Looking for an intense and disturbing new domestic thriller?
Welcome!
In today’s post I’ll be reviewing one of Amazon First Reads October releases.
If you’re not yet aware of this program, any Amazon Prime member can choose from a selection of soon to be released books each month to read for free. Each book will be released on the 1st of the following month, giving you plenty of time to read and review them. (though, reviewing the book isn’t a requirement)
That said!
My choice this month was Just Stay Away, a gripping domestic thriller where a father’s growing obsession with his daughter’s new friend becomes a race to expose his true nature.. before it’s too late.
Be warned, there will be spoilers near the end of the review.
Enjoy!
(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Any purchases made through my links may earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you.)
Just Stay Away by Tony Wirt
Publication date: October 1, 2023
First line: Craig leaned back in his ergonomic desk chair and stretched his arms toward the ceiling.
Characters: Unlikable. Misguided. Careless
Storyline: Intriguing. Intense. Absorbing.
Pace: It varies in the beginning, then gains momentum in the last half.
Writing: Intelligent.. but poorly executed.
Cover: 3/5
POVs
One: Craig Finnigan
Three and a Half Stars
My Review:
Craig’s wife, Courtney, has just received a big promotion and they’ve relocated to be closer to it.
For Craig, this is the perfect opportunity to stay home with their young daughter, Alice, and get started on his dream of writing a book.
It’s difficult at first, with little Alice’s little interruptions, but she makes a friend who keeps her busy and allows him to work in peace.
Still.. something is off about this strange, quiet boy, something unsettling that Craig brushes off at first.
He’ll come to regret that he didn’t just stay away.
First: Craig is an unlikable character, dad, husband, and role model. His attitude and decisions throughout this book are most of the reason I gave it such a low rating. You won’t root for him or support him, he’s pretty much just one bad decision after another, and this ongoing series of poor choices carries the book.
Second: It starts off slow, only picking up near the middle, but once it really started going.. I couldn’t put it down. The intense atmosphere, the battle of wills, the subtle danger lurking around every corner—as Craig’s obsession grows so too does the reader’s. You think you where the story is headed, you’ve imagined all the different ways it could go, you may even be right.. but you’ll also be wrong.
Spoiler Alert!
Third: And most importantly.. I devoured this book within hours, driven to know how it would all end, how dark things would really get, for it to cut off in such an abrupt and unsatisfying way that I had to flip back several chapters to be sure I didn’t miss something. It was almost as though the author got tired of writing, found a barely acceptable stopping point in the storyline, and then just wrapped it up as quickly as possible.
Now, I believe the end of a story should have the strongest impact. You can save nearly any book with a damn good ending. So it frustrates me that, had the author stuck it out for another fifty pages or so instead of glossing over certain events, this could have been a fantastic read—unlikable characters and all.
Instead, I feel robbed.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. It’s a hell of a ride, full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing.
But I think a lot of readers will agree with me about how it ended.
And that’s all folks
Thank you for stopping by, I hope this review was helpful
Stay safe, Have a wonderful week, and Happy reading!
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A shame about the ending.
Wow, I was gonna say, this sounds like fun. I always enjoy a book that makes you want to devour it, but ugh, that must have made the ending that much more disappointing.