A culty Southern gothic thriller set in southern Lousiana? Sign me up. Everett and Ruth have been friends since childhood, but both of them have been outsiders. When mysterious cult-like Satanic symbols appear in the swamp, and skulls are found, suspicions and threats begin to swirl around the town.

I loved the cult vibe. The twilight relationship was a little far fetched for me, but overall I enjoyed the book!

I think this book probably deserves at least another star, but for me personally it was a 3 star read, because it's not the type of thriller/horror I prefer.

What this book has going for it - it's fast paced, has a layered mystery, two main characters who are intensely, emotionally attached to each other, and an extremely hilarious Twilight scene.

Why this wasn't for me - it was a bit tough for me to read about this misogynistic fundamentalist Southern town, how the main characters had been treated in it, and how trapped and hopeless the FMC often felt. I also prefer a bit more of a supernatural element in my thrillers.

Pretty good! Loved the stance Ashley was showing and the authors note. This was a bit slow in the middle and it took me a while to pick it back up. Thats the reason for the star being lower. Was overall good read and Ashely will always be a fave of mine.

It took me a while to get through this book. It didn’t hook me like I was hoping. There was so much potential but unfortunately it felt slow and once I finished I felt like nothing really happened. The thigh light references were repetitive and just became too much.

"Midnight Is the Darkest Hour" by Ashley Winstead is a gothic Southern thriller that takes place in a small Louisiana town haunted by a killer. The story revolves around Ruth Cornier, a librarian who has always felt like an outsider in her hometown of Bottom Springs. Ruth's father is a preacher at the Holy Fire Baptist church, and the town is rife with myths and legends, including the tale of the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to kill sinners on moonless nights.

When a skull is discovered in the swamp with mysterious carved symbols, the town is thrown into turmoil, and Ruth realizes that only she and Everett, an old friend with a dark past, have the ability to uncover the truth. As they dig deeper into the town's secrets, they uncover dark and hidden aspects of the town's history.

The novel is a thrilling examination of love, religion, and the power of stories. It delves into the blurred lines between good and evil, and it's a haunting tale that explores the complexity of relationships, loyalty, and the quest for identity.

With its eerie atmosphere and beautifully crafted prose, "Midnight Is the Darkest Hour" promises a captivating and chilling reading experience, making it a must-read for fans of gothic Southern thrillers.

Ashley Winstead is truly one of the most talented people out there — not only does she write both thrillers and romcoms, but her thrillers are all SO different. Her ability to do so much within the thriller genre blows my mind. Her writing is phenomenal and makes anything she writes a home run.

💫 MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR is a brilliant southern gothic thriller about a killer hunting a small town in Louisiana. I always appreciate how Ashley includes content warnings at the beginning of her books because she is known for writing difficult topics. Ruth and Everett are such complex characters and their trauma made me as a reader empathize with them — even though I couldn’t necessarily relate to their experiences.

I don’t remember the last time a book ending left me as shocked as this one. My jaw dropped and I had to tell my husband all about it 😂

It is difficult being a reader who loves horror/thrillers and romance, but this managed to do both in such a compelling way. The atmosphere was gorgeous, and I couldn't get the story out of my mind. I read the entire book in one day. And that ending! I loved it. I want more!

I finished Midnight is the Darkest Hour last night, and I'm still not sure how to process my thoughts on this one.

Overall, this was a fast-paced, engaging mystery read. I liked Ruth and Everett and their friendship. I enjoyed the bayou setting, even though most of the other characters were EXTREMELY unlikeable (which is intended and necessary, but still).

there were a lot of twists and turns in this one, and I didn't see them all coming - always a plus. I was intrigued by the Twilight references throughout, but at one point, it became a bit too much like Twilight fan-fiction.

And I liked how the ending was essentially left open to interpretation - very curious to see other reviews and what others think.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

A preacher’s daughter and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks make everyone in the God fearing town of Bottom Springs, Louisiana uncomfortable. But is it really those two everyone should be afraid of? This is a dark, gothic read with many twists and turns including an ending that leaves the reader.......

I enjoyed the journey the author took me on and would definitely recommend this book to fans of horror/thrillers.

I was so excited to get the new Winstead novel that I didn't even read the description. After reading some of her previous novels I knew I was in for a twisted, dark story.
I was wrong.
I read the Goodreads excerpt and knew the ending immediately. Every twist that came about was easily guessed and this one just fell flat for me. I was actually just going to leave what my first thought was when I opened this book, but I didn't want to spoil the whole novel for everyone else.
This wasn't for me, I'm also not a huge fan of religious fanatics for the same reasons as they describe in the books. This was a 2.5 for me. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

As a child, teen, and young adult, Ruth is isolated in her rural Louisiana community where her father leads a fundamentalist Christian church. Ruth’s lone friend, Everett, is also an outcast. So, do these protagonists serve as the crime novel’s the heroes or antiheroes? Winstead blurs the line of what constitutes justice with a dissonance between legality and morality in an atmospheric setting. Despite being compulsively readable, I just couldn’t quite round up to 4 stars.

Netgalley and the publisher provided this book for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Ruth is the daughter of the local fire and brimstone preacher in a small Louisiana town. She doesn’t really have friends until she starts hanging out with Everett the troubled son of the town drunk. The story goes from the present back thru Ruth’s childhood as she tries to unravel some local murders. I didn’t connect with any of the main characters.

Enjoyable narration.

First sentence: Five hours and forty-six minutes after a trapper pulls a skull from the depths of Starry Swamp, shaking sludge and Spanish moss out of its eye sockets, the entire town of Bottom Springs, Louisiana - all five thousand two hundred and twenty nine Christian souls and the small handful of Godless heathens - has heard the news.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour is a difficult book to talk about without revealing  spoilers. Between the pages, you will find a mystery, a thriller,  romance, a serial killer exposé, plus a vampire legend! Really, there's so much to keep the reader engaged.  With the immediate discovery of a skull, the story becomes a who done it and why. Enter the two most outcast citizens to figure out what is going on—the daughter of the local preacher and an almost-feral boy who resides in the swamp.

Things I loved:

The strong start to the story.

The southern setting was very atmospheric, from the spooky swamp, a claustrophobic small town, and Ruth's character, I loved it all. Ruth loves to read and dreams of going to college.

The novel is a slow burning tinder box of fear and tension, and you never know when it will burst.

It has a satisfying ending.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for sharing Winstead's dark, deep  and thrilling rollercoaster novel!

I was really drawn to this book as I love southern gothics and thought the tie in with the cult would be interesting with this genre, The Twilight references for kind of cutesy the first few times, however added really nothing to a book about an entirely human couple. My mistake is pushing myself through to finish this book. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

A pretty cheesy romance in disguise as a mystery. Good writing tho!

I was really excited when my wish was granted by the publisher, and I was able to read and review MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR.

I loved, loved this author's book In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and I had high hopes for this one. One of the things I loved was how atmospheric the story was. I really felt like I was in the deep South.

Unfortunately, the story was too slow paced for me and I felt like it could have been shortened about 50-60 pages. I feel like it just went on and on. I know I am in the minority here as a lot of readers I know absolutely loved it. One thing I do not understand is the book is being described as being "for fans of Verity" and I absolutely did not see any comparison to Verity. That kind of bummed me out!

I feel like I was not the right reader for this book, or maybe I wasn't in the mood for a slow-paced thriller at the time. I still adore this author and would absolutely read any new upcoming thrillers from her!

I very much enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and the story kept me engaged throughout. I would recommend this book to others. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Fans of Twilight and/or vampire tropes may really love this one. I'm definitely a fan of Ashley Winstead, but I wasn't able to connect as much with the characters in this one for some reason, so while I read about 3/4 of the book, I didn't end up finishing it. I'm still looking forward to whatever she might write next!

Midnight is the Darkest Hour

Well I finished this book a week ago and needed to think about it!

Small town bayou that is plagued with the Low Man, and minister that has a questionable background. A town that is easy to believe what the townsfolk tell them is true. And a daughter that questions her entire life when she thinks she has found her one true love but really who is he. Who is everyone?
I don’t know if I loved or even liked the ending which is what to me so long to rate the book. The book was recommended to me and see that it is all over Tictok as a must read for the fall. I don’t know if it is a MUST read.

Thank you- NetGalley for the read.

What an interesting book of southern gothic legend. I loved the Twilight tie in, which Winstead did so cleverly. Bottom Springs, Louisiana is a small town heavily influenced by religion. When librarian Ruth Cornier is involved in a murder to save her own life, she falls in love/obsession with local boy Everett. The book takes place later, in their 20s, with frequent flashbacks. This book started off fast for me--I was fascinated both by the setting and by their odd relationship. By the mid-point, I felt like not much was happening, and it was a lot of the same thing over and over. That said, it was an enjoyable read, and such a unique take on a southern thriller. I will definitely pick up her next book!