Hey there, bookworms. I’m happy to say that it seems we’ve all survived winter. Spring is around the corner, and with that, I’m going to wish for a little bit of hope of better days ahead. Winter makes a good cover for days when overwhelming grief is incorporated into everyday life.

I am almost 5 months into year 2 without my dad, and it’s a way different animal than year 1. The first year is nothing but shock and trauma. Life is lived on autopilot and you’re just trying to survive minute-by-minute. Year 2 brings the realization that dad’s gone forever. It’s a feeling that has settled into my bones. While it seems very matter-of-fact, it’s that harsh reality that makes me wish he was here even more. It’s difficult not to be angry that time pushes forward whether I’m ready to catch up or not. It’s something I know I’ll live with forever.

I’m doing what I can to let the grief process work itself out, and I’m productive despite it all, but I’m trying to force myself to get back to things I enjoy, which includes reading and my 2025 TBR pile. I’m already a few books in, but until I write those reviews, I thought I’d go into the archives and talk about a book I started reading shortly before my dad went into the hospital back in the summer of 2023. With everything that happened during that time, I didn’t finish this book until after Christmas of that same year. My thriller/horror kick continues, so I’m going to talk about the book that switched me back to the genre for the first time in a l o n g time. Let’s talk about You Shouldn’t Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose. 

I read decent reviews of this book – how it was such a page turner and people couldn’t put it down. I’m not sure if I should blame my head space at the time I was reading, or my lag time picking it up after so much trauma occurred in real life, but this book fell short for me. 

Grace Evans, an overworked New Yorker looking for a total escape from her busy life, books an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. When she arrives, she’s pleasantly surprised to find that the owner is a handsome man by the name of Calvin Wells. But there are things Grace discovers that she’s not too pleased about: A lack of cell phone service. A missing woman. And a feeling that something isn’t right with the town.

Despite her uneasiness and misgivings from Calvin’s friends and family, the two grow close and start to fall for one another. However, as her departure date nears, things between them start to change for the worse. Grace grows wary of Calvin as his infatuation for her seems to turn into obsession. Calvin fears that Grace is hiding something from him.

Told from dual points of view, You Shouldn’t Have Come Here is a thrill ride and a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when you open up your house and your heart to a total stranger.

This book started out strong and grabbed me quickly, but eventually, it transformed into something far too slow-paced for me to feel fully invested. I’m not sure if the author was trying to mix a tension-filled slow burn romance with slasher murderer type horror, but it didn’t work. I’ll place part of the blame and lack of enthusiasm for this book on my mental and emotional state, but the initial mystery surrounding the characters and overall vibe of this story turned into something lackluster and predictable. After I finished this book and gave it my initial rating, I saw that other reviewers also felt a lack of connection to anything about this story, so in a way, I feel validated in my opinion. 

Shortly after their first meeting, Calvin appeared to be in love with Grace (spare me) and Grace had her hackles raised at all the uncertainty. The tension that came with their push-and-pull was set up a little too perfectly. We’re bound to think Calvin is the villain, but is he really – or is Grace not who she seems? Or could it even be secret scenario number three – one of the sketchy side characters thrown into the mix who leave you wondering what their role is in all this great expanse of secluded paradise. I was skeptical of everyone and I was right to do so – I’ve watched far too much Dateline to place my trust in anyone. 

The eventual plot twist came (with only 10-20 pages left in the book) and while it was a predictable yet decent one, it arrived a little too late for me. Having no real emotional investment in any of the characters, finding out the truth just resulted in a shrug of the shoulders. The mystery surrounding Calvin and Grace overpowered any backstory I was given and left me as an outside player watching events unfold from a distance rather than as an integral terrified observer of the story. I had every intention of choosing allegiance to someone and cheering for a victor in this eerie cat-and-mouse game, but by time anything significant happened, I was ready to move on. Perhaps I had dealt with enough real-life pain to be phased by any of the dark events unfolding throughout the pages, or perhaps it was just that there wasn’t quite enough of a thrill to maintain the creepy vibe I wanted. 

Until next time, happy reading! xx