These Deadly Words by Nichole Heydenburg Pages: 300
Published by Poisoned Ink Press LLC on April 25, 2023
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult
Source: ecopy from Publisher
What happens when the line between fiction and reality blurs?
All Camille Monroe wants is a quiet place to work on her novel. Hoping for inspiration, she retreats to a cabin in Asheville, with only her dog Brody as company.
Leah Strauss thought the summer after high school graduation would be amazing, but when her boyfriend Vincent suffers an untimely loss, her dream of the perfect summer is destroyed. Attempting to cheer up Vincent, Leah’s twin sister Ava and her boyfriend Noah join them on a road trip.
When a snowstorm strikes the mountains while Leah and her friends are hiking, they struggle to find their campsite. After becoming lost in the woods, they stumble across a cabin and seek shelter from the storm.
As the days pass, the guests feel increasingly unsafe in the stranger’s cabin. Camille seems to know all their secrets, and she doesn’t want them to leave. Who is this dangerous writer and what does she want from them? Their biggest problem quickly becomes escaping the cabin alive.
*Content warnings: swearing, alcoholism, underage drinking, suicide, murder
These Deadly Words is a young adult thriller/mystery by Nichole Heydenburg. Throw in a survivalist setting with the group of friends lost in the woods caught in a snow storm when they find a cabin to take shelter in the storm (and we are just getting started from there) and you have the the makings for the perfect setting for a creepy thriller! I really enjoyed These Deadly words. I think it is perfect for fans of atmospheric, edge of your seat young adult thrillers with a dash of supernatural. Really cool novel!
I found These Deadly Words to have a very easy to follow narration style. It was easy for me to completely fall into the story. I felt like I was inside the cabin alongside Leah, Vincent, Noah, and Ava. I loved how well developed the characters were and the dual point of view, was also really helpful in getting inside both Leah and Camille (the writer who resides in the cabin the teens found) was great.
Be sure to check the trigger warnings before you read. I will include them in a spoiler here if you want to see them View Spoiler » I was able to guess some elements of the story, but there were also moments where I absolutely had no idea what, or who, I could trust. These Deadly Words was a fun immersive read. I really enjoyed this story and I can’t wait to see more from Nichole Heydenburg in the future.
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Emily D
Sounds like a great book. Love that it’s set in Asheville!
Daniel M
looks like a fun one