Love, Fail, Repeat Part I – Not Safe by Alice Bohane

Love, Fail, Repeat Part I – Not Safe by Alice Bohane
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A young mother.
A quiet new home.
A voice that should not be there.

Genna thought this house would be a fresh start.

After months of exhaustion, panic, and holding herself together for her baby son, she needs somewhere quiet. Somewhere safe. Somewhere that can finally feel like home.

At first, the house gives her exactly that.

Then, through the static, she hears a woman whisper:

He’s not safe.

There is no recording. No proof. Nothing anyone else can hear.

But the warnings keep coming.

Someone has been watching. Someone knows this house.

As the signs move closer, Genna begins to wonder whether the locked doors are keeping danger out…

or keeping her exactly where someone wants her.

Not every home is a safe one.

This novella was perfectly paced and deliciously scary, especially given the fact that everything in it could have easily happened in real life. There was never a point when the suspense tapered off enough for me to feel comfortable putting this down to do something else. Instead, I felt a pang of regret every time I had to take a break which is exactly what I love to find in this genre.

The character development was strong but also a little ambiguous at times. Sometimes I wondered if Genna’s perception of events matched what was really happening due to how much she worried about everything involving her infant son, although I must leave it up to other readers to decide for themselves how trustworthy her perception of everything was. What was more important to me was how she reacted to the subtle threats that kept being made against her family.

I should note that there was a cliffhanger ending which felt perfectly appropriate for the beginning of a new series. Of course certain reader questions must be put off until the sequels arrive for something like this. That’s honestly half of the fun of reading this sort of thing, and I liked the fact that Ms. Bohane was so comfortable leaving her audience hanging…for now. This was an excellent example of how to write this sort of ending in a satisfying matter while also remaining true to everything that needs to remain mysterious until the final book is released.

Love, Fail, Repeat Part I – Not Safe was a chilling thriller that kept me on my seat from the first sentence to the last one.