Where Ladybugs Go to Die

4.5 Stars

The writing in this novel is very beautiful at times. You can tell the author possesses this skill in spades. I had to drop half a star for animal abuse/death. It's just so awful to read and better in my opinion, to be alluded to but not necessarily described. I loved the idea of the Rhyme Reaper and how the kids nursery rhymes were twisted to fill the killers purpose, this strategy makes the book very memorable. The twists were pretty good. I will definitely be checking out more by this author.

Great dark read.

This was one of those thrillers that hooks you early and doesn’t really let go. The concept alone—a killer leaving nursery rhymes written in blood as his signature—is chilling in the best way, and it sets the tone for a dark, unsettling ride from the start.

Alexis is a solid lead, driven by grief but sharp enough to keep the story moving without feeling reckless or naive. As she digs into her mother’s past, the layers start peeling back in a way that keeps the tension building steadily. The connection between the murders and her family history adds an emotional weight that elevates it beyond a standard cat-and-mouse thriller.

The pacing is strong overall, especially in the middle where the clues and revelations start coming faster. Some twists are predictable if you read a lot in this genre, but the execution still makes them satisfying. And the rhymes? Genuinely creepy. They add a unique, almost haunting atmosphere that lingers even between chapters.

If I had one critique, it’s that a few moments could have been pushed even further—either darker or more emotionally intense—to really hit that next level. But even with that, it’s an engaging, eerie read that delivers on both suspense and story.

Definitely worth picking up if you love psychological thrillers with a personal edge.

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
EDIT: I waited almost a week, downloaded this book again, and reread it. I do not know if the first download I had completely messed up the layout of the book, hence my original review below, but this time around, I didn't notice any of the issues I did the first time. The story flowed smoothly, and really is a 5-star. So, I am updating my review to reflect that. I do love the nursery rhyme theme and will never hear "Peter Peter pumpkin eater" the same way again. I truly enjoyed it and wanted to give the author a review that reflected how wonderful the book was, like I said I would. I am not sure if edits were made, or the book just downloaded correctly this time, but it really is an awesome 5-star read!

This one’s tough, because Where Ladybugs Go to Die really had all the ingredients to be a five-star read for me.

The premise is honestly great. A killer using nursery rhymes to taunt victims? That’s creepy in a way that sticks. It takes something innocent and twists it just enough to make it unsettling, and that part absolutely works.

But… it ended up being a harder read than it should’ve been.

First, this book really needed trigger warnings. There’s animal abuse and death, references to child molestation, sexual assault, murder, and corpse desecration. That’s heavy, and while I don’t personally need trigger warnings, a lot of readers do—especially when it comes to animals.

The biggest issue for me, though, was the editing and overall flow. There are quite a few grammar and punctuation mistakes, tense shifts, and some metaphors that just don’t land. On top of that, scenes sometimes jump without any real break—even mid-paragraph—which made parts of the story confusing to follow.

I found myself stopping to reread more than I wanted to, or mentally correcting sentences, and that pulled me out of the story.

Character development is also a bit uneven. Some characters, like Nicole and Alexis, feel more fleshed out, but others just kind of show up, disappear, and then come back later without much buildup. It makes everything feel a little disconnected.

And that’s what’s frustrating, because the potential here is so obvious. The psychological angle works. The revenge aspect works. The way it plays with childhood imagery works.

It just needed tighter editing and a smoother structure to really pull it all together.

I’m landing at 3 stars because I can see what the author was going for, and parts of it did work for me. With more polish and stronger character follow-through, this easily could’ve been a five-star read.