This is the 1st book I've read from this writer. It grabbed me from the beginning and I loved her style of writing. What a twisty turny ride! I finished this story in 1 sitting and enjoyed the funny suspenseful moments thoroughly.

Buckle up for this book - it’s a wild ride! Betts is a widow living in a small town in the PNW. Her husband died under suspicious circumstances, leaving her with a hefty life insurance payout and a historical estate.

Gossip, murder, sex, and gore. This book is not for the faint of heart.

I would liken it to the pace of a Lifetime movie with a little extra. It was a fun, short, exhilarating read!

Thank you to the publishers for providing this copy.

I LOVED this book, anything to do with stalking, affairs and obsession is always up my street as it's sure to keep you on your toes and this book did just that. I really enjoyed reading Betty's story and the many twists and turns that were in the book, I couldn't put it down!

I loved that this had such short chapters. There's nothing worse than a book that has long ones. This is deffo a thriller with lots of twists and turns. I'm new to the genre but I definitely enjoyed this one

I had such high hopes for this book. I liked the first part, and then it all fell apart for me. It should be a full-length novel (I thought it was), but it's described as a novella. There are quite a few details missing that would have fleshed the story out, but in all honesty, I'm glad it was as short as it was because it was over sooner than later.

There was not one likeable character in the novel. I found the plot a little too The Woman in the Library at the end.

Trigger warning: several instances of graphic sex.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are mine and freely given.

Widow of weeping pines
We follow a woman called Betty Lou but she likes to be called Betts. She is an therapist turned writer and has 2 books out. Her life is far from perfect.
In this book we follow her story and how unhappy her life is, the mystery behind her ex husbands death, the crazy detective who seems to ask the wrong sort of questions, and her now fiancé who is starting to act strange and distant, but why.
This book had some amazing twists and turn in it at the end. I did not see the story unfolding the way it did.
I like that this book mentioned mental health as well as with what happens in a small town, how people connect and help each other, even if its wrong.
It was a very enjoyable quick read

I received a free copy of “The Widow of Weeping Pines” (Not an ARC as it was already out). I rated this book 4 stars. I thought it was a fast and fun read. The twists and turns were totally unexpected and I felt like I was thrown around like a rag doll, hahaha. I can’t wait to read the rest of this 4 book “Mad Women” series! Definitely recommend this book! Thank you for the opportunity to read this!

WOAH! I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. The title sounded interesting, as did the description. This is the first book by Amanda McKinney but it will not be the last!

A story about people not being who they appear to be. Betty Lou (Betts), a therapist and writer; her husband, Jack a retired doctor; his surrogate son Nicholas, a cop and Carmen, a best selling knock-out author. But who are they REALLY? Throughout the whole book, I was surprised with each turn of the page.

The end? Well. The end will likely surprise you as much as it did me!

Before reading this book, I had never heard of this author. After finishing, I was SO happy to have discovered her. She has written many different series in the mystery / suspense categories. Her writing style makes these super easy reads that can be finished within a couple of days. It helps that I could NOT put this one down!

This is the first book in this series and the main character, Betts, is so relatable. The emotional roller coaster that you go on with her is a wild ride. I can not wait to see where she goes next in the storytelling journey. Amanda, you've got a fan for life!

I didn't expect the hold this book would have on me I couldn't put it down, the characters and story were all so intriguing I just had to know what happened next. I loved this twist on a small-town thriller and how all the characters are twisted so you truly can't trust anyone. The only problem I had was a wish it was longer, I read it too fast. I would definitely recommend o any fans of psychological thrillers or anyone needing to get out of a reading slump as this is fast paced with constant twists and turns.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC
Wow, just wow. I absolutely loved tnis book from beginning to end. I didn't even want to put it down. So much suspense and twists and a totally unexpected ending. This is the first book I have read from this author and I am going to look now for all her others. Thw characters are well written and built. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about all of them and also some of the other characters' points of view, it put a different spin to the story. Even though the book was short, it did not disappoint. I wanted to keep reading! Awesome job on this book and can't wait to read more from this author! 5 stars!

This was definitely a twisted thriller. I liked the short chapters and right to the point writing. It was a quick and interesting read.

We couldn’t think of a better way to spend Valentine’s Day than with Amanda McKinney’s The Widow of Weeping Pines. The first installment in the “Mad Women” series, the book revolves around psychologist-author Betty Lou Abbott (Betts) and her life in Weeping Pines, the small coastal hometown of her recently deceased husband.

TWOWP’s synopsis stood out to us immediately as a quintessential small-town, domestic thriller and we knew we had to dive right in! Capped at 184 pages and written in dual POV, it was an easy read and we breezed right through it.

A significant chunk of the story was written from Betts’ POV, and the first-person narrative allowed us to delve into the protagonist's psyche. McKinney has done a brilliant job of developing her character as the outsider in a small town where she is viewed with suspicion following her husband's sudden death, and her attempts to rebuild her life. However, the slow unravelling of her character had us questioning everything and established her as the perfect (and utterly despicable!) unreliable narrator. Unfortunately, the remainder of the characters, especially Detective Stahl, were stereotypical and failed to leave any significant impact on the story, or us as readers.

Where reading about Betts’ character development was a high, the plot turned out to be a letdown. TWOWP played out like a typical 70s thriller, packed with a suspicious detective, a recently widowed woman, and the sordid scandals of a small town. And while the first half kept us intrigued, the second half, packed with plot holes and loose ends, felt careless and frustrating. Even the “big reveal” was cliché and ludicrous.

Nevertheless, McKinney’s writing was the book’s saving grace. Her eloquent descriptions and slow build-up of several scenes kept us engaged and had us finish the book in a day. Although TWOWP hasn’t made it to our list of favorites, we’d certainly give her books another shot in the future.

We thank Netgalley and the author for the e-ARC of this book.

L&L Rating: 3 stars

TL;DR: Small-town domestic mystery; Unreliable narrator.

An intriguing story with all the elements of a psychological thriller. Only four characters, Betts, fiancé Ian, writer Carmen and detective Nicholas, but a complete story. The information you receive as a reader does not always seem reliable, but something is brewing, that is clear. A surprise ending completes it.
Well written and captivating from start to finish.

Such a great concept and beautifully portrayed! The suspense! Can’t wait wait to see more from this author.

To this book, so give it a 4.5! I won’t bore you with details of what the book is about because you can read that in the synopsis, but I will talk about the unexpected twists and turns! I am a huge fan of thrillers, and this one kept me slightly confused up until the very ending! I really loved how the ending reveals our main characters intentions and the final plot twist! Without spoiling the book, I will say it ends with Betts as a character getting caught up in her own antics, while I find most main characters usually have a happy ending (whether they were a good person or not) I enjoyed a different take. I will say I would have like a bit more character delving for specific people like Ian and his departure felt anticlimactic. Some parts felt slightly unbelievable but weirder things have happened. Overall, the book has my praise for ding something I don’t see in every book. Thanks!

What a great twisted story! This book had my attention from the first sentence. I always love trying to figure a story out but this one had me guessing till the very end!
I highly recommend this one! I really enjoyed it!

This is a suspenseful, short novel that is 200 pages long. Despite its brevity, the characters are well developed. There is a crazy woman, a paramour and someone is a murderer, who can be trusted? The plot moves along quickly bringing the reader to a satisfying conclusion.

Betty Lou begrudgingly moved to her husband's hometown of Weeping Pines, Washington.
She ends up finding herself alone there after her husband dies in a town she hates and people she hates even more.
She's a therapist and an author and opens a practice which she runs out of her home (illegally) and her patients all have something to hide.
Betty Lou (Betts) is a character you love to hate. She's intelligent, manipulative, and batshit crazy!

It was a quick read that kept me engaged throughout. The twists were unpredictable and the turns were spectacular!

Thank you NetGalley and HH Tisevich for gifting me this amazing book!

Quick, easy read. The book had alot of drama packed into so few pages. The characters were well thought out. The story was suspenseful, and the twists were aplenty. This was my first Amanda McKinney book and I will be searching her out in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amanda McKinney and HH Tisevich for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.