Ever since I read Unspeakable Things, if I see a new Jess Lourey book, I don't even read the description to know I want it! She does such a great job putting her own fictional spin on true life events. Litani is no exception as I kept looking over my shoulder because of all the strange, creepy, and downright evil things that happen in this town.
Frankie hasn't been back to her mother's house in Litani since she was seven years old. She lives with her father in California, and let me just say that something her mother did made Frankie never want to return, and I didn't blame her. But life doesn't always play fair. She is fourteen years old when her father suddenly dies and she is sent to live with her mother.
If you are thinking this will be a heartwarming mother and daughter reunion, think again. Her mother is so devoted to her job that she doesn't even notice Frankie's all-consuming grief. When her mother shoos her out the door and tells her to go play, I was like 'what', this woman definitely doesn't have to worry about where to put her Mother of the Year trophy. Frankie runs into some younger girls who seem to know way too much about sex and something called The Game.
As Frankie learns more about this town and the monsters who live here, she may have more to fear than having to live here, dying here might well be a possibility. My eyes were glued to my Kindle screen as all sorts of secrets were revealed. Another intriguing plot and a real page-turner, but this might not be the book for everyone as child abuse plays a large part in the story.

Litani by J. Lourey, published by Thomas & Mercer is thriller inspired by true crime.
The storyline is set in 1980ies in rural Minnesota.
Francesca, Frankie is a 14 year old teenager who's moving in with her estranged mother, Linda Jubliee. The prosecutor is a hard, cold woman. After losing her loving father with whom she grew up, she's now in Litani, population 2700.
Frankie, an outsider, gets invited to The Game. And so it begins.
Litani is a dark read and not for the faint of heart. It's bonechilling how the community becomes paranoid and hysteric. How dark secrets come to light that better should have stay hidden.
Litani is a pageturner, shocking - like a car accident on the other side of the highway - you can't not look away, you simply can't.
The main characters are teenagers but this not a ya or na book. And did I mention that it's a dark read?? Litani is a DARK read, grippinh, wrenching, put me on a roller coaster ride of emotions, put me through the wringer, you get the gist. A story that stays with me, 5 stars.

Litani follows 14-year-old Frankie Jubilee during a grim time in her life, she’s moving to Litani, Minnesota in the wake of her beloved father’s death. She moves in with her estranged mother, who she coldly refers to as Linda Jubilee, and more than just her personal world begins to unravel. Life in Litani is a waking nightmare, with monsters hiding in plain sight, and everyone is suspect.

Reading Litani is a heart-racing journey through some of the most uncomfortable and horrific topics addressed in literature. Lourey covers these themes with uncommon gentleness, keeping the worst details off-stage and treating victims with kindness even as evil and tension reach an apex. The author begins building suspense in the first words of the novel and doesn’t give up this grip until the final chapter. I raced through Litani in two days, devouring Frankie’s story and yearning for healing in the town of Litani, Frankie, and the team she has surrounded herself with.

My only criticism, which in no way detracts from my 5-star rating, is that there are points where I think Frankie’s thoughts are very mature for a 14-year old. I’m reminded that she was put in an impossible position of care and responsibility by her parents, so it wasn’t enough to pull me out of the story, but as a parent, it made my heart ache for what she went through.

Highly recommend Litani by Jess Lourey. Massive gratitude to #NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Ms. Lourey for providing this ARC in exchange for my review. #Litani

Jess Lourey is quickly becoming the next Wendy Corsi Staub for me. Quick, great mysteries with a smidge of supernatural and I love it.

Having read Unspeakable Things I knew I was going to read whatever author Jess Lourey was going to come out with next and thanks to NetGalley I got a chance to get into this uncomfortable and excellent follow up which I can't recommend enough to anyone looking for a good thriller. Surprisingly while both the novels share some similarities with its themes, setting and lead characters, the stories differ in every possible way, especially with this one creeping on to you from every corner. I can't wait to read whatever intriguing and horrifying stuff she comes up with next..

I saw this one recommended by an online friend and the description intrigued me. I was not disappointed. I think I read this one in two days - it's that good., It's a book that combines 80's nostalgia with a coming of age tale and a mysterious town that is hiding something sinister. The subject matter may be triggering for some, so fair warning.

14 year old Frankie (Francesca) has been sent to live with her mother in Litani, Minnesota, after the death of her father, an event for which Frankie carries around a lot of guilt. Frankie doesn't know her mother very well, having lived with her father since the age of five except for one brief and disastrous visit to her mother around age seven. Frankie and her Dad were two peas in a pod, doing botany research for his job at a university and creating The Book, her prized possession, where they tried to match people to the plants that most matched their personalities.

Life in Litani doesn't start off well for Frankie. After ignoring her mother's instruction to go to the playground, she wanders into the woods because being in the woods reminds her of her Dad. She ends up getting beaten up by a pack of 10 year old girls and "saved" by teenager Crane. As Frankie soon learns, there are plenty of weird characters and creepy vibes in this town, and it's hard to know who to trust. Her mother, who is the County Prosecutor, doesn't seem to harbor any affection for Frankie whatsoever, and signs her up for a time capsule project. Meanwhile Frankie starts to ask questions and learn more about her parents' life in Litani and the drowning of her uncle Benny years and years ago, even as she starts to hear whispers about satan worshippers and child sacrifices in town. What in the world is going on here?

I really enjoyed this author's writing style. It was concise and yet evocative of the uneasy mood hanging over Litani. I could feel the unrelenting heat wave and the weighty oppressiveness of the town. The book is told from Frankie's point of view and I really liked Frankie's spirit and unwavering devotion to her father, and the way she was not put off by Crane's quietness, plus she was real and believable. Most of the characters (with the exception of those who were eventually revealed as criminals) came across as real people, with good points and bad points.

This book was based on a true story and I can tell it's one of those books that will linger in my mind for quite a while.

Litani was the first book I read from Jess Lourey and I really loved it. The pacing was great, Frankie really sounded like a *nerdy* teen (especially back in the day), and the plant personality book was so cute. I think Lourey did a great job at balancing the horrible crimes committed by the cult and the lives that matter: the children.

Jess Lourey's newest book (to be published October 19, 2021) is again inspired by true events from the author's childhood. Whereas Unspeakable Things tackled the ever-present fear of abduction and loss in the aftermath of Jacob Wetterling's kidnapping, this story is inspired by the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. This book was so well-written and moving. I think the author did an impeccable job of creating an atmosphere of pervasive fear underneath everything. I loved Frankie and was rooting for her the whole time. This is a coming-of-age story with a female lead, which is my cup of tea. The friendships Frankie forms were beautiful and I loved how she learned compassion and to not judge a book by its cover. Happy to report that the kitten in the story is safe and unharmed! And like Unspeakable Things, Frankie takes comfort in doodles -- rather than creating punchy little cartoons, Frankie assigns plant personalities to the people she meets. The artwork in these entries is great and I loved seeing Frankie's reasoning behind each plant personality. It was an opportunity for her to be a little snarky and incisive about the people she meets in Litani. I hope Jess Lourey continues to write these beautiful stories about kids dealing with the pain of growing up in a terrifying time.

Synopsis-
After the tragic death of her botanist father, 14 year old Frankie Jubilee is forced to leave Pasadena and move to Litani, MN with the mother she barely knows. Linda Jubilee is the town prosecutor and barely has time for Frankie. Sending Frankie out to play, Linda's only instructions are: "Only play with kids. No grown-ups." It doesn't take long for Frankie to realize that kids aren't safe in Litani. Someone is preying on children, asking them to play The Game. With her mother at work all day everyday and no friends in Litani, Frankie agrees to play with a group of bullying girls in order to find out what is going on and who is hurting kids. The decision to play amateur detective puts Frankie directly in the line of danger...

This one stuck with me. I enjoyed the juxtapositions in this novel. It’s creepy, but well-written enough that you aren’t so disturbed that you can’t stick with the story. The main character is spunky but sensitive, and we watch her grow up in many ways during the short time span of the book. Even the supporting characters have many layers to them - not easy to accomplish when the story takes place over just a number of weeks (or months at most). The story starts off with a bang and wastes no time, and even though the ending is ultimately predictable from a mile away, you’re still cheering Frankie on as she brings justice to the town of Litani.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I only made it 29% into this book, unfortunately. I feel like I should be drawn into it more by now, and I’m just not. I don’t care enough about it so far to keep reading to find out how she killed her dad. I just think the story so far was really boring.

I had mixed feelings on this book. I hated it at first, then liked it, but ended up being not a fan overall. There was too much going on and too many characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.



2.5/5

The new queen of Thrillers is back! And I am here to tell you: she knocks this one out of the park and I am even more head over heels for this author than I was before.

Litani takes place in the height of the Satanic Panic of the 80's in a small town where no one is to be trusted.

It's creepy, it's disturbing, it's everything you want in a thriller. This book kept me up way past my bedtime, I just couldn't put it down. I needed to know everything.

Lourey has such a knack for leaving little sinister clues like bread crumbs throughout the story to pull you in deep. Then, when you think you couldn't be invested in the story anymore than you already are, she pulls you in deeper with her sheer writing ability. She has this amazing way of writing between the lines, leaving it up to the readers imagination run wild to fill in the terrible and sinister blanks.

Crime junkies and thriller lovers everywhere, pick up this book when it comes out on Oct. 19.

This was a weird read for me. I feel like it's overall a 3.5 for several reasons. It felt disjointed throughout the first 90% of the book, and everything was sort of wrapped up in the last 10%. While this isn't a bad thing - I was worried there would be areas that weren't provided closure or brought up again - it made the reading experience really fragmented. There were so many little plot lines and details that could have been left out, and others that could have been more fleshed out in their place.

The characters felt not fully realized. Maybe because the narrative point of view was first person from Frankie's 14 year old perspective, but several of the characters - especially her mother and Dawn - didn't seem to be completely cohesive in a way. It felt like I was reading about three different people whenever she talked about her mom.

That being said, the setting of the story was written really well. While the child sexual abuse plot almost seems too unbelievable, it calls back to cases like the McMartin preschool case in the 80s, and is just a reminder of how horrific things like this can actually be. I do think the story needs a trigger warning for pedophilia and child abuse, as I don't think the synopsis alone was concise enough in describing what the story is about.

TW: peadophillia

After the death of her father 14 year old Frankie has to move from Pasadena to live with her estranged mother, in Litani, who she's not seen since an incident 7 years ago. Frankie instantly feels uneasy when entering Litani and it gets no better when her mother tells her not to be around grown ups only other children and not too play The Game but making friends in Litani is hard although she manages to make a friend in Crane but he's hiding secrets that he's not sure he wants Frankie to know.

The things these children have to deal with is heartbreaking and knowing it's based on true events makes it even worse. I liked that it was from the child's perspective so we could see how they really feel and deal with this kind of things.

Jess Lourey does a great job at setting the scene and really makes you feel like you've travelled back to the 80s. She really fleshes out all the characters and makes you either love or hate them.

Frankie was very determined to find out the truth about everything from her parents past as well as everything that was going on in the town now. Crane has a very horrible past and I'm glad Frankie sticks by him through everything as he really needed someone to be there for him.

I wish we had more about the satanic cults and rituals and more specifics about The Game as this was just skimmed over so if you're looking to read this for that there isn't much about it.

Jess Lourey has done it again! Litani is dark, disturbing, and incredibly well done. I couldn't put this one down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Merced for the advanced digital copy of this wonderful book! Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey was the best book I read in 2020 and I think Litani will be up there for 2021. It’s a hauntingly beautiful book about the most horrific things adults can do in a small town, and one teenage girl who feels displaced and alone yet has more bravery and integrity than most adults.

Creepy and mysterious. Maybe I’m sick in the head though because I guess I was expecting more disturbing details. I feel like everything was just lightly mentioned and I wanted to be more horrified.

Frankie is a 14 year old girl grieving the recent death (murder?) of her father. Having been sent to live with a mother she has neither seen nor had any contact with for the past 7 years, she finds herself in Litani, a town full of secrets and rumors and dread. Children are not seen in the town-none play in the town playground. It’s only the trailer park townsfolk that pull Frankie in -a mysterious 17 year old boy and the local adults that she is warned to stay away from while her mother remains cold and offers no concerns for her wellbeing.
Jess Lourey tells this story using Frankie’s voice and it is a thrilling, emotional roller coaster of a ride! This is my 2nd Lourey book and my favorite thus far! I will be checking out her others but this one will be hard to beat!

LITANI is one of the most disturbing books I have ever read. Lourey does a good job of personalizing a sensational set of events that happened in Minnesota years ago. The events were shocking at the time; after all, this is Minnesota, the place characterized in most of America's mind by Lake Woebegone. While George Floyd's death might have tarnished the image, the books that Lourey has written based on true events really illuminate the dark underbelly of Minnesota Nice. I have enjoyed all of her books but this one I had to read with one eye closed. It felt so intimate and so very, very wrong. Which mean that she did her job brilliantly..

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 𝗦𝗡𝗔𝗣𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗧: One of the things I love most about Jess Lourey’s novels is that they are based on true crimes. Being a true crime junkie, I love reading books like this! Sure, they aren’t the easiest to read but they are so compelling that you can’t stop!

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WOW! This book, while hard to stomach at some points, is well written and compelling! I flew through this one in one sitting because I needed to see where the author was going to take it. It’s dark, disturbing, and infuriating! How people can do horrific things to children is deplorable. Thankfully, Lourey keeps out the gritty details making the book unsettling but not too tough to read. I honestly loved how she went about it.

So, do you remember hearing stories in the 80’s about a child abuse scandal that involved horrific crimes and satanic rituals? This is all that in a fiction novel. It gives me the chills! While I wasn’t born in 84 when this happened (I was born in 85) I remember hearing about it and even seeing some primetime specials about it. I think there are even a few made for tv movies involving this crime. Anyway, the narrator of this novel is a 14-year-old girl that was sent to live with her mom following the death of her father. When she gets to the small town of Litani she doesn’t expect to be thrust into a mystery that has the possibility of changing her life for the worse. Are there people out there who are really hurting children? A satanic cult who is abusing children and throwing them in the river? What is happening in this small town and how does her mother, new friend, and the people in the neighboring trailer park play a part in it all? All of those questions are slowly revealed in the compelling read!

So, why only 4 stars? One of the things that I am left questioning though when it comes to this book is who is the target audience? When reading it in the point of view of a 14-year-old, I felt at times that it could be geared toward the (upper) young adult readers. However, when I got more into the story, I realized that I wouldn’t want my kids reading a book this unsettling, so I thought maybe it IS geared towards adult. I’m still confused a little bit to be honest. Sure, the narrator is a child herself, but could the book have worked if the narrator were older? I don’t know. Either way, it did leave me feeling a little off, but I enjoyed it regardless.

If you’re in the mood for a darker book that will worm its way under your skin and make you squirm, then this is a great book for you! Lourey pens a dark mystery that readers can’t help but devour! I definitely recommend this one. I can’t wait for more from her! So far, I’ve read 3 and enjoyed them all!

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐