It sure has been a while
(*dusts off the cobwebs* surveys the clean-up needed*)
Well one thing at a time.
Speaking of time, I don't really have enough to vet a new romance read so I walked into a bookstore, headed for the mystery section, read a few back covers, and otherwise (aside from checking POV—gotta be 1st for me) went in blind, something I can’t do with romance.
Maybe it’s because it’s been a while since I’ve picked up a novel for leisure, yet alone a mystery/suspense, but this one wasn’t like how I remembered them. The formula was different. Or maybe times have finally changed. Regardless, I had no intent to start writing reviews again. I got into that [reviews and blogging] for fun, but it became more like work, and a time suck which ate into more important priorities. Women have enough unpaid labor in the world, so I took a break. (*glances at the time stamp on the last post*) Okay a long break. But here I am again. I finished the book and my fingers were itching on the laptop keys. Some girls just have itches we gotta scratch. Mine is words. So here goes. With this long of an introduction, I’ll try to make it quick. (But that’s probably a lie.)
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4.5 Stars
You Shouldn’t Have Come Here was on a table in between the mystery section and the romance section. Was it a romantic suspense? I pondered even as I neared the last quarter of the novel.
Or was it gonna be a suspense thriller?
It’s suspense for sure with a theme of things are not as they seem.
The mystery is in the genre, and it’s a slow build mystery, one that simmers longer than Grace’s brussels sprouts or Calvin’s hotdogs and beans. There are hints of menace in the background as our dual first-person narrators explore their push and pull relationship that has an expiration date, always front and center in their minds as well as the readers as the book sections count down the days of her stay.
Do they overcome their obstacles and ride off into the metaphorical sunset? Only the final pages would tell so I’ll dance around this a little
more. Besides, I was getting ahead of myself.
Grace Evans threw a dart at a map and booked her yearly vacation at an Airbnb ranch in Wyoming. Before she even gets there, the creepy encounters begin. And they only continue to pile up once she’s settled in. Are they coincidences? Or simply Grace’s nagging paranoia? She is a fish out of water, a NYC banker in the remote west where wild animals outnumber the people in population. But the locals aren’t short on problems. There’s Calvin’s brother who has as many hang-ups and resentments as he has had drinks. As well as Calvin’s pseudo mother and wanna-be girlfriend, both of which aren’t subtle with their opinion that an outsider like Grace doesn’t belong.
Grace certainly experiences some culture shock as her host’s friends, family, and nature begin crawling out of the woodwork. As does a lot of new vacation experiences that aren’t exactly Instagram worthy. But she mostly takes it in stride, projecting her cool city confidence with this insular crew.
I gotta admit, I’m not sure if the author intended for some
of the drama that ensues to be humorous or not, but I got a kick out of it
while I played armchair detective and psychologist, analyzing which characters
might be psychos and which might only be small town crazy. As a result, it kept me turning pages. I was also torn between wanting to see Grace
and Calvin emerge unscathed and get together (the romantic in me) and wanting a
good twisted thriller (the horror movie fan in me).
There’s, of course, the business with the missing girl,
which makes the Sheriff a frequent guest even if he’s not booking a
reservation. And what skeletons are
lurking in everybody’s guarded past?
All I’m gonna say is that the novel delivers the promised
twists. And while I considered most possibilities, I was still surprised at the
ultimate reveals. I want to praise not
just the execution of the ending, but also the way it broke the mold. There are
enough helpless heroines in literature, and thankfully Grace isn’t one of them.
A one-time feminist literary theory student, I closed the book with a sense of
satisfaction. Though I’ll admit, I craved a bonus chapter with Dubois’s
reaction. This would make a good limited-episode binge-watch Netflix kind of movie.
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