Having only read one book from her (her debut, if you can believe it), I can already tell that Angie Kim is going to be absolutely everywhere. People are going to adore her, pray to her, turn her into a divinity. Her insights into the human condition, after-all, can only be described as wonderfully and starkly omniscient; a masterful evocation of our drives, our darkness, our regrets.
That is because Miracle Creek examines secrets: the thoughts in the deepest recesses of your brain, the actions that you want to push down and leave far behind. It asks questions about cultural identity, interracial relationships, motherhood and the challenges that come with raising a child with autism. And somehow, unlike many of the books I have read in the recent past, manages to do so without any sort of judgement. Kim instead just presents the actions and thoughts of the characters as they are; allowing the reader to access the scope of human emotion and come to their own conclusions about whether the actions lie in the black, or the white, or the all-too-common blurry grey-ness that falls somewhere in the middle.
Miracle Creek, therefore, is a truly magisterial study of human actions and the things that drive us; of the lies that spiral in our efforts to protect the ones we love. And, by exploring the parameters of good and bad, guilt and innocence, justice and redemption, it artfully sweeps the reader into a riptide of conflicting emotions and assures that the characters that Kim seems to have crafted so effortlessly, will stay in their minds long after they turn the final page.

A multi-perspective court room drama. Families in Miracle Creek turned to the Miracle Submarine to cure themselves, however during one "dive" an unfortunate explosion occurred leaving two patients dead. The story of what happened that night slowly unfolds and you get a glimpse into the minds of those who have many things to hide.

What should have been an exciting page-turner turned into a brooding debate about immigration and behavior of parents of disabled children. I should have been more careful picking this book up. All I saw was “page-turner”! “thriller”! “courtroom drama”! and fell for these descriptions without seeing “Miracle Creek is perfect for book clubs and fans of Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng”.

And here lays the first problem, I’m not a fan of Liane Moriarty or Celeste Ng. I read «Nine Perfect Strangers» by Liane Moriarty earlier this year, and I read «Little Fires Everywhere» by Celeste Ng about a year ago, and while Celeste Ng book was just an ”okay” experience, I thoroughly hated Liane Moriarty’s «Nine Perfect Strangers».

If you are a fan of their works, this book might be for you.

While I can see what other people might enjoy about this book, I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters. I didn’t care about any of them, which is a big issue when you are reading a courtroom drama with multiple twists and turns, suspicions and accusations.

The only element of the story that was entertaining to read was the cross-examination done by the two attorneys. That part I found very fascinating, how they twisted the facts to their own benefit, how crafty they were with their questions.

I absolutely loved this book. It was unlike other books I have read. A Korean immigrant opens a HBOT “submarine” where he treats patients for a variety of illnesses and medical conditions. One of the patients, Matt, is a doctor who’s wife invested in the company being treated for fertility issues. The other patients are mostly children with conditions like Autism that go on group “dives”. One morning, there are protesters at the gate telling them about the dangers of HBOT. Later that evening, something goes horribly wrong at the dive. This book jumps back and forth between the then of the accident and the now of the court proceedings. Who was responsible for the accident? Will the wrong person go to jail for it? A really interesting read that takes a deep look at each of the characters and why they might have been involved in the incident. Highly recommended.

The hype is REAl on this book! So I was delighted to get my mitts on an early release copy. So many themes that I like - courtroom drama, family, mystery... for me this was a good one! Four star!

I’m forever changed by the paralleled between the bonds between mother child; sick or healthy, normal or quirky, young or adolescent, I was able to identify with every single character in this book. This one will sit with me for a long time and be passed from family member to family member. Thank you so much for this ARC!

Miracle creek was an engaging read from the start. I didn’t expect the ending at all. 4 stars and would highly recommend to my network!

This was a “who dun it?” in a way unlike any other. If you are looking for an “on the edge of your seat thriller”... this isn’t it. What you will get is a story full of different suspects, mixed vantage points, a little bit of courtroom drama, and a tangled story that wraps up nicely.

I really enjoyed this book!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

solid writing, an intriguing story-line involving an immigrant family, autism and alternative health treatments, strong POVs and interesting characters made this an engrossing legal thriller. I know there's a lot of "hype" around this book. Oftentimes I'm turned off by hype but I like a strong legal thriller and this one sounded great. happy I read it this weekend.

What can I say about “Miracle Creek” that hasn’t already been said? This explosive (maybe pun intended) page-turning debut novel by Angie Kim will reel you in by the first sentence and will keep you guessing until the very end. The backdrop of this book centers around a court case about an explosion at an experimental medical treatment center that results in the deaths of two patients, but topics of immigration, autism, relationships, and family are examined through the perspectives of 7 characters. After each chapter, you think you who did it, but there’s always new information on the next page that makes you question everything you thought you knew. Angie Kim is an amazing writer and I’m excited to read whatever she puts out next.

Going into Miracle Creek, I was not sure what to expect. Usually crime novels or court room dramas leave a little bit of an undersiable taste in my mouth. This novel however spend a large portion of its pages exploring the events of the past, far away from the law.

Although it opens on the character on Young Yoo, Miracle Creek explores a wide variety of characters and their roles in the events approaching the explosion. Kitt is the mother of a non-verbal autistic child with gastrointestinal issues. Elizabeth is mother to Henry, an autistic child who has made leaps and bounds and quickly approaches ‘normal’. Rosa was a vibrant child at the age of five, until she got sick and is now nonresponsive with cerebral palsy, an endless burden on her mother Teresa who just wants her baby back. Matt and his wife Janine are just trying for a child and heard hyperbarics could increase his sperm count. Every character has a place, with no one being completely free of suspicious.

The setting of the novel is in a town which could literally be any small town in America. While the narrative is played out on the site of the Miracle Submarine and the court room, there is still a wide variety of locations weaving throughout. Kim has written in such a masterful way that although it is actually set in 2008/9, one can easily forget that it is supposed to be in the past.

Now, I loved the fluidity and easy flow of the story. As an event unfolds within the court room, the point of views change to those characters most influential to the scene. At times the speed of the tale slows but in these instances, it quickly becomes obvious as to why it requires a slow burn.

Overall I really enjoyed the departure from my usual genre of reading. The characters were fully fleshed out, the scenarios were believable and I found myself questioning everyone until the final pages when a revelation I should have seen coming shattered everything I thought I knew.

“Miracle Creek” by Angie Kim was immediately added to my to read list from the moment I read the synopsis. This book is her debut novel and man, oh man was it good. I won’t get into specific details, but I will tell you, pick up your copy today! The character development was amazing. I enjoyed the backstories as well as the court drama.
As a teacher and autism awareness advocate, this book really hit home for me. It was a very emotional read. I will note that the beginning is a bit of a slow burn and takes a little bit to get into. There were quite a few characters, but I didn’t feel confused at all or have a hard time keeping up. All in all, great book. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. 4..5 stars rounded up to 5.

* I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

I LOVED this book! It was the perfect mix of literary fiction plus quiet mystery, and the courtroom drama aspect made it even more appealing. I've heard a LOT of buzz about this book, and thankfully it lived up to the hype. It brought up some important questions about humanity, illness, and parenthood, plus I loved the multiple perspectives. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who was looking for a literary thriller with a compelling story.

Miracle Submarine is a pressurized oxygen chamber used as an experimental medical treatment for autism among other things. During one of the "dives", there's an explosion that kills an 8 year old boy, a mother of another child, and injures and maims several other people. The mother of the boy is accused of arson and murder. It seems like an open and shut case, but as the trial goes on and we learn more about different characters, things aren't as clear cut as the reader might think.

I was a little nervous when I got this book because courtroom dramas can be really hit or miss. I think the last real courtroom drama book I read was back in middle school when I picked up a Grisham book at some yard sale. Hated it but maybe I was too young for it. But on TV, it could either be as good as The Good Wife/Fight or as bad as season 2 of Broadchurch. Thankfully, not only was the courtroom part of the book well done, it didn't take up much time. Instead, we get to explore the world these characters inhabit.

The book goes from different POVs and it jumps back and forth in time. Each character is present during the court case as it moves forward, but we also go back and see how each person gets caught up in everything to begin with - whether that journey started 10 years before or 5 years before or even a few months before. Each new POV adds more depth to the characters and the plot, but it also adds more uncertainty about the crime. It's not a spoiler to say the accused isn't guilty, at least not guilty for what they're accusing her of. And though things don't become clear until the end, the author drops enough clues here that it isn't a reveal from nowhere.

The book is a bit slow at the start, but once it gets going there's no stopping - to the point that I thought the ending was rushed and needed some room to breathe. I think Young and Elizabeth were the most well realized characters. Part of me feels that the entire book was crafted around the two of them. While the POV chapters for the other characters were necessary to see the whole picture, Young and Elizabeth's chapters are integral for the emotional journey.

This book is "write what you know" in all the right ways. The author is a Korean-American immigrant (as are several of the main characters), a lawyer (probably why the case and courtroom stuff was so well done), and a "submarine parent". She is able to weave her knowledge of all these experiences into the book in a way that's not info-dumpey and actually creates a believable world for her book.

4/5.

This book has more twists and turns than the road up Pike's Peak. You almost feel sorry for every single character and even at the end, you're not sure you know the whole truth. An entertaining read.

Wow, I went through a rollercoaster of emotions throughout this story. Kim created a heartbreaking story and characters who you feel sorry for, sympathize with, and are angry at, all in the course of a few hundred pages. This book is so much more than a courtroom drama or murder mystery, and if you're even a little interested in reading it, I 100% encourage it. I'm sure you'll be as blown away as I was.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for the eARC! This review will be posted to Goodreads and on Amazon's and Barnes and Noble's websites.

I probably wouldn’t have picked this book up based on the description, but I saw it recommended everywhere and had to give it a try. Lordy, I’m glad I did because this might be the best book I’ve read in a very good reading year. It was the perfect page turner that kept me guessing whodunit without any sort of cheesy twists. Fully fleshed out characters and important topics such as what it truest is like to be a mother, to care for a disabled individual, to be an immigrant from multiple points of view (child, hardworking mother, and father that stayed home for awhile to make it possible). Honestly there is so much substance here that I’m probably not even considering half of it, and all of it covered with a fast moving plot. This book would appeal to so many people and covers important topics, I can’t recommend it enough.

This was such a satisfying legal thriller and I am astounded that this is a debut. Everyone needs to keep their eye on Angie Kim.

This is a book where every player has a secret and because of that I'm not going to discuss the plot. You will want to open this book blindly and just let yourself become immersed in the story. I'll admit in the beginning I was nervous. I wasn't really getting "it" and I almost put it back down again. The problem was that I wasn't able to keep the characters straight but once I figured out who was who then the story really took off. Every page I turned my mouth was agape as secrets are slowly revealed. I will admit I guessed the "who" early in the book. I just had this little inkling in my brain that said *it's this person* but I had no idea of the reason behind it or how the situation came to be.

This is an emotional read and one that will make you think. I thought the court room scenes were executed perfectly and were by far my favorite parts of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to be lost in the pages for a spell. 4 scandalous stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! A terrific book! This is a powerful story, a family drama, a courtroom drama, and a mystery. Just overall wonderful writing- finished this in 2 days!!

Wow. This book is excellent. On the surface it seems as though it's a classic whodunnit murder mystery, but it's so much more than that. Themes around parenting, motherhood, loving and caring for those you love, and the lengths to which people will go to protect those that they love. The first 2/3 of the book were a slow buildup, then things took a turn leading to the shocking yet satisfying conclusion. What an excellent debut novel.