★ 3 stars.

Reading Miranda Smith's "The Writer" was a bit of a mixed experience for me. The premise is compelling: Becca, an author whose life eerily starts to mirror her dark, fictional stories, is caught in a web of paranoia and suspense. Her writing group, initially a source of camaraderie, becomes a breeding ground for suspicion as the line between fiction and reality blurs.

One of the novel's strengths is the atmosphere. Smith does a great job of setting up a tense, almost claustrophobic environment where Becca's paranoia feels palpable. The writing group meetings, which should have been safe havens, gradually become fraught with tension. I appreciated the way the author unfolded the characters’ backstories piece by piece, maintaining a constant sense of mystery.

However, I struggled with Becca as a protagonist. She felt flat and somewhat unlikable, which made it hard for me to fully invest in her journey. Her decision-making often left me frustrated, and there were moments when her inability to connect obvious dots felt more like a plot device than authentic character behavior. While I understand that flawed characters can be compelling, Becca's flaws seemed to overshadow her strengths, making it difficult to root for her.

The pacing of the book was another issue. While the beginning and end were engaging, the middle sections dragged. I found myself waiting for the plot to pick up, and when it did, the twists—though surprising—didn't quite pack the punch I was hoping for. The resolution felt rushed, and the final twist, while unexpected, seemed a bit tacked on.

Despite these criticisms, there were elements I enjoyed. The dynamics within the writing group, "The Mystery Maidens," were well-crafted. Smith skillfully keeps readers guessing about each member's potential involvement in the unfolding real-life horrors. Marley, the new member, added an interesting layer of suspicion and intrigue.

In the end, "The Writer" had moments of suspense and a few clever twists, but it fell short of being a gripping thriller. The interpersonal relationships were the highlight, providing depth and keeping me somewhat engaged. While it didn't fully deliver on its thrilling premise, it was an enjoyable read, and I'd be interested in seeing how Miranda Smith's storytelling evolves in her future works.

Throughout literary history, authors have frequently engaged in 'authorial intrusion,' weaving themselves into their narratives. In Miranda Smith's gripping domestic suspense, "The Writer," this technique becomes both perilous and indispensable for the protagonist.

To truly experience the tension and dread of Becca Walsh's plight, one must immerse themselves in her world. As she grapples with the unsettling realization that her fictional tale, shared with her writing group, is manifesting in reality, the stakes become alarmingly high. Determined to unmask the individual leaving ominous notes adorned with black hearts, Becca employs her writing prowess to expose the culprit.

This exploration of "life imitating art" within the confines of a mystery surrounding a group of writers, known as the Mystery Maidens, is utterly engrossing. I keenly felt Becca's fear, helplessness, and frustration as she navigated the uncertainty of each impending threat, questioning the motives of her acquaintances. Delving into the enigma of how seemingly ordinary individuals could find themselves entangled in such a bizarre crime was a thrilling journey. I must confess, there was a certain allure in the moments when I, too, indulged in the fantasy of assuming another identity.

Becca seems in a perpetual loop in life. Since she left college after the incident, she has tried to reinvent herself time and time again. But every time Becca seems to get a leg up on life another black heart shows up. The black hearts have haunted her ever since what happened back in college, and it isn’t until she has a nightmare that it brings back all the bad memories.
The only constant Becca has in her life is the passion for writing and her writing group the Mystery Maidens. She is excited to share her new story brought on by her nightmare, she is soon surprised to notice that murders start to happen in the form of the other Mystery Maidens' stories along with a black heart at every crime scene. Will her story be next, because she knows it already has.
Overall rating 3 /5
This seems like a darker Murder She Wrote episode, but with multiple writers and a sorted past event. I wish Becca’s character was more vivacious. She just fell flat to me and seemed to drag down the story line. I do like the premise of the book and wished there was more of a gritty conflict between Becca and the murderer. This book was a quick and easy read.
*Thank you to the author, Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

I enjoyed this one, especially the surprise twist at the end that I was totally not expecting or looking for. I love when that happens. This was a quick and easy thriller, and I was able to read it all in one sitting. I enjoyed the flow of the story and it was a great plot I hadn’t seen done before.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

The Writer by Miranda Smith has such an intriguing premise.

When a body is found near the university, the details feel eerily similar to a story Becca wrote and shared with there writing group, Becca begins to panic. Then every week as the Mystery Maidens meet to share their work, more incidents creep up in her life that feel like copycats of her literary ideas. Becca then wonders if someone in her writing group is acting out her stories and setting her up to take the fall.

The tension and mystery propelled the story, from an initial who-dunnit to a why-dunnit. What is the killers motive? Why are they targeting Becca and her writing? What is their end goal? When will it stop?

For fans of domestic suspense and books about writers, The Writer, might just be story you need.

Miranda Smith does it again! If you are a fan of her books, you will not be disappointed in this new one. The book sucks you in from the get-go and you will find yourself thinking about the characters long after you finish it. Do yourself a favor and get this book!!

I personally was not a fan of this book. I found it to be a rather boring read. I did not like the main character and the twist were all very predictable.

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this book!

the premise of this book sounded so good! Becca is in her 30s, trying to get her novel published so she joins a writing group but is stuck still thinking about a murder that happened a decade ago that involves weird notes! So the events happening in the story start happening in real life. I loved the writing group aspect of this story, The mystery maidens.

If i’m being honest, i did not like this book. I think it lacked “thriller” and the main character Becca was very unlikeable & the twists were so predictable. I wanted to DNF because i was honestly a bit bored, yes it picked up kind of at the end like 80% through I GUESS.

I felt that this could have been better executed. I found most of it to be dull. I want to read something that is thrilling and exciting.

This is a fresh, fun thriller that keeps you guessing! I also love books that have several characters all with different personalities because it’s always so fun to watch play out as they all interact. This was a fast-paced book that would make a good beach or weekend read. There were enough clues to build some theories but nothing that I saw coming!

This book was incredibly exciting and full of unexpected turns. The storyline was excellently crafted, incredibly original, and extremely easy to comprehend. The sudden plot twist was completely unexpected, and I found it to be fantastic. This was a truly enjoyable and captivating read!

I flew through this book! The idea behind it grabbed my attention from the start. Smith's writing kept me hooked, making me really want to find out who the killer was. No matter how many times I guessed, I never got it right. I really liked how Miranda Smith wrote. I couldn't stop reading, I ended up finishing the whole book in one day. The story kept me wondering about who the bad guy was until the very end, and I felt like I knew the characters well by the time I finished. And wow, that ending! It totally shocked me. This book was super exciting, full of surprises, and kept me interested the whole time!

This book is a real page -turner -many twists and turns. It hooked me from the start and couldn't put it down. Highly recommended mystery thriller.

I have enjoyed reading all of this authors books and they have all been a 5 star read.
The Writer by Miranda Smith was no different it was excellent from start to finish, a brilliant page turner that will have you hooked from the beginning till the end.

I highly recommend this psychological thriller - well, all Miranda's Books. Superb writing.
A great holiday read.

Big Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author Miranda Smith for this gripping ARC. I loved it!

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️




✨ Mystery thriller
✨ Drama






✨ Story is focusing on Becca , who’s a low key writer that has a group of frustrated writers too. ( like a club) . They do exchange some thoughts and ideas .
She was living in her past for what happen to her in the past.
Until one member suddenly did not show up when a new member arrived. She write some novel that actually happens after few days.

✨ Becca was curious and did a detective work for herself.


✨I love how the story turned out but a little slow paced. It’s like going on circles in the first few chapters until BAM! A twist.
Great story. Just slow paced. But definitely worth it✨🫶🏼

🫶🏼Thankyou netgalley for the opportunity for the arc for a honest review.

🫶🏼 Shaye.reads

Now THIS is why I love thrillers so much!

Kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page! I thought I had it all figured out but as with all great thrillers, the author keeps you guessing everything you think you know!

Wow, now this was a wild ride! There were so many twists and turns and I was on edge to find out what would happen next. The ending was so unexpected but it worked so well and left me satisfied but also wanting more.

First book finished for May & let me tell you WOW! 🤯

When I first read the description of the book I thought what an interesting spin to your typical murder mystery. About 1/3rd of the through the book it became much more than what I could of ever imagined.

I LOVED the character development it was so interesting, each with their own story and background but each coming together because of their love of writing. Each of them with their own connection to the main story line.

I did enjoy the short chapters, how quickly the story developed with each chapter.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read & review this amazing book The Writer by Miranda Smith.

Miranda, thank YOU for such an amazing, heart racing, could not put down story.

The Writer was an interesting story which had me chilled to the bone. Plenty of twists and turns and a very shocking ending - Great stuff.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

I really liked this book, staying up late at night to finish it. It centers on Becca, a wannabe writer who doesn't have a whole lot else going on. She is still traumatized from an event that happened 10 years ago and hasn't really gotten on with her life, though she has a book written for which she is waiting representation. Becca is part of a writing group that meets weekly to discuss what they have been working on, when thing from their stories start happening around her. She takes matters into her own hands and tries to draw out the villain.

Though Becca sometimes made terrible decisions, I found her to be a likable character because she acted like a real person might in those circumstances and it made her relatable. There were a few times where she didn't connect obvious dots but for the most part, I was surprised right along with her at some of the things that happened. The big reveal was really well done and I didn't see the major twist coming, even when I thought I had it figured out. There was another surprise twist at the very end of the book that also caught me totally off guard. While there are parts of Becca's internal narrative that are a tad repetitive, the overall pacing of the book is pretty fast.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting story with great twists and characters with him one can empathize. I'd recommend it for those who enjoy psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a coy of this book in exchange for an honest review.