Audrey is a girl about town. But not like....Upper East Side New York, more of the indie rock scene of Williamsburg in the early/mid 2000's. Now she's somewhat of a celebrity, at least in some circles. Her boyfriend is a former football player who works in publishing....sort of. Her best friend works at an auction house and her best friend's boyfriend works on Wall Street.

But....this book is something different. It's a history of two people who didn't fit in where they were from. Two people who moved to New York and struggled. Two people who met and fell in love. One person with a history that she keeps hidden.

There's a missing person, blackmail, drugs, family drama, band drama, drugs and drugs. It's a mystery but also a love story. A love story between Audrey and Theo. A love story to New York. A love story to that fun time in Williamsburg/Brooklyn when bands were everywhere and being a 'celeb' meant being a fun girl who everyone loved. (Am I projecting/speaking from experience? Maybe. )

I loved this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3 1/2 Star ALMOST a 4 star book for me- thank you Avid Reader Press and Netgalley for this Advanced Reader's Copy. The writing in this novel is excellent. Goodwillie knows his way around a word and it definitely shows.

This book is more of a character driven novel rather than a plot novel, HOWEVER, it was the idea of the plot that kept me super intrigued. This novel centers around Audrey, a struggling band manager living in Brooklyn who is just scraping by. She is dating Theo, a struggling book promoter who didn't realize the capacity of his love until he met Audrey.

Where the book snags you is when at an after party Audrey is given information about an old friend who allegedly had jumped to his death off of a bridge in Brooklyn. Shaken, she reaches out to her estranged best-friend Sarah and her boyfriend Chris and asks them, "Could his suicide be because of what we did all those years ago?".

I needed to know what they did and the consequences of those actions that are happening in real life at that moment. We dive into the backgrounds of both Audrey and Theo and we jump back in time and into the present to see the events that happened leading up to the bridge incident.

I would have given this a solid 4 stars (the writing alone was just beautiful) but I did think that there were parts in this book that could have been cut out completely. There are scenes that do nothing to excel both the plot or the build up of character development. However, I did finish this book in 3 days, so that has to say something for his readability!

Never could quite get interested in this. I thought it was a different title that I had heard some buzz about, but decided to try this one anyway as the summary sounded good. Unfortunately wasn't for me.

Audrey Benton arrives in New York City on a bus from nowhere in the early 2000s. Broke but resourceful, she soon finds a home for herself amid the burgeoning music scene in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As she becomes a minor celebrity in indie rock circles, she finds an unlikely match in Theo Gorski, a shy but idealistic mill-town kid who’s struggling to establish himself in the world of publishing. But then an old acquaintance of Audrey’s disappears under mysterious circumstances, sparking a series of escalating crises that force the couple to confront a dangerous secret from her past and their relationship as a whole.

This book is hands-down my favorite of 2020. It is a literary fiction while managing to bring in elements of a thriller/mystery. A possible suicide is the central catalyst of the plot; however the book is about so much more. At the heart of the book is the relationship of Audrey and Theo, two twenty-something starving creatives in Bushwick. I’ll admit the beginning started off slow. The book is very description-heavy, which I quite enjoyed as a fan of literary fiction, but it meant that I couldn’t speed through the book. But, by the halfway point I was hooked and finished the second half of the book in a day. I nearly raced through the second half, craving answers to the mysteries that Davis Goodwillie slowly reveals throughout the opening chapters. I loved the story from the beginning, but the ending really got me. This story is full of masterly crafted plot twists that kept me hooked on every word. I’m calling it now, this book is my favorite book of 2020, and David Goodwillie is my new favorite author.

This is tasty literature with some mystery. A strong story that shows off the author's talent nicely. I enjoyed the characters and the story, and was mostly engaged. I look forward to the author's next work.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

This is the love story of Audrey and Theo. Concurrently, it is an open love letter to Brooklyn and NYC, spanning the years 2000-2011. An eye-opening foray into the music scene and the publishing industry during this period of time. I fell in love with these two characters, opposites though they may be. I identified strongly with Theo and found Audrey to be intriguing and unafraid. If you love character driven novels, if you want to feel the pulse of NY, this one's for you! Pub date is 7/28/20. Thank you to NetGalley, Avid Reader Press & the author for the free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #NetGalley #avidreaderpress #kingscounty #davidgoodwillie #booksandmrdarcy #withhernosestuckinabook❤️📚

There was a lot going on in this one, which kept me interested from the very first page. It managed to seem like literary fiction while also having an element of thriller/mystery. The stories it covered were really interesting, and it addressed topics of class and privilege really well. A few of the relationships I had a hard time believing in at times, and the shifts between perspectives seemed random and abrupt in some parts. But overall it was a really engrossing read and I'd recommend it!

I received this galley as an ARC from Netgalley and Avid Reader Press for an honest review.

Kings County is the story of two people that fall in love but have some previous actions that cause that love to be tested. Theo is an Intelligent, ex-football town hero that is finally going to leave and make something of himself which has never been done. Things have not worked out as good as he wanted and he’s decided that life as he wanted just is not in the cards for him. Then he meets Audrey.
Audrey is a Florida transplant to New York. Life has not been easy for Audrey but she has learned how to compartmentalizations so life can go on. Audrey becomes a new band promoter for the Westfield Brothers and at their concert meets Theo. It’s those compartmentalizations causes That causes Audrey to make decisions that will cause difficulties for Theo and Audrey and their best friends Chris and Sarah.

This was written from present day and from the

Thank you Netgalley and Avid Reader Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. There were parts that were interesting and made me want to read further - specifically Audrey's work with bands and moving up the ladder in the music industry, as well as Theo trying to make it in the publishing world. But there were many, many parts that seemed too long and distracted from the main plot.
The author can write well in my opinion, but so many parts of this book are overly descriptive and give too much background, so that it turns boring. This may also be partly because I'm not a person who has ever been attracted to NYC. There are great descriptions of the city and I felt I was there, but I just didn't... care.
It may also be the wrong time for me to read this book - which says more about me than it does about the book. In a time when diversity in authors and characters is fighting for a place in publishing, this is a book with all white characters by a white man. In the time of black lives matter and protests roiling the US, this book has a character who wanders through an Occupy Wall Street protest, sees tons of police present, and notes that it's probably super safe because there are so many police nearby! Maybe it was to show how out of touch the character was, but it was really off-putting for me to read that.
I also cringed multiple times when the female main character thought things about herself that just seemed to be obviously about the male gaze. ("He took off my bra and my breasts barely fell at all, thank god"). This is not a direct quote and perhaps it'll be edited before final publication but it made me roll my eyes, as did her hips and cheeks and arms being described as burial mounds during sex - what??
Ok, I told myself not to get too negative but I felt I'd be remiss not to mention some of these things.
Good things - Audrey's grandma and friends on the Space Coast of Florida. I wanted more of them. The community there was so much more real and inviting than any community described in NYC that the characters were involved in.
Speaking of the characters, Audrey was the only one I somewhat liked. Theo was sooo dull from the first description of him. Maybe this was on purpose, in relation to things we learn later about Audrey's past and how she's looking for boring, stolid safety. Her other friends are pretty flaky and ditch her to be rich in another neighborhood.
Then (then!!) there's the mystery which you only learn about at 50% into the really long book. And then not much else happens regarding the mystery until the last 15% of the book.
Finally, I didn't like the use of the word indigenous to describe a group of indie hipsters living in an NYC neighborhood right before it gets gentrified. I'm sure there are other things that are more indigenous to the area (like indigenous people that were kicked out?!).
Well I can't deny that this book just isn't for me!

I loved this book so much! It made me wish I had spent my 20s in Brooklyn and that the protagonist, Audrey, had been my best friend. She is one of my favorite protagonists of all time. Audrey grew up on the Space Coast in Florida, raised by her eccentric grandmother and grandfather. But when she moves to Brooklyn, she needs to reinvent herself and eventually finds herself working as a talent rep for a small record label. she loves her work, and her bands, especially the Westfield boys. when she meets the earnest, cerebral Theo, she thinks her life is complete. But when she hears that her old friend Fender jumped from the Williamsburg bridge, past actions and regrets arise. KINGS COUNTY is a rich, atmospheric, beautiful read - the kind of book that make you want to live between the pages. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! Will buy several copies for others when it is released.

Less than one chapter into Kings County, I was already making a mental list of who I knew would love this story. It’s rare that I finish an electronic galley and immediately debate preordering the book because I know it’s one I will want to own and lend over and over again. Goodwillie’s Kings County is that unique story.
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Audrey is the quintessential Brooklynite of the early 2000s. She’s made a life for herself after arriving in the city broke and clueless and now works for a indie record label scouting talent and managing bands. After hearing about the disappearance and possible suicide of a friend from her early days in New York, Audrey has to reconcile with a past she thought she’d moved on from and what it means for her relationship with her erudite yet idealistic boyfriend Theo.
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I am so impressed with how skillfully Goodwillie has created a story that is strongly character driven, taking deep, intentional looks at the inner lives of Audrey, Theo, and other characters, while also maintaining a storyline that is inherently a page turner and, at times, almost a thriller. I loved the dynamics of Theo and Audrey’s relationship. Having just finished Normal People, being able to see inside the relationship from both perspectives felt similar in Kings County and caused me to root for both Audrey and Theo at various times. I absolutely adored this story and cannot wait to be able to force my friends to read it 🙃🤓
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Trigger warning: there is a fairly graphic rape scene

Highly recommend this book! I took my time reading it, but easily could have finished quickly. The characters were very well-developed, which I have not experienced in some other recent reading. I have found myself thinking about the characters and their stories many times since I finished. This was my first David Goodwillie book, and I look forward to reading more. Thank you NetGalley!

I absolutely loved the atmospheric writing of Kings County. Set in both Manhattan and Brooklyn, Goodwillie brings the reader directly into the heart of New York City as he tells the story of Audrey and Theo (both as a couple and individuals). This book is very much so rooted in deep character development that leaves the reader constantly wanting to learn more about the protagonists. I really appreciated that this story wasn't told in chronological order, as the reader comes to discover different parts of Audrey and Theo's pasts as they progress further into the plot of the novel. I also found that this enhanced the mystery that unwraps by the second half of the story.

I stayed up until two in the morning finishing this book last night, it was that good! I am going out on a limb and declaring Kings County as my favorite book so far of 2020.

A little background: This book follows the story of Audrey and Theo, a twenty-something couple living in Brooklyn in the early 2000s. They have both moved to New York to pursue artistic endeavors and establish independent identities for themselves after they both have experienced challenging upbringings. They establish their roots over the years, and then find one another and fall into an unexpected but deeply complimentary love. I would describe it as a coming-of-age story with an intriguing mystery and love story woven in. The writing is wonderfully atmospheric and quickly draws you into Audrey and Theo's lives in their little corner of Brooklyn. The story really takes off when a dark part of Audrey's past resurfaces and their relationship is put to the test. The pacing and rhythm of the storytelling pick up, and I could not put it down until I finished it.

I love character-driven novels and this one really delivered. Not only was it some of the best character development I have read in a long time, I loved Audrey and Theo; their humor, their quirks and their devotion to each other. I could see them being my friends in real life (if I was cool enough to work at an indie record label or publishing house).

For some comparison, it reminded me of my favorite parts of Ask Again, Yes and Long Bright River.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Dare I say this is my favorite book of 2020 so far?!

Goodwillie’s quick witted and atmospheric writing wrapped me in. From the get-go I was so intrigued with Audrey Benton and Theo Gorski’s characters. Both carry with them the weight of broken small town backgrounds to New York City, searching for equal parts belonging and independence.

Kings County gives love, mystery, and thrill all the while remaining a completely authentic story. I can’t wait for this to be published in July and it get all the praise it deserves.

Atmospheric with enough tension to keep me reading at a frantic pace. I was really interested to read what I expected would be more of a meandering story but had my favorite elements of a mystery or a thriller. It felt tightly edited but still had so much atmosphere that felt authentic to time and space. It was a very humane telling of a time and place through characters I found myself enjoying and also being frustrated by in the right proportions.