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Free with preorder of Bitter Falls (Stillhouse Lake #4)

Takes place before events in Bitter Falls

48 pages, ebook

First published January 21, 2020

12 people are currently reading
5265 people want to read

About the author

Rachel Caine

205 books19.4k followers

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Community Reviews

5 stars
72 (24%)
4 stars
121 (40%)
3 stars
90 (30%)
2 stars
12 (4%)
1 star
4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Lackof_shelf_control.
391 reviews158 followers
September 26, 2025
Contrary to what I said recently about novellas not adding much to a series, this one completely surprised me. While I could easily imagine this story stretched into a full-length novel, it felt perfectly wrapped up as a short read. I got all the answers I was looking for—without the plot feeling rushed or leaving big gaps.

✨ Final Takeaway: If you’re already a fan of the Stillhouse Lake series, this novella is a must-read 🔪📖. I’d recommend reading it in order though, since it does reference events from earlier books.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
2,348 reviews
January 24, 2020
4.5/ 5 stars

Identity was such an amazing short story. I absolutely loved it!

This novella is a short story in the Stillhouse Lake series. I read it after Bitter Falls. But it can be read before or after book four.

The narrator is Gwen. A woman calls her asking a question about Melvin. This leads to a really strong and meaningful story. It didn't feel like it was too short. It was really enjoyable.

Profile Image for Fanny.
2,416 reviews50 followers
June 3, 2023



Rachel Caine lo volvio a hacer, me absorbio totalmente y me tuvo con el corazon en la garganta, y eso que Identity es una novella muy muy breve ( por desgracia ), ahora tengo aun mas ganas de continuar con el siguiente.

En resumen, Identity me supo a poco, sin embargo, extrañaba a estos personajes y fue increible volver a leer sobre ellos.

3 Estrellas!
Profile Image for Shannon .
2,411 reviews161 followers
July 30, 2024
Identity
Stillhouse Lake, Book 3.5

I Picked Up This Book Because: Seemed like a good idea at the time.

Media Type: eBook
Source: Author
Dates Read: 7/29/24 - 7/30/24
Rating: 3 Stars
Narrator(s):

The Characters:

Gwen:
Same:
Lainy, Conner, Javier

The Story:
I didn’t realize this short was a thing until recently. I found it to be okay but too quick. About a chapter more oh the hunt would have been a more satisfying adventure/mystery but we got what we got and I’m grateful for a little dip back into Gwen’s world.
318 reviews7 followers
December 29, 2025
i have been psyching myself to read this book for over a year and now that i have read it, i am so confused why. it’s literally the shortest book in the series. i guess i can finally read the next book in the series but i probably won’t because i think i am a bit over her writing. it’s not that it’s bad, i just don’t think i necessarily enjoy it but tbd
Profile Image for Felicia Hilliard.
212 reviews
April 10, 2025
The perfect fix for my “Stillhouse Lake” craving. Gwen Proctor and her family just can’t catch a break but I am HERE FOR IT. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Profile Image for Lauren.
126 reviews
January 3, 2026
3.5 - I liked it, love these characters.
But it was a short little side-story and I just want more :)
Profile Image for Mary (m_lockreads).
474 reviews7 followers
January 25, 2023
It was so nice to go back to Rachel Caine’s Stillhouse Lake universe. I have one more novel left in the series, but this is the last entry written entirely by Caine before she passed away. This is a VERY short story that can be read in about 10-15 minutes. I did notice a few small errors and a plot point I think may have been left out in edits as when it was referenced I didn’t recognize it even though it supposedly happened the page prior. This was a free pre-order bonus originally, available now when signing up for Rachel Caine’s newsletter.
Profile Image for Alyssa Ricklefs.
40 reviews
August 27, 2025
I’ve genuinely loved this series—Gwen’s journey has always felt layered and compelling. But this book threw me off. Elisa Rahm’s storyline feels abruptly inserted, with no real buildup or emotional tether to the rest of the series. It’s not that the themes—especially around identity—don’t matter. They do. But the way they’re introduced here feels disjointed, almost like a detour rather than a continuation. I wanted to feel connected, but instead I felt like I was reading a side story that hadn’t earned its place.
Profile Image for Gabriela.
82 reviews
November 28, 2025
Was a good short story - first time I’ve ever read one as part of a series (you can find it on the authors website for free). The ending made me question some things as it’s not clear to me.. unfortunately too few people have read it for me to find an explanation.

Short additional story - irrelevant to the book series’ progression.
Profile Image for Alcy.
153 reviews2 followers
August 29, 2025
Throwing a short story in in the middle of this series was random and, of course, I could only find it via PDF on my phone.

Overall, this was good and had an impressive twist for a short story. It just felt a bit random and unnecessary.
Profile Image for Sara.
500 reviews
February 6, 2020
I liked this, but it was a true short story. I’m glad the next book is out.
Profile Image for Andrea Walker.
152 reviews7 followers
July 29, 2022
A short sweet tease of what wonderful writing Rachel Caine did. I am so grateful the team was able to release this to the public. I am forever grateful.
Profile Image for Denaiir.
594 reviews2 followers
February 19, 2023
Gwen's family is targeted all the time and that's completely unbelievable, but it sure makes for good stories!
Profile Image for Louisa.
8,843 reviews100 followers
February 28, 2023
Wow, I loved reading this story, it was a really fantastic mystery and such a quick and easy read!
Profile Image for Ally Chelson.
5 reviews
February 17, 2025
I was able to find it by emailing here and asking if there was a way to read the copy! We can’t share or post it, but it can be sent for individual use!

rachelcaineassistant@gmail.com
Profile Image for Miranda Scott.
97 reviews1 follower
February 21, 2025
Not at all surprised that Rachel Caine managed to fit such a good twist into such a short story. I’m very grateful to her assistant for sending me this.
Profile Image for TJ.
169 reviews2 followers
May 29, 2025
A quick little novella that was tense and entertaining. It introduced a whole different world that I’d love to read more about, but was also satisfying as a standalone short story.
Profile Image for Maggie.
336 reviews10 followers
June 3, 2025
Typical novella between books. Nothing amazing but also not horrible. 3.5 rounded up as I wasn’t expecting much but even though this was short there was oddly enough still a twist.
Profile Image for Matt.
252 reviews18 followers
July 13, 2025
A quick dip back into Gwen’s world. It is quick and still manages to bring some tension and drama.
7 reviews
January 27, 2026
If you want to see if the still house lake series is for you, this free little short story on her author page is what the books are exactly like, and why I can’t help to put them down.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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