Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Flutter is a moody, supernatural YA thriller with a strong atmosphere and a promising concept. The book opens with a chilling murder and quickly immerses readers in a small town cloaked in secrets, fear, and shadowy myth. Melody Percario brings a rich, eerie tone to the setting, particularly in scenes set in cemeteries, forgotten places, or moments hinting at the uncanny. The blend of thriller and fantasy is ambitious and makes for an engaging, if sometimes uneven, read.

The protagonist, Daphne, is the mayor’s daughter, navigating grief, repression, and danger after her classmates are targeted by a killer dubbed "The Poppy Killer." When she’s assigned a mysterious protector, Gabriel, tension rises on both emotional and psychological levels. Daphne’s emotional vulnerability is a strength, and there are effective scenes where her inner turmoil is palpable. The novel also plays with compelling themes—control, inherited trauma, and the weight of secrecy.

However, there are areas where the story didn’t fully deliver on its potential. Pacing is one of the main issues: the first third of the novel feels slow, with significant developments and supernatural elements arriving too late. Some twists—especially those related to Daphne’s family history and the town's hidden war—felt more confusing than shocking, often lacking the buildup or clarity needed for impact. At times, Daphne’s passivity in the face of obvious red flags made it harder to connect with her arc.

The romance subplot, while offering some interesting tension, felt inconsistent. Gabriel’s hot-and-cold behavior and abrupt emotional shifts were difficult to follow, and the relationship didn’t fully land as either swoony or dangerous. Secondary characters, particularly Romy, had the potential to shine but weren’t utilized as fully as they could’ve been. That said, one late-arriving character (Sebastian) added energy to the story that left me intrigued for the sequel.

Despite its flaws, Flutter is an ambitious debut with a fresh take on supernatural conflict and atmospheric suspense. There’s clear potential in the series going forward, especially if the pacing and character development are given more room to breathe in future installments.

Thank you NetGalley and OCS Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This story had a lot of promise. I feel that there were certain elements of the story that were never really explained, and as a reader, we had to decide for ourselves what each element was.

All that aside, I loved the story. I loved the secret supernatural aspects of the story. I really enjoyed the mystery behind the Poppy killer, and why he was killing, but leaving our girl alive, while at the same time, falling her for childhood crush. Later, as more and more truths are revealed, I was not expecting the betrayal we experienced. They say the truth rarely needs defending, and this was a perfect example of that.

I liked the little bit of background/history we received, and hope that is expanded more in book 2. War is coming, and I want more Daphne and Sebastian.

Before you ask, yes. The storyline and the writing was just as beautiful as the cover! Sometimes judging a book by its cover works…. This story was amazing!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

Honestly, this was a DNF for me. I understand what the author was trying to do with the story but I was just not connecting with the story. Maybe at a later date I will try again.

Thank you Netgalley and OCS Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Melody Percario’s “Flutter” dives into a darkly atmospheric YA thriller brimming with eerie small-town secrets, supernatural shadows, and a young heroine caught in the crossfire of murder and mystery. From the opening chapter, which involves a chilling murder discovered in the woods, the book aims to hook you with a combination of suspense and the fantastical.

At the center of it all is Daphne, the daughter of the town’s mayor, who lives under the tight watch of her overprotective father. When a serial killer dubbed the Poppy Killer begins targeting Daphne’s circle of friends, she’s assigned a bodyguard, Gabriel, whose intentions remain ambiguous. As bodies keep turning up, Daphne learns she may be the only person who can stop the killer, thanks to secrets lurking in both her family’s past and the town’s supernatural underbelly.

Percario crafts a strong, haunting atmosphere, particularly in the cemetery scenes and moments tinged with hints of the supernatural. There’s an appealing undercurrent of psychological tension as Daphne grapples with grief, fear, and distrust, all while being pulled between Gabriel’s mysterious protection and the killer’s eerie fixation on her. The fantastical elements involving angels and hidden town histories hold tantalizing promise and add a unique twist to the thriller formula.

However, it didn’t seem as though “Flutter” was able to fully deliver on its captivating premise. There were some issues with pacing; the plot takes a long time to gain momentum, with significant developments not arriving until over halfway through the book. Early sections linger on Daphne’s personal life and romantic tensions with Gabriel, leaving the murder mystery and town secrets frustratingly sidelined.

Characterization, particularly of Daphne herself, was a bit mixed. While I did appreciate her emotional vulnerability, she felt a bit too passive and lacking in curiosity, missing opportunities to investigate the sinister happenings around her. I wished for the story to focus more on Romy, Daphne’s sharp and proactive friend, who emerges late in the book as an unexpected bright spot, revealing that she’s been independently digging into the town’s dark past.

Similarly, while the romance between Daphne and Gabriel offers flickers of sweetness, it often comes across as underdeveloped and confusing, shifting unpredictably between protective dynamics and hints of romance without clear emotional payoff. The supernatural elements, though intriguing, felt inconsistently woven into the plot. Key twists and backstory revelations arrived late or lacked sufficient explanation, leaving lingering questions about character motivations and world-building logic.

Despite its flaws, “Flutter” has glimmers of beauty and genuine emotion, particularly in moments of Daphne’s introspection and the moody, evocative writing style. It’s a book with undeniable potential and a vivid sense of atmosphere, though it may leave some readers wishing for sharper focus, stronger character development, and a more cohesive plot.

Overall, “Flutter” is an ambitious YA thriller blending small-town murder mystery with supernatural intrigue. For those who enjoy atmospheric tales with secrets lurking beneath the surface and who don’t mind a slower build, it may offer an engaging escape.

I really wanted to like it, especially since I got approved for it but I ultimately had to set it aside without finishing.
From the outset, the writing was hauntingly beautiful. However, despite the prose, I found myself constantly searching for a sense of direction. I kept on read expecting to get a clear indication of where the story was headed. Instead, I was lost. While some readers might appreciate this more meandering, atmospheric approach, I personally found it frustrating. I need something to latch onto, a reason to keep investing my time in the narrative. It's a shame, because I had high hopes, but I just really didn't know where the plot was going, and that made it impossible for me to continue.

I loved the idea of this title and the inspiration of murder mystery meets romance - but the plot and character development needs further editing. It was hard to follow and I felt like I was constantly flipping back and forth to understand changes that didn't flow seamlessly together. I really hope that when this comes out on KU (maybe?) that it will have improved prior to release. I truly wanted to love this book and the unique combination of genres so I'm rooting for it!

Once I started this book the first page had me hooked I wanted to know what was going on. This books is super fast paced and amazing I honestly could not put this book down once I started. I can not wait for book 2 to come out to read more in this world.

Thank you to NetGalley & The Publisher for allowing me a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know what to rate this one. It's like a 3.5 to me, I guess. I debated on rounding up or rounding down, but I think ultimately it should be rounded down.

This book felt like it didn't know what it wanted to be, or how it wanted its characters to be. Daphne felt all over the place, and the plot felt confusing and messy at times. However, as soon as Sebastian TRULY entered the scene, everything shifted & got more interesting. It just happened late, and by then, I'd spent the first 20% of the book trying to figure out if this was a murder mystery or a romantasy, which completely lost me. I actually started the book then ignored it for 2 weeks or so. The looming release date pushed me to pick it up again. Ultimately I'm glad I did, but I'm inclined to agree with a lot of points that most of the 2 star reviews bring up. I don't think this book deserves that low of a rating - I just think its lacking editing/polish.

Character consistency was one of my major issues in this book. It didn't feel glaring but Daph did feel like a completely different person at 3 separate times in the novel. I could see one of those shifts being intentional, but a character should be similar at its core, and she was not. She was constantly defiant, but always caving and never reacting or at least not actionably, then snarky, but constantly being gaslit, downplayed, belittled, and led around physically by her wrists. That said, after the revelation at the end, the author did Gabe dirty a little bit too. Now THAT was a roller coaster for me for several reasons. At the end, I kinda felt bad for him. Give the guy a break.

Then there was pacing issues. As stated, first 20% I legit thought I'd picked up a book from the thriller genre. It felt so stale to me, I was dreading reading the rest. But once I picked it back up I realized what it was trying to do, it just went about it in such a weird way. The world building was kinda confusing, but ultimately what messed me up was just the entire shift(s) in direction throughout. The last 10% of the book made it feel like I was reading a completely different book than the one I started. In a good way though, because I actually care enough at this point to read a sequel.

I think ultimately at its core, I like the concept and where it is currently headed, but it is predictable at this point (at least the romance part anyway) and it just took too damn long to get where I wanted to be. That said, I can see what book 2 has in store for me & I agree with the direction fully. I just wish we had a little bit moooooooore of a glimpse into it than just the last 10%.

Sebastian - ("Bas") - I'll see you in book 2 👀

“I saw him as he entered: death personified, gliding on shadows”

In the small, quiet town of Gilia Dune, there’s a serial killer on the loose. Named the Poppy Killer, the murderer leaves orange poppies on their bloody victims as a calling card and disappears without a trace. One night, when Daphne Pencast happens upon the body of her teacher in the cemetery, it becomes apparent that she is the other common thread between the victims. As the daughter of the mayor, the hired security around Daphne confines her, and the protection tightens as the killer’s obsession with her becomes known. One of these people is her bodyguard, Gabriel, an old friend and now crush. As Daphne comes face-to-face with the killer, the supernatural secrets of her town and the murderer’s motives start to unravel, making her question everything she knows.

When I picked up this book, I wasn’t expecting this small-town murder to turn into such a large-scale war between supernatural creatures—the “angels”—that Daphne is in the midst of. It threw me for a loop at first, and while, in concept, the shift was interesting, I don’t know if I was ever completely on board with the story after that. Certainly, there were aspects of the story that kept me reading. For one, Daphne and her friends are on the cusp of adulthood, and their struggles with growing up, facing loss, being an adult, or even being human against the backdrop of fantasy give the story emotional weight. The quick narrative pacing also felt natural, which emphasized the tension and high-intensity scenes that propelled the story. However, without any major character developments, Daphne and the cast fell flat, even as the action escalated. What’s more, sometimes the characters' attitudes felt incongruous with the situation at hand, like Daphne’s witty remarks to the killer after witnessing him murder people she knows in front of her. At times, I was also confused by the angels, as their powers, conflicts, and motivations became increasingly complicated. This led to an undeveloped plot I didn’t always understand. Deciding who Daphne can trust is also central to the novel, yet the novel’s romance is uncomfortable and problematic. Ultimately, while I love small-town mysteries and found the book’s angel representation engaging, I won't readily pick up the sequel in this series.

Unfortunately I DNF this book early on. The writing style was not something I enjoyed and the story just wasn’t flowing how I wanted.

✨Arc Review✨
Thank you to the author @MelodyPercario and @netgalley for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

-All thoughts and opinions are my own.
⭐⭐⭐

Flutter is a dark, atmospheric YA thriller that hooks you from the first page with a chilling murder and keeps the tension tight throughout. Melody Percario creates a haunting mood with vivid imagery—particularly in the eerie cemetery scenes—and the idea of an untraceable, possibly non-human killer adds a creepy, supernatural edge that’s both intriguing and unsettling.

I appreciated the emotional vulnerability of Daphne, a protagonist thrust into isolation by her father’s over protection, then pulled between two dangerous forces: Gabriel, her assigned protector with unclear motives, and the mysterious Poppy Killer, who seems obsessed with her but may not be the true threat. There’s a strong undercurrent of psychological tension in how Daphne navigates fear, grief, and mistrust.

That said, the novel didn’t fully stick the landing for me. The pacing was uneven—slow in parts where it should’ve built momentum, then rushed in others where deeper emotional payoff was needed. Daphne's relationship with Gabriel felt underdeveloped and at times frustratingly one-sided, which made it hard to invest fully in their dynamic. Meanwhile, the killer’s fascination with Daphne, while initially compelling, occasionally veered into melodrama, muddying the sense of real danger.

Some of the twists—especially related to Gilia Dune's past—were intriguing, but not all were well-executed or clearly explained. I often found myself needing more clarity on key motivations and backstory, particularly regarding the supernatural elements, which felt introduced late and somewhat inconsistently.

Overall, Flutter is an ambitious and atmospheric read with moments of brilliance, especially in its world-building and eerie tone. But a few key elements—pacing, character depth, and plot cohesion—held it back from fully soaring.

In Daphne's small town a serial killer is on the loose. Her father, the mayor, has placed her under the protection of her bodyguard Gabriel. As more of Daphne's friends fall victim, she discovers she may be the only person able to stop the killer.

While I enjoyed the concept of this book and the fantastical elements of the story, it left me at times very confused. I often felt I should have had more information than what I had. There were many scenes I had to re-read to understand what was going on. It was difficult to always know which characters were in the scene, and what knowledge they had because certain facts would contradict.

It was hard to know when characters were supposed to feel scared or in suspense, because the word choice was light and upbeat. Didn't flow the best for me.

3⭐️

15+

so the most basic of basic romantasy 😞
at least it wasn’t awful. i kinda just have neutral feelings on this. but i DEFINITELY won’t be remembering or thinking abt this book ever again 😓

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am giving Flutter by Melody Percario 2 stars. At first, this sounded like totally my kind of read…small-town murder mystery, secrets, angels, supernatural drama. I was excited to dive in…but sadly, it just didn’t quite work for me.

The idea has a lot of potential, but the pacing was pretty slow, and it took a long time for the plot to really get going. There were also moments that left me scratching my head like characters suddenly knowing things out of nowhere or random changes in scenes that didn’t add up.

The supernatural world-building sounded cool but fell flat. The motivations behind the conflict were kind of confusing, so the stakes didn’t feel as high as they should have.

The romance was another part that didn’t fully land for me. The vibes between the characters kept shifting from protective to possibly romantic and it made things feel a bit muddled and unclear. I wasn’t sure what the story wanted me to root for.

Daphne as a main character was tough for me to connect with. She seemed too passive and didn’t really question the weird stuff happening around her. Meanwhile, her friend Romy was way more interesting and proactive. Honestly, I wish the book had focused more on Romy digging into the town’s secrets instead of so many scenes about crushes and social stuff.

Overall, Flutter has some interesting ideas, but it just didn’t click for me.

Quote:
“You could inspire loyalty, in the same way your father commands fear. If you stopped letting them box you into their world.”

I picked this up as I was intrigued by the premise of 'he kills without mercy—except when it comes to her'.

I normally enjoy reading YA books, but I am a little too old to be the target audience for this one.

While she has experienced loss, Daphne is still a naive 17 year old, and the story is told in first person through her. At times she is an unreliable narrator with false bravado and jumpy information.

Her understanding of the world changes as she learns the truth about those she thought she knew.

There could be promise in a second book as she matures and discovers more about this new world she has been thrust into.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC and the chance to read this book in return for an honest review. However, I must apologize for said honest review. The overall premise of the ARC intrigued me to read this novel. However, it ended up missing the mark in my opinion. I found I was asking more questions than I was receiving answers for. The plot was lacking certain depths, and contained too many plot holes that led to confusion.
There was a lot of potential for this book to be a five star read, but I think that the lore behind the Element, the angels, the war and why the “bad” guys were trying to save humanity were not explained well enough. The characters also lacked character growth. I found some of them to be even a bit confusing. For example, Gabriel seemed to take on too many roles in Daphne's life, he was her crush, like her brother, her guardian, and sometimes even took on a fatherly role.
This is why, regrettably I am having to rate it 2.5 stars. Thank you again to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGally in exchange for an honest review!

This book started out really promising. From the start we follow Daphne, Romy and Bo while they are out in the forest and are firing up fireworks to celebrate the birthday of their friend Dustin who died 5 month prior.
Suddenly they find their teacher Mr. Pinsky stuck inside a tree, all bent in all angels and believed dead. When she calls for help, her father (the mayor) shows up with the police.
There is a rumor about a serial killer in the town of Gilia Dune that is kalled «The poppy killer». The authorities are blaming the kills in town on a mountain lion.

I was really intrigued to begin with, and the book almost read like a thriller. After a while we got introdused to the supernatural aspect of the book. There is a war going between the supernatural beeings, and the humans. I was a little confused troughout the book and could not quiet get why the war started, or witch side I as the reader should support.

There was a romance in this book wich was not well executed in my opinion. It started okay, but the male Gabriel was almost described like a romantic interest, a bodyguard and almost like a father figure for the Daphne (or point of view).

We meet the so called «poppy killer» who has an interest in Daphne. It was not very well explained why he was interested in her, and he wanted to join his side trought the book.

The farther I got into the book, the less interested I got. There worldbuilding was lacking, I could not understand the reason for a lot of the things that happend. I did not feel much for the characters og the relationships. Daphne as a character felt indesicive. Gabrield is described as perfect just because he is in controll. He is not handsome but he is beautiful. She also describes the poppy killer at beautiful and so perfect she can almost forget he is a serial killer and this just not sit rigth with me.

I was confused by the ending. Is this a standalone or a series? I felt the ending was very open and we did not get a conclusion in the story. This book left me with some questions and a little confused. But I did not mind the authors writing that much so I might give the writer another go in the future!

Flutter left me feeling… well, fluttered in the most confusing way. From the first few scenes, I found myself struggling to make sense of the plot, and the pacing didn’t help matters. It dragged just enough to break any momentum, making it hard to stay invested. I kept waiting for that moment when things would click, but it never quite arrived. The characters felt more like outlines than fully developed people, which made it hard to connect with them or care about their outcomes.

Honestly, with some tighter editing and a deeper exploration of the characters’ motivations and relationships, this could’ve been a much more compelling and emotionally engaging story.

I had to DNF this one cause while the book had great promise, the writting just wasn't for me. It did feel like it missed the mark but i can't fully comment on that as I didn't finish the book.