The Ruins

I have to put my heart back in my chest before I can write this review. This was such a heartbreaking but mesmerizing read.

Ruby has enjoyed summers in her family's chateau in France ever since she can remember. The summer she turns 12, the chateau is filled with friends old and new of her family's. This plunges Ruby into a tumultuous summer that leaves her and everyone that stays that summer changed forever.

This is my first book of Phoebe Wynne and I will absolutely be reading more of her work. The writing is beautiful and I could not stop reading. This is clearly meant for people like me who remember vividly being put in uncomfortable situations with older men that “mean no harm”. Comments and forced hugs aren't harmful, right? I felt strongly for every character, whether that was disdain, love, or my hear breaking for them. Each character was written so perfectly and the way we see them through Ruby's eyes was masterful.

This book is listed as a thriller on some platforms, and while there is a thriller component that's done really well, I'd consider this contemporary fiction for the most part. There's also mystery throughout the entire book which isn't revealed until the very end. The story is through Ruby's eyes though there is a dual timeline aspect where you can see the viewpoint from a person in present day, whose identity isn't revealed until later in the book. This is another part of the writing that I thought was brilliant. It added to the mystery and propelled me forward to learn who this narrator was and their connection to the chateau.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. Definitely my favorite read of July and maybe the year.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this ARC.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

“The Ruins”. is billed as a gothic, feminist coming-of-age tale. I am not sure I would have used those words to describe this story. Especially ‘gothic”. However, the book was very atmospheric in its setting (a chateau in France). This was the type of book that creeps up on you. I wasn't sure I was going to throw in the towel or keep reading as I was finding the story difficult to get into, but the more I read, the more invested I became. Nobody in this book is likable. The parents are atrocious. Even the three young girls (except maybe Annie) are unlikable. Yet there was something that drew me in and kept me reading. I needed to see how everything ended. I needed to see if these nasty people got what was coming to them. Overall i think this one deserves a solid thumbs up.

Readers should also be aware that there is sexual abuse of minors.

ARC Via NetGalley