You can't always control when the truth will surface

Sometimes if it weren't for bad luck some people would have no luck at all. That seems to be Anna Ryder's lot in life; she is tied to the small town of Luxor by loyalty to her mother Starr and Starr's attachment to the family farm. A once-in-500-years flood cut short her dream of going to college, when it was clear that she would need to get a job to help cover expenses at home. Her mother has just been diagnosed with cancer, and she either has to get the treatments that they can't afford or accept that she has eight months to live. Oh, and ongoing budget issues have led to her losing her job at the local high school. There are no other jobs in Luxor, but maybe across the bridge on the other side of the Ohio River in Bent Tree, Kentucky, The Lodges, a top-five destination for hunters, will be hiring. It is the one place that her mother has made her promise she would never work; that it has ties to Anna's former fiancé and her mother's ex-boyfriend, but short of selling the farm (which her mother absolutely forbids...selling the farm is worse even that drinking and driving) it is the only chance Anna has to get her mother the treatment she needs. A dead body will be found, an accidental death it is called, and it will make the locals remember the deaths of nine women twenty years earlier. Things happen at The Lodges that aren't good, aren't legal, and the community can no longer turn a blind eye to the goings on. What connection might those things have to Anna? Lie after lie after lie has been told, and the ripple effects of actions long ago reverberate into the present and beyond.
Tell Me Something Good is a multilayered story that combines elements of Southern Gothic atmosphere, small town secrets, traumas that are passed along from one generation to the next, flawed characters, the relationship between mother and daughter, and more. The action moves back and forth between different time periods, and there are a lot of characters of whom the reader must keep track as well as keep straight how they are connected to one another (other reviews indicate that this is a particular challenge when listening to the audio). Its not a perfect book, but it is one that grabbed my attention and made me care about the characters even as I furiously tried to figure out what really happened to the Choir Girls, a 4.5 ⭐️ rounded up to a 5. Perfect for fans of Chris Whitaker, S. A. Crosby and Wiley Cash, it is a book to savor. Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus/Harper Muse for allowing me access to this fascinating read.

An excellent, emotional story that gives you Fredrik Backman vibes. I read and listened to the book. The narrator brought me to tears several times.

Tell Me Something Good promised a deep dive into a small-town mystery, weaving together class divides, past murders and secrets that ripple through generations.

On the bright side, the book did set a pretty atmospheric scene in rural Kentucky and the initial premise of a long-buried crime resurfacing definitely hooks you in. The idea of a community forced to confront its past and a protagonist uncovering layers of family lies has all the makings of a compelling read.

However, despite all those intriguing threads, it struggled to truly deliver. It felt like it was trying to juggle too many plotlines – the rich vs poor, the illegal auction, multiple murders and none of them quite get the depth they deserve. The narrative can feel a bit convoluted and while there are secrets, the uncovering of them didn't always land with the punch you'd expect. It's like the book knew it had a lot of dramatic ingredients but just can't quite bake them into a satisfying cake.

Ultimately, Tell Me Something Good had a interesting concept and some atmospheric moments but the execution left something to be desired.

This was an intense read that uncovered a mystery buried in the town’s past and the lingering impact of long-hidden secrets.

Anna Ryder lives with her mother Starr in Luxor, Illinois farmhouse by the convergence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. They don’t have much - not even Internet service, and as the story begins, Starr is diagnosed with cancer and Anna loses her job. They badly need money for Starr’s treatments.

Anna is forced to look for work across the river at The Lodges in Bent Tree, Kentucky, a place where her mother told her never to go.

Bent Tree sponsors a hunting extravaganza every year, and some thirty years ago, nine young women were murdered during the event. Although some podcasts focus on the unsolved crime, the people of Bent Tree seem not to think about it much. It certainly hasn’t stopped anyone from flocking to the Lodges during the “world-famous hunting experience.” The upshot for Anna is that they need employees, and she can get a job there.

What follows is actually hard to follow - too many characters and disjointed writing. I frankly had trouble keeping track. Perceptive readers will see right away however that somehow the mystery of the murdered girls will be solved, which may make persistence in reading the book rewarding.

This moves between past, present, and a bit of the future to tell a murder mystery that's deeply atmospheric and twisty. Anna's mother always told her to stay away from the Lodges but that's the only place she can get a job and she needs one. What she finds is an old story about women dying but there's more. Know that there are a lot of characters and much packed in but also that it becomes compulsively readable. Thanks to netgalley for the ARc. No spoilers from me.

I inhaled this amazing book over the last two days, mostly as an audiobook read by Marin Ireland, one of my absolute favorite narrators. Court Stevens' adult debut is Southern literary fiction at its best, with generous helpings of family secrets, murder, and deep truths about the power of love. Court's writing has been compared to Flannery O'Connor, and Tell Me Something Good also reminded me of last summer's favorite The God of the Woods, with its multiple viewpoints and slow-burn unraveling of multiple mysteries.

In Tell Me Something Good, Anna Ryder finds out her mom needs expensive cancer treatment on the same day she loses her job at the local high school. Even though her mom has always told her to stay away from the Lodges, the shady hunting resort near Paducah, Kentucky, she knows that a job there is the best chance she has at saving her mom's life. Years ago, nine women were killed at the Lodges, and Anna quickly discovers that crime is still rampant at the resort. Stevens does a masterful job setting up the stage and introducing us to a large cast of characters, and then the family secrets are revealed in rapid-fire succession to keep you turning pages long into the night. Highly recommended! Thanks so much to Netgalley, Harper Muse, and author Court Stevens for the librarian preview copies!

This is my first time reading anything by Court Stevens. I was excited to receive an ARC copy of Tell Me Something Good based on the book synopsis. There are many characters, timelines, and places in this book, but the main storyline centers around Anna and her mother Starr. Anna is not living her best life. Her beloved mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer. To make matters worse, she loses her only source of income. Anna is desperate to get her mother the best care they can afford, so she will have to go against her wishes by seeking employment from a place her mother has asked her not to go.
The story is told by an omniscient narrator who takes the reader between past, present, and future. There are also journal entries interwoven. I enjoyed the style of writing and was captivated by layered mysteries and harrowing storytelling. There was a lot to keep track of and at times I needed to go back to remember who was who.
Overall, a good adult debut by Court Stevens. Lots of twists and turns that kept me reading even if I wasn’t in love with the ending. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

I should have dnfd this. The only reason I didn't is because it was it was so quick and easy to get through. The only thing I cared about was the mule.

tangled and rooted thriller-mance (ish) book filled with some very interesting ideas and generally good writing. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

a gritty and real book. it was filled with all the atmosphere you want from a book. it feels dark somehow yet almost like a prose. there is a truth,love,and honesty breathing through the pages. the story is about those we love. those we tell secrets to. those we hurt or are hurt by. and what happens when secrets need to be buried but secrets dont then stay that way. who ends up in the line of fire when we cant let go but know we might need to. and what happens we do let go and we know we maybe shouldnt do.
this is a small town grit of a book. where people are keeping darkness from coming out but some of them are part of the darkness themselves. along time ago murders of woman happened. it was assumed or allowed to assume that there was a culprit.
but years later one woman starts to unravel her own life. and is determined to find what comes next at the lodge which seems to loom over this community. like a power all of its own or the powers of the people within those walls.
the chapters reveal just enough but not too much. they are short and sharp and concise. but they never let up.
there are bold characters who. many who we dont always root for. many who we actively dislike. but some we root for with a quiet need for them to come through or be ok.
but this is a great book. top recommend from me.
you want to read this to make sure you know what happened and whats to come of those you have indeed invested your emotions in along the way.

Court Stevens’ Tell Me Something Good captures the complexities of human nature — the latent light and darkness that live within us all. Built on a deft understanding of human psychology, Stevens’ characters step off the page and into readers’ hearts. This is a story that lingers with you long after the final word, a story that manages to mine a hopeful message from a narrative so steeped in suffering. For anyone whose world-weary soul needs a little lightening, Tell Me Something Good will help lessen the load.

The synopsis of Tell Me Something Good intrigued me pretty quick, and that Court Stevens wrote it made me itch to begin reading it even quicker.

The story was definitely entertaining, and the way Stevens writes was as great as you’d expect. The plot is rich and complex, follows at a slow pace without being boring at any point, and I would definitely recommend this to any thriller lovers out there.
However, while I enjoyed the plot, it didn’t bring me to the edge of my seat like I might have wanted it too. I struggled a bit at first with the amount of characters, which made it harder to connect or care about what might happen to them. I expected the story to be more focused on the murders, however they weren’t that much of a focal point before midway through the book - and even at that point, the auction took most of the attention for a while.
Yet, despite not feeling that connected to the characters, the ending of the book still managed to crack my heart a bit in a way I don’t think any thriller has managed before. Looking back, I didn’t realise at first how well Stevens managed to deliver on the “we don’t always see the ripples we make” aspect, but while I was missing a bit of a jaw drop at times, she wrote this story brilliantly and I’m sure I’ll reread it in the future and push it in the direction of several reading buddies.

This is a very complex mystery/thriller about the goings on at an elite hunting resort. There are the haves and the have-nots who each live on opposite sides of the lake, living very different lives. So much going on - rich people involved in bad things with illegal weapons, not so rich people just trying to live their lives, complicated relationships, and the horrible murder of nine women years ago that was never solved. But there are people who know what happened...

I enjoyed this story, but there were so many characters to keep straight that I did have to keep going back to remember exactly who they all were and how they all fit in. I had a lot going on in my life while I was reading this and that didn't help with my concentration at times. I would recommend this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.

Absolutely. Love. When one of my auto-buy authors released a debut in a new category, I was already sold. This adult mystery/suspense reads like a Frederik Backman with multiple layers, rich texture, and a strong sense of place. This author is always masterful at a small town setting, and this book holds up to expectations for sure! Deep southern relationships and story, massive stakes, and characters you'll hold onto for the long haul. Did I mention there are animals? Superlove & 10/10 recommend!

This audiobook was an unexpectedly emotional experience. The narration was excellent and really brought the characters to life. The story is heartfelt, with themes of identity, forgiveness, and finding strength in unexpected places. It’s the kind of story that quietly sticks with you.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced listening copy and the chance to review it.

Court Stevens' latest novel is a serious and heartfelt pivot towards the adult genre. You'll find Stevens' classic character depth and relationships represented here with heaping serving of 20-year-old murder that's gone long-unsolved, as an undercurrent to present events. I found myself trying to solve the mysteries, both past and present, as I read, making me an active participant in this journey. Characters worth following, a town with a history worth telling, and an annual hunting event folks won't soon forget are the threads that hold this novel together, keeping readers on their toes. Check it out for yourself!

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of Tell Me Something Good, by Court Stevens, from HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

Whew. I read myself dizzy with this one, both literally and figuratively.

The literally was because I was so intensely focused on/caught up in the story—which was just BEYOND anxious-making—that I found myself repeatedly holding my breath as I read. Also, I was reading just as fast as I can, which I know better than to do. That always leads to dizziness and a headache.

Dizzy figuratively because so many threads were being woven together to make this particular tapestry. At first that was great, but somewhere along the way things got convoluted-y. And y’all know I am not a fan of convoluted-y.

After I finished this book, I read a few reviews of it, and saw where people were comparing it to a certain book of Fredrik Backman’s. I won’t say which one, because I’m not sure I agree with that take. But seeing his name did cause me to say, “Ah, I felt like I’d read something written in this style before!”

My recommendation, if you’re going to read this book, is to do so in one sitting, in particular because of that style of writing. I had to put it down after getting about a third of the way through yesterday because of “adult” dinner plans, and I really hated to do so.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get some fresh air, clear my head.

DESCRIPTION
"This is a writer that understands people down to the bones. Her characters are fallible and hopeful, flawed and loving, and so real they have stayed with me." --Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author

This is a story of the rich and the very poor. This is a story of an illegal auction with dire consequences. This is a story of murders past and present. This is a story of intertwined relationships and the silent ripples they leave behind, where love becomes a guiding force, revealing the lengths one will go to protect those they cherish.

Over twenty years ago, a young hunting guide in rural Kentucky was driving his boat in the early morning mist when his peaceful cruise was cut short by a scene so disturbing, he packed up and moved away. Nine women died early that morning, but it was linked to a similar crime in Texas, so the locals quickly wrote it off as having nothing to do with them.

Now, all these years later, when everyone has nearly forgotten about that grisly part of their past, one man's accidental death will bring everything back up to the surface. The locals who knew better can no longer claim it had nothing to do with them, and one woman, desperate to do whatever it takes to save her mother's life, will learn that nearly everyone in her life has been lying to her.

In Court Stevens's adult debut, she delves deep into the heart of a community, where some will learn that we don't always live to see the ripples we make, but we must make them all the same.

At the beginning I struggled to keep up with the many characters and individual story lines, but once I got into it I really enjoyed the well thought out plot and its many twists. It felt like at first seeing only tiny threads, constantly zooming out until you recognize the intricately woven fabric. Sometimes I thought it was too much put into one story, but towards the end everything came together smoothly and effortlessly, and I was impressed by the complexity of the book. The story itself was a well-balanced mixture of suspense, action and romance that kept me glued to the pages. I'm glad I gave this one a try, and I will also check out the other titles by the author.

When I first starter this book, I almost put it down….. TRIGGER WARNING— parent has cancer. I just recently lost a parent to cancer so I almost did not continue but the blurb sounded so good I kept going.

While the beginning was hard to keep up with just because there are so many characters, it was so hard to keep up with who was who. I felt like I was reading a fantasy novel with how many characters were thrown at me. I did realize by the end that they were all pretty necessary to the story line and every one fit in well. By the end of the book I was hooked and wanted to know what happened. I do feel the ending was a bit rushed but overall I did enjoy the story. It kept my attention and I kept asking questions throughout. So many lies, murder, and heartbreak.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collin’s Muse for an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.