This was a little mild for a thriller. It had some suspense, but I still love Meg Little Reilly's writing. I would love to pitch this to my book club to see their opinion.

Everything That Follows was...not what I was expecting. I was expecting a thriller and instead, I got a bunch of annoying characters making the worst decisions and then trying to justify them all wrapped up with a horrible ending! It was really just a bunch of characters worrying about what they did for however many pages this book is. Some spoilers ahead.

This is the story of Kat, Sean, and Hunter and how they deal with a boating accident. This story starts off with Kat and Hunter going off on a boat with a new bartender after a night of drinking. Kat is dating Sean, has been for years, but still lives by herself and goes off with their friend Hunter and the bartender she was flirting with earlier? Okay. So Kat is drunk and a bit of an unreliable narrator as she doesn't accurately remember what happens. She thinks she pushed the guy overboard when he was sexually assaulting her, but Hunter thinks he is the one who did it. They both feel really guilty, but of course, Hunter is the f-up in his family and his dad is a politician so he doesn't want to go to the police and report what happened, so Kat doesn't. And then we start the forever long Kat agonizing about what they didn't do. She starts going crazy, doesn't sleep, doesn't leave her house, and keeps making poor decisions. Eventually Sean is dragged into it all and then it is will he tell? Things get trickier when the body shows up and they are on pins and needles seeing if someone will come to arrest them.

We also have Ashley, a grad student finishing her PhD on coastal erosion. She sleeps with Hunter one night who promptly kicks her out and then she befriends Sean and tries to sleep with him. She is also sure that the body didn't wash up the way the cops think because of the currents and such, and that Hunter, Sean, and Kat are all keeping secrets from her and it has something to do with the dead guy! And she is going to take them down! At first I thought she was alright, just doing more research and trying to help out the police and didn't know Sean's maybe ex was involved, but once you get her point of view I absolutely hated her. She was crazy. Like she was only doing this because Hunter kicked her out after sex and so she wanted to get back at him. Then when Sean rebuffs her efforts to sleep with her she loses it and is determined to take them all down. Because she is petty like that. Ugh.

Now the book is written in this detached kind of way. I never really felt like I was in the story, just reading how everyone is dealing with what is going on. What people are thinking and doing and all that, but from an outside perspective. It was alright, but not my favorite style. Now, for the most part, the story was okay. I didn't like anyone in it, well maybe Sean's mom and daughter were okay, but everyone else was annoying. I never understood why Kat was even with Sean as she didn't seem to care for him as much as she should. It was more like she wanted to belong to a family and they took her in when she got there so she stayed with him. But anyway, it was an alright story. I was really curious how it was all going to end. I was hoping something would happen. Maybe Ashley made some headway in proving they did something, maybe the cops just figured it out, or maybe Kat just lives her life and goes crazier and crazier until she is insane or something. But nope. Instead we have her go on this voyage to take her hush money (Hunter's dad wanted to pay her to make sure she kept quiet forever) to the dead guys mom, then she comes back and gets drunk before telling her friends she is back, gets picked up by the cops when she is stumbling home and pretends to sleep on their bench while they conveniently get the tox results back from the dead guy and find that he had drugs in his system case closed. So then they can all live happily ever after, so she writes Sean a note how he was so important to her and she loved him, but they can't move on from this, then runs off into the sunset with Hunter. Yep, apparently they are together now and they live happily ever after. It was...I didn't want a happily ever after. They were horrible people and didn't deserve to just forget about what they did and go on like nothing happened. Did not like. At least not the way it was written that everything suddenly wrapped up perfectly nice with a bow so suddenly. Oh, and Ashley got her dream job while Kat was delivering the hush money so she let it all go. Hurray!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of those books where you end up rooting for the "bad" guys. It's interesting to see how one mistake can change a life and not only that, but how it can change you depending on your background and class status. I enjoyed the book and the characters. It tied up a little too neatly at the end, which is why I didn't give it a higher rating, but otherwise a good read.

I dnf'd this book. I didnt like the characters and found that the story line just wasnt for me. The main girl is very flat and it seems like the main Male character is just a spoiled brat. I think I made it about 60 pages in before i stopped reading it. I wanted to like it based on the description it sounded like a good mystery/thriller. I will say that I may try something else from the author because i did like the actual writing.

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. Die hard thriller/suspense fans might find this book a little tame for them but it kept my interest throughout. Three people go out on a boat at night and only two come back. Did the third person make it to shore on their own? That is what Kat and Hunter hope for. There are various reasons why they don’t go immediately to the police for help and once that decision is made their lives are never the same. The characters in this book are all flawed and this affects their morality or lack thereof. I love character driven novels and these characters had so much dysfunction and ambivalence to right and wrong that I really had to see how this story would end. There were so many different choices and paths they could have taken at various times throughout the book. I kept second guessing them thinking “don’t do that” practically from the first page. The ending was a bit simplistic but it still worked for me. I think this book would be great for book clubs as there are a lot of discussion points. Overall a great read for me.

Fascinating premise. How would your life change if you were keeping an unbearable secret? Two friends wrestle with this question--and their sanity--in an off-season Martha's Vineyard.

As in her debut We Are Unprepared, Reilly paints a realistic picture of encroaching environmental disaster as natural forces mimic human actions.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is this first book I've read by Meg Little Reilly and I found it be to captivating and intriguing all the way through. I love books like that - ones that hold my interest and keep me guessing as to where it is going to end up.

This book was a very quick, easy read. It is one that is chock full of secrets - and we learn about the main secret that drives most of this book right off the bat. This is definitely a character-driven novel and we see how the characters have to live with the consequences of their actions. These characters are certainly flawed and watching them struggle with their choices is what makes this book that much more realistic.

I liked the way the mystery was played out. You think you know what happened, but do you really? Even the characters aren't quite sure. And let's not forget that both Kat and Hunter come from very different backgrounds, so when all is said and done, and they don't report the accident right away, they are left with different perceptions of what happens next. Hunter after all has his family's name to help protect him, while Kat has no one. Perception is everything, is it not?

This book is definitely not what is outwardly appears to be. You might think you have it all figured out, but think again. You might think you have all the characters figured out, but think again. This book plays on your everything instinct and it plays on everything you think you know. It's a fun little book that's not quite as simple as it appears to be.

An interesting look at the cost of consequences and how hiding secrets can play out on a community and impact the relationships of the people within the community.

So I must say of all the characters in the book my favorite was Hunter and Weeta. Yes Weeta was a child and a minor character but she was also drama free!!

Kat's defiance to wanting more for herself that the fairy-tale is the reason why she was in the predicament that could truly change her life. Kat's life before Martha's Vineyard wasn't something to remember. Her family life or lack thereof was hard on her and once she entered this town, she found that in Sean, Orla and Weeta. There was something about a happy ending and unconditional love that enticed her but was this the family for her?

Hunter is the bad boy!! He lives for the thrill of always getting into trouble. His father is running for office and everything he does is always in someones eyes. He loves the freedom but hates the life he has. He just wants to be happy cooking and having friends that love him. He wants the happily ever after but can he find it?

Hunter and Kat endures something and it brings them together in a way that wasn't expected. They have to depend on each other for their sanity, trust and ultimately their love.

I loved this story and how things that normally don't happen just do. The before, during and after events truly tell a story of how friendships evolve to something new and refreshing. The growth of love from one to another and how sometimes things belong in the past just makes the story even better!!

This book is one twisty, crazy ride! Nobody can be trusted, and Reilly kept me guessing right up until the end. I loved this book!

RATING: 2 STARS
​(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY​)​
(Review Not on Blog)

I finished this book...one star.
The characters felt real enough that I disliked a few...one star.

There were so many moments I was like "what?!?". Like when someone (who is drunk and just tried to make the moves on me) goes accidentally overboard, my first instinct would be to cover it up, not. Well, that is what Girl (sorry I already forgot her name) does. She then let's another guy (her boyfriend's bff) who was also there (drunk and passed out until after the action) talk her into not reporting it, bribe her with his father's political money to keep quiet. Then some random girl, whose name may be Ashley, becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the dead guy. Oh wait, she for some reason gets a job and now doesn't care. The Girl tells her boyfriend because he thinks she is having an affair with his best friend. Now boyfriend is struggling with inner turmoil knowing how a man died but can't tell the police. If this intrigues you, you may like the book, some people enjoyed it. I just was too annoyed with people in this book as their motivation wasn't even strong.

This is a case of what would you do? Or shoulda, woulda, coulda. Three people go out on a boat after drinking on a stormy nigt. What could go wrong? Well needless to say only 2 come back. They decide to keep things to themselves and then low and behold their lives begin to unravel.

I wanted to really lose myself in this book. I did but not in the good way. The story started out fine. Yet, after the first chapter things seemed to stall with the story. It moved very slowly. Additionally, I found the characters unappealing and uninteresting. After forcing myself to read on for several more chapters I could not continue on anymore and stopped reading for good.

This was an easy read. It's billed as a suspense, but I found it to be a little tame in that department. The writing was good, the scenarios were plausible, and it kept my attention throughout. It didn't wow me, but I have read a lot of amazing books so far this year.

I would recommend to anyone looking for a good story that's quick to read and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

When I read the description of this story, I could not wait to see it on my kindle! It’s always so easy to say what you would do if you got in this enormous pickle as these characters did. A night of fun bringing days and days of terrifying fear and turmoil for what was about to come. A person’s life in wonder, what happened over the vastness of waters?
This had my mind spinning, for the first time I welcomed the dizziness! The mystery and suspense coming together full force, I had no clue how this would end, my guesses knocked down each and every time!
I highly recommend and can’t wait for you all to dig in!

This is definitely a novel I really enjoyed. I have always been a big fan of anything suspense involving a group of characters revolving around one event which means uncovering the truth behind everything. For me it really sets a dark, heart pounding fear as I read, diving into the lives of the fictional characters. As the reader, you live the story with them, almost like the detective looking in. I love suspense reads!

Everything The Follows has such a gripping synopsis, one that I could not in the right mindset pass up. Three friends, Kat, Hunter and Kyle are continuing their bar party on Hunter’s boat. After some interesting events leading up to the fact that Kyle falls overboard during a storm, leaving Kat and Hunter to deal with the aftermath of what just happened.

Where is Kyle’s body? Did he swim ashore, did he drown? Did they push him off? Is Kat and Hunter murderers? Do they go to the cops?

So many swirling questions around this one moment is what starts such a gut wrenching domino effect on their lives. I was definitely hooked at the jump, following mostly Kat’s perspective of her inner turmoil of the event, plus getting Hunter in the mix was enough to ruffle my feathers. Getting tidbits of the night, their secrets growing with each person they interact with, especially Hunter’s best friend who happens to be Kat’s boyfriend, Sean.

The constant panic paranoia of the characters, especially with Kat really made the most of it for me. I was inside her head the entire time, she really struggled the most from that night. Not only by her own personal demons but the push and pull of Hunter and Sean in the mix was enough to make any person’s head spin. I also really liked Hunter, including his faults.

Aside from the fact that I did enjoy this novel there are some things that irk me. Some of the supporting cast did not connect for me. One particular was Ashley. Though I do overall understand her purpose, it was just for a better part of the novel I feel she was a means of conflict additive for the purpose of what was really going on between Hunter and Kat. She more or less helped escalate the drama on that front, plus involving herself in the circle with the group felt misplaced. Felt she was more add on character for a convenience of plot, but for me she was really overly involved.

This of course leads me to the ending. After so many supporting cast were involved climatic drama between Kat and Hunter as well as Kat vs Sean vs Hunter, characters started to drift off to what seemed like a quick ending to such an explosive story. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the ending, but I felt that maybe something else was missing – I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something was in fact missing. I will still admit though I did enjoy the ending placement of where the characters were in their life, just that middle pickle prior to just felt lacking – maybe it was just too put together for an end result.

Overall, I liked it. I think personally I liked the development of each characters dynamics as the issue continues to become a nagging bitch in their heads. Struggling with their own knowledge of the truth for what really happened to Kyle really took a toll on the group of friends on a massive level. There was closure, and then there wasn’t. Which to me made a huge difference on how I perceived the characters because it was believable. Honestly, when an accident like this happens and you react as Kat and Hunter did, how do you grow, how do you move forward from that? Really the moral compass of the characters is what gripped me the most.

Honestly it had a certain level of irky, twist your gut kind of plot that undoubtedly kept me hooked through the end. I couldn’t put it down. Aside from my pet peeves, I honestly enjoyed it. I was excited to find a new author to keep a look out for!

he premise of this sounded like my thing, the big who dun it. What happens next. I was engaged in the start and I liked the descriptions. It was easy and nice to read. But somewhere along the middle I lost interest. I went into this thinking it was a a thriller or suspense, while it had those elements I wanted more of that. There's a lot of mind trickery though with panic and paranoia aspect and it kept the story going.

This author is new to me and the style a bit confusing. I had trouble with the POVs or the sudden change of them really. While the various characters made this story better in terms of entertainment, the transitions were a bit hard to grasp. The characters relationships factored in a lot in this too.

The ending was a little neat and tidy for me but it was ok it had closure. Everything That Follows is very character driven and while if you're into that this would be for you. For thriller fans maybe not so, still a likable and fast read with a contemporary feel.

The beginning of this book started off very strong. The first chapter had me hooked wanting more. Unfortunately, it went down hill from the second chapter on. I was hoping for so much more with this novel. It had so much potential and it was a let down.

I was frustrated with the writing style of this book. It was frustrating when the point of view would randomly change to second person. These changes were sudden and very unexpected which took an annoying amount of time adjusting to. The story didn't flow very well and I found myself wanting to put it down more times than not.

The ending was wrapped up perfectly which went against the whole tone of the novel. This novel is very character driven and wasn't, in my opinion, a true thriller/suspense novel. There were no heart-clutching or racing moments. It was more of a slow burning fiction story with a touch of mystery.

Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.

On its surface, this looks like some sort of suspense-thriller, but it's really more of a sort of sociological examination of guilt and innocence. It all comes down to perception.

There is Kat's perception of herself, which is affected by her dysfunctional family, her boyfriend, and society at large. Is she guilty of nefarious dealings in connection with Kyle's death? It depends on how you perceive things. Late in the book, Kat herself admits that she has edited the truth somewhat to spare herself.

Meg Little Reilly shows this question of perception most glaringly in the differences between Hunter and Kat. He's the son of a senator and has all of the entitlements and respect that comes with that. Kat, on the other hand, is not wealthy. She has no automatic entitlements and respect. He was on that boat with Kat and Kyle, yet when he sequesters himself afterward, he does so with the protection of his family name. Kat has no such luxury.

There is a mystery surrounding what, exactly, went down on that boat, You kind of know, but you suspect things. Kat's boyfriend Sean sure does. He suspects things in a way that make you wonder if he's the fabulous guy everyone says he is. In fact, Meg Little Reilly makes you wonder about the truths of just about all of her characters.

Reviewed on behalf of KFF

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I am totally blown away. A psychological drama set in Martha’s Vineyard with seemingly ordinary characters thrown into a moral dilemma.

There are three main characters in this story: Kat, Sean and Hunter. Kat and Sean are in a relationship and Hunter is their friend. Kat’s past defines her character. When that “incident” happened, her actions and her choice altered the dynamics of this trio’s relationship.

Sean has a teenage daughter from a previous relationship, lives in Martha’s Vineyard and the type who will never leave his hometown. He is forever linked to this place. He has been in a relationship with Kat for more than five years. He got to know her when she drifted into town and became his mother, Orla’s apprentice glass blower.

Hunter is the son of a powerful political figure, privileged but completely ignored by his father. He has undergone rehab for his overindulgent lifestyle. His friendship with Kat and Sean developed when he arrived in the island to keep a low profile and not draw attention to his father’s campaign in the upcoming elections.
Martha’s Vineyard the setting of this story plays a big role in this book. I love the author’s way of setting the mood of the book through the town’s quirky character, the locals and the events that followed. This author’s writing style is different than I am used to but it doesn’t mean that I didn’t like it, in fact I love it! She creates characters that are so empathetic. This tale is about self-preservation and redemption. It challenges your moral compass, makes you think deep and dig deep inside your heart. It made me question myself if I would have done the same, maybe or maybe not. I cannot tell you because you might judge me. One thing I can tell you is that you should read this book. Highly recommended!