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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
It is a small-town sort of night - the last that Whistling Ridge will see for many years to come, although nobody know this yet - in the kind of town where coyotes chew on stray cigarette butts and packs of boys go howling at the moon.
Anna Bailey gives us one hell of a debut with this painfully real depiction of small-town USA. In Where the Truth Lies, the search for a missing teenage girl reveals the cracks in her hometown as the truth threatens to emerge. Weaving together the realities of abuse, addiction, trauma, religion, racism, and homophobia with a very distinct writing style, Bailey manages to set herself apart from the pack spectacularly.
With such an intense story being told, though, I suppose it isn't entirely surprising that the truth about what happened to Abi doesn't necessarily meet the expectations I had built throughout the book. The events that preceded that night in the woods were unexpected and made my heart clench, but the ultimate reveal didn't really match the energy of the rest of the book, in my opinion. The dialogue between the adults and children, particularly when getting lectured for acting out of line, also felt very American sitcom at times rather than genuine parenting, but this improved drastically throughout the rest of the book.
4⭐
Beautiful and oh boy, a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. Small, rural town and mob mentality shape much of this book, with some difficult themes- violence, hate, religious bigotry. It's definitely worth a read!! Beautifully written, I felt like my stomach was up in my throat for much of it.
Of note: I listened to the audiobook and didn't *love* the narrator. Wouldn't let that keep me from. This book, but not my preference.
Of note: I listened to the audiobook and didn't *love* the narrator. Wouldn't let that keep me from. This book, but not my preference.
“– in the kind of town where coyotes chew on stray cigarette butts and packs of boys go howling at the moon.”
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 stars!
Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for an advanced review copy of Where the Truth Lies. This was a striking debut from Anna Bailey, and I look forward to her next novel!
Where the Truth Lies follows the lives of Abi Blake and Emma Alvarez after Abi goes missing one night in their small town of Whistling Ridge, Colorado. As her best friend and one of the last people to see her, Emma stops at nothing to find out what happened to her friend.
This book offered more than the missing girl trope, with its rich character development and atmospheric tone. The Blake family had a strong cast of characters, and I was anxious to learn their backstories. Noah's struggle to confront his homosexuality, in a religious town that does not accept that identity was a key part of this story. Samuel Blake was one of those characters that makes you sick, yet he was also fascinating in terms of how he justified his actions. As a mother, I was saddened by Dolly Blake's relationships with her three children, and how she failed to protect them - especially Jude. There is so much to unpack with this book, and it was truly remarkable.
There was a lot of emotion in this book, with the theme of denial and disapproval of cultural and theological differences faced by many of the characters. I was deeply affected by the events and interwoven stories within this book, and highly recommend it!
Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for an advanced review copy of Where the Truth Lies. This was a striking debut from Anna Bailey, and I look forward to her next novel!
Where the Truth Lies follows the lives of Abi Blake and Emma Alvarez after Abi goes missing one night in their small town of Whistling Ridge, Colorado. As her best friend and one of the last people to see her, Emma stops at nothing to find out what happened to her friend.
This book offered more than the missing girl trope, with its rich character development and atmospheric tone. The Blake family had a strong cast of characters, and I was anxious to learn their backstories. Noah's struggle to confront his homosexuality, in a religious town that does not accept that identity was a key part of this story. Samuel Blake was one of those characters that makes you sick, yet he was also fascinating in terms of how he justified his actions. As a mother, I was saddened by Dolly Blake's relationships with her three children, and how she failed to protect them - especially Jude. There is so much to unpack with this book, and it was truly remarkable.
There was a lot of emotion in this book, with the theme of denial and disapproval of cultural and theological differences faced by many of the characters. I was deeply affected by the events and interwoven stories within this book, and highly recommend it!
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The town of Whistling Ridge guards its secrets. Boy do they! It is a small town with secrets worth killing for. This book is told in several different storylines and different points of time. We progress through the book bouncing between the storylines while we tried to learn the whereabouts of Abigail "Abi" Blake.
The characters were well created and I felt empathy for some and disdain for others. While I had trouble getting into the book, I enjoyed it overall. Push through it and you'll be glad that you did.
4 out of 5 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-arc for review.
The characters were well created and I felt empathy for some and disdain for others. While I had trouble getting into the book, I enjoyed it overall. Push through it and you'll be glad that you did.
4 out of 5 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-arc for review.
Personally felt this booked dragged a lot - I had to re-read the first several chapters a few times just to get a feel for what was going on. Not well paced.