Where He Left Me
- Judith D Collins
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
By: Nicole Baart
Narrator: Amanda Dolan
Simon & Schuster Audio
ISBN: 9781668066171
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: 11/04/2025
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
From Nicole Baart, the bestselling author of Everything We Didn’t Say, comes a twisty, atmospheric novel about a newlywed whose husband disappears, leaving her isolated in Washington State’s North Cascades.
“In every world, I’d find you.”
Sadie Sheridan’s new husband, Felix, a professor of planetary sciences, has vowed never to leave her. But when Felix doesn’t return from a work trip, Sadie is stranded at Hemlock House, the remote mountain homestead where her husband grew up. Doubt creeps into Sadie’s heart. Then panic. Where is he?
Scared and alone in a place that feels haunted, Sadie struggles to make sense of what her missing husband left behind. But when she catches strangers lurking around the property, Hemlock House instantly becomes both a sanctuary and a prison. Navigating threats from outside and in, Sadie is forced to confront shocking secrets that leave her questioning whether she really knows Felix at all. As a powerful storm bears down, she must decide: is she fighting only for her own survival now—or for the man who promised her the stars?
Filled with dark menace and the danger of the wild, Where He Left Me is at once heartfelt and heart-pounding, from an author who “writes with a poet’s eye for language and a storyteller’s gift for suspense” (William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author).
About the Author
Nicole Baart wants to live in a world filled with handwritten letters, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and great conversation.
A critically acclaimed novelist, Nicole’s work has been featured as a Midwest Connections book pick, nominated for a Christy Award, and earned a starred and featured review from Publishers Weekly. In 2011 she co-authored a book that debuted at #4 on the New York Times bestseller list.
Nicole is also the co-founder of a non-profit organization, One Body One Hope, that partners with a sisterhood of churches and orphanages in Monrovia, Liberia. An adoption advocate and the mother of four children from four different countries, Nicole speaks on a variety of topics ranging from orphan care to parenthood to books and the writing process.
When Nicole’s not writing, working for One Body One Hope, or carpooling her children from school to hockey to gymnastics to cello lessons, you can usually find her outside. A lover of the great outdoors and a child at heart, Nicole’s favorite pastimes include playing with her kids, gardening, camping, and practicing her many hobbies including running, photography, baking, and re-teaching herself how to play the piano.
Nicole lives with her family in a small town in Iowa, but holds dual American/Canadian citizenship and considers British Columbia her second home. Since Liberia is also home, Nicole likes to think of herself as a global citizen. She and her family love to travel and hope to see the world together–before her kids are too old to consider their parents cool.
Nicole’s novels range from romantic to suspenseful, but she is known for her artistic prose and finely drawn characters. Her stories celebrate the triumph of the human spirit and beauty in the midst of brokenness. WEBSITE
My Review
From the celebrated bestselling author Nicole Baart—a cherished favorite—comes a masterfully crafted literary thriller, WHERE HE LEFT ME. This deeply emotional and hauntingly beautiful narrative explores the profound question of how well we truly know our loved ones and the lengths they will go to protect those they hold dear.
Dive into this twisty, atmospheric suspense novel that follows a newlywed whose husband vanishes, leaving her alone in the breathtaking North Cascades of Washington. With no answers in sight, she is surrounded only by secrets, unraveling a tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
About the Book...
The Setting:
In the captivating backdrop of the North Cascades of Washington State, Sadie and Felix, both esteemed college professors, embark on a sabbatical at the enigmatic Hemlock House. This secluded homestead, steeped in atmosphere and charm, offers them a unique escape from the ordinary.
The Disappearance:
Felix, an accomplished astronomer, departs for a conference, taking their car. His anticipated return never materializes, leaving Sadie in a state of profound isolation, uncertainty, and disbelief.
Isolation:
Alone in Hemlock House, a remote mountain retreat that holds Felix’s childhood memories, Sadie finds herself enveloped in darkness and an unsettling chill that permeates the air.
The Secrets Emerge:
As Sadie delves into the mysteries of the house and sifts through her husband’s belongings, she uncovers startling revelations. His disappearance compels her to confront the unsettling truth of whether she ever truly knew the man she married.
Mysterious Intruders:
Sadie’s solitude is further disrupted when she encounters two strangers who have infiltrated the property. As a fierce storm approaches, they are compelled to seek refuge together in the house, transforming it into a complex blend of sanctuary and confinement.
Escalating Danger:
With the storm intensifying and tensions mounting, deeper truths come to light. Sadie must skillfully navigate the threats posed by the enigmatic visitors, grapple with her husband’s troubling secrets, and contend with the relentless wilderness that surrounds her.
Reflections on Nicole Baart's Mastery...
If you’ve had the pleasure of diving into Nicole Baart’s novels, you already understand the exquisite experience that awaits you. Her talent for poetic storytelling immerses readers in richly detailed settings, allowing you to vividly sense the sights, sounds, and emotions surrounding you.
In WHERE HE LEFT ME, you’ll find a captivating blend of beauty and menace, interwoven with metaphors and symbolism that celebrate the cosmos, nature, and the complexities of love. This novel explores themes of grief, loss, and love, resulting in a narrative that is utterly compelling and spellbinding, while also tinged with an edge of terror.
From the very first page, you are drawn into the intricate world of Sadie and Felix. The emotional intensity of their journey, set against the hauntingly beautiful backdrop of the Cascades, is both gripping and evocative, revealing deadly secrets that lurk beneath the surface.
As Sadie grapples with the unsettling question of whether she can trust her husband, the story unfolds at the mysterious Hemlock House. Left alone to confront these secrets and the enigmatic trespassers who may be connected to them, she must navigate a powerful storm that symbolizes her fight for survival against an unpredictable threat.
The arrival of these intruders heightens the psychological suspense, compelling Sadie to confront the dark secrets of her husband’s past. As she delves deeper, she discovers that Felix and his family have buried truths that far exceed what she had ever imagined. The very walls of Hemlock House seem to whisper of a haunting history waiting to be unearthed.
Baart skillfully employs a dual timeline, juxtaposing Sadie and Felix’s idyllic love story with the unsettling present following his disappearance. This narrative structure reveals the fractures in their relationship and exposes how Felix meticulously crafted a façade for Sadie. Prepare to be riveted as you unravel the mystery leading to a shocking conclusion.
As a long-time devoted fan who has savored every one of Baart's works, I can confidently say her novels are lyrical, emotionally rich, and thought-provoking. I wholeheartedly recommend WHERE HE LEFT ME along with her entire backlist.
Recs...
For those who appreciate an author celebrated for her artistic prose and well-crafted characters, Baart’s stories illuminate the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity. If you enjoy the works of Kimi Cunningham Grant, Heather Gudenkauf, Sarah Crouch, Catherine Ryan Hyde, and William Kent Krueger—who are all personal favorites—you’re bound to find delight in Baart’s captivating narratives.
Special thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for sharing an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Nov 4, 2025
My Rating: 5 Stars
Praise
“The foggy and menacing Pacific Northwest setting generates just as much tension as Baart’s shrewdly coiled plot, and she paints each of her central characters with an exceptionally fine brush. The result is an unsettling portrait of isolation and anxiety that will get under the reader’s skin.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Baart is at her finest in this heart-racing, cold-plunge of a novel that earns its place among the top thrillers of the year! With a plot as winding as a mountain road, and prose that sweeps you around every curve, Where He Left Me pulls back the curtain on the haunting beauty of the Cascades, and the deadly secrets they hold.”
–Sarah Crouch, USA TODAY bestselling author of Middletide
“A gripping and emotionally charged story! When I picked up Where He Left Me, I was craving a sweeping, suspense-filled read—and Nicole Baart more than delivered. This novel kept me hooked to the very last page while confronting one of the most chilling questions we face: How well do we really know the people we love?”
–Brenda Novak, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Strangers
“Nicole Baart has crafted a taut, masterfully written thriller, complete with a mysterious house, a secretive husband, and a devastating snowstorm. The tension is high and the stakes are higher in this atmospheric tale of love, abandonment, and the lengths we’ll go to protect the people we love.”
–Kimi Cunningham Grant, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Nature of Disappearing
“A hauntingly beautiful and suspenseful tale of a woman grappling to come to terms with her husband's love when he disappears, leaving her to fend for herself during a storm with two unwanted strangers. I started reading it again for the second time as soon as I finished it, because I didn't want to leave the world Nicole Baart so masterfully spun.”
–Lyn Liao Butler, bestselling author of Someone Else's Life
“A beautifully written, pulse-raising story made up of equal parts love and terror: a reminder that the risk you take when you fall in love with someone is every bit as terrifying as anything that goes bump in the night.”
–Gin Phillips, award-winning author of Fierce Kingdom
“Baart delivers a breathtaking blend of heartache and suspense as a woman’s search for the truth unravels the life she thought she knew. With lyrical prose and a cleverly layered structure, Baart lures you into the wilds of the North Cascades, where a missing husband, a fractured family, and long-buried secrets collide—and love can be the most dangerous illusion of all.”
–Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of The Expat Affair
“Haunting, claustrophobic, and exquisitely atmospheric, Where He Left Me is a poignant thriller of secrets and survival, set against a snowed-in—and increasingly secluded—mountain home. Nicole Baart once again mesmerizes readers, masterfully crafting a propulsive, page-turning story that’s as beautiful and mysterious as a sky full of stars.”
–Megan Collins, bestselling author of Cross My Heart
“After Sadie Sheridan relocates to her husband’s isolated childhood home, echoes of his past begin to softly knock. Packed with an unrelenting eeriness, Where He Left Me explores the trauma that can tear a family apart, and the bittersweetness of reconnecting. Baart’s gorgeously clever writing makes this an emotional and exhilarating read!”
–Nicole Lundrigan, bestselling author of A Man Downstairs
“Nicole Baart has the ability to create a world full of secrets where relationships are felt on a deep level. A real roller coaster ride.”
–Armando Lucas Correa, internationally bestselling author of The German Girl
