Thank you HarperAudio for the ALC and William Morrow, #partner, for the finished copy of Paper Cut in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: William Morrow / William Morrow
Published: January 27, 2026
Summary:
A compelling suspense debut about a woman infamous for escaping a cult as a teenager, whose future is threatened when dangerous secrets come back to haunt her—perfect for fans of Jessica Knoll and The Girls .
Lucy Golden is a true-crime icon, infamous for the murder she committed while escaping a California cult twenty years ago. But as everyone in Los Angeles knows, fame is fleeting, and Lucy and her story are always just one news cycle away from obscurity. Not to mention, she’s fending off a stalker and moderating an icy feud between her acclaimed photographer mother and her scandalous rock star sister. Worst of all, online trolls are asking increasingly threatening questions about the legendary crime. Questions that could tear her life apart.
So when a hotshot documentarian makes her case the subject of his next film, Lucy sees a chance to silence any doubters once and for all. But as filming begins, she must return to the California desert and come face-to-face with a cast of players from her torrid history. Of course, the past is never what it seems, and long-buried secrets soon collide with present-day threats. Can Lucy stop her doubters from digging up the truth before it’s too late? And how far will she go to protect the story she’s been telling—and selling—all along?
Told in a narrative split between the present day and Lucy’s hit memoir about her fated summer in the cult, Paper Cut combines psychological suspense with coming-of-age Californian cult noir and a sharp examination of the true-crime phenomenon. As incisive as it is propulsive, this mesmerizing debut will keep readers hooked until the last page.
My thoughts:
This debut certainly kept me guessing and I appreciated that. I’m a sucker for any books with cultish vibes and this one certainly fit that and more.
I think what really sets this book apart from others is the way it takes the true crime feel and combines with a thriller vibe adding in the cultish elements. Knowing up front that our MC has written a book, a memoir about her time in a cult, and that now, twenty years later, there’s renewed interest in what really happened so that she has to relive those memories is such a great hook. And you just get that feeling, the way the book alternates from the present day with Lucy, the documentarian and even scenes with her mother, to the past which were all told via excerpts of her book, that something new would be revealed. It was just a matter of what. That kept me fully engaged, just wait for what that would be.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. Trauma and family dynamics, of a toxic nature, are big themes here and those always work for me. I just wish there was more on the cult – more backstory, more involvement, just more. Otherwise, it was still a good story and I would still recommend it.
Audio thoughts:
This was great on audio, with Helen Laser doing a phenomenal job. She really got the gist of the story and was able to make it work.
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