I enjoyed this twisty psychological/love-triangle thriller very much. The author uses alternating “then and now” chapters to fill in the past and reveal the present until they converge at the end. The story is told in the first person by Maggie, a mixed-up girl who buys a fixer-upper after returning to her hometown of Myers, Illinois, after thirteen years away. Imagine her surprise when her ex-boyfriend, Tucker, owns the house right next door. Her childhood best friend, Clayton, is still around, too. The sexual tension in this book leaps off the page as Maggie fluctuates between these two while dealing with strange happenings in her old house. Ghosts? I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. The author’s straightforward narrative while building the mystery made this a quick, fascinating read. ( )

This book is advertised as suspense but I'd say it's more romance and chick lit. Sure there is some suspense regarding the house that Maggie moved into but most of the story is taken up by the love triangle between Maggie - her high school boyfriend and her new boyfriend who only pretended to be interested to make the high school boyfriend jealous until he really was interested. Maggie can't seem to make up her mind between her loser old boyfriend and the new guy who treats her like a queen. I wanted to yell at her to open her eyes several times and pick the guy who treats her best.

The story is told in two timelines -- one thirteen years ago when she was in high school and as soon as she graduated, she left and planned to never return. The second time line is modern day when she ends up back in the small town buying a house that she had always loved. The suspense involves her new home on Hemlock Street. She feels like she's being watched in every room The strange sounds, odd smells, and bizarre occurrences only add to her paranoia. She tries to ignore the other worldly occurrences but they continue to get more threatening. Is the house really haunted or is there something else going on?

So this love triangle. Her high school boyfriend was Clayton who left town after graduation to try his luck in Nashville. He has now returned back to the small town to write music because his recording contract didn't really work out. He kind of pursues Maggie but he runs hot and cold plus he has a fiancée/writing partner. Then we have Tucker, the bartender at a local club who pretend dates Maggie to help make Clayton jealous. Tucker actually lives next door and is a contractor so he is helping Maggie do repairs on the house. His pretend boyfriend deal quickly changes from pretend to having strong feelings for Maggie. Who will she choose? Can she live in the haunted house? Both questions are answered in the story.

A lot of the reviews say that this book is a real departure from this author's normal suspense stories. I enjoyed this book but need to try another one to see if the reviews are correct. ( )

This book started out with an insane hook. It was one of those where you have no idea where in the timeline it happens so you are dying to find out. The book is split between thirteen years ago and the present moment. Maggie has moved back home into a run down house that she hopes to make her own, her neighbor, Tucker, just so happens to be a part of her past she wishes she could forget. Also suddenly more invested in her life is her best friend, Clayton, and suddenly the love triangle is playing out in both the past and present! And it is an insane love triangle full of fake dating and drama and hurt feelings and all the things!
I will admit that for a bit the book was taking me a while to get invested in. It just felt like things were dragging, but when they picked up… oh my god! This book really committed to the spooky creepy house vibes and it made the story even more intriguing. I formed like a million theories reading this book but I think only one was ever figured out before I got a lot of clues, and it wasn’t even an important one! The author throws all kinds of unexpected twists and turns into this one and I loved every second because I couldn’t believe I didn’t see it coming. This is definitely one I would recommend people read. ( )

"You have no idea what I've done for you, Maggie. No idea."

Well, she's done it again!! The Queen of Twists and Turns left my jaw on the floor!

This was a great read and I couldn't put it down!!

The story toggles between the "Then" and the "Now" of our three main characters, Maggie, Tucker, and Clayton, who over the years, have brought each other happiness, jealousy, betrayal, and heartbreak. Now, years later after returning to her hometown, Maggie finds herself torn between the two once again. Add to this drama, the fact that the house she just bought might be haunted and has a gruesome history of violence and murder. Or is there someone behind all of this that wants her out of the picture?

Is this a love story? Yes. Is it a second-chance story? Yes. Is it a thriller? You bet it is!! With all the twists we've come to love from Ms. Modglin.

Definitely grab this one! You won't be disappointed!! ( )