You Must Be New Here: A Novel

I am so conflicted on this one! I wanted to love it and for the first 60%, I really did.
The atmosphere was immediate. The author did an incredible job of building that "outsider looking in" tension, and the pacing had me flying through chapters. I was fully prepared to name this a top thriller of the year.
But then… the ending. I’m all for a twist, but this felt less like a "gotcha" and more like the author ran out of pages and just threw everything at the wall. The way the subplots were wrapped up felt rushed and, honestly, a bit cheap compared to the sophisticated build-up we got at the start. I hate when a book has so much potential only to stumble at the finish line!
Bottom Line: Read it for the vibes and the initial mystery, but lower your expectations for the reveal.

Well this was a sneaky little domestic mystery/suspense. Multiple povs of shady characters in a community, dirty secrets and a murder. Kinda like a book version of desperate housewives. It was good, interesting and quick - which I appreciated most of all! Once I finished the story, I realize that a big part of this story plot is becoming more common these days because I recently read a similar storyline a few weeks ago. The narration was really good and kept me engaged in the story!

thank you net galley, little a publishing and katie sise for this arc. this was my first experience with Katie Sise’s writing, i’m feeling a bit indifferent about it. i wouldn't say i was wowed, but i also wasn’t completely turned off. it left me in a sort of apathetic state. if you decide to dive in, i’d strongly recommend checking out the content warnings first—there are a few sub-plots that could be quite heavy for some readers. as for the pacing, it felt a bit sluggish for a while; the twists and turns only start to emerge around the 40% mark. with so many characters to keep track of, i found it challenging to stay engaged. the plot, while undeniably familiar, revolves around the classic trope of a young woman going missing, and the suspicion immediately falls on someone's husband. i had already guessed the culprit long before reaching the book's conclusion. there were a few unexpected twists that caught me off guard and added a bit of excitement, but they didn’t quite elevate the overall story. on a brighter note, i did appreciate the multiple points of view throughout the narrative. however, i found myself wishing for a deeper dive into the perspectives of the male characters. they were present in nearly every chapter, yet their voices felt underexplored. a richer exploration from their side could have added an intriguing layer to the story! overall, it was an interesting read, but not one that left a lasting impression on me.