I had such high hopes for Waiting for the Night Song because let’s be real, the cover is stunning. But I also kept hearing about it Through blogs about best novels to start off 2021 with, but what a let down. The story took many chapters for me even to get invested (way longer than I’d give a non ARC), and even then it was half hearted. It lacked the thrill I was looking for and had much more about the environment than I anticipated which just made it drag on.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

Thanks to @Netgalley and @forgereads for this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Who doesn’t love a book about a long buried childhood secret? If not, then the beauty of this cover alone should be enough to draw you in to read this book.

Waiting for the Night Song definitely brings back all the feels of a summer youth when you were out exploring with your friends. There is something magical about that time. For Cadie and Daniela, the magic was ruined by the events of one frightful day.

The premise of this book was very intriguing to me, however, I felt it fell short and dragged on at times. The environmental aspects, while mildly intriguing, made the book felt like the author wanted to draw awareness to this issue, and then add mystery and a story to make it interesting. I could have done without it entirely.

Forestry researcher Cadie is in the middle of an important project when a text from her childhood best friend sends her rushing to her hometown. A body has been discovered in the woods, bringing to light a secret from their childhood. As Cadie is flooded with memories of that fateful summer, she must decide what is worth sacrificing to protect the people she loves.

Honestly, I massively struggled with this book. The storyline ended up dragging, with lots of repetitive discussions and not much action. While the conversation on illegal immigration blended perfectly with her murder mystery, the climate change portion of the storyline didn't mesh and felt rather forced. I suggest passing on this one in favor of other January 2021 book releases.

I read this book in a single day. I was too enthralled to put it down! The author manages to create both an intriguing, fast-paced mystery and also a compelling call to action for environmental and social justice. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it!

This was an intense book with a lot of twists. It’s told in alternating times, past and present. Each story was good and it becomes more of a thriller towards the last half of the book. It’s a page turner! I enjoyed the book
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

This novel by Julie Carrick Dalton features complex story lines from the past and present. Lies, violence, friendship, love, and regrets pepper the plot lines that weave their way through the main characters’ lives. Waiting for the Night Song also highlights topics of race, immigrant status, social injustice, and nature preservation.

This book had a slow build for me in the initial chapters. As the deeper stories were revealed, I couldn’t help but be invested in the characters. I rooted for them to make the right choices even when it seemed impossible for them to do so without losing everything they love.

Waiting for the Night Song is a nicely paced read with content aligned with the zeitgeist of today. The tension built to such a high level that I could not put this book down until I reached the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, author, and publisher for the opportunity to read this book. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.
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Cadie is a nature girl. She is also an expert on insects. She trespasses on property to gather proof that insect infestation has impacted far more forests than originally thought. She skirts the law but has since that one summer. The story flashes back from that summer and it’s occurrences to present day. I thought the plot was interesting and it takes a whole for the story to begin to flesh out. There are a lot of characters to keep track which was hectic at first. It was a decent read.

This book is perfect for lovers of Where the Crawdads Sing. It has beautiful, descriptive writing of the forests in New Hampshire that really made you feel the magic. I also really loved that it really touched on the heavy subjects such as climate change, global warming and even a little bit of race.

This story alternates between past and present day and follows along the lives of two best friends, Cadie and Daniela. Cadie and Daniela strike up an unlikely friendship when they stumble upon a massive blueberry patch in the middle of the forest of New Hampshire. The pair decide to sell their blueberries to a local shop, but in order to do so, they write up a “Poacher’s Code” outlining the rules for taking the berries from the forest. When a tragic accident occurs, the “Poacher’s Code” becomes something much bigger than two kids taking berries from the forest. It becomes the foundation for buried secrets and something they will try to uphold for the rest of their lives. Years later, as fires literally start blazing and tensions between families in a small town start running the pair begins to realize that the forest can only keep their secrets buried for so long.

I really enjoyed this book and the main characters Cadie and Daniela. The author does a great job writing dialogue which sounded authentic, and the perfect amount of description so you felt like you were in the New England/New Hampshire.

I love how Ms. Dalton wrote a beautiful testament to the love of nature, as well as human behavior. I was enraptured by the writing, the words and the almost poetic language on the pages. This is a captivating story presenting the best of modern American literature.

This story is heartbreaking and awe inspiring at the same time. A truly poetic telling, a mystery, a tragedy, a friendship and secrets...beautifully written and it is without question worth the read.

I love me a good book about friendship and this book is just that. But I also love the social message it brings. It deals with social injustices. This book addresses everything..racism, climate change etc and does so in such a beautiful manner. This really is a much read book for everyone and I can't wait to see what Dalton does next.

Waiting for the Night Song is a murder mystery with elements of ecological disaster and returning to a childhood hometown. Cadie and her childhood best friend Daniela, overheard a murder when they were children and have kept silent about it until now, to protect Daniela's undocumented family. But when the body is discovered over 25 years later, Cadie is dragged back into her childhood trauma.

This isn't a bad book, it has interesting elements of science relating to climate change, and has a fast paced plot. However, I found it a little too repetitive for my liking. The same arguments between Cadie and Daniela were rehashed over and over again, the science about the bark beetles was brought up so much with no new information. I just felt like the same scenes and information were being shoved in my face multiple times. This is just a personal pet peeve of mine and nothing against the quality of the book, I'm sure many people aren't bothered by this at all. I also found Cadie to be a little frustrating and naive at times, making her hard to relate to.

🖤 Review Time! 🖤

I enjoyed this quick read. The plot is well written and easy toreador chapters. It flips back and forth between times but is super easy to keep track. There were some grammatical errors but it was an uncorrected copy so it's understandable. I really enjoyed the idea of friendship even after going through hard times reuniting and being there for each other. Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read the book.

Cadie and Daniella became friends almost at first site. Spending one summer together getting into shenanigans and trouble that they never thought they could overcome. After finding a boat just floating on the lake Cadie decided to keep it. Not long after Cadir and Daniella see a boy sitting alone on a dock and they begin to fantasize about all different senerios of what is going on with Garrett. They begin to leave him book on a rock and strike up a starnge relationship with him. Not long after something happens that changes the course of Cadie and Daniella's friendship. Years later Cadie receives a text asking her to come home as Danilla needs her. While Cadie struggles to find a way to get her place of work to listen to her, she is also fighting something that took place years ago bringing her and Daniella together in a way they never expected.

Review placed on Goodreads also.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up. I enjoyed the story but for some reason I feel like I still don't know the characters that well. While I enjoyed it, I wasn't entranced either - I could put it down at any point but I also didn't have a hard time picking it back up. Perhaps it was just the writing style that I had a hard time with, but I can't put my finger on it exactly. I do think nature got described more than the people which is why I'm at feel a disconnect with the characters.

Waiting for the Night Song, the debut novel of Julie Carrick Dalton, is a story of childhood best friends, the sweetness of long summer days of freedom and exploration, but also of ugly secrets and the kind of trauma that shapes a child’s personality forever. This author knows how to wield her pen; her words are beautiful and compelling. The story of going home to make amends turns into a fight for social injustice as well as a battle to save the magnificent forests of New Hampshire. A lot was going on, and at times I had trouble keeping up. I wavered for a while about how I felt about the book, but the author won me over about halfway through. Her lovely descriptions of lazy summers and sweet friendships reminded me of so many sentimental childhood summers of my own. The book is well worth reading, and I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read it. I gave it three and ½ stars, rounded up to four.

There were many things I really liked about this book. I loved how it told the story from alternating the past and the present. You were able to see the friendship between the girls unfold slowly. You were able to see what happened all those years ago, and how it is being deal with in the present. Unfortunately, I really enjoyed the story, but didn't really connect with the characters. I enjoyed the book, but didn't feel that special "something extra" that draws you in.

I do want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the advance copy. This did not impact my review.

Julie Carrick Dalton so beautifully captured what it’s like to be young: skipping across stones, picking each floor board to walk on for the sound it makes so a song is created, a best friend and dog to explore with, adventures both real and imagined and in the case of the characters in this book, living in an area where they were free to explore on their own.

The problem is, the summer boy they meet while off exploring, a person of mystery and possibility, becomes part of their focus. Then an event takes place involving him that forces them t o keep a deep dark secret for years to come. Later in the book the author throws in a revelation that should have been a surprise, but I did see it coming.

The descriptions in this book are amazing and the character development top notch.

There is some cursing, mostly toward the end using the f word and a word I absolutely hate using God’s name. I never like to see that in a book.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, Forge books, and the author, Julie Carrick Dalton for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.

This book has everything you would expect in a suspense novel; crime, childhood friends, secrets, and just a bit of romance to call it a day.

However, I struggled with truly getting into the book and really enjoying it. While I felt like the author did a great job with the writing, the whole premise just didn't resonate with me.

I really wanted to fall in love with this book but unfortunately that just didn't happen for me as i had a very difficult time connecting with the characters i unfortunately was unable to fiinish this book at 14 percent.

Waiting for the Night Song (Julie Carrick Dalton)
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Loved it! There was a really great mix of all good things - some nature/science, childhood friendship that picks up where it left off, a little romantic spark, and a crime to pull it all together. It was everything I could have asked for.

Cadie and Daniela’s childhood summer was one to remember, in more ways than one. They found a BFF in each other and had great adventures, but when they witness something terrible, their friendship was shattered as they both tried to move on. Years later, they are forced to reunite to confront their history.

Thanks to @netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review!
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I absolutely loved this book. it was so unique and yet felt so familiar. I appreciated the backstory, the plot overall, and the execution. This book made me want to read whatever comes next from Julie Carrick Dalton.