This book begins with Willa's apparent suicide and continues with her sister, Sawyer, doing all she can to prove that it can't be - her sister just wouldn't kill herself, would she? Sawyer discovers more than she bargained for whilst searching to uncover the truth and ends up following a decades old mystery as a continuation of Willa's work.

This book is a real slow burner, which I'm not usually a massive fan of, but that said I was intrigued to find out what happened to Willa. The slower nature of the story meant that the characters were well developed and I enjoyed learning about the sisters and their community.

The saving grace is the ending, which is so twisty and perfect it left me gasping.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

I liked it. The entire story/plot was something I've read before (at least more than once) but while it felt repeated/familiar it didn't feel too similar. It's more that the concept or 'explanations' were the same.

What I liked most about this book is it is a puzzle. You're given various parts of various stories/timelines throughout and you keep collecting this bit or info or that for it to finally click together at the end. To that extent, this isn't an easy read. I don't mean to say the prose is hard; it is more that I had to pay attention the entire time. It wasn't a book I could do while also doing chores, for example, or read while I was tired and in bed.

For the negative, it was a slower burn, particularly in the beginning and I felt that suicide was portrayed wrongly; it seems the author hasn't done much research on suicide. For example, the cops "close the case" because Willa left a suicide note and gave her things away. While some planning on death by suicide may do this, it is not as common in real life. I also think they may have been saying "committed suicide" in the text which is irksome.

Overall, I liked it and I will read more by this author. Recommend for fans that like mysteries without the police procedural and multiple timelines.

I was sucked in from the very beginning!! I listened to this one and highly enjoyed it. I did guess the twist about 75% in but it didn’t ruin it for me. Great suspense and keeps you on your toes. Really good and will recommend.

When a journalist dies as a result of suicide, her sister takes it upon herself to investigate what really happened. The sister finds that her older sibling was writing a book about an old missing persons case and will stop at nothing to uncover what happened in that case as well.

The book was well-written and thought out. I was able to figure out one of the twists in the story, but others had me guessing until the dramatic conclusion. A good solid book.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Sawyer Stannard and her sister Willa aren't every close; they haven't seen each other in months. Still, when police show up at Sawyer's spin class informing her that Willa has committed suicide, Sawyer is certain it's not true. Stepping into her journalist sister's shoes, Sawyer tries to piece together the bit and pieces of a decades old cold case Willa had gotten involved in.....and she quickly finds herself in the same trouble.

I really enjoyed this one. It's a similar concept to Taylor Adam's "Hairpin Bridge", and while this one isn't as fast paced, the writing is good and makes it a quick read. I wouldn't say this end of this book was shocking, you can definitely see it coming as you get maybe 75% though but it's still a satisfying conclusion. I'd definitely read more from this author.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. Trigger warnings (suicide, child abuse). I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard
By Kate Robards, narrated by Susannah Jones

The crazy is strong with this one! It's obvious that I could never be the main character of a story because I remember to do simple things like charge my phone, turn off the car when I get out of it, and don't run blindly into a dark, damp, thick forest. Yeah, I know, I'm boring.

Willa Stannard had been the golden girl. Everything she did was done to perfection and her broadcast journalist career was on a high until she had a panic attack on TV. That's when she pulled away from everyone and everything, moving from her high life apartment into a basement dump. Her younger sister, Sawyer, had been the misfit, with an eating disorder, not finishing jobs, not being pristine like her older sister. The two of them hadn't even been in contact much lately. And there was their reclusive single mother who only left home for her job at the florists and had a neighbor bring her groceries once a week.

Then Willa dies. Her death is ruled a suicide but Sawyer can't believe it. As she digs deeper into her sister's last days, weeks, months, Sawyer learns that Willa was writing a book and Sawyer becomes obsessed with finding out what her sister was writing about, sure that whatever it was led to her murder. What Sawyer finds out hits closer to home than she could ever imagine.

Once the story gets going I wanted to know where it was going. Sawyer goes at things like a bull in a china closet, rashly barging into danger and dangerous people, forgetting to do simple things such as eating. Impulsiveness is her way, nobody can save Sawyer from herself, and she is going to do what she is going to do. I had to let go of the idea of what I would do in this situation, and then I could sit back and watch Sawyer run toward danger and wish her luck. The narration was good, making the maniac desperation very clear.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC audio copy of this book. I thought this book had a great story to it. I love a sister bond that pushes through hard times. My issue with this book was the storyline switching back and forth. The audio version of this book make it hard to figure out who was talking and if it was past or present time.

The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard was a book that took a while to get my interest but once it did I was hooked. I wouldn’t say the book had a slow start, there was a lot going on but it just didn’t hook me until after the halfway point.

Willa is found dead and it was ruled a suicide, her sister Sawyer refused to think that Willa would take her own life and she starts to investigate Willa’s last days. Sawyer discovers Willa was writing a true crime book and she begins to think this is what lead to her death, and she was murdered.

As Sawyer got deeper into the investigations and some major plot points were discovered that’s when I really started to get invested. This true crime story revolves around a missing child. Once there is more info about the child you will be in a sprint to the finish to see how it plays out.

Even though it took a little bit to get me invested, this is still a book I would recommend.

The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard
*review*
Willa was a famous newscaster until she had a panic attack on air. When she’s found dead in her apartment from an apparent suicide, her sister Sawyer doesn’t buy it and starts looking for answers herself. At the time of her death, Willa was writing a book on a 26 year old cold case involving a missing toddler. Sawyer is convinced there is something nefarious going on and starts following the clues.

Prepare yourself for a citizens gone rogue trope. A spin instructor who knows far more than law enforcement is our heroine. I listened to the audiobook and the narration is fine, but a bit overly dramatic. The story is okay but there didn’t feel like anything new here and the soap opera cliffhangers at the end of nearly every chapter got old fast. The big twist in the story is very predictable which is fine, but it seemed to take forever to get there and by that time the story has gone completely off the rails. Most early readers are rating this much higher than I did, so you may want to read some of those reviews if the synopsis sounds like one you like.

Although I guessed part of the big reveal ahead of time, I thought this one unfolded nicely and kept me engaged throughout the read. I loved the dual Chicago/rural Michigan settings and could easily picture the main character in each. The characters were well-developed and stayed true to form throughout the book. I would definitely read more by this author.

This is the story of two sisters: Willa and Sawyer. Within the first few pages, Willa commits suicide but her sister Sawyer doesn't believe it as Willa was not someone who would ever take her own life. Determined to find out what happened, Sawyer starts to uncover a mystery her sister Willa (a journalist) was working on before she died in the hopes it will reveal more about Willa's death.

I recommend going into this via audiobook. It started out slow and the big reveal was predictable but there were other twists throughout the story that kept the plot moving. I liked the concept, but I was a bit bored throughout the story and I really just didn't care enough about the characters. 3.5 Stars

Thank you NetGallery and Dreamscape Media for this ARC

Disgraced journalist, Willa Stannard was in the midst of trying to redeem herself and her career by finding out what happened to a child who disappeared thirty years before when she dies. The death is ruled a suicide, but Willa’s sister, Sawyer, doesn’t believe it. She sets out to discover the truth about Willa’s death and the missing child. This is a compelling read with small-town secrets and scandals and familial bonds

3.5 stars

This is an engaging listen (audio version recommended when and where accessible), and while I guessed a main twist immediately, there were still surprises to be had.

The titular Willa plays an expectedly central role in this narrative, which is unusual in that her (also titular) death happens right at the start of the novel. On a death-related note, folks sensitive to discussions of suicide should be aware that this comes up constantly throughout the work and that one character in particular keeps putting their foot in their mouth by making incredibly insensitive references to it. If this is not for you, do not proceed.

Willa's death is most challenging for her sister, Sawyer, who is shocked by the method and circumstances and who then takes it upon herself to determine what really happened. This leads Sawyer into the seemingly more interesting mystery of what happened to a little girl who disappeared many years ago.

Piecing together the potential connections between Willa's interest in this case and the outcomes of the case itself makes for an enjoyable ride. There are pieces of that journey that are a bit too easy to connect, but there is still fun to be had along the way.