First of all I would like to say a big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for choosing me to read this ARC of The Widow of Weeping Pines by Amanda McKinney. I love to support independent writers and publishers! The following is my honest opinion after completing this book.

This novella sucked me right in with the great opening line! I loved the narrative voice and really liked that the main character was a strong female who was not going to take any crap. Where the story began to lose points for me was with the random POV changes and the multiple time jumps. I read a lot of books with different POVs that jump back and forth between past and present, but for some reason the way that it was done in this story just made things seem a bit too confusing. I also felt like (without giving away any spoilers), by the time the story was done, some things that were mentioned in the beginning were forgotten about or not answered. I almost had more questions than answers when I was done - and not in the through provoking way I think the author was intending. All in all, I think it was a quick fun read and I think the author has lots of potential. She obviously has the right idea when it comes to writing a psychological thriller and I would love to see what she is able to do in this genre with time.

I just love Amanda's writing and her work always impressed me. So, when I heard about this book, I quickly grab it! The first half of the book hooked me; I got to see from two different povs, and those characters were given some depth regarding their personal view in life. Love the twists and turns, the mysteries and the thrills, it all contributes to the 'goosebumps' I catched while reading.

However, the second half of the book felt a bit flat to me. Some things didnt make sense and confused me. I felt a certain anger towards Nicholas whenever he came into view. Maybe I was bias, or slightly rooting for Betty, but Nicholas just pissed me off every single time. And the fact that suddenly a character came into the story despite knowing they shouldnt be able to? It confused me so much, and I dont know whether to be surprised or not.

So far, this was a great boom, unfortunately it didnt meet my expectations.

OMG!! This is the stuff of nightmares. I don't think I'd be able to sleep for weeks.

I started this as soon as I got approved and since its a short story I devoured it in hours.
I have to start by saying this book was excellent, the writing was impeccable. The execution of the unreliable narrator was flawless.

Initially I felt a bit lost because you're thrown right in the middle of the story but eventually I got a hang of it. The story is told in Bett's perspective with a few chapters with Detective Stahl's perpective. Both these characters are extremely hard to figure out, they are mysterious and creepy. Infact all the characters ( a total of 5 characters are present in this book) are very complex, interesting and quite 3 dimensional.
It's commendable that the author managed to create such unique characters each impressive and remarkable in just 160 pages.

As for the plot, I can't find a single fault. It was fast paced and eerie. The writing and the plot were impeccable. The writing was so good that I was hooked right from the beginning. It was simple yet frightening and the perfect amount of descriptive. Such a short book but it didn't lack depth, there was enough backstory created for each character and I am seriously in awe of that. The story though short and fast paced didn't feel rushed, didn't lack depth and details necessary to ignite a spark of interest in you.

And as for the ending, I can't even begin to tell you how shaken I feel right now. I kind of saw one twist coming ( predicted it right before it was revealed) but I definitely didn't anticipate the last twist. When I read it I literally shivered because this book was creepy with cold blooded manipulative characters who you couldn't trust. Who didn't even bat an eye after doing despicable things.

I mean seriously this book is outstanding and I highly highly recommend it.

What a fantastic introduction to Amanda McKinney's work! I was addicted to this book from the first line "Sometimes I wish my husband would die. Do you ever feel like that?" I loved the dark humor. The Gollum hair reference was hysterical. Such a flawed main character but you can't help but love her anyway. I especially loved when she decided it was "time for more"! Great stuff!

My favorite thing was how the author kept dropping these spicy nuggets of things to come and you knew it was gonna get crazy!
First book in the Mad Women series and short at 188 pages. Can't wait for the rest!

Thank you to NetGalley and HH Tisevish for this eARC.

Such mixed feelings about this one!

On one hand, the voice was INCREDIBLE. So visceral and unique, unflinching. I adored it, and the descriptions/setting was oh so perfect too. Betts is fascinating, as well as seeing Nicholas's pov and wondering which of them were lying, or both.

On the other hand, I can't recommend this novella because of the random, sudden, graphic sex scenes. They were completely unnecessary, and killed my love for this story. Additionally, quite a few of the tensest plot-threads were never resolved, or turned out to be red herrings (which would've been fine, if there weren't so many!).

So I'm torn! I enjoyed the read, but honestly don't think it was worth it for the above reasons.

Still, I'm grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

-A

The Widow of Weeping Pines by Amanda McKinney
5⭐️
———
Betty Lou Abbot, widowed ‘psychologist’ living in the town of Weeping Pines with her new fiancé. She suspects her fiancé is cheating on her with one of her clients and sets out to catch him in the act. Hot on her heels is detectives Stahl who is investigating the death of her late husband as he believes it is more than just a heart attack that killed Jack. Betts past and present soon collide.
There were twists and turns in this short and sweet thriller that I didn’t see coming, it kept me engaged having read it in one sitting. The author did an amazing job of tying everything up and not leaving any loose ends (which is my pet hate in thrillers, I like everything wrapped in a little bow). Will definitely have Amanda McKinney’s works on my tbr from now on.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded down.

For the first 55% of the book - I was in love. Our main narrator Betts lost her husband a year ago to a heart attack. She's left alone in their giant house where she runs an illegal therapy clinic to make ends meet. She's engaged to the local dentist who she doesn't much care for. Oh, and she's probably crazy.

The author does a great job of establishing an unreliable narrator. Betts is sure her fiancé is cheating on her and starts tracking his phone and driving by his office. She's pretty sure that he's cheating on her with one of her patients so she starts driving by that woman's house. We experienced the book through Betts' point of view and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what was real and what was in her head.

Where the book lost me was in the second half. The big reveal didn't make sense to me nor did the final resolution. I couldn't figure out how (view spoiler) It left me with unanswered questions. I also couldn't figure out what the Detective's deal was in the beginning of the book. He sees a corpse who was murdered but the rest of the police are thinking suicide and... he just lets them keep thinking that? I was waiting for a reveal about him being the murderer but as far as I can tell, it was just a weird, rando situation that didn't relate to the rest of the book.

The book was less than 200 pages. For most of it, I thought how the author did a great job of keeping everything compact and organized. She dropped us right into Betts' life and revealed details at a reasonable pace. I wish the author had spent more time with the wrap up. It felt very abrupt and left me with so many questions.

This isn't a bad read but left me unsatisfied at the end. I'd be interested in reading other suspense books by the author.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

Betty Lou is a professional therapist in the quaint, small town of Weeping Pines, Washington. It was a move she wouldn’t have chosen, but her late husband felt the move back to his home town was just what they needed. So of course Betty Lou, (we can just call her Betts) begrudgingly went along with it.

But when circumstances change she finds herself alone in a town she hates…and apparently the locals equally hate her back in equal measure. Enough. Betts needs to make the most of her circumstances.

She’s opened a therapy clinic in her basement, completely off the books. Well, a gal does need to make a living, right!? But one of her clients may have ulterior motives for attending therapy.

A speedy thriller that kept me engaged throughout! At under 200 pages I flew through it in no time.

Usually character development takes a back-seat in shorter novels. But that wasn’t the case here, the author did a fantastic job in giving all the characters depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and HH Tisevich

This book in the first part was really weird to me but I really liked the second half! Kind of confusing though at the end but it was entertaining. 3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and HH Tisevich for the opportunity to review The Widow of Weeping Pines.

I had very high hopes for this book, but ultimately, it was not for me. The writing was much more “tell” than “show,” which automatically takes me out of a story. I like to draw my own conclusions and interpret the story, but everything was a little too spelled out for me. With writing like this, it takes out the suspense for me completely. I also found the characters and scenarios to be unrealistic - I found myself disconnected from the story because I couldn’t envision any of this happening, nor could I connect to any character.

The writing around the town was good, I think the author writes scenery well and I got a good sense of the small town and the “vibes” there.

Betts is a psychologist that works from her luxury home, inherited after her husband Jack

had a sudden heart attack.

She is certain that her client, Carmen is having an affair with her fiance, Ian.

Nicholas Stahl is a detective that is certain that Betts, Ian or Carmen murdered his friend. he intends to find out the truth.

Wow, what a fantastic read this is! Have never read this author's work before and was not sure what to expect. From the first page I was hooked. I definitely want to read more from this author, her writing is great, and the story just flows so beautifully.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This psychological novella grabbed my attention took from the start, and became quite dark and disturbing and twisty.. I would read more by this author!

Thank you very much to NetGalley for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"Sometimes I wish my husband would die."

From the first line of this book, I knew I wouldn't be able to put this down. I was drawn in from the opening to the very last sentence. This book is my idea of what a thriller should be. It had a great plot, well developed characters, the most unreliable narrator you can get, and so many twists and turns scattered throughout the story that you didn't see coming!

Thank you so much for this ARC!

Wow, I was not expecting the first line - however, I was hooked from the start. Not realizing this was a novella, I was so pleasantly surprised at the easy flow of this book. Such a gripping story within less than 200 pages.

There is a great plot twist that I did not see coming.

The writing was a bit "crazed" at times but that was DEFINITELY the point considering this is part of a "Mad Woman" series.

The Widow of Weeping Pines is twisted, dark and utterly compelling. Amanda McKinney has done a fabulous job of creating twisted characters with staggering intentions encased in a suspicious and uncertain ambience. Primarily told from Betty Lou & Nicholas Stahl's POVs, the first-person narrative is well executed. The internal monologues were far and few, which was perfect. I was immersed in this book from chapter one and devoured it in one sitting. When I thought I had connected the dots, I could have never predicted the sudden turn of events.

Furthermore, I was utterly shocked by the ending! Simply put, I was in a psychological coma. Do not skip this book if you seek a shocking thriller.

I look forward to reading more of Amanda McKinney's work.

Thank you to NetGalley & HH Tisevich for giving me an e-ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

Very quick read. This book honestly went so fast that I don’t barely even remember what I read or how it ended. I felt like it had the potential to be good. Psychological, suspenseful, twisty. I just think novellas are not for me as I am so not used to the low amounts of world building and character development. There was no emotional attachment to anything and I really need that when reading!

It had so much potential, yet so much was really lacking! The ending felt so rushed and like the twist was forced. The protagonist was an unreliable narrator and it ended so quickly that it didn’t feel like the book wrapped up correctly.

The cover was beautiful and the writing was done well. The author really could’ve made this a good read with more edits and a little more length and depth. I personally do not recommend this book. It wasn’t terrible, but it needed a lot of work.

Thank you for this ARC that was generously provided by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book I struggled with a bit. I felt like it had too many themes going at once and none were developed enough.
The book was a short and quick read. I felt drawn to the beautiful cover. There were some good descriptions of Weeping Pines. However, too much was jammed into a short book. I felt like the detail was lacking and I left feeling that I was missing something.
I would have liked more character development. I didn’t like or connect with any of the characters.
The twists were okay, but didn’t overwhelm me since there wasn’t enough lead up to the twist. More details would have helped.
I was still entertained and enjoyed myself.
Thank you!

This book hooked me from the very start and didn't let me go. Well written with a gripping storyline and well developed and very messed up characters. The book is twisty and unpredictable and kept me guessing until the end. I loved it.

I would have liked to know more about Betty Lou’s childhood and history prior to her meeting Ian.
Some of the plot was a bit confusing, and I had to reread it to make sure I understood what I had just read.

This was such a quick, fun read. I could not put it down and finished it in less than 24 hours. Thank you so much NetGalley and HH Tisevich for the advanced review copy of this book, it was a delight to read!