• A Nostalgic Concept: I was incredibly excited to receive a free copy of this from NetGalley because it’s an adult "choose your own adventure" psychological thriller—a format I absolutely loved as a young girl.

• The Setting and Plot: The story is set in the snowy town of Pine Hollow, where eight children have gone missing over the years. The mystery is tied to a chilling urban legend about the "King of Christmas" who reportedly abducts children who misbehave.

• Personal Stakes: It follows the protagonist, Jenny Matthews, a Boston journalist returning to her hometown to uncover the truth. The case is deeply personal for her, as her own sister was one of the children who vanished.

• Interactive Gameplay: As the reader, I stepped into Jenny’s shoes to make pivotal decisions. The story changes based on who I choose to talk to and where I decide to go, allowing for multiple unique reading experiences.

• Addressing the Editing: I’ve noticed some critics mentioning a confusing gender-swap error in the early editing. While I can see why that might bother some, it didn't impact my enjoyment; it’s a minor slip-up that I expect will be rectified.

• Final Verdict: If you enjoy the tension of a psychological thriller combined with the interactive fun of choosing your own path, I highly recommend checking this one out.

• This is the third book in the Detective Max Grady series; I skipped book two but it still worked as a standalone.

• I enjoyed this book more than the first in the series (Four Cold Months).

• Detective Max Grady felt more rounded and believable in this installment.

• The story follows Max and his partner Cassie investigating bodies found in an abandoned barn, leading to a race against time as the killer becomes more unhinged.

• The book has strong suspense, momentum, and page-turner energy.

• I appreciated the inclusion of a female serial killer, which added a unique dynamic and depth to the villain.

• This book has convinced me to continue reading the series.

• The titles are great for the Clock Reading Challenge, with numbers in the title of each book.

• Overall impression: five stars, highly enjoyable, and I’m now part of the Max Grady fan club.

• This was a five-star read for me and easily one of my top books of the year

• I picked it up almost on a whim for a reading challenge, and it completely exceeded my expectations

• I really enjoyed the unique paranormal concept involving “second-timers” and the afterlife

• I found the central mission compelling, especially the emotional tension it created

• I loved the way the story explored themes of love, attachment, loss, grief, and life after death

• The character development stood out to me, particularly the backstories of the two main characters

• I thought the metaphysical elements and adviser characters were handled in a thought-provoking way

• The ending kept me emotionally invested, as I genuinely didn’t know which choice would be made

• I enjoyed how different this felt from a typical YA romance

• I’d recommend this to readers looking for:

  • A romantic read with a supernatural twist

  • A story that explores grief and healing

  • Something a little outside the usual YA romance

I know how I die. I know when, too. It’s going to happen less than two months from now, a few weeks after my eighteenth birthday and right before my family thinks I’m supposed to start college. My aunt will be devastated. Not because of the death thing, but because she hates wearing black. Plus, me dying means she won’t get to host The Event of the Year to impress all of her friends before sending me off to Harvard. She’s been counting on outdoing Mrs. Jensen, my ex-best-friend Selena’s mother, since my sophomore year. That’s when the Jensens had their big moving-to-LA party that robbed my aunt of her Best-Hostess-on-the-Cul-de-Sac title, or so she thinks. I’m pretty sure no one else cares. It was the same night Selena had it out with me.

He doesn’t have time for it either, but he doesn’t know that. If I don’t find him and help him, he’ll die. I mean, he’ll die at some point anyway, since everybody does. It won’t be the right time for him, though, and then he’ll end up just like me and be forced to come back here for a second time. I won’t end up anywhere—not here or The Life-After. I’ll just be gone forever.

A second-timer comes back to The Life-After once their mission is complete.

If I’m not in The Before, and I’m not in The Life-After, then that means there’s somewhere else. There are more levels to this living stuff than a video game.

The Life-After might not be too happy about me cursing him and Riley in my mind, but then, I’m not too happy about the advisor they gave me and all the things he isn’t telling me.

“Damsel in distress one night, and a sarcastic pain in the you-know-what less than twenty-four hours later,” he mutters. “How exactly do I keep running into you?” “You’re just one incredibly lucky guy.”

Noah always leaves me with more questions than answers. One day soon, I’m going to run out of time to figure the answers out on my own.

They don’t know grief happens mostly because they can no longer feel the energy of someone who’s passed away.

“Maybe this is like being a caterpillar before becoming the butterfly,” I say. “Why wouldn’t we know, then?” he argues. “We only know what we can see. If we’re like the caterpillar in the cocoon, we can only see the shell around us until we break out and fly free.”

“You can’t help who falls in love with you, or who you fall in love with. Of anyone, I think you know that. That’s why you were sent here years ago to help Riley now. We don’t have to cut his life short if you do your part. But if you don’t, he won’t ever get back on track and his energy won’t be ready for The Life-After. He’ll have to die and come back as a second-timer.”

The past is a tricky thing and we let it define us when we should embrace the here and now, and all that’s still coming. You need to let yourself live from a place of love, not from a place of fear over the things you can’t control.”