Willa is everything Sawyer is not. Where Willa is strong-willed and determined, Sawyer is uncertain of herself and her future. So when Willa is found dead of an apparent suicide, Sawyer knows something isn't adding up. When she finds that Willa was investigating the 30-year old disappearance of a child, Sawyer knows she must follow the clues to find answers as to who killed Willa.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It wasn't very long but it crammed a lot inside. I did have a feeling about the ending based on some info readers find out in the middle of the book, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment. I could see this being a fun, beach read.

I know, I am a hard customer.

Bare bones: Willa Stannard is a perfectly composed, overly pedantic, celebrated broadcaster who froze suddenly on air. In an attempt to overcome this huge gaff of her career she decides to use her journalistic knowledge to shed a light on decades old unsolved case of a kidnapped child. Which is why her sister Sawyer is surprised when she gets a news about Willa's suicide. Sawyer can't reconcile with the explanation that her sister would take her own life so she hopes solving the case will bring her the answers of what was happening with Willa.

The premise of this novel actually has potential: there is a strained relationship between sisters that leaves enough space for character development, there is an old mystery not solved which drives the plot forward and there is a bit of danger to allow for suspense. I particularity enjoyed the hook for the mystery aspect: you read how Willa choked during live program and suggests it's something about the news she was supposed to report on and I was interested to know what really happened to her.
There are bones of a good story there, but it's like Robards didn't utilise the most interesting aspects of her premise to write one. For example, she starts with dual point of view: Willa's describing the events prior to her death and Sawyer's in aftermath of Willa's death. And this is a great tool (Sadie, for example), but then she leaves this approach completely focusing only on Sawyer's investigation and excerpts from Willa's book. Now, I am a character reader first and foremost and I thought Willa is by far the most intriguing character, not just in terms of mystery she was investigating for her book, but also psychologically: her pedantic nature, signs of ocd behaviour, striving to perfection in her work, emotional dissonance. Let me tell you- a phone call Willa left for Sawyer is more intriguing than anything Sawyer or anyone else have to say in this book. And Robards never really dug into her and it's a such a missed opportunity. It's also kind of an odd choice considering the title and what it suggests. At a certain point story changes the focus from Willa to mystery of disappeared child and Sawyer's investigation into it and I'd say it was the moment the book took a dive for me. I wanted more to know what was happening with Willa in last months of her life that would perhaps make the ending work better for me, than I wanted to know what happened with disappeared baby.
The big twist of entire story was predictable, but predictable is not something that means automatically bad for me, because sometimes I just want to see how it will play out. I was more annoyed with how Sawyer realizes fairly early one there is one person who can give her all the answers and she has access to that person, but she keeps putting that convo away and not pushing it for no reason that's even remotely logical or convincing. Speaking of logical or convincing, I wasn't sold on reason for Willa's death, or to be precise, how it was framed as inevitable because of it rather than contributing factor to it and perhaps it's the consequence of the fact Willa was not explored enough to my liking.
Writing is fine; I'd say dialogues are stronger than inner thoughts or descriptions, but I noticed this only because telling instead of showing was sometimes so glaring. For example, this line:

Willa scoffed. “I refuse to see a shrink,” she said,trying to minimize the profession...


There was no need to tell the reader what Will wanted to do with that sentence because I think majority of us would come to that conclusion ourselves.

That's it, those are my reasons for rating the book two stars, and I decided on two stars because per Goodreads standards it means it's good. And it is good, but nothing more than that. Honing the comes with experience and for a debut author, Kate Robards showed enough potential for me to keep an eye on her future projects.

The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard by Kate Robards was a very good suspense debut.
The author expertly wrote this novel drawing the reader into the lives of these characters, the plot and story of the book.
The twists and turns, and crazy suspense made for a very satisfying read!
Each chapter kept me on the edge of my seat wondering how things were going to fall together.
An amazing debut and I will definitely be adding this Author to my list!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An amazing debut thriller from Kate Robards! The lives of the main characters, Willa and Sawyer Stannard, are interwoven with their mother in a small town outside of Chicago.
When Willa commits suicide, Sawyer cannot believe her sister would resort to ending her life. No note was left behind; it all seemed too pat, too sudden. Willa was a successful tv news broadcaster until her life took a turn in another direction. Sawyer was the flighty one who couldn’t keep a job or had numerous ideas that never panned out. When Sawyer discovers that her sister had been in the process of writing a book, an investigative true crime, she decides to finish it and do some investigating herself. Convinced that Willa may have been murdered she involves herself in Willa’s investigation, the kidnapping of 18 month old Melody, which took place 26 years previously. Add to that a small town mentality and it all comes together!
I had no idea where this was going so I was really surprised as the story unfolded.
A super story line with twists which I always love in a thriller.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did! Certainly recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Kate Robards for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Rounded up to 4.5/5 stars!

What a fantastic debut thriller novel from author Kate Robards! The story centers around two sisters, Willa and Sawyer. When Willa dies, Sawyer begins trying to piece together what happened with Willa. This leads her down a path lined with an unsolved disappearance, shady characters and the connection Willa has with all of it.

It’s written from both sisters’ POV, and I liked reading each girl's thoughts and feelings in the moment.

I had the big twist figured out fairly early on, but there were several other reveals that I did NOT see coming. Definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys a twist psychological thriller!

**My other reviews for The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard can be found at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5144643720 and instagram.com/jenny_leeeee

A terrific debut novel by Kate Robards. Sawyer Stannard refuses to accept the circumstances around the death of her sister Willa so, against everyone else’s advice, retraces her sisters’ last year. She learns that her sister, an investigative journalist, was writing a book about the disappearance of an infant in a small town close to 30 years before and this leads her to her own shocking connection to the story. Suspenseful, recommended reading.

Thank you so much to Crooked Lane books for sending me an advanced copy of "The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard." in exchange for an honest review.

This book is why i enjoy thrillers so much. because most tend to start off with some terrible thing happening and the reader along with the main character have to put the puzzle together and this book had me doing just that. I didn't know what was the truth and I had some suspicions about the ending but i was completely surprised.

Be prepared to stay up well past your bedtime when you start this book! Kate Robards has crafted an incredibly well-written and compelling debut novel. Told in alternating voices of two sisters, Willa and Sawyer, the story revolves around Willa's death and Sawyer trying to make sense of her sister's last year. The novel is emotional, thoughtful, and delves deep into the girls' relationship (and that with their mother, Claudia). It's a must read for 2023! Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for an advanced reader of this novel - the opinions expressed are my own.

A missing child, a small town’s secrets, and a desperate killer set the stage for a darkly wrought debut novel that will haunt readers long after the last page.

30 years ago a child went missing and Willa , an investigative journalist is following the case. Willa is killed and her sister Swayer decides she cannot rest until she finds out what actually happened to Willa and why. But what she will discover will have all readers on the edge of their seats. A brilliant book with a well developed plot and fantastic characters that bring the story alive and had me turning the pages very quickly.

A small town with many secrets and I am happy to say that I did not pick what would happen at the end, this was very cleverly put together and there were quick a few 'oh my gosh moments' as we hurtled to the end, I literally could not put the book down.

I will definitely be looking out for more of this authors work after reading this book, thank you to Netgalley the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The stiry jumps around from present to past and is told thru various characters. I came up with various endings before the end. It was a bit sad but thoroughly enjoyable story

A masterpiece of storytelling for Kate Robards debut. Brilliant writing that brings to life all the participants in this sensational novel. The twists in the story lead to a surprising but shocking finale. This novel deserves the highest rating of 5 stars.

An intriguing debut about family, secrets, and escaping the past. Sawyer cannot accept that her older sister Willa died by suicide, especially after finding out Willa was writing a book about a missing child. Could Willa have found something in her research that got her killed instead?
Sawyer decides to trace Willa's steps and visit the small town where Melody disappeared.
Written from both sisters' POVs, The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard is a compelling, smart thriller with a great twist.

I was given an early ebook in exchange for an honest review. This is a first book by Kate Roberts. It was so great I can’t wait for the next. This was the story of sisters Willa and Sawyer. Sawyer ever the little sister to Willa. Looked up to her big sister. Willa would curl up and sleep with Sawyer when they were little girls. ,always comforting. They were raised by their single dysfunctional mother, Claudia. Willa couldn’t wait to break away from the overbearing mother and left and would become a featured news anchor in Chicago. She is known for her thorough investigative news articles.she takes on the small rural town’s 30-yr-old disappearance of baby Melody The story has been picked up and followed by legions of journalists every year on the anniversary of her disappearance they all want to figure out what happened to the baby. The people of the town just see her as one more. She writes a novel about her experiences and submits it before she commits suicide. Sawyer won’t accept the police conclusion of suicide and goes out to prove she was murdered. She felt, knowing Willa, she would never do that. Wlla was a perfectionist personally and professionally. So Sawyer sets off to prove she was murdered by retracing her footsteps. Much to the loathing of the small rural towns people who once again feel someone is digging into their private lives once again. Claudia feels it is too dangerous for Sawyer to do especially if it brought about Willa’s murder.. Red herring along with great twists and turns. This book is seen through the eyes of both sisters. Thanks for the opportunity #NetGalley, #crookedLaneBooks, #KateRoberts, #ThethreeDeathsofWillaStannard, for the opportunity to review early this intense page turning thriller. While I thought I had it figured out there were several more twists to the overall story. What’s not to love. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thriller. Two hands way up!

Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Kate Robards for the opportunity to read an advance copy of THE THREE DEATHS OF WILLA STANNARD, to be published 20 June 2023. This was a psychological thriller in which the characters were diagnosed with mental disorders, very unusual in the genre. It stood out for that reason alone. The story begins with a suicide and then there is narration from several points of view including the dead woman from past events. The dead woman, Willa, is an investigative reporter and her sister follows her life to try to determine if and why she actually committed suicide. The novel culminates in a very twisted ending that left me totally shocked.

Willa is an investigative journalist out to solve a mystery of a missing child from 30 years ago. When she dies, her sister Sawyer is determined to find out why. As she tries to retrace her sister steps, she gets deeper and deeper involved and can’t stop. Kate Robards created a chilling story of small town secrets. It’ll definitely stick with you long after you finish!


*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
This is a first from this author. The writing was fabulous. The story intriguing and well plotted. A solid 4 stars.

Nice debut from Katie Roberts with mystery, suspense, and twists. Recommended for anyone wanting who enjoys mysteries with sisters and different points of view. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A woman grieving her sister's death uncovers unsettling family secrets in this impressive debut novel Kate Robards. I requested this book because of the intriguing premise. Sawyer Stannard is shocked when police inform her that her sister Willa killed herself and decides to prove them wrong. She discovers that Willa was writing a book in the months before she died and decides to continue Willa's work. Sawyer has no idea that her involvement in Willa's book will completely upend her life as she knows it. I guessed part of the twist before the end but not the whole story. Kate Robards masterfully builds the tension by having both Sawyer and the reader learn the truth piece by piece. I look forward to more books of hers. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book really surprised me! I actually didn’t expect the twist at all, so it was actually quite the jaw dropping read for me.

I really appreciated the unique storyline and the relationship between the sisters. It was really interesting to read from each of their point of views - it was quite refreshing to read from the POV of what I think most people would call an “unlikeable” or “cold” character.

Thoroughly enjoyed this one and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a thriller you can sit down and churn through in one sitting.

Available June 20, 2023
5⭐

I loved the cover and the snippet describing the book, I just had to read it!

Our protagonist Sawyer, younger sister, absolutely refuses to believe that her older, perfectionist sister, Willa, would do what she did. They were both raised by an unstable, needy single mother, with Willa needing to escape and Sawyer staying with her Mama, stuck in a codependent relationship. As adults, the sisters have completely drifted apart, with different lifestyles and Willa living in glamorous Chicago, while Sawyer was in their hometown. Without going into further detail, I don't want to give it away, you definitely need to read this book. Ms. Robards has written a wonderful, quick paced thriller with an excellent plot and well detailed characters.