Kristin Koval's suspenseful debut is an exploration in family dynamics, mental health, and the impulsiveness of youth. The characters are well developed and the issues they face are interesting, ultimately I would like to have seen a greater understanding of the why behind the shooting at the center of this book but I respect the author's choice in focusing more on the consequences of the act.

Thank you Celedon and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book. My opinions are my own.
When Nico is murdered in his room, Nora calls 911 and confesses. Nico and Nora are siblings, 11 months apart. Nico is 14 and has been diagnosed with Juvenile Huntington’s Disease. Nora, his sister, is only 13 years old. This is a complete shock to the family and the small town in Colorado. Parents, David and Angie Sheehan are desperate to help their daughter, while mourning the loss of Nico.
Martine Dumont has defended only one other juvenile murder case. When the Sheehan’s call her for legal counsel, she accepts. However, she isn’t just a lawyer. Martine is  the mother of  Angie’s first love, Julian. Julian, who is now a successful criminal defense attorney in New York. Martine is going to need Julian’s help with this case. It’s David who suggests that Julian join.
This story jumps back and forth from present day, to Angie and Julian’s love story. And, as with first loves, it was intense with trauma and unresolved feelings. 
I loved that the premise of this book was focused on forgiveness…but, It was a VERY slow burn getting there. There was a lot to unpack and follow along with! It had first love upheaval and stupidity, death, trauma, Alzheimer’s of a parent, alcoholism, estrangement, mental abuse, murder and depression…just to name a few. The characters were just so bland (IMO) that I was bored with their lack of passion with their situation. 
I liked it alright…it just wasn’t a “must get back to” type of story for me (although I did finish!). Please look into and figure if this might be a read for you. Everyone’s taste is different.  
Happy Reading!

This beautifully written, character-driven novel asks a haunting question: Can we be more than the worst thing we have ever done?

With multiple intersecting timelines and long, immersive chapters, Penitence is a story to savour. The prose is stunning, the characters deeply human, and the themes thought-provoking. This isn’t a book to rush through—I took my time, letting each chapter settle before moving on.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed this one, more than I thought I might. It would have been a 5 star read if only some questions were answered. It's really a rather sad and tragic look at life, its unfairness, and forgiveness. I get why things were left as they were in the end. I just don't like it!!

I thought this would be more mysterious than it was. I thought the main part of the story would be about the shooting. However, it mostly explored characters in the past and how their decisions made them who they are today. This would be a good one for anyone who likes character driven novels and drama. I still liked it, it just moved slowly for me because it wasn't what I was expecting. The narrator for the audiobook was great!

I enjoyed this book. It had an interesting premise and the plot was original. The one criticism I do have is that I felt like a lot of the backstory that was included was drawn out and unnecessary. Other than that good story.

This book started strong. Immediately, I was sucked in because of the sheer craziness and mystery behind of the events that were unfolding. It has such a thriller vibe but that didn’t last long. It calmed down, slowed down and fit the fiction genre.

This is a pretty heavy book with dark themes. This is a book heavy in forgiveness of yourself and others along with compassion. The characters aren’t necessarily likable but very complex making for a very interesting read. The mystery behind the characters and the death of a character really pull you through. This was definitely an interesting read and I’m glad I got the opportunity to read it.

Thank you to @celadonbooks for the opportunity to read this ARC!

A heartbreaking powerful read is the majority feeling on this one. I am having a hard time reviewing this one as I didn't love it and I seem to be the only one so I am very much in the minority on this one. I think mostly because I went into this one expecting something much more different. This was incredibly well written and heart breaking but I was expecting more of a legal/courtroom family drama and this was not that.

About a shocking murder that happens in a small ski town and the parents Angie and David who reaches out to a town lawyer to represent their daughter. The town lawyer happens to be the mother of Angie's first love. From there we go back and forth between the past and present and the complicated history of all those involved. This is a slow burn, heavy character, heavy plot circling around family dynamics, forgiveness, and trauma.

PENITENCE by Author Kristin Koval is a complex, heartbreaking domestic suspense highlighting how impulsive decisions can change the trajectory of lives. Not only for the people directly involved, but also for the waves of people that wash in and out of lives over time. It's a story of profound grief, life altering choices, guilt, redemption and forgiveness. It's a story of the extraordinary power of love.

The story opens with thirteen-year-old Nora sitting in a jail cell while local police ponder what to do with a child that has just confessed to killing her older brother Nico. Nora hasn't spoken a word since the early morning hours when gunshots woke her parents, sending them rushing into the horrifying nightmare of their son lying in a pool of blood, their daughter holding the smoking gun. Fighting shock and tears, Nora's father David contacts small town lawyer Martine to plea for her to defend Nora while her mother Angela falls apart. Martine in turn contacts her son Julian, a successful New York City crime defense attorney who specializes in seeking justice for minors and asks him to take the case. This is where things get tricky . . . Julian and Nora's mother, Angela, were teenage sweethearts with plans for marriage after college before a tragic accident claimed a life, tearing the young lovers apart and banishing Julian to New York to live and finish school at the home of his grandmother. Both went on to marry others and appear to live normal, happy lives, but the burden of guilt, secrets and unanswered questions remain between them over what happened that dark night on the ski slopes. And now questions about what happened the night Nico’s killed are threatening to rip this family apart. Did Nora enter her brother's bedroom and shoot him with her father's gun in cold blood? Nora says she doesn't remember what happened, but is she telling the truth?

PENITENCE, Koval's debut novel, is an amazing, poignant, heart wrenching domestic thriller with a depth of characterizations and plot lines seldom found in debut novels. The story unfolds through dual timelines, the present with the tragedy unfolding with Nora and her family, and the past with Angela and Julian's tragic story with all its ugly secrets becoming known. Along the journey there are a multitude of broken promises and lives, all buried beneath some dark, take to the grave secrets that have festered for years. Koval's ability to tap into human emotions following unspeakable trauma is a stunning achievement. Richly drawn characters render flawless performances as the author delves deeply into the flawed juvenile justice and legal system highlighting the tendency to punish vs. rehabilitation. From the first page to the last, the pace escalates as Nora's situation plummets at every twist and turn until the final verdict is rendered. Some readers may find the ending too open ended, while others will nod their heads in agreement that justice is served. This reader is somewhere in the middle.

I highly recommend the audiobook version of PENITENCE as narrator Thérèse Plummer delivers an outstanding performance rich in emotion bringing each character to life. PENITENCE is a stunning, gut wrenching domestic thriller that encourages self-reflection. One this reader couldn't put down. Two stories of unfathomable tragedy, two shattered families entwined in crisis, two snap decisions decades apart forever changing the course of lives. Highly recommended to fans of soul-searching domestic suspense and family drama. I look forward to more from the talented Author Kristin Koval.

The characters were complex and deeply flawed, making them feel very human. The ending was tragic as was the tone of the entire book, but I loved the writing and story nevertheless. The plot of this will stick with me for a long time! I’m looking forward to reading more of this author’s work.

I read this book partially on kindle and listened on audio partially.

Kristin Koval’s debut novel, Penitence is great for book clubs because it is a thought-provoking book that allows the reader to consider many “what-ifs” leading to the opportunity for great discussion. An emotional, multi-layered family drama that packs a punch from the very beginning, I was fully invested in this story from start to finish. Wonderfully written, with deeply flawed characters carrying long-held secrets, Penitence explores topics of grief/loss, guilt, forgiveness, redemption and the lasting impact they have on our lives.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Penitence by Kristin Koval!

I am really upset with this book...

This book started out really good and then the ending ruined it for me.

What I liked about it:
-I thought this book was really well written. It jumps between POVs and different timelines, and I was interested in all of it. The writing was so well done that I did not realize it was a debut at first.
-It was very thought provoking and I'll think about it for a while. The dilemma of forgiveness is a really interesting theme throughout the book.

What I didn't like:
-THE ENDING. I felt like I went through hours of consuming this story to only have barely any answers at the end.
-It had long chapters which made it feel like it dragged in some spots.

To conclude, I want to end this review by saying that this book is not so much a mystery/thriller like I thought it was. The synopsis makes it seem like there is some form of plot altering twist and while there was a twist of sorts in the last quarter of the book, I was waiting for it to be something more grandeur. The story itself was good up until the ending being a let down. I am still interested in seeing what this author writes next!

❄️I have an unpopular opinion of this one, I fear. While I loved the overarching message of this book— I struggled with a lot of parts of it. Thank you to @celadonbooks for the chance to read this.

❄️ Ok, the message behind this book: a person is more than the worst thing they’ve ever done. Or, you can do a bad thing and not be a bad person. I LOVE that. But to that end I’d say— that doesn’t mean you should hide your bad thing forever and never pay any consequences. And what does it say if you repeatedly do bad things and lie about them? Like forever?

❄️ What I liked in this book:
- a gripping beginning, fantastic writing and engrossing family drama
- atmospheric descriptions both of winter in a Colorado mountain town and New York City
- societal analysis of the juvenile justice system in the U.S.
- the message of forgiveness

❄️ What I didn’t like:
- in a book about forgiveness some of these characters felt a little greedy 🤣 at some point, you need to face your consequences
- this book starts with a sad, shocking, disturbing event — and while it has ripple effects— we never really learn why that event happened and that left me feel like I read a really sad thing with no payoff or lesson learned. It left me feeling like it was shock for shock’s sake.
- some of the big twists were pretty predictable

❄️ After all that, I sit right in the middle with this one. I know many people loved and adored it so remember I am just one person. If you’re intrigued by this at all, you should definitely check it out for yourself! Have you read this? What did you think?

Thanks for the review copy. This book reminded me of Jodi Picoult, Angie Kim, and Celeste Ng. I will admit I wanted more answers about why Nora did what she did.

I think there were some problems with pacing, but I did really enjoy this. Angie Kim-esque. Definitely one I'll be thinking about for a bit.

Started very strong, I was hooked right in the prologue. I enjoyed the writing style and the story was compelling. It did have moments as it went on that were a bit slow and could of used some trimming but all in all a solid read.

I have so many mixed feelings about this book! I really felt like I wanted to know the story and really appreciate the different premise and storyline . I enjoyed the flash backs and felt like I was getting to know the characters… meanwhile kind of hating all of them, haha! I just wish we would have gotten to know more about Nico and Nora and really why/or a believable reason why Nora did it!

A heartbreaking story of love, guilt, and forgiveness .
When a sibling kills another sibling truths and secrets are revealed as we the reader try and figure it out! A page turner with surprises .
I enjoyed the writing and I was definitely invested in the characters and the outcome .I also loved the dual timeline and connecting the dots.
Thanks Net Galley for an early read of this one!

The debut novel manages to strike a balance between a legal and family drama with the inciting crime actually only being a foundation for the story. The exploration of complex relationships, guilt and forgiveness, is handled with care and insight. If you're looking for a nice, neat ending, this isn't the book for you.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #CeladonBooks for a free copy of #Penitence by Kristin Koval. All opinions are my own.