Its not really a mystery, but more of a story of family secrets.
There is an accident commited by Benedict (Esme's husband) But is it really an accident?

Ok, so I wasn't sure what to think with this. There was some mystery but then also a lot of people turning against a couple who they have known for years. So yes, the book started off really REALLY strong, and then it sort of became unbelievable. I just felt very disconnected to the story and to the characters.

3 for neutral. Couldn’t get into it, slow paced for me, but will update review if able to at a later date.

Raven Lane is an upscale little cul de sac where all the neighbours know each other and attend parties at each other’s homes. They even have a resident realtor who vets anyone wanting to buying a property- on the rare occasion that one becomes available.
Benedict has been arrested for his part in a tragic accident that killed his neighbour. But all is not as simple as it seems and soon he and his wife, Esme, realize that past secrets and betrayals will be revealed.
I liked the author’s easy reading style of writing. The characters were all fine and well developed, although I think a lawyer would be disbarred for telling a client to do what he told Esme to do - or perhaps I’m naive Anyway, all round not a bad read by any means.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book kind of dragged on in the beginning but the ending was good. I did like the way the characters developed throughout the story and the writing was very good.

I was pretty much so-so about Raven Lane. On the plus side, it's very well written and the characters are well developed. On the downside, I just didn't buy a lot of the premises. The story revolves around the owners of five houses in a cul-de-sac, one of whom is a realtor, who we're meant to believe controls who gets to buy in the neighborhood based on how successful and/or artistic they are. The main characters are Esme, a former actress, and Benedict, a former model. They are involved early on in the book in a fatal car accident that involves another neighbor, a gay author named Torn. (Torn? Really?!) The minor "mystery" of the book is whether the accident was intentional or truly accidental. The remaining characters are Torn's husband, who works for a Doctors Without Borders-type organization, a boring couple of musicians, and Esme's best friend and her wannabe author husband. The neighbors apparently have no other friends because they spend all their free time together having crazy parties, dinners, and block parties. There is also a sub-story that is the new novel that Torn is in the middle of writing. I had a real problem with this sub-novel as it's written by a man and described as a "feminist retelling of motherhood and rape." Talk about man-splaining!!! Absurd!

My final issue was with the extremely contrived ending that is meant to describe the car accident and subsequent repercussions.. I've come to realize that I need at least one character in a book that I like or with whom I can at least empathize. I didn't find that here. In summary, the book is more about secrets than a true mystery. Again, it's well written, but it just wasn't for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this pre-published book.

The residents of Raven Lane appear to live a near-idyllic life, a enclave of hand-selected successful artists, they appear tight-knit and community-minded. This is called into question when one summer night, Benedict Werner, former model backs out his car into his neighbor, Torn Grace, killing him.

Slowly, we learn that the residents of Raven Lane aren't as happy as they appear...

Overall, I enjoyed the book. While it did contain some errors, nothing that a proof-reading session wouldn't correct, it was well-written and absorbing. I'm not sure I enjoyed the twist at the end, perhaps because I found it unsettling. Maybe this was deliberate?

Overall, I would recommend this book.

I was looking forward to reading a thriller/mystery. This book couldn't really be described as this. The book seemed to drag on but the ending was great. I didn't really have that feeling of I cant wait to see what happens next.

So intense. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this was a very unique read. The story starts with the accidental murder of a neighbour, and then what unfolds is an intricate back story that was full of emotion. Each character was so surprising and multilayered. I particularly enjoyed Esme's story. She's been on a very interesting journey. I wish the timeline was dealt with in a more straightforward manner, but I guess that was part of the charm. I am definitely going to be on the lookout for more of the author's work.

I love the whole domestic and suburban thriller drama idea. It’s totally my cup of tea. But I’m not sure what I feel about this one. The plot just didn’t do much for me. I found the first few chapters difficult to get through and keep my attention. Once I got through those it got much better, and to be honest the ending was pretty great. The journey to get to that ending was too slow moving though.

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

It took me a few chapters to really get into this book, but when I did, I was all in. The book is dark, and really well written. I found none of the characters particularly likeable but that's just the kind of book this is. If you like dark and twisted this book is an excellent choice.

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher, and author for an advance copy of this book.

I’m not totally sure how I feel. I wanted to love it. I’m really into the whole suburbia drama trope, but this story didn’t do much for me. It felt slow moving and not much happened until the end. I did enjoy the twist, it was obvious but somehow I missed it completely which is a sign of good writing.

I enjoyed Amber Cowie’s writing style and would be interested in reading more from her.

This is a pretty good thriller. I think with some work (and mostly formatting) this could be a heck of a lot better than just pretty good. What do I mean my formatting changes? Well I didn't like that there was no paragraph break between the book-within-a-book and the book-book, a paragraph break, an inset, and maybe some italics (or a font change) would help a lot here. Same deal with flashbacks, these need to be broken up with at the very least a paragraph break if not a section break.

Esmé is an ok character, I really really disliked her husband Benedict though. My copy included a book club guide with questions and one of them was along the lines of 'what are the benefits for Esmé gains from staying with Benedict?' And I, having just finished the book couldn't tell you, other than another body in the house, I don't think he did much for anyone other than himself... But maybe we aren't maybe to dislike him so vehemently?

The book-within-a-book was weird... like Lovecraft and Cthulhu-inspired weird. We are told at the end of the passages, that are never more than a page and a half long, that Esmé had been engrossed for long periods reading the book, if the passages are supposed to be engrossing and time consuming to get through I would expect that they would be longer than what they were presented as being. Honestly this literary device needed to be fleshed out a bit, maybe more length would have given us a break in the main narrative... I don't know, usually I like this device, just didn't get the feeling that it worked here.

The resolution will probably surprise you. Read the last couple chapters carefully or you will miss elements of it. Also if things wrapping up in a few pages bugs you like it bugs me, you've been warned.

The pacing of this book was so slow, as though the author needed you to see every detail as it passed, and tell every backstory imaginable. Could have been good, but when you open with an emergency, I just want to know what happened. It felt like the characters were named after sitcom characters, but maybe that's just me.

Esme and Benedict Werner live in this friendly and fancy neighborhood where all the neighbors are carefully picked by the state realtor who also lives there.
One day, when Benedict leaves to get to the store for more wine, he runs over one of their lovely neighbors, who is a famous author.
As things unravel, it all becomes much more than just an accident.
The book rhythm is good and there are hooks to hold the reader, as we want to know what happens next, but for me, especially what happened in the past.
This is not exactly a mystery/thriller. It is much more about secrets, personal and family secrets, and human feelings.
There is also a book within the book. Sometimes Esme is reading parts of the deceased author's book. This is an interesting tool in a narrative, but there were moments when I wish I was reading this other book.
The negative point in this book for me was the mix of drugs, sex abuse, adultery, couples swap, a clearly assumed gay man in a solid relationship having an affair with the woman next door. This recipe of suburbia meets vida loca was a bit unbelievable for me.
Still, I have to say that the writing is good. Maybe the author could have put each of these items into different books. It would be more believable and less distracting.
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity of reading and reviewing this book.

Raven Lane by Amber Cowie could have been a great book but just missed the mark somehow. Not really a mystery, this story truly revolves around Esme, looking back at her life. An accident, infidelity, drug use and more were all treated rather nonchalantly. Can not recommend this book. Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgally for review purposes.

I was pretty excited for this one initially. The plot seemed intriguing and the cover was rocking so I figured it'd be a win, but I'm sad to say it just didn't work for me.

In the beginning it wasn't too bad but it did take me a while to pay attention. I just couldn't focus on it which isn't a good sign I guess. Then a lot started happening but it was too much. It felt like a soap opera and kind of gimmicky. Somehow despite all the weird drama it was still slow for me? It felt like it was dragging while at the same time they were throwing one wacky plot after another at you. Also couldn't get into the characters 🤷 but the writing style definitely wasn't bad by any means, I think it just kind of somehow got off the rails.

At last a story that had me as riveted as Apple Tree Yard! On the surface a tragic accident , but as the evidence unfolds could this be a miscarriage of justice? The lives of the residents on Raven Lane came under the spotlight and not all was as it seemed. I got mmself in knots trying to work out how this was going to be resolved and, well, I never figured that! Excellent, revealing and shocking .

I've seen a lot of people describe Raven Lane as a mystery/thriller, but I'd describe it more as a drama (read: very dramatic) with threads of mystery and thriller. There are a few mysterious subplots and a lot of plot twists woven into a character study of an entire neighborhood, which takes off right away when a Raven Lane resident is killed.

To be completely honest, I didn't think I'd like this book, but it ended up capturing and holding my interest until the well-executed ending, which made for an overall enjoyable experience. The pacing was strong, and the narrative was absurd and disturbing, which I think worked well. I can honestly say there were quite a few plot twists I didn't see coming.

Character-wise, however, the book was full of tropes. Since having a career in "the arts" is a prerequisite to living on Raven Lane, its residents include the posh French artist; the sexy, womanizer model; and a few broody, struggling writers. And Esme, our protagonist, a former movie star whose past seems to serve no purpose other than to paint a tragic (and predictable) backstory. I would have liked to have seen more character development and a larger focus on their troubles and vices in a book that's so character- and relationship-focused. It was hard to get a sense of anyone's motives until they were explicitly stated.

Overall, Raven Lane was a book with a strong plot stifled by its flat characters. However, it held my attention, surprised me, and was an overall fun read.

(Trigger warnings for rape & drug abuse.)

All is not what it seems in Raven Lane. Set in a highly desirable neighbourhood, Esme is the main character and when her husband knocks over and kills one of their neighbours, it leads us into the relationships within the Lane. Amber Cowie weaves the lives of the residents through the novel and we discover that what appears to be an idyllic lifestyle on the surface holds many secrets below. I enjoyed Raven Lane and following the lives of all the characters who are fully rounded and believable. The use of flashbacks works well and gives us a more in-depth insight into the events that led up to the conclusion. I would certainly read another novel by this author.

This goes to show the lies and secrets that can destroy lives. The storyline was great and the characters even better!
Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a honest review.