I’m not sure how I feel about Mia Sheridan’s turn towards dark suspense stories. I fell in love with her storytelling with Archer’s Voice, but this one is SO FAR away from that.

All the Little Raindrops starts with two high school students discovering they’ve been kidnapped and locked in separate cages. The first 35% of the book is their horrifying time as prisoners and their harrowing escape. (I want to make readers aware that while what happens to the hero and heroine isn’t described in graphic detail, you’re given enough to know what they experienced during their time in captivity). Then we get a couple quick chapters of post-escape and one year later. The final 60% takes place seven years later, when the hero - who has become a personal investigator - learns that what happened to him and the heroine may still be happening and he reaches out to the heroine for help with his investigation into who was responsible for their abduction and why. From there, such a convoluted and complicated plot unraveled that it made we wonder what the author is eating/drinking/smoking to have her come up with such a disturbing story.

But I have to admit, even though dark stories aren’t my usual jam, I am willing to read them if Mia Sheridan is the author. Especially if there’s a romance storyline and one of my favorite tropes (not sharing what that is so I don’t spoil anything). However, I feel like this book could have used a little more romance to balance out all the rest of the book's icky parts (as she did in Where the Blame Lies).

I’m not sure if I’m going to keep reading Ms. Sheridan’s thrillers/suspense novels. I have to get in the right frame of mind and real life is enough of a dumpster fire. I seldom open my Kindle with the desire to read something sinister and unsettling - even if I have confidence the author will deliver writing that is fantastic and engaging. Reading is how I unwind after a long day, how I relax, how I empty my mind so I can fall asleep quickly at night. Books like this don’t help with that!

*thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

All the Little Raindrops | Mia Sheridan | ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75

**The following review of the e-ARC provided by @netgalley is completely honest, original and voluntary**

Yes, it's disturbing, unsettling and full of sick and depraved characters and incidents.
Also, a resounding Yes, it's as good as you have heard it is, all over on Bookstagram.
This is as good as a thriller gets, but you need to have the stomach for it.

It deals with very serious issues like human trafficking, abuse, abduction and it showcases these evils in all their raw, naked, harrowing splendour.

However, it also has the sensitivity, sensibility and much required vulnerability to balance and offset what otherwise could have been just a gory, gruesome narrative.

📖📖📖📖📖
Evan and Noelle, both in their senior years, are abducted and find themselves caged up like animals, next to each other, in an utterly dark dungeon, cut off from the world.

Evan's influential father is suspected to have had an illicit affair with and eventually murdered Noelle's mum and their abduction together must imply its not just a simple case of kidnapping for ransom.
Also they are being rented out like commodities and are being made to play against each other.

But shared trauma has its way of uniting people and Evan and Noelle have but one mantra, "We leave here whole, we leave here together."

Can they really escape? What kind of sick, depraved and perverse forces are at play? What do they want?
And when and how do they stop?
📖📖📖📖📖

With this most intriguing premise, Mia Sheridan works wonders to create a most riveting and entrancing roller coaster. You root for Evan and Noelle; find the deepest empathy for them in your heart and cringe at the audacious atrocities they need to survive.

Fast paced, unputdownable and gritty, this engrossing read has as much heart as finesse. It's not totally unpredictable but the ending seems almost improbable untill Sheridan swoops in to create the most clever backstories to tie up all the loose threads.

Highly recommended if the trigger warnings and some of the explicit content don't creep you out.

Based on the content matter, I had to DNF at 35%...while I enjoy "dark" content this was entirely too triggering for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Mia Sheridan for the eARC!

Wow, wow, wow. This was so good!! This was quite unexpected for me as I had only ever read one other novel by Mia Sheridan, which was a cutesy romance (Archer’s Voice), so I fully expected this to be a fun, lighthearted romance. I was wrong.

While this is a bit of a romance, it’s mainly dark, twisty, and suspenseful. This book is NOT going to be for everyone. It has some HEAVY and intense content that some readers may find triggering, so I highly recommend looking up content warnings for this book before beginning. That being said, I thought it was INCREDIBLY well written. One of my favorite books is Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter, which I would very closely relate All The Little Raindrops too. It’s very tough to read at times, but it is so heartbreakingly beautiful.

I enjoyed this book immensely and would 100% recommend reading his book AFTER checking content warnings.

This book was just “meh” for me. I felt like I was reading it because I had to finish it instead of reading it because I wanted to finish it. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was.

I guess I should probably start reading the synopsis before i pick up books haha

Mia Sheridan is an auto-buy author for me -- I've loved Archer's Voice and Grayson's Vow by her. I didn't even know that she dabbled into the thriller/dark romance genre but now i know!

I'm fine with darker books and even seek them out most of the time! But, this one started out right in the action, with little to no background on the characters. Again, fine, but I don't think they ever were really fleshed out and the characters became increasingly more annoying as the book went on.

This was sometimes a struggle to get through and I HATE the miscommunication trope and this had a ton of miscommunication. I'm so sorry it didn't work for me because like I said, i love this author!!

This was a sludge to get through lol I should have stopped when the two main characters were getting it on after they were captured.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

This was such a wonderful and enjoyable read!!!! I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mia Sheridan is known mostly for her romance Archer's Voice. While that is one of my favourite romance books of all time, this book All The Little Raindrops couldn't be more different.
This book is dark and philological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I devoured it so quickly. The story is addictive. While off putting at times, this was an interesting read.
Mia's writing was amazing as usual full of well written characters and well developed plot.

SYNOPSIS
- Two seniors in high school, Noelle & Evan, have been kidnapped. They are locked in cages, and they are part of a sadistic game. It also turns out that Noelle & Evan know each other, and their families don’t have the best past. This portion covers about the first third of the book.
- After they get out, some time passes in the book, and they reunite to try to figure out who was behind it all.

MY THOUGHTS
- This was actually pretty bad. I wouldn’t call it a psychological thriller. It fits more in horror genre mixed with romance.
- Definitely check out trigger warnings because this book is A LOT.
- If you’re into gratuitous violence & torture, this one may be for you. That’s not my thing, so I didn’t enjoy it.
- There isn’t much character development either. Characters felt very one-dimensional. Overall, the whole book fell flat for me. Not a satisfying ending. The romance between Noelle & Evan is just weird & based on trauma they went through together.
- So many tropes & cliches in this one.
- About 99% of the plot is completely unbelievable.
- I also have a personal pet peeve with how many times the author used the phrase “took her virginity” re: Noelle. Virginity is a social construct. I mean, JFC, can we please stop using this phrase in 2024, particularly in reference to a teenage trafficking victim being raped?!

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️skip it, unless you’re into gratuitous violence & misogynistic writing.

Thanks to Montlake and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now.

The mystery, suspense and thriller aspect of this book was amazing! I I loved all the twists having to do with that!

Evan and Novelle go through something unspeakable together. I loved the bond they made with each other.

This book seriously had me on my toes. I had to know what happened next every step of the way. I love how everything unfolded and that I couldn’t guess somethings.

The only downfall was a certain trope in it. I didn’t like it, but I could ignore it a bit which helped!

Every Mia Sheridan novel is always a surprise for me. I never know where the plot is fully going to end up, but I've never been disappointed at the route to get there. All The Little Raindrops was gripping, entertaining, and emotional. Highly recommended for those who are fans of Sheridan or even a fan of adult romance with a twist of mystery.

Even though I was not able to finish it I found the book intriaging and I am planing on buying it later on.

Could not put this down. Noelle and Evan find themselves involved in twisted game when they are kidnapped and held in cages. The only way they can survive is by learning to rely on each other and forgetting their families’ rivalry.

This kind of genre just totally hits the mark for me - thriller/romance. I just love that Mia Sheridan writes such intense thrillers but that the romance plot is not secondary - she totally leans in to it and it’s just as important as overall gripping drama. Such a page turner and I was never really sure where it was going, in the best way. I mean, there were a few points where I was worried Paula might have been involved 😅 This is a dark read for sure, but also hopeful with characters you can’t help but root for.

What to expect:

- thriller/romance
- forced proximity
- recovering from trauma
- disturbing scenes

Thank you to netgalley and Montlake for allowing me to read this book. This was just what my dark heart needed.

Very well written book with interesting characters. Recommended for those who like romance, mystery and alternating chapters with different points of view. Pay attention to the triggers contained in the book, such as rape and kidnapping.

Thank you NetGalley, Montlake and Mia Sheridan for an ARC of "All the Little Raindrops".

All the Little Raindrops is a dark and twisted psychological thriller. It's about the chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, Noelle and Evan, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime.

I was surprised by this story. I was going into thinking the book was written by a romance author. I immediately found out that this is no ordinary love story. It's a love story of two teenagers with a complicated past brought together by a shared trauma. This book was well-written with an interesting plot. It was suspenseful with twists.

Thank you NetGalley, Montlake and Mia Sheridan for an ARC of "All the Little Raindrops".

What a book!! I am floored by this amazing book!! My jaw was on the floor the entire duration of the book! I am now addicted to all things MIA Sheridan and want to read everything she has read!!

Run to grab this off the shelf!

TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Human Trafficking
Rape
Murder
Adultery
Torture
Kidnapping

Noelle and Evan have been kidnapped. They have been placed in separate cages while people are watching a live feed and making bets. They are given individual choices to either take a punishment themselves or let the other take it instead. They need to work together to escape. This novel is written in 2 parts. The game and years later.

I honestly couldn't stop reading. It's a dark psychological thriller that makes you picture unbelievable events. While you know what's going on it doesn't get graphically described. There were so many parts interweaved throughout the book, and a few events I never seen coming. Its told from multiple third person POVs.

I really enjoyed the pace of the first part of the book. Part 2 is slower but not less interesting, it's where the unknown starts coming together to present with a clearer picture.

Thank you to Netgalley, Mia Sheridan, and the publisher for this free ebook. This review is 100% my own and honest review.

Wow! This book is not for the faint of heart, it is very dark and deals with many gruesome topics. Make sure you check trigger warnings before you read. This was sad story with a happy ending. The way that one persons misguided actions can cause others so much pain. Noelle and Evan were innocent bystanders that were sucked into something deeper and more evil than they could have imagined. It all began with the death of Noelles mother, she was having an affair with Evan’s father or so we were all lead to believe. Evan and Noelle end up in a sick game, locked in cages, tortured and starved. They overcame all odds with a little help and escaped. Years latter there are stories of similar games happening. Evan now a PI starts to investigate. The missing puzzle piece is Noelle he is able to track her down and reconnect, the reunion brings a lot more than was expected. Together they work to solve the mystery of who put them in this cages and why. There was so much loss in this book and the main characters had literally gone to hell and back. It is inspiring to see that they are able to overcome these traumas and live the happy lives they deserve.