Storyline: 4 Stars
I was going back and forth between 4 and 5 starts for this one because was really that good! I settled on 4 stars because 5 stars is a high bar, but I think 4.5 stars is the perfect rating for this book.
I grew up in Minnesota, so this book was enjoyable as there were some cameos from Minnesota themes and landmarks. Actually, I grew up in a town about thirty miles from where this book was supposed to take place! I may have liked it a little more because of that, but I am trying to be unbiased in my rating and review.
This book had everything. There was mystery, drama, friendship, romantic relationships, family relationships, everything. The author did a great job of making us feel a part of the town of Jewel. I think there were enough characters to have a well rounded town that made the reader feel a part of it without bombarding the reader with random characters that seemed pointless. I appreciated that we had a wide variety of characters with different backgrounds. Some characters were great and admirable, some were a bit more shady, and others were pretty awful. It reflects society pretty well today.
I can’t give away too much about this book, but it was not just a mystery book. The back cover does not do the book justice since it reads as another murder mystery novel, but it is so much more than that.
Parental Guidance: 70% Recommend
I would recommend this book 70% of the time. The language was not harsh and there were a few romantic scenes and some intimacy that is inferred. There are a few parts where women are briefly described while derobed, but it is brief. Two young boys are at the age of being very interested in women, and they talk about women several times throughout.
The main reason for taking some percentage points off is that there is violence and a lot of domestic violence that gets brought up. There are a few disturbing scenes involving r*pe, and more scenes with women talking about their past experiences. These parts of the book make it very impactful, but it would not be something that everyone would be able to read without being triggered, and I would not recommend it to a child under the age of 16 for sure.
Real Book Chat
*Spoilers Ahead*
I said above that I appreciated how there was a large spectrum of characters, and many of them were not completely good or completely bad. I appreciated that about the book. Brody was having an affair, Garnet was kind of suspect, Angie had an interesting past (although honestly I think Brody is much worse for having an affair), Marta killed her husband, Noah had an illegitimate son, Scott did some really sketchy stuff with his friend Del, and the list goes on. But these characters also had good qualities. Brody was sweet towards Angie, Garnet kept Angie’s secret, Angie had a heart of gold, Marta cared about her daughter, Noah cared about his illegitimate son and his mother, Scott protected Del from his step father. I appreciated that we saw a large spectrum of humanity throughout the book, reminding me that as humans, none of us are completely good. That is a part of being human.
Speaking of these characters, I appreciated that Garnet kept Angie’s secret. At first I thought she was going to be sleezy and expose Angie’s past, and although she still was not extremely nice to Angie, I appreciated that the author made a choice not to make her a complete villain. She definitely should not have been having an affair with her brother-in-law, but there was some redeeming qualities about her.
I really enjoyed this book. It will probably stay with me. Plus, I have played the golf course in Jewel many times which was a fun tie to the book!
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