She Left

by Stacie Grey

Twenty years ago, she survived. This time she may not be so lucky.

On the night that changed everything, Amy Brewer walked out of a house party, trudging angrily away from the friends who made her feel like she didn't belong. Within the next hour, all five of those friends would be dead.

The Memorial Day Massacre, as it came to be called, rocked their small California community and Amy―the girl who had walked away just in time―couldn't escape the media circus...or the guilt.

Twenty years later, ten people with connections to the crime have been invited to a remote cliffside house by a journalist looking to do a story on the murders. But the group quickly learns the event is not what it seems. As a storm closes in and guests begin to die, Amy realizes there is someone in the house who knows more than they admit about what happened that night long ago… and they will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Suspense, Fiction, Adult

338 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2024

About the author

Stacie Grey is an author and fan of mysteries who lives in Alameda, California, with her husband and dog. In what passes for normal life, she works in biotech research. She mostly posts to Instagram and Threads, and occasionally writes a newsletter.

Reviews

[megs_bookrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been twenty-years since the Memorial Day Massacre that claimed the lives of five of Amy's friends. It happened at a small house party they'd been enjoying together.

After Amy was made to feel like she didn't belong though, she left. Little did she know, that was the luckiest choice she could've ever made. Within an hour, all of those left at the house were be dead.



In the present, Amy, along with ten other people connected to that night have been invited to a cliffside lodge by a journalist preparing to do a piece on the murders.

After arriving at the home, and being introduced to one another, events quickly take a dark turn. With inclement weather closing in, isolating them even more from the outside world, it becomes clear that this weekend isn't what any of them expected it to be.



As bodies start dropping, Amy and the others must fight to figure out who orchestrated this event and stop them before they complete their goal; keeping the secrets they've been hiding for twenty-years.

Y'all, I really enjoyed this. I went into She Left with zero expectations. I hadn't heard anyone talking about it and I was unfamiliar with this author's other works. I was attracted to it purely for the cover and synopsis.

The synopsis was giving me a classic mystery/horror set-up, where people get invited to an event, like a dinner party or weekend retreat, only to arrive and realize it's not what they thought. It's very And Then There Were None, amongst others.



Grey succeeded in her delivery of that set-up. I loved how this started off, meeting all the characters and learning how they were all connected to the Memorial Day Massacre.

They're not all as directly connected as Amy was, so it was interesting to figure out all of that. We do get glimpses into all the various character perspectives, but Amy is definitely our main focus, and as an FBI Agent, Amy really had the most to offer as far as figuring the whole thing out.



Grey also succeeded in really building out her atmosphere. I loved the setting of this. She didn't just tell us it was remote, it felt remote. The inclement weather, and potentially hazardous mudslides, added an extra element of danger that only aided in the feeling of anxiety and desperation.

This is extremely fast-paced, as well as engaging and easy to follow. I listened to the audiobook and loved that as a format choice. I absolutely flew through it.

At the end of the day, I wouldn't say there's anything particularly ground-breaking about this story, but I didn't need there to be. It was still highly-entertaining and that's exactly what I was looking for.



Overall, the plot is gripping and fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but still delivers a well-plotted, intense mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. I'm pumped to read more from this author!

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I really enjoyed the plot of this, as it is a classic isolated closed circle mystery premise. Lured to an isolated spot and then victims get got one by one. However, I felt that the character and description work was rather flat, so it read a bit like a novelization of movie rather than a story in its own right

[Zizi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt like a lot was happening, but nothing really went down. I didn’t find the reasons behind it interesting, so this book was a letdown.

[Heathers_readss · Rating 2 out of 5]

She left begins with 16 year old Amy walking home in the dead of night after leaving a house party after a falling out with her friends.

As any teenager would, she starts to get the creeps are realizes what a stupid idea it was to walk home alone after dark, but when she reaches the safety of her home she soon finds out that the danger was elsewhere. All her friends are dead.

Flash forward 20 years, 10 people (Amy included) have been invited to an air bnb style retreat by a famous journalist who is looking to cover the story. Each person invited has a tie to one of the victims or a motive to murder.

After events cause them to lose access to their keys and phones they soon realize they are stuck in this locked room thriller when one after the other people start to mysteriously die.

The plot definitely gave a one by one who dunnit style, leaving the guests to race against the clock to try to figure out who the originally killer was and uncover all the lies and secrets each other are hiding.

The premise of the plot had a lot of promise, and we have some interesting characters. Some detectives and ex police who were part of the original case, a mother of the framed murderer and friends of the original group.

There’s a lot of back and forth, arguments and accusations. I feel the delivery on this one could have room for improvement, however it was a relatively enjoyable read nonetheless. Although there are a lot of characters to keep track of, some of them have very distinguishable (dislikable) personalities so that makes it easier to keep up with who’s who.

Thank you to NetGalley and poisoned pen press for an advanced copy!

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook of this one and I do think the narrator did a good job. This is a locked room mystery (actually several locked room mysteries within a locked house mystery) and I do have a soft spot for locked room mysteries. When Amy was a teenager she walked out of a cabin party with her friends and decided to walk home. Despite the creepy atmosphere when she gets home she realizes she made the best possible choice of her life because all of her friends are dead. After changing her name to her middle name Therese she became an FBI agent. I have to say that for an FBI agent I expected a little more, she read more like an amateur sleuth. Despite reservations she accepts an invitation from a journalist to a cabin where she finds nine other people all connected to the case where her friends were killed or one of them people involved including the confessed killer’s mother. But Therese quickly realizes that not everyone had the same motivations for coming this weekend and not all secrets from the past have truly been left in the past. I found some of the dialogue/delivery of the story to be a bit stilted but overall I enjoyed the story. I gave it 3.5 stars rounded up because I truly love a locked room mystery.

[Caitlyn DeRouin · Rating 1 out of 5]

i saw someone compare this to and then there were none and i'd like for them to apologize to agatha christie for comparing her masterpiece to this

[Kimberly R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Therese Brewer survived a Memorial Day massacre 20 years ago and was the only one who survived. She is now an FBI agent and is invited to a mountain lodge memorial service with 9 other people. Things start happening and they begin being bumped off one by one.
This was a great story that had me glued to the pages. I hope to read more by this great new author. Thanks NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC that will be released May 14, 2024!

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a locked room mystery and a half! Such a fast read, that I read in almost one sitting. I do love a reunion story and this is a doozy!!

20 years ago, Amy left the party early. Shortly afterwards, a bomb went off in the house and killed everyone who was there. Now, Amy is an FBI agent and is returning to town for a weekend with a journalist who is writing a story about what really happened that night.also invited are 9 other people with links to the case and the victims.

Of course, nothing goes smoothly in these kinds of stories, and the reunion soon turns deadly. And of course there is a storm. I was turning these pages so fast, not really sure if I trusted anyone at all. It is a fun but dark murder mystery, in the vein of And Then There Were None.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for my advanced copy of this book to read. Published on May 14th

[Me, My Shelf, & I · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun thriller that felt very much in the vein of And Then There Were None. It's a locked room murder mystery with a dwindling cast and mounting suspicions. 3.5/5

The Writing:
The writing definitely stood out to me from early on, as there's something about it that's both likable and very consumable. It's not overly flowery or bogged down with unnecessary information/details, but each POV does have a different lens they view the world through and I felt that carried into their separate narrations.

The Reveal:
I think that the reveal was probably the most lackluster part of the book, but it was satisfying, the clues were there the whole time, and it completely made sense. I would've personally preferred a few additional twists or conspiracies with more layers, but I have no complaints about the ending we got.

Though it's definitely nice to have a protagonist who not only thinks with a level head, but also encourages the other characters to do the same.

Overall:
This is certainly in the upper tier of thrillers I've read (to be fair, this isn't the highest bar) and I would easily recommend it to anyone looking for a light, fast summer read. It's not here for a long time or a lot of depth, but a fun, popcorn read.

Audiobook Notes:
I really enjoyed the narrator for this one. I think she did a great job with all of the voices, the way she varied even the narration to mimic the style of the characters in their different POVs, and the pace at which she delivered.

It was honestly one of the smoothest audio productions I've listened to in a while? Which isn't normally something that catches my attention, but everything here was very crisp and didn't even include any obvious hiccups from bits they had to correct.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for granting me an audio ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Yaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the premise of this book and thought it had such a strong introductory chapter. Unfortunately, the rest of it was a let down.

The majority of the characters - and there were a lot to keep track of - were sort of one note, and they were led by an incredibly bland main character. I didn't find a single character to be likable, which made it difficult to get invested in what they were going through.

A lot of the motivating triggers for the plot also felt overly manufactured and I struggled to find them believable.

Finally, while the big reveal at the end made a lot of sense, I had also guessed who the killer was very early in the book so there wasn't any shock factor for me.

[Nurse Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

She Left, by Stacie Grey, was a who-dun-it type storyline that kept you guessing from the start. The book follows a small group of people, all related in some way to a massacre many years prior, as they get together for a remembrance. Of all the attendees, only Therese had been there the night her friends/classmates perished at the hands of someone else.

The book continues to slowly feed you information related to the massacre, but does not revolve around it- only each person’s involvement or relation to it. If the author is so inclined, I would love to read a story dedicated to the massacre itself!

The opening to the book immediately made me feel claustrophobic, set in a remote, hotel-like environment and immediately removed of all access outside including car keys and cell phones. The finger pointing and blaming kicks off immediately, as do dead bodies left and right.

I didn’t find this story super suspenseful, maybe more of a mystery genre than thriller, but excellent all around. I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator enjoyable as well. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

This was a pretty good locked in style book.
Therese (Amy from the beginning) is the sole survivor in an attack that killed 5 of her friends. She’s tried to distance herself from the tragedy in her adult life. She get invited to a weekend away by a journalist doing a story on the tragedy.

Multiple people having to do the with the case get stuck in a house and people keep dying. The other people need to figure out who the killer is.

The middle felt slow to me. I did like how the book had difference perspectives sprinkled throughout of everybody on the house. The ending was good and moved quickly to tie everything up.

If you are a fan of the locked in style books. This is definitely worth the read

[AndiReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spectacular locked room mystery that you are sure to love! I simply cannot believe this is Stacie Grey's first novel.

She Left features ten people that have been invited to a media event to discuss the violent death of a group of friends over 20 years ago.

Therese is the only one who survived and she is unsure whether she should attend, but she will do anything to assist with solving what happened and finding out why. She joins 9 others in a winter lodge that is quite remote and without internet access. As you might guess, there are many different personalities and fingers are pointed left and right when one of the attending dies mysteriously.

Grey takes an old idea that I love and imbues it with fresh details and fun conflicts. I read anything locked room/vacation-gone -wrong and I was not disappointed. Anxiously awaiting her next novel! #Posionedpenpress #staciegrey #sheleft

[Mandy K · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

20 years ago a group of teenagers were murdered with only one lucky survivor who just so happened to leave at the right time. Now, a couple decades later a new group of people are brought together to a remote mountain mansion. Each person has a connection to the original victims. What follows is over-the-top bad luck and guests being picked off one-by-one like a Willy Wonka factory tour.

This will have you questioning who can be trusted throughout the whole book. It’s told mostly through Therese’s POV with sprinklings of quick POV of other characters every once in a while. With any locked room thriller the outcomes are pretty limited, but this had great suspense without being overly obvious.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC opportunity.

Pub Date May 14 2024

[Joanna Loves Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

She Left is the debut new novel by Stacie Grey, and I was interested in it because the premise was intriguing. A partially unsolved massacre haunts the characters as they gather in a remote location. Overall, I thought the story well written and decently paced, but I was not overly invested in it either.

Amy is the main character, and she now goes by her middle name Theresa to escape the public scrutiny around the massacre as the lone survivor. She is now an FBI agent, but not typically solving murders or violent crimes. She is invited to a cabin in the mountains as a 20 year reunion special in remembrance of the massacre, along with others connected to the massacre (family and friends of the slain). The only problem is that it is a ruse, and participants start getting picked off.

Amy was very level-headed. She did what she could to protect herself but otherwise didn’t seem overly concerned with getting out of the cabin alive. I think this was what made it hard to invest in the story. Despite there being all the elements for a creepy story with nature contributing more elements, most chapters didn’t build that suspense, and it was only really the finding of a body that triggered that again each time. I also think while the story tried to throw suspicion on different characters, it wasn’t enough to really make you think the killer was different characters. Despite putting this under spoiler tags, I will keep this vague, but ultimately the character that I thought seemed the most likely based on circumstances was the killer in the end, so not very surprising.

While I didn’t think this a stellar read, the strong plot would have me considering more by this author in future. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say it was a bit over-edited, which may have taken some of the feeling out of it. If this had more feeling to it, it could have been stellar, I believe . Overall, I think this was a good read and a good debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book. Views are my own.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 3 out of 5]

"𝑷𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈," 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅. "𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕."

Amy Brewer, who now goes by Therese, is invited to a weekend getaway to explain why she left a party right before a group of teens were massacred twenty years before. When she arrives, she encounters two curious things: first, a group of people with close connections to the massacre are also present, and second, the host is curiously missing. After reading a note from the host explaining the absence, the group decides to dig in to dinner and spend the evening in their rooms. Upon waking the next morning, no one can find their car keys or cell phones. It soon becomes clear that they were all invited under false pretenses and that someone in the isolated house is a murderer. Worse, a storm is raging outside that will ensure all of the occupants will remain inside. Will Therese, now an FBI agent, use her training to uncover who the killer is?

This book had everything I love, especially the locked room setting, but I just didn't enjoy it the way I thought I would. None of the characters were particularly fleshed out enough for me to connect with any of them. The prologue was the strongest part of the book, and it immediately captured my attention. I believe if the story were told in dual timelines I would have enjoyed it more and would have connected with who the people were back then instead of just who they are now.

It was a solid read, and many lovers of locked room thrillers will surely enjoy this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the early read. SHE LEFT will publish May 14, 2024.

[Tarra · Rating 2 out of 5]

She Left by Stacie Grey is a closed circle mystery following Amy Brewer, the lone survivor of a mass killing twenty years prior as she and others connected to the killing are brought together at a remote location for a follow up article.

I typically enjoy a closed circle mystery with everyone trapped in a house, trying to figure out whodunnit but this one missed the mark for me. The writing style is fine but the characters felt very bland and their motivations didn’t feel believable. This book was really slow for me and by about halfway through I’d lost interest in the mystery. Maybe those new to closed circle mysteries might like this, but it wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

SUPER boring. The characters were dull. The plot was dull. This book took me too long to read due to only being able to read so many pages at a time because literally nothing happened?? The so called “twist” at the end was shit. I’ve read worse so I’m gonna be generous and give this 2 stars.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely love locked-room mysteries. My first and most loved is of course AND THEN THERE WERE NONE by Agatha Christie. I try not to use this novel as a benchmark for others in the genre, but often it is very difficult. SHE LEFT had a fantastic premise and promised to be an edge-of-your-seat thriller—ten people stranded at a cliffside getaway during a torrential storm, each connected by murders committed 20 years ago. In theory, this sounded fabulous, but in execution, it was lacking what was needed for a 5-star read.

It was often difficult to keep the many characters straight, and even harder to readily recall their connections to the original murders. And with such a large cast, character development suffered, which in turn made it difficult to truly connect with most of the characters. Even our main protagonist, Therese, wasn’t fully fleshed out. To wholly enjoy a book, I need to feel invested in the story and I want to be able to root for the characters. But I didn’t seem to care enough from beginning to end for these things to happen to their fullest extent.

But I did start enjoying the book more past the 50% mark when the story picked up and the pace quickened. I needed to know who was killing our guests, and I really really needed to find out who was the murderer behind the Memorial Day Massacre 20 years ago. I also enjoyed chapters that gave us a glimpse into the minds of the characters, where their perspectives were presented to the reader in the form of vignettes. And the ending was a satisfying one where everything is explained and the culprit is revealed!

So bottom line—I’d definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy locked-room mysteries. Just prepare yourself for a slower pace to start and a large cast of characters to keep straight. But if you hang in there, you’ll get a satisfying conclusion and happy ending for many of our protagonists.

I want to thank NetGalley, Stacie Grey, and Poisoned Press Pen for gifting me the ARC of SHE LEFT. It was such a privilege to read this before publication. And I appreciate you trusting me with an honest review!

[Delaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for the publisher for the gifted (free) ARC

This book has the classic makings of a locked door mystery to solve a decades old crime.

A group of people, invited to a secluded location, no cell service or outsiders, they start dying one by one. You get the picture.

I found the beginning of this book promising, and the end wrapped everything up nicely. However, the middle portion left me a bit bored. Overall, I wouldn’t discourage this read, but I wouldn’t add it to my list of regular recs.

[Jaded book lover 🤓 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover is what first caught my eye. The artwork and colors used drew me in and the plot sealed the deal. I found the storyline to be well thought out and the characters just complex enough to keep me guessing yet engaged. As with many thrillers, the situation seemed a little far fetched but it kept me wanting to know how it would all play out. The female main character was likable but I felt a little disconnected at times. Given the situation and character’s history I would have liked a little more emotional pull but overall I thought this was a really good audiobook. Narration was done well and the attention to detail really helped me visualize the story, characters, and house.

I would like to thank Stacie Grey, NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this audiobook. I was happy to provide my honest review in exchange, and I’m eager to share my recommendation for this book with fellow thriller/mystery readers.

[Rav.ingbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great writing style.but felt deflated with not much story of the original night.
I know there was some mystery needed and what was said about Amy Theresa in the years before they are brought to this house.
Also a bit more emotions based on why she joined the FBI.
I would watch this a thriller/mild horror movie as it would be great on screen

[GenuinelyMorgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had me bored after page 90.

No thrills, no plot twists, just lots of pointless dialog talking to each guest.

Basically Clue, done WORSE! 10/10 would not recommend! I would have DNF'ed but thank goodness for the audiobook!

[Ink · Rating 5 out of 5]

"She Left" by Stacie Grey and narrated by Linda Jones is an outstanding thriller that arfully blends a tight circle of suspects with an isolated locale, revenge murders and worst of all, all tech and ability to drive away are taken

Add to this, landslides, the guests being picked off one by one and one heck of a back story that builds throughout the narrative thanks to the beautifully performed multiple POV's by the hugely talented Linda Jones

Oh my goodness, this one is a doozy! I am not usually one for thrillers that involve being stuck in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with no way to get back and peril at every turn, but "She Left" is so very different.

The back story: A party on Memorial day, the popular group of high school teens get together and Amy Therese Bower thinks her social dreams have come true, that is, until the group at the party begin to get nasty and she leaves, by foot, to go home and leave it behind her. Her route is scary and fraught with unknown noises, but when she gets back home, the response is not as she would imagine. She is not told off for not calling, instead, everyone is relieved she is back. why? She is the only person that survived that party

The Present day: A group of people are invited to a remote cabin in a New England forest seemingly by a journalist. At this point, Amy is noww Therese and is an active FBI agent. She doesn't talk to journalists about what happened that day due to being the only survivor (survivor guilt) and even her dating life is affected, with one guy trying to get a date with her who turned out to be a true crime podcaster. She cancelled that date. However, this is different, so she drives up to the luxury cabin. When she gets there, she meets other people who have a link to each person that died at the memorial day massacre, some obvious, others not so. However, after a really, really good nights sleep, the group discover they have been drugged and all their tech and keys taken. Who did it? And why?

This book is outstanding in that as each back story is revealed, each person has a perspective and a motive to be the killer in the cabin and as each person is picked off, who the real killer is likely to be becomes less and less easy to spot. Intricately woven and utterly compelling, this is a thriller that will keep you rapt throughout. Brilliant!

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, the author Stacie Grey and narrator Linda Jones for this fantastic ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

[Lisa Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give it 2.5 out of five but rounded up to three. It started off good but slowed down fast. The whole thing fell flat for me especially the ending.

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twenty years ago, Amy Brewer walked out of a party early—and survived. Her friends were not so lucky. Now she's been invited to a weekend retreat to discuss the case...but the mix of guests is much odder than she would have expected, and it's almost immediately clear that somebody is hiding something. That not everyone will walk out of this house alive, either.

I have a thing for final girl mysteries—though I still haven't figured out quite why—as well as a thing for mysteries that take place in rambling old houses. This one has some heavy shades of And Then There Were None, though if that was an inspiration I'm happy to note that there are some significant differences that keep the story feeling fresh. (And the way communication and access to the outside world are cut off—always a challenge in contemporary books, given the prevalence of cell phones!—is innovative and honestly kind of entertaining.)

There are a number of questions left unanswered (I'll keep it vague to avoid spoilers): we eventually find out who sent the package to the prison, of course, but what compelled Sean to use the contents? How would the orchestrator even know about Jonathan? There's at least one person who is far more likely to have information than to be a suspect—would the orchestrator really not try to reach out first? And what is Therese hiding, when we're told that She hadn't told them everything, but what she had told them was the truth? (137)

For some reason I'd thought that the events of the book would take place in the same place as the massacre. It's sort of too bad for spook factor that it doesn't, but it does make more sense for the plot of the book. Overall, a solid addition to the And Then There Were No Final Girls subgenre.

[Stacey Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, “She Left,” has a feel akin to Christie’s “And The There Were None.” Where it worked for Christie, it fall short for Grey.

Our protagonist, Amy Brewer, left a party early twenty years ago and as she was walking home, the house blew, with all her “friends” inside. Now, while working as an FBI agent, she is invited, along with former friends and family members by a journalist to a remote home to revisit that long ago night. Well, the journalist doesn’t show and when they wake up the next morning all means of communication and transportation have been removed.

Then, bodies start to fall…

Keep in mind, Brewer, is not a reliable narrator. Hence, the story becomes somewhat confusing, but is predictable. The characters are being picked off, one by one, and obviously the past is catching up, and the question is, Can Amy figure it out before she becomes a victim?

Grey, is not a bad writer. I picked this novel because Christie is one of my favorites, and this sounded though it was reminiscent of ATTWN. I was entertained enough to stay with it, there were fleeting elements of a classic whodunit but it was forgettable after the last page.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[janet jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love to pick out random thrillers with the hope of finding a gem……… this is not one of those gems. I love an isolated setting with a 20 year old mystery to reveal and an And Then There Were None plot, so I was intrigued. That was until I had to wade through so many words that had so little reason to have ever been written. They. Just. Kept. Talking. And. Said. Absolutely. Nothing. Characters were dull, story was dull, murders were dull, reveals were dull, everything was dull. I skimmed the second half because if I made it through the first, I deserved the extra read for the month that finishing it would give me. This would be 0 stars if Goodreads would let me do that.

[Krystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

It started off with a lot of information in the first three chapters. I wanted to dnf the book but I pushed through it. So glad I did. Was not expecting the ending at still. Had me guessing who did it. Boy was I wrong on the person.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

She Left is Stacie Grey's debut (I think?!) and I loved the setup of this book. We get a taste of the past, but the majority is set in the present where Amy is now Therese, and she is invited to a secluded house on a cliff in the Sierras. If I were her, I never would have gone to this, but she is a Special Agent now and clearly no longer afraid of anything. This was a fast-paced read and exactly the kind I like where bodies drop like flies, and everyone is a suspect. The author definitely gave off Agatha Christi vibes and I loved the atmospheric setting and the introduction of the storm that traps everyone there.

I thought the audiobook was great and Linda Jones was perfect to be the voice of Therese and the other characters we get in the form of vignettes. I was glad that the book was mostly told from Therese's viewpoint, but I also loved that we got a taste of the other characters and what they were like. She Left was a twisty read, and I was really surprised by how things got wrapped up. There is a discussion with the author at the back of the book that isn't included in the audio that I recommend reading, but otherwise, the audio was a wonderful way to experience the book! I think Grey is off to a great start and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

I received an advanced listening copy of this book via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.