Call Off The Dark: A Novel by Hallie Shepherd

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book: (summary from Goodreads)

A haunting, atmospheric debut thriller with a love story at its heart, following a feisty young woman caught between her husband and a mysterious stranger who disturbs their off-grid life in rural Washington.

Helen and Tyler were soulmates, a couple with a storybook beginning and an enduring bond, until Tyler’s sudden murder shattered her world. Numb with grief and desperate for escape, Helen impulsively marries Wade—a near stranger—and goes off-grid with him to a farmhouse in rural Washington, far from her polished Seattle existence.

By day, Helen, who definitely wasn’t built for canning food and sewing dresses, contemplates setting her garden on fire. By night, she faces down insomnia and PTSD with her collection of poems by Plath and Poe—and daydreaming about her past with Tyler. But the routine of her “trad wife” life is broken when an unexpected traveler Isaac, Wade’s broodingly mysterious brother.

Wade is stunned—Isaac died in a horrific farm accident years ago—and he quietly insists to Helen they are in danger. Helen isn’t sure what to believe. Has Isaac truly come back from the dead? Is Wade manipulating her fragile grip on reality? Or is her mind turning against her? As her suspicions close in from every side, Helen must navigate a maze of secrets, grief, and uncertainty—where trusting the wrong person could be fatal.

A stunningly original debut, Call Off the Dark blends a heart-piercing love story, immersive psychological drama, and spine-tingling thriller, resulting in a multilayered, transportive narrative that reminds us of the magic in human connection and that our truest partners in life can keep us tethered to the world, even from the grave.

my thoughts:

Okay, so when I first started reading this book I had an idea of where the story was going and was not sure I wanted to keep reading, but then somewhere along the way I got hooked and could not put it down for anything. I fell in love with Call Off The Dark and wound up enjoying the book so much in the end.

Shepherd's debut novel is about a haunting love story. Helen and Tyler are true love and then something horrifying ends that love. Now, Helen is married to Wade and living off-grid. She's trying out the #tradwife lifestyle and hating every second of it. Plus, Wade is isolating her more and more when he doesn't bring her along on his trips into town for supplies. And, Helen's only friend is a young woman who visits once in a while, but never for long. Oh, and now Isaac has shown up - a man claiming to be Wade's brother, except Wade has revealed to Helen that Isaac is dead. So, yeah, life off-grid isn't turning out to be the escape that Helen was looking for after all. And, that is all I will share, because you MUST read this book to find out what is really going on and what will become of Helen in the end. 

I would happily recommend Call Off The Dark to anyone and everyone looking for their next Fall read - you are going to fall in deep with this one. The writing is terrific, the story is unputdownable, and the characters are unforgettable. This is a definite must-read! Make sure to check it out!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!