An isolated cottage in the UK, usually by the seaside, surrounded by dark trees.  There something mysterious going on, and naturally, there’s no cell reception either…

When I’m not reading YA, I lean towards adult thrillers, and I’ve been sensing a theme… At first I thought it was the word “wood” in the title, because nothing’s creepier than a dark forest, right?  But then I realized that in the past few months, I’ve read a whole bunch of books that take place in isolated cottages in England.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware involves a group of women who go to one such isolated cottage for a hen party.  After much drinking, the main character wakes up in a hospital knowing someone was murdered, and unsure if she was the killer.  Ruth Ware’s follow-up, The Lying Game involves another isolated location and another group of estranged friends, this time a more dilapidated cottage by the sea side.  This cottage is so dilapidated that it is actually falling into the ocean.

The cottage in Never Alone by Elizabeth Haynes is actually lived in by the main character, making it an outlier to the rest.  However, it’s still extremely isolated and located right on a cliff.  Because of its isolation, the main character doesn’t bother to lock her doors at night.  Can’t imagine how that might be an issue…

Finally, In a Cottage in a Wood by Cass Green features a cottage way out, close to a couple of other cottages but not within walking distance of anything else.  And naturally, the main character who inherits this cottage doesn’t have a car.  This cottage beats out all the others for how ramshackle it is.  This cottage has three locks on the doors, yet somehow someone keeps getting inside…

I’ve always dreamt of living in some isolated cabin by the water, but these books are really killing that dream for me!