Mary Mills returns to Cocoa Beach with her son to help her brother who is accused of a murder. She has been gone for twenty years but her friends all are there to help her solve the mystery so her brother can be released from prison. Many heart wrenching things have happened to them but they are there for each other as if they had never parted. There are women who were from the same group in high school being killed also and she tries to find out who is responsible. After looking back at some of the things that happened to those in the story you will find a surprise in the ending.

I’ve read books by the author before. This is a new series and this book is brilliant, so much so I have just bought the next 3. Brilliant characters and a great style of writing where lots of lives are discussed and brought together in a cover way. The main character Mary is endearing and I love the setting of Florida where the book is based. Gripping, twisty and easy to read.

Mary Mills is a famous journalist who is fired by her newspaper in New York due to writing a story that didn't fit their narrative. Meanwhile, her father asks her to come back to her hometown of Cocoa Beach, FL to help her younger brother who is in trouble with the law. She returns and teams up with her old crowd to try to figure out what is going on. One of her old crowd is her ex-husband who just loves surfing and didn't like NY. He is the father or her young son.

I'll just stop right here and say that I chose 4 of Willow Rose's books to review, never having heard of this author before, but always a fan of a good law enforcement story. Wow! I was hooked immediately. I then discovered that Ms. Rose is a prolific writer and proceeded to order all her books from 3 of her series so I could read the WHOLE story. I had a reading marathon. I am hooked and can't wait to read more. Highly recommend anything by this author!

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for the copy in exchange for a honest review. The first of the Mary Mills Mysteries this book has several plots that all link together. Mary has just been fired from her reporter job when her Dad rings to say her brother has been arrested for murder. Mary flies home with her son Salter to clear her brothers name. Then some of Mary's old school friends are murdered. Is there a serial killer on the loose. A great thriller with several twists.

Enjoyable thriller with plenty of twists and turns. I am a huge fan of Willow Rose and always look forward to reading her books!

How is this the first time I've heard about this author?!?

What Hurts the Most is a perfectly fun, quick, beach read! The storyline is dark and devious. and will have you sucked right in.

Mary Mills returns to her home town in Cocoa Beach, when he brother is accused of murder. She was recently fired from her job at the NY Times. She's still trying to come to terms with her divorce and raising her son in NY, while her ex husband is living in FL. The return trip home resurrects a lot of issues from the past. I love, love, loved the 7th Street Gang and all of their interactions. Very fun characters!
There are also a few storylines concurrently occurring. These all end up wrapped in a nice bow at the end, but this is only book 1 of the series....I'm looking forward to devouring the remaining two books!

A special thank you to NetGalley, Buoy Media, and Willow Rose for providing me with an copy.

I at first I was annoyed with how the author introduced us to so many different storylines. But in the end, they all tied together perfectly and suddenly everything made sense. I didn’t expect the ending at all.

That said, it was still slightly underwhelming. I will not continue the series, but I’m sure many love it.

I've read Willow Rose's work before and this book lives up to the usual standard. Would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Willow Rose has a wonderful ability to write these complex storylines with multiple characters and pull them all together for a stunning conclusion. They are fast reads that keep you guessing until the end. If you enjoy stories that keep you involved these are for you. This particular book was inspired by the author's admission of reading about Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. I think this is the first book that I have read where this is part of the story. It was a wonderful inclusion and it was a surprise as to which character was the victim of their mother's disease.

First book in a new series. Likable characters, smooth writing with even storytelling. I look forward to reading more from this series and Willow Rose.

I just read "What Hurts the Most", by Willow Rose. I thought it was a great book. The author did a great job on introducing a vibrant, passionate main character in the book named Mary. Mary is called back to her small home town because she needs to solve a mystery that is directly related to her past.
In order to do so, she must confront and solve the issues of her past and acknowledge what made her leave. When the first read this book, I though the ending was simply too outrageous, but then when I found out that there was a series coming, I thought the ending was excellent because it sets up further adventures and pursuits for Mary.
The book was well written, well-paced and included intrigue and suspense to keep the pages turning. In enjoyed this book very much and really liked the main character. She was flawed but fiercely devoted to helping others. The ending left me wanting more, and wanting to read more about Mary's adventures.
I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of this genre. You will be entertained and intrigued throughout. Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this book . I will definately be reading moe from this author.

This is a new to me author. I simply loved this novel. I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. We are introduced to many and separate characters. The thrill of the novel is trying to figure out how all these characters and their storylines connect and come together in the end. Tons of twists and turns and nail biting suspense sum up this novel. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to read more from this author!

This is the first book in a series, there were a lot of characters but it was an easy read, and I can’t wait to read more.

This is my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last!

'What Hurts the Most' is one of those books that pull you in from the start and does not let go. I was completely blown away by the storyline. It was definitely an engrossing, heart-stopping thriller that had so many twists and turns that left me speechless. I loved how the story played out. One thrilling scenario after another.