We have a new author review today! Annalise VanGallows and her debut novel of Mad Honey! Enjoy the review and remember, if you like my reviews follow me on social media and sign up for the newsletter (won’t start until later this year) to keep up on all things happening!

Mad Honey

~Annalise VanGallows

“For the ones who know how to keep their glow even when someone tries to dull their shine”

“The only way out is through.”

What deep and thoughtful quotes to start this book with. They both resonated deeply with me, sparking that beauty amongst all the chaos the world holds daily. I took a moment to write them down on a post-it note and hang where I can see it every day when I sit down to read, write, or focus on whatever project I am working on. They struck a chord that strongly.

Mad Honey, the story of Renee McDowell’s (FMC) existence has been defined by the deep wounds inflicted by those closest to her. Her mother’s lifelong verbal abuse culminated in the crushing declaration that Renee was her “biggest mistake.” Then came along Mason, a charming yet self-absorbed college boyfriend who whisked her away from Maryland to Portland for his career, proposing soon after.

But Renee’s brief marriage became a nightmare just two days in, when she discovered Mason’s bachelor party betrayal. Stranded without a car and needing to get away from him, she accepts his offer of a ride. The ensuing car accident, in which he abandons her, leaves Renee reeling. Hospitalized and disoriented, Renee pieces together enough to demand Mason leave and not return. With Anita’s support, her only friend in Portland, Renee escapes the wreckage of her marriage, annulment in hand, and heads back to Maryland.

Eager to reclaim her life and hoping to heal surrounded by her mother and best friends, Dallas and Tiffany, Renee settles back into her childhood home. However, the return home offers little solace; her mother’s coldness is a stark reminder of past hurt. The one bright side, a new romance with Nick (MMC), who she met on a dating app sets the stage for a much hoped-for fresh start – a quiet aspiration that will soon be engulfed by unforeseen chaos.

VanGallows shows great promise in character development with a wide variety of character profiles, providing enough backstory on most to give you that familiar feeling. Renee is rich and vulnerable, raw and emotional – real. That realism given to Renee allows readers to really connect with her and experience her journey with her along the way – the pain, stress, distrust, hope and love. Nick was a whole thing. I can’t say whether it was a good or bad thing – at points the vast amount put into Nick felt a little overwhelming but at other times it felt like the perfect balance. Other characters, which I can’t really discuss here as I don’t want to give away any spoilers, were pretty solid.

While Mad Honey isn’t your typical psychological thriller full of non-stop twists and turns, when the twists are thrown in, boy, are they thrown in. The pacing was a bit slow to start but it was a build up to what was coming and necessary for the premise. So don’t get started and DNF it thinking it will be slow all the way through as when it picks up the pace, it really gets going and doesn’t stop. The story does contain time jumps which made it a bit bumpy transitioning from chapter to scene, but the story recovers well.

VanGallows gives us an inside look at gaslighting, trauma, manipulation, dedication and love – and she doesn’t shy away from the gritty. Diving head first into hard hitting trauma and manipulation should be her tagline. I love how she balanced all that hard stuff with dedication and love showing personal growth and recovery is possible while still being not completely trusting.

Mad Honey keeps you guessing until the very end with psychological suspense with some dark romance thrown in. I will say that the storyline was unique and different from anything I have read to date and I will keep a watch for follow up books by VanGallows.

I would like to thank Annalise VanGallows for the opportunity to ARC Mad Honey. As always, all opinions and reviews are of my own volition. I have not been promised any compensation by the author, present or future, for my review.

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