Thank you Scribner #partner, for the finished copy of Helpless in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Scribner
Published: July 7, 2026
Summary:
From the New York Times bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive and Bright Young Women comes a smoldering psychological thriller with a singular, mind-bending last page.
It’s been twelve years since Faye Heron broke Henry Spalding’s heart. Henry was her college boyfriend, her first intense love, but Faye was in danger of being subsumed by him.
Now, Faye is one half of a power-producing duo with her Hollywood husband. Henry is a married father running the family business. Both of their lives have essentially gone to plan.
When a former and beloved college professor suddenly passes away, Faye and Henry find themselves back on campus for the funeral, circling something old and dangerous. Something, if Faye is honest with herself, she has been trying to duplicate for years. But Henry is one of a kind.
The kind who delivers a hypnotic apology for the way things ended.
The kind who suggests they go back to the hotel for a drink.
The kind who drugs and kidnaps her.
When Faye comes to Henry’s remote mountain cabin, she’s beside herself. Has Henry brought her here to punish her? She did, after all, write and star in a lauded episode of television based on their indelicate appetites and vicious breakup. As her week of captivity unfolds, Henry’s wanton demands intensify, and a sprawling, years-old mystery begins to take shape—one that will rewrite history as Faye remembers it and reveal an astounding, cataclysmic truth.
My thoughts:
Wow…this is one wild story! It’s both gripping and uncomfortable in the best way possible. I started this and couldn’t put it down…I needed to know what the connection was between Faye and Henry — what that tension was when they meet up all these years later and why things turn so dark so fast.
I love that this author isn’t afraid to take chances and go there. The characters are deeply flawed, but also wildly fascinating which kept me intrigued.
If you like dark, emotional thrillers with a sexy side, this is for you!
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