One Dark Night by Hannah Richell

One night in the woods
A party gone wrong
A body discovered at sunrise

He murdered her at the folly on their wedding day, left her body for the crows. They say she haunts the woods now, a girl in a white dress …

Everyone in the small town of Thorncombe knows the tales of the haunted woods where the birds don’t sing and a girl in a white dress roams, luring people to their deaths. But when a girl in white is found dead the morning after Halloween, her body carefully arranged at the bottom of an old stone folly, the community is thrown into turmoil.

With a teenage daughter of his own, police detective Ben Chase knows how high the stakes are. Was the girl the victim of a party prank gone wrong, or does her death represent something more sinister and ritualistic?

As the investigation unfolds and the noose tightens around Chase’s own family, the only thing anyone can be sure of is that no one is safe until this violent killer is caught.

Kindle Edition, 419 pages

Publishing on August 19, 2025

by Atria Books

4.5/5 stars

This is my first time reading a Hannah Richell novel and I can say it won't be my last.

One Dark Night  begins with the chilling discovery after a Halloween gathering near an elite boarding school. What follows is far more than a mystery, it’s a layered, character-driven story about the effects of trauma, fractured relationships and the secrets families keep.

Told from multiple povs - including a detective, his estranged wife, and their teenage daughter - the novel slowly unpacks the events of that fateful night. Richell does an exceptional job balancing suspense with tension and emotion that drew me into a world where guilt, grief, and love all exist. It was atmospheric giving that gothic and moody vibe. 

One Dark Night was a suspenseful read that wasn't just focused as a whodunit but delves into themes of family dynamics, privilege and the past. As for the whodunit part, it kept me guessing right to the end. Definitely recommend this one, it sure helped me out of a reading slump.

My thanks to Atria Books for a digital ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of That Summer comes another heartfelt and unputdownable novel of family, secrets, and the ties that bind.

When her twenty-two-year-old stepdaughter announces her engagement to her pandemic boyfriend, Sarah Danhauser is shocked. But the wheels are in motion. Headstrong Ruby has already set a date (just three months away!) and spoken to her beloved safta, Sarah’s mother Veronica, about having the wedding at the family’s beach house on Cape Cod. Sarah might be worried, but Veronica is thrilled to be bringing the family together one last time before putting the big house on the market.

But the road to a wedding day usually comes with a few bumps. Ruby has always known exactly what she wants, but as the wedding date approaches, she finds herself grappling with the wounds left by the mother who walked out when she was a baby. Veronica ends up facing unexpected news, thanks to her meddling sister, and must revisit the choices she made long ago, when she was a bestselling novelist with a different life. Sarah’s twin brother, Sam, is recovering from a terrible loss, and confronting big questions about who he is—questions he hopes to resolve during his stay on the Cape. Sarah’s husband, Eli, who’s been inexplicably distant during the pandemic, confronts the consequences of a long ago lapse from his typical good-guy behavior. And Sarah, frustrated by her husband, concerned about her stepdaughter, and worn out by challenges of life during quarantine, faces the alluring reappearance of someone from her past and a life that could have been.

When the wedding day arrives, lovers are revealed as their true selves, misunderstandings take on a life of their own, and secrets come to light. There are confrontations and revelations that will touch each member of the extended family, ensuring that nothing will ever be the same.

Kobo (via CloudLibrary), 432 pages,

Published May 10, 2022 

by Atria Books

2.3/5 stars

I'm relatively new to Jennifer Weiner, this being my 4th read and my least favourite - yes I am going against popular opinion.

The Summer Place is the story about a young couple getting married 4th of July weekend in Cape Cod - post pandemic. With only months to pull this off, it’s where the past meets up with the present.

The majority of this book is back story as family members go back in time to revisit ghosts of the past. At times confusing and long winded with very little about the happy couple. With the volume of characters it was hard to connect and in some cases to even like them. Selfishness was a common trait as was infidelity along with many secrets.  Though I did like Ruby's mom and appreciated her views and honesty.

I started out by reading and alternated with the audiobook (via Scribd).  Both formats were good but I preferred the audio just to listen and get through the book.

The ending was almost comical on a couple levels. Suffice to say not my favourite Jennifer Weiner.

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone comes another riveting work of psychological suspense about a young couple’s disappearance on a gorgeous summer night, and the mother who will never give up trying to find them...

On a beautiful summer night in a charming English suburb, a young woman and her boyfriend disappear after partying at the massive country estate of a new college friend.

One year later, a writer moves into a cottage on the edge of the woods that border the same estate. Known locally as the Dark Place, the dense forest is the writer’s favourite area for long walks and it’s on one such walk that she stumbles upon a mysterious note that simply reads, “DIG HERE.”

Could this be a clue towards what has happened to the missing young couple? And what exactly is buried in this haunted ground?

Kindle, 416 pages

Releases Sept 7, 2021

by Atria Books

3.5/5 stars

Lisa Jewell is one of my go to authors, The Night She Disappeared releases in just a few short days. Some of her books have been fast paced, unputdownable and others have a slower pace.  This one fits the latter.

Told from 3 different POVs, Tallulah (teen mom), her mom Kim and unrelated Sophie.  I enjoyed hearing from Tallulah and Kim, for some reason I wasn't a fan of Sophie (no idea why really).  Tallulah was a good teen mom, juggling school, friends and doting on her son.  So when she disappeared one night we know something is up.

The book jumps between the characters and back in time (with back story) at times it felt long and distracted me from the disappearance. A lot of teen drama that gave this book a YA feel. I like YA so no big deal for me. Eventually it does reveal what happens that night.

The Night She Disappeared is a slow paced mystery with a creepy house, surrounding woods and  unreliable (and unlikable) characters.  A number of red herrings left me guessing but it was the ending that kinda fell a little flat for me.  For me this didn't have the emotional impact I am used to with a Lisa Jewell book but still an intricately woven mystery.

My thanks to Atria Books for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.