Review: Ask for Andrea by Noelle W. Ihli

Ask for Andrea by Noelle W. Ihli

Series: Ask for Andrea #1

Publication date: April 15th, 2022

Pages: 295

Spice: N/A

Synopsis:

"Hands down, one of my favorite reads of the year!" -- Freida McFadden, author of The Housemaid

Meghan, Brecia, and Skye have just one thing in common.

They were all murdered by the same man.

He hunted them online, masquerading as an eligible bachelor. Then he played the perfect gentleman, a thick layer of charm and a thousand-watt smile hiding the fact that his first dates end in shallow graves.

He's gotten away with murder three times now.

The only thing that might keep him from keeping again? The women he murdered.

Meghan, Brecia, and Skye might be dead, but they're not gone. They've found each other. And they won't rest until they find a way to stop him.

The haunt is on.

"A propulsive story that haunts and mesmerizes." -- Karin Slaughter, Sunday Times bestselling author of This is Why We Lied

"As pulse-pounding as it is poignant. Do yourself a favor--clear your schedule and crack open this novel!" -- Lisa Gardner, Sunday Times bestselling author of Before She Disappeared

"A true classic in the genre." -- Lisa Jewell, Sunday Times bestselling author of None Of This Is True

"Noelle has mastered the art of keeping readers on the edge of their seats." -- John Marrs, bestselling author of The One

"Utterly gripping ... I couldn't put it down." -- Nicola Sanders, author of Don't Let Her Stay

"What could be better than a thriller AND a ghost story? Left me equal parts terrified and haunted." -- Ellery Kane, author of The Good Wife

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Story: Noelle W. Ihli was first introduced to me with her Run on Red book. This was a book with a story that was completely different. Whereas before my experience with her books was the usual gripping thriller that had a few moments where you may need to turn away if a little squeamish. Ask for Andrea has paranormal aspects to it that I didn't see coming. How does a thriller author turn her thriller book into a ghost story? Quite easily it seems. I felt for the characters and how lost they felt after they were killed. Did they follow their killer? Check in with their families? Wait for their bodies to be discovered while watching it slowly desecrated by the wildlife? Each of them took a different stance on this decision but they all ended up making their way to each other as the noose slowly encircled their killer's neck. You read stories about killers after they are caught but you don't realize that they usually have families of their own that are completely unsuspecting. This story took three deaths over the spans of two years and merged them slowly over the course of their un-lives. It had me on the edge of my seat and desperately screaming at the book to catch the good for nothing killer that stole three lives from Ihli's carefully crafted world.

Characters: I liked every one of the girls in this story but I had a special place in my heart for Brecia. She didn't take her death lying down. She went after her killer and stayed with him the entire time. She tried to save the girls he came in contact but with her limited abilities she didn't always succeed. You can feel how strong Brecia is and how much guilt she feels for not always being able to save the women her killer chases. But she remains. She continues to try to fight for justice for her and any other girls that he hurts. That is what I would be doing if I were in her shoes. Out of the three girls I found Meghan to be the most depressing and unlikeable. She was not sure of herself and was ruled by fear even in death where she could no longer be hurt. Ihli did help her grow a little over the course of the book, but she was still one of the more indifferent characters I came in contact with while reading this book. However, I feel they all had their roles to fill and the author did well making them vastly different.

Writing: I was surprised to admit that I enjoyed the way Ihli had the three girls' stories separate but progressive until they came together throughout the course of their stories. It did take me a bit of flipping back and forth at times to remember which girl was doing what so I could keep them straight in my head. Brecia was with the killer, Skye was with her family, and Meghan remained where she was killed. As they started to move away from where they originally were situated I had to make sure I had them lined up in my mind the right way to appreciate the story and not become confused. But it was a really unique way of writing the story and I always appreciate new methods I come in contact with.

Overall: I feel that the book was really good. There were points where it lulled and it made it harder for me to read it. But the main reason it took me so long to finish it was due to illness not the story overall. Would I recommend this book to others? I have already but it isn't one I gushed over. It was good. It wasn't great by my standards. But I still am not regretting my decision to read it. I think that if there was a little more backstory to the killer explaining why he was doing what he was doing then I would have liked the book a lot more. I like understanding the 'why' of murder even if it only makes sense to the killer themselves. I also wanted a little more background on the killer. There were snippets thrown in that he had a troubled childhood but what exactly happened to him to make him willing to kill so many beautiful young girls? I wanted a bit more. That is all.