Rapid Falls is part mystery, part domestic drama, and has an ending that will leave your mouth hanging open.

Cara and Anna are sisters who are struggling to get past an event that happened 20 years ago in small town Rapid Falls. Anna was supposed to stay sober and drive Cara and her boyfriend Jesse home from the prom after party. When the car ends up in the river, Jesse does not survive and Anna goes to prison. This starts a lifelong addiction to alcohol and drugs and Cara struggles to keep her sister alive while moving on with her own life with her handsome husband and beautiful daughter.

Told in two timelines, the present and the past, we learn more about the siblings and their relationship to each other. And that is where I think the real story is. These two have a lot going on and they are fascinating to read about. The mystery about what happened the night of the accident was in the background and kept the plot moving along. And the ending came from nowhere!
I love a good domestic drama between sisters and this one really fit the bill for me.

Twisty page turner that kept me up reading! The rivalry between the sisters was compelling. Family secrets, darkly thrilling.

A stunning debut! This is how you write a thriller! I loved it and read it in 2 sittings. I love the twists that make you wonder what you would do and then question your own answers especially when it involves family and close friends. Small town vibes, vivid imagery, and characters that make it a fantastic thrill of a ride. I loved it! I want more Amber Cowie books STAT! 5 stars!

This is a great new psychological thriller by a debut author. Given the intensity and writing in this debut novel, I can't wait to see what Amber Cowie writes next.

Cara and Anna live in the small town of Rapid Falls. Cara is the oldest but Anna is the prettiest and the two sisters always seem to be in competition. On Cara's graduation night, Anna is driving drunk and Cara's boyfriend ends up dying in the wreck. Anna's life is ruined and after jail time it goes into a downward spiral of drugs and alcohol. Happily married Cara is always available to help her sister out of her latest problem. At least all of this is what Cara would have you believe -- is it the real truth or Cara's truth?

The secrets are slowly revealed in alternating chapter - the past(1992) and present day. As past secrets unfold and nothing is what it seems anymore, Anna desperately searches for the truth. But what if Cara doesn’t want her to find it?

My only problem with this book is that the two main characters are pretty unlikable. I mean Cara has absolutely no redeeming traits - she is poor sister, mother, wife and daughter. But once I decided that it was ok not to like her, the story became more enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Amber Cowie has written a compelling page turn that kept me racing through pages to the end and the final twist.This is the first novel for Amber Cowie she is definitely an author to follow.#netgallet#lakeunionpublishing,

This book starts out relatively slow, however picks up speed as it presents a side by side story of what happened in the past and what is currently going on. with Cara and Anna. In the past, Cara has lost her love through an accident that happened on prom night. As the book unravels, the victim role is reversed in a unique way. I thought the characters were well written and the book really kept me guessing as to what really happened. I really liked the writing style and will be recommending this book to others and watching this author for future titles. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.

This is a single sit-through super well-written story of sibling rivalry that's neither about <i>what</i>happened, not <i>how</i>, but more importantly how it felt all the way through: before and after.

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I think this synopsis is so all-encompassing that the plot becomes self-explanatory. Not much left for guessing. No plot twists - so if you're into only that, this book will not be properly appreciated.

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This is a story of two girls, three lovers, a family whose lives will never be the same, and a beautiful waterfall that will keep their secrets forever.

From personal experience, I can say that I sympathized with many aspects and characteristics of this book. Sibling rivalry, as trivial as it might sound, or as pathetic if you think about the reasons behind it, can really ruin one's life.

After all, it is one of the main subjects in all the ancient literature, the wars, conquering of lands and power. There's often someone who's simply jealous of what his bloodline have done better or faster.

It's so silly. Also powerful and brilliant material for a murder mystery.

Amber Cowie has worked through a long string of carefully detailed emotions describing the events of before and after the night that changed many lives forever.

Captivating and addictive! Superb for readers of psychological domestic suspense. This book was truly heartfelt and I can only hope NOT written based on any personal experiences.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Twisted story of some deep dark sibling rivalry between Anna and Cara, sisters who are involved in a car accident that claims the life of Cara's then boyfriend on Cara's prom night. These two sisters are extremely jealous of each other both vying to be their parent's favorite. They are pretty unlikable for the most part, especially Anna who is just nasty. After the accident, Anna goes to prison for three years and then turns to drugs and alcohol to get her through the pain she harbors every since the accident. Also their parents divorced.... Cara has moved away, married and had a child of her own and is trying to move on but she is always there for her sister. Anna starts remembering bits and pieces of that fateful night and Cara does remember most of it but does not reveal everything initially.....deeply emotional and quite the story of siblings intertwined in a tale of secrets/lies, understanding, honesty, acceptance with many twists and an exciting story line that will keep you reading to the very last page. Definitely worth reading! Great debut novel!!!

I feel conflicted on how to review this book. While I feel it's a well written story, I hated the main character and the ending devastated me. I absolutely did not feel satisfied by the ending at all, but the sad truth is this book is more realistic considering how many in the world do get away with crimes in small towns like this. If you're the type who loves happy endings or justice served, you might not enjoy this book, but it's still a good book, so don't let me deter you. The storyline is interesting and the author is great at creating tension as well as has a great understanding for living in a small town.

This is the first book that I have read by this author but I know I will be reading more by her in the future.

Cara Piper Stanley has always been a fixer. But can she fix her younger sister Anna from herself?

Since their young years growing up in Rapid Falls, there has always been jealousy, resentment, sibling rivalry, and what seemed like a love/hate relationship between the two. Cara always felt that Anna was the favorite daughter.

June 6, 1997, was supposed to be the best day in Cara's life when her boyfriend, the love of her life, attended their prom and graduation party, a tradition in small town Rapid Falls where everyone knows each other. Even though Anna was 1 year younger than Cara, she would be attending the celebration and was the designated driver for the night. But it didn't end well. Anna, behind the wheel, and under the influence, there was a horrific car accident, which took the life of Jesse, Cara's boyfriend and soon to be fiancé.

Anna was charged in the death and spent 3 years in prison. Upon her release, her life spiraled downward and became an alcoholic, abused drugs and tried committing suicide 3 times. Cara was always there to pick her up. Anna can't recall what happened that tragic night, but Cara knows and she holds the secret.

I have been on a psychological thriller reads binge and this one definitely fits that category. I enjoyed the author's writing style, the twisted turns of the story, the craving to find out what the secret was and the characters, even though some of them I did not like for reasons that I won't mention to avoid any spoiler.

An exciting read that had me turning the pages, which I'm sure you will too, which I highly recommend!

Posted to GR 01/15/19 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2583491490
Will be posted on my blog 01/17/19 http://cmashlovestoread.com/?p=19638

Wow what a book. The authors writing style just blew me away.
This book had a twist and the ending wasn’t what I thought it would be. What an amazing book

A good read about a dysfunctional family that was also a little too predictable. Held my attention throughout.

I was amazed Rapid Falls was the first book by Amber Cowie. She managed to show her skill and talent as a writer and I look forward to see more in the future from this talented writer.
This was a psychological thriller that kept me guessing until the end...and wow!,... did I ever love love love the end!
While there may be a few minor technical flaws in the writing ( I was left confused which night the boyfriend died..prom or graduation..as I see after reading some of the other reviews were other readers.), I felt it was quite good. I loved the plot. This was an awesome read and fully recommend it!

Cara has it all – a good marriage, a successful job but her sister, now out of jail and an alcoholic keeps invading her life. But what really happened to send Anna to jail?

Rapid Falls is another victim of books whose blurb gives away slightly too much of their plot and make reading the story a little too predictable. Although it’s an easy and engaging read that has good pacing, I had already guessed the twist and was waiting for something bigger to come along to make me gasp. I liked how the story alternated between past and present perspectives and enjoyed the build up to the final scene, I just wish I hadn’t seen it coming!

Cara is an interesting, unreliable narrator. We get glimpses of the many sides of her personality in places which makes you uneasy as a reader. I liked how addiction and suicide was portrayed in breaking up the family and the setting of Rapid Falls being such a small town which added to the claustrophobic air.

Overall, Rapid Falls is a somewhat predictable read, but engaging none-the-less. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a debut author, Amber Cowis shows her skill and talent in her writing. This is a psychological triller that will be great for young adults as well as adults to read, if they enjoy thrillers. The story is one of two sisters who are rivals from childhood, especially for the attention of their parents. Cara is the older sister and suffers from trying really hard to get her parents to notice her instead of spending all of their time watching Anna, the younger sister. Their competition seems to come to a head when Cara has a boyfriend whom Anna wants. Then, the night of prom (maybe graduation? Both were referenced in the book), Anna is the designated driver, drives off a bridge and Jesse, Cara’s boyfriend, dies. Cara continues with her life, establishing a career and a family while Anna goes to prison and even when released can’t leave behind her guilt. Instead, Anna turns to drugs and is depressed, ending up with a therapist who is trying to help her remember that fateful night. As Anna remembers more, Cara feels more threatened by her recall. This book seemed to be predictable, but it wan’t for me. In fact, the twist at the end was unbelievably shocking. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it. The author’s style of switching from the girls’ high school years to their current adulthood. This time switching back and forth definitely kept my interest as I tried to gues what really happened to Anna and Jesse that night. The competition between the sisters continues to the revelation at the end and is woven so well into the story that it becomes a theme of the book.

Maybe I've read too many psychological thrillers lately but this one was too much for me. The entire book was pretty bleak and the outcome fairly predictable. The main character was awful and unlikable but not in a fun creepy way. I feel in books like these there either needs to be at least one character to root for or there needs to be some aspect of the awful characters that you can relate to. Unfortunately neither of these things can be found in this book which made it a tough one to get through.

Awesome page-turner with a fun twist at the end. I can see my teens liking this one as much as my adults will. Highly recommended!

I had heard Rapid Falls was a good psychological thriller. It is the debut novel of writer Amber Cowie. The book follows Anna and Cara, two sisters born a year apart, through dual timelines (the late 1990s and 2016). They are involved in a fatal accident the night of Cara’s high school prom. Anna, who was supposed to serve as the designated driver, is charged with a felony DUI and sentenced to three years in prison. the story moves between the late nineties and 2016.

Cowie reveals the events leading to the accident slowly, so the reader begins to parse together what really happened. Anna’s life goes down the drain after her term in prison while Cara achieves her perfect life with a wonderful husband, daughter, and job. However, not all is as it seems, and twists are rampant.

Rapid Falls deals with unpleasant topics as revealed by two unpleasant sisters. Sparked by a truly toxic family background, sibling rivalry, drug and alcohol addiction, and jealousy percolate through the book, slowly simmering to a full-blown boil. Anyone who has experienced challenging relationships with their parents and/or siblings will immediately recognize the authenticity of the family dynamics.

It’s difficult to spend much time at one stretch with the book. In the beginning this is because Anna is such a noxious personality. As Rapid Falls progresses, Cara, the protagonist, becomes the more unlikable character. Many of the other characters, like her husband, are minimally developed, seen only through the narrow slit of Cara’s point-of-view. , making it difficult to spend an entire book with her. None of the other characters are well developed. We only get to know them through the narrow spectrum of Cara's viewpoint.

I would not consider this so much a thriller, as an intense, tense family drama about a sociopath. If you are feel a villain should get a just punishment, you'll probably be disappointed by the ending.

Rapid Falls is a somewhat predictable thriller but throws you a twist in the last quarter of the book that rockets it from predictable to OH MY GOD.

It's been 20 years since Jesse died. Jesse was Cara's boyfriend and died on 'grad night' in a terrible accident. Anna, Cara's sister, was the driver and was sent to prison. Anna's life has been on a downfall since then, while Cara's life has almost a storybook feel. A handsome husband, an adorable daughter, it's everything she always wanted. Except that Anna is asking questions, and bringing up bad memories.

So...here's why I rated this 2 stars rather than 4. This could have been great, the twist and the last few pages of the book were outstanding. I rated this 2 stars because there were such inconsistent details. Was it prom or was it 'grad night'? It's the night that changed lives and there's no clear indication which night it was. Perhaps that's because Cara is something of an unreliable narrator. She is a drunk, and full of secrets. Maybe she can't remember because she's pushed everything down so much.

Either way, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is an awesome thriller disguised as an ordinary story. The beginning of this book is riveting and then it becomes more and more suspenseful. I was sure I had this book all figured out but then it twisted into something entirely different. The ending is totally awesome. I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed. It had a very interesting and unexpected twist. I would be interested in reading more of this author. I loved it. I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.