Sundown Girls / L.S. Stratton / Book Review

SUNDOWN GIRLS

What can help a family at odds? Vacationing in a secluded cabin. The Stoakes family certainly needs that quality bonding time. Naomi needs this retreat most of all. She's felt like an outsider these past few months, ever since she was taken from the woman who stole her as a child and reunited with her birth family. Some bonding time, time to feel like she's actually one of them and not some weird, mostly-grown interloper, might be nice.

This cabin might be remote, but the new renovations mean it's beautiful. And the nearby town of Sparksburg, Virginia is quaint. Charming, even. Or at least that's what the rest of her family thinks. Naomi can't shake the feeling that something here isn't right, but she doesn't really want to rock the boat. Not here, not now.

But as she digs into Sparksburg's past, she discovers it used to be a Sundown Town, where Blacks weren't allowed past sunset. This violent, not-so-distant history sets Naomi on edge... as does the strange girl she keeps finding outside her window at night. A girl who disappears whenever she looks too close. A girl who seems to be pointing Naomi toward several recent missing persons cases that this town is really set on covering up.

THOUGHTS

I loved this book! What a great way to start out 2026. This book has the perfect unsettling atmosphere. It creates a sense of unease from the first moment this family sets foot in Sparksburg, and that sense of impending doom follows the narrative right to the end. It's atmospheric, it's dark, and the slightly supernatural twist here just seals the deal: everything I could want in a thriller!

PROS

Atmospheric	When Naomi first arrives at this secluded cabin, she's overwhelmed by a pervading stench (that the rest of her family can't seem to smell), and that just sets the perfect tone for the rest of what unfolds in Sparksburg. It's unsettling in it's small town idyllic feel. There are racist undertones from the start (though polished to the point of plausible deniability). It's uncomfortable. It's unsettling. And it's perfect.
Supernatural	This isn't a supernatural story. It isn't meant to be a supernatural story. And I wouldn't normally be a fan of the supernatural invading a story like this. But here, it works so well, from the unholy stench of the past that Naomi can smell throughout the town to the ghostly apparitions haunting the woods outside the cabin. It makes the stark reality here all the more unsettling, concrete and real and horrible. It enhances the story, adds to the flavor, and I really liked it.
Romance	This story isn't a romance, and it shouldn't be. That being said, I did like the romantic subplot that unfolds here. It feels so... real. In a way that I haven't read in fiction recently. Naomi's love interest is a definite part of this story, but their budding romance doesn't overwhelm what's happening otherwise. It's a slow relationship, built on boundaries that make sense for these characters and for the situation. And I liked that, just how well this romantic subplot is woven into the overall story.

CONS

I think my biggest issue with this book is that Naomi just has too much going on. She was kidnapped as a kid, and that's weighing on her. A lot. For good reason, of course. But in a plot already so layered, adding this layer felt like overkill. Don't get me wrong. L.S. Stratton justifies it. And I don't think it was the worst possible thing. But it felt like too much to try to develop in a sharp story like this one. In a story otherwise so tightly plotted and characterized, this bit of backstory almost felt like a burden.	Too Much Backstory
Obviously, we're meant to be suspicious of the Powers That Be. There's a sense of unease and distrust permeating this story from the very start. But the way the local police were so quick to brush off Naomi's concerns felt a little heavy-handed for a story otherwise so grounded in realism. A touch more polish (a shinier veneer to the lies the local sheriff spins) might have done more service than the touch-too-suspicious dismissal of Naomi that happens.	Too Suspicious
Naomi's having a hard time adjusting to family life, and that makes sense. She's only recently been reunited with her birth family after years living with a woman she thought was her mother but was in fact her kidnapper. This adjustment period should be long and fraught. And her siblings of course will have just as difficult a time adjusting, so absolutely no problem with the portrayal of them at all. But boy, were her parents getting on my nerves. They're meant to be the adults here, and the sort of petulant way they're treating their struggling daughter in this book just didn't sit right with me. It's written that way on purpose, so they can come around in the end. So I get it. But I didn't like it. Or, I guess, I wanted more from it. Which was unfortunate.	Family Quarrels

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8/10

Fans of Jordan Peele's Get Out will like following this family who have stumbled across a trap they didn't know to expect. Those who enjoyed Marie Arnold's Split the Sky will like the supernatural twist that comes with this thriller.

Details Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books Date: January 27, 2026 Series: N/A Add to Goodreads Buy it HERE

Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.