A captivating, tightly-woven courtroom drama with a crime at its heart and characters I loved to follow! This is a fantastic debut from Kim, who uses a courtroom as the launching pad to tell the story of a devastating crime that left two people dead. The trial reveals deep secrets that suggest that wasn't just an accident.

I found the story detailed and the plot intricately woven, the characters sympathetically created. I don't often read courtroom stories because they can be a little tedious, but Miracle Creek was more focused on the crime at the heart, making it suspenseful and beautiful.

With wonderful themes of parenting, inter-racial marriage, special needs parenting and fertility challenges, book clubs will have a lot to talk about here. Miracle Creek is definitely one to add to your 2019 TBR list.

Miracle Creek is a unique take on a courtroom drama, that leans more towards literary fiction than crime procedural. A year after a fire leaves two people dead at an experimental medical facility, secrets begin to unravel during the trial. Kim weaves the recollections of multiple characters involved in the event with courtroom drama, creating a gripping novel that becomes quite a page turner towards the second half. It can be hard to balance many different characters while also giving each their due, but Kim does a superb job. I never felt that I wanted more or less of a character, and Kim balances plot, personal history and thoughts in each section. Every character is unique and realistic, completely their own person. As the novel goes on, we slowly begin to see how each 'white lie' builds up to create a complicated web that eventually unravels and complicates the lives of all the characters involved. I'm very excited for this book to come out, and more people to discover Kim's amazing storytelling!

All the feels. All the twists and turns. There were so many notable qualities about this book! For one, the author did a great job with character development - she made them very relatable and real by exploring their thoughts and personal struggles. During each chapter, there was some new revelation or twist that kept me captivated and invested in the unique plot. On top of the courtroom drama, the novel touched on deep issues...cultural assimilation, stereotypes, parenting, "normalcy". Loved the writing and thought this debut novel was excellent!

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

MIRACLE CREEK is author Angie Kim's debut novel.

Let me say that again, MIRACLE CREEK is author Angie Kim's debut novel.

Why am I repeating myself? Well, once you read this book, you will understand. The deft way Angie Kim steers the reader and fleshes out each character all while also creating an emotionally fraught courtroom drama and detailing equally emotional backstories for each of a wide range of characters is so skillfully achieved that it is difficult to believe this is her debut novel.

The topic of children on the autism spectrum is always an emotional one. Such deep feelings can bring out either the best in someone, or the very worst. Teachers, doctors, therapists and especially parents can often feel that they know best, and that other people are irrational if they do not follow their advice.

Imagine being the mother of a child who is unable to effectively communicate with you. Imagine that you discover a new form of therapy that has shown positive results, would you not do everything you could to get that therapy for your child? As a parent, I know that I would.

In this book, readers are exposed to the people who run an HBOT facility. They are the Yoos', a couple from Korea with a teenage daughter.

The treatment center the Yoos have set up involves putting a patient or group of patients inside "—a pressurized oxygen chamber that patients enter for therapeutic “dives” with the hopes of curing issues like autism or infertility."

Everything seems to be going fairly well until tragedy strikes and two of the patients die in a horrific explosion.

That single event causes ripples among the community, the patients and their families, as well as the Yoos'  who own "Miracle Submarine." These ripples will sweep readers along,  immersing them into one of the best and most dramatic books of 2019.

I have "favorited" this book and I fully intend to read it again and again. I am also recommending this book to my local library and to any and all local book clubs.

There are many themes happening in this story that are relevant to things happening in today's America. The Yoo family are immigrants and they need to adjust to American living. Also, issues such as autism, infertility and discrimination are wound in and around every chapter.

Angie Kim has crafted a tale so compelling and so believable that readers will be left wondering if this is really fictitious, or if it is based on a true story. I am excited to share this book with everyone who reads my reviews. I firmly believe that if you are only going to read a few books in 2019, MIRACLE CREEK needs to be one of them.

I rate this book as 5+ Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ which is the highest rating I can bestow. Angie Kim is incredibly talented and I am now a fan.

*** Thank you very much to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this wonderful book.***

Ingenious, well-crafted pageturner with a very original premise: an exploding oxygen tank in an oxygen-therapy facility. (Not somehing you encounter every day). And the multiple pov's keep you guessing about what really happened until the very end.

I really tried to like this book. Unfortunately i just couldn't get into the story. It seems like a great story but wasn't good at keeping me interested.

First book I read this year. A good book. This is a story, and a court room drama that takes place in a rural area outside of Washington, D.C. IT is about many things, a Korean Family, the length people will go to to help their children when conventional medicine has nothing much to offer them, friendship and jealousy. I enjoyed this book very much, but did feel towards the end it started to drag on. I would still recommend it to friends and family. Thanks for advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Angie Kim. Miracle Creek is a small town in rural Virginia where Young and Pak Yoo run a hyperbaric oxygen therapy business, or HBOT as it is referred to throughout the story, called Miracle Submarine. They treat patients with conditions which HBOT is not traditionally used for - such as autism, cerebral palsy and infertility. A domino effect of events lead to an explosion at Miracle Submarine which causes two deaths.

This novel starts out very intense with a prologue that gives us a glimpse of the day of the explosion. The rest of the story is told from several different perspectives and is perfectly paced such that it takes the entire book to hear everyone’s version of the day of the HBOT explosion. Suspicion is cast over many characters throughout the story and when the details of that day are finally complete and the reader finds out exactly how the fire was started, it is a very satisfying reveal though not entirely surprising. Much of the story is in the form of a trial which is very well done - very intense and detailed without getting tedious.

This novel touches on the very emotional subject of the challenges and emotional toll of parenting a child with special needs, as well as typical children. It discusses many controversial treatments for autism. The dynamics within the Yoo family are also the focus of much of the story and the author offers keen insight into the experience of immigrants in this country.

I would highly recommend this novel. It’s fast-paced and definitely packs an emotional punch. This ARC was provided to me by NetGalley – thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

Kim's debut novel is an engrossing and heart-wrenching mystery. As a lawyer, I may be biased, but the trial format worked extremely well for this novel -- the slowly unfolding narrative, layered with questions and doubts. The methodical way that the plot unwound itself was very appealing to me, and it's clear that Kim is effective at crafting these kinds of stories (I assume in large part because of her history as a trial lawyer).

Kim also manages to develop well-rounded characters even while switching between points-of-view every chapter or so. The Yoo family and Elizabeth are particularly powerful portrayals. The descriptions of an immigrant family adjusting to life in the United States, or the ways they must compromise in their adjustment, were particularly cogent in her Young and Mary chapters. I also have little experience with autism, and I thought Kim's chapters from Theresa and Elizabeth's point of view were thought-provoking and emotional.

I only wish the ending was a bit more fleshed out -- the jump between the penultimate and last chapter was a big one, and though I thought the path to showing us the culprit behind the fire was well-done, I wished we'd seen more of what happened after everyone found out who it really was. But perhaps it's because the end itself doesn't exactly leave one with any sense of justice -- the perpetrator didn't feel culpable in a lot of ways to me, and it seemed like someone got away with something that felt pretty hideous. But ultimately, the message of questionable justice was another highlight of Kim's book. It really doesn't always work the way we want it to. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this book.

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review, so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡
The cover and title is what originally drew me to this book.
This book is a courtroom drama. Some books use language that loses me but this one made complete sense. I loved the characters and I was able to connect with them which for me is SO important! This is my first book by Angie Kim but it will not be my last.
This was my first book by this author. It was alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a
3.5 star rating!

Excellent story with a gripping plot centered around a Korean family who live in a small community called Miracle Creek. The family uses use what they call the “miracle submarine”, an experimental pressurized oxygen chamber meant to heal all sorts of health/medical issues from infertility and cancer to even autism. The beginning describes the moments leading up to and after a deadly fire that kills several people inside the chamber including the young child with autism. Most of the book is centralled around the courtroom as each chapter describes details of the trial which keeps you guessing at every turn... what REALLY happened that tragic day?

The writing is wonderful, I really enjoyed every characters story and their perspective. I love courtroom dramas and the author did a great job of keeping the reader guessing every chapter. So many times I thought I knew for sure, but the next chapter changes my mind again and again. This book was an all around emotional journey and quite the page turner. I also thought the story was unique and the pace was perfect, never rushed but still exciting. However, the story was also very sad at times. I highly recommend this book to others, but be prepared for all the emotion ahead!

Thank you to #netgalley and FSG for my advanced e-book version of Miracle Creek.

Miracle Creek is so much more than a courtroom drama. 

The trial itself is merely the impetus for weaving all the different strands of the story together. Not to say that what happens in the courtroom isn't important, but the true heart of the story is divided among so many viewpoints that the trial works as the hub, helping to differentiate what happened to whom and when. 

This character-centric novel isn't just about families and love. It's about all the ways families hurt each other because of, not just in spite of, that love. This book was so heartbreaking because of how honest it was willing to be. 

I was particularly taken in by the dynamics of the Yoo family, because I'm not very familiar with Korean culture, and it was interesting to struggle past seeing things through my very American lens and empathize fully with the Yoos. 

The prose is superb. My heart was being pulled in so many different directions, and I felt so many varying emotions, but most of all, I just loved reading it because it was so well written. It was as if I were truly seeing through the eyes of each person individually.

Miracle Creek is one my top ten books of the year, and certainly one of my top literary fiction books this year. I cannot recommend it highly enough. 

Just don't forget the tissues.

This book is one of the better books when it comes to courtroom drama. Some books use language that loses me but this one was very well thought out and made total sense throughout. It had great characters that I was able to connect to and that always makes for a great story! This is my first book by Angie Kim but it will not be my last. I enjoyed it okay. I didn’t love it but I didn’t dislike it either. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this book in exchange for my honest review.

Mark my words - this WILL be literary fiction breakout hit of 2019. Miracle Creek is a stunning novel, beautifully written, poignant & captivating from page one. Kim’s debut touches on so many relevant topics - autism, infertility, immigration and others that I will not mention for spoiler purposes - however, at no point does it ever feel like too much has been crammed in or that anything doesn’t fit. I was gripped reading this book - a mother on trial for murdering her autistic son because he was “just too much” to handle. But did she do it? The secrets that are revealed over the course of the trial are shocking but the discovery of what people are capable of is even more so.

While I was intrigued by this title, upon starting it I realized that it was not my personal cup of tea. It looks like an excellent book, just not "for me." The intensity of the subject matter was more than I expected.

Wow!!! This book is superbly written courtroom drama that examines Life's Big Questions with empathy and leaves you spinning. Trust me, this is one you don't want to miss—it's going to be huge!! Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy.

WOW what a book! I didn’t know what to expect from Miracle Creek as I have never read Angie Kim before but wow this def will not be the last book I read from her!
Miracle Creek is a beautifully written complex story dealing with autism and the after math brought on by a horrible, tragic “accident”. Angie Kim’s writing is so amazing. I was instantly drawn into the story and didn’t want to put down my kindle.
Miracle Creek is a must read! I look forward to reading more from Angie!

*Many thanks to Angie Kim, Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
When I requested this title, I had no idea what to expect. After eading Miracle Creek I know one thing: I'll follow Angie Kim and reach out for her next book.
Miracle Creek is a courtroom drama and a thiller telling a story of an explosion that kills a child and an adult, and leaves several people injured. The tragic circumstance is that Miracle Submarine provides an unconventional treatment for several chronic diseases, autism among others, and is operated by Korean immigrant family who, having lived in the USA for some years, still are trying to find their way in the new surroundings. There are several characters and we learn gradually the truth, which is a perfect way of narrating a story, at least for me. I enjoy discovering new threads with every page, and Miracle Creek leads me meandering beautifully.
Truly unputdownable!!

Miracle Creek is a gripping, psychologically complex novel about the unintended consequences of a person's mistakes.

I could not put this book down.

"Miracle Creek" starts with, what appears to be a simple mystery: Miracle Submarine is a pressurized oxygen chamber and is meant to help people with autism and infertility. In 2008, someone lit a match underneath the oxygen tank during a dive and the result was catastrophic: a child, and an adult death.

One year later the trail starts and the case seems straight forwards. However, as the story progresses things become more twisted. At first, you are on the side of the Yoo family and, of course, the defendant must be the guilty! Then it becomes apparent that the Young has lied, it changes little in the overall story but you begin to wonder as more and more cracks become visible.

In the end, you don't know on which side you are on anymore: When you hear the accusers sides it makes perfect sense but then the defense, it makes perfect sense as well. Halfway through, you don't even care about picking a side because it all became a mess and you can't find your way through it.

The different point of views do not take anything away from the mystery. It often adds a little piece of information to the riddle until everything falls into place at the very end. Even though, the ending is unexpected, it is not a plot twist that feels unnatural.

In addition, it adds another layer to each character. While Elizabeth may seem heartless through Young's eyes, when reading her story line she turns from a heartless monster who killed her child into a mother who is exhausted and at the brink of losing her sanity when the trail starts.

Not one person seemed to be underdeveloped as a character to me. We are given an insight into what motivates them or holds them back. Especially in the Yoo family Korean norms play a big role: Young had always been thought that as the woman she has to be quiet and a background character while Pak is the leader of the family and his orders need to be obeyed.

Korean norms, immigration and the racism that, sadly, goes along with it also play a role in "Miracle Creek." It does not set out to be a political book but neither does it beautify the toxic ideas surrounding Korean women and the hardship of immigration.

What caught me off guard was how beautifully written "Miracle Creek" is. It is eloquent, emphatic, and heartfelt. The story is not a bright one, and not a page-turner in the traditional sense. Instead, it is like a painting that depicts a tragic scene but the brush work is stunning and you can't help but stare.

This is "Miracle Creek" - a beautiful and sad painting but you spend hours in front of it because it casts a spell over you.