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litwithleigh's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you HTP Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.
3.5 rounded down
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 3/5 | Ending: 3/5
SYNOPSIS
Four Williams women. One missing body. Generations of secrets.
MY OPINION
This book was like a darker version of The Graduate (novel) meets Rumor Has It (film)... with some other stuff added to it. I wouldn't classify this as a thriller, or really a suspense, it was definitely closer to women's fiction. The bulk of the book revolves around the women's issues faced by Clementine, Tara and her daughter Lottie, June, and Stephanie. The missing persons thingy is really left until the end and isn't important to the overall theme of the book which is: being a woman is an uphill battle LOL.
I really like the witty writing (although I wish the jokey jokes had been more consistent throughout, it definitely got less funny as it went along) and the small-town Alabama setting. I've lived and worked in Virginia and Georgia, so I'm familiar with the general attitudes and culture of the South. The author was definitely tryna give the South some good press by pointing out that not all religious Southerners are bigots.
Regardless of your standpoint, Bird does a fantastic job creating morally grey characters. It's interesting to read about a pastor's wife (Tara) struggling with her belief in God, June's disdain with the microaggressions agains her Peruvian husband, Nic, and Clementine's desire to "come up" in the world by moving to New York and pursuing academia. Stephanie, well ironically (or perhaps intentionally done by the author) was the most selfish and a mute bystander to her husband's casual racism everyday just so she could live vicariously through his political "success". Tbh my dog Nobu has more influence than her husband sooo was it worth it Stephanie???
While Tara, June, and Clementine said no to racism, they weren't perfect by any means. Each woman jumps head first into a moral grey area: pilfering from the church, stealing a baby, and dating a man accused of sexual misconduct. I can see the Williams' women inspiring a many good debates in book clubs. I'll just say it though: do NOT steal babies. Just... no. Adopt a puppy or something but do not steal a damn baby!!
The reason for 3/5 on the plot was because there wasn't much going on. It was really focused on the characters' inner thoughts and the events that shaped them versus the present. Like I said, the missing persons really only came front and center for about 10% of the book. I felt that Stephanie's police interview was unnecessary and really only there to fulfil a pillar of the thriller/suspense genre so it could be marketed as such. And the ending was quite abrupt too. I'm not sure if Bird plans on writing a second book, because the ending was quite ambiguous LOL. When I saw the acknowledgements header I was like AHT AHT, get your ass back here Bird and finish this off properly!!!! A cliffhanger with no series in sight is sooooo annoying (to me).
All in all, an interesting look at the lives of four Southern born and bred women and their personal struggles.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: well-written, solid wit (kinda tapers off though), interesting morally grey characters
Cons: no plot really, the missing persons ordeal felt like it was added just so this book could be marketed as a suspense/thriller...
3.5 rounded down
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 3/5 | Ending: 3/5
SYNOPSIS
Four Williams women. One missing body. Generations of secrets.
MY OPINION
This book was like a darker version of The Graduate (novel) meets Rumor Has It (film)... with some other stuff added to it. I wouldn't classify this as a thriller, or really a suspense, it was definitely closer to women's fiction. The bulk of the book revolves around the women's issues faced by Clementine, Tara and her daughter Lottie, June, and Stephanie. The missing persons thingy is really left until the end and isn't important to the overall theme of the book which is: being a woman is an uphill battle LOL.
I really like the witty writing (although I wish the jokey jokes had been more consistent throughout, it definitely got less funny as it went along) and the small-town Alabama setting. I've lived and worked in Virginia and Georgia, so I'm familiar with the general attitudes and culture of the South. The author was definitely tryna give the South some good press by pointing out that not all religious Southerners are bigots.
Regardless of your standpoint, Bird does a fantastic job creating morally grey characters. It's interesting to read about a pastor's wife (Tara) struggling with her belief in God, June's disdain with the microaggressions agains her Peruvian husband, Nic, and Clementine's desire to "come up" in the world by moving to New York and pursuing academia. Stephanie, well ironically (or perhaps intentionally done by the author) was the most selfish and a mute bystander to her husband's casual racism everyday just so she could live vicariously through his political "success". Tbh my dog Nobu has more influence than her husband sooo was it worth it Stephanie???
While Tara, June, and Clementine said no to racism, they weren't perfect by any means. Each woman jumps head first into a moral grey area: pilfering from the church, stealing a baby, and dating a man accused of sexual misconduct. I can see the Williams' women inspiring a many good debates in book clubs. I'll just say it though: do NOT steal babies. Just... no. Adopt a puppy or something but do not steal a damn baby!!
The reason for 3/5 on the plot was because there wasn't much going on. It was really focused on the characters' inner thoughts and the events that shaped them versus the present. Like I said, the missing persons really only came front and center for about 10% of the book. I felt that Stephanie's police interview was unnecessary and really only there to fulfil a pillar of the thriller/suspense genre so it could be marketed as such. And the ending was quite abrupt too. I'm not sure if Bird plans on writing a second book, because the ending was quite ambiguous LOL. When I saw the acknowledgements header I was like AHT AHT, get your ass back here Bird and finish this off properly!!!! A cliffhanger with no series in sight is sooooo annoying (to me).
All in all, an interesting look at the lives of four Southern born and bred women and their personal struggles.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: well-written, solid wit (kinda tapers off though), interesting morally grey characters
Cons: no plot really, the missing persons ordeal felt like it was added just so this book could be marketed as a suspense/thriller...
meghanshea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
edenwadz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bmce01'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
chellefell's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
nyasha_x's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ssshamblin's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
pilesoflaundry113's review against another edition
1.0
Could not get into this one past the first 100 pages or so. I really tried but just not my thing
midnightpoison13's review against another edition
4.0
I stumbled upon an advance reader's copy of this book in a quaint café with a "leave a book, take a book" library. Intrigued by the premise, I decided to give it a chance. The narrative centers on the tumultuous lives of the Williamson sisters, each harboring a dark secret.
Tara, married to the town's pastor, grapples with her clandestine embezzlement from the church funds. June, consumed by the desire for motherhood, commits a desperate act by kidnapping a newborn from the hospital where she and her husband are employed. Clementine finds herself entangled in a taboo romance with her married professor, who exploits his students' experiences for his novels. Meanwhile, Stephanie, the Yankee sister-in-law, discovers her politician husband's infidelity, adding to the family's turmoil.
Their worlds collide when they reunite following the sudden passing of Grandma Pearl on the eve of her 80th birthday. As they confront their grief and attempt to honor Pearl's memory, they must also navigate the suspicions of the town sheriff, who harbors doubts about Pearl's involvement in her husband Harley's death years ago. And buried secrets resurface as they discover that Grandma Pearl's grave holds more than one secret.