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kaylareadsallthetime's review against another edition
4.0
Really good book. Kate Moretti has yet to disappoint me with one of her books. This one does touch on some pretty disturbing topics.
mackenzierm's review against another edition
4.0
First line: "The day the birds fell, I dealt the tower card."
This was an interesting novel, although I found it took me awhile to really get into it.
The characters were compelling with interesting backstories. I had many feelings of mistrust of certain characters, and annoyance or disappointment in others. There were also moments of happiness and hope.
I saw the major twist coming just before it began to unfold, but seeing the reasoning behind it all added more allure.
In reality, I would like to give this novel a 3.5 star rating, firstly, because of how long it took for me to really get into the story. Secondly, I really enjoyed the aspects of superstition and its symbolism, tarot cards, etc. and I would have liked to learn more about that. Regardless, I did enjoy reading this novel and would consider reading more of Moretti's work.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this novel for allowing me to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
This was an interesting novel, although I found it took me awhile to really get into it.
The characters were compelling with interesting backstories. I had many feelings of mistrust of certain characters, and annoyance or disappointment in others. There were also moments of happiness and hope.
I saw the major twist coming just before it began to unfold, but seeing the reasoning behind it all added more allure.
In reality, I would like to give this novel a 3.5 star rating, firstly, because of how long it took for me to really get into the story. Secondly, I really enjoyed the aspects of superstition and its symbolism, tarot cards, etc. and I would have liked to learn more about that. Regardless, I did enjoy reading this novel and would consider reading more of Moretti's work.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this novel for allowing me to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
beansbooks912's review against another edition
2.0
I debated on either a 2 or 3 star rating. Its not like this book was horrible, but there isn't much to any of the characters (didn't particularly like or dislike any of them) and the story is just not that interesting. This book missed the mark for me.
jcm's review against another edition
1.0
I must have put this book on my list to read because I read a good review of it somewhere. I wish I knew where so I could be skeptical of the source next time.
This was labeled as a mystery or thriller, and it was neither. Moretti took a serious issue, teachers taking advantage of their students sexually, and turned it into a stereotypical excuse to pummel the poor white-trash girl, while the frat-boy teacher suffers no real consequences.
Quite frankly, writing a novel that basically says “see, women lie!” about sex or rape should be beneath any woman. It’s hardly news that women have a hard enough time getting people to believe them...unless it’s against a movie star/producer people hate. Especially poor, abused women who society already thinks is trash.
Lucia, our victim, is dangerously poor, abused physically and mentally, been abandoned first by her mother and than years later by her father and forced to live with her junkie, abusive brother.
Nate is the hometown golden-frat-boy who needs teenagers to think he is cool, and gets stupidly close and steps way over the line with the troubled Lucia.
Alecia is his put-upon, struggling wife who is essentially left alone to raise their autistic son. She’s rightfully pissed, and suspicious of her man-child husband’s motives and lies.
Bridget is friends with both Nate (a fellow teacher) and Alecia. Moretti tries to tell us that the women are BFF’s, but does a very poor job proving it. The backstory is so superficial and so I didn’t believe in the relationship, so I really didn’t believe how they came to odds. Bridget is essentially the woman who will stand by and let a man she knows abuse his power and never once believe his accuser in the face of mounting evidence. Not the kind of woman another woman should be BFF’s with. Oh, and she’s openly hostile to the troubled girl.
I won’t even bother naming the stereotypical teenagers. Their motives and allegiances can be seen from so far out it’s a wonder that anyone would call this a mystery.
Each character, save Lucia and Alecia, are down rate awful. No nuance, no mitigating factors for their behaviors, and certainly no originality to their stories.
The ending was predictable and laughable. There was zero tension, no surprises, and it went nowhere.
This was labeled as a mystery or thriller, and it was neither. Moretti took a serious issue, teachers taking advantage of their students sexually, and turned it into a stereotypical excuse to pummel the poor white-trash girl, while the frat-boy teacher suffers no real consequences.
Quite frankly, writing a novel that basically says “see, women lie!” about sex or rape should be beneath any woman. It’s hardly news that women have a hard enough time getting people to believe them...unless it’s against a movie star/producer people hate. Especially poor, abused women who society already thinks is trash.
Lucia, our victim, is dangerously poor, abused physically and mentally, been abandoned first by her mother and than years later by her father and forced to live with her junkie, abusive brother.
Nate is the hometown golden-frat-boy who needs teenagers to think he is cool, and gets stupidly close and steps way over the line with the troubled Lucia.
Alecia is his put-upon, struggling wife who is essentially left alone to raise their autistic son. She’s rightfully pissed, and suspicious of her man-child husband’s motives and lies.
Bridget is friends with both Nate (a fellow teacher) and Alecia. Moretti tries to tell us that the women are BFF’s, but does a very poor job proving it. The backstory is so superficial and so I didn’t believe in the relationship, so I really didn’t believe how they came to odds. Bridget is essentially the woman who will stand by and let a man she knows abuse his power and never once believe his accuser in the face of mounting evidence. Not the kind of woman another woman should be BFF’s with. Oh, and she’s openly hostile to the troubled girl.
I won’t even bother naming the stereotypical teenagers. Their motives and allegiances can be seen from so far out it’s a wonder that anyone would call this a mystery.
Each character, save Lucia and Alecia, are down rate awful. No nuance, no mitigating factors for their behaviors, and certainly no originality to their stories.
The ending was predictable and laughable. There was zero tension, no surprises, and it went nowhere.
bookprocrastinator85's review against another edition
3.0
Review found on The Life & Times of a Book Addict Blog.
Publication: September 26, 2017
Publisher: Atria Books
Source: Publisher.
REVIEW:
Married couple, Nate and Alecia have a good life. Living in a small Pennsylvania town, Nate is a math teacher who also coaches basketball and Alecia takes care of their 5 year old autistic son. By all accounts, they have a seemingly perfect marriage. But things aren’t always as neat and tidy as they seem on the outside. And once the blackbirds fall to their death on the baseball field, things are never the same again.
This book made me feel like I was living in Mount Oanoke. The author did a really good job of capturing that small town feeling. And in a small town where everyone knows everyone, your reputation can be everything. Nate holds on to his reputation with pride. People respect and admire him. That is until he is accused of having an affair with Lucia, an 18 year old student, that soon goes missing afterwards.
But Nate wouldn’t do such a thing would he? And even if he did have an affair with Lucia, that doesn’t mean he hurt her….Right?
Told from multiple POV’s, The Blackbird Season will have you second guessing Nate’s self-proclaimed innocence and the townspeople around him.
The Blackbird Season is a compelling book that slowly pulls you in page after page and leaves you wanting more. It was a fun and immersive read. I liked how the mystery and suspense gradually builds, the more I delved into the story. I have been a fan of Kate Moretti, every since I read The Vanishing Year. She has such a way with words and unique characters/situations. I look forward to her next story.
RATING: 3 out of 5
Publication: September 26, 2017
Publisher: Atria Books
Source: Publisher.
REVIEW:
Married couple, Nate and Alecia have a good life. Living in a small Pennsylvania town, Nate is a math teacher who also coaches basketball and Alecia takes care of their 5 year old autistic son. By all accounts, they have a seemingly perfect marriage. But things aren’t always as neat and tidy as they seem on the outside. And once the blackbirds fall to their death on the baseball field, things are never the same again.
This book made me feel like I was living in Mount Oanoke. The author did a really good job of capturing that small town feeling. And in a small town where everyone knows everyone, your reputation can be everything. Nate holds on to his reputation with pride. People respect and admire him. That is until he is accused of having an affair with Lucia, an 18 year old student, that soon goes missing afterwards.
But Nate wouldn’t do such a thing would he? And even if he did have an affair with Lucia, that doesn’t mean he hurt her….Right?
Told from multiple POV’s, The Blackbird Season will have you second guessing Nate’s self-proclaimed innocence and the townspeople around him.
The Blackbird Season is a compelling book that slowly pulls you in page after page and leaves you wanting more. It was a fun and immersive read. I liked how the mystery and suspense gradually builds, the more I delved into the story. I have been a fan of Kate Moretti, every since I read The Vanishing Year. She has such a way with words and unique characters/situations. I look forward to her next story.
RATING: 3 out of 5
theocbookgirl's review against another edition
3.0
The Blackbird Season
Katie Moretti
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Small town drama about Nate and Alecia and the aftermath of a girl gone missing. Bridget as the best friend, Lucia and Taylor as the teens. Great characters and a slow build up of tension as we discover secrets and real life scenarios that are sad and disturbing. Themes of trust and forgiveness and frenemies and jealousy as the reader watches a town in crisis.
Katie Moretti
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Small town drama about Nate and Alecia and the aftermath of a girl gone missing. Bridget as the best friend, Lucia and Taylor as the teens. Great characters and a slow build up of tension as we discover secrets and real life scenarios that are sad and disturbing. Themes of trust and forgiveness and frenemies and jealousy as the reader watches a town in crisis.
charf47's review against another edition
4.0
The Blackbird Season is a fast paced, suspenseful novel, with just a hint of the paranormal, which kept me reading well into the early hours. It is the story of a small town where connections between individuals are complex, and relationship boundaries between teacher and student as well as between police and suspect become blurred. Rumours spread like wildfire, intentions are misread and jealousy and obsession result in tragic consequences. Highly recommended. Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
heraddledbrain's review against another edition
5.0
This is my favorite Kate Moretti book yet! She just keeps getting better and better!
In Blackbird Season, the author takes us to a darker world where there are no boundaries and no one is to be trusted. I found Alicia to be very relatable and sympathetic, and I felt like I was on her emotional roller coaster, questioning Nate and everyone else right along with her. I like the changing points of view because I found the characters that were less relatable, based on my own life experiences, were fascinating and I was enthralled by their thought processes and wondering what they were going to do next.
This book kept me guessing all the way to the end and the final reveal was raw, dark, and perfect. Always looking forward to Moretti's next one!
In Blackbird Season, the author takes us to a darker world where there are no boundaries and no one is to be trusted. I found Alicia to be very relatable and sympathetic, and I felt like I was on her emotional roller coaster, questioning Nate and everyone else right along with her. I like the changing points of view because I found the characters that were less relatable, based on my own life experiences, were fascinating and I was enthralled by their thought processes and wondering what they were going to do next.
This book kept me guessing all the way to the end and the final reveal was raw, dark, and perfect. Always looking forward to Moretti's next one!
rebecca_isreading's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to the publisher (via Netgalley) for providing an advance e-galley for an honest review.
It's difficult to write a review when really your main gripe about the book is just that it wasn't what you expected. I had imagined that this book was going to be a taut mystery/thriller, and it's more of a domestic drama. There is an element of mystery as there is a disturbing allegation and missing person being investigated, but it's really more a story about boundaries and relationships, one of those "how well do we know and trust the people closest to us" types of stories. As a story about a town that's struggling, of the difficulties of being a teenager with few prospects in that type of setting, of marriage, family, and friendships, this book has solid footing. Kate Moretti's characters in The Blackbird Season are struggling with relatable, common problems, and their reactions and interactions all seem honest and believable.
Read this book as a character drama with a well drawn setting, instead of expecting a thrilling mystery, and you will likely find much to suck you in and enjoy.
It's difficult to write a review when really your main gripe about the book is just that it wasn't what you expected. I had imagined that this book was going to be a taut mystery/thriller, and it's more of a domestic drama. There is an element of mystery as there is a disturbing allegation and missing person being investigated, but it's really more a story about boundaries and relationships, one of those "how well do we know and trust the people closest to us" types of stories. As a story about a town that's struggling, of the difficulties of being a teenager with few prospects in that type of setting, of marriage, family, and friendships, this book has solid footing. Kate Moretti's characters in The Blackbird Season are struggling with relatable, common problems, and their reactions and interactions all seem honest and believable.
Read this book as a character drama with a well drawn setting, instead of expecting a thrilling mystery, and you will likely find much to suck you in and enjoy.