I had to start this book a number of times before I was able to stay in it. But when it stuck I found out t an interesting study in character, particularly Bridget.

I really enjoyed the way this was written. The clues to the solving the puzzle were laid out so neatly, they were there, niggling at the back of your brain, knowing your JUST missing something. I personally enjoyed a connection to the story as it was locally based and I was able to envision what the characters were seeing SO WELL!

This book was not for me. I loved the idea but the characters were just not my cult of tea and the ending felt abrupt and bizarre.

Though the plot sounded fascinated the execution of it fell flat. Although there were suspenseful moments, it was not an edge of your seat thriller and there were so many plot points that felt unnecessary in terms of what they afforded to the overall movement of the story. The writing was the saving grace.

Note: clearing old books from before 2019

I read this in September 2017 - it wasn't what I was expecting. I usually go into books blind being interested only by the author, title or a quick snippet of the synopsis.

I came back to this book after years. Maybe this time I would find it different, or maybe I am different. I'm glad I did circle back. It's chilling and eerie and one in the end I enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this book! I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book for review before its publication date several years ago. For some reason, I didn’t get the chance to read it and it moved from the top of my tbr list. When I was browsing my library’s offerings, I decided it was finally time to give this book a try when I saw that this audiobook was available. It turns out that I really wish I hadn’t neglected this book for as long as I did.

This book is told from multiple points of view and it did take a minute for me to realize what the book was actually about. The book starts out with a lot of blackbirds falling from the sky and everyone wanting to know why but the focus of the story quickly shifts to a teenage girl, her disappearance, and a possible affair. We learn the details of this story from several key characters including Lucia, the teenage girl at the core of this mystery. Nate is a high school teacher and the school’s baseball coach who is suspected of having an affair with Lucia. Alicia is Nate’s wife who has no idea what to think of the accusations against her husband. Bridget is a high school teacher who happens to be good friends with Nate and Alicia. I thought that the multiple points of view worked very well with this story which each character having something important to add to the story to move things forward.

I was hooked by this mystery early on. I had no idea whom to trust and was at a loss as to what I thought might have happened. I must say that I was rather surprised by the outcome of the story and thought that it worked well. I wouldn’t say that I really liked any of the key characters, with the expectation of Bridget, but I felt that they were all very genuine. I really liked that we saw the struggles that Alicia encountered in raising a child with autism and the impact of that stressor on her marriage.

I thought that the four narrators did a fantastic job with this story. All of the narrators had very distinctive voices so it was always very easy to determine which point of view the book had moved to. I thought that the narrators added a lot of emotion and excitement to the reading. I thought all of their voices worked well for this story and I believe that their performance added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. I found this to be a compelling mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. The cast of narrators was able to bring the story to life which added to the appeal. I look forward to reading more from this talented author in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Atria Book via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

It's a spring day and high school baseball is in full swing. Alecia is watching her husband, Nate, coach the team when she sees a bird fall from the sky. Puzzled she looks up and sees another one falling from the sky. And another. And another. It's raining birds. The birds are dead and have littered not just the baseball field but the town. Over 1,000 dead birds fell from the sky. And that was just the beginning of the trouble. A week later, Nate is accused of having an affair with a student and the town divides over the accusation. Then the student goes missing and Nate looks more guilty than ever. If the student is found, will the truth also be found?

I wanted to like this title. Moretti starts off the book with an Alfred Hitchcock "The Birds" style event which is creepy and oh so interesting, but then makes that storyline disappear. Honestly, I felt teased with it. She used it to introduce the main storyline but I really wanted to know more about the birds. The whole book I kept hoping the storyline with dead birds raining on the town would be revived. Alecia and Nate bugged the hell out of me, they were not, in my opinion, engaging or likable characters. The story felt tedious to read and the student who accused Nate wasn't developed enough. I would have liked to have more from her POV and not the weird little sidebars included. The ending felt anti-climatic to me. I wanted to like this title but I didn't, not really.

I really don't like when I see that a perfectly innocent thing happens but you just know it's going to explode in everyone's face and it drives me nuts. I hate when spouses just refuse to believe their spouses. However, I did enjoy this book. The premise was so interesting, how one major event could lead to the reporters which could lead to everything else. A solid book.

Based on the synopsis, I assumed this was going to be a perfect fit. Unfortunately that's not exactly how things worked out. I found that I just couldn't connect with the author's style and the storyline. Such is life. I made the tough decision to set the book down and move on. Thank you for the access to an early copy.

The prose is chilling and eerie. The characters are multi-layered, damaged, and self-involved. And the plot told from multiple perspectives is ultimately a suspenseful ride riddled with poverty, familial drama, jealousy, obsession, abuse, love, infidelity, social strife, emerging sexuality, peer pressure, bullying, and murder.

Thank you to the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during that 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I'd rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.

The Blackbird Season centers around a small town in Pennsylvania through alternate perspectives before, during, & after a startling event where hundreds of starlings drop dead out of the sky. It was an interesting premise & definitely had a intriguing ending, but I was a bit underwhelmed. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it - but I think sometimes the hype around a book can taint the actual reading experience & this was the case for me. This was my first book by the author & I'm looking forward to picking up her other works.

It is spring in a small Pennsylvania mill town. Ten years ago the mill closed its doors for the final time. Since then, the town has suffered a dramatic economic decline.

Nate Winters, the high school baseball coach is eager for his star player to be drafted by one of the major colleges. During a pivotal game a freak of nature occurred. Hundreds of starlings fell dead to the ground. People were distressed and the game was cancelled. This event seemed ominous, but it was only the beginning of worse to come for Nate Winters.

Besides being the baseball coach, Nate teaches senior mathematics. He is dedicated to his students and tries to keep up with them on social media. He makes himself available to them after school etc.

“Everything now was so different: social media, the Internet, texting. It all sharpened people’s edges, made them the opposite of social. Turned them feral.”

Lucia Hamm is a high school senior. She is ‘different’ than her peers. The other students call her a witch. She is from a poor and dysfunctional family, delves in tarot, and has distinctive white hair. When things turn nasty at home, she turns to Nate Winters for help. He is there for her and pays for a motel room where she can keep away from her abusive brother. Unfortunately, the press are still in town. They have been hanging around ever since the strange phenomena of the mass bird death. They catch wind of Nate and Lucia at a motel and this creates massive trouble for Nate. The upshot of it is… he loses his job, his wife and child, and of course his reputation. This is crushing for Nate on many levels.

When Lucia was younger she had a best friend. She spent a lot of time at Taylor’s house. Taylor’s Mom generously provided Lucia with many meals and even helped her pay for extracurricular activities. When the Mill closed, that all ended. Gradually, the girls’ friendship eroded away…

Nate’s wife, Alecia Winters, is at the end of her emotional rope. Once she was a vibrant working woman, busy in a public relations career. Now, the mother of an autistic son, her every waking moment is centered around his needs. As a result, her marriage has been suffering lately. When she learns of Nate’s involvement with the student, she wastes no time in kicking him out of the marital home. Alecia doesn’t know whether to trust Nate’s denials.

Next we meet Bridget Peterson. She is the literature teacher at the high school and a good friend of both Nate and Alecia Winters. A recent widow, she is still grieving for her husband. As such, she has been a less than attentive teacher lately. Lucia is her student.

Bridget too, delves in tarot readings.

“We all become what people expect us to be.”

When Lucia goes missing, the entire town is rife with speculation. Nate Winters is affected more than anyone. The last person to see the girl, he is suspected of murdering her. Even his best friend, police officer Tripp Harris has his doubts.

MY THOUGHTS

Set in a Pennsylvania mill town without a mill, this story is about many things other than what is immediately apparent. Themes of desperation, lack of trust, wanting to be accepted, the longing for love, female friendship, student-teacher relationships, marriage, living with an autistic child, all play a part in the narrative.

The characters were engaging. The setting well rendered. The denouement well executed. A slow-paced thriller that will be enjoyed by many. Recommended!

Engaging and suspenseful! I really loved this story. I'm a huge fan of books with creepy, unexplainable occurrences that keep me turning pages well after my bedtime... and this one did not disappoint. Well done!

The Blackbird Season is my first read by Kate Moretti but will not be my last. The blurb had me from the get go and I couldn't wait to delve in.

The Blackbird Season is a an slow burn but full of suspense. It is told through the the voices of the main characters, Alicia, Nate, Lucia and Bridget, who are well developed and likable.

A thousand Starlings fall from the sky. Is this an omen of things to come? It seems that may be just what it is.
Mt. Oanoke, take notice.

In this small community in Pennsylvania, where everyone knows everyone, secrets are being kept and only a scandal this big can out them but what then will the repercussions be and will it be worth it? Well loved teacher Nate and his wife, Alicia are adored by both students and parents. Alicia is shocked and filled with horror when a photo is leaked showing Nate and Lucia, a student, embracing. Lucia only fans the flames by encouraging the gossip that they may be having an affair. Alicia, already consumed with caring for her son with autism and the day to day of being a busy mom, doesn't know how much more she can handle and needs a break from her already uneasy marriage. When Lucia goes missing, Nate soon becomes the focus of the police. Is it possible that Nate is covering something up? That he bit off more than he can chew?

The Blackbird Season is riveting and unpredictable. This is what I call a 'sherlock' book....it really forces you to think and try to put the pieces together and when it all comes together the ending is extremely satisfying and rewarding! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good 'smart' book full of suspense and mystery!

Special thanks to Netgalley, Kate Moretti and Atria books for the opportunity to read and review this book. I look forward to more of Ms. Moretti's art!

A thousand dead starlings fell from the sky in Mt. Oanoke, Pennsylvania, but it wasn't long before an more disturbing event rocked the small town. Lucia, a high school student, claims to be having an affair with popular teacher/baseball coach Nate Winters, outraging the town. When she disappears, everyone suspects Nate except his colleague, Bridget Harris, who will stop at nothing to discover the truth.

Told from multiple points-of-view—Nate, his wife Alecia, Bridget, and Lucia—and in varying time periods (time being marked as before and after the birds fell), The Blackbird Season is a slow burning story that gradually reveals the truth of things. The circumstance of the dead birds quickly takes a backseat to the mystery of Lucia's disappearance and the question of whether or not she and Nate really had an affair—I tended to forget about the birds, actually, as I didn't care as much about that. The resolution of Lucia's disappearance was not at all what I expected, and I loved being surprised by what really happened.

This is the first book I've read by Moretti. I truly enjoyed her writing style, and found the overall story to be captivating. I'll definitely be reading more of her work in the future!

I received an advance review copy of this book courtesy of Atria Books via Netgalley.

After several different attempts, I have given up on this book. The story just didn't hold my interest.

One day the blackbirds begin to fall. Naturally, this is something of a spectacle and attention is drawn to the small Pennsylvanian town of Mount Oanoke. With this new focus comes the media and a visiting journalist inadvertently witnesses an encounter that is later viewed as something quite sinister.

THE BLACKBIRD SEASON is one of those “couples” books where a group of friends all have connections to the same crime and the reader gets to view the unfolding story through each of their eyes. Old resentments, the knowledge of fights never resolved and growing domestic discontent all rises up to the surface when a teenage girl goes missing.

The setting is that of small town Pennsylvania. Everyone of course has an opinion on what may have happened to the troubled teenager but no one seems to be that disturbed by Lucia’s absence. To Lucia’s creative writing teacher Bridget, it is especially concerning that no family member was worried enough to report Lucia Hamm missing. Bridget always found the intensive teenager disturbing, and she is not alone in this opinion.

Fellow teacher and sports coach Nate likes to keep an eye on his students, and this includes watching their activities online. Wife Alecia has always found this a little off but is secure in the knowledge that Nate is one of those involved teachers who actually cares what happens to the teenagers out of school. It all takes a different light when the town’s suspicious eyes turn on Nate, who hasn’t been that particularly truthful about the night that Lucia was last seen.

There is lots and lots going on in THE BLACKBIRD SEASON. Author Kate Moretti juggles all of these pans up in the air with skill, never letting the dust settle on any of the adults involved in the investigation for the missing Lucia. Our suspicions are thrown over a small cast of characters but there is also a supporting cast of others who are drawn closer in when the plot requires.

We are reminded in this book that you are only as golden as your last success, and that there will always be people surrounding you eager to witness any falls from grace. The sharks are constantly circling in THE BLACKBIRD SEASON and it is this sense of menace that is never far away. As a dramatic piece, this book would make a terrific film (I seem to be opining that a lot lately about modern crime novels), populated as it is with complex characters that have as much going on in their internal lives as is evident to anyone who now has cause to observe them from the outside.

THE BLACKBIRD SEASON is the story of a missing girl, but it is also the story of how relationships can often be weighed down by the legacy of old ghosts and that how any human interaction is never really insignificant.

This book is gorgeously written, cleverly plotted, and absolutely riveting. I couldn't put it down, and read it in huge gulps until the heartbreaking, haunting conclusion. Moretti's characters and their tragic journeys will stay with me for a long time.