I liked the way Leah Reiss, gave each character such a distinctive voice by alternating the narrators of the chapters. I enjoy this style as it allows us to get to know them all separately. The character's stories tragic and seemed to be firmly rooted in a time and place - Appalachia in the 1970's. But, at the same time, they are human stories that take place in communities worldwide. There may be cultural differences but the tales remain the same, allowing us to identify with the characters and their stories. Beautifully written, evocative book.

What a stunning debut novel that is heartbreakingly beautiful and lyrical! Set in the Appalachian mountains, it relates the story of Sadie Blue, a young pregnant woman married for fifteen days to Roy, a drunken abusive husband. The cast of characters include the preacher, his sister, the optimistic new teacher, Sadie's aging grandmother, and the town's do-gooder. Each has his or her own unique voice that is what sets this novel apart from others. You will love and grieve for Sadie and may be angered by others but you will surely come away from this book with a different perspective!

This book was getting lots of buzz and excitement, and I was really hoping for this to be an amazing mark, but sadly it missed the mark by a lot. Not only did I not connect or root for any of the characters, but I found it extremely difficult to understand the dialect and gets accustomed to the dialogue that this author display.

Trigger warnings: abuse

We follow Sadie, a 17 year old pregnant women, who seems to be bright soul in this small Appalachian village, that's stricken with poverty and isolated from the rest of the world. Backwards, we could call it. Then one person, an Eastern teacher comes out and pulls the balance of this community off center. This book is supposed to give us a deep dive into the demons and struggles of living in North Carolina Appalachia as an uneducated, poor white women.

Let me tell you, this is an extremely difficult read. There were many difficult scenes that took me a little while to process before I could make full sense of them, so I would not reccomend using this as a beach read, even though it will be published in the summertime and the cover is deceptive bright.

If the Creek Don't Rise sometimes felt like riding choppy waves, because of all of the POV changes. Usually, I am all for this type of alternation, but in this specific instance I felt like it didn't quite work. My problem with it was, that not only do we often switch POVs(and get introduced to brand new characters in the story which I didn't understand how they were connected) but also we move back and forth in time, which made it even more hard to keep track off.

My one great thing was the character of Sadie. I really was rooted for her and felt like I could deeply connect to her as a beautiful human, and being the central one in the story it made the story sparkle a little bit more, and because of this one person that every thread and strand keeps on coming back too, I found this book enjoyable enough to bear to finish it.

I had trouble grasping the setting of 1970s in North Carolina, maybe because I didn't feel distinct of different culture that could have been portrayed more directly, I feel like. I've seen other reviewers praise this part of Weiss writing, but I honestly thought that she work on this element in her debut novel.

The ending wasn't particularly special, because it was predictable, but I thought that it was a solid resolution to this. The author doesn't leave us hanging in the middle of an event, she wraps it up quite neatly, which I could objectively appreciate.

**Thanks you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing me an arc for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

A bittersweet story of a poor Appalation town told through the voices of characters living there. Written in the first tense we get to know all the good and bad of each person. Sadie Blue is a young girl who ends up married and pregnant to an older man who beats her regularly. The story revolves round Sadie and all her friends and family. Introduce a new school teacher and will things begin to change?The characters are all interwoven and fascinating. A great book about small town America in the 70s

Bio:

A strikingly sincere portrait of a town and its buried secrets from an outstanding new voice in southern fiction.

In a North Carolina mountain town filled with moonshine and rotten husbands, Sadie Blue is only the latest girl to face a dead-end future at the mercy of a dangerous drunk. She’s been married to Roy Tupkin for fifteen days, and she knows now that she should have listened to the folks who said he was trouble. But when a stranger sweeps in and knocks the world off-kilter for everyone in town, Sadie begins to think there might be more to life than being Roy’s wife.

As stark and magnificent as Appalachia itself, If the Creek Don’t Rise is a bold and beautifully layered debut about a dusty, desperate town finding the inner strength it needs to outrun its demons. The folks of Baines Creek will take you deep into the mountains with heart, honesty, and homegrown grit.

Review:

This story is extremely character driven. The author has strong three dimensional characters that feel so real they literally jump out of the pages at you.

Sadie Blue, the main character, is seventeen and pregnant. Newly wed to Roy Tupkin, a wife beater.

Most of the people in the town are uneducated, as is Sadie, but it doesn't stop them from leading what can be considered extraordinary lives.

As you meet each character, you can literally feel your heart warming and opening to love another one.

This story combines strong characters with strong voices, a bit of drama, and a town full of secrets to make an amazing southern fiction. This is the story you take with you and never forget because the characters felt so real.

*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ - Five Hearts

Wow! This was an extremely enjoyable read! I absolutely loved the southern voice of these characters throughout this book. It is a breathtaking and gritty portrayal of hillbilly life from the year 1970 which is set in the Appalachian Mountains.

“Regular folks buckle under the piss and vinegar in this world.”

IF THE CREEK DON’T RISE by LEAH WEISS is an interesting, compelling, and beautifully written novel that has a really engaging storyline and characters that grabbed my attention from the very first chapter.

Being a Loretta Lynn and country music fan I absolutely loved Sadie Blue’s respect and adoration that she had for Loretta Lynn. The references to Loretta Lynn were quite appealing and enjoyable!

HE’S GONNA BE SORRY HE EVER MESSED WITH ME AND LORETTA LYNN

“She’s got a hard life. Sings hard songs. She found a way up and out of her Kentucky holler. Miss Loretta is a miracle to me.”

LEAH WEISS delivers an impressive read here told in the first person from the perspectives of quite a few different relatable and likeable characters that was easy to follow along with the storyline and all the characters involved.

The ending was a complete surprise!

To sum it all up it was an entertaining, steady-paced, and an easy read with a very satisfying ending. Highly recommend!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Leah Weiss, and Sourcebooks, Inc. for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book for a fair and honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm not generally a fan of first person narratives, but I loved that this one was shared by multiple and contrasting characters. It reinforced the spirit of community in Baines Creek - something that is integral to the story.
Leah Weiss transported me to Appalachia with her strong individual characters, their distinct manner of speaking, and their fierce spirit of rural independence. While I didn't love everyone that I met, I felt that I understood where they came from.
My biggest gripe with the story is that the author and I seem to have a disagreement over the morality of one of her characters, and I wasn't altogether happy with the way his part of the story ended. Similarly, there were characters that I came to love (Eli, Kate Shaw, and Birdie), whose stories were not tied into the end, and I wanted them to be. These are small complaints. This is Sadie Blue's story, and I think I understand why Weiss did what she did. I just fell a little too much in love with the characters and wanted to know more. I suppose that is something of a compliment.
I look forward to reading whatever project Weiss takes on next, and I am thankful that she did decide that there was room in the world for another story.

OMG!.......Love the characters, and......HeHeHe.....What an ending!

"If the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise."

Baines Creek is a small remote mountain settlement in North Carolina where many can't read, education is unheard of and catastrophic poverty is the norm. The dialect is obscure and living conditions primitive with a feel more like the 1870's than the 1970's......so backward.... so uncivilized.....the men so brutal and lawless, and for Sadie Blue, life seems grave.....

Leah Weiss introduces her extraordinary characters as chapters unfold and each one has their own peculiarity. If you've read the book summary, you already know Sadie Blue lives with a devil of a man, but she's not the only one who has lived with a wife beater of a husband. Just wait till you see what Granny Gladys does.....with a bit of help from Mother Nature.....hehehe.

And Lord have mercy, wait till you meet Birdie with her gamy birds-nest hairdo and top notch fine feathered companion Samuel..... and all his buddies.

And last but not least I must mention Preacher Eli Perkins who confesses......"I was nine years old when I met the devil face to face."...... Eli is the backbone of the community.....all he wants is a better life for the people in Baines Creek evidenced by the succession of teachers he has procured....and been scared off, and his scheming troublemaking spinster of a sister Prudence who "don't like nobody." sure doesn't help matters any, but when the giant 6' 2" Kate Shaw arrives.......well, that's another story.

IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE is character driven and one fine gritty entertaining debut with one fine satisfying ending!

Many thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a VERY strong four rating. The only reason it didn't earn a five is that I was so tempted to abandon it at about the 12% mark. The first chapter opens with the beating of Sadie - pregnant, 17, and married. The abuse is hard to stomach, but her situation is the entire purpose of the story - and the story is exceptionally well done.

Appalachia in the 70s was grim and hard; I'm not sure there was a time that it wasn't a challenging place to live. The eight years I lived in NC were not in Appalachia, yet to this reader's ear, the "voice" in each chapter rang true. Several of the characters have settled into my heart, and I hope we hear from them again in future books.

Relate-able these days. 17, pregnant and newly married to a young man who is abusive. How many kids go through this today? This book is set in 1970's in North Carolina in the Mountains. The characters are really alive in this book. I loved this book through and through and will reread it! netgalley review!

Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.

In the shadow cast by Bentwood Mountain lies the small town of Baines River, North Carolina. This is coal mining territory, and the accumulation of years of dust and grit coat the town gray on the inside and out. The local church is a magnet for folks with unanswered prayers, where false hopes are encouraged to flourish.

Big news comes in the form of a new teacher in town. No shy and retiring schoolmarm, this lady is much older than her failed predecessors. Tall and rawboned, Miss Kate Shaw wears her hair chopped off short and blunt, and is clad in britches rather than a dress. She aims to make a difference here. Folks in Baines River are slow to accept newcomers, though, especially one as different as Miss Shaw.

If you come across an old woman in the woods with a tangled topknot of wild hair and a crow perching atop, you have found the aptly named Birdie Rocas. With her gnarled hands and knotty walking stick, Birdie is the area's medicine woman, midwife, and soothsayer. Have a care, this lady can see through you, right to your very core.

Prudence Perkins, spinster sister of the town reverend, is sour, self-righteous, and mean-spirited. Granny Hicks, her frail old body hides a spine of pure steel and the nerve to match it. Roy Tupkin, a local miscreant, has just married young Sadie Blue. He's meaner than a snake with his slitted eyes and abusive ways. Sadie is sweet, but not <i>too</i> sweet.

The scent of made-from-scratch huckleberry pie wafts through the air. Moonshine hot-rods carry 170 proof white lightning brewed in hidden stills and protected by camouflaged traps. What is in that poke sack toted by Jerome Biddle, the simple-minded man who speaks in rhymes?

All the stars are burning bright for this one, my first five-star read this year. Don't miss it, it's a dandy.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of my honest opinion. Loved this book. Hooked me in the first chapter. Totally was not expecting this. Can't wait to read more by this fantastic author.

If The Creek Don't Rise By Leah Weiss

This story takes place in the mountains of Appalachia in the 1970's. What struck me was how insulated this world really is. Sadie Blue young and pregnant is newly married to Roy Tupkin who beats her on a regular basis. My favorite character's are Sadie, Marris and Kate Shaw, the new school teacher from the valley.

In this story Baines Creek, which is a fictional town of North Carolina the setting comes alive and is as richly drawn as the characters. I enjoyed every page of this book from cover to cover. The character's were all vivid and came alive on the page to me. Marris, who was always ready to help any of the character's in this community was a favorite for me. I truly enjoyed seeing Kate Shaw adapt to the community of Baines Creek. I thought Kate Shaw was brave to live up on the mountain by herself and was warmed by how kind she treated the children that she taught, giving them penny candy for answering a question. Watching her learn and have a desire to learn and respect the way of life of Appalachia.

I don't remember the last time I read a book that I loved some of the character's so deeply and intensely, as some of the characters of this story. This was a debut book for this author and would love to read more of her future work. This book is one of the reason's I enjoy reading so much. I can't praise this book high enough and do hope reader's enjoy it as much as I did.
Highly Recommended. Five Stars Plus!!!!!

Thank you to Net Galley, Leah Weiss and Sourcebooks, Inc. for the pleasure of reading and reviewing this book for a fair and honest Review. Leah Weiss you have talent more than words could describe.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I didn't know "if the creek don't rise" was a saying. The phrase is "God willing and the creek don't rise".

I'll be honest. It was hard for me to stay with this book at first. The main characters speak a dialect that is hard to understand and to follow. However, please stick with it. This is a stunning debut. I nearly gave up, and I would have missed this.
The novel is set somewhere in Appalachia. Sadie Blue is facing a terrible future. She's married to a dangerous drunk named Roy. She thinks that this is her only future, but something may change. She's had a terrible life and has been abused by so many. You are rooting for her. There is hardship, murder, love, hatred, and some redemption.

I am surprised that this is a debut as Weiss is fantastic. I am a fan of fiction set in the south. A good read.

I am from a small town in the south so all these southern drawls and references made my heart melt. Her description of people and their situations felt so real. I was pulling for Sadie all the way. I give this book 2 thumbs up. heartfelt writing

Leah Weiss does an incredible job showing the hard life in 1970 Appalachia. The Appalachian people are different from all others and Ms. Weiss shows their strength as well as their weaknesses.

This book is absolutely BREATHTAKING! It's been quite a while since a book has had such an impact on me that I forgot that books could actually do this! Leah Weiss is an absolute GENIUS and I couldn't recommend this book more to fellow book lovers. This is definitely a book I will share with my friends over and over again!

Set in the Appalachian mountains, this story gives us a glimpse into the community of Baines Creek from several viewpoints. There is no doubt that life is hard in this economically depressed area where no one ever seems to have enough of anything. Yet the spirit, kindness, and community of so many outweighs the mean-spirited and even evil deeds of others. At times this story is heart-wrenching and at others uplifting to see folks caring for one another when times are toughest. Filled with truly interesting characters, the good and the bad, this feels like a very real story and the reader just stepped in to visit for a time.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC of If the Creek Don't Rise.

This book is centered around a young woman name Sadie Blue who lives very unfortunately in the Appalachians. Sadie is very unlucky in love with Roy Tupkins who, only a day or so after their wedding, begins abusing her. Her story is told through the voices of all the people who are in her life including her grandmother, the local preacher, the new school teacher, Roy's best friend Bobby and from Roy himself. We also get the short stories of these individuals as well, so Sadie is simply the adhesive that binds them all together.

The ending surprised me greatly, but not in a bad way :)

The best ending I can remember! Throughout the book, Weiss shows us tiny sparks of light and energy in the lives of a tight-knit, down-on-its luck Appalachian community in the 1970s. She switches point on view from one character to another, starting and ending with Sadie Blue, beginning with her sad. violent reality and ending with an ending that still makes me smile. The characters range from the pathetically hopeful preacher Eli to the extremely tall teacher with her own secrets to Sadie's nasty husband and his sad but equally despicable buddy, to Grandma who has flat-out given up and an aunt whose good cheer keeps her going. This is an incredible debut novel, with a story arc built through solid character development. I will look with eagerness for Ms. Weiss's next novel. Thanks to NetGalley for offering me this review copy.