This was a very interesting read that was unlike anything I have read this year. It was a well balanced mix of mystery, thriller, dark scenery, family drama, and so much more. It was darkly atmospheric and immersive.

Ruth and her best friend Everett has a dark shared past in the town of Bottom Springs, LA. Their otherwise vastly different lives collided as teenagers. Ruth is the daughter of the town’s prolific reverend and Everett is the disgraced son of the town’s drunk mechanic. When a skull is discovered their past comes hurtling back to them.

The topics this book discusses are intense and I would certainly recommend checking any trigger warnings before you read it, but if you can handle it, it is definitely worth the read.

“We’re not monsters. We’re the sane ones”

Ashley Winstead continues to amaze me. Her thrillers are always unique, fresh, and thought provoking. Her dedication to exploring how women are treated by society is UNMATCHED.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour is a seductive gothic thriller that takes place in a small, extremely religious, Louisiana town. We follow the unlikely friendship between Ruth, the preacher’s daughter, and Everett, a poor boy considered to be the devil’s son. After Ruth comes face to face with the darkness inside of men, her and Everett fall into a world of sin, violence, and mutual wickedness as they try to uncover what else the rotten town is hiding.

As with all of Ashley Winstead’s thrillers… I could not stop reading. As a certified audiobook girlie I am proud to say I finished this entire ebook in only a few days despite not having an audiobook. That’s how you know I was hooked. Also, the ending of this book was truly wild… all the way up to the last page.

What really sold this one to me, as with all of Ashley Winstead’s books, are her two main leads Ruth and Everett. They make such a deliciously wicked pair. I loved the tension between them throughout the book and how they would do anything for each other. Lots of horrible things happen to these two but their loyalty for each other never waivers and I really loved that.

I also love how Ashley Winstead adds just a hint of romance to her thrillers. It makes me really eat them up unlike anything else. I think about the romantic entanglements from In My Dreams I Hold a Knife at least once a week.

I think my favorite thing about this book is how Ashely Winstead portrays women and the discussions around policing women, especially in ultra conservative contexts. She touches on this in her discussion at the end of the book, but I just will never get enough of how she challenges these common narratives that women are supposed to be weak, unemotional, passionless, and controlled. I won’t go too into it, but the fact that Ruth is obsessed with Twilight was so good.

Even though this was one of my most anticipated reads of this year, I do think it ultimately is my least favorite Ashley Winstead behind In My Dreams I Hold a Knife (5 stars) and The Last Housewife (4.5 Stars). I still loved it but she lost me a little bit about 2/3 of the way through this book and I kept asking myself what I was even reading. With such a strong start, I think the reveals ultimately felt a little underwhelming to me. I also think some of the evangelical preaching felt a little… forced? Some of the main antagonists in this one felt a bit like caricatures, especially Ruth’s father. I found him kind of ridiculous at points so that took away from some of the tension in the latter half. I also predicted some of the twists so that kept it from truly blowing my mind.

Overall, I think if you are looking for an unconventional thriller for fall/spooky season that has loads of social commentary, this would be perfect. Although not the most fast paced, you won’t be able to resist the atmosphere and the devil that has come to right some wrongs.

“I wanted to drink their threat, hold that volatile substance in my chest. Swallow their danger and become the danger myself. Vampire, viper; all that power, mine”

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced ebook copy of this book!

I was really excited to read this book because I'm a fan of the author but overall the storyline just wasn't for me.
I think that it will do well with it's intended audience and I look forward to checking out more releases in the future.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this early.

ashley winstead has absolutely solidified herself as an author i love with this one. it's both richly atmospheric and bizarrely quirky in ways that absolutely should not work and somehow do—for example, the main character's twilight obsession should be cringy, but as someone who knows what it's like to grow up in a small and very religious town, i fully sympathize with the power of a book series as escapism. to that end, the setting in this small, southern very religious town and the discussion of religion (both christianity and the occult) and the ways in which men acquire and abuse power all really stood out to me here as centerpieces of the novel. and, of course, there's the main characters ruth and ever themselves, who are so complicated and messy in the way i've come to expect from ashley winstead's stories. this book gave me all the things i was expecting and so many things i wasn't.

I should have known. I should have known the second I recognized the town from every other southern town I'd ever read about. I should have known when the leads character identified with Bella from Twilight. I should have known. Instead I read on hoping for something more than a stereotypical rehash of an often told story. I cannot believe I remain this optimistic.

Found that 5 star feeling with this one!

I’ll admit, if I just read the synopsis of this, I might not have picked it up. The religious themes had me unsure, but I was a fan of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and yes, I judge a book by its cover, and this one is fire!

Speaking of fire, I am glad this was the book that kicked off my fall reading! Ruth’s whole world is turned upside down when a skull is found in the swamp of her small Louisiana town. The God fearing residents are convinced the Low Man, a vampiric figure of legend, is responsible. Ruth has always felt like an outsider, but as the Preacher’s daughter, she’s torn between the life she knows and uncovering the mystery with Everett, a friend with his own secrets and darkness.

Winstead wove an incredible, page flipping story about tragic love, power and oppression, religion, mystery, Twilight references and paranormal themes. I’m sure I’m missing more, this book had a lot but I thought she wove it together well!

And that ending! No spoilers, but just like the rest of this book, something that normally wouldn’t be for me, worked. I think this book will be polarizing but could be a great bookclub discussion.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge fan of Ashley Winstead, I was thrilled to receive the ARC of this novel. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for sharing it with me.

This tale is darker than Winstead's previous novels. This is a murder mystery wrapped in a story of Devil worship and the Low Man. Ruth, the preacher's daughter, is our protagonist and an outcast in her small, bible-thumping town. So it makes perfect sense that she would befriend Everett, who is possibly the one person who fits into this town worse than she does. As teenagers, these two experience something very dark together, which comes back to haunt them years in the future.

Winstead does an incredible job creating very well-developed and likable characters. The town they live in feels like a place I can see when I close my eyes. The story is so creepy that I had a hard time reading at night. But I also couldn't put it down!

I recommend this book and give it a 5/5 star rating. Congratulations to Winstead on another masterpiece!

In Bottom Springs, Louisiana a local trapper finds a skull in the swamp, causing an uproar in the small town.

Ruth Cornier, local town librarian, has always felt pressure to be the perfect pastor’s daughter. She’s always felt like an outsider which as led to develop an anxiety disorder. After dealing with a trauma when she was younger, Ruth’s horror at learning about the skull takes her back to the past where she thought her secrets were buried.

As she confides in her only friend Everett and they become entangled in dark conspiracies and local myths of a vampiric figure that haunts the swamps, Ruth realizes that maybe what she believed her whole life isn’t quite the truth and that in order to be saved she might just have to save herself.

Ruth and Everett’s relationship is quite angsty, so if you love stories with high drama and characters who are a bit insufferable at times, this is a perfect story for you! They’re a tragic couple with a volatile relationship which felt a bit too much for me at times, but they were never boring!

My favorite relationship was between Ruth and her fellow librarian, Nissa. I’m a research nerd, so I loved the scenes where Ruth and Nissa worked together to learn more about the town’s history and the meaning behind the mysterious symbols appearing carved into the swamp’s trees.

The pacing between the present and past chapters worked great for me! Whenever the questions started to pile up, we’d jump back into the past for some answers. There is a mystery element to the book, but it doesn’t
come into play until the last third of the book. It’s more of a thriller than mystery.

Lots of interesting themes such as mortality vs. societal laws and how far to push against the boundaries of the law.

I wasn’t a big fan of the ending, even though I understood why the author made that decision. I think it’s going to divide a lot of readers. It’s great for a book club discussion, though!

I’d recommend this book if you enjoy small town thrillers, like an angsty relationship and find themes of religion and society interesting.

*Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for an advanced copy of this book!

First off, I LOVED In My Dreams I Hold A Knife...but I have been lukewarm on every other Ashley Winstead book I've read. I was very excited for this one because I thought it might be more similar to IMDIHAK, but here I am, at the end of an Ashley Winstead book, disappointed again.

I read this on audio courtesy of Libby, and I think that contributed to my dislike of the book..I very much disliked the narrator in the audiobook version. I was surprised because I've listened all the Ashley Winstead books on audio, so I didn't expect this to be a negative aspect of the reading experience!

I also didn't enjoy the layering of Twilight and the Bible...maybe it's because I'm from the south, but I felt like this story just played into all the worst stereotypes of the south. There are other elements that come through (some horror, for example, a little Bonnie and Clyde, IMO), but I just found the whole book to be tone deaf.

I think, bottom line, is Ashley Winstead's writing is just not for me...and that's okay. She has a lot of fans out there, and she deserves them!

Rating: 2 Stars

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC!

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I ended up really really enjoying it. I felt like it did a really good job of combining thriller/mystery with southern baptist religious lore kinda vibes. I would definitely recommend checking it out and that ending????

I finally understand the buzz of an Ashley Winstead book after reading Midnight is the Darkest Hour.

"Ruth Cornier is a librarian but grew up as the daughter of the pastor of Holy Fire Baptist Church - a man who calls out fire and brimstone on those who don't meet his version of saintly. When a fisherman finds a skull in the swamp the townspeople of Bottom Springs think one thing - that the Low Man, a mythic killer, has come out of the swamp to claim another victim. But Ruth is afraid it's something else. She has a secret. And she and her friend Ever must find a way to keep it quiet."

So many layers to the characters here. Ruth is a bit of an antihero. She wants to do good - but is willing to do a little bad to do good. Winstead leaves plenty of clues for who the real villains are. Is is really a surprise to see how far people are willing to go to build and maintain power. There will be plenty of characters that you will yell at and several times you will encourage Ruth hoping that this will be that time she can stand up.

This is a book you want to keep reading. The final scenes and reveals are wild and explosive. Lots of "What?!?" moments. After the end I was disappointed until reading the author notes and then understanding her reasons. It's a perfect ending.

Winstead thanks lots of readers in the acknowledgements. (I see you Dennis @scaredstraightreads) A great read from Winstead. Now excuse me while I go order the first two books.

This book was odd. The paranormal/possessed suspense trope isn't really for me. I think that someone who likes these types of storylines would really like the book though!

Hold on tight spider monkeys, it’s review time.🩸🐒
As someone who loves Ashley Winstead and ATE UP The Last Housewife, I was so excited to get an ARC of Midnight is the Darkest Hour.

While I didn’t *love* this as much as I did her other thrillers, I still ate it up. Something about these mysteries with unhinged women… I cannot put them down. 😭😭 The past few days, I’ve either been breast-feeding, doom scrolling, or reading this sh*t.

Did it sometimes read like a 2010 wattpad twilight fan-fiction? Yes. Was it completely incompatible with reality? Yes. Did I slurp it down like a frozen coke? Also yes.🫡

SO: I absolutely recommend this if you
1. Had a Wattpad Twilight fanfic era
2. Like dark thrillers with questionable female protagonists
3. Find religious zealotry and evangelicals to be annoying af and highly roastable
4. Don’t care if your fiction is realistic
5. Have questionable taste (like me)

I maybe wouldn’t recommend it if you
1. Are hella Christian or particularly religious
2. Hate Twilight memes
3. Have a Wattpad aversion
4. Need your fiction to be realistic
5. Are normal.

If you are a fan of Ashley Winstead (her thrillers in particular) then definitely add this to your TBR. It comes out October 3, and is the perfect vibe for October/Halloween time. (Especially if you are an unhinged-elder-emo-twilight-thriller-lover like me.) Even tho at certain parts I was like “BELLA WTF IS GOING ON LOCA?!?!” It was a really fast/fun thriller, which I definitely need more of in this postpartum era. I’d say ~3.7 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ from me!

4.5 stars! Ashley WInstead has once again written a powerful fictional work, where characters aren't perfect, and happy endings aren't guaranteed.
Ruth Cornier is the town librarian in her tiny hamlet of Bottom Springs, LA. Her father is the fire & brimstone preacher that keeps the town in his thrall. (And basically in the 1950s). Anyway, the town is thrown into upheaval when a skull is discovered out in the swamp. Among pagan-like characters carved on the trees. It becomes up to Ruth, and her best friend, Everett, to save the town from their "demons". And can I just say, THIS ENDING!?! Wow.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this e-arc.*

Omg Ashley Winstead, what a BOOK. I am so impressed by this author and how she can write in completely different genres and completely different tones and still be successful. I’m excited to say that this is my favorite book I’ve read by this author so far, and I’m so curious to see what she continues to put out in the future.

This one is dark. But has some humor and some romance that really really worked for me. I’d say this reads like a combination of Where the Crawdads Sing (set in the south, swamp-land style, MC is a girl who has to kinda fend for herself), The Burning Girls by CJ Tudor (lots and lots of religious trauma and god vs devil and intriguing mysteries), and It Ends With Us (I have a thing for a troubled love interest, okay? And a couple looking to break the cycles of abuse that they come from). HOW Ashley Winstead managed to mash those three very different books together, I have no idea, but I really enjoyed it.

Content warnings for religious fundamentalism, substance abuse, ableism, colonialism, familial violence, sexual violence, child abuse, and murder.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC!

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Landmark for an advance copy of this!

This book was one of my most anticipated books of the year! I read Ashley Winstead for the first time last spring as In My Dreams I Hold A Knife was a book club pick with my friends and then I read The Last Housewives and my mind was blown. This woman knows how to write a thriller that keeps you on your toes!

"Move careful round dangerous creatures, Miss Ruth. They get cornered and desperate, their first instinct is always going to be to sting you."

This book was such a ride!! The relationship between Ever and Ruth was so special. You don't know whether to root for them or to want them to fail. And you are left feeling that way up until the very end.

This book had a lot of heavy religious tone to it and I just was so flabbergasted by how there are communities where religion is life. I am not so much in my bubble to know that it doesn't exist but it just amazes me of how much control one person could have over a community. I felt so bad for Ruth because you knew she wanted to break free from it all but just didn't know how to go against her parents and to what she knew.

One thing I was not expecting was how much Twilight played a role throughout the book?? I am sorry Ashley but the one part towards the last half of the book where Ruth & Ever were talking that I did have to laugh and for those who know, know. Unless it was just me who got a chuckle out of it.

"There's something to be said for being the biggest beast in the forest. That's power, and its something people get addicted to. Rots their inside."

It is hard to discuss all the things that happened in this book without giving too much of the storyline away. I will admit the first 50% dragged a little for me (I think there was an issue with my brain) but then the last half it took off. I could not stop reading and I needed to know what was going to happen to everyone and make all the connections.

Ashley has a way with her writing that makes you feel and think about things after the fact. It has been a few days since I have finished and yet I am still thinking about Ruth & Ever.

Ashley, I am ready to see what else you have up your sleeve!

Definitely recommend this book if you were an Edward Cullen girlie, love a Bonnie & Cylde-esque theme mixed with religion!

Bonus: A line that made me laugh "Every teenage girl I've met has been the scariest create on the planet."

4.25

Too convoluted and hard to follow with all the switchbacks in time. I felt like this had sooo much potential but it was just too all over the place. Ruth annoyed me and Ever felt hollow. Overall, this was just not for me. I wanted to love it but I didn’t.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars

Midnight is the Darkest Hour is the latest from auto-buy author Ashley Winstead. It follows librarian Ruth who lives in a small town in Louisiana. The townspeople believe in the myth of the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to steal into sinners' bedrooms and kill them on moonless nights. The town is thrown into chaos when a skull is found in the swamp. Ruth and her old friend Everett are the only ones who can figure out what the true evil is that lurks in their town.

Winstead refuses to stick to one genre and somehow masters them all. This will probably be a very divisive read, but in my eyes, Ashley Winstead can do no wrong. Part Twilight. Part Midnight Mass. Can’t wait to see what this author writes next!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bottom Springs, Lousiana is a God fearing Town, and its preacher is the most revered man. His daughter, Ruth, longs for more especially from books, her favorite is battered copy of Twilight she carries with her everywhere. What she would give for a love story like Bella and Edward.

The small town believes sinners are hunted and killed by the "Low Man" in the swamps on moonless nights. A mystery unfolds as two skulls are pulled from the swamp with head trauma showing they were killed and dumped. Both were men that went missing years ago from the town.

Ruth has befriended the local boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Everetts dark past haunts him, but he's found his soulmate in Ruth. He is incapable of keeping away from her just like Edward. Ruth and Everett begin to investigate the mysterious happenings in the swamp, putting their lives at risk from the evil townsfolk and the men from her fathers social hours.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour has a killer ending!

Thank you Sourcebooks for the complimentary copy.

MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR BOOK REVIEW🌘🌾💀

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

In the depths of the dark bayou waters lay many secrets… and when a skull is dredged up in the swamp along with mysterious symbols found on the trees, fear strikes the small Louisiana town of Bottom Springs as the townspeople believe the culprit may be “The Low Man” - a shapeshifting, mysterious evil being that sneaks around at night killing sinners.

Ruth, the preacher’s daughter, has always felt like an outcast. While her father has the town enamored with his fundamentalist Christian teachings, Ruth is determined to secretly follow her own path. Ruth and her friend Everett, also town outcast referred as “the Devil’s son” by the townspeople, take it upon themselves to find out who the killer is, and along the way they uncover much, much more…

After reading this one all I can say is WOW!!!! @ashleywinsteadbooks has cemented herself as one of my top 5 fav authors! The atmospheric southern gothic thriller vibes mixed with a bit of mysterious folklore, the way the story explored morality and religion, all mixed together with suspense and romance, and THE ENDING?!? 🤯 I will be thinking about this book for a longggg time! Def my fav book I’ve read all year without a doubt!

If you are looking for an amazing read that is also perfect for spooky szn pick this one up!! Pub day is 10/3, so RUN to get your copy now!!!