SHE WRITES IN RED Book Review

She Writes In Red¹ (book 4 in Dear Celeste series) by J. R. Erickson, eBook, 344 pages

Synopsis from GoodReads: After a betrayal shatters her life, Celeste retreats to northern Michigan to start over. But a letter to her Dear Celeste advice column pulls her straight into someone else’s nightmare. Andi, a woman haunted by her childhood, believes the farmhouse she now lives in is cursed. Sixteen years ago, her best friend died after a childhood prank—and she’s convinced the woman who lived in the house had something to do with it.

Now, the house is stirring, and Andi is terrified. As Celeste investigates, she’s drawn into a chilling puzzle of buried memories, twisted truths, and a presence that refuses to rest. What begins as a search for answers soon becomes a fight for survival. If you love dark secrets, haunted houses, and slow-burn terror, don’t miss She Writes in Red.

BOOK REVIEW: SHE HAS DONE IT AGAIN! J. R. Erickson has written another amazing thriller! My jaw dropped. I had WTF moments left and right. Have I talked about the cliff hangers before because if I haven't then holy smokes you're in for a treat! This is definitely a series you need to read from the beginning because part of the secondary story continues throughout this series and it's around Celeste's near death experience (NDE). It's creepy, a definite slow-burn (not so slow that you forget what genre you're reading), and such a satisfying set of characters!

I don't know if I can pick a favorite part or not! I do love that she gives a nod back to the other three stories (I'll add those reviews in the related posts section) and we even get a quick appearance of River in this story which I loved. I also love that some of this story takes place in a place that I have been to! Traverse City, Michigan. My visit was brief and I don't actually recall it but I know I was there. I also love that this whole story came about because it was an unfinished story she had written a long time ago.

5 stars!!! If I hadn't already known that there was a 5th book coming in this series (I was looking something up about this book on Amazon and there it was...book 5) I still would be excited to see what happens next. The characters are wonderful as always. We get to see how the Memento Mori group bond and how Celeste's relationships with the members of the group develop. Thinking about where we've seen Celeste start to where she is now is so satisfying and then the author went and lit the fuse of a bomb that left me with my jaw on the floor in all the great ways! I can't wait to see what happens next. Veil of Pines is slated (according to Amazon) to come out in April 2026. This series is in the KU library so you really have zero reasons not to read this and catch up before the next installment!

5/5 Stars

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