life over after being cruelly dumped by her ex. Sadie is happy in her new apartment with her new puppy and her routine life. Then she meets her charming new neighbor Liam Reynolds with an answer for show more everything and a habit of going off the grid for hours on end. Sadie's best friend Audrey was there when Sadie was destroyed by her ex and Audrey does some investigation into Liam surprised to find a dark past that may put Sadie in danger.

I loved the idea of this novel, but I found it a bit slow and repetitive at the beginning. There's just so much pizza and warm blankets one can take before I get frustrated in wanting more about who is watching Sadie and why Liam is in Vermont and pursuing Sadie. As the story builds and all of the points of view come into play, I couldn't wait until the stalker was revealed. And then the author throws a twist at the end. A twist that comes out of left field making it all worth the read.

I enjoyed this first novel filled with angst, mystery, a little romance, and a chilling ending. I look forward to reading more from this new author. show less