I really enjoyed this book. It has a great mixture of the grittiness we look for in a story taking place in the great rust belt of the country.

The characters are well developed, but the description of the setting is quite remarkable.

A very easy book to read, that grabs your attention from the beginning and makes you yearn for more when it ends.

Starred review: The very best book I have read in sometime. And much needed character study of addicts and people trying to do the right thing, or maybe not the right thing to get from the desperate circumstances they are currently involved in. There is one bit of deception in this novel that will smack you in your face. Brilliant crime noir. Don’t skip this book.

"Small Town Sins" follows the stories of three main characters all living in the small town of Locksburg, Pennsylvania: Nathan, a volunteer fireman who finds a bag of money in a burning building; Callie, a nurse with a terminal teenage cancer patient; and Andy, a former heroin addict who has lost his family. Although the three narratives touch, they do not intersect, giving this book a vignette-feel. Each character has their own motivations, flaws, and journeys, which makes the book very compelling. The chapters switch between viewpoints, and each section ends with a cliffhanger that makes you want to keep reading. The book starts off a bit slow, but it gathers steam and becomes unputdownable about halfway through.

There was so much emotion, so much pain, and so many moral, ethical, and philosophical dilemmas packed into a rather slim volume. The three intertwined stories felt realistic and beautiful, but not at all mundane. This book illustrates remarkably well just how eventful small towns can be, even if all the drama happens behind the scenes. Overall, this was a haunting, gut wrenching, gorgeous novel.

I didn’t want to put this book down. Small Town Sons follows three people in a journey of their lives. Each person spoke about their life making it real and relatable. I always wanted to know more and had to keep reading to find out what happened next.

This book is an easy read, kept my attention and was descriptive in a way that painted a picture of what was happening from the very beginning. I didn’t want this book to end and when it did I still wanted more!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Henry Holt & Company and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own. 


A journey that many will find impossible to put down. Well drawn characters, the plot is often character driven making them relatable, as if you know them, Quite intriguing, suspenseful and a story that I found resonating in my brain. I was still thinking of it, the characters long after I completed it.

Small Town Sins by Ken Jaworowski has written a compelling debut.

I don't think I've finished a book this quick in awhile. I was wanting to read it when I wasn't.

The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle!
I love the way the author has a way of drawing you in and making you feel invested in the characters and what is going on.
Well written, character driven, intriguing.... it doesn't get much better than this.
This book grabbed me from the first page and never let go.
Jaworowski delivers a gripping and suspenseful read that you’ll devour in no time.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Henry Holt and Co.
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

Small Town Sins
A Novel
by Ken Jaworowski
Warning!! This book is one you better set aside time to start and finish. This book will grab you and not let you go.
It was based around Nathan, Callie, and Andy in Locksburg, Pennsylvania, a former coal and steel town. It is a dark, heartbreaking book at times. But, there are reasons to put your heart and faith in Nathan, Callie, and Andy. Sometimes, maybe usually people do the best they can. This is not by any means a love story. I loved this book and how Ken Jaworowski made Small Town Sins a brilliant read.

If this was a debut novel, then the author has a wonderful career to look forward to. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Well-written, poignant and gritty, you felt the characters' pain and struggles. Pennsyltucky was well-described, and added to the book's aura.

If you're looking for a feel-good, sunshiny love story, look away. If you'd like a realistic, pull-at-the-heartstrings tale of lament, this book is for you.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick, easy read with some notable twists, turns, and surprises. Very noir-ish, in that early on you can tell as a reader that the ending for the characters and the book would be bleak. And it was. The basic storyline follows three characters (Nathan, Callie, and Andy). Nathan starts out as a standup guy, a volunteer fireman, but his whole persona changes once he discovers a secret stash of money in a burning building while saving a man lit afire. The money, as it tends to do, warps Nathan. Then there is Callie, a nurse with a dark heart because of her own circumstances (read to find out) who softens once she encounters a young patient with a dire prognosis. Last is sad-sack, Andy, a recovering heroin addict who bites off more than he can chew when stumbles upon a serial predator and decides to enact his own revenge for them. This was entertaining reading.