You Belong Here - by Megan Miranda

Book Synopsis

From master of suspense Megan Miranda, the "supercharged atmospheric" (Booklist, starred review) campus thriller and psychological suspense novel featuring a decades-old secret that haunts a mother and her college-bound daughter.

Beckett Bowery never thought she'd return to Wyatt Valley, a picturesque college town in the Virginia mountains steeped in tradition. Her roots there were strong: Beckett's parents taught at the college, and she never imagined studying anywhere else--until a tragedy her senior year ended with two local men dead, and her roommate on the run, never to be seen again.

For the last two decades, Beckett has done her best to stay away. But when her daughter, Delilah, secretly applies to Wyatt College and earns a full scholarship, Beckett can only hope her fears are unfounded. Deep down she knows that Wyatt Valley has a long memory, and that both the past and present timelines hold dangers--and that some secrets never stay buried.

A gripping atmospheric suspense novel with a chilling twist ending, You Belong Here is a must-read psychological thriller from a writer Entertainment Weekly calls "a master of cleverly constructed thrillers."

Review Quotes

Praise for Megan Miranda

Praise for DAUGHTER OF MINE

"Miranda...exposes revelation after twisty revelation...Small-town claustrophobia and intimacies alike propel this twist-filled psychological thriller." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Praise for THE ONLY SURVIVORS

"Propulsive... the plot is first-rate, and Miranda expertly generates a steady thrum of anxiety." --The New York Times Book Review

Praise for THE LAST TO VANISH

"[A] superb thriller... Miranda is writing at the top of her game." --Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

Praise for THE LAST HOUSE GUEST

"The perfect summer thriller... with a pace that made my heart race." --Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of The House Across the Lake

Praise of ALL THE MISSING GIRLS

"Miranda leads readers back through the past of a small southern town, enfolding them in a slow, tense nightmare of suspicion, menace, and tangled motives. A twisty, compulsive read--I loved it." --Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of The It Girl

"[A] supercharged atmospheric novel... The question of whether Beckett is an unreliable narrator ratchets up the tension considerably. A terrific read." --Booklist (starred)

"An atmospheric small-town thriller... this story of a mother forced to return home and confront the depths of her own past when her daughter goes missing has serious emotional heft (and more than a few surprises up its sleeve)." --Paste Magazine, "The Most Anticipated Thriller Books of Summer 2025"

"Beckett Bowery returns to her college alma mater when her daughter enrolls. But now that she's back, secrets from her past are coming back to haunt her--and as this is a Miranda book, it features plenty of twists and turns along the way." --E! News

"Long-buried secrets, looming danger, an eerie dark academia backdrop...You Belong Here has it all." --Woman's World Magazine

"Miranda is a master of atmospheric thrills." --CrimeReads, "Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of Summer 2025"

"Miranda is an expert at using memories and flashbacks to unveil a story [that] feels dramatic and full of unexpected twists. Fans of Ruth Ware and Gillian McAllister will enjoy the building suspense and campus drama." --Library Journal

"No one writes a thriller like [Megan] Miranda." --US WEEKLY


"The perfect thriller to read with your toes in the sand while looking over your shoulder." --The View

"The stakes are high in Megan Miranda's latest twisty thriller, You Belong Here. Tense and atmospheric, it's clear there's no line you won't cross when protecting those you love. The secret traditions of this small college town won't stay buried for long." --Ashley Elston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of First Lie Wins

About the Author

Megan Miranda is the New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls; The Perfect Stranger; The Last House Guest, which was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick; The Girl from Widow Hills; Such a Quiet Place; The Last to Vanish; The Only Survivors; and Daughter of Mine. She grew up in New Jersey, graduated from MIT, and lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children. Follow @MeganLMiranda on X and Instagram, @AuthorMeganMiranda on Facebook, or visit MeganMiranda.com.