Newly published in April this year, You Shouldn’t Have Come Here is the latest release by the fan-favorite mystery thriller author Jeneva Rose. She is famous for other suspense thrillers like One of Us is Dead and The Perfect Marriage.
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Premise
The story is of Grace, who goes to an Airbnb for some solace. She wants to take a breather from her busy New York life. Grace meets the Airbnb owner, Calvin, with whom she gets close. Though the couple is getting along, they both feel something is wrong. Grace thinks there’s something weird about this place and Calvin. While Calvin also suspects Grace is lying and hiding things.
Pros
Relationship
Being a four-day story, the build between the two main leads is quite strong. As a reader, we are not questioning why the couple is in a relationship this soon. Feels natural.
Characters
I love that the book has just the right number of characters, not more or less. It doesn’t feel like the author placed them solely to misguide or confuse the reader.
Dual POV
I read many novels where there is no need to add multiple points of view. This doesn’t happen in You Shouldn’t Have Come Here as both the main leads, Grave and Calvin, need their own space to articulate their thoughts to the reader. It needs to be more forcefully added to make the novel longer.
But where does the novel need to improve?
Slow pace
We get a jaw-opening thriller scene from the story at the last 10-20%. Yes, the readers need time to connect with the characters, but as an intense romantic thriller, you must add nail-biting elements throughout the book. It would’ve felt like a romance if I hadn’t read the premise.
Twist
I don’t know if it’s just me, but you might guess the twist if you are a long-time mystery reader.
Conclusion
If you want a romantic suspense mystery thriller, this will not be my first recommendation as it is more about the relationship than the scary elements we get from the cover. It’s an excellent read for people just starting their thriller book journey or a fan of Jeneva Rose’s writing.