This was a good story with well-drawn characters. I especially appreciated how the author explored modern day issues in a way that was both respectful and approachable. I also felt that, at times, the various heavy topics covered here were competing with each other. This did affect the flow a little, but not to the point of negatively impacting the story. All in all, an enjoyable read.

Told in two time lines and two very different focus stories, WAITING FOR THE NIGHT SONG is a good, solid read that is well researched, we've seen the damage pine beetles can do to the timber forests in Alaska, and well imagined, a young girl's most treasured summer memory is also marred by trouble. Julie Carrick Dalton has skillfully turned the forests into one of the major characters in the book and added the political hot topic of immigration and employment as a match just waiting to burn everything down.

Cadie's near-perfect ecology research life goes for a toss when she receives a call from her childhood best friend Danielle. As the ladies brace to encounter an assault on their peaceful lives, as an incident revolving around the Summer Boy from their childhood comes back to haunt them, little do they know of what's in store for them. An engaging plot and memorable characters make this book a delight to read. I loved the dual-timeline narration, and the mix of different currently relevant points woven into the story. A brilliant debut from Dalton here. I look forward to reading more of her works. My thanks to Dalton, and publishers Macmillan-Tor, and Forge Books, for gifting me with a copy of this book.

I found this book to be a great balance of education and entertainment. I learned so much about the birds and beetles that surround us every day in nature.
It also showed the way that family secrets can shape a life. The writing is detailed and vivid, and I felt like I was there with the characters as they experienced the unraveling of all the family and friend secrets around them.

This book was difficult for me to get into at first, but once I stuck with it, it was hard to put down. I enjoyed all of the elements of forestry. I also enjoyed the childhood friendship aspect. This book was a nice palate cleanser after reading a lot of dark books recently. I look forward to more by this author.

This book was a tough one to put my finger on regarding whether I enjoyed it or not. It felt almost rushed, then incredibly slow paced. The beginning of the book I consumed and couldn't put down, having a coming of age vibe that felt realistic and honest. However, once the murder plot goes under way it's all reveled so quickly and then the rest of the book is kind of just the aftermath and the fallout, which felt a little lagging.

It did have heart and I liked the overall writing and story - just felt odd with the pacing. I ended up struggling to finish once I made it half way.

I apologize but I was not able to finish this book. I was in a different headspace at the time of requesting / recieving this book and the time I got it.

This book took me a little while to get through, but it was worth it for the satisfying ending. The writing is beautiful and descriptive and really captures the magic of being young, and the different timelines worked really well.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

Just couldn't get into this one. It might be other people's cup of tea, but not mine unfortunately. I may look into the author's books in the future though.

I wanted to love this book… I was hoping it was one of those unexpected gems and maybe it is for you, but it wasn’t for me. I was excited because I saw it compared to Where the Crawdads Sing, which I loved. It wasn’t even close. I found the story drawn out and boring at times. The storyline was also predictable. Didn’t love it at all.

2.5 stars
It was an alright story about friendship and more, but when i finished it i was left with a feeling of missing something. The mystery part ended up annoying me, at the start it seemed interesting but it wasn`t particularly good executed later on. Plus the changing back and forth, felt unessesary.

An unexpected message from her estranged best friend, Daniela Garcia, brings Cadie Kessler, now a forestry researcher focused on the causes and consequences related to climate issues, back to her childhood home. Cadie and Daniela are forced to face a dark secret that abruptly ended both their friendship and a wonderful summer. Will Cadie have to choose between saving the world and helping right a wrong of the past?

The biggest issue that I had with this book was that it suffered from an identity crisis. The beginning of the novel gave a descriptive look at the mountains and one of the consequences of climate change, leading the reader down a path that abruptly changed just a few paragraphs later. The timely issue that runs like a thread throughout deserved more of a prominent place in the plot. As the novel digressed into a thinly veiled mystery about secrets of the past, I was disappointed in the progression of the plot. I really wanted to like this novel, but it is not one that I would recommend to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Waiting for the Night Song by NetGalley and the publisher, Forge Books. The decision to read and review this book was entirely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Forge Books for my copy of Waiting for the Night Song by Julie Carrick Dalton in exchange for an honest review. It published January 12, 2021.
I did not know what to expect when I started this, and what a story was woven! As someone who lives in an area with lots of forest fires, I found the concern and care given to this topic was appropriate.
There were many things addressed in this book, I'm honestly surprised it wasn't longer! I found the different relationships to be interesting, and trying to untangle the mystery was very interesting.

A great, atmospheric mystery that tries to do just a little too much.

Cadie is back in her hometown after many years away – the prototypical prodigal daughter. She’s tried running from the secret she’s kept buried deep for what seems like eternity. Reuniting with her childhood best friend Daniela might be more than she can handle however.

Part coming of age, part mystery, with a heavy dose of environmental action, the various plot lines and elements were a bit distracting to the emotional focus. Unwinding the clues to what really happened “that summer” when Cadie was a kid was quite intriguing, though – with surprising twisty turns – as were the flashbacks to her wild, backcountry youth.

For the book club lovers out there, there is an excellent and easy book club night out suggestion page, including a fabulous Reading Group Guide available from the publisher at https://www.torforgeblog.com/2021/01/25/forge-your-own-book-club-waiting-for-the-night-song-by-julie-carrick-dalton/.
A big thank you to Julie Carrick Dalton, Forge Books, and NetGalley for providing an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for this honest review.

#WaitingForTheNightSong
#JulieCarrickDalton
#ForgeBooks
#TorBooks
#NetGalley
#WomensFiction

A well written debut novel! A novel about the climate crisis, a murder mystery, immigration, nostalgic childhood memories, and friendship successfully rolled into one. I look forward to her next book.

I tried to like this. Too many things going on and the author didn't get to focus on any topic enough. Immigration, the environment, murder, love. Just too much. Thanks #netgallery, wished I enjoyed it more

A beautifully written novel weaving an exciting story together with the timely hot topics of climate change and immigration. Dalton’s prose had me stopping in several places to repeat a phrase or sentence aloud, to feel the words on my tongue. I highly recommend this masterful debut.

I had such high hopes for this novel. The premise seems promising and who can argue that the cover art isn't amazing. However, I just couldn't get fully vested in Dalton's characters. It seemed like the author was reaching too far to cover too many themes, all while the writing got more and more distracting.

This was, overall, a very interesting read. I liked the different aspects that were woven together - climate change, entomology, immigration, rekindling old friendships - all surrounding a bit of a murder mystery. I typically like stories that alternate between timelines - in this case, flashbacks to one summer of Cadie’s childhood while telling the story of present day. But in certain ways, I’m not sure it worked here - it forced the author to reveal the murder way too early (in my opinion) because it had to fit in the chronological order of flashbacks, but when that was just a third of the way into the book it made the culprit a bit obvious to me. Luckily, there were more secrets to be revealed in the end that made the ending still gripping for me.

However, I had issue with some of the writing. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there was more than one metaphor that just didn’t make sense to me; some things happened clearly to move the story along but were left unexplained as to how they came about or seemed out of character for a particular person; and I was more than once left confused by the flow of time (one instance in particular was a glaring error as it referred to something happening “days ago” when as written it couldn’t have been more than about 12 hours!).