With the nights getting colder and Autumn upon us, it's time to delve into the darker mysteries and DeLuca (Author) has just that with The Night Side. I actually forgot what this was about before picking it up, so essentially went in blind and I'm glad I did.

This story is told in almost two time lines from the point of view of Ruby. We know that Ruby has no love for her mother, the woman who manipulated poor Ruby for years making her life a pure hell. Step forward twenty years and we find Ruby escaped (Although we don't find out how yet) and has to return to the town of Stoneybrook as her mother is missing, if not dead. The one place Ruby swore she would never return to and especially not for Ida her mother.

This tale is a mystery, thriller. There is some romance, a hint of 'skeptical' paranormal and a lot of lies. I love books where you have to question everything and everyone. I certainly felt that about Stoneybrook! There are a fair few characters you'll meet along the way. Most strongly portrayed and fairly interesting. I felt like I could sense each one of them well. This book is rich in colour and I liked the setting of the age old town, especially when we were back in Ruby's childhood.

I read this over 24 hours in two sittings and thoroughly enjoyed it. Right up until the end I was still guessing about some things and loved the conclusion. DeLuca (Author) really reeled me in with this one and I was impressed I didn't work everything out! A solid 4 stars, I will be looking at more titles by the author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

The Night Side brings a tinge of the supernatural to a twisty thriller about Ruby Carlson, who left home and an abusive mother behind only to return two decades later when her mother goes missing under suspicious circumstances. The small town Montana setting feels just as claustrophobic as the house Ruby grew up in, full of small minds and desperation, and is beautifully portrayed both in the present and in scattered flashbacks to Ruby's strange youth.

Although I enjoyed reading it, The Night Side left me feeling curiously like it should have been a movie instead - the writing has a cinematic quality to it, all set pieces and big personalities, and there are some things in the plot that hit a bit wacky in prose, but would be much easier to pull off as a performance than a paragraph. The climax felt a bit overwrought as happens with a bunch of people freaking out in a room, but again I could picture it so perfectly - someone needs to slide this book on over to Netflix, it could really work!

I'm a tough sell too on the trope of two people falling in love as teenagers and then just literally never getting over it or moving on to a new love, but this book did a better job than most on selling me on the chemistry between the romantic leads. I was pulling for them by the end, although it would have been easy to just have one of them as a divorcée or something (after twenty years!!) to make them both seem less like weirdos. And although it's touched on later in the book a little bit, I was a little disappointed that Ruby's life as (and even path to becoming) an archaeologist wasn't a bigger part of the book - it's such a specific career choice, and one you need such dedication to pursue, that I was surprised it didn't figure in more. It's a really cool and unusual job for an MC to have in this genre, it felt like a missed opportunity to work it in more!

Overall this was a pleasant read with some surprising twists, I'd recommend it as an unusual take on the thriller genre.

My thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Across two timelines twenty years apart, Ruby unravels the shocking secrets of her cruel, manipulative mother. Ideal for fans of suspense written in a straightforward style.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

The Night Side follows Ruby Carlson who must return to her childhood home following her con-artist mother going missing and now presumed dead. However is her mother, Ida, really dead or is something else happening? I loved reading through the dual timelines and seeing all the secrets unfold through plenty of twists. I also thought M.M. DeLuca created a greatly suspenseful and thrilling atmosphere that made me never want to put this down. I really recommend to any mystery thriller lovers.

Summary

It’s been twenty years since Ruby left Stoneybrook, Montana, having vowed to never return. Throughout her childhood, her manipulative mother Ida forced her to join her schemes, exploiting Ruby to ravage the local community with false mediumship and psychic scams. With her mother missing and presumed dead, she's forced to return to settle her affairs. However, Ruby has her doubts - what really happened to Ida?

Review
The Night Side by M.M. DeLuca is a mystery thriller that focuses on the life of thirty-something Ruby.

On receiving a call from her old flame, Aidan, she must go home to settle her presumed dead mother's affairs.

It's been twenty years since Ruby Carlson fled Stoneybrook, Montana, and she vowed to never return.

A teenage runaway, she has lived an idyllic life in England since she was eighteen and enjoys a successful career as an archaeologist.

Now she's back in a place brimming with disturbing memories and horrific secrets. Here, she must uncover the truth, what really happened to Ida?

The novel is told from Ruby's perspective throughout with dual timelines, each chapter offering either a present or past account. This allows the reader to understand the extent of Ida's manipulation, coercion and control of Ruby in her childhood and the damage it's caused in adulthood.

Essentially, Ruby must now unravel the truth amidst half-truths, whispers, lies and secrets. While doing so, she also hopes to rekindle her bond with Aidan and then get as far away from Stoneybrook as possible.

DeLuca knows how to keep the reader interested, masterfully revealing snippets of information throughout to guide us through the mystery and keep us hooked.

As we reflect on the chapters set in the past, we see that ultimately, Ruby's life was very lonely. Her only childhood joy was her friendship and courtship with Aidan. Thankfully, DeLuca weaves a blossoming and charming relationship between them in their youth.

As a teenager and spurred on by Aidan, we see Ruby's confidence develop. Eventually, rebelling leads to her ultimate goal, freedom.

However, on her return to Montana in the present, we can almost sympathise with the community in Stoneybrook. Understandably, feelings haven't changed toward Ruby and her mother. Ostracised by most, their past contempt is a feeling Ruby remembers all too well.

In turn, this treatment also seems unfair. Essentially, Ida forced a young Ruby into her fraudulent schemes, exploiting her 'gift' to ravage the local community, especially those she perceived as vulnerable. DeLuca creates a myriad of complex relationships due to this, which has the reader questioning who is right and wrong.

Despite this disdain, Ruby seemingly had little choice as a child, controlled by the manipulative and narcissistic, Ida. She must navigate these hostile reactions, unlock difficult memories and deal with current emotions, all charging at full speed. In doing so, a realistic character is crafted, imperfect and complex. One we root for, hoping she gets the answers she seeks.

In order for Ruby to overcome her past she must fully embrace her present situation. She must solve the mystery and untangle her trauma if she hopes to enjoy true freedom in the future.

Overall, The Night Side is a thrilling read. It offers complex characters, well-illustrated environments and twists aplenty throughout its well-paced narrative.

I liked this book but I just couldn't get into the story. I didn't like the writing style but overall the story was good.

M.M. DeLuca shines a laser sharp light on the disturbing reality of psychic scamming in her suspenseful novel, THE NIGHT SIDE.
Ruby Carlson left her mother Ida, a cunning con-artist, twenty years ago after she drew an unwilling Ruby into her schemes. Now Ida is missing, presumed dead and Ruby must return to to her childhood home in Montana to settle her affairs. But all is not as it seems. Is Ida really dead, or is this another one of her schemes to draw Ruby home?
The story is told in dual timelines, past and present, as Ruby unravels a twisted web of secrets to find the truth about her mother, and herself.
A thrilling page turner with a richly evoked setting and an eerie, suspenseful atmosphere that kept me reading on until the unexpected ending.

"Twenty years of secrets. One deadly truth." This is the gripping premise of "The Night Side" by Laurie Anne Forest, a psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

The story revolves around Ruby Carlson, who fled her manipulative and fraudulent mother, Ida, two decades ago, vowing never to return to her hometown of Stoneybrook, Montana. However, when Ida goes missing and is presumed dead, Ruby is compelled to return home to settle her mother's affairs. What follows is a riveting tale of mystery and intrigue as Ruby unravels a web of lies and secrets.

Laurie Anne Forest masterfully weaves a narrative filled with chilling memories, complex characters, and unexpected twists.

The characters in this story were a little underdeveloped to me. I could not connect with any of them, and I did not understand the flow in decision making regarding the plot.