This is a well written story of a woman trying to get a fresh start after the death of her mother and running away from an abusive relationship. The scenery is beautiful and many times I found myself right there beside Alexandra.

The story also includes and hopefully brings to light what is happening to our orca population.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this advanced readers copy.

There's something a bit surreal, that's lurking beneath the surface of who Alex Turner is. She shows up in a small town with a black eye and takes up work alongside a Marine Biologist, Maggie, and as the two work together, the author slowly peels every layer of each character. What starts out as a hunch slowly takes form and it had me going for a while. I delved into and enjoyed how vivid the characters were. There was a point in the story where it felt flat for a brief second and I struggled to catch up towards the end. Yes, I felt the ending was rushed, but this did not take away the character's personalities from me. My heart broke for Alex, and the abuse she endured, and at some point, I was so furious I almost flung my tablet across the wall because I wanted to get in there and get her out. I was left appreciating true friendship, the power of understanding and above all, the beauty of healing and forgiveness. Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the eARC. Lovers of fiction would surely grasp a thing or two from this book.

A suspenseful drama type novel with lots of interesting facts about whales and how they live. Alex has been on the run from an abusive husband in New Mexico and landed in Washington state for a new job/life. She takes a job on writing up and organizing a marine biologist's memoirs and recordings in a small town on Puget Sound area. Alex meets a lot of interesting people in the town including Maggie, (her employer) Emme (the town "witch), and the spinsters group of people who weave. People talk and whisper about ghosts in the town and in the house she is living in. Alex works hard to try and forget her sad past of the death of her mother and the horrible relationship she is in. Some nights she hears strange noises and doors opening and closing and wonders if it's ghosts or her ex coming to scare her. In between all this she follows Maggie out on the seas to explore and record info about the whales. I found this book to be suspenseful, and very interesting facts about whales. Everything leads up to a dramatic ending where Daniel finds out where she is living and comes to confront her but her new friends help will change her life for the better.

This was a bit less of a thriller than I’d hoped for but it was still an interesting, well-written book.

This is the first I have read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The mysteries surrounding the area and the people there were just enough to keep you going.

I voluntary read an advanced copy from Netgalley.

This book was fine. It definitely had promise, and I think Hall is a good writer, but the story itself fell flat for me. Things worked out too nicely and too easily, and the culmination of the main plot felt very rushed. I also thought that the different character's plotlines didn't add much to the book, and that Hall would've been better served by focusing on one character's story. The transitions between the plots were also rather jarring at times.

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the eARC.
This was a moving, beautiful book filled with likeable characters and lovingly researched information about orcas.
Alexandra Turner has fled to a small coastal town on Puget Sound after the death of her mother, finally escaping her abusive 11-year marriage. She will be working for a local marine biologist; an enigmatic, driven woman who has dedicated her life to the plight of the orcas. She's also introduced and welcomed by a local knitting group, jokingly named 'the spinsters'.
Haunted by the death of her mother and the terrible years spent with her husband, she has trouble sleeping, plagued by unwelcome dreams and thoughts of her past. It also looks like the house she's staying in is haunted. Is her fractured mind playing tricks on her?
I really enjoyed this book, the atmosphere was lovely and I particularly loved the orca theme. The ending is bittersweet; the women have forged strong bonds, but the future for the orcas looks bleak...hopefully this book will bring more awareness and turn the tide if it's at all possible.

For Alexandra Turner, it’s a second chance. She’s left a violent and unpredictable husband for a job studying orcas on Puget Sound. Alex wants to dismiss the locals claims that her new “hometown” is one of the most haunted in Washington state. Already on edge from the years she spent married to an abusive husband, Alex finds herself jumping at every little noise, at the things she sees out of the corner of her eye. Is her new home really haunted, or has her past come looking for her? A beautifully told story of a woman trying to escape a terrible and violent past

A hauntingly, beautiful story featuring several extraordinary women, battling their own demons, overcoming life's trials and forging a friendship surrounded by a spiritually alluring Puget Sound coastal town.