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theawkwardbookw's review against another edition
3.0
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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
After graduating college, and not sure what to do next, Annie returns to her small town in Texas. She finds herself brought into her grandfather Leroy's private investigating firm. When a local waitress goes missing, and a hit-and-run occurs, Leroy and Annie start investigating to see if the two deaths are related, and things begin to hit a bit to close to home.
This was a very slow-paced read, and I never fully got into the story. I feel like this would make a good lifetime movie, it just gives off those vibes. I wasn't the biggest fan of Annie, just something about her rubbed me the wrong way. I just found her to be a bit uninteresting, and I didn't care about anything that happened to her. I listened to the audiobook, and do think the narrator did a good job with the voices and characters. But, overall I just found this to be a very average read, nothing special in my opinion.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
After graduating college, and not sure what to do next, Annie returns to her small town in Texas. She finds herself brought into her grandfather Leroy's private investigating firm. When a local waitress goes missing, and a hit-and-run occurs, Leroy and Annie start investigating to see if the two deaths are related, and things begin to hit a bit to close to home.
This was a very slow-paced read, and I never fully got into the story. I feel like this would make a good lifetime movie, it just gives off those vibes. I wasn't the biggest fan of Annie, just something about her rubbed me the wrong way. I just found her to be a bit uninteresting, and I didn't care about anything that happened to her. I listened to the audiobook, and do think the narrator did a good job with the voices and characters. But, overall I just found this to be a very average read, nothing special in my opinion.
ocean_cactus's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
rebbyreads's review against another edition
2.0
Read this if...you enjoyed the shows “Friday Night Lights” or “Mare of Easttown.”
Despite having a college degree, Annie McIntyre finds herself back at home in Garnett, Texas, waiting tables at a local diner. Her family has a private investigation firm and Annie gets the perfect opportunity to intern with her grandfather when a fellow waitress goes missing. Annie works hard to figure out what happened to the missing woman, finding it difficult not to identify with her. The case forces Annie to confront her own demons and try to move on from a traumatic experience that she has buried.
On paper, this sounded like the perfect read for me. I loved “Mare of Easttown” and enjoy small-town mysteries. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark. I found it very slow and difficult to get through. I contemplated not finishing multiple times and wish that I had that reading time back. The missing person mystery took a back seat to Annie’s relationship with herself and her family. The characters were very well-developed and the author definitely portrayed small, rural towns accurately. However, the several events that were meant to be exciting were underwhelming and it was obvious to me what the traumatic event Annie kept trying to forget about was. Overall, this was a big letdown. It is an award-winning book though, so obviously others enjoyed it and you might like it even though I didn’t.
A big thanks to Minotaur Books, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
Despite having a college degree, Annie McIntyre finds herself back at home in Garnett, Texas, waiting tables at a local diner. Her family has a private investigation firm and Annie gets the perfect opportunity to intern with her grandfather when a fellow waitress goes missing. Annie works hard to figure out what happened to the missing woman, finding it difficult not to identify with her. The case forces Annie to confront her own demons and try to move on from a traumatic experience that she has buried.
On paper, this sounded like the perfect read for me. I loved “Mare of Easttown” and enjoy small-town mysteries. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark. I found it very slow and difficult to get through. I contemplated not finishing multiple times and wish that I had that reading time back. The missing person mystery took a back seat to Annie’s relationship with herself and her family. The characters were very well-developed and the author definitely portrayed small, rural towns accurately. However, the several events that were meant to be exciting were underwhelming and it was obvious to me what the traumatic event Annie kept trying to forget about was. Overall, this was a big letdown. It is an award-winning book though, so obviously others enjoyed it and you might like it even though I didn’t.
A big thanks to Minotaur Books, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
bookishciara's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
After graduating college Annie comes back to her hometown. After her friend from work gets murder she helps her grandpa, Leroy, in his private investigation firm track down her killer. This wasn't what she was expecting to do after college, but she feels like it was something she needed to do. Can she help her grandpa find who killed her friend?
I liked Annie and her cousin, Nikki. I also liked Annie's relationship with her grandpa, it made me miss mine. This book was more on the slow burn side, but I feel the author did a great job at wrapping things up nicely. I figured out what happend, so the twist wasn't shocking. For a debut novel the author did a good job. I look forward to seeing what else she comes up with.
Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for my audio copy, and to Minotaur books for my physical copy in exchange for my review.
rachelibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
ssejig's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I had heard about this book on <a href="https://bookriot.com/listen/new-releases-and-more-for-april-19-2022/">Book Riot</a> where they described it as an origin story for a detective. They are very careful in outlining the plot of the book and that somehow made me miss exactly how dark this book really was going to be. This is also sort of a homecoming book as well as a self-realization book.
Told from the first-person view of recent college graduate Annie McIntyre, we see brief glimpses of her life as she prepares to go out for the evening with her cousin. They get dressed, drive around for awhile visiting the diner where Annie works, and then head out to the land of what appears to be one of the local wealthy families. They have two sons, one of who has a past with Annie.
While there, Annie sees a server from the diner, Victoria, and she is wildly drunk. Annie tries to help her but gets distracted trying to stop her cousin from getting into a fight. Victoria's body is discovered the next day.
This whole book dives into the love Annie has for her town, Garnett, but also the problems inherent with staying there. Annie decides to work with her grandfather, Leroy, to become a private investigator. She wants to know what happened to Victoria. But working on this investigation exposes more than just the murderer, it also forces Annie to face that her quaint little town might not be so perfect after all.
Told from the first-person view of recent college graduate Annie McIntyre, we see brief glimpses of her life as she prepares to go out for the evening with her cousin. They get dressed, drive around for awhile visiting the diner where Annie works, and then head out to the land of what appears to be one of the local wealthy families. They have two sons, one of who has a past with Annie.
While there, Annie sees a server from the diner, Victoria, and she is wildly drunk. Annie tries to help her but gets distracted trying to stop her cousin from getting into a fight. Victoria's body is discovered the next day.
This whole book dives into the love Annie has for her town, Garnett, but also the problems inherent with staying there. Annie decides to work with her grandfather, Leroy, to become a private investigator. She wants to know what happened to Victoria. But working on this investigation exposes more than just the murderer, it also forces Annie to face that her quaint little town might not be so perfect after all.
redcolorada's review against another edition
5.0
This mystery/thriller is wonderful! I may be biased because I live in Texas not far from where the story takes place. I loved all the local references to Shiner Beer, tubing on the river, oil workers and many more. The story is interesting and feels like home. The narrator Sandy Rustin really made this candy to my ears. She is a Broadway star and it shines through in her seamless ability to switch back and forth from many different characters and accents. The southern drawl and southern debutant voices were spot on. I very much want this to be a series of books. I love the characters and after this book they feel so familiar that I want the story to continue. Great work Samantha Jayne Allen. I look forward to more from you in the future.
Small town Texas girl from a long line of law men and women. One of her coworkers go missing and the hunt for the truth is on.
Small town Texas girl from a long line of law men and women. One of her coworkers go missing and the hunt for the truth is on.
redcolorada's review
5.0
This mystery/thriller is wonderful! I may be biased because I live in Texas not far from where the story takes place. I loved all the local references to Shiner Beer, tubing on the river, oil workers and many more. The story is interesting and feels like home. I love the trips to local places and the conversations during the scenes. This has the feel of small town Texas. Everyone knows everyone and they all have their back stories. The narrator Sandy Rustin really made this candy to my ears. She is a Broadway star and it shines through in her seamless ability to switch back and forth from many different characters and accents. The southern drawl and southern debutant voices were spot on. I very much want this to be a series of books. I love the characters and after this book they feel so familiar that I want the story to continue. Great work Samantha Jayne Allen. I look forward to more from you in the future.
Small town Texas girl from a long line of law men and women. One of her coworkers go missing and the hunt for the truth is on.
Thank you NetGalley, RB Media, and Recorded Books for the opportunity to experience this audiobook. And I do mean experience. It was wonderful.
Small town Texas girl from a long line of law men and women. One of her coworkers go missing and the hunt for the truth is on.
Thank you NetGalley, RB Media, and Recorded Books for the opportunity to experience this audiobook. And I do mean experience. It was wonderful.
hollysbooknook's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ⭐️ rounded down
Annie McIntyre has recently graduated college and moved back home to the small town of Garnett, Texas. Biding her time until she finds a job, Annie waits tables at the local café. When a waitress at the café is reported missing, Annie is lured into the family business-a private investigation firm run by her “retired” grandfather, Leroy. An investigation begins that will take them through noxious oil fields and under the neon lights of honky-tonks to uncover the truth.
This book was good, but unfortunately not great. I enjoyed the small town setting and the Texas culture, which reminded me a lot of Friday Night Lights! The first 25% was slow due to a lot of character building but did pick up at the halfway point. I will say I wasn’t able to guess the ending and the writing was good! What ultimately pushed me to 3.5 stars was the fact that it kept me interested, but I never felt like it gripped me. Thank you to the author and publisher for my gifted copy!
Annie McIntyre has recently graduated college and moved back home to the small town of Garnett, Texas. Biding her time until she finds a job, Annie waits tables at the local café. When a waitress at the café is reported missing, Annie is lured into the family business-a private investigation firm run by her “retired” grandfather, Leroy. An investigation begins that will take them through noxious oil fields and under the neon lights of honky-tonks to uncover the truth.
This book was good, but unfortunately not great. I enjoyed the small town setting and the Texas culture, which reminded me a lot of Friday Night Lights! The first 25% was slow due to a lot of character building but did pick up at the halfway point. I will say I wasn’t able to guess the ending and the writing was good! What ultimately pushed me to 3.5 stars was the fact that it kept me interested, but I never felt like it gripped me. Thank you to the author and publisher for my gifted copy!
emileereadsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thank you Netgalley and Recorded Books for the gifted audiobook I read alongside the physical ARC I got from Minotaur.
A pitch perfect portrayal of small town Texas. Annie has ended up back in her hometown after college and is unsure what is next on her life trajectory. When her fellow waitress from the local diner goes missing, she finds herself working with her grandfather, the former sheriff turned PI, to figure out who is responsible. She stumbles into crime solving, clues, and actually the conclusion of this case. Which could be marked as detrimental to this book, but I think it is an excellent series opener because it gives her so much room to grow and develop as an investigator. Sometimes detectives are too on the nose and almost clairvoyant in their crime solving skills, but Annie has grit and I think she is going to have such a great character arc over this series.