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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
*The dog doesn't die, you'll think poor Smoke will meet their end at one point but I feel okay with sharing this spoiler, Smoke makes it to the end.
Growing up, James Golden spent her life covering her twin brother Johnny’s mistakes with the help of his best friend and her high school boyfriend, Micah. After a tragic event that the trio swore to secrecy, she left small logging community Six Rivers for a life in San Francisco, leaving both Johnny and Micah behind. Now, twenty years later, Johnny has been found dead and she’s been pulled back to a place and history she thought was behind her, including hers with Micah.
Young writes with a prose that is captivating from the first line, her stories just flow. James is struggling with finding closure after Johhny's death and still feels an inherent need to protect them as she's always done. In wrapping up the project he was working on, James uncovers questions and in trying to find answers, discovers secrets of her hometown that she can't look away from.
Each character has a complicated backstory that doesn't feel confusing to follow and makes you want to lean into the read. I simultaneously read/listened to this one and strongly recommend Christine Lakin as an audiobook narrator.
Growing up, James Golden spent her life covering her twin brother Johnny’s mistakes with the help of his best friend and her high school boyfriend, Micah. After a tragic event that the trio swore to secrecy, she left small logging community Six Rivers for a life in San Francisco, leaving both Johnny and Micah behind. Now, twenty years later, Johnny has been found dead and she’s been pulled back to a place and history she thought was behind her, including hers with Micah.
Young writes with a prose that is captivating from the first line, her stories just flow. James is struggling with finding closure after Johhny's death and still feels an inherent need to protect them as she's always done. In wrapping up the project he was working on, James uncovers questions and in trying to find answers, discovers secrets of her hometown that she can't look away from.
Each character has a complicated backstory that doesn't feel confusing to follow and makes you want to lean into the read. I simultaneously read/listened to this one and strongly recommend Christine Lakin as an audiobook narrator.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was excited for this after loving June Farrow but this was pretty disappointing. It's more like Spells for Forgetting but less interesting, with bland characters. The time jump of 20 years between leaving and returning home is just way too long for a lot of it to be believable. For me it didn't really reach the same atmospheric level as her other books, where the environment feels like a character in itself. The ending felt rushed, random, and quite cheesy... but I'm still gonna read every book Adrienne Young writes 🤷♀️