Bad Intentions — Iliana Xander
Title: Bad Intentions
Author: Iliana Xander
Genre: Psychological Thriller | Mystery | Crime
Format: eARC
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐¾ — 3.75/5
Synopsis
After a series of bad decisions and misfortunes, Josie Boots returns to her small hometown of Burnville to care for her ailing grandmother, Karen.
But coming home also means returning to a place where everyone seems to know something about Josie’s family history.
Her grandmother has a notorious past. Her mother died years ago. Her father remains a mystery. And the people of Burnville have never forgotten any of it.
Then a stranger contacts Josie claiming to have answers about her family.
Before Josie can discover everything he knows, a brutal crime happens right in front of her, pulling her into a dangerous mystery involving old secrets, stalking, murder, and people willing to do almost anything to keep the past buried.
My Thoughts
I’ve read Iliana Xander’s previous books and really enjoyed them, so I was super happy to be approved for this one.
Overall, this was a good read.
The pacing is a mix of slow burn and faster moments, which kept things interesting, even if it dragged a bit here and there.
As the blurb says, Josie returns to her small hometown after a series of misfortunes and while trying to take care of her sick grandmother. Growing up, she’s always heard whispers about her family. Everyone knows bits of what happened to her mother, her father is a mystery, and her grandmother has a past that people don’t forget.
And of course...
Small town = secrets.
Everyone knows everyone, everyone has something to hide, and everyone is willing to protect those secrets, no matter what.
Things take a turn when Josie is contacted by a stranger who claims to have answers.
And from there?
Chaos.
We get stalking, murder, and a lot of unhinged situations. At one point, everyone is suspicious and you can’t really trust anyone either.
That part was really fun to read.
What frustrated me the most, though...
Karen. The grandmother.
I understand that she wanted to protect Josie and keep things hidden, but the constant refusal to talk, only to suddenly decide “okay, now we talk” after dragging things out...
Ma’am.
It got annoying.
It sometimes felt like information was being withheld mainly to create additional tension rather than because it made sense for the characters to keep avoiding the conversation.
While I found parts of the story a bit predictable, especially with the small-town setup, it didn’t completely take away from my enjoyment.
AND THEN we get the final reveal.
That was definitely on the more unhinged side, in a good way, and it genuinely managed to surprise me.
Apparently, I hadn’t been suspicious enough.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Bad Intentions was a solid and entertaining thriller with family secrets, murder, stalking, small-town drama, questionable people, and enough suspicious behavior to make basically everyone look guilty at some point.
The pacing dragged occasionally, and Karen’s refusal to JUST TALK TO THE WOMAN tested my patience , but I still had a good time with it.
And that final reveal definitely earned some bonus points for taking things in a direction I wasn’t expecting.
Perfect for a chill night when you’re in the mood for a twisty thriller and a town full of people who desperately need to stop keeping secrets.
3.75⭐
ARC Disclaimer
Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own.
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