Under This Red Rock by Mindy McGinnis #bookreview #YA #mystery #thriller #horror #mentalhealth #LGBTQ

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Title: Under This Red Rock

Author:  Mindy McGinnis

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publication Date: March 19, 2024

Page Count:  331

My rating: 3 stars

About the book:

From award-winning author Mindy McGinnis comes a mesmerizing YA psychological mystery following a teen girl who is grappling with the death of her brother as she starts a new job in the caverns of Ohio—only to become the number one suspect in her coworker’s murder. Perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Kathleen Glasgow.

Neely’s monsters don’t always follow her rules, so when the little girl under her bed, the man in her closet, and the disembodied voice that shadows her every move become louder, she knows she’s in trouble. With a history of mental illness in her family and the suicide of her older brother heavy on her mind, Neely takes a job as a tour guide in the one place her monsters can’t follow—the caverns. There . . . she meets Mila. Mila is everything Neely isn’t—beautiful, strong, and confident. As the two become closer, Neely’s innocent crush grows into something more. When a midnight staff party exposes Neely to drugs, she follows Mila’s lead . . . only to have her hallucinations escalate.

When Mila is found brutally murdered in the caverns, Neely has to admit that her memories of that night are vague at best. With her monsters now out in the open and her grip on reality slipping, Neely must figure out who killed Mila . . . and face the possibility that it might have been her.

Under This Red Rock by Mindy McGinnis is a young adult psychological thriller novel with a slight edge of horror to it. The story in Under This Red Rock is one that contains some highly sensitive subjects such as mental illness and suicide so it may not be for everyone with such triggers.

Neely has always been different from others with the exception of her own family. Neely’s family have all had a history of mental illness right down to Neely and her brother but after the loss of her parents and her brother’s suicide Neely has learned to deal with the voices of the monsters in her head all on her own.

The one place Neely gets some relief from her troubles is down in a place known as the caverns. Neely decides to apply for a job as a tour guide through the caverns giving her hours of relief while she is working. This is where Neely meets Mila who she finds herself falling for until one night Mila is found brutally murdered in the caverns and Neely isn’t too sure she isn’t the murderer.

Mindy McGinnis is widely known for her intriguing young adult thrillers, some of which I have read and enjoyed myself in the past so I was excited to dive into Under This Red Rock. I have to say though that for me this wasn’t among the author’s best work as for one I figured things out way too early on which always puts a damper on my excitement which also made the story feel a little slow moving to me afterwards just hoping for a twist or two to come to knock me off my feet. I’m sure some will still love this one even if not my favorite though.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Mindy McGinnis is an Edgar Award-winning novelist who writes across multiple genres, including post-apocalyptic, historical, thriller, contemporary, mystery, and fantasy.

While her settings may change, you can always count on Mindy’s books to deliver grit, truth, and an unflinching look at humanity and the world around us.