I have read some fabulous reviews for this book and I’m sure I would have enjoyed it if I had been in the right frame of mind, I personally found it a slow burner with far to many characters to get my head around.. I will definitely try reading again at a later date when I will hopefully be in agreement with all the glowing reviews for this book.

I was looking forward to reading this book but frankly found it hard to get into and hard going. It is very diffrent and the premise of the experimental Miracle Submarine is very unusual. The drama played out in the courtroom was a bit more engaging but I felt that I trudged through this book and I was glad when I got to the end.

Courtroom drama interlaced with the main characters' back stories.

It is an easy summer read - not sure that it is really 'the most anticipated read'of the year. I can see that the publishers are chasing the summer 'Gone Girl' market however I wanted more from the characters. I struggled to feel any sympathy for the key family, so I was fairly ambivalent about the ending.

This is an unusual contemporary drama. When a hyperbaric oxygen chamber explodes, killing and injuring people, there is a court case to determine whether the mother of one of the victims is to blame for what happened.

The story is written from various different points of view. There are quite a few characters involved, and a handful of what I would call main protagonists. By all of them revealing what they know about the incident throughout the book, we slowly find out what happened an who is responsible.

This book is very well written and incorporates a character-driven plot within a courtroom drama. There are plenty of flashbacks to the events as they occurred from many of the characters, so that by the end you have a full and unbiased view of everything that happened. This is a really good way to tell the story as it leaves you able to pick your own side, and decide for yourself who you think is right or wrong, and who is to blame for this and that without being swayed by the opinions of any one character. There is no good guy or bad guy in black and white. The author allows you to decide this for yourself, and that is really what this book is all about. It's not really about who did what as such, but more about human nature, and the butterfly effect a person's actions or words can have on others.

This is actually a very deep book, but it can also be read as a straight forward courtroom drama - it's up to the reader how much to think about the politics or philosophy underlying the story. I think that's a great way to do things, particularly as some of the subject matter contained here could be difficult for some people to swallow. There are a lot of bigger issues which are being raised, but they are raised subtley as part of the story; the author is discussing the issues, but not shouting about them.

I enjoyed reading this. For me it was a very thoughtful story but also full of twists and emotion. I was gently but firmly gripped by this until the very end.

Such an intriguing debut novel. At its most simplistic, it is a courtroom drama, a genre I love, but there are so many layers to this book, which is what makes it so enthralling. I remain unsure how to categorise it, but at its heart is the issue of family, about how far we will go to protect those we love, as well as how to deal with failure to conform to the norm.

A Korean immigrant family run a hyperbaric chamber which claims to treat an assortment of issues from autism to infertility. Two people are killed following an explosion and the book follows the ensuing court case in which the mother of one of the people killed is accused of the crime. The book alternates from the perspective of all the people involved and it is clear that there are many potential suspects, each with their own complicated motive. The book keeps you guessing as everyone's secrets are revealed, and more and people seem to emerge as possible suspects.

What makes this different from your average whodunnit is the manner in which Kim draws you in to the varied and complex stories surrounding all the families involved, be it the struggles of an immigrant family, those with special needs children or those with infertility issues. If you needed confirmation, this book underlines how complex families are and how far-reaching seemingly inconsequential decisions can be, and at the same time how easy it can be to judge people unfairly. I defy anyone not to be left reflecting after reading this book and highly recommend it.

What would you do to better the lives of yourself and your family?

This is a compelling, intersectional novel that maintains momentum and pressure from the start, helped by the fact that there is no one omniscient point of view and the web of concealment and lies intensifies, even as we, the reader, get closer to the truth.

Elizabeth is on trial for murder and arson. She is charged with setting a fire at the Miracle Submarine centre which led to the death of a woman and child - the child was Henry, Elizabeth’s son. The Miracle Submarine was a hyperbaric therapy chamber used to treat different conditions including autism. In court are several people who were at the centre when the fire occurred - Matt is a local radiographer; Pak and Young Yoo are immigrants from South Korea who set up the business; Mary Yoo is their daughter; Teresa is the parent of Rosa who attended sessions in the submarine for their cerebral palsy. All of them have secrets regarding what went on in the lead up to the fire.

Was really unsure about this book when I started reading it but I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Angie Kim for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

More than just a novel, this tackles several moral issues and is an interesting and thought-provoking read. Many times I found myself asking ‘what would I do’ and this is another aspect of the book that kept me reading well into the night. Some readers have found the anti-vax sympathies difficult, but I didn’t feel they were a major theme and I don’t think you could write a book like this without referencing them. I would thoroughly recommend this book as a readable and enjoyable novel which challenges you more than a lot of similar books.

When I started Miracle Creek it was one of those I eyed a little suspiciously – everyone was raving about it and we all know how that sometimes goes…

However in the case of Miracle Creek, every little bit of praise was undoubtedly justified- this had so many levels it will make your head spin but in the best way. Beautifully drawn characters, relevant and intelligent social themes, a courtroom drama where every little nuance takes you closer to an incredibly emotional truth.

Angie Kim manages her plot with insightful realism, drawing on every aspect of human nature and throwing it all into a melting pot of random decisions, casual lies and hidden secrets. One night, one terrible tragedy, that sends ripples outwards consuming all involved. There are twists and turns within the narrative but all done in an immersive experience so you barely think of them as twists but more as ever expanding knowledge.

The juxtaposition of Korean and American culture is a strong theme here that creates an indelible mark on the reading of it – a truly creative, authentic and heart wrenching crime novel that works perfectly on every level. It may break your heart a little and certainly will stay with you.

Highly Recommended.

Really enthralling with plenty of twists, a great novel from Angie. It showed what lengths families go to to protect themselves.

Miracle Creek is a book that I've seen around a bit and expected to half-heartedly enjoy. It’s a courtroom drama that follows the prosecution of Elizabeth, accused of murdering her autistic son in a crime that also killed another woman.

It’s not just a crime story though: it’s also a commentary on parenthood, on disability, on guilt, on otherness. It’s about truth, and more importantly, about lies.

“That was the thing about lies: they demanded commitment. Once you lied, you had to stick to your story.”

I loved the entanglement of all of these themes, and how hard it is to pick them apart from each other – particularly parenthood and disability and love. The first half of the book was good: the second half was excellent. I felt sympathy for all of the characters, even knowing that all of them were lying to each other. I find the coincidences of life fascinating, how an event would never have happened had it not been for a million unrelated non-events leading up to it, and I love how Angie utilised this as well.

5/5

Having only read one book from her (her debut, if you can believe it), I can already tell that Angie Kim is going to be absolutely everywhere. People are going to adore her, pray to her, turn her into a divinity. Her insights into the human condition, after-all, can only be described as wonderfully and starkly omniscient; a masterful evocation of our drives, our darkness, our regrets.
That is because Miracle Creek examines secrets: the thoughts in the deepest recesses of your brain, the actions that you want to push down and leave far behind. It asks questions about cultural identity, interracial relationships, motherhood and the challenges that come with raising a child with autism. And somehow, unlike many of the books I have read in the recent past, manages to do so without any sort of judgement. Kim instead just presents the actions and thoughts of the characters as they are; allowing the reader to access the scope of human emotion and come to their own conclusions about whether the actions lie in the black, or the white, or the all-too-common blurry grey-ness that falls somewhere in the middle.
Miracle Creek, therefore, is a truly magisterial study of human actions and the things that drive us; of the lies that spiral in our efforts to protect the ones we love. And, by exploring the parameters of good and bad, guilt and innocence, justice and redemption, it artfully sweeps the reader into a riptide of conflicting emotions and assures that the characters that Kim seems to have crafted so effortlessly, will stay in their minds long after they turn the final page.

An original story about a family who run a health business and their clients. Very intriguing and well told. It had me guessing right up until the end.

Very powerful. This one will stick with me for a while. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

I thought the writing is captivating. I love the scenes set in the courtroom, they’re fast-paced and entertaining. The book tackles the theme of immigration really well. Questions about cultural identity, the awkwardness of dating someone from a different race, the crack in the core family, it all felt authentic. I also appreciate how the book looks at motherhood and the challenges of raising a child with autism. The exhaustion, the guilt, the sacrifices, I felt for these women.

But my issue with this book is that it doesn’t portray the children as actual human beings. They are made to be burdens, only existing to show how hard their mothers’ lives are and how they should be “cured”. And I’m not often sensitive to scenes of child death but here it’s described in graphic detail, with the sole purpose of making the adults feel sorry for themselves. There’s also an anti-vaccine passage which is misleading and irresponsible. So while I can see the author’s intent I found myself unable to overlook this. I also thought the mystery is unnecessarily convoluted. Every character is a liar and unlikeable, but strangely we're meant to root for them. If I never see the words “Camel cigarettes” again I’ll be happy! This can be enjoyable for the right reader but it’s not me. But I'm looking forward to reading the author's future books as I think this is a commendable debut.

I emjoyed the writing and the story line to this book but felt it jumped around a little and at times became confusing.. I was intrigued by the use of a 'submarine' for helping different illnesses though! It also highlighted the difficulty of settling into a new environment and how this effects our actions.

Intricately woven domestic mystery that explores life’s hardships, friendships, family, and the lengths some people will go to protect the ones they love.

This one will stick with me for awhile...

ARC provided by NetGalley

This was not an easy read as the characters were complicated, not likeable and there was a multitude of pov’s which muddies the waters. Having said that about halfway through it did become a compulsive read as I wanted to see who was responsible for the fire and why, as well as getting to the bottom of all the other misdirections.
I found the research into autism and the possible cures very interesting and applaud the author for such .
This is a basic courtroom drama but with many twists and turns.

Could not out this book down

It is essentially a court room drama but it is so much more than that!

Your heart strings will be tugged in all directions by this beautifully written book

This book was very hyped and after reading it, I can see why. There was so much emotion and realness in this book I was very invested.

I appreciated the multicultural notes and struggles. Adding to that some family drama.

Also I appreciate the medical knowledge that I acquired about medical submarine or oxygen therapy.

Enjoyed the differente point of views and how the story alternated between characters.

Trigger warning: sexual abuse, child abuse.

Thank you so much for letting me review it!