Review: The Wonder State by Sara Flannery Murphy
Gothic Fiction | Suspense | Thriller
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If the feeling of leaving your home town after graduation and thinking you’ll never look back, and finding out how wrong you are, The Wonder State shows how wrong you could be but with a touch of suspense and a little magical push.
When Jay (FMC) left her hometown and swore to never return, she meant it. In 15 years, she never looked back, until she got a mysterious letter and photo from her high school best friend saying “You promised”, suddenly Jay finds herself back, horrified to be there, and the old crew together trying to find out what happened to their friend Brandi. While Jay tries to figure out what happened to Brandi, she is also navigating her relationship, or lack of relationship, with Iggy, her high school boyfriend.
The story really does show clear lines between small-town living, class differences, and how those 2 things can and will bump up against each other, especially during the teenage years. The need to break free from small-town living, and looking back at those years, can sometimes skew the world around the characters. The author paints a clear picture of how those class lines move through towns, the distance between those 2 classes, whether through how the houses look or looking back at the difference in how they treat money and connections, it does speak to the class divide in this book.
A central relationship in this book is between Jay and Iggy, but ultimately, Max is the (MMC), and it might not seem like it in the beginning of the books it becomes apparent that he is actually at the center of this story and his relationship with her best friend Brandi is what draws them all together. I would say more, but I do my best not to give spoilers, which is hard because this was a really good book and I want to tell you all the spooky things.
The suspense in this book really fits the story. I,t is built slowly and intentionally. It isn’t dragged out for the sake of book length. The thriller side of it is well written and I appreciate that it is story-driven and not jump scare-driven. The flow makes sense and keeps the book moving even when there are slight lulls in the story. There is a lot of looking back, but it is chapter-based and not in the middle of the chapter unless it applies to what is currently going on with the characters.
Would I read Sara Flannery Murphy again? Yes, I would. The story may have had some slower places, but it was done with intention and didn’t take anything away from the overall book. I did like seeing the way the characters changed when they returned to their hometown, and how, underneath it all, they were still grappling with their teenage vision of what the hometown was. Overall, it was a good read, it made sense, nothing was awkward and watching Jay grow from teenager to who she thought she should be, into who she became was well done and kept me in the story.
Should You Read The Wonder State?
If you enjoy slow-burn suspense, small-town gothic atmospheres, and character-driven mysteries that focus more on emotional tension than shock value, this book is very much worth your time. It’s a thoughtful, moody read that rewards patience and attention, especially if you like stories about returning home, unresolved pasts, and the long shadows of teenage years.
Overall, The Wonder State is an atmospheric, emotionally grounded novel that lingers more for how it feels than for any single twist—and that’s exactly what makes it work.
Want more stories to haunt your shelves? Visit Books & Bookish for curated reads worth a candlelit night. Or visit the Library for more books I’ve read.