Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When 13 year old Nora is arrested for murdering her brother, her parents are struggling with how one child could have killed the other. They hire small-town lawyer, Martine Dumont, who is also the mother of Angie’s first love, Julian, a now-successful New York City criminal defense attorney. The way the lives of these 2 families intersect is the multi-layered subject of the novel.

This is a well written, domestic drama with a full cast of flawed characters and relationships. Major themes include guilt, penitence and forgiveness. The author does an excellent job of bringing her book to its emotional and believable ending. Highly recommend.

Kristin Koval, an attorney turned novelist, delivers a stand-out, character-driven, and compelling debut, PENITENCE —a beautifully written literary thriller, domestic suspense of family, love, forgiveness, and redemption. Top Books of 2025— Lawyers seem to make the best authors.

With hauntingly vivid prose, you discover your next book club read—PENITENCE!

For starters, I love this quote by a favorite author:
"Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done."
—Bryan Stevenson

I highly recommend Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (book & movie). This quote sets the novel's tone and eloquently explores this ongoing theme in this emotionally charged tale. It reminds us that each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done, a sentiment that resonates deeply in the story of Nora and her family.

About...

Nora Sheehan sits in a jail cell in Lodgepole, Colorado. She is 13. She does not look like the sort of girl who just killed her brother, Nico, 14, with Huntington's disease.

Angie Sheehan, the mother, is at home grieving the loss of her only son, Nico, while her husband, David, is trying desperately to find a lawyer for their daughter, Nora, who has been arrested for the murder of her brother.

David knocks on Martine Dumont, a small-town local attorney's door, to defend their family. She isn't just any attorney but the mother of Angie's first love, Julian, a now successful NYC criminal defense attorney.

In addition to the story of Nora and Nico, there is also a back story of Julian and Angie when they were teens and Angie's younger sister's (Diana) accidental death. There is a lot of guilt from the past and now the present.

Martine knows she is not capable of handling a murder case, but her son is. Will he and Angie be able to put their past aside for Nora?

My thoughts...

What a debut! PENITENCE is a riveting tale of a shocking tragedy, from a murder and the fallout. This couple has lost their son and possibly their daughter. Full of suspense and twists, it is not a whodunit but a whydunit. It is a profoundly moving page-turner thriller of domestic suspense of a family (s) in turmoil, guilt, secrets, and the true meaning of forgiveness.

Koval taps into a world of emotional family drama, both heartbreaking and suspenseful—an essential study of humanity, family, grief, and hope in the aftermath of unfathomable trauma.

Koval's writing is heartfelt and compassionate, deeply emotional, insightful, and rich in character. She skillfully weaves a narrative with dual timelines and multiple points of view, unraveling the past and each character's role. The novel also sheds light on the flaws of the juvenile justice and legal system, ultimately delivering a powerful message of forgiveness.

As you read PENITENCE, you'll find yourself on an unpredictable and gut-wrenching journey of two complex families and their dynamics as the past converges with the present.

Koval's storytelling will keep you hooked from the first page to the satisfying conclusion. This is a remarkable debut from a new voice in fiction, and you'll be amazed that it's a debut novel. You'll be left eagerly anticipating what this talented author will bring us next.

Complex, multi-layered, and psychologically rich, PENITENCE is ideal for book clubs, further discussions, and prime for the big or small screen.

Audiobook...

I had the privilege of reading and listening to the captivating audiobook. Thérèse Plummer (favorite narrator) captures the essence of the story brilliantly— with intensity, emotion, and her signature style for an engaging listening experience. The audiobook adds another layer of depth to the story, making it a highly recommended option for those who enjoy audiobooks.

Interview...

Stay tuned for my Featured #AuthorElevatorSeries Q&A ride with this talented new author and this exceptional debut, where we go behind the scenes of the book and author. (pub day, Jan 28)

Recs...

PENITENCE is for fans of well-written family dramas and literary thrillers. And those who enjoy books by Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain, Kristin Hannah, Lisa Scottoline, Celeste Ng, Wendy Walker, Michele Campbell, and Elizabeth Strout.

Special thanks to Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for an ARC and ALC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #MacAudio2024.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: Jan 28, 2025
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I cannot believe this is a debut novel!

Kristin Koval has written a story which in its stripped down version is of a sister who kills her brother after he receives a terrible diagnosis. But the story expands to so much more than just what happened. We see the reverberations through the family, we learn of secrets in the past of the parents and in that of a lifelong friend and former lover who becomes their lawyer and of the shortcomings of the juvenile court system.

I was engaged throughout this novel which I took in via print, ebook and audio. The author, a former lawyer, has written a compelling story, of moral quandaries and the danger of secrets.

I felt for each of the well built characters. I found myself thinking about how I might have reacted to some of the actions taken by these characters.

I look forward to reading more by this author and thank @celadonbooks for advance copies in exchange for my honest opinions. Penitence publishes January 28, 2025. If you are a fan of Tracey Lange, Ann Patchett and/or love great characters and thoughtful themes, then pick this book up!

I read Penitence as part of the #CeladonReadsTogether initiative.

An interesting novel, that unfortunately gets mired town in too many sub-plots and minor characters. Slogging through all of the minutiae is time consuming and takes away from what would have been an amazing story.

I really enjoyed this debut novel from Kristin Koval! It starts with an arrest of a 13 year old girl for the shooting of her brother, an we go from there, following her legal defense and the mysteries and secrets in her family. This is more of a family story than a mystery/thriller, so definitely know that going in and don't expect major twists, turns, and revelations. It's definitely propulsive, but in a quiet way, as the crime(s) at the center of the story are dramatic and interesting, but it's not a THRILLING story. I do wish we got a little more of a mystery, but the story is definitely good on its own. I loved the writing style and will definitely read whatever Koval puts out next.

The pacing of this book was very slow. The plot was predictable. What this book needed was more dialog, a little to flowery for my taste. There was some good character development on some of the subjects and others not so much. By the end, I was just skimming through the pages to get to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

This novel is being compared to lots of books. I feel like it's a combination of Miracle Creek or Happiness Falls by Angie Kim mixed with Defending Jacob by William Landay due to the fact that it is a legal/mystery suspense that also delves into a medical diagnosis of one of the characters. The story follows the Sheehan family after their daughter Nora has shot her brother Nico, who has been diagnosed with Huntington's disease. The town's attorney asks her son Julian to help her defend 14-year-old Nora. Julian also happens to be Angie's ex-boyfriend.

From there, the storyline goes back and forth between present-day and 15 years prior when Angie and Julian were still together. Their past story, including tragedies and secrets they've each kept, feeds into how they've gotten to where they are. I was fully engaged in both storylines and couldn't read the pages fast enough to find out what happens.

I thought the author addressed so many different topics: grief, relationships, forgiveness, guilt. I especially found the chapter written from Nora's point of view to be very eye-opening and heartbreaking. I love this novel and will be recommending it!

Many thanks to #Celadon and #NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

First and foremost, thank you so much for the advance copy of "Penitence".

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book at 7%. I didn't understand that this story involved a shooting victim similarly aged as my son. I'm a constant reader with only one trigger: death of a child by firearm. Without knowing how the story unfolds (or how graphic things may get during trial), I decided to put my comfort level above a story and stop reading since I was incredibly uneasy.

My choice to DNF has nothing to do with the author, the book or publisher. This is a very personal reason due to trigger warnings.

Again, thank you for the opportunity to access Koval's novel early.

Penitence - the action of feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentance.

This book filled me with deep sadness, disbelief, anger, regret, and jealousy. The storytelling has a unique twist which draws you in. Wanting more from the characters, wishing you knew everything about them, what makes them tick, and why they did the things they did. I finally had most of my questions answered by the end. This book goes back decades. Friendships that were tested, young love that was abandoned and never forgotten, choices were made, and life went on. The question behind it all is why and did the characters finally learn how to forgive?

The night was shattered by three loud, ringing gun shots. That had Angie and David rocketing out of their beds to check on their two children, Nico, and Nora. What they find is Nico dead and Nora holding the smoking gun. How does a parent survive this scenario? How do you bury one child and still love and back the other? They need a lawyer for Nora, one who will protect their thirteen-year-old daughter from a DA that has an agenda. Almost retired lawyer, Martine, hears a pounding on her door. David standing in front of her begging to help Nora. Martine knows she cannot do it alone and calls in Julian. Her son has a past with Angie. Who's past with this particular family lead to an accident that split these two families apart. Will they be able to let the past go and focus on Nora?

A few of the characters had me yelling at the book. I believe I know how I would react, but really how could you possibly know if you could support your younger child for killing your oldest? What could the reason be? Had Nora's depression gotten that bad? Thank you to Celadon and Kristin Koval for having me take part in the Read Together. It is the perfect book to spur amazing discussions.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Penitence is not the kind of story I was expecting. I was drawn in by the lovely cover and I was expecting something like an atmospheric mystery, but everything in this story is exactly as it seems. There are a very few mystery elements, but I figured them out very early on. Unfortunately, that makes the experience of reading Penitence quite slow and quite boring.

I kept expecting a twist, something even slightly exciting to move towards, but there was nothing. This isn’t a story that wants you to wonder who the killer could be, and it’s not even an exciting courtroom drama. It’s a very slow, thoughtful contemplation on the culpability of all parties in a crime.

Nora has killed her older brother Nico, but she’s only thirteen years old. By all accounts, she and Nico were incredibly close, so why did she kill him? This sounds like an intriguing premise at least, but I fear the first and most obvious answer is the answer. We actually don’t get to see very much about Nora’s feelings or thoughts surrounding the murder. She claims she can’t remember why she did it, though I don’t know if the audience is meant to believe this. Nora doesn’t talk to her parents or her lawyers about the motive, and though it is revealed in the last chapter, I don’t believe the solution was worth the wait.

The novel is much more about the adults involved in the situation. Nico and Nora’s parents Angie and David, and the lawyers they hire, Martine and her son Julian. Angie and Julian had a relationship that previously ended after the tragic death of Angie’s sister at ten years old. I kept thinking there would be something further, something to tie back to the main mystery, but that doesn’t happen. The emotions do come back into the play, guilt primarily, but not in a way I found particularly interesting or unique. Julian experienced more guilt for his part in the accident, and it leads to the disintegration of the relationship between himself and Angie.

Angie is quite insufferable to me, and that’s not great because she’s actually the main character and the center of the story. She is the character who is the connecting center to all others, and she goes through the most complete character arc. Angie struggles with the idea that what Nora went through is somehow her fault as a mother, but… only in theory. What I find frustrating is that Angie, based on the final revealed motive, actually does have quite a lot of blame that can be placed on her shoulders, but she never learns of her full involvement in he decision that Nora made. Angie is also just a pretty bad person in general. She’s unfaithful, ungrateful, and cold, and in the end she gets basically her ideal happy ending.

Julian is less actively annoying, but I saw his entire storyline coming from a mile away. Same with David, though I did think he was going to be more of an active antagonist than he ended up being. Martine is ultimately not very important at all. I just didn’t really connect to or care about any of these characters.

The writing was also very dense and flowery. I don’t really mind prose written like that and I often welcome it. I do know that is a pet peeve for a lot of people, so I just wanted to make note. The descriptions are vivid and details, but it didn’t create as much of an atmosphere as I was hoping for. The writing style did also really slow the pacing to a crawl, so if you’re impatient to get to the next plot point I don’t think Penitence is the book for you.

The last thing I want to mention is a personal gripe. I just can’t take books seriously when they use 9/11 as a real, legitimate plot point. I get WHY the author did so in Penitence, but I think because I was too young to remember literally anything about 9/11 (I was 9 months old) it always feels hokey and ridiculous to me. I think I’ve been exposed to too much "Never Forget" propaganda for me to take it seriously. I did know something 9/11 related was going to happen as soon as the twin towers were mentioned. I just think the author could’ve made the same point with a building fire or something.

Overall, I didn’t really enjoy Penitence that much. It didn’t leave me with any lasting emotion, except mild disappointment. I liked some of the concepts it was trying to raise in regard to prison reform, but the book was much too slow and long-winded for the points to be compelling or exciting.

I should also add a final trigger warning for <spoiler> implied child sexual abuse. </spoiler>

Penitence by Kristin Koval is a stunning debut. This book sucked me in from the first page and I couldn't put it down. When an unthinkable crime happens in the home of Angie and David, their lives are undone.
The defense attorney the family hires is Angie's ex-boyfriend from the past which brings up old memories and secrets.
This would be a great book for fans of Jodi Picoult!

Solid 4.5 stars, bumping to 5 since halves aren't an option. Penitence was terrific - more layered, interesting, and toothy than I expected. This is not a pulpy thriller of the pumped-and-grind variety popular right now. The pacing is thoughtful. It's not exactly a propulsive thriller and certainly not 'scary' per se--it's much more of a slow burn, but highly readable and engaging. This is more about what happens to a family when one of their own commits a terrible crime. There's a major twist that I figured out before it happened, but no matter, I was there for these characters and wanted to see how how it unfolded. This was my first read from this author, but it won't be my last. I'm fully exploring backlist and will be eager to read what's. next. Highly recommended.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this incredible novel by Kristin Koval. I first read about this title in the Buzz Books 2024 Fall/Winter release and I was hooked after only reading a few chapters. The author leaves the reader constantly in suspense and while I did realize about halfway through some of the secrets that were going to be exposed, I still found it quite enjoyable; yet heartbreaking. I also loved that the book goes back and fourth between Angie's current life and her past. This will definitely be a great book club selection! I will also recommend it to patrons who enjoy Jodi Picoult.

Short synopsis: After a tragic murder in the home of the Sheehan family, Angie and David turn to Martine and her son Julian for legal counsel.

My thoughts: I knew from the first pages of this book I would be heartbroken, and boy was a right. This book spans decades, and has multiple characters and backstories that slowly unweave into a complex story of
redemption, forgiveness, and family bonds.

The author did a phenomenal job at talking of some very difficult topics with such delicate care. Her writing was so well done to weave a story that kept me guessing and Invested. I am shocked that it’s a debut. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

It did take some time to get characters straight, aim glad I did both audio and physical reading of the book. I think that helped immensely especially at the beginning.

Read if you love:
- Stories with difficult topics
- Multiple Backstories weaving together
- Small towns
- Forgiveness and redemption

This was a great debut novel by Kristin Koval. The pacing was propulsive but never felt rushed, and the characters felt real. I guessed the twist within the first few chapters, but I still enjoyed the reading experience.

Wanted to love this but it just wasn’t for me. Excellent writing and a well done story but I was bored and excited for it to be over.

A devastating accident in the beginning of the book sets the stage for a very compelling book. Two time lines past and present. Julian and Angie are high school sweethearts but an accident changes their lives forever. Their forbidden love takes them on a journey of addiction, deceit, affairs and eventual forgiveness.
This book sometimes seemed a little slow but the complex story kept me coming back for more. I had to know how it ended! Disappointed it didn’t end the way I had hoped and I didn’t get all the answers I wanted but so good!

The book grabs you from the very first page as 13-year-old Nora is arrested for taking her brother’s life. She’s the one who called 911. Her fingerprints are on the weapon. The real question isn’t whether she’s guilty—it’s why. Can Nora ever be forgiven? Can she forgive herself?

From this gut-wrenching opening, the story refuses to let go. It’s a gripping exploration of the juvenile justice system, family trauma, the complexities of mercy, and the resilience of the human spirit. Equal parts heartbreaking and thought-provoking, this book is a masterclass in character study and emotional depth.

I devoured this book in just two days, unable to tear myself away. Later, I reflected on what made it so addictive—and it hit me. I was just as desperate to uncover why Nora did it and how all of the characters put themselves back together again after total devastation.

I decided to DNF this book early on as it wasn’t a good fit for me as a reader. Based on the synopsis and recommendations for readers of Celeste Ng, I was excited for this book. However, I don’t feel the synopsis properly portrayed the books plot. This is not a spoiler as it occurs in the first several pages- Nora shoots her brother, Nico, and we learn Nico had a diagnosis of Juvenile Huntington’s Disease and a prognosis of only several years to live. If this had been in the summary, I would not have picked this up. I think this would be more fitting for readers of Jodi Picoult, rather than Celeste Ng. I did think the writing was very good, but the story not a fit for me.

Thank you, #Partner @celadonbooks and @netgalley, for my #gifted (free) copy. Pub date 1/28/25.

This was a great debut novel, although the pacing was a little slow, and the chapters were very long. PENITENCE was heartbreaking and emotional about family, love, loss, and forgiveness. You really get to know all the characters, and I loved how Kristin weaved the past into the present. I think this book is going to be well loved, and I am excited to read whatever Kristin writes next.

Angie and David's lives are shattered when they are woken up by a gunshot and realize their thirteen year old daughter Nora shot her brother. Nobody knows why Nora would shoot her brother because they were very close, but she will not speak to anybody, and now they want to try her as an adult. Angie and David are desperate for a good lawyer, so they hire Martine, but Angie and Martine have a very complicated past. These two family's must put their past behind them to try to help Nora. This was a great read on a snowy day!