This was a pretty decent read. Strong characters, twists, mystery, thrills. However, one thing bugged me throughout the book: the author repeatedly brought up the male centric thing. Over and over, like beating a dead horse. It rubbed me the wrong way. So, while I wanted to find out whay was happening I was sick to death of that plot point.

Liv, a single mom trying to start over in a small town with her daughter, is at a crossroads. No job, new town, new divorce, but she was left a house when her beloved aunt passed.
At the very start of her daughter's school day, she finds herself in the crosshairs of the school board. What might normally be a difference of opinion, this board seems to have darker issues.

She finds that a teacher was forced out, and moved from the town. Liv decides to get to the bottom of it.

Her new neighbor, who had been a friend of her aunt, is helpful and a delight. Her daughter is a nice character, and you are rooting for them to find their footing.

I enjoyed this book. The only minor criticism I have is that it seemed every chapter had something about men keeping her down, silent, taking advantage, etc. It's an important topic, but it started to seem like Liv couldn't let it go.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Net Galley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

I wanted to give 3.5 stars but NetGalley doesn’t allow that. For me it just didn’t quite hit the 4th star though. This book is about a recently divorced Mom who has dealt with some of the consequences of living in a male-centered world. In a new town with her daughter, she learns right away that something is not on the up and up with the current school administration. She tasks herself with the burden of solving the puzzle, stopping the crime, and putting the town back to honest standards again.

While I did feel compelled to finish this story and find out what was truly going on, I struggled a bit with some of the main character’s choices and thoughts. For one- I will never really understand why book characters decide it is their job alone to solve a major crime when clearly dangerous people are involved- and not loop in some form of law enforcement. Sure, some local law is always at the risk of being compromised but maybe find someone above them, or outside of town to help. And second- it irritated me how often Liv put herself in a position for her daughter to be vulnerable. She recognizes that she will lose her daughter if she continues her trek into danger. Yet still she perseveres without back-up on her “missions.” Some of what happened to her and her daughter she literally brought upon them both with her actions.

Also, as a woman I can fully appreciate that the odds are often stacked against us in a man’s world. And the main character clearly went through some things that have caused her to be sick of feeling used and overlooked just for being female. However, this theme was extremely prevalent and repetitive in the book. I don’t like to complain about this because again- I’m on “our side” when it comes to women. Especially in our current climate. But I do believe that it didn’t have to be referred to on practically every page. At some point it was overkill (don’t stone me, I still agree with her thoughts, it just was a lot).

Ultimately, I was pulled along despite all of my mentioned misgivings. The ending was a bit lackluster with resolution- I think I expected there to be more going on overall. But it still held my interest until the last page.

Thank you #NetGalley for the chance to read #The Board early. Also thank you to #blackstonepublishing.

The story revolves around Liv, a single mother who relocates to a seemingly idyllic New Hampshire town only to discover a troubling undercurrent at her daughter's school. I so wanted to like this book; however, the narrative gets bogged down by predictable plot points and a lack of character development. I really could not connect with Liv and didn't like her character. She starts off as a character faced with the challenges of adjusting to a new environment and a precarious situation as a single mom. But, her journey quickly devolves into a series of clichéd confrontations with school authorities, making her come across as more of a one-dimensional caricature than a fully fleshed-out character.

The portrayal of the school board and its members feels overly dramatized. While the book tries to provide commentary on mental health, especially with Liv's daughter's anxiety, to me, the story often skirts around these topics rather than addressing them with the sensitivity and depth they deserve.

In the end, for me, The Board struggles to deliver the suspense and revelation it promises.

#TheBoard #NetGalley

2 stars

Liv Wilcox is a single mom to third grade daughter Piper and they’ve moved to Whitebridge, New Hampshire after Liv’s divorce and a messy job loss. Sensitive Piper is now in school but Liv is quickly labeled as a “problem” parent by Bob Stewart, the principal and superintendent of Piper’s school. The place is run like a military academy.

Liv begins to investigate and learns that Lydia Brown, a former teacher, was bullied and forced to resign. Things begin to get worse for Liv and Piper, and police are involved. What is going on in this small town?

The sales pitch on this likened it to BIG LITTLE LIES, but…no. Liv is an insane person putting both herself and her daughter at risk constantly. I couldn’t stand her. Go to the state police, you nutjob! And quit impersonating a lawyer, you are never, ever going to pass the character exam to actually become one, you know! It only gets two stars because it had nice cats and a sweet old lady.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC! I loved this story! The struggles of being a women and a mother are so well described. Standing up for yourself and following your gut brought the main character struggles but they were worth it.