REVIEW: Do Not Open by Kiersten Modglin was a book that has me conflicted in a few ways. I think I have given all the books I’ve read of hers five stars. I enjoyed them that much and some of them I would have given more than five stars. This one was close to four stars but it redeemed itself at the very end. I know…I need to explain myself without giving any of the surprises away. That is going to be a little hard to do.

This book is about an author that is contacted by a fan who offers her bleak world some hope. Although she has tried to research the person offering this life changing event, she is not able to find out much about him. She agrees to meet him and knows quite soon he is not who he says he is. She has spent years writing about heroines that save themselves and he has spent years studying her writing. He knows everything about her. She has to think fast.

There is a part of this book that hits close to home. Close to where Kiersten and I both live. That is part of what redeemed this book for me. There are several huge surprises at the end. The beginning and middle of the book are scary and nerve wracking and every bit of it is what you come to expect with a Kiersten Modglin book. So, not really a lot of surprises along the way. Like I said, the ending is WOW! I wanted to cry at the end. That never happens with one of Kiersten’s books.

If you love Kiersten Modglin’s books you will want to read this one too. You are probably as hooked on her writing as I am. If you haven’t read one of her books, you will wonder what hit you when you get done. This is a good book. It is just not one of my favorites. The last few books were ones that kept moving into my favorite spot. Not this one. I think you will know why when you have your heart ripped out!

This book will be released on October 31, 2023. Just in time for a Halloween night read. Get yourself a thermos filled with your favorite drink, your favorite snack and a nice comfy throw and prepare to be blown away. Until next time…Happy Reading!

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

SYNOPSIS: On the day author Mari Montgomery receives the email, she has little left to live for.

The message—simple yet utterly life-changing—offers a glimmer of hope to her dismal existence. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, and if she takes it, it could change everything.

Mari’s immediate sense of unease is eclipsed only by her curiosity—elicited from the supposed fan on the other end of the email. Unsatisfied despite doing her due diligence, and with no way to discern the legitimacy of the sender, Mari takes a leap of faith and replies.

What harm could come from one innocent message?

Soon, as she comes face to face with her ‘number one fan,’ it’s all too clear things are not what they first appeared. Now trapped by a villain far more sinister than she could’ve crafted herself, the fate awaiting her is inspired by the darkest depths of the monsters in her own novels.

In order to escape and survive, Mari must use the strength of the heroines she’s spent years writing about. But this villain has spent years inside her worlds, too.

How will she defeat an evil who has learned from the best?

For fans of Misery, YOU, and Behind Closed Doors, million-copy bestselling author Kiersten Modglin brings us a haunting tale of obsession and survival in the form of a writer’s worst nightmare come to life.