This was exactly as it says on the cover, a chilling read. Hadley returns to her home town and it’s no longer what she remembers. Strange mysteries regarding a local boy who disappeared years prior and how was Harley’s family involved. This was such a tense dark read I wish I had read it sooner.

Such a great read! I really enjoyed this author's style of writing. It was very descriptive and really made me feel like I was in the story. I would highly recommend this book to other readers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
Hadley returns to her hometown with her daughter and finds that family secrets won’t stay secret forever.

Thank you to @netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

Hadley has returned home and now is exploring the many family secrets that haunt not only her but also her small town. It's a well done novel and a good read.

This was an interesting read! Darker than I expected. I would recommend this to those who like dark thrillers, and are okay with content that can be a little brutal. Overall, I think I remained a bit disconnected from the story. Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review, netgalley! 3 stars from me.

I am currently developing a section of the school library that will present a diverse and eclectic range of contemporary crime and thriller novels. This genre has been so popular in terms of what is being borrowed, but I feel like the young people are sticking to 'what they know' in terms of titles or writers that they've already heard of or have seen their parents reading. My mission is to include more novels like this one and improve the range and diversity of fiction that they can choose from in order to expand their reading horizons. I absolutely loved this book. It kept me gripped from the very first page and without giving away any spoilers, was a dark, intense and satisfying journey. I think that the young people will love its distinctive voice as well as be gripped by the story and intrigued to follow it to its tense conclusion. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for intelligent, credible writing with a strong hook that won't let you go. Treat yourself to The Grave Tender!

The Grave Tender was a unique story with fantastic writing and an amazing setting.

After leaving her childhood Texas home, Hadley wasn't sure she would ever return. However when she finds herself widowed and pregnant, Hadley moves herself and her daughter back home to face the tumultuous childhood she fled from. Raised by a loving father and her grandmother, Hadley survived a mother who was never quite right in the head and an uncle the locals whisper is a monster. When faced with unsolved questions about the past, Hadley begins a search for answers that leads her down a path she doesn't know if she can come back from.

The Grave Tender jumps between multiple time periods with the bulk of the story taking place in 1989, 2012 and 2016 although there are others. Thankfully the story doesn't jump around too quickly which makes for an easy reading experience. The story follows Hadley along with her family members and some key events that influence their lives and the lives of those around them. The event that sets everything in motion is the disappearance of a local boy that Hadley was friends with. From there everything spirals quickly and there were several key revelations that took me completely by surprise.

It's hard to talk about what happens in this book without spoiling anything so I won't say too much about the plot outside of what is mentioned above. I will say the writing in this book is fantastic and incredibly atmospheric. At times it felt like I was in the middle of a Texas summer as the author describes everything so well. Where this story didn't work for me was the direction the story went. I was expecting more of a thriller type read and that's ultimately not what this book is. I do think others would enjoy this story, just maybe don't go into it expecting a thriller when it's more Southern Gothic fiction.

While The Grave Tender ended up being a different book than I was expecting I still ultimately enjoyed it. I would recommend the book if you're in the mood for some darker fiction that delves into some heavy topics.

This novel felt clunky, its movements from one scene to the next weren't fluent and that took away from the novels progression

I honestly could tell by the writing of the first 2 chapters that it wouldn't be a good fit for our box and had to put it down. I may read it again in the future!

I had some difficulties getting into this book. The first time I tried it out did I stop after a while and started to read something else. The second time did I still feel some difficulties, but I had seen that several of my friends had really liked this book so I decided to give it a shot. And, the book is OK. It's a tragic story, especially towards the end of the book. But, here lies the problem as well, the first half of the book doesn't have a big impression on me. The characters fail to come alive and I just feel that I was ill-suited for this book. I wanted to care for the characters, but I felt that they very not well developed enough to really make me feel for them. Still, the story was interesting enough and I did want to know what happened to the missing boy.

It's the last part of the book that makes me start to warm up to the characters, when bit by bit it all started to come out, not only what happened to the missing boy, but the truth about Hadley's family. I just wish that Hadley own life as a grown-up had been more explained, more detailed so that I felt that I've gotten to know her better. Still, there were moments towards the end when I felt deep sadness for her and the others around. Sometimes evil is not where one thinks it will be...

The Grave Tender is a book that for turned out to be better than I thought at the beginning. I can look back at the experience of reading this book thinking that it was worth it and I especially like the title of the book now that I know what it means.

I received this book from Net Galley as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Three and a half stars. I felt like the book could have used a bit more editing and fleshing out. It's said to be a psychological thriller and I think it could be with a bit more to it. I was intrigued but not enthralled the way you should be in a thriller. It needed more suspense. I also think the resolution was a tad too tidy for the type of horrors many of the characters experienced. With that said, I did like the overall plot and the discovery of backstory.

My Thoughts:
I was actually a bit surprised to find Eliza Maxwell isn't more well known in the Writing Realm because I think this particular book amazing.  It grabbed my attention from the beginning and held on to it until the very end.  It explores the line between functional/dysfunctional family dynamics, and how small-town rumors can be the demise of a person's reputation.  Being from a small-town, I can completely relate to how easily this can happen.

Eliza Maxwell's writing style flows so eloquently and this particular storyline was incredibly believable.  The character development was very well thought out, especially the Main Character, Hadley.

I would certainly classify this book as an amazing read.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a great dark, twisted family mystery.

I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

The Grave Tender was hard to put down. While it was more of a drama/emotional read than a thriller, I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was extremely well written. The author sucks you into the characters lives.

4.5 Stars

Does evil run in families? To what limits would you go to protect your children .. to keep the evil out of their lives?

Hadley Dixon had a dysfunctional family ... or was it even worse? Her mother had never been 'right'. Hadley witnessed her mother douse herself with gasoline and set herself on fire. She had lost 4 previous baby boys and somewhere along the line, her mind just snapped.

Hadley knew her father loved her. He showed her with everything he said and did. But he was also human .. and most humans have secrets. His secrets were deep and dark ..and he never wanted them brought out from the shadows.

Her father's brother, Eli, lived a solitary life in the woods. He carries the scars of an abusive father on the outside .. and many more scars on the inside. Because he looked 'different' it seems he was always blamed for things he didn't do ... and most people were afraid of him.

Hadley's grandmother had many years of secrets. When Hadley and her daughter, Kate, move back home after being widowed, will she be giving her child the best she can? Or is she leading her daughter right into a path of danger?

Hadley takes a deep breath and seeks answers .. but are they the answers she really wants to hear?

This a chilling psychological suspense novel about families and the bonds of love and loyalty that are sorely tested.

Story subject is probably more common than any of us know ..or want to know. This is a well written novel with chiseled characters. Some characters might make you cry ..some will elicit a chuckle .. some will make you angry and feel helpless...and some you will empathize with .. and maybe some you will identify with.

I wish to thank the author / Lake Union Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Loved this book
Didn't want it to end
Highly recommended

This book was so dark, raw, and heartbreaking. After her life takes a turn, Hadley returns to her childhood home with her daughter. As soon as she gets there, the secrets of her family begin to unravel. It was one of those stories where you almost don't want to know what happened, but it's hard to look away. If you're into dark but captivating reads, pick up this book.

Eliza Maxwell wove a story that is both hard to put down and heart wrenching. The main character, Hadley, has moved herself and her daughter back to the small town she grew up in after being widowed. She moves them into her grandmothers farmhouse where her grandmother and father live. The problem is that everyone's past has secrets and is she ready to face her families secrets? This was an excellent read!

Insanely dark, but beautifully written thriller. This is full of twists that I did NOT see coming. Family drama, heartbreak and an incredible plot. Eliza Maxwell is a writer on the rise!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a dark read intensified by some really heavy subjects; I was captivated by Maxwell's hauntingly beautiful writing and the disturbing story she had to share. Well worth the read.