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You Shouldn't Have Come Here
Grace Evans, an overworked New Yorker looking for a total escape from her busy life, books an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. When she arrives, she's pleasantly surprised to find that the owner is a handsome man by the name of Calvin Wells. But there are things Grace discovers that she's not too pleased about: A lack of cell phone service. A missing woman. And a feeling that something isn't right with the town.
Despite her uneasiness and misgivings from Calvin's friends and family, the two grow close and start to fall for one another. However, as her departure date nears, things between them start to change for the worse. Grace grows wary of Calvin as his infatuation for her seems to turn into obsession. Calvin fears that Grace is hiding something from him.
Told from dual points of view, You Shouldn't Have Come Here is a thrill ride and a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when you open up your house and your heart to a total stranger.
Despite her uneasiness and misgivings from Calvin's friends and family, the two grow close and start to fall for one another. However, as her departure date nears, things between them start to change for the worse. Grace grows wary of Calvin as his infatuation for her seems to turn into obsession. Calvin fears that Grace is hiding something from him.
Told from dual points of view, You Shouldn't Have Come Here is a thrill ride and a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when you open up your house and your heart to a total stranger.
292 pages, Hardcover
First published April 25, 2023
7,246 people are currently reading
231k people want to read
About the author
Jeneva Rose
15 books28.6k followersJeneva Rose is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including the multi-million copy bestseller, The Perfect Marriage. Her work has been translated into more than two dozen languages and optioned for film/tv. Originally from Wisconsin, she currently lives in Chicago with her husband, Drew, and her English bulldogs, Winston and Phyllis Vance.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 26,686 reviews
April 23, 2023
At the risk of being bullied by the author, I’m going to say it. I found zero redeeming qualities in this book.
The entire book is a weird, uncomfortable slow burn of a romance (maybe?). Grace needs a break from her city life so she lands in a Wisconsin Airbnb for a week and a half. She meets country boy, Calvin and the two just have this weird sexual tension. Grace seems to be teasing him, and Calvin seems to be falling head over heels. All the side characters are also uncomfortable. I can’t think of a better word than that. Generic and uncomfortable.
Spoiler but not really - the huge plot twist is that one of the people we meet in the book is just a cold hearted serial killer who likes to kill people for no explained reason. You don’t find this out until the last 20 or so pages, and I found this to be the biggest cop out of a “thriller twist” that I’ve ever seen in a book. It’s like this whole quasi build up and then BAM “PLOT TWIST” - oh this person is just a serial killer lol.
Mind you, if you want to even get to the end, you need to make it through the writing that makes you want to dig an ice pick into your eyes (or ears if you’re listening). The entire book reads like a middle school essay where the author was just taught about similes, metaphors, and analogies and told to write a story using as many as she possibly could. Not kidding, you can’t get through two sentences without something being compared to something seemingly completely unrelated, and it is laughably distracting. I am talking about a vagina being “like the cool side of a pillow,” and a girl being, “like an onion I want to rub all over my body to use as insect repellent.” I swear that an object can’t be mentioned without an obnoxious literary device comparing it to something else.
Overall, I felt like I was reading a satirical parody of a thriller book.
I do appreciate the advanced reader copy from @scaredstraightreads (on Instagram) and Blackstone publishing.
However, I can’t in good conscience recommend this book to anyone.
The entire book is a weird, uncomfortable slow burn of a romance (maybe?). Grace needs a break from her city life so she lands in a Wisconsin Airbnb for a week and a half. She meets country boy, Calvin and the two just have this weird sexual tension. Grace seems to be teasing him, and Calvin seems to be falling head over heels. All the side characters are also uncomfortable. I can’t think of a better word than that. Generic and uncomfortable.
Spoiler but not really - the huge plot twist is that one of the people we meet in the book is just a cold hearted serial killer who likes to kill people for no explained reason. You don’t find this out until the last 20 or so pages, and I found this to be the biggest cop out of a “thriller twist” that I’ve ever seen in a book. It’s like this whole quasi build up and then BAM “PLOT TWIST” - oh this person is just a serial killer lol.
Mind you, if you want to even get to the end, you need to make it through the writing that makes you want to dig an ice pick into your eyes (or ears if you’re listening). The entire book reads like a middle school essay where the author was just taught about similes, metaphors, and analogies and told to write a story using as many as she possibly could. Not kidding, you can’t get through two sentences without something being compared to something seemingly completely unrelated, and it is laughably distracting. I am talking about a vagina being “like the cool side of a pillow,” and a girl being, “like an onion I want to rub all over my body to use as insect repellent.” I swear that an object can’t be mentioned without an obnoxious literary device comparing it to something else.
Overall, I felt like I was reading a satirical parody of a thriller book.
I do appreciate the advanced reader copy from @scaredstraightreads (on Instagram) and Blackstone publishing.
However, I can’t in good conscience recommend this book to anyone.
November 8, 2022
Nopeeeee, totally not for me. I just found this book SO over the top cringey. Too many eye rolling moments, moments where I was like people just don't act like this. I could have scratched my eyes out at the amount of times the MC's eyes were described as 'blue, blue'. BUT I'm obviously in the minority here with my thoughts and this could definitely work well for those who like romance and spice in their thrillers, I'm just more of a darker reader and this felt way too pop'corny' for me.
April 26, 2023
“You shouldn’t have read this”
This was t E r R i B l E !!!!!
Zero stars. Makes no sense. Read like a bad insta obsession romance for nearly the entirety. For the official record, nothing happens until the last 13 minutes of the audio format. How many pages might that be? The last 40? Idk.
She tried to pull a Modglin at the end and it did not work. Worst read of the year.
This was t E r R i B l E !!!!!
Zero stars. Makes no sense. Read like a bad insta obsession romance for nearly the entirety. For the official record, nothing happens until the last 13 minutes of the audio format. How many pages might that be? The last 40? Idk.
She tried to pull a Modglin at the end and it did not work. Worst read of the year.
October 21, 2022
Rating this 5 stars because I enjoyed writing it, and I also read it like ten times. I hope you enjoy reading it too, but I don’t recommend reading it ten times. Once should suffice. 😂
May 25, 2024
Honestly at this point I’d rather eat an entire pot of brown beans, bacon and hot dogs than have to read any more of this dumpster fire. That’s all I’m gonna say.
May 7, 2023
I shouldn’t have read this.
June 24, 2024
OMG! I absolutely adore Jeneva Rose! She has an incredible talent for hooking her readers with her clever, heart-throbbing, and utterly unputdownable stories. She knows how to build the tension, keeping you on your toes, and delivering mind-blowing twists that will sucker punch you!
I had an absolute blast reading this book, and when I reached the ending, I couldn't help but laugh like a maniac for nearly an hour. It was brilliantly executed and so smart!
Despite the multitude of events happening in this book, including a haunted house theme, animal massacres, attacks by wild animals, creepy townsfolk, secrets of a dysfunctional family, and crazy exes from one-night stands, you learn to handle them all by putting on your big girl pants! There's never a dull moment, as the tension keeps escalating. Each character is creepier than the next, and they all seem like suspects. None of them can be trusted, and you're constantly guessing who is telling the closest version of the truth.
Let's talk about the two narrators: Grace Evans takes a break from her busy life in New York, where she works in finance. She randomly selects a location on a map for her next trip and ends up renting an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. Little does she know, the house she chose is a creaking structure with its own darkness, adorned with taxidermied animals and surrounded by wild creatures ready to massacre the poor chickens. Grace shouldn't have gone there, and she should have run away after spending a day, but there's a catch. The heartbroken, ridiculously attractive homeowner, Calvin Wells (the second narrator), who likes to get his hands dirty and often walks around shirtless, showing off his six-pack abs, is impossible to resist. Poor guy quickly turns into the love-sick boy next door as soon as he meets Grace.
As they spend more time together, their connection deepens. However, the townspeople are far from welcoming. Calvin's close friend, Charlotte, harbors more than just friendship for him and becomes a jealous, sulking presence whenever Grace is around. Betty, the bee lady, is like a mother to Calvin and wants to protect him from getting hurt. She gives her two cents to Grace, and Calvin's shady brother, Joe, shamelessly flirts with her. Let's not forget about the old drunk man who insists he's another Airbnb guest and stalks Grace's every move from behind his window.
Grace wants to enjoy her limited time there and return home, but there are several things that make her uneasy, including the absence of Wi-Fi, a missing woman who also booked a room at Calvin's place, and her car suddenly malfunctioning. As her last day approaches, Calvin becomes more dramatic, as if he won't let her go. Can she trust this broken man? Is he being honest with her?
I'll stop here and leave you to expect the unexpected! Enjoy your time with these two unreliable narrators, the creepy townsfolk, and the haunted house! Although some of the explanations may seem a little far-fetched, I immensely enjoyed my reading experience and give it a solid 5 stars, along with plenty of villanelle laughs!
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with this incredible digital review copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
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I had an absolute blast reading this book, and when I reached the ending, I couldn't help but laugh like a maniac for nearly an hour. It was brilliantly executed and so smart!
Despite the multitude of events happening in this book, including a haunted house theme, animal massacres, attacks by wild animals, creepy townsfolk, secrets of a dysfunctional family, and crazy exes from one-night stands, you learn to handle them all by putting on your big girl pants! There's never a dull moment, as the tension keeps escalating. Each character is creepier than the next, and they all seem like suspects. None of them can be trusted, and you're constantly guessing who is telling the closest version of the truth.
Let's talk about the two narrators: Grace Evans takes a break from her busy life in New York, where she works in finance. She randomly selects a location on a map for her next trip and ends up renting an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. Little does she know, the house she chose is a creaking structure with its own darkness, adorned with taxidermied animals and surrounded by wild creatures ready to massacre the poor chickens. Grace shouldn't have gone there, and she should have run away after spending a day, but there's a catch. The heartbroken, ridiculously attractive homeowner, Calvin Wells (the second narrator), who likes to get his hands dirty and often walks around shirtless, showing off his six-pack abs, is impossible to resist. Poor guy quickly turns into the love-sick boy next door as soon as he meets Grace.
As they spend more time together, their connection deepens. However, the townspeople are far from welcoming. Calvin's close friend, Charlotte, harbors more than just friendship for him and becomes a jealous, sulking presence whenever Grace is around. Betty, the bee lady, is like a mother to Calvin and wants to protect him from getting hurt. She gives her two cents to Grace, and Calvin's shady brother, Joe, shamelessly flirts with her. Let's not forget about the old drunk man who insists he's another Airbnb guest and stalks Grace's every move from behind his window.
Grace wants to enjoy her limited time there and return home, but there are several things that make her uneasy, including the absence of Wi-Fi, a missing woman who also booked a room at Calvin's place, and her car suddenly malfunctioning. As her last day approaches, Calvin becomes more dramatic, as if he won't let her go. Can she trust this broken man? Is he being honest with her?
I'll stop here and leave you to expect the unexpected! Enjoy your time with these two unreliable narrators, the creepy townsfolk, and the haunted house! Although some of the explanations may seem a little far-fetched, I immensely enjoyed my reading experience and give it a solid 5 stars, along with plenty of villanelle laughs!
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with this incredible digital review copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
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April 27, 2023
Was this satire and I missed that memo? What was this? Certainly not the thriller it's marketed as. Romance? If you call that romance. That was awkward. And the cliche "horror" references like "ohhhhh you might not be leaving" and then back to the sexual tension??? WHAT WAS THIS?
November 3, 2023
This book has a lot of mixed reviews, and I decided to make up my own mind and not skip it despite some bad reviews I saw.
I’m happy to announce that I really liked this one. It has an unique plot with lot of strange characters with unclear intentions. You want to know the backstory, and what’s going on. The suspense was there constantly, helped by the creepy feeling you got from the airbnb and the wild animals. I liked the main character, who was smart, thinking on her feet.
I had an inkling that there would be more to the story than the obvious twist I saw coming, and I’m happy to say that the ending was very satisfying. It might seem unlikely, but the setting made it more likely. It can seem confusing, but read it for yourself and hopefully the puzzle pieces will click into place like they did for me.
I’m happy to announce that I really liked this one. It has an unique plot with lot of strange characters with unclear intentions. You want to know the backstory, and what’s going on. The suspense was there constantly, helped by the creepy feeling you got from the airbnb and the wild animals. I liked the main character, who was smart, thinking on her feet.
I had an inkling that there would be more to the story than the obvious twist I saw coming, and I’m happy to say that the ending was very satisfying. It might seem unlikely, but the setting made it more likely. It can seem confusing, but read it for yourself and hopefully the puzzle pieces will click into place like they did for me.
July 9, 2023
1.5 STARS
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I did not read the description of this book. The only thing I knew about it before reading was its genre. As you can imagine, my expectations were pretty basic; I assumed I would get some heart pumping, hair-raising, good ol’ murders and fun. Oh boy, this book was NOT IT. At 50%, still nothing had happened or been revealed. The author also seemed to be a bit genre confused, and I kept contemplating whether I was actually reading a thriller or a slow burn romance with an obnoxious love triangle. I guessed so much of the plot it’s not even funny. Finally, I cannot take anyone named Sheriff Almond seriously.
My thoughts summed up in three emojis: 😴🥴😑
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I did not read the description of this book. The only thing I knew about it before reading was its genre. As you can imagine, my expectations were pretty basic; I assumed I would get some heart pumping, hair-raising, good ol’ murders and fun. Oh boy, this book was NOT IT. At 50%, still nothing had happened or been revealed. The author also seemed to be a bit genre confused, and I kept contemplating whether I was actually reading a thriller or a slow burn romance with an obnoxious love triangle. I guessed so much of the plot it’s not even funny. Finally, I cannot take anyone named Sheriff Almond seriously.
My thoughts summed up in three emojis: 😴🥴😑
February 12, 2025
This didn’t work for me at all. I found it predictable, repetitive, and pretty uneventful I’m so sorry 🫣
May 7, 2024
“She was everything and she was nothing, which made her something.” Actual line from this book. I’m not kidding.
This was terrible…. That’s the review.
This book had me rolling my blue, blue eyes into the back of my skull.
Aside from the fact that CoHo is literally referenced in this book, I was getting her vibes and Kiersten Modglin vibes. At 84% in this felt like romantic suspense, but it eventually went off the rails and tried to be a psychological thriller.
I finished it only because I got a complimentary audiobook from Libro FM and I wanted to know what the punchline was. What a train wreck. I did enjoy the narration though, Andrew Eiden has a sexy voice. So 1.5 ⭐️ rating overall since the audiobook was done well enough to keep me listening. If I was physically reading I would have DNFed.
This was the first book I have ever read by this author, and I don’t think I’ll be reading another. 🤷🏼♀️
This was terrible…. That’s the review.
This book had me rolling my blue, blue eyes into the back of my skull.
Aside from the fact that CoHo is literally referenced in this book, I was getting her vibes and Kiersten Modglin vibes. At 84% in this felt like romantic suspense, but it eventually went off the rails and tried to be a psychological thriller.
I finished it only because I got a complimentary audiobook from Libro FM and I wanted to know what the punchline was. What a train wreck. I did enjoy the narration though, Andrew Eiden has a sexy voice. So 1.5 ⭐️ rating overall since the audiobook was done well enough to keep me listening. If I was physically reading I would have DNFed.
This was the first book I have ever read by this author, and I don’t think I’ll be reading another. 🤷🏼♀️
December 31, 2022
**** Made my TOP TEN of 2022! Highly recommend!!
Sooo… Can a 2023 book make it to your top 10 for 2022?? Well it did!! 👏👏 I LOVED this book!! ❤️Definitely one of my favorite books this year!! This is one HELL of a thriller!
Meet Grace… fancy pants 👖 city girl decides she needs a break from the rat race… so she books herself a stay at a secluded Airbnb in WYOMING..🤔🤷♀️
Okay.. Grace is a self proclaimed bookworm.. does this girl not read thrillers?? 😉Well she claims she does but … HELLLO Grace… RUN !! 😂🏃♀️
This book has creeptastic vibes from the start…a secluded ranch… no cell service.. no wifi… her car 🚘 suddenly won’t start…😳… Ummm … and just like the horror movies 🍿… Grace stays… 😮
THIS is how you write a thriller!! Wow!! The ending 😯😳🤯🤯🤯 I NEVER saw that coming!! One of the most brilliant endings I have come across in a long time! 👏👏
Okay I have been meaning to read a @jenevaroseauthor book for awhile. I even have two sitting here on my TBR. Well I was a lucky 🍀 girl and won this book in a giveaway. I dropped everything to read it the day it arrived!! 😍 It was so dark and twisted!! 🖤
Anyways… I obviously am a huge fan and can’t wait to read her backlist!! This one is out 4/25/23 and absolutely grab it when you can!!
Sooo… Can a 2023 book make it to your top 10 for 2022?? Well it did!! 👏👏 I LOVED this book!! ❤️Definitely one of my favorite books this year!! This is one HELL of a thriller!
Meet Grace… fancy pants 👖 city girl decides she needs a break from the rat race… so she books herself a stay at a secluded Airbnb in WYOMING..🤔🤷♀️
Okay.. Grace is a self proclaimed bookworm.. does this girl not read thrillers?? 😉Well she claims she does but … HELLLO Grace… RUN !! 😂🏃♀️
This book has creeptastic vibes from the start…a secluded ranch… no cell service.. no wifi… her car 🚘 suddenly won’t start…😳… Ummm … and just like the horror movies 🍿… Grace stays… 😮
THIS is how you write a thriller!! Wow!! The ending 😯😳🤯🤯🤯 I NEVER saw that coming!! One of the most brilliant endings I have come across in a long time! 👏👏
Okay I have been meaning to read a @jenevaroseauthor book for awhile. I even have two sitting here on my TBR. Well I was a lucky 🍀 girl and won this book in a giveaway. I dropped everything to read it the day it arrived!! 😍 It was so dark and twisted!! 🖤
Anyways… I obviously am a huge fan and can’t wait to read her backlist!! This one is out 4/25/23 and absolutely grab it when you can!!
June 13, 2023
Is it a romance, is it a thriller, or is it an undercover charlatan novel? 🧐 Why no, it’s the latest tomfoolery by Jeneva Rose!! (and that’s putting it nicely).
I read some reviews prior to reading this book, and yes some were pretty harsh - but I do enjoy this author, so I wanted to give it a shot for myself. A majority of the reviews stated that the ending of this book made this nonsense worthwhile. However, I found the ending of this book even more outlandish and bizarre than the rest of the book. I am so mad right now that I wasted my time reading this 😡
Just a little recap for you… Our super attractive main character Grace rents an Airbnb in Wyoming. She found this place by throwing a dart on a map, and it landed in Dubois, WY. Super attractive Calvin owns and runs the Airbnb. They fall for each other immediately. They have the best sex they’ve ever had in their lives. And then, after their sex fueled night, Grace starts to get suspicious of Calvin. She doesn’t trust him, and thinks he’s a liar and hiding big secrets.
And then we have our OTT ending!! Most everyone knows I enjoy a little OTT, because I do read for entertainment and enjoyment. But THIS ending just took this book to a whole different level. What could have been a very generous three star book (because I’ve enjoyed all Rose’s other novels), has now become a 1.5 stars. Do I recommend this book? Nope, not unless you want to lose a few brain cells.
I read some reviews prior to reading this book, and yes some were pretty harsh - but I do enjoy this author, so I wanted to give it a shot for myself. A majority of the reviews stated that the ending of this book made this nonsense worthwhile. However, I found the ending of this book even more outlandish and bizarre than the rest of the book. I am so mad right now that I wasted my time reading this 😡
Just a little recap for you… Our super attractive main character Grace rents an Airbnb in Wyoming. She found this place by throwing a dart on a map, and it landed in Dubois, WY. Super attractive Calvin owns and runs the Airbnb. They fall for each other immediately. They have the best sex they’ve ever had in their lives. And then, after their sex fueled night, Grace starts to get suspicious of Calvin. She doesn’t trust him, and thinks he’s a liar and hiding big secrets.
And then we have our OTT ending!! Most everyone knows I enjoy a little OTT, because I do read for entertainment and enjoyment. But THIS ending just took this book to a whole different level. What could have been a very generous three star book (because I’ve enjoyed all Rose’s other novels), has now become a 1.5 stars. Do I recommend this book? Nope, not unless you want to lose a few brain cells.
July 10, 2023
If this was the first book I ever read, I would not have ever picked up another book.
Plot is familiar: woman leaves NY for random solo vacation in the countryside. Only her Airbnb host is a sexy cowboy rancher 🤠 Then questionable things start happening.
Is THAT what we're passing off as twists now? That was just randomness. 98% stilted sexual lusting to land with a random ending.
Love it how Calvin immediately finds our MC Grace "layered" and complex. What? How? It's like 3 chapters in, she's said a few short sentences, she's from NY, and she cooks brussels sprouts with honey glaze on them. That's NOT layered 🤣
This was just really boring. It took me over 2 weeks to finish it. The characters and their actions weren't authentic and none of it was all that interesting.
I've rated Jeneva Rose's books 5, 2, and now 1 star. Maybe the next will be a 4? Should I come back for more? I don't know...
Plot is familiar: woman leaves NY for random solo vacation in the countryside. Only her Airbnb host is a sexy cowboy rancher 🤠 Then questionable things start happening.
Is THAT what we're passing off as twists now? That was just randomness. 98% stilted sexual lusting to land with a random ending.
Love it how Calvin immediately finds our MC Grace "layered" and complex. What? How? It's like 3 chapters in, she's said a few short sentences, she's from NY, and she cooks brussels sprouts with honey glaze on them. That's NOT layered 🤣
This was just really boring. It took me over 2 weeks to finish it. The characters and their actions weren't authentic and none of it was all that interesting.
I've rated Jeneva Rose's books 5, 2, and now 1 star. Maybe the next will be a 4? Should I come back for more? I don't know...
May 26, 2023
Of course Colleen hoover wrote the blurb on the front ...if that doesn't tell you everything you need to know about what you're getting into with this book.
Truly, this is not a thriller. This is a dark romance. If you do not enjoy reading romance there's your first PSA to skip this one.
The audiobook has a two person cast and the male audio narrator was very off-putting to me. He had a very strange way of enunciating certain words that completely took me out of the story. My mind would go off on a 15 minute detour pondering what did he just say "bAYg" like that. He honestly sounded like a character from the musical Grease.
Besides for the insta-love, the next most cringey aspect of this book is the writing. The amount of times I got second hand embarrassment from the terrible prose. If you need receipts to back up my statement that the writing IS NOT GOOD, please read on:
• "hey is for horses" ...this dad joke is sprinkled probably 3-4 times throughout the book. like seriously. I couldn't tell if it was supposed to funny or charming but it was neither to me.
• "She had definitely put some of that black stuff on her lashes"...he doesn't know the word for mascara??? Are you kidding me.
• "Lots of women do that...all a part of that feminist movement" huh? Talking about grace traveling on her own...So the feminist movement is about women traveling solo on vacation. Sure, checks out.
• "She was everything. And she was nothing. Which made her the perfect amount of something." WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!?!?
• "I've been reading a lot of them Colleen hoover romance books while I've been working speed traps. Ain't no one gettin' tickets but I'm learning a lot. And that lady sure can make me cry." STOPPPP 🤢 Please no one date this man if he is learning romance from the problematic queen herself COLLEEN HOOVER. BARF.
• Those "blue blue" eyes JEEESUS. This is repeated by the male character to describe the female character at least 8x
• "I. LET. OUT. THE. BREATH. I. DIDNT. KNOW. I. WAS. HOLDING. IN." OMFG HOW DID THIS GET PUBLISHED 😳 in the year of 2023 authors are STILL using this cursed phrase?!
The most frustrating part of this book (aside from the very repetitive writing) is the fact that the ending makes the entire book make no sense. It's the kind of situation where because you are within the characters minds they would have no reason to hide certain motivations from the reader. So when the twist is revealed it truly is mindboggling what I read about for 300 pages.
I also reviewed this book on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/DUzN1KGjRYc
Truly, this is not a thriller. This is a dark romance. If you do not enjoy reading romance there's your first PSA to skip this one.
The audiobook has a two person cast and the male audio narrator was very off-putting to me. He had a very strange way of enunciating certain words that completely took me out of the story. My mind would go off on a 15 minute detour pondering what did he just say "bAYg" like that. He honestly sounded like a character from the musical Grease.
Besides for the insta-love, the next most cringey aspect of this book is the writing. The amount of times I got second hand embarrassment from the terrible prose. If you need receipts to back up my statement that the writing IS NOT GOOD, please read on:
• "hey is for horses" ...this dad joke is sprinkled probably 3-4 times throughout the book. like seriously. I couldn't tell if it was supposed to funny or charming but it was neither to me.
• "She had definitely put some of that black stuff on her lashes"...he doesn't know the word for mascara??? Are you kidding me.
• "Lots of women do that...all a part of that feminist movement" huh? Talking about grace traveling on her own...So the feminist movement is about women traveling solo on vacation. Sure, checks out.
• "She was everything. And she was nothing. Which made her the perfect amount of something." WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!?!?
• "I've been reading a lot of them Colleen hoover romance books while I've been working speed traps. Ain't no one gettin' tickets but I'm learning a lot. And that lady sure can make me cry." STOPPPP 🤢 Please no one date this man if he is learning romance from the problematic queen herself COLLEEN HOOVER. BARF.
• Those "blue blue" eyes JEEESUS. This is repeated by the male character to describe the female character at least 8x
• "I. LET. OUT. THE. BREATH. I. DIDNT. KNOW. I. WAS. HOLDING. IN." OMFG HOW DID THIS GET PUBLISHED 😳 in the year of 2023 authors are STILL using this cursed phrase?!
The most frustrating part of this book (aside from the very repetitive writing) is the fact that the ending makes the entire book make no sense. It's the kind of situation where because you are within the characters minds they would have no reason to hide certain motivations from the reader. So when the twist is revealed it truly is mindboggling what I read about for 300 pages.
I also reviewed this book on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/DUzN1KGjRYc
May 25, 2023
Let me unload one piece of baggage before I even begin here. My copy of You Shouldn’t Have Come Here DID NOT include the Colleen Hoover cover blurb. If it had, I would hope that I would have been smart enough to avoid this like the plague due the incessant seven year trolling I’ve receive from CoHo’s rabid fanbase. Buuuuuut, since The Perfect Marriage remains on my TBR, there’s a decent chance I still would have read it. Although I didn’t know about the new and improved cover at all, I was immediately confronted with a paragraph on the very first page. And then one by Jennifer Hillier, and Kaira Rouda, and John Marrs and Alex Finlay????? Now that I’m finished I have one question to ask . . . .
For real, though. I mean was this a dare to see how quickly this thing could go viral on TikTok? Are these authors a caliber of likeswappers Goodreads and The ‘Gram have never before seen? Did they all sell their souls????
I picked this up to give Jeneva Rose a second chance after reading One of Us Is Dead - a book that wasn’t terrible for me, just not as over-the-top as it could/should have been when it came to the delivery. I had not known Airbnb “Rooms” was now a thing since I refuse to watch television with commercials, but lemme just say if you’re thinking about staying with a random stranger maybe read this book because obviously this would be a killer’s wet dream. I was hoping for a popcorn thriller and suspension of disbelief was not going to be a problem for me when it came to the story of Grace who rents a room on a ranch in Wyoming from Calvin for ten days. I figured at least one person would wind up dead and I was down for the stabbies. But this was so booooooooooooring. Good lord amighty what a snoozefest.
The stuff that did finally happen was what most people would think was going to happen all along . . . other than the “twist” at the end which was one of those last-pagers that’s just stupid and thrown in as an attempt to shock the reader, but it was all too little too late.
Oh, and to authors who do things like this???
“Finally, a thriller. This one promised a twisty ending I wouldn’t see coming. It seemed every thriller promised that these days, but few actually delivered.”
“When she appeared in the kitchen, I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding in. Cliché, I know. But it’s true.”
It doesn’t make you seem clever to be “in on the joke” – it’s simply a confirmation that you don’t write well enough to come up with something other than the worn out lines every other pisspoor Wattpader comes up with.
That's a good cover, though ; )
For real, though. I mean was this a dare to see how quickly this thing could go viral on TikTok? Are these authors a caliber of likeswappers Goodreads and The ‘Gram have never before seen? Did they all sell their souls????
I picked this up to give Jeneva Rose a second chance after reading One of Us Is Dead - a book that wasn’t terrible for me, just not as over-the-top as it could/should have been when it came to the delivery. I had not known Airbnb “Rooms” was now a thing since I refuse to watch television with commercials, but lemme just say if you’re thinking about staying with a random stranger maybe read this book because obviously this would be a killer’s wet dream. I was hoping for a popcorn thriller and suspension of disbelief was not going to be a problem for me when it came to the story of Grace who rents a room on a ranch in Wyoming from Calvin for ten days. I figured at least one person would wind up dead and I was down for the stabbies. But this was so booooooooooooring. Good lord amighty what a snoozefest.
The stuff that did finally happen was what most people would think was going to happen all along . . . other than the “twist” at the end which was one of those last-pagers that’s just stupid and thrown in as an attempt to shock the reader, but it was all too little too late.
Oh, and to authors who do things like this???
“Finally, a thriller. This one promised a twisty ending I wouldn’t see coming. It seemed every thriller promised that these days, but few actually delivered.”
“When she appeared in the kitchen, I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding in. Cliché, I know. But it’s true.”
It doesn’t make you seem clever to be “in on the joke” – it’s simply a confirmation that you don’t write well enough to come up with something other than the worn out lines every other pisspoor Wattpader comes up with.
That's a good cover, though ; )
June 14, 2023
I want to say this book was quite predictable, but then the author surprises me with twistier twists produced from twists. I always love the unexpected, especially for a thriller!
There were constant questions running through my head from the beginning of the book, like “Who the heck really is Grace?”, and throughout the book, like “Why are these characters and the town so weird?!” For most of it though, it doesn’t really feel like a mystery but just a story about a girl on the most boring vacation ever but slowly it gets creepier halfway through the book. At times, it also felt repetitive, but Rose might have put a spell on this one because I still badly wanted to know what would happen.
Usually with dual first pov, we get to understand the characters a bit more but Rose still manages to hide the character's real intentions from us really well. I still don’t know how I feel about that though because again I usually expect to know my character very well if it is in the first pov. Still, we are subtly given a chance to discover who they are throughout the book. For example, Calvin’s constant “Grace is different from other girls” and “She needs to stay” made it pretty clear the kind of man we are dealing with. There were also many clues about the uneasiness of the town. I mean from the title it’s pretty clear that people should stay away from there, but we get more of that vibe from the way the characters describe the “secrets” of the town.
Unfortunately, it felt like a really slow book till the end and I think I really just needed more. I’m not always a fan when authors leave all the excitement for the very end, still, I can appreciate that there were many clues here and there that are connected nicely by the end.
There were constant questions running through my head from the beginning of the book, like “Who the heck really is Grace?”, and throughout the book, like “Why are these characters and the town so weird?!” For most of it though, it doesn’t really feel like a mystery but just a story about a girl on the most boring vacation ever but slowly it gets creepier halfway through the book. At times, it also felt repetitive, but Rose might have put a spell on this one because I still badly wanted to know what would happen.
Usually with dual first pov, we get to understand the characters a bit more but Rose still manages to hide the character's real intentions from us really well. I still don’t know how I feel about that though because again I usually expect to know my character very well if it is in the first pov. Still, we are subtly given a chance to discover who they are throughout the book. For example, Calvin’s constant “Grace is different from other girls” and “She needs to stay” made it pretty clear the kind of man we are dealing with. There were also many clues about the uneasiness of the town. I mean from the title it’s pretty clear that people should stay away from there, but we get more of that vibe from the way the characters describe the “secrets” of the town.
Unfortunately, it felt like a really slow book till the end and I think I really just needed more. I’m not always a fan when authors leave all the excitement for the very end, still, I can appreciate that there were many clues here and there that are connected nicely by the end.
May 25, 2024
•| ⊱✿⊰ |• 4,4 Stars •| ⊱✿⊰ |•
I loved this book, I haven't rated it higher due to slow pace.
Some situations were a bit childish and suspicious, though nobody noticed, and get along as it were natural.
But has a lot of twists and turns, and I could never imagine the end.
The slow pace distract us of what's really happening, so it's a big surprise how and when all will be revelled.
Yet, something in me is saying I'm being unfair and should have rated it higher.
It is a really good book, well written.
I have some mixed feeling about it… 🤔
March 11, 2025
I should've known by the fact that colleen hoover blurbed this
June 5, 2023
2.5 stars
Standard fare for these days, falling right into the mediocre class sadly. Been there done that theme once again! Everyone is a sociopath these days!
Standard fare for these days, falling right into the mediocre class sadly. Been there done that theme once again! Everyone is a sociopath these days!
November 21, 2022
First of all, the first 92% of this book was 100% harlequin suspense #7892: "The Rancher's Secret" with extremely occasional ominous hints. At 92% it shifted to just about the silliest thing I've ever read and, between you and me, that's saying something.
May 15, 2023
I had no intentions of posting this book on booksta. I just rated it a 1 on GR and kept going. On GR I usually get 1 like here and there, but I got a record 18 likes on my review 🤣… so I said, well maybe I won’t get drug for filth in these bookstagram streets, so here goes…
⠀
I hated this book. There was nothing creepy about it, well maybe the setting, Wyoming. J/k
⠀
This is my 2nd book by this author and it’s safe to say that her writing is just not for me. She constantly tosses out plot holes and extremely bizarre “twists” with no inclination as to where/what/when/how,. She just puts ludicrousness -is that a word - out there as if to say, just roll with it.
⠀
Terrible, immature writing - start to finish. There were no thrills, whatsoever, and a hint of suspense started to kick in at the very end, but it was too far fetched to be taken seriously! Like, the last 15-20 minutes of my audiobook. Very underwhelming. I was left thinking, where did that ish in the closet come from? Were there no signs? Did I skip thru a big something?
⠀
I see some similarities in this female MC as the one in Perfect Marriage. So now I’d be expecting the same outcomes in her next so called thriller. There was just so much over the top absurdity- the mountain goat scene, the warped obsession, bruh!!! Now, I will admit a few characters were a bit strange and had potential, but ultimately fell flat.
⠀
I haven’t hated a book since Just the Nicest Couple and I’ll say again that it irks my soul that riff raff like this can be considered best selling. I’m tired of mediocrity being so highly regarded, especially when so many talented authors are passed up or don’t have the backing/platform.
⠀
Anyway…I can’t say I wasn’t warned… I really shouldn’t have come here… ✌️ And this is the last g rose I’ll suffer through.
⠀
I hated this book. There was nothing creepy about it, well maybe the setting, Wyoming. J/k
⠀
This is my 2nd book by this author and it’s safe to say that her writing is just not for me. She constantly tosses out plot holes and extremely bizarre “twists” with no inclination as to where/what/when/how,. She just puts ludicrousness -is that a word - out there as if to say, just roll with it.
⠀
Terrible, immature writing - start to finish. There were no thrills, whatsoever, and a hint of suspense started to kick in at the very end, but it was too far fetched to be taken seriously! Like, the last 15-20 minutes of my audiobook. Very underwhelming. I was left thinking, where did that ish in the closet come from? Were there no signs? Did I skip thru a big something?
⠀
I see some similarities in this female MC as the one in Perfect Marriage. So now I’d be expecting the same outcomes in her next so called thriller. There was just so much over the top absurdity- the mountain goat scene, the warped obsession, bruh!!! Now, I will admit a few characters were a bit strange and had potential, but ultimately fell flat.
⠀
I haven’t hated a book since Just the Nicest Couple and I’ll say again that it irks my soul that riff raff like this can be considered best selling. I’m tired of mediocrity being so highly regarded, especially when so many talented authors are passed up or don’t have the backing/platform.
⠀
Anyway…I can’t say I wasn’t warned… I really shouldn’t have come here… ✌️ And this is the last g rose I’ll suffer through.
April 25, 2023
i wanna give you a zero but that’s not possible so i give you a one
April 10, 2023
Jeneva Rose sure knows how to write a popcorn thriller! you can gobble up her books in 1-2 sittings and the pages fly by and the chapters are quick—my fave thing in a thriller especially! the pacing of her books is always on point 👌🏼
this kind of started as a romantic suspense and then got wiiiild by the end! gotta sit with the ending a bit, it definitely was NOT what i was expecting 😂 which is always very fun in a thriller 🔪
i think what kept me from loving this one was the characters—i couldnt really vibe with any of them so i wasn’t sure who to “root” for if that makes sense? i also found it odd that someone (especially a woman) would go to a remote cabin in Wyoming and rent an Airbnb where she didn’t have the entire house to herself and stayed with the man who owned it🤯🤔 that stayed with me from the first chapter. i also found it unbelievable that these characters could have these feelings in 5-6 days.
thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the gifted review! i’ve read all of Jeneva’s work, so it’s time for a ranking 🤓
this kind of started as a romantic suspense and then got wiiiild by the end! gotta sit with the ending a bit, it definitely was NOT what i was expecting 😂 which is always very fun in a thriller 🔪
i think what kept me from loving this one was the characters—i couldnt really vibe with any of them so i wasn’t sure who to “root” for if that makes sense? i also found it odd that someone (especially a woman) would go to a remote cabin in Wyoming and rent an Airbnb where she didn’t have the entire house to herself and stayed with the man who owned it🤯🤔 that stayed with me from the first chapter. i also found it unbelievable that these characters could have these feelings in 5-6 days.
thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the gifted review! i’ve read all of Jeneva’s work, so it’s time for a ranking 🤓
May 21, 2023
Just roll-with-it fun!
Wanting to relax from busy city life, Grace booked an AirBnB at a working ranch in Dubois, Wyoming. Calvin, the rancher/owner is pretty hot and they soon started flirting. This little rural town is full of weird folks, from a gas station owner to the brother and the sheriff. Did I mention there's a missing woman?
You Shouldn't Have Come Here is told alternating between Grace and Calvin's chapters. It was an entertaining, fast-paced romantic suspense, and off the rails crazy! Even though I did guess part of the ending correctly, I hate this ending! Oh gosh, I wish it was a bit different. BUT I had a good time overall and didn't quite want it to be over. I finished it in a day!
Wanting to relax from busy city life, Grace booked an AirBnB at a working ranch in Dubois, Wyoming. Calvin, the rancher/owner is pretty hot and they soon started flirting. This little rural town is full of weird folks, from a gas station owner to the brother and the sheriff. Did I mention there's a missing woman?
You Shouldn't Have Come Here is told alternating between Grace and Calvin's chapters. It was an entertaining, fast-paced romantic suspense, and off the rails crazy! Even though I did guess part of the ending correctly, I hate this ending! Oh gosh, I wish it was a bit different. BUT I had a good time overall and didn't quite want it to be over. I finished it in a day!
March 15, 2023
Have you ever spent the majority of a book wondering when something of interest is going to happen? That was my experience here, but for some odd reason I kept reading it, so there’s something to be said for the author ability to keep my attention despite a boring plot. This might’ve been the slowest burn I’ve ever read and that’s really saying something. There was no excitement or real action until like 85 or 90 percent and I’m sorry, I just don’t have that kind of patience anymore. The last little bit was bat shit and the twist was really good but taking that long to get there was ultimately frustrating. If you don’t mind the slowest of slow burns this may work better for you but it wasn’t for me.
March 31, 2023
Oh boy. This book was so bad, just laughably unbelievable, cheesy, and ridiculous. The characters are total caricatures - Grace, the city girl coming to a random place in Wyoming for vacation (yeah, this is totally plausible and believable...) and Calvin, the typical buff, rugged Wyoming cowboy. Until the very, very, end, Grace is a flat character who seems to have nothing wrong with her – Calvin can't stop commenting on her "blue, blue eyes," perfect body, crop tops and tight Daisy Dukes, etc. Yet she's so painfully obtuse - she sees lots of sketchy things happening around her and does absolutely zip to get out of the situation.
The plot was so messy - meandering in parts, too fast in other parts, and a sort of "too many cooks in the kitchen" vibe with how many random elements were just thrown in with seemingly little thought to their function in the story.
The writing was awful. The first half of this book read like a corny and poorly written romance novel - I actually started highlighting phrases that made me cringe. Here are a couple: "She was everything and she was nothing, which made her the perfect amount of something." "Calvin's lips were on mine, and they were hungry, as if he hadn't eaten enough at dinner." Just many strange turns of phrase, heavy-handed metaphors, and unrealistic internal and external dialogue.
And the ending! This is a classic case of a thriller author who thinks up a wacky twist ending that will hopefully make the reader forget all the plot holes in the rest of the book. But knowing what I know now, it only makes the thoughts, actions, dialogue, and errors in the characters' behaviors even more glaringly wrong.
Sorry to be so harsh on this one - it just combined a lot of what I think is going wrong in this genre all into one neat package. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley - wish this one had worked out better for me.
The plot was so messy - meandering in parts, too fast in other parts, and a sort of "too many cooks in the kitchen" vibe with how many random elements were just thrown in with seemingly little thought to their function in the story.
The writing was awful. The first half of this book read like a corny and poorly written romance novel - I actually started highlighting phrases that made me cringe. Here are a couple: "She was everything and she was nothing, which made her the perfect amount of something." "Calvin's lips were on mine, and they were hungry, as if he hadn't eaten enough at dinner." Just many strange turns of phrase, heavy-handed metaphors, and unrealistic internal and external dialogue.
And the ending! This is a classic case of a thriller author who thinks up a wacky twist ending that will hopefully make the reader forget all the plot holes in the rest of the book. But knowing what I know now, it only makes the thoughts, actions, dialogue, and errors in the characters' behaviors even more glaringly wrong.
Sorry to be so harsh on this one - it just combined a lot of what I think is going wrong in this genre all into one neat package. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley - wish this one had worked out better for me.
May 8, 2023
Literally What the fuck did I just read 😂😂😂The fact that colleen hoover endorsed this book should have been enough for me to not read. I thought I was reading a THRILLER. not a corny sappy terrible lifetime movie AKA all of colleen Hoover’s books.
The plot is so ridiculous so try not to laugh. Grace, a city girl, gets an air b&b on a ranch in Wyoming for no reason. But she just gets a room so her and the host, calvin, share a common space and interact. And interact they do. He takes her fishing, cooks for her, invites her to family BBQ, and they skinny dip bc that’s what air b&b hosts do right?? LITERALLY WHAT. The town is weird and the house is creepy I was getting Texas chainsaw vibes (hoping for some action) but no. The first 90% of the book is corny & terrible and then the last 10% gave minimal thrills. The twist didn’t make up for the fact that the story overall terrible and far fetched. The ending made the plot make a hair more sense but still a horrible story overall. Who read this and thought it was worthy of publishing ?! And If a town has a sheriff named Sheriff Almond you know you’re in for a let down.
I sped through this book to finish it. So yes, it is a quick read with minimal characters to keep track of. However, i hated every character, hated the plot & the stupid dialogue that would never happen in real life. I physically cringed the entire book reading the dialogue between grace and Calvin.
I liked The Perfect Husband and One Of Us Is Dead, but this book has single handily added this author to my do not read list.
I DO. NOT. RECOMMEND 💀💀💀
The plot is so ridiculous so try not to laugh. Grace, a city girl, gets an air b&b on a ranch in Wyoming for no reason. But she just gets a room so her and the host, calvin, share a common space and interact. And interact they do. He takes her fishing, cooks for her, invites her to family BBQ, and they skinny dip bc that’s what air b&b hosts do right?? LITERALLY WHAT. The town is weird and the house is creepy I was getting Texas chainsaw vibes (hoping for some action) but no. The first 90% of the book is corny & terrible and then the last 10% gave minimal thrills. The twist didn’t make up for the fact that the story overall terrible and far fetched. The ending made the plot make a hair more sense but still a horrible story overall. Who read this and thought it was worthy of publishing ?! And If a town has a sheriff named Sheriff Almond you know you’re in for a let down.
I sped through this book to finish it. So yes, it is a quick read with minimal characters to keep track of. However, i hated every character, hated the plot & the stupid dialogue that would never happen in real life. I physically cringed the entire book reading the dialogue between grace and Calvin.
I liked The Perfect Husband and One Of Us Is Dead, but this book has single handily added this author to my do not read list.
I DO. NOT. RECOMMEND 💀💀💀
July 17, 2023
HOLY SHIT. Every time I thought I had this figured out I was hit with another plot twist… and the ending. WHAT THE FUCKKKKKK. 5 stars ⭐️
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