Shannon Kirk | GRETCHEN

Plot (via Goodreads):

Ever since Lucy was two, she’s been on the run alongside her mother. She’s never understood the reason for a lifetime of paranoia, aliases, and lies. All she understands are the rules: never lock eyes with strangers, never let down your guard, and always be ready to move on.

Finally, after thirteen years and eleven states, their next hideaway seems perfect. An isolated, fortresslike place in the New Hampshire woods is the new home they share with its owner, a gentlemanly pianist, and his lonely daughter, Gretchen. She’s Lucy’s age and soon becomes Lucy’s first real friend.

But Gretchen and her father have secrets of their own—and an obsession with puzzles that draws Lucy into a terrifying new game of hide-and-seek. Lucy’s dark past is about to come calling. And this time, for her and her mother in the house on the hill, it might be too late to run.

Review:

Shannon Kirk knows two things - terrifying and spellbinding. Gretchen is a perfect blend of both. While I thought I had an idea as to what this one was going to end up like, I should've known after being such a huge fan of In the Vines that even if you memorize the synopsis to a Shannon Kirk novel down to the punctuation, you have no clue what's in store for you. 

Right from page one, I was sucked in to this story. I loved how Kirk can seduce her reader into the plot of a novel with just some small hints of what is to come combined with the ultimate fear of the unknown. Her writing talents are out of this world and her storytelling capabilities just define remarkable. It's like watching the trailer to a movie and then going to see the movie and having no clue it is about to take off like a jet into this dark and twisty world that keeps you on the edge of your seat, your heart palpitating, your imagination way off in left field, and your spine with a constant tingle. That is what it is like reading Gretchen. While this novel is definitely more of a psychological thriller combined with horror elements, there is so much more to it when it comes to adventure and the characters and the roller-coaster this plot takes the reader on. I mean, I was just blown away the entire time with the small details that creeped me out and the big twists and turns that left me swearing at myself and wondering where the hell could this go next? Don't even bother trying to answer that question when you read this one, because Kirk is going to kick your ass when it comes to telling this story. 

The characters are just as devilish and addictive to read as the plot! I mean, Gretchen is this creepy child with an obsession with puzzles that just put such a bad taste in my mouth, but I was still like "Lucy, go play with her so I can figure out what the hell her deal is!" Lucy is such a great young woman to take this story the extra step and even the adult characters were fantastically drawn out and each one served such a great purpose to this story. Even though I loved all of the characters, I definitely think Lucy and Gretchen just really stood out to me for being so similar in age and yet the contrast between the two of them was just sensational. 

I cannot give anything away when it comes to this story, because you honestly should just go into it blind - it would be such a crazy reading experience to do so! This one definitely went in directions I was not expecting and I regret nothing about the fact that I read this in one sitting and then had to scramble for the rest of the day trying to finish my laundry and do all of the typical Sunday duties that I have the whole day to get done within a matter of hours. Shannon Kirk, thank you for kicking my ass and terrifying me again. You are the only person who can leave me with such an insane book hangover and also leave me anxious for you to beat the hell out of me again. Whatever you want to do with your writing career, I am right behind you to enjoy every single world.

Special thanks to Shannon Kirk for this copy in exchange for my honest review. 

Rating: 5/5