This book was pretty good but it was kind of poorly written. I know it was supposed to be written for a 1960s time period but some of the things mentioned felt unnecessary. The beginning of this book really dragged & everything mentioned was very much predictable. The surprises really didn't come until the very end. It made it hard to power through 70% of the book. It was also hard to follow because there were soooo many characters & they all didn't feel necessary to the story. 

⚠️ CW: violence, racism, sexism, classism, kidnapping, rape, incest and brief mentions of cancer and parental death ⚠️ If you liked The Stepford Wives and enjoy dark and thrilling storylines then this one is for you! In a tale inspired by real events, pregnant journalist Joan Harken is cautiously excited to follow her fiancé back to his Minnesota hometown. After spending a childhood on the move and chasing the screams and swirls of news-rich city life, she’s eager to settle down. Lilydale’s motto - “Come Home Forever” - couldn’t be more inviting. And yet something is off in the picture-perfect village. The friendliness borders on intrusive. Joan can’t shake the feeling that every move she makes is being tracked. An archaic organization still seems to hold the town in thrall. So does the sinister secret of a little boy who vanished decades ago. And unless Joan is imagining things, a frighteningly familiar figure from her past is on watch in the shadows. Her fiancé tells her she’s being paranoid. He might be right. Then again, she might have moved to the deadliest small town on earth. This book was so good, and makes you feel uncomfortable from the very beginning as if at any second everything will fall apart and just when you think you've figured it out it hits you with another mind blowing twist. It's difficult to review without giving spoilers but it's one of those reads that really gets in your head. Overall, I highly recommend this book.

This book starts off with a bang, I was super hopeful that this book would be unsettling and an absolute wild ride. The book is truly unsettling, a true small town nightmare. The plot and unfolding of the plot was generally mid. There isn’t really a twist, it’s pretty clear where the story is going to go. I enjoyed reading this and I genuinely liked Joan, the main character. I would read a sequal about the adventure of the “after”. 

Started off slow, but once it hooked me I couldn’t let go. A truly creepy and scary small town story.