This was my BOTM pick for January 2020, and I'm so glad I took a chance on it. I'd read a few mixed reviews that gave me some pause, but ultimately decided to see for myself.

I really enjoyed this. This is the first book I've read by this author and now I really want to go read her debut. The creepy atmosphere that she creates really sucked me in. There was tension in this book from beginning to end.

Some of the criticism I've seen of this book is that it felt repetitive because the characters in the two different timelines are learning the same things, but I actually felt like their respective investigations were different enough, and they found out things at different times in different ways. I never felt bored or like there were scenes that were extraneous.

I wasn't expecting the ghost story aspect of this to be so prevalent, but I think it was really well done. I was thoroughly creeped out. I could see this being a movie or show kind of like the Haunting of Hill House. It gave me the same vibe.

I am officially a Simone St. James fan, and am really interested to see what she does next.