This book was just not for me. I was intrigued in the beginning but the story dragged on with little info that I just could not care anymore by the time I finished it.

I received an ARC in return of an honest review.

I honestly loved the premise of this book. The storyline of a lesbian woman reuniting with her extremely religious family after years of exile as her father is on his deathbed was compelling and painful. The family interactions were difficult to read about but a truth that many queer people unfortunately face. The thing I didn't love about the story was how long it took to get the answers from her father. Like, she has the patience of a saint because I would be smacking him awake and demanding he just say what he means. He was often lucid at times as well so...it really shouldn't have been so drawn out. The story of what happened with the girls that her father is hiding was pretty obvious, but I definitely wasn't expecting the twist at the end about who the boy involved actually was.

Also, her mom's relationship with her brother is super weird. And her family just sucks in general. It was a good storyline but I had a hard time enjoying it because of my frustration with her father not being able to say words.

I was scared to read this book, the summary made it appear like something I wouldn't enjoy. I regret that, this book was an incredible read. A fiction story with a similar background to Tara Westover's "Educated" Yes, the main story line focuses around solving a decades old murder, but it also focuses on the the prejudices found in a LDS family and old secrets. It took a while for the book to pick up, my only complaint, but once you get about 1/4 into the book the pace doesn't become a problem as you just want to know who killed her. I shed a tear reading this book and think it is an extraordinary novel with great emotional depth, a story that you can't put down, and honestly a surprising twist.

Madison Moore has been cast out by strict religious family for being gay, as a consequence, she has been estranged from her family for ten years. However this changes when her dying father summons her home. She tries to put the hurt aside and agrees to go and visit him. Madison’s father has harbored a secret for nearly forty years, and he wants his daughter to find evidence of this secret, a secret that for decades has denied justice to a fellow classmate, an innocent woman behind bars because, she has confessed a murder she didn’t commit.

The story was interesting however it didn't really hold by interest, just like other people I find to be rushed and need of a good editing and more character development. The only reason I kept reading because I really wanted to know why she confessed and to see "who dunnit". Just because it didn't hold my interest doesn't mean someone else won't love it.

This book is mostly thriller with a very small dose of LGBTQIA. It is listed under that category, but I think that is only a very small part of this book that is highlighted toward the end of the book.
I really wanted to love this book, but there are several inconsistencies in this book that took away. Such as using initials for the person involved with the young woman's death and then finding out how many people have those initials.
The story in itself is good, it is all the details that don't exactly fit so you are wondering how this all fits. It all gets wrapped up at the very end. I didn't find that very satisfying, but at least there was closure.
If you want intrigue, very little reference to the LGBTQIA community, this might be a good read for you.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, the story was interesting, and I kept reading because I really wanted to see "who dunnit". However, there were a lot of errors and inconsistencies in the book that made me wonder if it had even been edited. Some facts were stated several times to the point that I thought, "okay, we get it already!' At one point, Nevada was described as being two states away from Utah. Little things like that can be bothersome and take away from the story.

I also thought that Madison's lesbianism and being married were almost like an afterthought. Her wife doesn't even appear in the story until late in the book, making me wonder if she was perhaps in on what was happening in the story. And to throw us off the trail, almost every character had the last name of W along with a nickname so we didn't know their real name, or the initials SW. That part was overkill.

I think there's a story in there somewhere but this felt like an early draft - the whole thing could use some more research, finessing and editing.

I received an ARC copy of Brenda Stanley’s “The Still Small Voice’’ from Untreed Reads Publishing (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. So, here it is !!!
My rating : 1.5 ⭐️


Madison Moore has been cast out of her full of strict religious beliefs family just for being her and, as a consequence, has been estranged from her relatives for years. But when her dying father summons her home, she tries to put the hurt aside & cautiously agrees to go and visit him. He doesn’t speak much but asks her to find “the proof” he knows he has somewhere. And doing so, to help him righting some wrongs which have sent, decades ago, an innocent woman behind bars because, back then, she has confessed a murder she didn’t commit.


Thank God that was a quick read because it was not a very likeable one for me, far from it.

The expression “The Still Small Voice” has been used at least 5 times through the story, I wonder if the author tried to justify the title of her novel...

One “lezbos” and four “Gay” have been found by the end of the book but that’s all. The least we can say is that Brenda Stanley did a hell of a job avoiding using words like “homosexual” or “lesbian” like if they were “cursed”. It was pretty disturbing for a sapphic novel but, well, at least it wasn’t full of clichés where the LGBTQ+ community is concerned. But on the Mormon church’s side, and even if they are definitely not the most open-minded church on earth, I asked myself a couple times if this religious community would appreciate to be described the way they are in there, like extremists.

TBH, more often than not, I found that the plot & the angst were forced. And the drama was definitely convoluted. IMO, it was the a pretty predictable scenario – no real suspense here – which is a shame since it's tagged as being in the “Mystery & Thrillers” category (I didn’t feel the “mystery” vibe).

But what bothered me the most, that’s the painfully poor edition work which, at best, made the writing appear as clumsy. I’m a seasoned proofreader and I can tell you that all this has seriously grated on my nerves.

Not exhaustive list of what annoyed me:
° a LOT of redundancies / repetitions throughout the book (sometimes it was complete sentences),
° the rambling was really tiresome.
° the typos (e.g. “Cannon camera” instead of “Canon camera” right on the 1st page!!!; “God” vs “god”…) & punctuation issues (like missing quote marks)
° the inconsistencies (e.g: somewhere in chapter 17 it's said “she gathered her tote and started to leave.” BUT just a few lines below that, it's said “…Madison asked, as she found her tote. She was ready to flee.”)
° the fact that most of Maddie’s thoughts are not in italics like they should have been so they are not very noticeable
° the lack of real character development. Since Madison is a journalist, it would have been interesting to have way more insight of her “investigation” … I didn’t have the feeling she really worked on the case, it was more like she endured it and made all her discoveries by chance. It didn’t show how smart she is supposed to be and that’s a shame. It’s even more very surprising when you know the author is a former television news anchor and investigative reporter for the NBC &, she said it herself, her stories are often loosely based on cases she's covered.
° some times, a seemingly chronologically random order of actions
° a messy time frame (e.g.: in chapter 23 it’s said “It was early November”. But it’s not possible since when Madison arrives at her parents’ place at the beginning of the book it’s November already and in chapter 21 it’s said “It had been almost two weeks.”) => Adding some time markers would have been a good idea here to avoid this because issue, it would have helped having a more coherent development of the story.
&
° a rushed ending with loose ends coupled with the lack of a proper epilogue. (knowing what happened, I still wonder what on earth made Morey change is mind about homosexuality…)

Since I love discovering new (to me) authors, it could have been a great experience but, sadly, it didn’t work out for me. For the time being, I’m not ready to give this author another try, but I’ll let people use their free will to read the novel, or not …

Drawing on the idea we often hear quiet voices over loud ones, author Brenda Stanley titled her new novel The Still Small Voice (November 14, 2022)

In The Still Small Voice Brenda shares the story of a young woman who leaves her home and church because her family and her faith reject who she is as a member of the LGBTQI+ community. Only as her father is dying and requests a visit does Madison Moore, the novel’s protagonist, return to Utah where once again she’s confronted with her family’s rejection.

Herein lies much of the tension in the novel. It’s no accident Stanley chooses the Provo valley as the novel’s setting. It’s arguably the heart of the LDS faith and home to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints flagship university, BYU, as well as the missionary training center for all LDS missionaries.

It’s in this environment Madison must filter out the cacophony of voices questions ng her return and listen to “the still small voice” saying, “I have a secret.” As a disavowed daughter, as a sister labeled a bad influence on her nieces and nephews by her own siblings, Madison’s story forces readers to question and critique the LDS mantra Families are forever and to examine the cost exacted by one’s family disavowing a member.

The Families are forever belief often strikes me as a claim begging for a qualifier, for to live in the celestial kingdom with one’s family, one must be a member in good standing in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This doctrine is the superglue that makes excising oneself from the LDS church so difficult. To leave the LDS church effectively results in leaving one’s family.

Yet the novel’s central character Madison left.

She left her church.

She left her family.

Now called home by a dying father, an extended image functioning on a symbolic level for this reader, Madison must confront both her and her family’s past. Madison’s father has harbored a secret for nearly forty years, and he wants his daughter to find evidence of this secret, a secret that for decades has denied justice to a fellow classmate. He speaks to Madison in a still, small voice, and she must listen intently to seek truth.

The novel itself works as a still, small voice in the ear of readers, but it’s the dominant religion Brenda hopes to burrow into with Madison’s story.

How our community and the larger LDS network receives the novel remains an unanswered question. Brenda, herself a journalist like her main character, speaks in a quiet voice, a voice saying here is a story, the essence of which speaks truths we can hear best in a whisper rather than through a raging fit.

*Note: I am providing this review at the request of the author. It is my honest assessment of the novel.

The Still Small Voice, by Brenda Stanley, is a family based mystery that draws you in from the first chapter. I couldn't help but root for the main character. She's just a well rounded, likeable character that's easy to relate to. I also appreciate that the book deals with relevant issues that matter. The only thing that I didn't love was that there was a lot of repetition throughout the book. But overall, it's a good read.
When Madison's sick father asks her to come home, for the first time in 10 years, she cautiously agrees. Once there, her Dad asks her for a big favor. He's been holding onto pertinent information about a crime that happened back when he was a teenager and he needs her help to get an innocent woman freed.
While trying to help her Dad, she's forced to deal with her dysfunctional family. They're convinced she's there to weasel her way into her Dad's good graces. They don't trust her and are suspicious of everything she says and does.
Despite all the roadblocks that her family and others are throwing in her way, she's going to do her best to fulfill her Dad's dying wish.

The Still Small Voice by Brenda Stanley.
Madison Moore has been estranged from her family for years, but when her dying father summons her home, she reluctantly makes the trip back to the place that still evokes heartache.Her family’s reception is lukewarm. They still hold the strict religious beliefs that cast her out. But when her father tells her about a murder years before and that he has proof the woman in prison is not the killer, Madison finds herself in the center of a decades-old mystery.Painful reminders of why she left home haunt her as she attempts to accomplish her father’s dying wish to exonerate the woman who confessed. As she follows the trail of clues, Madison discovers the shocking reason her father asked her for help and how his confession relates to her own tragic past.
Really good read. Great story and characters. 4*.