Sing Her Down provides an interesting premise — a grudge between former convicts Florida and Dios, that’s carried out across two states. I thought the story was pretty good, although I didn’t always care for the author’s voice. Also, the book would have been better if it had skipped Detective Lobos’ story.

I struggled to get into this book. Eventually it picked up and I found myself getting into the story but maybe it just wasn’t for me.

I just didn’t connect with any of the characters or really care about them. The story really didn’t grab me either. I connected with the story enough to finish the book.

I would read another book by this author just to see if I would enjoy another book more.

Sing Her Down lived up to its advertisement as a modern-day, feminist western. The characters were all morally-gray (even Lobos, the detective) and the plot was captivating. Many critiques of this book are about its slow start. I agree that it is a title that takes a few chapters to get into, but once you’re in, it’s hard to put down.

Fascinating read! didn't know what to expect, frankly. And it was sometimes chilling, always thrilling. Florida and Dios are both such interesting characters, and the story keeps moving towards a showdown. in modern times- pandemic and homelessness abound. I've never read this author before and some of her situations were not super believable, but I liked the raw feel and was interested because this book could so easily have been about men, and it would not have been half as interesting. This book is about violence and how we deal with it. I like the topic, it's gritty and disturbing at times, but definitely worth the read.

This was the first book I have read by this author and I will be looking for more! I loved this book and read it in one day! I loved the characters and the storyline! I would definitely recommend this book.

Ivy Pochoda takes risks with her writing and I admire that. She goes where it wants to go and feels like an organic writer in that way. I was drawn into this story and stayed with it till the end. It's been weeks since I read it and still I remember so much that went on--a sign of a good, or great, book. I interviewed Ivy for this book and other books of hers. I admire her and her work.

This story's assertion seems to be that violence is power and that some feed off that power, that for some there is no "breaking point," no "being caught up with the wrong people," no "traumatic genesis," just an inevitability. I enjoyed it for the same reason I enjoyed Emma Cline's The Guest: the commentary on what kinds of women are acceptable where, women operating outside the boundaries that men can imagine for them, and of course watching a slow-motion life implosion happening on the page.
Some aspects were overdrawn and I have no idea what was up with the moving mural motif, but I was still glued to the page and will definitely check out the author's other works.

**Not For me!

I had a number of issues with Sing Her Down that kept me from enjoying it…and almost caused me to give up on it. My dissatisfaction stemmed from the book’s plot being too disjointed at times, the dialogue of the main characters too often rambled, and, in particular, the pace of the book being too choppy to effectively hold my interest.

Despite my overall opinion of Sing Me Down, I want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read it

#Sing Her Down #Net Galley

Sing Her Down is another ferocious read about violence and women. Women who’ve suffered violence, and women who commit violence. Florence ‘Florida’ Baum is an inmate at Arizona women’s prison, but she’s not the innocent victim of circumstance that she claims to be, a party girl led astray by a bad man – at least according to her former cellmate Diosmary ‘Dios’ Sandoval. Dios ruthlessly embraces the darkness that can also live within women, and is set on getting Florida to admit her true self. Even if her own background isn’t as badass as she portrays. A fellow prisoner’s death further connects Florida and Dios, and when they go on the lam from COVID quarantine after an early release, a deadly cat-and-mouse game takes them to a showdown on eerily quiet streets of pandemic era Los Angeles. Meanwhile a female LAPD officer, Lobos, is on their trail while dealing with her own questions about male violence and control, and female rage and violence.

Pochoda crafts a real frontier noir feel in Sing Her Down, a tale of women on the margins, victims and victimisers, and the rage and violence that can exist within. This is a compelling tale that traverses a stark landscape of prison, desert, global pandemic, and homeless encampments. Modern life veering towards Mad Max. Powered by sharp prose and insights, this thrilling tale of two indelible women on a collision course is hard to put down and even harder to forget.

Sing Her Down; A Novel by Ivy Pochoda was not for me, personally. I am still thankful that I got to read this! I'm not sure if I will give this author a second chance but we will see!

I REALLY wanted to love this book.
The description reads: "No Country for Old Men meets Killing Eve in this gritty, feminist Western thriller from the award-winning author of These Women."
"No Country for Old Men" is a absolute gritty and dark masterpiece. And my love for female assassins has no bounds which will explain my love for "Killing Eve" I hit request so hard my dog woke up and asked for another treat.
We have two women in prison: Florence "Florida" Baum and Diosmary "Dios" Sandoval. The first part of this book is the best, IMO, and it's a decent portrayal of prison life. I guess, of course, since I still haven't spent any time in the pen. They get paroled early and that's where this book starts to 'theoretically" take off.
Florida takes off and for whatever reason, Dios is obsessed with her and follows her and forces a showdown which is foreshadowed in the very beginning.
At it's core this is a great book. In fact it may be fantastic. But I didn't like several things. Specifically the personalities of everyone involved. To me, a sign of a great writer is to portray several personalities with their own life and character. This one is not the case as you can cut and paste every character in the book. They are all the same character. And second: It tries to be a police procedural which to me falls short. Maybe I read too many of them but the main detective on the case just wasn't believably written.
Overall, I think the book is average and I recommend it. There are plenty who, when reading the synopsis, should take a chance and get some satisfaction from it. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm in that group.

I really appreciate the publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux as well as NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance reader copy in exchange for a honest review. Thank you!

4 stars
This was a new to me author and WOW
I was taken in with the premise of prison life, the insight of the other prisoner housed with the woman acting as if her being there was this huge mistake.
Boy -it takes off from there.

Ivy Pochoda's 'Sing Her Down' takes a bold leap away from the typical crime fiction narrative, spotlighting the true victims of violence rather than glorifying the perpetrator. This compelling novel draws readers into the post-prison lives of two women navigating a pandemic-stricken Los Angeles, diving deep into themes of anger, injustice, and the intersectionality of class and race.

Pochoda skillfully subverts the usual crime fiction clichés, presenting characters like Florida, an affluent former inmate, and Dios, a determined scholarship student from Queens. The addition of Detective Lobos, battling her own demons of domestic violence while exploring the complexities of female aggression, enriches the story with nuanced reflections on violence and redemption.

As the plot accelerates towards a breathtaking climax, Pochoda masterfully blurs the distinctions between guilt and innocence, offering a story that not only thrills but also profoundly affects its audience, ensuring the emotional resonance of 'Sing Her Down' endures well beyond the last page.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Receiving an advanced copy was much appreciated. I believe both existing fans and newcomers will find it equally enjoyable.

I was offered the opportunity to read an advance review copy of this novel from Netgalley, and the glowing comments from some of my favorite crime fiction authors made me pounce on it. There is much to admire in the fresh, intense, writing style—sometimes almost poetic in its rhythm. Amid all this Prose with a capital P was a story that turned out just not to be for me. The book was classified—perhaps unfairly—in the mystery/thriller genre. In a thriller, usually someone is saving the world from some crisis; in a mystery novel, someone is solving a crime, however cozy or gory the circumstances. Here we seemed to be dealing more with literary fiction about violence itself—about female aggression and terrible violence by women. The novel is a skillful handling of incredibly dark material, but just too dark for me to finish.

This was a really tough read, and not for the faint of heart, so be warned when you pick this one up. I truly appreciated the perspective of this novel, and how it did not shy away from the violence and brutality and raw emotions manifesting in physicality that women are capable of. It wasn't easy to read, but incredibly impressive in Ivy Pochoda's telling. She is a truly gifted writer, and even when a book such as this one is not exactly in my wheelhouse, I can recognize that it is beautifully and brilliantly written and recommend it to other readers I know will fully appreciate it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hmmm this was a solid middle rating for me. It follows the story of two female convicts, Florence (Florida) and Dios as they try to kind of run from the violence inside of them after being released from prison during the COVID pandemic. I saw a blurb that related this to Killing Eve, and I would say it definitely gave that vibe except without the romantic/erotic fascination, and set in the wild west of Los Angeles and Arizona during the pandemic when everything was eerily empty.

It starts inside a women's prison, where we see just how capable the women can be of violence, and how these ghosts of people you have hurt manifest themselves inside you, even if you try to run from it. Of course we also get a bleak picture of the prison system and misogyny experienced by the women inside.

Upon their release from prison, Florida is set on getting back to her life but with the encouragement of Dios, who is never far behind her, they engage in more violence which slowly comes to a peak in a showdown in front of a street mural painter.

I liked the inclusion of the perspective of Lobos, a female cop, as she struggled with wanting to regain her power and be capable of violence when faced with an abusive ex-husband.

This book kept me on my toes and it was a quick read, but if you are not a fan of mulitple perspectives and piecing a story together from different viewpoints, then maybe this isn't for you. It was a bit confusing at times and I never really felt for the characters. I don't think I would read this again, but then again I am not a fan of dark books normally.

A compelling and intense novel. Pochoda caught my attention with her first novel and she continues her impressive and unflinching characterizations of women in this novel. Not to spoil too much, the novel deals with women in prison at the time of the COVID 19 pandemic and provides the reader with a window into a mostly unseen world. Gripping character studies and intense plotting make for a very satisfying read. I can't wait to read what Pochoda writes next. Her voice is wholly individual, intelligent, and unique.

I have read and enjoyed THESE WOMEN and VISITATION STREET. SING HER DOWN is written from different points of view, and at times I struggled with what and who were real. There is no question that Pachoda is a gifted writer, but the violence-yes I get women are as capable as men in that respect, was a turn off for me.

Ivy Pochoda's Sing Her Down is a riveting departure from conventional crime fiction by shifting the focus from a glamorized killer to those most directly impacted by violence. She takes readers on a gripping journey into the lives of two women recently released from prison, thrust into Los Angeles locked down by the pandemic.

In exploring themes like female rage, systemic injustices in the penal system, and class and race. Pochoda challenges traditional notions of women in crime fiction by overturning tropes. She introduces Florida, a well-to-do inmate from L.A., and Dios, a scholarship student from Queens. The character of Detective Lobos, grappling with her history of domestic violence while questioning the nature of women's violence, adds a complex layer to the narrative.

The tension rises as the story hurtles toward its heart-stopping showdown. The thrilling and surprising climax blurs the lines between crime and punishment, creating a gripping and profoundly moving pay-off that will linger long after that final page.

I received a digit and an audio copy from the publisher and enjoyed both formats. I enjoyed the multiple narrators, who all added excitement to the story.