Book Review: All the Dangerous Things

ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS | Stacy Willingham
01.10.2023 | Minotaur Books
Rating: 5/5 stars

One year ago, Isabelle Drake’s life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads for the police to chase, the case quickly went cold. Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year. Isabelle’s entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever. 

Stacy Willingham has done it again! All the Dangerous Things was my first read of 2023 and from the first few chapters I knew it was going to be a 5 star book for me! 

There is something about Willingham’s writing that just instantly draws me into her books. In this case, it was Isabelle “Izzy” Drake’s character that I couldn’t help but want to know more about. I wanted all the details of her current situation, what happened with her son, and what strange secrets she held from her past. Willingham wisely weaves these storylines together by sprinkling in timeline shifts that take the reader from present day to Izzy’s childhood to reflections from Izzy regarding events that led her to today.

In addition to Izzy having a captivating life story, her personality, emotions, and reactions felt incredibly authentic. While I’m not a mother, I could feel exactly what Izzy was going through and the raw emotional reaction associated with that. It’s not just Izzy who brings this story to life, but a cast of secondary characters that fully flush out the book to make it one that I won’t forget any time soon. 

I loved this book so much that I refused to put it down and alternated from my physical copy to the audio version just to keep going. Please be sure to read the author’s note once you finish the book. Even my cold heart was moved to tears by Willingham’s words. 

A huge thank you to Minotaur Books for my gifted copy and Netgalley for my advanced audiobook!