I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I thought this book was going to be really good but I could not get pass 60 percent. It was so boring and so far fetched.

Where You Belong is a dystopian thriller that I think had some good parts but that I ultimately found a little disappointing.

James, Julia and their two sons move to a new neighborhood that at first seems peaceful and idyllic, but quickly things get odd. Julia can’t leave the community, not even to take her kids to school. All residents are expected to use an app that tracks their every move. And no one seems to want to discuss prior residents.

The plot was engaging but ultimately predictable. It kept my interest for sure but the ending felt a bit anticlimactic. I would still recommend checking this out if you’re in the mood for a dystopian-type thriller, there just wasn’t anything that gave it that “wow” factor for me.

Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

Wow I feel like I had my Sims on with autonomy turned off.
Julia followed her husband James to a new life. A haven away from the hectic real life. Only something is dreadfully wrong. This community is a man's world, they go to work and the women are like 50's housewives. People die or vanish, other women appear vague and brainwashed. Julia is a smart independent woman, will she fight this system?
I really enjoyed this dystopian kind of story, feeling the sense of being trapped with the women. The community seemed to be a cult, one with intelligent electronic controls.
Creepy but pretty cool, I loved it.

S.J. King delivers an enthralling and suspenseful tale in Where You Belong, a novel that masterfully blends intrigue, mystery, and psychological tension. The story follows Julia and her family as they settle into what appears to be the perfect community—until unsettling events begin to unfold, turning their idyllic new home into something far more sinister.

King’s storytelling is gripping, pulling readers in from the very first page and refusing to let go. The eerie atmosphere builds with precision, and the slow unraveling of secrets keeps the suspense at a peak. As the twists emerge, the need to uncover the truth becomes irresistible, making this a book that’s nearly impossible to put down.

With well-drawn characters, a compelling plot, and a pacing that never falters, Where You Belong is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and eerie domestic suspense. This is a novel that will keep you hooked until the final, satisfying reveal.

With its sharp writing, fast-paced narrative, and electrifying suspense, Where You Belong by S. J. King is a must-read for fans of suspense and psychological thrillers.
This book kept me up LATE because it took so many unexpected turns.
This was a tense, mail-bitingly thrilling read. Loved loved loved this one. Absolutely wonderful and unputdownable.

Rounded up to 4.5 stars!!!!
This definitely has Stepford Wives vibes!! (The Julie Christie version!). I read this in one sitting! It's a bit crazy, and just plain bingeable!

Julia, her husband James, and their two boys move to a picturesque, perfect and secluded gated community called "The Haven". Julia sees this as a fresh start for the family. However, upon arrival, Julia senses that all is not what it seems. The wives don't work, and they are all very positive and cheerful, perfectly dressed and seem to know everything about everyone. The people in the community constantly remind each other that everything is "perfect" here, and seem shocked that Julia wants to stay in contact with her friends/co-workers back in Boston. But James convinces Julia that it is his turn to pursue his dream, and Julia gives in. However, the claustrophobia really begins to set in. Each community member wears a bracelet which changes colors (although we don't find out until later what this means). They also give each other "gratitude" points- they are nudged to do this through the phones given to them- and the requests come after every interaction with another community member. Then someone dies, and all h--l breaks loose!

I loved how the author described a perfect small community set in paradise, yet managed to infuse an atmosphere of utter claustrophobia and creepiness in this setting. They are cut off from the rest of the world, and the men go to work each day- but no one seems to know what they do! The expectation for the women is to sit still and look pretty- do not question anything or have any ambition. With the death of her neighbor, and curiosity about what happened to the family that lived in their house- the twists and turns speed up and Julia is desperate to escape with her sons.

I was rooting for Julia, and did not know how things were going to turn out for she and her two sons. The pacing is fast, and you are never sure if James is trustworthy. There are also many times when I found myself questioning what the truth really was!

This is a fantastic debut!!! I am so looking forward to what the author writes next because the talent with this one was out of this world!!!!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and the author. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Unfortunately, I really didn’t like this. I DID read the entire novel though because the plot was so intriguing. Ugh— the had the perfect plot in my opinion. Mysterious, dystopian, Stepford Wives-esque. But.. it went awry. Quickly. It was anticlimactic and disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this EARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

I found this a little confusing in parts but it is a good read. Set in a somewhat dystopian "community" where everything you need is there butt you have to "level up" to get the good stuff and if you are less than a perfect Stepford housewife that levelling up becomes something rather more sinister!
I struggled a little with how compliant the women were and how little awareness they seemed to have of what was being done to them but enjoyed the finale of the book, where things mostly came good!

3⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of Where You Belong.

Julia and her husband and their two kids move to an idyllic new community called The Haven for her husband’s new job. Julia has bad vibes from the beginning. She starts to realize this place feels more like a prison where you are being watched than a futuristic community. The more questions she starts to ask the more she puts a target in her back. She starts to wonder if she can even trust her husband?

This is definitely more of a dystopian book than a mystery/thriller read. I usually really enjoy dystopian books but I struggled with this one because it felt very slow moving and there were a lot of different characters to try to keep straight. Overall it was just an okay read for me.

Where You Belong by S. J. King was a Brilliant book from start to finish and a must read. This was a book that gripped me from the beginning till the very end and had me up to the early hours of this morning. I could not stop reading it especially as it was a great page turner and creepy in parts. I loved it.

I highly recommend this book and this is the first book from this author - WoW an excellent book!

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my ARC.

Domestic thrillers are my favorite and this one is right up there as a good domestic. However, I was so frustrated with the characters it brought my rating down a bit. Julia and James need a fresh start. Julia has put her career above her family, especially her husband. Now it is her husband's turn to put his career first and drag his family to some remote island. Supposedly he is getting a huge salary, but at what cost. I was disappointed in Julia as she seemed like a strong woman to start but then she agrees to be isolated from friends and family just for the sake of her husband. This felt like Stopford wives meets a cult of some kind. Will Julia be able to escape this island, will her kids be safe, what will become of James and his new career. Lots of questions to be answered that will keep you turning the pages.

Julia has the chance for a fresh start. She can leave behind her stressful job as a psychologist and focus on her young family. Julia's husband, James, receives a job offer that comes with a beautiful home in a luxurious gated community. No one seems to come in and out of the community. There are no cars or visitors. One night at a party, one of Julia's neighbours is found dead in the pool. The death of her neighbour starts raising some serious questions for Julia. What is this community? How come everyone wants to keep secrets? And how come the family that lived in Julia's house before her suddenly vanished?

Ok this needs to be a TV series or movie (or a great Black Mirror episode!) Super crazy plot, gorgeous imagery, and intriguing characters. I was genuinely surprised where things headed. This was a really unique plot, which can be difficult to do for a thriller! Really draws some shocking parallels to today's society and where our world could be heading. I raced through to finish because I just had to know what was going to happen. The author created a great sense of unease and paranoia thought the entirety of the read. This is a novel that will sit for you for a while once you finish.

An excellent debut novel! Well done SJ King!

Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fresh starts might not be all that they are cracked up to be! It was meant to be a fresh start in a beautiful setting, in a beautiful home, with friendly neighbors! That is what Julia, her husband James and their two children were hoping for. But everyone is a little too happy, a little too put together, a little too invested in earning gratitude points! Is this gated community really Where You Belong???

I have to agree with other reviews who have mentioned the movie "Don't Worry Darling" Where You Belong does give those same vibes and then some! The men seem to be in control and the women do as they are told and make sure to wear their bracelets so the app can measure how they are feeling. Julia begins to see and feel the cracks in this gated community’s picture-perfect facade. She beings to question, look for answers, and buck the system.

This was an interesting and quick read which has a dystopian type feel to it or does it? We have so many apps on our phones to track our steps, our heart rates, our sleep, our spending, our book quotas, etc. Having an app to track mood was not such a stretch. I applauded the author for adding that into this book.

I also enjoyed the tension, the dread, and especially that trapped feeling that I love in books! This book also has a creepy vibe, and I felt for Julia and wondered who things would turn out. This was an impressive, well thought out, thrilling, debut book which moved at a nice pace and kept me fully invested.

Thank you, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for letting me review this book.

This was a crazy ride! I was drawn in from the beginning, until it started to get a little too far-fetched for me and too many important plot twists toward the end. Too much was shared within the last part of this novel, that really could have been distributed throughout the book. Such as a “Then” and “Now” but leave the reader guessing.

This was very well written however. The characters and the main characters, Julia, James, and their two sons, move for a great job opportunity. It is pretty interesting. Everyone has to wear a band on their wrist which registered bio factors, and depending on the level of this band (which you can move up the levels through gratitude.) The higher the level, the better the benefits and it unlocks more features for you.

Although, when stranger things than usual started happening, Julia started to ask too many questions, and the people in the community, the Haven, did not like this, even her husband. Was Julia the only one that thinks things are not what them seem? Or is she just crazy? This book was worth the read. I just wish the ending didn’t hold so much of the plot than it did throughout the book.

But, wow! I felt like I was there. I would have asked the same questions as Julia, especially after people start to disappear and a person is found dead. I recommend this book if you want a wild ride!

Julia Ford, a very successful Chief Engagement Officer and clinical psychologist has it all. She has an amazing career, a husband, kids and all the accolades she deserves. But one day her husband decides to relocate them from Boston to Amsterdam because he landed the dream job and a home in The Haven. However, certain discrepancies begin to bother Julia. She isn't allowed to work, she isn't permitted to drive, she can't leave the community without her husband's permission, the school is only interested in teaching boys to be men and girls to stay at home, her housekeeper is off, and the tenants are just not right. Julia tries to blend in and join them in their perfect community with their perfect weather until she discovers a dead woman floating in the pool. This incident sends Julia through the roof and knows that something is completely wrong and scary with the community because no one helped the dead woman and everyone pretends like nothing happened. Julia's inquisitive mind will guide her to the truth, even if she must sacrifice her own mental sanity,  her two boys and the man who swore his inconditional love to her.

Pick up Where You Belong if you want to be captivated by a phenomenal story with questionable characters and a beautiful cult like haven.

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this super intense, adrenaline driven book!

From reading the synopsis I was excited to dive right into this book. I like the concept of this book, but I think something was missing. It's well written. The characters and plot fell flat for me. I lost interest in this about halfway through. The ending was meh. The main female character should have seen all the red flags about this community from the start. She isn't a very good psychologist.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, & the author for this ARC.
*All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

My favourite genre is definitely psychological thrillers so to discover a new author of this genre is always exciting. An excellent debut novel that gripped me to the end. Thanks Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

Where You Belong
by S. J. King
Pub Date: Mar 04 2025

"Where you Belong" is a debut book for S. J. King. It was an excellent thriller, the thrills just kept on coming. I didn't want it to end, but I desperately needed to keep reading! The ending I did not see coming. Definitely a 5 Star book!

Synopsis: This was meant to be our fresh start. It’s turning into a nightmare. When a neighbor’s body is found floating in a pool during a party, the other wives say it was a tragic accident. But there are also whispers about the family who lived in our villa before us—just vanished one day, they say.

Many thanks to #NetGalley #WhereYouBelong #StormPublishing #SJKing for providing me with an E-ARC of this 5 Star Thriller!

This was such a thrilling and intense read for me right away as we explore to secrets and lies that can tear a community apart.

4.5 Stars. Thanks to Storm Publishing for the E-ARC. This book had me on the edge of my seat and was a total mind f&$k in the best possible way. This is going to be a book that lives rent free in my brain for a long time. Julia decides to move with her husband James and 2 children elsewhere for his job where he will now be the bread winner and everything is "perfect".....but of course everything is never perfect and the more Julia digs the better the book gets....could not put this down.