Julia, her husband James, and their two young sons move away to start a new life in the picture-perfect Haven – a residential community that at first glance seems idyllic. But Julia senses from the start that something is not right. The place is strangely sterile, the residents' behaviour seems forced, and there is some complex set of rules that seem to control the whole place.

The way you collect "gratitude points" to gain progress, the strange bracelet that changes colour based on your mood – these details only add to the tension. As Julia begins to question what's going on around her, the realisation becomes more and more distressing: this community is not only tightly controlled, but is actually a golden cage with no way out. Even when families literally disappear and a body is found in the pool – neighbours continue to behave as if it's the most natural thing in the world.

From the very first chapters, there is a gut-wrenching feeling that something is seriously wrong. This unease is with us all the way through, as Julia gradually loses her grip on reality, unable to decide whether it is her own guilt, perhaps paranoia, or a real threat hanging over her family. And what makes the book particularly powerful: you can never be sure who you can trust.

The story is gripping all the way through, keeping the suspense constant. Just when you think you've seen everything, another twist comes along that pulls you deeper and raises new questions. The chilling atmosphere, typical of the thriller genre, works brilliantly – the book really does feel like you're in a slowly unfolding nightmare.

S.J. King's novel is not only exciting and twisty, but also makes us think: what do we sacrifice for the illusion of safety? And how long do we allow others to control our lives – even if they claim it is 'for us'?

Thank you to Netgalley, it’s publishing house and author for the opportunity to read and give my thoughts.

I will start by saying that I enjoyed the ending a lot, a big twist I didn’t see coming. This book was relatable in the beginning, a wife that is successful at her career but recognizes that it’s her husbands time to shine and have a new opportunity to advance as well even if it means moving and leaving what you’ve grown to know.
At times through out this book I felt it was predictable and slow at times (had “filler” in it) and I wish character development was a little better but I did like this book. It definitely has a sense of things are not what they seem, it has an element of paranoia and self doubt which I found relatable- how many times have we all been left second/triple guessing and wondering if we read too much into it.
overall, check it out. I’m interested in what other books the author has.

I’m not sure about this book. I thought it was a bit predictable and all I wanted to do was rush through it to find out how it ended.
The characters weren’t very interesting and needed their personalities expanding on a bit. It was an ok read.

This is a hard one to rate. At first I wasn’t really into it and it didn’t seem like a psychological thriller like I thought. Then the story grabbed me so forcefully, I could not stop turning pages. I was dying to know what was going on and what Julia would uncover. The beginning of the end is really good and had me captivated but it slowed way down and took a strange turn. The twist is good but I didn’t like how the end was written or how Julia ended up where she did. Overall it was a unique book and worth the read.

A cleverly written book. I have some mixed feelings. I found it a little predictable and my main interest was in how it would finish! I could have believed it more if the characters were better developed. However there were some great ideas in there which could have been developed further and the high tech was very scary. Nevertheless it was a good read.

What a ride this one was!!! I absolutely enjoyed how the way the story unfolded!! It was twisty, it was creepy, it was so good!!! I loved how I did not see it coming at all!!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for my honest opinion!

This was a do not finish for me. It started out strong and then was too drawn out for my liking. The storyline seemed predictable and not as engaging as I originally thought it would be.

Creepy and Compelling

This book had serious Don’t Worry Darling energy—a seemingly perfect, gated community where nothing is quite as it seems. The main character moves in hoping for a fresh start, but quickly senses that something is off… especially after a neighbor is found dead during a party, and rumors swirl about a family that mysteriously vanished from her house.

The story builds slowly but keeps you hooked with all the secrets, tension, and growing paranoia. Some parts felt a little far-fetched, but overall it was a fast, fun read with a chilling atmosphere. Solid 4 stars!

I absolutely adored this book. I devoured it in one sitting, frantically rushing through the pages. And yet, I did not want it to end because it was just SO good. A wonderful read.

creepy, unsettling but I read it in one sitting, ending was underwhelming but I still enjoyed very much

Quite sinister and creepy, this is an interesting and terrifying concept. I do have to wonder how many places like this exist in the world, more than we'd care to know about, of that I'm certain. 3 & 1/2 stars.

This was creepy and unsettling! The characters had me invested and I had a hard time putting this down! The ending was good! I would recommend this! Special Thank You to S.J. King,Storm Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Where You Belong is a gripping psychological thriller by S.J. King. This was the first book I read by King and I can't wait to read more!

This book really suprised me. I loved it so much. I love a book that keeps me guessing and this one definately did. I connected with Julia's character and cared about what happened to her.

DNF'd at 21%

When I initially read the description for this book, it sounded just like the type of book that I always enjoy reading and was looking forward to it. Unfortunately this book was not for and I chose not finish it. The writing was very slow moving and in the first almost 100 pages, it felt like nothing happened at all to help move the plot along. I also did not feel any connections forming with the characters in the story that was pushing me to keep reading to see if it got better.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wasn’t able to read this one digitally but I did order a copy of the book so will be reviewing it after I’ve read it. I’m really excited for it as I’ve only heard great things about it.

Julia is living the dream—a devoted husband, two beautiful kids, and, most recently, a villa in a gorgeous gated community, with staff fulfilling her every wish. Everything is absolutely perfect. Right? Well, it seems that way until Julia starts noticing the first signs that there might be more to this community than meets the eye.

For those who don’t want to read the full review, is this book worth it? Yes—if the "perfect society gone wrong" genre is your thing, you’ll definitely enjoy this one. However, if you're looking for something more action-packed or intense, you might want to look elsewhere.

That being said, here’s my extended review:

There were quite a few things I liked about this book. The setting was beautifully described, and the main characters were well-developed. I was particularly impressed by how well the children were written, as annoying children in books are often a pet peeve of mine.

That being said, there were also a few aspects that felt off-putting. One of the biggest issues for me was the pacing. The beginning felt really slow—perhaps intentionally, to make the reader experience Julia’s sense of trudging through long, hot, syrupy days—but I didn't appreciate the seemingly endless pages where almost nothing happened. Then, by contrast, the ending felt incredibly rushed. If I had to estimate, about 80% of the book is dedicated to buildup, while all the major events are crammed into the final 20%.

Another issue was how oblivious Julia was to her husband’s wrongdoing. As a psychologist, she definitely should have picked up on some of the warning signs much earlier. Additionally, for most of the book, there was little to no tension. It didn’t pull me in or hook me—I found myself simply not caring what happened next.

On a positive note, one thing the author did well was portraying a character’s slow descent into paranoia and self-doubt. As Julia uncovers more about the supposedly protective community she’s living in, the reader can truly feel her questioning her own judgment and losing trust in everything—including herself.

Though at times confused about the message it’s trying to convey, this book still manages to raise important questions and may be worth a read if you enjoy stories set in seemingly utopian communities with a dark side.

I absolutely loved this book. A great psychological thriller which made for a real page turner. It was beautifully written and was extremely scary at times and made you stop and think if it was possible that something like this could happen in real life. I found it extremely chilling at times and loved the character of Julia who soon realised that something wasn't quite with her family's move to the gated community. A real page turner. this was a wonderful debut novel and I look forward to other stories from this author.

This is a very unique book. It is marked as a thriller so I was really looking forward to reading it, however, it wasn't what I expected. I felt it was a little far fetched in some places and a little slow in others. The ending tied up some of the loose ends but not all. Not my favorite but still a pretty good read.
Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a thrilling story that tests your own resilience and beliefs and knowledge.

Starting a new life journey that doesn’t feel right, but you must do it as your husbands career depends on it. But when yourself and your children’s welfare are put at stake, you must try to find a way to disappear and go back to what you know.

But when you realise the enormity of what you are trapped into, you know that life is indeed one that needs protecting at all costs.

This book kept me enthralled and guessing which way it was headed.