Before this book got published.

I emailed an unfinished copy of the manuscript to an old friend, asking if it was any good or if I’d completely missed the mark. A few days later, I got this. It was the boost I needed to see it through to the end.

First things first. HOLY SHIT, THAT PROLOGUE.

I mean, I was just there, freezing my ass off in that December Toronto morning, feeling that misty cold. Then BAM! Someone falls out of the goddamn sky. The description of the thud, the eerie stillness, the way the car roof just caves in, I had to pause. Goosebumps. Also, that ending? Somewhere, high above the crowd, a window stands open. Jesus. That’s the moment where I sat up straighter, completely hooked.

Ann is a walking storm, and I LOVE IT.

From the second she mutters “I fucking hate it,” I knew I was in for a ride. Her resentment is practically a character in this book. And Spike? Oh my God, I love this dog already. The fact that she chose him just to piss Mark off? Chef’s kiss.

But beyond that, Ann’s loneliness hurts. The way she describes her marriage as one long, silent battle? The way she walks through her perfect neighborhood and just knows she doesn’t belong? I felt that deep in my bones. And Mark? Mark fucking Lancaster. He’s so polished, so goddamn perfect on paper, but every interaction with him feels like a trap. The tension in their scenes is suffocating.

Mark’s Mother Can Choke.

Grace. Holy hell, this woman. Every time she enters a scene, I feel a spike in my blood pressure. The silent disapproval, the subtle digs, the way she refuses tea just to make a point?? THE TEA REFUSAL. That is next-level psychological warfare, and I am so mad for Ann. But THEN, Grace’s little monologue about BJs and “empty balls do the trick”? I GAGGED. No. No, no, no. That scene left me feeling straight-up VIOLATED.

And George?? I need therapy after reading about that man. His whole existence is vile. Every time he’s in the room, I want to scrub my brain.

The Neighbor Guy, Mystery and Smoldering Sadness.

I am DYING to know more about him. That moment when Ann sees him talking to his dog in another language? The quiet grief in his voice? OOF. I felt that. Then that awkward, loaded eye contact on the trail?? I don’t know where this is going, but I need more. Immediately.

Also, the scene at the lake? When Ann watches the woman storm off after screaming at him? That moment stayed with me. It was so raw and open, like Ann was intruding on something too painful to witness.

Anthony Needs to Be Fed to the Wolves.

I legit yelled “FUCK YOU” at my screen when he propositioned Ann. The audacity. The smirk. The casual, disgusting way he did it. And Ann’s response? PERFECTION. I wanted to fist-pump when she shut him down so hard. But then, Daniela. Ohhhh, Daniela. The way she looks at Mark’s hands? The way she’s just there, quiet, like she’s been drowning for years? There’s so much happening under the surface, and I’m obsessed with figuring it out.

The Car Ride From Hell.

When Mark starts lecturing Ann on the way home from the wine trip? I WAS SCREAMING. Like, dude, you’re mad that she wasn’t fake-smiling enough?! This whole scene felt like a slow car crash. Ann’s “I don’t care” hit so deep. And when she finally says “You’re right, Mark. I’m not interested.”—whew. I felt that shift in the air. The moment where the foundation of their marriage cracked.

And the next morning? THE COLD SHOULDER? The way Mark just leaves without a word? I could feel Ann’s isolation physically.

BREATHE, GIRL, BREATHE.

As soon as she got to her parents’ house, I exhaled for the first time in ages. The warm welcome, the real conversations, the way her dad just knows something is wrong? Ugh, it was like stepping into safety. And then Jack. JACK. The second he asked, “You never wondered if he had someone else?” my stomach dropped.

Because holy SHIT. She really never considered it. And now that question is there, rotting in her brain, in my brain, and I want answers.

Thanksgiving With the Demons.

First of all, Mark being pissed that Ann had the audacity to take the kids to her own family??? The entitlement. But then, Grace’s stare? The unspoken accusations? The way Mark is unraveling under it? That whole scene is just uneasy silence and knives hidden in words.

And then… GEORGE.Jesus. The way he thinks about Grace, about his habits, about his little study-time “rituals”? I need a shower. A bleach bath. A full exorcism. This man is a disease.

What’s Next?

This book is DRIPPING in tension. Every chapter simmers with this awful, awful inevitability. Ann is drowning, Mark is cracking, Grace is scheming, George is disgusting, and SOMETHING BAD IS COMING.

I don’t trust a single character.I don’t know where this is going.I am OBSESSED.

This is the kind of book where I would immediately text my friends like “READ THIS NOW” because it is that kind of gripping.

So, tell me—what happens next? Because I am READY