This book was pretty good. I could relate with many characters. The only thing that I didn't like was that the beginning started with all the fallen starlings... so what actually happened?

A fast paced thriller set in a small town, The Blackbird Season immediately pulls you in.  A troubled teenager disappears after accusing a beloved teacher of having an affair with her.  Morretti alternates between the narratives of four main characters telling a story that goes far beyond the simple “who dun it.” I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, who I found unnervingly trite, which would be okay if the characters were likable.  Overall, I enjoyed the journey but was left wanting more. That said, I still tore through the book. Not perfect but certainly a page-turner. And I will definitely be reading more Kate Morretti in the future.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
It starts with falling birds. In Kate Moretti’s “Blackbird Season” throngs of blackbirds fall out of the sky, for no apparent reason causing a small but temporary panic in a Pennsylvania town. When reporters show up to investigate the mysterious occurence, one reporter catches what she believes to be the local high school baseball coach (and English teacher) wrapped in an embrace with a student. Soon, rumours fly. When the student disappears, the townspeople’s speculations go from bad to worse- Nate Winters may now be a murderer. As Nate’s colleagues and friends choose sides, and his wife struggles to figure out where the truth lies, the birds are forgotten. But why then did the missing girl draw pages and pages of blackbirds in her journal right before she disappeared?
I have never read Moretti before, although I know of her work (she is one of those “perpetual TBR” authors, for some reason I just keep neglecting to pick up her novels). This finally changed with “Blackbird Season”.
With an unpredictable plot and honest characters, Moretti’s novel is suspense-fueled and drama-ridden. The novel is told from alternating viewpoints (Nate, his wife Alecia, Nate’s colleague Brigette, and the missing girl Lucia) and from alternating time periods (before the birds fell, and after). I enjoyed the different viewpoints with this novel but the different time periods made the story slightly more difficult to keep track of (possibly, as always, due to this being an electronic version). There was also quite a bit of characters to sort through, but the task became less daunting as the novel went on. The teenage angst-ridden characters were genuine and I can appreciate the effort Moretti put into getting every detail right, even down to their slang and language use. I also adored the character of Gabe, Nate and Alecia’s autistic son. Props to Moretti for also being honest, and open, with Gabe’s behaviours and diagnosis. She clearly knows her stuff.
I enjoyed the novel, and the ending was unpredictable yet satisfying. The ups and downs of each chapter and the different “truths” that ran through the novel (depending on the point of view) made the novel captivating. I loved the broken down small town setting of this novel too, and the importance Moretti gave to the closure of the town’s paper mill- its primary employer.
I would’ve loved to have seen the birds actually play a more significant part. Although a possible cause of the deaths of the birds was given, there was a lot of speculation and I would’ve enjoyed it more if a plot twist had been incorporated that would’ve wrapped this plot point up succinctly. Especially since that is, based on the title, what the book is about.
A thoroughly good read, overall. Romance, suspense, drama and intrigue portrayed by genuine characters in a realistic setting. This story has piqued my interest and in fact I may now explore Moretti’s other novels.

The Blackbird Season is a character driven, dark tale with transitioning POV between the 4 main characters (Alecia, Nate, Lucia and Bridget).

It begins in a small town in Pennsylvania at a high school baseball game. An ominous event....dead starlings raining down. This will become a recurring theme throughout the book.

The community is toxic in more ways than one. Lucia, a troubled and neglected teen-age girl is an outcast. Some of the other students have taunted her and labeled her a witch. Nate is a beloved and trusted teacher who becomes entwined in her personal life outside of school. Alecia is Nate's wife and wonders why he has taken such an interest in Lucia. Is it Lucia's wild white hair, her red lips, her youth? And then there is Bridget, a fellow teacher at the high school. She is a trusted friend of Nate and also Lucia's teacher.
After Lucia goes missing, the accusations and questions abound. What happened to Lucia? Why was Nate with her at a seedy motel? Who is to be believed, to be trusted? Will Nate's wife and close friends defend him or question his involvement?

The story is more of a mystery about what happened to Lucia. Although there were suspenseful moments, it was not an edge of your seat thriller in my opinion. Also, the mystery of why the birds fell was more of a omen than integral part of the story. It is very well written with some shocking revelations, but not the type of thriller I was expecting! If you enjoy a story where you are questioning why and who, this is one you will enjoy.

I am a girl from Pennsylvania so I LOVE LOVE LOVE books that take place where I live! Add that fact to the fact that I love Kate Moretti’s book and I was like YES PLEASE when I got this book.

This book takes place in a quite close knit Pennsylvania town. One day a thousand dead starlings fall onto the high school baseball field, which then makes a ton of horrible things happen next. The towns respected couple Nate and Alicia is caught in a web caused by the stalking reporters. Nate is seen with a student outside of a seedy motel. Nate is outraged but Lucia decides to tell everyone they are lovers. This forces Alicia to question her marriage. Then Lucia goes missing…..and guess who is the prime suspect?!?! Yup it is always the man….or is it?

I loved how Kate tells this story is told in four points of views. It makes the psychological aspect of this book so much more. Kate fills the pages of my kindle with characters that I hated with all my heart. I literally wanted to find this fictional town and wreak some havoc. HAHA! This book also had me up at night to tired to read but to terrified to sleep!

A classically good take on the small town character drama, with a hint of psychological thriller and a huge dose of atmosphere - Kate Moretti takes us on a journey through the underbelly of school and town life, one damaged girl makes one huge accusation and everything changes....

I love tales like this - morally ambiguous possibilities, many shades of grey and questions of trust - is Nate a lovable laid back guy who simply cares too much about the kids in his care or something much more nefarious? Is the girl a liar or a victim? As Nate, his wife, and his close friend traverse the waters of an investigation that is both official and not so much, the truth is obfuscated and the ripples are far reaching.

Some great writing here that really allows us to see all the characters's edges but without making them definitive - it makes for a great page turner as you are never quite sure where any of them might end up. We all draw different lines in the sand, the truth of a person is never found in any one action but in the whole and this is a theme explored well here.

Overall a really great, intriguing and hugely readable novel that makes me want to read more immediately from Kate Moretti. Handy as I have The Vanishing Year here somewhere...

Recommended.

She's different from the other students. She has almost white hair, wears a Goth look in black clothing, and she really doesn't fit in anywhere. She tries, half-heartedly, but she gets rejected by everyone she thought was kind. It's no wonder things worked out like they did. No one understood her...

Atria Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published September 26th.

Her family has fallen apart. Her mother left, then her father left, her brother uses drugs and is abusive, so she stays in the old paper mill. She has an affinity with blackbirds. If only she got along better with people.

She does have two teachers who care about her. One cares about all his students, maybe a little too much. One is woman who has her class keep journals and she reads them as part of their grade. The things she reads in the girl's notebook make her wonder what is going on in her head and what the comments mean.

Her grades go down, she starts missing school, and we all know something has happened. She's been betrayed by her so-called "friends." Then her friendly teacher refuses to help her. She was raped by his star player and they taped her saying yes (she was drunk, perhaps fed a roofie and she did say yes, but she meant yes, let me go home) so the teacher takes the stand that she gave him permission. To get even, she says that the teacher was the one who slept with her.

It's a small town and gossip travels fast. The whole town implodes from assumptions, suspicions, jealousy, and other emotions.

It starts as a poor girl tries to make friends and it just keeps worse. The victim becomes a victim again. I was hoping for a happier ending but life doesn't always go the way we planned...

Nate Winters is the teacher at the local high school that everyone loves, he coaches baseball and is always in there for his students. Alicia, Nate’s wife, wishes that her husband would put a little more into their family than he does his students as she struggles to raise their autistic son. One day in their quite Pennsylvania town a thousand dead starlings fall onto a high school baseball field which in turn unleashes an unexpected chain of events.

As one of the reporters sent to investigate the phenomenon catches Nate embracing a student the story in town quickly changes. Lucia Hamm, the student Nate was seen with quickly jumps on the story making the claim that she is having an affair with the coach. As the town divides between those who believe Nate’s innocence or guilt things take an even worse turn when Lucia disappears.

The Blackbird Season by Kate Moretti is a psychological thriller that is told from multiple points of view of the four main characters in the story of Alicia, Nate, Lucia, and Bridget. Alicia is the struggling wife of Nate who is accused of an inappropriate relationship with a student, Lucia, and Bridget is a co-worker of Nate’s that knows Lucia and doesn’t believe that Nate could possibly be guilty of the crime. The story is also told with flashing back to build up to the events in the current but was still easy to follow along.

Picking up this book I had noticed plenty of good reviews on it so I had some high expectations going into the story. For me I’d say this one could be a bit on the wordy side though which at times could slow down the pace of the story being a bit over descriptive or seeming to cover some of the same things as the point of view changed. Also, I tend to have my guesses in this type of read and didn’t find the ending to be too shocking as it was an early guess of mine. In the end I’d give The Blackbird Season 3.5 stars and thought this one was a solid thriller that many will enjoy.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Where to begin with this book? I have never read Kate Moretti and was intrigued by the premise of, "The Blackbird Season". Once I started reading it though I was met by unlikeable and extremely selfish characters. What happens to Lucia is very sad but it is drawn out in a way by the author that as the reader I did not feel how truly tragic her life really was nor did I really care so much. I would still have an open mind and read another Kate Moretti book but this one was not helped by the movement back and forth through time while switching between various narrators as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book.

3.5 stars

Decent mystery filled with unlikeable characters.

The death of a mysterious high school student who was supposedly having an affair with a beloved teacher turns a small town on its head in The Blackbird Season.

Mt. Oanake, a small mill town in Pennsylvania, is the kind of town that traps people. With little means to get out, most people wind up stuck in this little gossipy place. Baseball is one of the few things the town has going for it, and coach/teacher Nate Winters is considered to be the town savior. However, Nate’s status changes in an instant when his affair with enigmatic student Lucia Hamm becomes front page news. Nate becomes the town pariah; he loses his teaching and coaching jobs, and his marriage is put in jeopardy. Further complicating matters, Lucia goes missing and Nate was the last person to see her alive.

The Blackbird Season is told through the POV’s of four main characters: Lucia, Alecia (Nate’s Wife), Nate, and Bridget (Nate’s best friend). I found all of the characters annoying, and this made it a bit of struggle to get through the book. However, I appreciated the mystery and I liked how I was constantly questing Nate’s innocence. The opening scene is one of the most compelling parts, and I wish that more had been done with the role of the blackbirds. I also felt like a few things didnt add up, but I am not going to harp on them. Nevertheless, The Blackbird Season held my interest.


I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I love character-driven suspense, and for me this book is top notch. Every character--the smaller side ones and especially the 4 POV people--is dynamic and interesting. Even those who are less likable have relatable qualities (or, at least, sympathetic situations), and the various elements of the story, particularly the interpersonal relationships, form a complex tapestry. Nate Winters is far from a perfect father or husband...but did he sleep with his student? Did he commit a murder? In a town where everyone has something to hide, there are many layers to peel back before the truth is revealed. And then, the question still remains: Can one person ever truly know another? In this twisty, inventive novel, Moretti had me guessing until the very end.

The Blackbird Season tells the story, from different perspectives, of the aftermath in a small Pennsylvania town when a high school student goes missing. Suspenseful with plenty of twists and turns.

Typical Kate Moretti novel - not one of her best but if you're a fan you must read.

The Blackbird Season was my first read by Kate Moretti. I have heard such wonderful things about her writing and was thrilled to explore this author.

Kate Moretti delivers a character based novel that alternates between our 4 main characters (Nate, Lucia, Alecia, and Bridget). This is a slow-burning mystery that takes you on one crazy ride trying to figure out who/what why?

Mt. Oanoke is a small town in Pennsylvania where nothing ever happens. Until, our opening scene at the baseball field where thousands of starlings fall out of the sky. (Can we say freaky?) The town starts gossiping and some believe it's bad luck or the air is polluted. Soon after the birds fall from the sky... darkness looms over Mt. Oanoke.

Lucia is a lonely teenager with a troubled childhood who accuses her teacher and coach Nate Winters of having an affair with her. Not long afterwards, Lucia disappears and the town really starts to question what happened to her. Did Nate kill Lucia Hamm..the white haired girl who reads tarot cards? OR is something more sinister going on in this small town?

This novel is a slow burning suspense novel. I would not categorize this as a psychological thriller... not enough twists and turns for me. I definitely liked the shifting of characters which added a level of mystery for me. The characters are well developed and fits nicely into the story/plot line.

I was disappointed in the ending of the novel and was left wanting more. I felt like the mystery wasn't complete. I do have to say that I really liked how the blackbirds tied into the story... I loved how this had a supernatural/spiritual twist to it.

Overall, 3 stars for me :).
Thank you to Netgalley.

The Blackbird Season was my first novel by Kate Moretti, but it won’t be my last. This is another in my current favourite genre of what I call “secrets and lies in small town in America”.

The story takes place in the town of Mount Oanoke, an old mill town where not very much seems to happen, until that is, the day a large number of starlings fall from the sky.

The novel is told from 4 alternating viewpoints: Nate (teacher, baseball coach and all round good guy), Alicia (Nate’s wife), Lucia Hamm (a student of Nate’s who is troubled and unpredictable) and Bridget (Nate’s work colleague and Lucia’s creative writing teacher).

The story is well-written and at times quite creepy, with plenty of twists and turns and it kept me hooked throughout.

This is a mystery that will keep you thinking and not just about solving the murder.
There are many good life lessons here- the importance of openness, trust and honesty among friends, and especially between married couples.
The presence of one couples autistic son gives insight into the struggle and tension the parents experience, but also the love and bonding a child can engender.
There are so many very likeable characters, each carrying their own personal secrets.
But as the author suggests, "We really never know the deep down truth about anybody."
Excellent!

Moretti’s work gets better and better. This novel is suspenseful as promised: Did beloved teacher and coach Nate Winters rape a troubled female student? If not, will he get off, and if so, how? But I think what makes this such a good novel is the way Moretti portrays the subtle challenges of human nature. A marriage already under strain because Nate’s wife, Alecia, has been overwhelmed by taking care of the needs of their autistic now-five-year-old son. Alecia finds clues that make her doubt Nate’s side of the story. Nate, wanting everyone to love him and making stupid decisions because of it. Then, there are the newly strained friendships because people don’t know whom to believe. Now, when Alecia and Nate need support from friends and from each other more than ever, they don’t have it.

The story is told going back and forth in time from an odd day when hundreds of starlings fell from the sky to a baseball field, bringing dozens of reporters into town. It’s also told from the multiple points of view of Nate and Alecia, as well as creative writing teacher Bridget, a good friend to them both, and Lucia, the student who levels the charge to one of the reporters in town.

Also, a side note: Everywhere else the wife’s name is spelled Alicia, but in the advanced copy I received from NetGalley, it was spelled Alecia—who knows how it will be spelled in the version that WILL RELEASE SEPTEMBER 26, but, in case thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I was hoping to get more into the book than I did. It was well written just not my usual style of book. I'm basing my rating on how it fell flat for me, others would probably rate it higher based on storyline. For me it just wasn't there. I would buy it for someone who likes the style of book.

this book was okay, but i didn't love it. good writing but predictable plot. i didn't love most of the characters.

The birds crashing down from the sky was going to set the tone for the book - I really thought I was in for a humdinger of a read - I wasn't. Four characters tell the story from their own view point. None of them are very likable..
. Nate, a stupid stupid man who continues to make one poor decision after another. is accused of a crime against one of his students. Bridget gets involved because the student was in her creative writing class. She really needs to get out of town and save herself. Alecia, the wife, is a whiner from the get go and when push comes to shove provides no support for her husband at all.. Lucia, the student, also throws in her two cents, not all of which is true. Too many cliches and stock pieces to make this a worthwhile read.