This was a well-done thriller! It deftly handles heavy topics of addiction, childhood trauma, and mental illness much better than most thriller/mystery writers. In the author’s note at the end of the book, Quinn mentions that she drew on her own experiences in rehab and journey to recovery. There were some elements that were unrealistic and required a lot of suspension of disbelief (such as a casino covering 20k in supplemental rehab fees, not to mention offering extremely good insurance, for one of their mid-level employees). However, the internal monologue of the main character, Meg’s, struggle with addiction felt very raw and real, not simply a plot device to create an unreliable narrator. 

 

The book’s blurb does not mention or allude to this at all so I was surprised to find that it is written with a dual POV. There is Meg, who enters rehab as a patient to uncover the truth of her sister’s death, and Cara, the manager of the rehab. I actually thought the dual POV was well executed as Meg and Cara are essentially running parallel but separate investigations so there’s not a lot of overlap or the same scene from both POVs. 

 

There are some parts, especially in the first half of the book, that drag on too long and events essentially repeat themselves (eg: detectives visiting the rehab multiple times to the same response). If those parts were removed or reworked, it would have made the pacing so much better. 

 

The plot twists were really great in combining both POVs together though a bit too foreshadowed. The ending felt a bit too rushed by trying to tie up all loose ends neatly. 

 

Overall, super engaging and once I got past the slow beginning, I couldn’t put it down! 

 

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.