Rare / Possibly Unique Twist Ending Elevates Great Tale To Exceptional. The very subtitle Joffe Books chose to put on this book of “a brand new totally addictive psychological thriller with a shocking final twist” gives away that there is one here, so I feel zero remorse for mentioning that in the title of this review. If you as the reader of my review feel that it is a spoiler even as generic as it is worded… well, that is on you. 🙂
As to the actual tale here, it really is exactly what Joffe’s marketing people claim: very addictive. This is a story with a seemingly normal ish character with a particular job and a fun quirk gets an ominous threat to return to her home town… where things go from bad to worse. There are reasons she left… and she didn’t even have any clue what was actually going on here.
Blending elements of the classic The Lottery tale (at least in overall feel and foreshadowing) with the far more recent Gothictown by Emily Carpenter (featuring a fictional yet all too real version of my own real-world home County outside of Atlanta), this is absolutely a tale psychological thriller fans are going to eat up.
And then that ending. Wow. And yes, I’m returning to it and you’re still not going to have any actual idea what is happening with what I’m about to say about it. I’ve seen other authors achieve a similar bone-chilling, almost horrific twist, but I’m not going to name the author or book or situation… because that would begin to give you an idea here. Similarly, there is one book in particular that gets tossed around in the zeitgeist quite a bit these days that *actually* bears remarkable resemblance here… but even though that limits the books in question to only a handful or so, I’m not going to give any hints other than what I’ve already said.
Delay did an great job with this tale overall. It was dark and creepy, yet also had its more lighthearted moments, particularly where the quirk I mentioned above shines through. It had several tender moments which really help explain the ultimate motivations of our main character, and both of these play into making the final twist all that it is.
Finally, as this *is* a sub 250 page book with a *lot* going on… this is absolutely one of those “quick read” books perfect for when you want to read and want to be absorbed into a tale… but also don’t have a lot of time for it, for whatever reason. Or maybe you’re the opposite and looking for something to kill a few hours while sitting on a beach or poolside somewhere or (more accurately for the fall/ coming winter season at least for some of us in the Northern Hemisphere as this book is released in early October, maybe by a fireside) chilling out. Either way, this book is going to be one you’re going to want to read.
When you do, I very much encourage you to write your own review. It doesn’t have to be long. Just 26 words will be accepted anywhere you’re reading this review. This paragraph alone clocks in at 49 words. Just tell us what you thought, in whatever words you have.
Very much recommended.
This review of One Tiny Cry by Christina Delay was originally written on September 30, 2025.