A cold case, a pageant, and women just trying to get through their days. That’s what this book is about. You would think the multiple POVs and timelines would have been confusing. Instead they added to the suspense and fast pace. I sat down and read this in a day wanting to see what happened to Izzy, who would win Miss Lonestar, and is someone going to die?

This book did not disappoint me. There were a lot of characters, but overall they were distinctive enough to not be confusing. The primary location being a new neighborhood where it’s a model home and homes under construction was just a little extra creepy. It’s easy to imagine in small town Texas a new neighborhood that has the amenity center, 1 finished home, and many started. 

There are things that I wish were a little more finished or thought through. There’s a podcast element that is in the peripheral the whole time that could have had a bigger role, but might have been one too many things. 

What I really liked about this is that the twist in the book wasn’t crazy. It seemed plausible. The ending felt as though it went with the story and you thought ohhhhhhhh I can believe this. It also reframes a character in an interesting way which I loved.