Hendrix has an incredible ability to write women, especially the intricacies of their friendships, including the tensions and bonds that form between them. This is so so much more than just a book about southern housewives.

The novel examines the reach as well as the limits of intersectional feminism, and the displacement caused by white flight. The story doesn't skirt around showing how privilege, prejudice/bias and social pressure affect the choices and relationships of our characters.

This story made me care about every woman in the book club. It was beautiful to read about a community of women deciding that if no one would believe them, they would take matters into their own hands. I cried because I'm a huge crybaby, but I just loved this story.

Some of the content may be triggering for readers, so I would recommend looking into content warnings before diving in. This was my first Grady Hendrix book, but it definitely will not be my last.

To be honest, this book was a letdown. While it offers us mystery, it completely misses the mark on the horror it was sold to me as. There was so much wasted potential, because I wanted so badly to like this story.

There was a whole lot of nothing happening, but somehow it was still so rushed; and I honestly think this could have worked better as a short story, or a much longer one, but not a novella.

I did enjoy the rotating points of view, and I liked that the entire story unfolds over the course of a single night. But that was not enough to save my experience. The multiple perspectives never became compelling enough to make me feel connected to the story or it's characters.

So yeah, really not for me. I'm honestly a little sorry my horror book club had to read this one. It also doesn't leave me very excited to pick up any of M. L. Rio's other work.