My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (rounded up to 4)

“The heart, hope, and pacing of Fredrik Backman’s Beartown meets the Southern atmospheric storytelling of Flannery O’Connor in Court Stevens’s adult debut novel.” 👈 This description + Marin Ireland narration led me to jump on this book! I wasn’t familiar with Court Stevens’ YA books and went in with not many expectations although the Frederick Backman comparison had me eager to see what this was about!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and was eager to pick it up to see what would happen next and how it would all pan out. I especially enjoyed some of the exceptionally poignant, perfectly delivered lines and passages through this book. I really enjoyed the character development of the MCs, yet also struggled to keep some of the secondary characters straight and how they fit in. I can usually keep up with simultaneous storylines and quite a few characters, but this one had too many that didn’t quite relate nor come together well in my opinion.

🎧 I already mentioned that Marin Ireland was one of the reasons I wanted to pick up this book, and as usual I loved her narration!

The mystery of this one was intriguing and kept me going. If you’re into character-driven literary mysteries, I would recommend giving this one a try!

Read if you enjoy: complicated relationships, multiple POVs, second chances, small town vibes

This book had a lot going on—so many characters and intersecting storylines that it was hard to keep track at times. The central thread is an unsolved murder of nine girls in Kentucky from 20 years ago, which resurfaces after the suspicious death of a man involved in an underground illegal auction.

The plot also follows a young woman trying to save her mother’s life, which pulls her deep into this dangerous world. As the story unfolds, the lines between family, friends, loyalty, and betrayal all blur in a tangled web of secrets and violence.

While the premise is definitely compelling, and the stakes are high, I did feel like the crowded cast and shifting narratives made it difficult to fully connect with any one character.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

At its core, TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD is about connection, about the invisible threads that bind people across time. A single accidental death sets off a chain of revelations, linking the present to the brutal unsolved murders of nine women decades earlier. In this small Kentucky town, nothing happens in isolation, and the ripples of a single act spread wider than you can imagine.

Set by the water in small-town Kentucky, you can feel the earthiness in every scene - the muddy shoreline, the crisp autumn air, the closeness of a place where everyone knows your business. The characters are vivid and lived-in, and the relationships are so complex I wanted to map them out just to keep up.

Stevens’s writing is poignant, often funny, occasionally sentimental, and always emotionally resonant. Moments where she breaks the fourth wall and addresses the reader directly are startling and effective.

The audiobook narration is excellent: full of empathy, perfectly paced, and well-suited to the emotional gravity of the story.

This was my first Court Stevens book, but it won’t be my last. Fans of Tracey Lange will find a similar focus on complicated families and emotional depth but with a darker, more intimate tone.

I LOVE Carl Hiassen's mysteries, ​and "Tell Me Something Good's" sardonic wit​ and characters feel like they could’ve stepped out of one of his ​b​ooks.​ BUT. Court Stevens has added some gentle redemption and love that reduces Hiassen's snark and makes this a bit more palatable for these heavy times.
​Having grown up with a grandparents' hay barn, and thoroughly ignoring adult warnings to stay out of the barn, the idea of a yacht hidden beneath the hay is enticing - imagine swinging out on a rope hanging from a rafter and dropping into...a boat!
​A wonderful escape!

Before requesting this audiobook, I read other readers’ opinions and reviews, and what caught my attention was that Tell Me Something Good had been compared to the works of Fredrik Backman. Since Backman is my favorite author, I was immediately intrigued—and very excited when my request was approved.

I finished the book in just two days. The story gripped me from the very beginning, despite the large number of characters, which was a bit confusing at first. Still, I trusted the author, believing that each character had a role to play in the plot—and they did. It’s an interesting blend of mystery and drama, with a deeply emotional message revealed at the end. I was genuinely moved by the story.

But… I’m torn. What initially drew me to the book—the comparison to Backman’s style—also ended up being my biggest issue. Don’t get me wrong: I loved it, just as I love all of Backman’s work. But it felt as though the author wasn’t speaking with her own unique voice. Even the audiobook’s main narrator, Marin Ireland, is known for narrating Fredrik Backman’s novels, which made the similarities feel even stronger.

That said, I’m still looking forward to Court Stevens’ next book and can’t wait to see what kind of adventure awaits us readers next.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an ALC of this book. The following is my honest opinion *

3.75⭐️ out 5

The main reason I picked this ALC because it was narrated by Marin Ireland (ABSOLUTE FAVORITE NARRATOR). The second reason that drew me in was this part of the description: "The heart, hope, and pacing of Fredrik Backman's Beartown meets the Southern atmospheric storytelling of Flannery O'Connor in Court Stevens's adult debut novel." (Backman = TOP 5 authors, for me)

With all that being said, I surprisingly enjoyed this book. It's very reminiscent of a cozy mystery, sans the FMC having a midlife crisis and moving to the quaint beach town. I really liked how the story was structured and how it was delivered. It kept me hooked and I would have devoured it in one sitting were not for having to be an adult. I would love to read Stevens' other works, very intrigued.

The only downside that I have for this book, is that I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I think there were things that could have been expanded on. That or I just didn't want this to end : )

Highly recommend this book.

I was quite disappointed in this book after enjoying several of this author's books. The story is pretty well-written overall, though I was wondering who certain characters were from time to time... However, it's full of bad language, and the story just doesn't go along with my values.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance audio copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This story has a lot of twists and turns. It’s a story about 2 towns in Kentucky that are on opposite sides of the river. Anna Ryder becomes desperate when her mom starts cancer treatments and they don’t have enough money to live. This causes Anna to go across the river looking for employment and help. But what she ends up learning is that there are many secrets, lots of corruption and lying and several characters she needs to decide if she trusts them or not. I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The narrator did a great job with it! There were a lot of characters and I struggled to keep track of them. I would have loved to be able to look at a physical copy to help me keep track of them all.

Thank you to Court Stevens, NetGalley and Harper Muse for the advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: June 3, 2025

The premise sounded really intriguing for this book, however it was not for me. There was a lot to understand and I found it was hard to follow the storyline on audio. I think the physical book might have helped me understand the timeline and format better.

The narrator Marin Ireland was fantastic and kept me engaged, however the digital or physical copy would have helped me enjoy it more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the complimentary audiobook and the opportunity to preview this book. All opinions are my own.

EXCERPT: If you live on a river and farm, you spend more time praying about rain than you do breathing. You need it to come. You need it to stop. The spring before Anna was set to leave for college, Luxor had what the meteorologist called a five-hundred-year-flood.
Everything within six miles that wasn't on risers was damaged. Many of the homes. All of the crops. Anna and Starr were trapped in their house for four days. By the time the bottom steps of the deck dried and Anna put her foot back on the muddy earth, she knew she wasn't leaving Luxor or Starr. She turned down every scholarship and got one of the only jobs in town.
Her paycheck kept them from losing the farm.
When Starr has a glass or two of wine, she says Anna kept them from losing far more, but she never explains what.
Starr is a woman with secrets.
And while Anna sometimes considers it a betrayal, and sometimes fights about the secrets with Starr (and never wins), and sometimes grows restless with sacrificing so much for a cause she can't name or understand, she does it anyway. And somehow finds a way to do it with love.

ABOUT 'TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD': 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.

MY THOUGHTS: Tell Me Something Good lacked a little something for me. I guess I went into it expecting one thing and got something else entirely. But putting that aside . . .

There are an awful lot of characters in this novel and their connections to one another aren't always immediately clear. Mind, there were a few connections that even they weren't aware of, and which aren't revealed until late in the narrative.

There are some interesting characters. Along with Anna, Starr and Jack - Anna's ex-fiancé, ex-love of her life, and both the best and worst thing to ever happen to her. Their relationship is complicated and about to become even more so. Foster, so named because of the number of foster homes she passed through as a child. Molly the donkey who literally kicks off the whole chain of events and a raccoon called Gary.

Tell Me Something Good is a slow burn that kept my interest simmering but never brought it to boiling point. I was waiting for a jaw-dropping revelation that never quite eventuated. When the big reveal came, I thought, 'Oh.' Yes, no exclamation point.

Tell Me Something Good was a good, but not great read. It kept me interested but never fully absorbed me. I enjoyed the narration of Marin Ireland, Charlie Thurston and Annalee Scott.

⭐⭐⭐.5

#TellMeSomethingGood #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Courtney “Court” Stevens grew up in the knockabout town of Bandana, Kentucky. She is a former adjunct professor, youth minister, Olympic torchbearer, and bookseller at Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN. These days she writes coming-of-truth fiction and is the Executive Director of Warren County Public Library in Bowling Green, KY. She has a pet whale named Herman, a bandsaw named Rex, and a tiny fleet of novels with her name on the spine.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Muse audiobooks via NetGalley for providing an audio ARC of Tell Me Something Good written by Court stevens and superbly narrated by Marin Ireland, Charlie Thurston and Annalee Scott. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

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.

This story starts very slowly. It also has a lot of characters and this leads to a bit of confusion, especially at the beginning. This might have been different for me if I had physically read it.

But, as the story moves along it gets a bit better. I did expect more focus on the murders in this small town but this does not truly take place until about halfway through this book. This is when the story gets interesting. Plus, I really liked the characters Starr and Luxor. They truly kept this story moving for me.

This is narrated by Marin Ireland. I just think there are too many characters for one narrator to handle.

I received this novel for a honest review.

I was drawn to this book based on the summary, and I enjoyed alot of the story. I listened to the audiobook, and I think because it was audio, it was harder for me to keep up with all of the characters (and there are so many!). The plot moved quickly enough, and I was engaged throughout the book. Overall, this was a good listen, but I wish I had read it in a physical copy instead.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for this audio ARC. This is my honest review.

The past rears its ugly head in rural Kentucky.

Listening to this audiobook was a memorable experience. It was a story of the 'haves' and the 'have nots". Kentucky, like many places, seems to have both extremes with little of the population falling safely somewhere in the middle.

Unfortunately, the 'haves' are often greedy for more...

The setting was vividly described and for a few hours I felt as though I was a visitor to southern Kentucky.

The characters were realistic and authentic. Flaws, there were many, yet the good side of human nature was also evident. Relationships are often messy and complicated, and the author does a sound job of describing them as they related to the events. Characters and relationships were written with empathy and warmth.

That being said, there were rather a LOT of characters in this novel, making it sometimes difficult to keep abreast of the story line.

Luxor, Kentucky had a sordid, gruesome, and horrific event in its past. Residents would like to forget, but after twenty years, the past is put under the spotlight once again. One man's accidental death caused by a lovable donkey, is the catalyst.

The characters discover just how far they will go to protect the people that they love and cherish. This is especially relevant to protagonist Anna, and her mortally ill mother.

The narration of this audiobook was excellently performed by Marin Ireland.

This title is the author's adult fiction debut - and she aced it. A gritty crime thriller that will be enjoyed by many. I am very eager to read and/or listen to what Court Stevens writes next.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for providing a copy of this novel to me!
My mom used to say “Eventually the truth will out”…. I think this applies to the story of Anna Rider whose life is impacted by a heinous murder of nine women years ago. A random death starts an investigation that exposes the actions of many who thought (and hoped) that it was all in the past. Anna is on a journey with her mother who is battling lung cancer back in her hometown where a suspicious death has just occurred. Who would suspect that the owners of the Lodges Resort nearby are not just in the hospitality business but are also into illegal weapons and murder? The story is a complex sequence of events that exposes not only the current ugly dealings of this group, but also leads back to the mass murder of the nine women years ago and links forward to a potential mass shooting in present day. In the midst of this, Anna reunites with her ex fiance, Jack, and discovers that her deep love for him is still alive and well in her heart. What should she do about this? Who can she trust? And what about her mom facing a terminal cancer diagnosis? The story moves quickly and complex with an ending that is unexpected! Marin Ireland, Charlie Thurston and Annalee Scott do a great job in the narration which helped to clarify the many characters involved in the plot.

This was a hard read for me to get into and at times I had no clue where the story was going. However, everything tied together at the end so well and it was amazing. I LOVED and was so invested in the last two hours of the audiobook! I will definitely read books by Court in the future :)

5 Stars

There are a lot of characters to remember right off the bat, and each is well developed and likeable from the start. Everyone felt like a real and relatable person and had me laughing out loud in some moments with their witty banter. I also enjoyed the interspersed moments of narrator commentary. It takes a few chapters to get into the plot, and once I got a few different POVs I was so invested in the secrets and murders, I couldn't wait for the next chapter to reveal more.

I will be on the lookout for more books by Court Stevens in the future!

Great narration by Marin Ireland (i think the main narrator), Charlie Thurston and Annalee Scott.

Tell Me Something Good by Court Stevens book cover is in image) can be a confusing read. Because of its extremely short chapters, and multitude of characters, the story can feel disjointed at times, especially for the first half of the book. I had the good fortune of having both the audio book and eARC so I was able to switch to the audio, which provided a much better experience.

The narration by Marin Ireland was excellent, making it easy to follow this complex and layered story, and allowed me to finish the book in one day. I would strongly recommend this novel for reader who enjoy pealing back the the layers of an onion of a mystery.

Thank you to HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse and Harper Muse Audio for the opportunity to read the eARC and listen to the ALC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 3 Stars
Pub Date: Jun 03 2025

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As a fan of the author's previous YA novels (particularly in audiobook), I was disappointed by how...adult this first adult book is. The marketing copy compares it to Backman, and the author certainly uses onmiscient narrator techniques to both reveal to the reader ("Years later, she would look back and regret this...") and to hide from the reader ("Which choice will the character make? You'll have to keep reading to find out..."). However, the brilliance of Backman is growing empathy by giving the reader a glimpse into a character's backstory, but in this book, the motivations were all a little hazy. The connections between all the hunting lodge owners and their wives was difficult to keep track of, and why is Topher there?
(Additionally, multiple revelations that characters were gay felt more like a tactic to surprise the reader rather than genuinely explore character complexity.)

Tell Me Something Good is a convoluted and fun romp through the naughty behavior going on behind the scenes of an exclusive hunting invitational in a small Kentucky town. A mother and daughter get wrapped up in the present day through a shady job, which leads to the unraveling of 20 year old coverups. This is an entertaining novel, though there a few odd tangents, like reference to one person's "football" playing youth transporting us to Britain with no explanation. Otherwise, it's very fun with relatable characters, dilemmas, and relationships. Some ages and math get complicated on who was in what state 20 years ago and why are they in a creepy relationship now, but don't think about it too much, nor about the trauma of hearing your dead dad's postcoital musings on life on a recording. I hope that's not the "something good" the author has in mind.

"We don't always live to see the ripples we make, but we must make them all the same." - - I'm pretty sure this is my new favorite quote.

This book simply reached in and plucked all my heartstrings. I don't exactly know why I connected with it so intensely but I did. I would describe it as a multi-genre novel - - a little mystery/thriller, with some romance and family drama blended in.

This story focuses on Anna. She grew up in a small town in Kentucky that she always wanted to leave. But life changed and she found herself tied there. Her mother became sick and Anna is the only family there is. When she loses her job teaching at the local high school, Anna is forced to ask for a job from her ex-fiance and things only get more chaotic after that.

The town that Anna lives in has a history - - years ago, there was a brutal murder of nine women and it's still unsolved. It hangs over the town like the elephant in the room that no one wants to mention and many seem to have forgotten about. But there are many that can't forget about it. They were there and can't erase the images from their minds. Either way, things in this sleepy little town are about to get heated.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I also listened to the audiobook and the narration was absolutely wonderful. It enabled me to completely immerse myself in the story. I simply loved it. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the audiobook and ebook.