The Widow of Weeping Pines is a great quick read. It’s definitely a page turner. The story did not disappoint with the twists and the turns and it held my interest. It's a thriller and mystery and makes you wonder what is going to happen several times throughout the book. I highly recommend reading this if you enjoy thriller and mystery books. Thank you NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

This wasn't' a favorite of mine. It felt like there were a lot of different tropes and cliches of murder thrillers that didn't make sense when they all happened in the same novel. It was also way too short to try to accomplish the reveals - there was no room for inference, just twists being explained flat out to you. Really just nothing original happening in the story. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

“Sometimes I wish my husband would die. Do you ever feel like that?” And with that opening sentence we’re off to the races.

This was a quick read and relatively fast paced novella about a widowed woman named Betty Lou. Years after her husband passed away from what appeared to be natural causes, 39 year old therapist turned author Betty Lou still resides in her inherited mansion called Gadleigh Estate in the small town of Weeping Pines, WA. Now engaged to her fiancée Ian, whom she met prior to Jacks death, she suspects Ian of having an affair with a local beauty named Carmen Marquis. Meanwhile Betty Lou is under suspicion from local detective Nicholas Stahl for he believes Jacks death was anything but natural. Tensions rise quickly and escalate to murder…
I have to say I really enjoyed seeing the characters become more and more unhinged as the book came along!! Unhinged people are super entertaining. It was a fun ride, and while the ending came as quite a surprise it also seemed a little rushed unfortunately. Very good read though!

Many thanks to Netgalley and HHTISEVICH for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes I wish my husband would die.

Yeah.
Uhm.
No one please show my boyfriend this book and its terrific opening line.


Catching up with all my ARCs so that the NetGalley police stops thinking I'm an asshole, and decided to start with this one, because both the blurb and the cover looked enticing.


The Widow of Weeping Pines is a short-chaptered little gem that sounds like every other domesti thriller you've ever read, but is blessed by Amanda McKinney's good writing.
The plot doesn't wait around and you're never left hanging, because the story is spread into a frantic succession of events and twists you won't be able to catch your breath.

Betts is one very unlikeable main character, but in her defense, everyone in this book sucks.
Also, bonus point for the author to create a story without feeling the need to introduce more than 10 characters.

There's really not much backstory -which for me is a positive trait, because I like my thrillers like I like my washing machine press cycle: quick and effective-, and I feel like some parts were extremely rushed and some questions were left unanswered, but I overall liked this and can tell it has potential to be the one-sitting kind of read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me this ARC in exchange for a honest review.


ACTUAL RATINGS 3,5/5

This book left me a bit uncomfortable and unsettled! The story line is a boundary crossing twisty turny nightmare in a good way. The fast pace and short chapters had me speeding through this. The twist and turns were juicy and the writing style was captivating. Highly Recommend.

Major mixed feelings with this book.

On one hand, I couldn't stop reading because I needed answers. On the other, I kind of felt like everything was very blunt, to the point, quick and short. I don't know that I liked one character, they were all kind of horrid or annoying in their own way.

A little off the charts, this was a fast paced domestic thriller that will have you tense and turning pages well into the night.

** spoiler alert ** I enjoyed this. It was a quick, easy and entertaining read. I also liked the end right up until the VERY end. I don't really understand how Betts managed to survive being poisoned in a remote cabin off-the-grid. She was unconscious when she was taken there, so it seems unlikely she could even direct help to her location if she managed to find a way to call for it. Stahl was conspiring with his friend to murder her and dump the body, so it doesn't seem likely he would've been in contact with any other law enforcement. So how did she survive? Other than that part of the ending though, I found this book very enjoyable.

Great writing style. I really appreciate books that keep you invested and are not unnecessarily long.

This is a true cat and mouse story

You read it in two perspectives Betts and Detective Nicholas Stahl.
Betts is unhinged and is quite the character. I actually found myself rooting for her. Detective Stahl is sure she murdered her first husband. He is continuing to investigate the case.

This is a fast and easy read. It’s short but worth it!

Dark, fast-paced novella that you will be able to read in a couple hours.
Betts is a widow, therapist, and wannabe novelist. Her husband, Jack, died several years ago and now she is engaged to Ian whom she suspects of having an affair with one of her therapy clients. Her dead husband’s friend, Nicholas, is a detective who is re-opening the case of her husband’s death.
The chapters are short. You don’t know who to trust or who to believe. The story moves quickly with a few short sex scenes. Great read for an afternoon on the beach.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

"The Widow of Weeping Pines" is gripping and suspenseful, and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Amanda McKinney has crafted a story that is complex and multi-dimensional, with secrets that keep you guessing until the very end. It is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a well-crafted mystery with complex characters and a twisty plot.

Not on my list of favorites. It felt like the object wasn’t to tell a story but rather to see how weird the characters could be while still being somewhat believable. McKinney is a good writer but this wasn’t her best effort.

“Sometimes I wish my husband would die. Do you ever feel like that?”
Now that’s an opening that will hook a reader into finishing a book in one sitting!
Betty Lou or Betts as she likes to be called is a “therapist” with more than a few issues of her own. She’s jealous of her handsome, wealthy husband, she’s revengeful, angry, manipulative, anxious and has murder on her mind. If you choose to read this one you’re in for a wild ride.

The Widow of Weeping Pines is was quite the psychological thriller. Therapist and struggling author Betty Lou Abbott has a secret, one she keeps locked in the basement of the historic mansion she inherited from her late husband. Her fiancé, Ian, also has a secret: he is having an affair with one of Betty Lou’s clients. She thinks so, anyway.

The premise really drew me in here. I usually love a dual POV with a mystery because I find it lets readers feel like they know more than the narrators at some points in the book.

Overall I found the book really fast paced, quite chaotic but really interesting - as I couldn't predict some of the twists and turns. I didn't love how short it was (it's only 150 ish pages - so comes in as a novella) and found the length resulted in the story feeling a bit rushed. I think it is a series though - so I will definitely pick up book #2.

Rating: 3.5⭐

EXCERPT: Betts
Sometimes I wish my husband would die.
Do you ever feel like that?

ABOUT 'THE WIDOW OF WEEPING PINES': Therapist and struggling author Betty Lou Abbott has a secret, one she keeps locked in the basement of the historic mansion she inherited from her late husband. Her fiancé, Ian, also has a secret: he is having an affair with one of Betty Lou’s clients. She thinks so, anyway.

As Betty Lou’s life becomes intertwined with the beautiful, successful Carmen Marquis, her intention to expose the affair turns into a dangerous obsession. Especially when she learns there is more to Carmen than meets the eye.
Caught in the middle of this cunning pair of women is Nicholas Stahl, a crooked detective who is determined to prove the truth—that one of them is a cold-blooded killer.

Two women—one crazy, one ill—and both have secrets they would kill for.
Two men—one innocent, one ruthless.
All four will leave you wondering who you can trust.

MY THOUGHTS: From the opening lines to the very last word, Amanda McKinney had me hooked. This is probably the craziest, most compelling, rollercoaster ride of a novella that I have ever had the pleasure to read. I picked it up and didn't put it down till I finished it.

Anxiety, anger, manipulation, jealousy, revenge, even murder - but no remorse.

Don't read about The Widow of Weeping Pines, just read the book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#AmandaMcKinney #NetGalley

I: @amandamckinneyauthor #HHTisevich

#fivestarread #contemporaryfiction #crime #domesticdrama #mystery #suspense #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Set in small, Southern towns, Amanda’s books are page-turning murder mysteries peppered with steamy romance She lives in Arkansas with her handsome husband, two beautiful boys, and three obnoxious dogs.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to HH Tisevich via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Widow of Weeping Pines by Amanda McKinney for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

I was pulled in from the first line. The author excels at the use of tone and voice to propel the story forward when the reader might otherwise tap out due to lacking believability. Loved.

This one kept me on the edge of my seat till the twisted end! I didn’t see that coming! This is a dark psychological thriller full of domestic suspense and mystery. It’s a page turner with plot twists and troubled characters. I really enjoyed it.

This book was extremely easy to read, writing was clear and engaging, the pace was also good, so it was a hard decision to give it 1 star. The plot was, however, chaotic, and pretty much all characters were unlikeable. Still, the biggest issue is how mental health in this book is terribly misrepresented. That is my main reason why it could not be redeemed.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!
I liked this book for being fast paced, short, and captivating. The characters were a tangled dramatic mess and it was hard to figure out who was telling the truth & when. I liked the varying perspectives with a heavier focus on Betts POV. Only having 5 characters helped the story to be easy to follow. Each of the characters was complex with clear, and not so clear intentions. I loved how short the book was overall, and the ending both cleaned it up and left more questions.

The widow of weeping pines
I'm not really into murder. Mysteries for the most part, but this book is most definitely an exception. It has twists and turns much like the country roads, hillside's ,and Cliff shores described in the books landscape. Never really quite sure who to sympathize with in this book and there were a lot of creepy things I found myself relating to anyways, I never would have I also very much liked the length of this book. There are some books that you want on and on, but this one was very good. Everything ended up neatly wrapped up in a nice little package. I recommend this book even to those who don't think they like murder mysteries.