This was my first time reading a story by this author.
Definitely a mystery, thriller, suspense type of book.
So much angst.
The main characters of Cara and Anna were interesting to say the least.
Sibling rivalry at its core.
Perfect ending.

As much as I liked the writing style, this book just wasn't for me. I thought the plot was moving way too slow and I didn't enjoy the characters. The entire time I was reading I couldn't help but think about how much better it would be if the book was written from the perspective of Anna rather than Cara. Cara seemed like an emotionless person most of the time, and I didn't enjoy her voice at all.
Maybe someone else will love this book, but it didn't do it for me.

Talk about two sister with issues! Cara and Anna have secrets about what happened that night in 1997 but they've buried so much that it takes a lot to get it out. Told in alternating chapters of past and present, this dissects what happened when they were in high school and how it has affected them today. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. It's true that this is somewhat predictable (I guessed) but it was a good read nonetheless.

Why do I keep doing this to myself?

Upon reading the blurb for this book I immediately had a suspicion of what the entire plot would revolve around, including the so-called twist. Then I thought no way, it would be ridiculous to write a book that holds no mystery between it's covers. I mean, why would you write it? Why would anyone want to read it? That's preposterous, right?

So my next thought was wow, this book must have a twisty dark plot, the description only SEEMS straightforward. It's a trick! A sleight of hand! I'm about to be blown away!!

*exasperated sighhhhhhh*

Again, why do I keep doing this to myself?


This was my Amazon First Reads choice for December 2018.

Also...

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Forgive and forget? The past and present collide for two sisters who survived a tragedy—and must now survive the truth behind it.

It’s been twenty years since Cara’s boyfriend died in a horrible accident and her sister, Anna, went to prison. The tragedy has become a local legend, but Cara has moved past her grief to have a successful career and a happy family. Pity about Anna. Recently released from incarceration, she’s struggling with addiction, guilt, and shame. 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?

Quick read with excellent characters, along with an ending that is so twisted that I'm still sitting here in shock!

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #RapidFalls
Pub Date: 01 Dec 2018

Cara is preparing for field trip to the waterfall the town is named after.Her dad tells her to be safe. When he went on a field trip there as a young man a student died .she came too close to edge and was not on sturdy ground.The girl that died was named Josephine ,Josie for short.Annas sister goes to prison for killing a young man. When she gets out of prison she has a drinking problem. She trys to commit suicide multiple times. I just couldn't get interested in none of the characters

Cara and Anna are sisters and rivals. They are in constant competition for attention whether it be from their parents, boys, sports, or friends.

Cara is thrilled that prom night and graduation are fast approaching. On the night of prom, however, a terrible tragedy occurs. Anna, the younger sister, promised to be the designated driver for Cara and her longtime boyfriend Jesse. So how is it that their car went off the road plunging to the river below? Jesse dies, Anna went to jail, and Cara was forced to move on with her life.

Now happily married and with a daughter of her own Cara resents the fact that she is still, after all these years, having to take care of Anna. Anna has suffered from depression as well as an addiction to drugs and alcohol since being released from jail years ago. After her most recent suicide attempt she is hospitalized in a psychiatric ward where a therapist starts to finally scratch at the surface of Anna's depression. With the help of this therapist Anna has finally begun to remember the night in question.

If I had to use on word to describe this book it is this: Predictable. I had this one figured out very early on. I kept hoping that I was wrong but, alas, I was not. Another gripe I had with this one was that depending on which chapter you were reading the accident either happened on prom night or graduation night. At one point toward the very end it said it was both graduation night and prom night on the very same page? How does that even work? I don't know, maybe this is common in other places but it kept grinding my gears from one chapter to the next. Like, make up your mind and why did an editor not notice this? The ending, for me, left much to be desired. Rats! Onto the next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have never read a book by this author, and I was NOT disappointed! It was a fast, fun read that left me surprised and a little unsettled, in a very good way. The story is told from alternating timelines – graduation night, when a tragic accident happened that cost Cara her boyfriend and cost her sister Anna her freedom. As the story unfolds in both timelines, you see that maybe not everything is as it seems. Skillfully written, pleasing to read, and fast-paced enough to keep you turning pages! I highly recommend this one.

Rapid Falls by Amber Cowie had a slower pace than I was expecting, but WOW. The story kept me interested the entire time and it was a bit like watching a train wreck.

What it's about: Anna and Cara are sisters, and much to Cara's annoyance Anna seems to want everything she has. When Anna kills Cara's high school boyfriend on graduation night in a car accident, the family basically falls apart. Anna goes to prison for 3 years and their parents get a divorce; plus the story becomes a town legend and most occupants no longer want anything to do with the family. Flash forward 20 years later and Cara has a successful career and a seemingly perfect marriage that includes a little girl named Maggie. But Anna is a mess; she is an alcoholic that can never seem to stay sober for long and a string of bad boyfriends. Cara does the best she can to help Anna, but it never seems to straighten her out. But now Anna has a bigger problem as she starts to remember bits and pieces of the night she killed Cara's boyfriend. Buried secrets are all about to come out in this psychological thriller.

Rapid Falls is told all from the viewpoint of Cara who is the older of the sisters. This book is definitely mostly a character study, besides being a psychological thriller to the max. Cara is a very unlikable character that has pettiness, jealousy, and overall obnoxiousness as a few of her major qualities. But for some reason I was fascinated by reading from her perspective. She is that character that you love to hate. I actually didn't really care for Anna either, and I'm not sure I loved any of the characters, but this was not a problem at all.

Even though the pacing was on the slower side, I was still majorly drawn into the story and had a hard time putting it down. There is so much deceit and lies, and the plot is a tangled web that slowly unravels. I also loved that the book moves between different time frames as you slowly get a full picture of what happened in the past. I have a feeling there will be some kerfuffle surrounding the ending for people, but I was satisfied with it and very intrigued with how Cowie pulled everything together. There aren't really any *major* twists, but you do get a couple surprises.

Final Thought: I am shocked that this is a debut novel because it was that good. Cowie is an amazing writer that managed to pull me into a slower paced book with no problem. If you like psychological thrillers and don't mind a slower pace I would definitely recommend checking this one out!

ALL THE STARS! Oh wow. Put some time away for this book. It has all the ingredients for a terrific psychological thriller.

No spoilers from me. Book is great with lots of lies, deception, tragedy, and twists. Also, loved the unpredictable ending. Can't say enough great about this. Read it today!!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this fabulous book.

One Twisted Sister. This book from debut author Cowie is one of the wilder rides I've been on of late, in all the best ways. Early into the book, you think you know what is coming... but trust me, you don't. Alternating chapters present the events of today and of 20 years ago, where two sisters with very nearly everything in common diverged and became ex-con and trusted aide to a powerful politician. And when you think the ride is over... it has one last explosion that is quite possibly the biggest of the book. Excellent job, very much looking forward to more from this author.

Friendly competition is often used as a motivator, but in this dark and twisted tale of jealousy and revenge, sibling rivalry turns deadly. Sisters, Cara and Anna, are obsessed with being their parents’ favorite and will do anything to retain that status. A terrible car accident occurred on Cara's high school gradation night leaving her boyfriend, Jesse, dead... but what really happened that fateful night? Will the truth ever be revealed?

”I was trying to help her. That’s what good sisters do.”

I enjoyed the writing style of this debut author, but unfortunately, I had a difficult time connecting with the sisters because they were both so extremely jealous, flawed, and unlikable. In addition, there was way too much alcohol and drug use for me (although I do get that the alcohol and drugs were, in essence, their own evil characters and provided a means to an end). With that being said, many kudos to this debut author for the twisty, dark, and unpredictable ending! In addition, she absolutely nailed the unreliable narrator, and I look forward to more from her.

I received an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Location: Rapid Falls (If a state was mentioned, I didn't catch it)

What a book! This was my first book by this author and it will not be my last. I sure hope she writes many more. Even a sequel to this possibly??

A real page turner from the very start. You won’t want to put it down. This is a very intense story of two sisters. Two very different sisters. The older one, Cara,seems to be jealous of the younger one, Anna, in almost every way. Cara has a good life and to me it seems like she does not know it. She has a loving, caring, handsome, husband. A beautiful, healthy daughter. And a life that Anna would love to have. Anna has spent three years in prison for driving under the influence and killing Cara’s high school boyfriend. Cara saved Anna from drowning only to lose her to prison. As they grow up each has their opinion of who was loved the most by their parents.
Anna has a lot of problems to overcome and guilt is right up at the very top. She want’s so bad to remember what happened the night of the accident and begs Cara to tell her the whole story. Cara has secrets of her own and has no intention of letting Anna find out any of it.
Could there be a dark side to this accident? Could Anna have been so out of it she never remembers. Does Cara hold enough responsibility? Could Cara be as guilty as Anna or maybe even more so. Jealousy is a very ugly thing to have and especially between sisters. Cara and Anna have so much to overcome and should work together to heal. But sometimes sisters just can’t seem to find that closeness that should be there. In this case there is just to much. To many lies. To many secrets.

This was such a good book. I enjoyed it so much and hated for it to come to an end. It held many surprises along the way and in some parts I knew what was coming. It was well written and the characters were so real. It made me feel like I was right there. I could hear the falls and the atmosphere the night of graduation/prom. My heart broke in places. For the parents, the girls and the husband. For Jesse, and yes for Anna. It was one of those books that I won’t forget. I highly recommend this book. It’s filled with so much.

Thank you to NetGally, Lake Union Publishers and Amber Cowie for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. A 5 star book indeed!!

This book is fantastic! I finished it in 3 hours because I could not put it down - I had to see what happened next. The characters are amazing, and the plot twist made me gasp out loud. I hope that the author continues writing, because she’s great!

Wow, what a ride. This debut novel was a dark and twisty ride that kept me on my toes. Carefully crafted with a dual timeline, this novel was fast-paced and unexpected. Interestingly complex characters and an intricately woven story full of secrets and lies kept me turning the pages until the conclusion that left me stunned and breathless.
#RapidFalls #AmberCowie #LakeUnionPublishers

Terrifying and satisfying! 5 Stars + Debut novelist Amber Cowie delivers a “knockout” —dark and gripping new suspense novel of sibling rivalry (on steroids) and what happens when greed and jealousy take control. Two sisters with twisted relationships and long-buried secrets are at the heart of this smashing debut.

An intriguing "killer" psychological thriller— RAPID FALLS examines the explosive potential of dark secrets to destroy families, sisters, marriages, and everyone near to them. The author slowly and expertly reveals the (chillingly-real) truth that could be ripped from today's headlines.

Where nothing is as it appears.

Rich in place and character— loaded with lyrical prose and stunning metaphors. Complex and profoundly emotional, there is much beneath the surface of this domestic psychological suspense.

Two sisters are coping with the aftermath of a tragedy. However which sister is more sinister and evil? A dangerous game of cat and mouse betrayal where there may be no winners.

Meet the Piper family.

They are a family of four living in a small town of Rapid Falls. As small towns go, everyone knows everyone else’s business. Besides, the town has only one entry, a bridge over the Rapid Falls. A town named after its waterfalls. Most teens want to escape for a bigger and better life. How do they go about achieving this goal?

RAPID FALLS is written with two timelines: 1992-1997 and 2016-2017. Two sisters are craving attention. It all started with prom night. When past and present collide, the sparks ignite.

Cara and Anna. It was Cara’s prom night, and she has convinced Anna her sister to be their designated driver. Jesse was the town athlete and Cara’s boyfriend. After all, Anna was going to film school and Cara and Jesse would be getting on with their future.

However, things are not as they seem on the surface. Everyone is keeping secrets. That night ended in tragedy. Anna sent to prison for the death of Jesse (Cara’s boyfriend). There was a fatal car accident, and Cara saved Anna from the water and from drowning.

A family imploding.

Now, fast forward Anna has been released from prison and has a drinking problem. She is back living with her dad. She is self-destructive. Her dad has also turned into an alcoholic, and the mom left them behind for a better life. What happened to this family?

The town shuns Anna. She has served time for murder. A town favorite now dead.

Cara for some reason is always there to help rescue her. She has moved away. Married the rich guy, Rick. (she does not tell him about her past). She has a great job. The perfect life. The perfect wife. The perfect mother (Maggie). She cannot allow anything to disrupt her life.

However, Anna does not remember everything that happened that night. Cara may be hiding events of the night long ago. What if the truth is revealed? What if she remembers?

The truth is bloody good, and you will be holding your breath until the final scene! (it is a good one)! Your loyalties may change from the beginning of the book compared to the end. What happened prom night so long ago, and how far will one go to hide the truth?

WOW! Complex and emotional. From tough love, sibling rivalry, resentments, betrayal, obsessions, narcissism, alcoholism, addictions, dysfunction, denial, selfishness, jealousy, love, hatred, fear, lies, secrets, tragedy, revenge, survival, plus more. 🏆

Where nothing is as it appears in this twisty psychological thriller that will keep you glued to the pages to the explosive “hold your breath” conclusion (literally edge of a cliff).

Being true to one’s self. Duality plays a big part in the narrative, making this an ideal choice for book clubs and further group discussions. (a great reader group guide included). Rock-star quality writing.

I really enjoyed the strong metaphors as relates to water, the characters, and the town of Rapid Falls. Just as waterfalls can be beautiful, peaceful and mesmerizing; they can also be dangerous. As can be humans, animals, and families. They can turn toxic— a sharp contrast between good and evil (as the sisters). Darkness and light.

Cowie’s skillful characterization and her shocking final twist make this a “must read” standout debut suspense thriller, landing on my Top Books of 2018. You will be shocked to learn this is a debut. We can only imagine what is to come. 😍

An author to follow (she is so much fun on social media). RAPID FALLS is prime for the big or small screen. (fingers crossed) Delighted to learn there will be more books coming soon!

"RAVEN LANE (2019) and THE MINES (2020). Both are in the domestic suspense genre and focus on strong, but surprisingly complex, female narrators that find themselves in extremely complicated relationships with their loved ones and the world at large."

Upcoming: Read all the juicy details, and the inspiration behind RAPID FALLS. Learn more about this exciting new author with exclusive behind the scenes tidbits. Stay tuned for my extensive Q&A Elevator Ride with the Author coming Dec 1, 2019. Subscribe to my Newsletter to receive top book list per month and monthly Q&A author interviews. You are going to love it!

For fans of Michele Campbell's She Was the Quiet One, Victoria Helen Stone's Jane Doe and Kaira Rouda's The Favorite Daughter. Also, fans of AJ Banner, Mary Kubica, T.Greenwood, and Heather Gudenkauf (some of my favorites) will enjoy this one. Move this author and RAPID FALLS to the top of your reading list! PS: The hardcover is stunning!

JDCMustReadBooks

Wow! What a twisty ride! Rapid Falls is a fast paced thriller told in a dual timeline that kept me turning the pages to find out the ending! Surprisingly, this book is Amber Cowie's debut and she hit it out of the park! I can't wait to read her next book!

I’ve never read a book that grows darker and darker as gradually and seamlessly as Rapid Falls. Cowie magnificently and immediately captivates you with the intertwining stories of Cara and Anna- sisters both devastated by a tragedy in their past. As the dual timelines lead you to the truth, you can’t help but wonder- who should be getting your sympathy?

A wonderfully twisted debut, Rapid Falls is one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year.

Thanks to Lake Union and NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

A real page-turner about sisters dealing with the aftermath of a tragic accident that killed one's boyfriend on the night of the prom. As adults, Cara is the only one who will bail her sister, Anna, out of the trouble she finds herself in due to her drinking. Even though Anna went to prison and was responsible for killing Cara's boyfriend. As Anna begins to sober up and go through counseling, events unfold showing that the relationship between the sisters is not all that it seems. This book is chock full of twists and very entertaining!

Rapid Falls was intriguing and hard to put down! It was full of underlying memories and feelings of the characters that are introduced little by little as the story goes on. Cara and her younger sister Anna are involved in a terrible crash on prom night in Rapid Falls. Cara’s boyfriend dies in the accident and Anna is sentenced to prison for his murder. This is the turning point in Cara and Anna’s family. Rapid Falls is a small town and nothing is the same there for their family after the accident. Many years later, Cara is married to a good man and they have a young daughter. Cara is a devoted wife and mother. Meanwhile, Anna continually falls into drinking and other self-destructive activities from her guilt from what happened in the past. Anna just can’t get past what happened. Cara keeps helping Anna every time she falls apart. But Cara and Anna’s relationship is complicated, as is the relationship that each of them has with their parents. The story is told in different parts switching from the present to back in the past when the girls are younger. As the story unfolds, I started to see all of the characters differently. This book was a great debut full of mystery and suspense!