3.5 stars

Wyatt lives in Wolf Ridge, and she believes that the town is overcome with a “sickness” every November. A violent sickness that is the reason for an increase in “accidents,” suicides and murders throughout the month. Wyatt’s mother was brutally murdered in November.

Wyatt is determined to find out who killed her mother. As Wyatt starts digging up the past, her friend is almost killed in an accident and her best friend turns on her. It’s November. Is the sickness real, or are the people of Wolf Ridge just bad?

This was a dark YA read. It was fast paced and short with only 288 pages. The book is filled with grief and touches on serious topics of mental health and abusive relationships. Even though it was a thriller, I felt bad for Wyatt and just wanted to give her a hug because of everything she was dealing with. There was suspense, unreliable characters, but it was also a heavy read.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

TW: 1. One Rape scene. Which is also mentioned, with very little detail, a couple times after.

2. Only one, maybe two, bad words (I remember that and you’ll know why when you read the authors “about me”).

3. Some alcohol, drug abuse and smoking.

My trigger was the first one and I got through it okay and absolutely loved the story. Second hand knowledge trigger was #3 and I made it through this story fine because it was truly worth finding the courage to read on.

So……..

WOW!! Wow wow wow wow wow!! If life allowed me to, I'd have read this in a couple hours. I'm all feelings right now. Intense, raw, emotional, insides wrecked......twisted up and oddly, parts of me healed from the words and events which I was chained to throughout. this story, all of it, took from me and it gave so much back to me. The reminder to be a fighter, a survivor.

This storyline hit me like I'd imagine a bug feeling, that didn’t see the windshield it was about to collide with, before it did. Left me gutted; insides open and exposed with pieces of me splattered across the glass. There's strong relatability with the storyline, my love for all the characters (even the ones we're not supposed to like), the storyline and the incredible writing that went into this story is as raw, intense, emotional and furious as the emotions it dumped into me and pulled out of me.

The elements of brokenness, loss, lack of trust, fear, destruction and being helpless is palpable. Moving along to where all the pieces would end up made this, unequivocally, one of the most meaningful books I've ever read. I say that as I'm thinking of when I first got this book and thought it was going to be another great read with some tension, maybe gore and simply a good read. There is nothing simple within the words of this story. Nothing. This is one of those books you're about to read for fun, but beyond that realize it was far more than just a good book. It is has glaring meaning weaved through the entirety and that message underneath is a very profound and powerful one, while still being a fun book to read.

Anyone who goes into this book with relatability is going to come out changed. Cliche saying, but it truly just is what this story and the incredible author has written for us.

I'm just dumbfounded at the moment because it was so much more. I cannot wait to read any and all of this Author's books.

P.S. The "About the Author" pages at the end solidified how deep this story is. She didn't just have an idea of a cool book with creepy happenings. Her heart was all in on this one. Her "about me" brought me to tears and If Sara Walters should ever read this, please note that I erased the "F" word a few times and replaced it with something appropriate until J&J are old enough to read and/or say the "F" word. You are an artist, an author and a woman with a depth of heart this world needs deeply and your story is something immeasurably special and unique.

I believe I've used far too many adjectives. Can't help it, that's what my heart and brain are feeling. "The Violent Season" should be read by anyone who loves drama upped exponentially by the message underneath. Whether you want a fantastic read of twisted mystery, thriller, suspense and have it be left at that alone.....read this book! If you want those elements entwined with something deeper with that message, you absolutely need to read this.

Thank you so much to #Sourcebooks and #NetGalley for having this title available and allowing me to experience reading it!!

Available now at Amazon

Print:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1728234107/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1633749777&sr=8-3

Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1728234107/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1633749777&sr=8-3

My Goodreads review link:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4254326496

Side note: I did publish this to Amazon from the link here on NG, however I got an email that it wasn’t able to be posted due to violation of terms. I’m assuming that was probably the links in the review so I sent it through again without the links and directly through my Amazon account which is why it shows here as “no retailer reviews sent”. Now I know for next time.

I didn’t know where The Violent Season was going for a while. Was this supernatural, horror, or just a mystery. You will get your answers! Wyatt’s grief over her mother’s death drives this book. The torn love triangle was too drawn out for me. Otherwise, it is all about the ending! This ending will lead you to a dark place. Teens will enjoy this thriller; I hope they don’t get bored during the development.

“When Cash told me he wanted to kill Porter Dawes, we were standing on the peak of Lawson’s Bluff, our sleeves pulled down over our hands.”
• 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝚂𝙴𝙰𝚂𝙾𝙽 𝚡 𝚂𝚊𝚛𝚊 𝚆𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 •
Cᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs:
- parent suicide, child suicide, suicidal thoughts/ideation,
- self harm, substance abuse, partner abuse,
- auditory/visual hallucinations, attempted SA, domestic violence, pedicide, blood/gore,
•
•
Summary: Wyatt Green knows the people of Wolf Ridge are infected and consumed by an insatiable hunger for violence. Every November people hurt others and themselves. Her best friend and obsession, Cash is no exception. But this November, his eyes are darker and his need for violence stronger. Wyatt just needs to help him stitch his jagged seams back together and they’ll both make it out alive.
•
•
Except they don’t. And nothing Wyatt sees or remembers is accurate. The Violent Season is absolutely unputdownable, chilling, downright scary at moments, but ultimately offers a dark and accurate portrait of abuse, denial, and what it’s like to be in so, so, so much pain. 10/10 definitely recommend.

“You can’t change other people. You can’t fix them. And frankly, it isn’t your job to.”

Every November disaster strikes in Wolf Ridge, a small town in Vermont. A hunger for violence takes over the whole place, always taking some victims. Last year, Wyatt lost her mum as she was murdered in their home. This year, her best friend Cash—the guy she can’t help but love and who also lost his mum some years ago—seems to have the “sickness”. A class project however, will force Wyatt to spend time with Cash’s nemesis Porter and put some distance between herself and Cash. She will also start to uncover some secrets about herself, her mother, and the town itself. She’ll start questioning everything in her life.

The premise of a haunted town, a place where people have an evil side and thirst for violence in them once every year was certainly exciting. However, whilst the execution was well done, something was lacking. The development and pace of the novel were very well done, the narration kept you hooked and the plot pulled you along from one chapter to another. But, some things felt rushed, especially towards the end, after some twists in the story take place. It gives very little time for a proper resolution since the mystery is resolved so quickly.

The characters were also well written and their emotions felt very real which is one of the strong points in the book. There’s a huge amount of teen angst but you can’t help but root for Wyatt anyway. Even though she definitely grows and comes to respect herself more by the end of the book, she could’ve done with a little bit more of character development. The other characters are also well portrayed and the relationships were interesting yet hard to read in some parts.

Since Taylor Swift is mentioned a bit in the book, it’s worth mentioning that actually, the song Tolerate It describes Wyatt’s relationship with Cash quite well. That struggle of wanting to be loved by someone who doesn’t really pay attention to what you do for them nor reciprocates your love towards them. On the other hand, her relationship with Porter, although not perfect, seems a little bit healthier.

Talking about unhealthy relationships, it must be said that The Violent Season is full of toxic and harmful behaviour. There’s this uncomfortable reminder that maybe people are inherently bad and everyone has some bad parts in them. With mentions of self-harm, suicide, murder, and sexual assault, this book could definitely be triggering for some.

Overall, The Violent Season is a very solid debut that explores dangerous relationships and the effects these can cause. It’s a novel that will keep you hooked all the way, the need to connect the dots to unravel the mystery paired with the fast-paced writing make it hard to put the book down. To be fair, you might not get exactly what you came for, and you’ll be left wanting more answers and development since the main aspect of the book is never really answered but you’ll be highly satisfied with what you get.

The claustrophobic and intriguing feel of this story as well as Walter’s ability to keep the reader on their toes the whole time make The Violent Season worth reading. A quick, intense, and thrilling read good for those craving a book full of tension this spooky season.

Book Review: The Violent Season by Sara Walters

The Violent Season is a young adult thriller about a small Vermont town that has an pattern of death and violence every single November for as long as the teenagers can remember.
Wyatt is a high school senior struggling to recover after finding her mother’s murdered body the previous November. Her best friend Cash has never been the same since his own mother’s suicide years before. As Wyatt tries to figure out the dark forces inside and outside that might be forcing her small community to hurt themselves and each other she also has to look at her toxic relationship with Cash. And when she is asked to do a school project with a handsome classmate (Porter) she realizes how far she’s come from the girl she used to be.
This is not a fun thriller or a feel good book and it explores darker and unsettling issues around murder, suicide, sexual assault, revenge porn and drug/alcohol abuse. That being said, the tension never lets up and I found it hard to put down.
4.5 stars

Holy moly! This book took off from the beginning and I was hooked! Right away I had questions…

Is there really a sickness on the town? What was going on?

I instantly felt a connection to Wyatt. She was a lovable character who has seen soo much same in her young life that you could not help but feel sorry for Anna want a happy ending for. Dealing with the unsolved murder of her mother The year before, her character develops nicely throughout the story. As she also deals with seemingly unrequited love for her best friend, Cash, I kept wanting him to wake up and realize what he had in her. Cash seems untouchable too. He wants out of this town desperately soo sees no real future for them, but also at the same time does not want to lose her. What could turn into a beautiful relationship has morph into him constantly leading her on and dragging her basically on a chain of hope..

Than there is Porter… the seemingly untouchable rich boy…..Who seems to gave some sort of rivalry/hatred for Cash. But when Wyatt is thrown into a school project with him she is left wondering who is the real problem and what really is happening in her town.

This book was captivating. I could not put it down although I switched back and forth from audio to ebook. With the narrator was absolutely amazing!

What a perfect beginning of spooky season read. It was great from beginning to end and I was in the edge of my seat the entire time. The ending floored me. I will read any thriller written by this author!

This is my actual nightmare. This book felt very much like the purge but somehow even better. I really appreciated the work the author put in because it shows. Extra haunting and spooky.

This is a very good mystery/thriller that is hard to put down. Wyatt lives in the small town of Wolf Ridge, Vermont and believes in the urban legend that every November the people of her town are overwhelmed by a hunger for violence. Too many people die in her small town die in that month, including her mother, who was brutally murdered last November.

This year Wyatt believes that the hunger has spread to her best friend Cash. She and Cash have a very toxic relationship. Wyatt desperately yearns for Cash and gobbles every morsel of affection he tosses her way, no matter how many times he hurts her. When their relationship is strained, Wyatt finds herself attracted to Cashes nemesis Porter when they are assigned as partners for an English class project. Unused to freely being shown affection and kindness, Wyatt begins to learn hard truths about herself and her relationship with Cash. Out of the grip of Cashes' control, Wyatt begins to uncover secrets about herself and those she trusts most.

This was a gripping story that is a quick read. It touches on serious topics of mentally abusive relationships and control, and the author does a great job of putting the reader in the mind of Wyatt while she's in the throes of her infatuation with Cash, and then as she slowly pulls away and realizes that their relationship is unhealthy. The mystery portion of the book is pretty predictable, but I enjoyed reading how the author got there.

I really enjoyed this book - although it feels weird saying I "enjoyed" reading such a messed up book, but you get it. I haven't read anything by this author before, but I will definitely check out future books.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Sourcebooks. All opinions are my own.

TW: Abusive/toxic relationships, mentions of suicide, filicide, drug and alcohol use

"Losing came as easily as breathing to us. We were the children of loss, of suicides, of car wrecks, of massacres. Tragedy was our rite of passage. We wore our personal body counts like war medals. Swapped stories of slit wrists and sudden heart attacks and twisted metal like trading cards."

The synopsis of this book was so interesting, but I honestly just expected it to be a really great horror read, perfect for the spooky season. But it's so much more. I don't even know where to begin with this one.

There are definitely some hard topics covered. Wyatt is 17 and kind of lost in her own life. She's best friends with Cash but she's also in love with him and just wants to be around him pretty much 24/7. It's a very obsessive relationship on her part, but nothing other teens probably haven't gone through, too. Wyatt is convinced that her town of Wolf Ridge is infected with something she calls the November Sickness, or just the sickness for short. Every November there's at least one tragedy in town that breaks them all down again, but the residents just pretend that bad things happen and there's no specific cause. But we have proof - Wyatt recounts different instances periodically for the first third or so of the book, all happening in November. Later we find out that these incidents can be traced back at least fifteen years and then we find out even further than that. A reporter tries to blame it on the cold. No really - she notes that violent crimes go up in the winter so it's not inconceivable that it's just a coincidence. And sure, that might be believable if not for the fact that Wolf Ridge is such a small town and some of the crimes are just so violent. Still, at the end of it all, we're not sure if the sickness is a real thing or the urban legend is just a convenient excuse for those who want to commit violence.

One thing that really resonated with me are the dozens and dozens of lines that Walters wrote so beautifully in this book. For a dark subject, there were so many quotes I had to write down because they were so relatable, or examples of absolutely gorgeous writing. This is her first book, and if it's a sign of things to come, I'll be buying every book she writes.

A small Vermont town - every November its residents seem to go on a killing spree. Whether suicide or homicide, no one is safe from themselves or each other.
Wyatt found her mom stabbed to death in their upstairs hallway - her socks soaked with blood, screams bouncing against the walls.
A year later, Wyatt's best friend and obsession, Cash states he wants to murder Porter. Like viscously murder. Their mutual hatred obvious to all around them. Wyatt doesn't know if she should take Cash seriously or keep him safe from the November sickness.
Amazing plot, incredibly creative story peppered with glances back to previous November victims - implying of course violence only occurs in November. I enjoyed Wyatt's obsession - very relatable. But the whole Porter vs Cash did not feel believable to me. It seemed like the author was trying to portray this rivalry as an always was yet the basis only existed from the previous November.
Some of the story seemed choppy to me - the author trying to hard to piece it all together while not carrying the plot consistently.
Overall a good read.

All Wyatt knows is that every year in November, people in her small sleepy town die. When her mother became a murder victim last November, Wyatt and her best friend Cash (whose mother committed suicide the November before) drown their grief in anything that can numb their minds. As Wyatt becomes more determined to figure out who killer her mother and Cash becomes increasingly withdrawn, Wyatt must decide who she wants to be and how she wants to live her life.

The Violent Season is a good thriller, but the ending lacked the closure I wanted. The behaviors of characters weren't explained enough for their actions to seem logical, but teens who are looking for a quick thriller probably won't mind that it lacks the deeper nuances of a well-developed story.

I got this off of Netgalley, these opinions are my own. This book was an interesting read that left me with mixed feelings. Wyatt’s one of those characters that you like but you also struggle with. Really gives you perspective of what it would be like to live in a place where violence happens every November. The book was good and the darkness that resides in people was realistic and honestly a little unnerving! Overall an enjoyable read!

This is my first read by this author, perhaps it's her first story too. Did I enjoy it? Well I was certainly hooked by the middle. I felt a little disconnected from the story now and then as it chopped and changed time lines and scenes frequently. And yet like I said I was hooked. I couldn't work out what was going on and if November actually was the reason or a coincidence.
Interesting story, quite dark in places. Is Wyatt the innocent victim in this story or a troubled teen with her own mental issues. You'll have to read the story to see your own conclusions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audiobook of this novel!

*small town
*unreliable narrator
*love triangle (ish)
*violence
*abusive relationship

Welcome to Wolf Ridge, where the month of November isn't safe for anyone. We follow the main character Wyatt (confusing name for a heroine, but I dig it) who is a high school student who has recently lost her mother, and her kryptonite Cash. They seem to live in their own little world, having shut off their families and friends. Along comes Porter, who ends up working with Wyatt on a project. They start spending more time together, while Wyatt continues to try and figure out what really happened to her mother.

I really disliked Cash the whole time, so I suppose the development of the story really worked for me. I got Pretty Little Liar vibes, which isn't a bad thing. I predicted the ending pretty much from the start, but this book was intended for a younger audience, so I think it would still work really well for them.

I listened to the audio and read the physical book at the same time, and I really enjoyed both. I thought the narrator did an excellent job bringing emotion and tension to this text.

The Violent Season is such a well-written mystery I just couldn't put it down. Every November, the town of Wolf Ridge faces deaths that have the town folks believing in curses. When Wyatt's mother becomes a November victim she decides it's time to figure out who's behind these killings. This book is very heartbreaking and I enjoyed every minute of it. I can't wait to read another beautifully told story by Sara Walters.

Every November, the town of Wolf Ridge seems to have an evil cloud over it, and they lose at least one town member every year in the month of November.

Wyatt loses her mother one November and is still trying to put together the pieces of what exactly happened to her mother while also trying to solve the puzzle of what this evil spell is that rolls over her town.

This book just threw me right into it and I experienced allll the emotions while Wyatt goes through her life along with Cash and Porter, two boys in town she has feelings for.

There are mentions of depression, self harm, sexual assault and suicide.

I feel as though enjoyed is the wrong word to use to say how I felt about this book, but I did. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this one. Thank you to Sourcebooks for this opportunity.

Wyatt is convinced that there is a sickness that takes over her town every year in November that makes people crazy and leads them to do unspeakable things. Wyatt has been angry and fearful ever since her mother was murdered the year before. Her friend Cash has been her only source of comfort until a school project changes that.

This was a quick read and had an air of thriller vibes to it. I was definitely a YA read but it was well done. This was a great read for October.

Sara Walters is coming in HOT. The Violent Season is dark, addictive, and MY, OH MY--It will consume you from the very start.

I am completely impressed and still trying to wrap my head around what I just read.

Correlation doesn’t equal causation, but don’t try telling Wyatt, the main character in “The Violent Season” that. She’s convinced pretty much down to her marrow that in her tiny hometown of Wolf Ridge, the month of November means the whole town comes down with what she calls the “November illness”, which every year as long as she can remember has coincided with one or more major crime resulting in death happening during the month of November. And last year, the crime was the brutal homicide of her mother, which is still unsolved.

Her best friend and man she loves, Cash, keeps telling her that it’s just because everyone has the potential to be bad and to do bad things. Her dad has just been kind of lost since her mom was murdered. The police department doesn’t even seem to care anymore, and no one else seems spooked by the annual November murders. But Wyatt is. She can see the violence in Cash’s eyes when he talks about their classmate Porter, and she can feel a certain darkness even within herself. Her mother’s ghost haunts the upstairs of their house, and Wyatt desperately wants to know who killed her mom and why, even as she’s soaked in guilt and grief over how much she and her mom fought and how their parting words to one another were anything but kind.

“The Violent Season” really tosses the ball in the air and asks the reader to inspect the inherent darkness of human nature from a variety of angles. This isn’t about good or evil, because those are moral constructs and morals are subjective. This is about the shades of grey that are within us all. Interspersed with the main narrative (and sometimes mentioned in the main narrative) there are stories of other crimes that happened in November in this town that make you ask: was this a violent crime, or just an accident? Was this an accident or a brutal murder? When someone has obviously been bullied and harassed, who’s to blame for their suicide? Is there anyone to blame at all but the mental illness in their brain? If a child shoots another child because they got a hold of a gun, is that an inherently violent act? I’m not here to weigh in with my opinion on these matters. I’m here to tell you this book wants you to look at the nature of the darkness inside all of us and examine it from different angles. What looks violent to one person might just look like a sad accident to someone else.

I’ve read a lot of good psychological/thriller/horror books as of late, and this was a great one, but it wasn’t one I think I’d read again and again. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I totally recommend it because the characters are vastly interesting and I do love a fiendishly compelling look into aspects of human nature. Because violence can be virulent. Studies on gun violence have proven that. But just because murders and ice cream sales both increase during the summer doesn’t mean that ice cream makes you want to murder someone. Correlation versus causation.