This is a great book I got this is an arc on NetGalley. You should definitely delete it if you haven’t it’s well worth the read.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Pub Date: 1/28
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Penitence was a phenomenal read. I went into this one completely blind, but I ended up so shocked at how many different emotions I felt while reading this but also how much I connected to this particular story (and no nothing like this story has ever happened to me before).
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Right from the start, I felt drawn to this story, to this family, to this situation. Koval jumps right into the tragedy and continues with such heart wrenching realizations and hardships. All of the emotions from these characters felt so raw and so real. This is such a difficult subject matter that was handled with the utmost grace, while really hitting home the and I really appreciated that. I really enjoyed each and every single one of the characters, I loved learning about their pasts and who they had become in their later years.
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Penitence is a pretty stead to fast paced read. I found myself not able to put this one down. I wanted to know exactly what was going to happen and I absolutely loved where Koval took this one. I felt like there were the right amounts of twists and shocking moments that had me gasping out loud while maintaining the seriousness of the situation at hand.
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I listened to this one via audiobook and Therese Plummer was fantastic for this one. I loved everything about the audiobook, and I am highly recommending it. If you are thinking of picking this one up - be sure to grab the audio!
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The fact that this book is a debut is mind blowing. Koval was able to create the perfect atmosphere, take a truly tough topic and write it with grace and she was able to make a fantastic mystery / family drama. I am singing all the praises for this one. I very much enjoyed this book, and I am highly recommending it to all of my friends. Huge thank you to NetGalley, Kristin Koval and MacMillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I listened to the audio while reading a copy of this book.
The narrator,, Therese Plummer, did a fantastic job of bringing this book to life. Of bringing out emotions and reality. Making you feel what the characters felt. One of the best audios I've listened to.

I believe this is a debut novel. It's one you don't want to miss. It has so many feelings and will give you such deep emotions. In parts I got goosebumps and sure shed lots of tears. But the overall story is so good. It made me look at some things in a whole new way. Especially where kids who have committed crimes are concerned.

This is a story of a murder and the road to forgiveness. A story of a family torn apart by a tragedy that they never saw coming. This is a story that will definitely make you shed so many tears. And wonder why. Why did this happen?

Angie and David Sheehan have two children. Until they don't. Nora and Nico are very close siblings. Even in age they are being just eleven months apart. Nico is fourteen and Nora thirteen. Then Nora takes her dads gun out of his gun safe and shoots Nico three times. What could have made her do such a thing.

David goes to Martine Dumont, a lawyer, for help. He begs her to help his daughter. Martine is not a criminal defense attorney so she calls her son Julian. Martine and Julian have been somewhat estranged for many years. Only talking on the phone occasionally. Julian is also Angie's ex boyfriend. In high school the two were inseparable. Until they weren't.

This book is three stories in one but not in the least hard to follow. Each thing comes together in a way that makes the story that much better. This book is almost perfection. It's a story of people who need forgiveness. Of ones finding it. Of ones giving it. Sometimes it's hard to find forgiveness. And sometimes people just never think they deserve it.

I could not put this book down. It was that good. I have to highly recommend it to everyone I know. Yes it's sad but it's not graphic about things. No blood and gore. No horrors. Just a story that will hold your heart hostage until the very end.

Thank you #NetGalley, #CeladonBoos, #MacmillianAudio, for this ARC.

Five big stars.

Penitence
author: Kristin Koval
narrator: Therese Plummer
Macmillan Audio
Mystery & Thrillers/New Adult
Pub date: 01/28/25

Penitence is Kristin Koval's outstanding debut novel. A tragedy occurs in Angie and David's family, leaving them shattered and forced to seek legal counsel. Readers learn of complicated relationships between the family and other prominent characters in the story. It is presented in dual timeline format, with settings of Colorado and New York City. The intense, thought provoking narrative provides themes of forgiveness and grief, centered around heartbreak and family dynamics.

Narrator Therese Plummer captures the complexity of the heavy topics covered in the book with an emotionally compelling delivery of Koval's writing. Her voice really lets listeners into the world of deep trauma as experienced by the characters. Plummer has been consistently excellent in her narration for all the books I have listened to by her, and this one is added to that list.

I received an advance listening copy through NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. My review is my own.

#MacmillanAudio #Penitence #TheresePlummer
#KristinKoval #MacAudio2024

Kristin Koval’s Penitence is a poignant and complex debut exploring guilt, forgiveness, and family ties through the lives of Angie and David Sheehan after a devastating murder. Spanning decades and locations, the story delves into Angie’s reconnection with her first love, Julian, as they confront a tragic past and unresolved emotions. Koval masterfully portrays grief, familial loyalty, and redemption, with characters that feel authentic and evolve compellingly over time. I appreciated the acknowledgement that people are more than the worst thing they've done. I do wish the ending had wrapped things up a little more neatly but such is life.

The audiobook, narrated by Therese Plummer, enhances the experience with her emotionally resonant and soothing performance. I'd recommend this one for people who enjoy reading about love, healing, and the complexities of human relationships. Special thanks to @netgalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC of this book.
3.5 stars (liked it) rounded up.

When thirteen year old Nora murders her fourteen year old brother Nico, her father contacts Julian, her mother’s first love, to help with her defense. Koval has written a compelling novel that explores many themes such as what is justice. Julian and Angie had been sweethearts forever in their ski town in Colorado. Tragedy befalls them their senior year. Both Angie and Julian harbor secrets. The story flips from present day to the past to fill in the backstory of most all of the characters. This is a book that I think it is best to enter blind and let the surprises unfold. I could not put this down and think it will be one of the most talked about books this spring. I am sure it will be one of my top books this year. I highly recommend it. It was great on audio but think a print copy would work equally well. I thank NetGalley and MacMillian audio for the opportunity to listen to this ARC.

Thank you Celadon Books and Kristin Koval!
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Late last year, Celadon invited readers to participate in their #CeladonReadsTogether initiative for Kristin Koval's debut novel 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, which is releasing on 1/28/25. ⠀
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I was lucky to be paired with four other bookstagrammers and we started reading and discussing in early January. We all finished the book so quickly - it's that good! With the book releasing this coming week, it's been fun to look back on our thoughts. ⠀
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If 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 isn't on your radar yet, here's a bit of the synopsis: ⠀

🌀 A shocking murder occurs in the home of Angie and David Sheehan, which leaves their lives shattered. Their desperation to defend their family leaves them turning to a successful New York City criminal defense attorney – who just happens to be Angie’s first love.⠀
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🌀 Throughout the story, Angie and David must confront their past, deceptions, and guilt to navigate their feelings and determine what their future looks like.
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🌀 This novel focuses heavily on themes of mercy, empathy, judgment, and truth, and will make you stop multiple times and wonder what you would do in the character's situations.⠀ ⠀
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🌀 But the ultimate theme of this book is forgiveness, the title really tells you that. You’ll watch all the characters grapple with forgiveness and guilt for the pain they’ve caused each other.⠀
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I also had the pleasure of listening to an advanced copy of the book thanks to Macmillan Audio The narrator, Therese Plummer, did an absolutely stunning job of bringing the story to life for me. I couldn’t stop listening to this book and enjoyed the roller coaster ride it took me on. There were many times I would catch myself reacting in real life to what was happening in the book and for me that’s a definite win with a novel. ⠀
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Thanks again Celadon Books for the opportunity to take part in #celadonreadstogether and #readpenitence.

When they say slow-burn this is what they mean. It was a very slow burn and I don't feel like it paid off. The book is listed as a thriller but, even though a crime is committed, it really doesn't qualify as a thriller. The story was more about character development. If I had gone in with that mindset I may have enjoyed it more.

3.75 rounded up | While I liked this quite a bit and found it very thought provoking, much of it was fairly predictable which took away some of the oomph. Full of complicated characters making complicated decisions (which not all readers will agree with), it definitely sucked me in (and I found the audio harder to put down than the print). I'm not sure this one will stick with me, but I'm glad it. For readers of Defending Jacob and Everything I Never Told You (though those two were 5 stars).

3.5 ⭐️ | An overall solid read, and I’m interested in more work by this author. The narrative touches on themes of guilt, forgiveness and family dynamics. It goes in depth about the aftermath of loss and emotional trauma. Exploring the different timelines and experiencing the growth in these characters was enjoyable. Some stories work well with the open ended, endings in which things are left up to interpretation of the reader. In this case, I feel that was not the best closing, considering the nature of the crime committed a motive being provided would have been a bonus. The narration in this audiobook was amazing.

The story follows the investigation of a murder, that have left the town shook due to who the suspect & victim are. When David and Angie have no choice but to seek help from someone that they prefer to leave in their past, over a decade old secrets are revealed.

Recommend for those who enjoy a little mystery & fiction with added depth.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

4.25 Stars

Penitence caught me off guard. It's unexpected. It's devastating. It's complicated. My head levitated off my body and then I broke down in sobs as I finished the book. Woah.

On the surface, it's a story about a young girl who kills her brother, the family, the community, and the readers searching for the answer. Why did she kill him? But what we get is so much more.

Kristin Koval created an interwoven, human story navigating loss, grief, hope, mistakes, love, family, and discovery. Through a dual-timeline novel, beginning in the 90s, we explore the journey of Colorado teens Angie and Julian, as they fall in love on the slopes, experience a shared tragedy, the fallout, their move to New York City, and how they try to stay together as their lives splinter in different directions. In the present-day timeline occurring in the mid-2010s, Angie, no longer with Julian is the mother of the teens involved in the shocking murder. She and her husband, David, seek the help of Julian's mother, Martine, a retiring lawyer in town who does not specialize in criminal defense. She enlists her son, Julian, a now successful criminal defense attorney, to assist her with the case. The reconnection stirs up memories from their past with Koval bridging the gap between then and now. The story spans multiple decades as we discover the history of these complex characters and the power of forgiveness.

Koval's characters are complicated, fallible beings who negotiate the world the best they can, stumbling over the hurdles life throws at them. Through them, we are reminded of how great life is but how equally difficult and painful it can be. We lose people, we fall in love, we succeed, we fail, we suffer, we laugh, and we cry. The complexity of our one life is beautifully highlighted in this book.

Additionally, this story involves deception and how our efforts to protect the ones we love can backfire. Even if it is well intended, deception is still deception.

Lastly, this is a story about forgiveness-true forgiveness-that isn't selfish or forced, it's a gift for those that reach its summit.

The amalgamation of these components delivers a stunning yet heartbreaking portrayal of our existence, examining life's complex nature, joy, and sorrow. Life is devastatingly beautiful.

My only gripe is I struggled to latch onto the story in the first portion. It moved a little slowly but then became a slow to medium burn, picking up speed as we progressed further. Obviously, it wasn't a gripe for long before I lost myself in the story. If you also find yourself in this position, keep going. There is a gift waiting for you.

If choosing the audio path, the Narrator Thérèse Plummer delivers an outstanding performance from start to finish and elevates the experience even further. She has become one of my favorite audio artists and performer.

Whether listening, reading a digital version, or grabbing a physical book, I highly recommend Penitence.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Celadon Books, & Kristin Koval for the ARC in exchange for my honest and authentic review.

Crime, Check. Family Drama, Check. Unlikeable central characters, check. Dual timelines, check. I think this book was written just for me. I love that not all things were fully resolved in this story, but the characters' motivations were. I think we will be seeing this book everywhere early spring!

★★★★ 4/5 stars

⁕ Pub date 1/28/25 - out next week!

⟡ 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 :
-Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
-Mad Honey or My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
-powerful, thought-provoking reads
-snowy Colorado setting
-dual timelines
-complicated families
-the search for forgiveness & redemption

⟡ 𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 :
I am so incredibly impressed that this is a debut novel! Penitence is one of those books that really grabs hold from the first page. It has tension that grips like a thriller & even some legal drama. It’s such an emotionally charged story that highlights the way forgiveness comes from acceptance, because “each one of us is more than the worst we’ve ever done."

This story is messy & complicated, filled with morally grey areas. It asks some tough questions. The characters are flawed & multifaceted, connected by tragedy & grief while navigating a broken criminal justice system.

The audiobook narration was fantastic. Thérèse Plummer’s performance was truly captivating, bringing the characters to life with depth & emotion.

The chapters were on the longer side, & in the end we don’t have all the answers. But I felt like that fit the story in a way, a little disappointed & frustrated - exactly how the characters felt I’m sure.

I'm excited to see what author Kristine Koval comes up with next! Consider me a fan ◡̈

Thanks to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for this ALC ◡̈

I really liked the authors writing style. I thought the character development was good. The story was just very slow for me. I did not see the twist coming, and I thought it worked well with the story.
I was able to listen to the audio version, and it was really good.
Overall not bad but wasn’t great for me. A solid debut. I would absolutely give this author another try, and will look for her future work.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review!

This was a fantastic debut that was beautifully written.

The characters had many layers and I loved exploring those layers as the novel went on.

This one has dual timelines which I really enjoyed. Both timelines were interesting and brought the characters to life. Usually I like one timeline more than an other in this type of story so it is saying a lot that I enjoyed both!

I paired the physical ARC with the advanced listening copy I received thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio the narration by Thérèse Plummer was spectacular only adding to my enjoyment.

I read this one after a lot of lighter novels so I did not mind the heavy topics especially since I live for “sadder stories” when reading.

This is one I will recommend over and over.

What an amazing, heartbreaking, emotional, raw book. I loved the writing & the emotions I felt while reading.

The audiobook was great. Perfect tone and pacing

Penitence by Kristen Koval is a poignant, slow-burn novel that intricately explores a spectrum of raw emotions. At its core, the story revolves around a shocking murder within the household of David and Angie Sheehan, involving their two teenage children. The case draws the attention of Martin, a small-town lawyer, and her son Julian, a New York-based attorney and Angie’s first love, who are brought in to assist with the defense.

As the plot unfolds, long-buried secrets and overwhelming guilt surface, forcing readers to grapple with the unsettling question: are we more than the worst thing we’ve ever done?

While I anticipated a major plot twist, the narrative instead unfolds in a manner that focuses more on the emotional gravity of the situation. Though the ultimate reasons behind the murder remain elusive, Penitence is still a deeply moving exploration of love, forgiveness, grief, and the complexity of human nature. It leaves a lasting impact, encouraging reflection on the nuances of guilt, redemption, and the intricate layers of personal and familial relationships.

Very much the same feeling when reading Celeste Ng - intense and eager to find out the outcome of a harrowing story. Deep topics covered - complex and heartbreaking at times reading about the intersection of these two families. Multiple perspectives helped make this an emotional read.

Very impressive debut. Pacing was a little slow for me, especially in the prior timeline. However, the characters and storyline were very engaging and had me keyed in until the ending.

3.5 stars.
What I liked:
* the morally gray characters and the way Koval makes the reader reflect on past mistakes, the impact they've had, and what that says about us as a reader
* the story kept me engaged (though there were times it felt a bit slower and I would have liked a bit more oomph), and I liked the way that the plot unfolded
* the dual timelines and settings
* the peek at life inside a juvenile detention center (although I could have used a bit more of this)

What I did not like:
* my one big complaint is that the big question I had throughout the book was never answered and it just feels like the book is incomplete overall for me