My Five Word TL:DR Review: Perfectly Idyllic – Or Is It?

Serenity Falls is a really well written mystery. I wouldn’t say it’s my favourite by the author but I think that’s primarily because I was expecting more horror, or ‘scare factor’ having read a few of the author’s previous books.

The story is based around Dan and his daughter Sadie. They live in Manchester in the UK. Dan was a teacher but has been ‘let go’ following an incident at school and to be honest things were starting to look a little bleak. Certainly not helped by Dan’s mother passing away which only added to the sense of sadness. Then the most unusual thing happens. Dan’s mum has left him a house in her will, a house that is worth quite a lot of money, although it does involve relocating to Serenity Falls in the US. Serenity Falls is a very exclusive and highly sought after place. It’s picture perfect and the crime rate is literally zero. To be honest, Dan and Sadie don’t really wish to relocate but the terms and conditions of inheriting in Serenity Falls leaves them little choice. They need to live there for five years before they can consider selling.

So reluctantly they pack up their meagre belongings and arrive at their new home. And, wow, this place is positively palatial, and beautiful. Marble floors, a sweeping staircase, immaculate grounds and a swimming pool to top it all off. The pair feel positively out of place but their awkwardness is about to shift gears into outright horror when they find a body in the pool – not the best sign as portents go.

I’m not going to describe the plot any further just take a look at what did and didn’t work for me.

Firstly, there are a number of povs used here. You’ll soon understand that some of these are being told by people who seem to have left Serenity Falls so although these may seem a bit odd at first pay attention to these little tidbits. Yes, it seems that although Serenity Falls has no crime it certainly has a good number of people who leave the place in a hurry or suffer from the strangest accidents.

Secondly, as soon as Dan and Sadie arrive, in fact before they’re even admitted into Serenity Falls, they are fitted with a special bracelet. This acts in a number of ways, for example entry to the house (meaning no more keys) or the bracelet is also linked to your banks – so no longer a need to carry bank cards. This was only the first little warning flag. The list develops fairly quickly after this and although I don’t want to outline everything, just by way of example – there is a 10.30 curfew – which is generally brushed off with a laugh and a shrug because it’s good to get a decent night’s sleep and it stops teenagers hanging about and making mischief. It’s just one of many little restrictions that soon make you realise that SF is little more than a gilded cage. Very pretty, impeccably kept, but with no real sense of freedom. And there’s also the rather nasty feeling that everything the residents say or do is being closely monitored.

On top of this, yes, the ice cream van from the cover plays it’s part. It’s usually out and about after curfew, riding around with it’s tinny music playing – it’s not like they’re selling ice cream is it! Everyone is behind closed doors.

And then there are the empty houses. Immaculately kept empty houses with lights that still go on and off at night, curtains that close and well kept front gardens. Everything is very surface level, scratch below the surface and something is definitely rotten.

Pretty soon both Dan and Sadie are picking up on a number of red flags. Sadie more than Dan who is still desperately trying to love the place. Everything has been made so easy for him – even being offered a job in the SF highschool.

In terms of pacing, this isn’t a story that you’re going to race through. I didn’t mind this to be honest. I think the writing is excellent, very easy to read in fact and even with a 500 page count I had no problem with this one whatsoever reading it in just three sittings.

I also really liked Dan and Sadie. They have such a great dynamic, I enjoyed the tight spots they both got into (both individually and together) and it made their pov chapters a breeze to return to. I didn’t have that annoyance that you sometimes feel when your character is in between a rock and a hard place and then the chapter changes to somebody else. The chapters in fact were relatively short which was another bonus for me.

Overall, I was thinking this was probably a 3.5 star read which I will round up to 4.because and that may be puzzling given that I seem to have had such a good time reading. For me, this didn’t have the scare factor that I was expecting. In fact in terms of stakes I never really felt any real anxiety for either Dan or Sadie. Things definitely become darker and although I had second guessed part of the outcome I didn’t ever imagine the true depths of SFs. That being said, the ending felt a little rushed given the pacing for most of the book.

In conclusion, very well written, likable MCs, and intriguing mystery and a very unsettling setting. If you’re looking for scary horror though maybe amend your expectations. Like I say this is more an unsettling mystery with a twist.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 3.5 of 5 stars rounded to 4