I think this is meant to satirise the American dream in reverse by showing how a life can fall about for no real reason, and while they continue to make stupid decisions throughout, their decisions have little impact on what happens.

But it didn’t work for me as there wasn’t any real tension and the plot was predictable. It was a page turner only in the sense I wanted to get to the end as soon as possible.

Short compelling chapters. I liked the tone of the opening of the chapters. Enjoyed myself with this book. Read in one sitting.

Very Slowly All at Once by Lauren Schott is a slow unraveling of the American Dream, with secrets lurking beneath the surface.

Lauren Schott’s debut is a quietly unsettling exploration of ambition, debt, and the cost of keeping up appearances. Mack and Hailey Evans seem to have it all—careers, children, a dream home on a lakefront estate. But when anonymous cheques start arriving, their picture-perfect life begins to warp. The money is easy to spend, harder to question. And soon, impossible to escape.

What I loved most was the slow-burn tension. Schott doesn’t rely on big twists or flashy drama—she lets the dread creep in through everyday choices, through the quiet compromises that feel harmless until they’re not. The writing is sharp and observant, with a touch of dark wit that makes the unraveling feel both intimate and inevitable.

This is a story about what we owe—to ourselves, to each other, and to the mysterious forces that promise help but demand something in return. It’s domestic noir with teeth, and it lingers long after the final page.

With thanks to Lauren Schott, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.