Everything That Follows by Meg Little Reilly is a recommended character driven novel.

It is finally the off-season in Martha’s Vineyard and Kat Weber, a glass artist, has just sold a large piece of art, so a celebration is in order. Kat, her boyfriend Sean Murphy, and their friends, including Hunter Briggs, head off to the local bar and begin drinking. Around midnight they all leave the bar. Sean heads for home, but as Hunter and Kat do the same, the bartender, Kyle, runs up to join them and wants the party to continue. They don't know him, but the three decide to continue the party out on Hunter's boat.

The drinking continues and, as the weather begins to turn, some altercation happens, resulting in Kyle falling in the water, but the actual events that led up to it are fuzzy due to their inebriated condition. Hunter and Kat head back under the assumption that Kyle will swim to shore. They will report the accident when they get back to shore. And, once they reach the shore they decide they'll do it in the morning, after they have had time to sober up.

But, when the morning comes, things change again. Hunter Briggs is the son of US Senator Briggs and any scandal will not only hurt his Dad’s chance at reelection, but he just got out of rehab four months ago - boating under the influence will also send him to jail. Nothing has been heard from Kyle, but surely he made it to shore, didn't he? Can Kat and Hunter live with their secret?

Once Kat and Hunter decide to not tell anyone about the accident, some other things happen and an annoying, grating character is introduced. We also get to know more about Kat, Hunter, and Sean. Sean is also an annoying grating character. Actually, in-between some very interesting scenes that have little to do with the dilemma, almost all of the characters can be annoying.

Everything That Follows is a novel that will transition nicely for an easy-to-read summer novel. It is not a thriller or full of any heart-stopping action. Now, Reilly did a nice job introducing her moral dilemma and developing her characters, but she had a tough time plotting the story and keeping a smooth flow to the narrative. You do have to accept that the premise of the story, the moral dilemma, would exist in the first place.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of MIRA Books.
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This was a pretty good quick read. I enjoyed the overall story and plot although at times I struggled to find the flow of the story.

Everything That Follows is about a group of 3 friends that go out on a boat one night only for a terrible accident to occur. This story follows what happens as a result of the accident, and the repercussions for each mistake that is hidden and each secret that is covered up.

For me personally I found it very obvious what 'happened' and there were no big shocks or surprises that gave me that 'wow' factor. There were a few emotional scenes, but unfortunately I couldn't really connect with the characters as much as I would have liked.

We are introduced to a number of people in this story who all play various different roles. I wasn't a big fan of Kat unfortunately, although the overall storyline was enough to keep me reading until the end. We meet Sean (Kat's boyfriend), Orla and an student studying coastal erosion, who all play important parts which contributes to the story.

A good book about morals and consequences.

This book was ok. I was hoping it would be better because I love mystery/thrillers, but it leaned more towards moral decisions....which isn't bad just not what I expected. I did not bond with any of the main characters or their actions. It was just to cliche for me with someone dying, the guilt that followed.....then using money to cover things up. The story just was not very captivating to me, and I felt like I was pushing myself to finish it. Slow and the ending seemed almost too perfect.....

After a night of celebration, three friends go out on a boat in Martha’s Vineyard.

But only two return.

Kyle has gone overboard and Kat and Hunter cannot rescue him in the blinding storm.

But, instead of reporting the “accident” the two return to land telling themselves that Kyle will be able to swim to shore.

They don’t really believe that, but Hunter Briggs, son of US Senator Briggs, cannot risk harming his Dad’s chance at reelection with another scandal, and he is only 4 months removed from a stint at Rehab.

But can they really just go on as if nothing as happened when his body is discovered on a nearby beach.?

When others are getting close to discovering what they did or didn’t do that night?

Could you live with that secret?

I had not read anything by Meg Little Reilly before but she has a way of setting the scene which had me picturing the blinding rain, and hearing the boats slapping against the docks.

You may think that you have read a similar story before...privileged son, getting away with a crime..yet, this story felt fresh. The characters seemed real. The emotions raw.

Would the police ever ask who Kyle left the bar with that night? Did anyone see them ?

You can find out on May 1, 2018 when this title is released.

I would like to thank Netgalley, the publisher and author for the ARC that was provided to me in exchange for my candid review!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Mira Books, and Meg Little Reilly for the opportunity to read and review her latest work. I really liked We Are Unprepared and this was another good read.

Set in Martha's Vineyard in the off-season, the story begins when 3 people go out in a boat after a night of drinking. Bad weather sets in and one of them goes overboard under somewhat confusing circumstances. Was it an accident? When he doesn't resurface, the other 2 head back to shore and make a fateful decision - to wait and see if he reappears before going to the authorities. But, as Kat and Hunter soon realize, doing nothing was a choice in itself and a choice that they must now learn to live with.

This is a good mystery - I was anxious to find out what happened. It would also be a wonderful book club selection because of so many themes - truth, loyalty, secrets, class differences, forgiveness.

I only finished this book so I could give honest feedback on the whole thing. It was so terrible. Maybe it could have worked as a short story of 10 pages, and even that would be 10 pages too long. Poor Kat had a tough upbringing, and came to the Vineyard where she immediately fell in love with Sean and became an expert glassblower. Their best friend is Hunter, a senator’s son. Because of course he is. Anyway, someone dies, they’re all wracked with guilt, money is exchanged, and these people are too annoying to spend anymore time writing about.

Everything That Follows was a pretty easy and quick read :).

Three friends Kat, Hunter, and Kyle are having a party at a bar and decide to take the party onto Hunter's boat. Unfortunately, Kyle falls overboard on this rainy night.... Where did his body go? Is it lost in the dark waters or did he somehow get himself to safety?

Kat and Hunter are struggling with the aftermath of figuring out what happened to Kyle on that rainy night. Or.. do they both really know and are struggling with their inner demons?

I was definitely hooked in the beginning to this one and it slowly went down hill from there. I felt a little annoyed by the constant theme of the book which was panic/paranoia. I don't do well with this in characters and sometimes I feel like authors have the entire book surrounded by this emotion. I think it unfortunately takes away from the actual plot.

I had some issues with the alternating perspectives in the novel as well. All of a sudden the author would switch to second person out of nowhere.. which drove me nuts!

I also felt the ending seemed a little bit too perfect for my liking... But, I'm glad I was able to experience a new author :).

Overall, 3 stars on this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for the advanced arc.
Published to GR: 4/18/18
Publication date: 5/1/18

I really loved this book! I love that Martha’s Vineyard has such a strong presence in the book and was brought to life as a character. I loved the progression of Kat’s character and seeing how guilt changes you. I felt she was a great sympathetic character. Great character driven story!

EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS is part-thriller, part moral drama, and the mix works really well.

Without saying too much, it's about 3 people who live in Martha's Vineyard, and go out on a boat one drunken night to continue their party. One of them ends up falling overboard, and we're not sure how it happened or if the individual was pushed. The two remaining make it safely back to shore, and decide to keep quiet about what happened in the event the fallen one will make it to shore and be safe.

What follows is a moral dilemma as the friends who returned have to face the fact that they didn't go to the police, and are now deeper into the mess with no clear way out.

I thought this was a great read, and Author Meg Little Reilly did a great job on delving into the characters minds so we understood their thought process. I couldn't help but want to know how everything was going to wrap up.

Thanks to NetGalley, Meg Little Reilly, and Mira Books for an ARC of this novel.

Wow listen to this plot......three friend were having a fun filled night of drinking when they find themselves on a boat, they are drunk and confused when one of them "falls" overboard.......the remaining two don't know what to do. They want to help their friend but they don't want to get in trouble if they call the authorities. Now as time passes and there is no chance their friend survived they have to keep this secret.....but they are full of guilt which causes everyone to break down!
This is the first book that I have read from Meg Little Reilly and I was hooked! I will def being adding her to my must read list!! I can not wait to see what she puts out next.

Really enjoyed this story about what happens during a drunken night aboard a boat in Martha’s Vineyard among 3 acquaintances, when only 2 return to shore and all that happens in the aftermath of the situation. Lots of food for thought about the moral dilemma that each of the characters face and how they deal with it. I thought all of the characters were well drawn and were easily relatable. Quick, page turner that I highly recommend. I think this would make an excellent book club book.

A riveting thriller about a fatal accident and the choices afterwards and how they affect people. I couldn’t wait to find out how this story ended. It was interesting to see how the different characters reacted and dealt with the same event and their thought process throughout it. Really enjoyed it.

A night of drinking, three friends blowing off steam. Somehow they find themselves out on a boat. Drunk and disoriented, one of them falls overboard. The remaining friends hesitate, they don’t want anything to happen to their friend, but they don’t want to alert the authorities either, because there is just the tiniest chance that his accident was anything but. As time passes and hours become days, they can no longer delude themselves that their friend has somehow survived and made it to shore. Will they keep his “accident” a secret, or will their guilt force them to come forward with the truth. This is a very effective novel about the breakdown of normal, everyday life and the soul-destroying effects of guilt