I did not have high expectations for this book. It was an impulse purchase as part of an Audible 2-for-1 sale and I knew nothing about the book or the author going in. So it was a pleasant surprise to find an engaging mystery/thriller with interesting characters and enough twists to keep me guessing until near the end. My only real disappointment is in the way some of the loose threads tied up in the end (too obvious and not at all original). I will note that there are so many characters with relationship details revealed throughout the story that it was difficult for me to keep up with them and the related clues on audio. The same with the story timeline, which is not linear. I had to make notes via Audible bookmarks & clips to keep up. This probably would not have been a problem had I been reading a text format instead of audio.

The audio was performed by multiple narrators, all of whom were effective.
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Why is this book described as a "thriller"? It was not thrilling. The whole thing seemed contrived, such as characters introduced simply to throw the reader off the whodunit trail. Even the surprising plot twists seemed like tricks. The writing itself was quite good, but the plot was so-so at best. Its subject matter had great potential, but overall, I was disappointed in the book. ( )

THE TWISTS OOF SO HARD I HURT MY BACK. SICK. AWFUL. Recommend. ( )

When the body of an unidentified infant is found near a riverbed in a small college town, new to the area (and new to reporting) Molly is asked to cover the story. Molly's sudden career change came about after a tragedy where she lost her own child, so this isn't going to be easy on her or her supportive husband. As Molly digs in deeper to the story and the town, she soon finds that everyone seems to be connected here in some way, and that there are deep secrets that go back decades.

My Thoughts:
I don't read a ton of adult books, but when I find an author that I'm really feeling, I try to keep an eye out for their books. I read [b:Reconstructing Amelia|15776309|Reconstructing Amelia|Kimberly McCreight|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350193583s/15776309.jpg|21488217] last year and REALLY liked it. It was addicting. So I was very excited to see what else this author would come up with, and I was happy with it. This book is totally different than Amelia, but very similar all at the same time. The mystery and setting and multiple layers to the story sets it apart, but it kept the teen element and also the use of articles and journal entries to supplement the story.

This story is basically an entire town full of stories that are woven together. You have the main girl Molly, who went through a rough patch of depression after a baby she was carrying died in the womb. Her family just made the move from NYC to this small college town so that Justin (her husband) could take a job as a professor and so they could have a fresh start. Her daughter, Ella, is in school, and Molly has switched from being a lawyer to a reporter for the Ridgedale Reader. The second story-line is with Sandy. She's a 16 year-old high school drop-out living with her unpredictable mother Jenna. Jenna grew up in this town and recently brought them back here for reasons she hasn't figured out. Then Jenna goes missing, and Sandy is facing eviction. With no way to contact her mom, and no way she would contact the police, she starts searching on her own. The other narrator is Barbara. She has a kid in preschool with Molly's daughter and is married to the chief of police. She's extremely out of touch with reality and really fun (and frustrating) to read.

The way the side characters all interconnected was really interesting, and made the book that much better. Stella (a friend to Molly & Sandy's boyfriend's mother) was my favorite because she didn't hold back or care much what people in the town thought.

Although I truly liked the mystery and the way she mixed in the newspaper articles, etc., there were things about Molly that bugged me. She was too much in her head, over-analyzing every word she said. She also was a bit of a dweller, woe is me- type.

Quote I Liked: "Happy was my adopted country, not my native land"

OVERALL: A book with an interesting mystery, setting, and interconnected stories that I would totally recommend. Even to my YA peeps. This book and Reconstructing Amelia are definitely YA friendly as they are partially narrated by teenage characters. I think it was a solid sophomore effort for Kimberly McCreight.

My Blog:
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This book made me want to slap a couple of the characters. If things are going to bring back bad memories, and you are not under the care of a doctor, don't do them. But of course, there'd be no story. ( )