Dark Things I Adore by Katie Lattari is a captivating psychological thriller filled with twists and turns that keep the reader hooked until the very end. The story follows Clara, a young woman who returns to her hometown to help run her family's orchard after her mother's death. As she grapples with the loss of her mother and the complicated relationships with her family, Clara begins to unravel the dark secrets that lurk beneath the surface of her seemingly idyllic childhood home.

Lattari's writing style is impressive, as she intricately weaves together multiple storylines through various perspectives, including Clara's memories, diary entries from her mother, and other characters' narratives. The multi-layered plot builds tension gradually, with the carefully crafted suspense making it difficult to put the book down. Each chapter reveals new and unexpected information, building towards a shocking climax that leaves the reader reeling.

One of the most striking aspects of Dark Things I Adore is its exploration of trauma and the impact it has on individuals and their relationships. Lattari tackles dark themes such as abuse, self-harm, and mental illness with sensitivity and care, portraying the ways in which trauma can shape a person's entire existence. Clara's struggle to come to terms with her past is depicted with nuance, and the interactions between the characters are both realistic and emotive.

Overall, Dark Things I Adore is a masterful thriller that deftly combines elements of horror, mystery, and drama into a compelling read. Lattari's writing is brilliant, and the characters are intricately developed, making it a book that will stick with the reader long after they finish reading it. If you enjoy psychological thrillers that explore the darker aspects of life, then Dark Things I Adore is a must-read that will not disappoint. ( )

This revenge thriller was enjoyable to read but not quite nuanced enough to make it great. My favorite aspect is how Lattari portrays the certainty one can feel in their own take on a story. Although there are many facets to any situation, it's easy to cling tenaciously to one interpretation, often the one that shows us in the best light. With this particular story I guessed the twists pretty quickly and didn't get the joy of the reveal. ( )

The setting: the beautiful, forest filled small town in Maine. Dual timelines weaving the past and the present in an impressive way we follow Professor Max Durant and his most elusive student to date, Audra, as they travel from Boston to Audra's home town of Maine for a weekend escape filled with anticipation, lust and possibility We get to read about this scandalous get away from both Max and Audra's point of view, the back and fourth allowing for the reader to slowly inhabit the minds and intentions of Professor and Student; The stark contrast between perspectives is shocking and beautifully executed.. Next we travel back to the 1980's, an artists retreat nestled in Maine, a tight knit group of friends enjoying the creation of their respective art projects and the company of the group. What was supposed to be an amazing time goes awry leaving the group with secrets, and nightmares after the murder of one of their own. There is only one person left who knows just what happened that night, and they are determined to settle the score. What happened all those years ago? Why is a tenured professor risking everything for a weekend with a student, and just who is calling the shots?

This is an incredible dark and twisted tale, in the tradition of Gone Girl and The Secret History readers are sure to fall in love with this perfectly calculated game of connect the dots. Hooked from page one, and still obsessively pondering this story days after I've finished Dark Things I Adore is sure to become an instant sensation.

A big thank you to Netgalley, Katie Lattari, and Sourcebooks for a digital e-copy of Dark Things I Adore in exchange for my review. It is my extreme pleasure to present to you my humble opinion of one incredible novel. If you read any new releases this fall, let it be Dark Things I Adore. ( )

Dark Things I adore by Katie Lattari is a 2021 Sourcebooks Landmark publication.

Well, that was different.

In 1988 a group of offbeat artists gathers at a remote campsite located in the Maine woods. They each go by an ‘artistic’ name and not their give names. This even applies to those who are on staff at the campsite, which includes Cindy- who goes by the name, ‘Coral’. Coral was hired to clean up after the campers, but she too has an artistic flair, so they allow her to sit in on their art sessions. What should have been a nice and place for artistic exploration and inspiration turns sinister, dark and ugly, as jealousy and desires boil over, made even more tense by Coral’s battles with her own demons and those who wish to use for their own creative ambitions.

2018- Max Durant, an esteemed art professor is keen on mentoring a brilliant art student named Audra- and naturally, he’s also entertaining the idea of seduction.

When he’s invited to visit her home to look over her artistic thesis, he’s beyond eager to get her alone. What he doesn’t know is that he’s stepped right into Audra’s trap…

I admire the ‘artistic’ approach the author utilized to keep this book from looking and sounding like every other psychological thriller out there. Unfortunately, it was a little too artistic at times, and I struggled to keep all the characters strait, on top of dealing with a dual timeline which didn’t always transition smoothly.

Nevertheless, I was invested enough in the story to stick with it, if for no other reason than to see how it all came together in the end. I finally started to get into it, in earnest, in the last quarter of the book and began to understand the method to the madness a little more.

The wrap-up is solid though. It does all come together in the end, and it is obvious the author put some thought behind the plot and the way it would reveal itself. Her method is successful, to a degree, as it kept me in the dark for a long time. Sure, some portions of the mystery become obvious in time, but it took me a while to finally piece together what had led to such a strategic and intense line of retaliation and to figure out all the whodunit parts, too.

Overall, this is an interesting concept for this genre. It’s a weird story in some ways, but at least it had some originality. I just wish the execution had been better.

3.5 stars ( )

I found this one a bit hard to get into at first. There were quite a few characters to sort through but as the story progressed, the main characters started to emerge. While there were no great twists and most readers will quickly figure things out, it’s still a very compelling, dark and suspenseful revenge story. I stayed up way too late reading the last quarter of this book and couldn’t wait until the next day to find out what happens and how it all pans out. The fact that this story takes place in the art world was an added plus for me. I found this to be a very well-written thriller that slowly builds momentum to an explosive conclusion. I’ll certainly be looking for future works from this author.

Highly recommended. This was a Goodreads giveaway win for me. ( )