4.5 stars. I was often confused in the beginning but as I read on things became clearer. I got so frustrated with the way the cops were at times I would have to take a minute to cool down. When a book elicits these kinda feelings it can go 2 ways. Good or bad. Because of how Danielle wrote this it turned out good. Iver and Lily I found to be likable and relatable and the ending was everything I needed. It was a wild ride. Gripping suspenseful and clever. Twists I didn't even see coming. Looking forward to what's next.

I was so excited to get the chance to read an early copy of Danielle Girard's newest book White Out. It was nice to take a brain break to a wintry setting while baking in the 90 degree heat. 😎☀️ It comes out August 1st and if you love twisty detective thrillers, then you will enjoy this book.
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This one caught my attention from the first page and I was surprised by the ending. My only issue is that it is told from 3 perspectives which was a bit overwhelming with the amount of side stories and characters. I felt like there were abrupt endings to some storylines. White Out is the first book in a series, so I am hoping that the other books will fill in some of the unanswered questions at the end. Overall it was a fun, fast paced read! Thanks to @netgalley and @daniellegirardbooks for the copy! 💙

This book started out strong. A young woman named Lily is in a terrible car accident, sitting in the passenger seat. A man is driving the SUV, but Lily doesn't know who he is. She can't even remember anything about herself, not even her own name. She manages to free herself from the wreckage and find her purse, where she finds a state ID from Arizona with her name on it. Trouble is, she is in a small town in North Dakota.

In a dumpster behind a bar in town, the body of young woman is found. Kylie is a young policewoman assigned to the case. She's trying to get out of Hagen, ND and back to the Fargo PD. But this case holds more questions than answers when Kylie suspects the bar's owner, Iver, may have something to do with the murder. Trouble is, Iver is a veteran who served in Afghanistan, who was injured in the war and suffered a brain injury. And Iver doesn't remember what happened the night before the body was found.

This police procedural has tons of puzzle pieces that reveal themselves during the story. For me, the story was overly long. But I found it interesting and if you're a fan of police procedurals, I would definitely check this one out!

I want to thank the author for a copy of White Out via NetGalley.

This book is impossible to take seriously. Two primary characters with serious memory problems, the world's most incompetent cops, a detective who is completely illogical (and does a lot of really shady things without batting an eye - while we're supposed to be rooting for her), and a total lack of depth. Lily Baker has zero personality, other than being the stereotypical amnesiac (aka an excuse to have her know absolutely nothing about the things going on in her life) when we could have had a much clearer and more interesting outside perspective (like, say, from a competent detective's point of view) that would give us that same lack of inside knowledge without having to stoop to the overdone amnesia trope.

Iver is definitely the most interesting/believable of our narrator trio: a veteran with a traumatic brain injury who's fallen on hard times. The town views him as a bad guy though we see him as having a heart of gold. Nothing groundbreaking but also not bad.

But Kylie, the cop, has absolutely no logic backing any of her decisions. She's brash, abrasive (she keeps threatening people; I'm shocked she doesn't have a whole bunch of complaints against her), she interrogates minors without parental presence or consent and then LIES when caught out... She's literally weaving blackmail left and right and we're supposed to believe that she's a GOOD GUY. It's one thing to take things a step too far but it's another to have no scruples whatsoever.

The writing was elementary. Everything felt only surface deep and the characters were melodramatic. It didn't read like a professional author

I really enjoyed this book. I like stories about people having amnesia and can’t remember anything. This was a wild ride. I was trying to figure things out and couldn’t. I liked being surprised.

White Out is a gripping mystery filled with suspense. Danielle Girard did a wonderful job of catching my attention and keeping it throughout the story. I also enjoyed that the story was written with multiple POV's giving me a chance to know each character's thought process when trying to solve the case.

The story begins with Lily Baker in a car accident. She has no idea who or where she is. I thought this made me so eager to find out what was going to happen next. As I continued to read, there is another tragedy. A woman on the other side of town was found in a dumpster. We find out that Lily and the woman found have a connection and it us up to detective Kylie Milliard to solve this mystery.

I loved that the author gave us so many strong female characters. There are so many good moments in this book and I really enjoyed the wild ride.

I give White Out 4 stars. It was an engaging mystery/thriller that kept you on your toes. The premise is so good and I applaud Danielle Girard.

Thank you so much for the copy. I tried to pick this one up but it did not work for me. Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader.

Thanks to the author, Danielle, for sending me a copy to read and review.

This was a slow burn of a novel but one that was well done.

Lily (a survivor of being held captive for 16 months) wakes up from a car crash. She doesn't know who she is, who she's with or what happened. Another woman is found murdered and dumped behind Iver's bar. Iver is an Afghanistan vet and has been on medication to help with blinding migraines. He is accused of the woman's murder and guess what... He can't remember what happened either!

Kylie, the only woman detective in town, is assigned to the case.

I loved all the twists and turns in this case. I didn't have an inkling of who might be the murderer.

If you're looking for a page turner, White Out makes for a great summer read for those who enjoy thrillers and murder mysteries! Thank you to author Danielle Girard for reaching out to me via Instagram to invite me to read her new book due out in August of 2020.

I found myself having to suspend reality a fair amount throughout this book- more than I typically like to do in a mystery, especially one that leans more towards a police procedural. There were a lot of different things going on all at once and at times it felt like a little too much, especially because many of these aspects were left unresolved.

The main plot was entertaining, but I felt it sometimes got lost with everything else going on around it. This book left more questions than answers but overall was a quick, entertaining read.

Chilling and dark, this was quite the compelling thriller. I love when a story is told from multiple perspectives and I love how each of the characters' stories weaved together to create a mysterious and suspenseful plot. Girard created two intricately drawn and captivating heroines, who are both flawed and badass. The pace of the plot is perfect and the tension is definitely felt in every page. White Out was a book that I raced through because I had to know what would happen next.

After surviving a car accident Lily wakes up with no idea of who she is. The same night a young woman is murdered and tossed in a dumpster. Kylie, the detective, discovers that Lily and the victim share a dark past. They both want answers, but the more Lily learn about herself, the more she fears the truth.

This book blew my mind. I was engaged since page one and I keep thinking one more chapter and then a break but I finished it in one sitting.
A twisty mystery told from multiple POVs that it was high paced and easy to read.
This is my first book from this author and it won’t be my last.

I was able to read White Out by Danielle Girard for free from Netgalley for providing me with an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I will try to give a review without any spoilers.
Once I started reading I tried to pace myself because I knew that I would not put it down until I finished reading. Another book that did not disappoint, a true page turner.
This was a perfect blend of murder mystery, thriller and police protocol. You will learn about Lily, Kylie and Iver.
Lily wakes up from a car crash only to find she doesn't know who she is or who the driver is, she has memory loss. The story unfolds as bits and pieces come back only to learn about her horrific past.
Kylie is a new detective that is desperate to solve the case and has to put the pieces together.
Iver is a war Veteran, owner of the town's bar who struggles with alcohol addiction and suffers from memory loss. He doesn't remember anything from the night of the murder... I won't say more, the story was amazing, please go and get this book.
Highly Recommend it, is a must read.
Already waiting for the second installment.

"White Out" by Danielle Girard was 4⭐ for me!! The first book in her new Badlands Thriller series and my first book by her! You have Lily who regains consciousness afyer a car accident in Hagen, North Dakota. Next to a man who has died. She has amnesia, and can't remember what happened or who she is. The same night a murdered woman is found in a dumpster. The only female detective for Hagen, Kylie, is put on the case! She realizes that Lily and the murdered woman have a past connection. It's up to her to put the pieces together. I don't want to give anything away so I won't say too much! This book has alot going on, and you do need to suspend disbelief in some parts, but I don't have issues with that because that's what I find fun about reading. This was a twisty mystery, told from alternating POVs! It includes police procedural, drug abuse, kidnapping, murder. I loved that I didn't guess the twist and I flew through the last half of this one. It was definitely fast paced, full of action, and that definitely kept the pages turning fast! I am looking forward to seeing how this series will continue!.

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Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for this copy to review!

Wow! This book is great! There are several characters in this book and I was concerned it would be tough to keep up with their individual storyline but it wasn’t. Their storylines all meshed together and made the book a great read. So many twists and just when I thought I had the killer figured out another twist came up that made me rethink him or her. This book is hard to put down and I did have to a couple of times, but it wasn’t hard to pick back up on story when I was able to start reading again in a couple of days. I highly recommend this book and author Danielle Girard. I have not been disappointed in any of her books I have read.

This book is a wild ride that takes place in small town Hagen, North Dakota. The chapters alternate between Lily and new to the town Detective Kylie Milliard.
We first meet Lily when she wakes up in a car with a man she doesn't know with no idea how she got in the car. There is no time to think about that because the car is about to go over the guardrail. What a start to the book! Enter Detective Milliard who was called to investigate the discovery of a woman's body found in the dumpster outside a bar owned by a man called Iver. Iver and the dead woman are both connected to Lily.
Lily is the most interesting character to me because she is the soul survivor of a kidnapping years ago. She was held for an extended period of time with a man, maybe two men, and two other girls. The details about what happened to her during that time are few and far between. There are hints scattered through the book, but I wanted more detail. More background.
The suspense while reading is plentiful and the author throws in a few good twists along the way. I read this last week, but I had to sit and ponder on some thoughts I had about the killer and Lily's kidnapping. Overall I would recommend this. Being the first book in the Badlands Series, I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next!
Thank you to Author Danielle Girard for sending this one my way! Grab your copy August 1, 2020!

Plot – 2/2: I love thrillers that focus on the investigation. Even better when the detective is a bad ass female investigator. So instant win for me. The added layer of having these two mysteries twist and tangle as they get closer to colliding really kept the pace of the story at a break-neck speed.

Writing – 2/2: This was my first book from Girard but it definitely won’t be my last. While the plot of White Out is so enthralling, Girard’s writing was also stellar. She really made me feel like I was trapped in this small, freezing North Dakota town, figuring out the mystery along with Lily and Kylie.

Characters – 1/2: Okay, here’s the first bit where the story loses a point. Overall, I enjoyed the characters and felt like while it had a lot happening with a lot of people, it wasn’t so much that I got lost. BUT. I have to talk about my girl Kylie for a second. This detective is so good. SO GOOD. But she is also SO STUBBORN. And a big part of her story is her desire to just use her role in Hagen as a stepping stone to get back to the big leagues in Fargo. We don’t get this whole story – I imagine we will in future books – but at times it felt like she was making her decisions based solely on her career trajectory and not on what was right. I’m hoping that in future books we see a lot of growth in Kylie as a detective because she could be seriously awesome.

Thrills/Twists – 2/2: The setting – freezing small town in ND in the middle of winter – provides a basic sense of dread. From there, Girard delivers with all the twists, having me constantly asking, “who the heck did it?!?!” The story is told from alternating perspectives of different characters, so it’s like we get all these glimpses of what might have happened, and we’re trying to piece together the puzzle based on what little each character knows. I did not see the ending coming at all, no matter how much I tried!

Feel – 1/2: Because of my frustration with Kylie, at times this book had me saying, “what the heck is WRONG with you!?!” So minus one point for those moments. BUT overall, I freaking loved this story and I cannot wait for the next one in this new series.

8/10 points for a solid 4 star read! Girard seriously delivers with White Out and I am so excited to return to Hagen, ND. Highly recommend this addictive thriller – it is out August 1st, so be sure to look for it then!

A web of intrigue!

This book shook me to my core. I can usually figure out the plot before it is revealed, but I did not see this one coming! Girard does an excellent job weaving storylines and characters into a master web of suspense and thrill. This superbly written story kept me on the edge of my seat from page one. I thoroughly enjoyed Girard’s descriptive writing, it allowed me to feel integrated into the story. The basis of the story relies on how important memories are, which is something we take for granted. But not after this! Kylie and Lily are both kick-ass leading ladies who I would want on my side when facing adversity. This book is one of the best I’ve read in years! Just fantastic.

In every book, I like to visualize the characters. If this book becomes a movie, here are my picks for actors:

Lily Baker: Kate Hudson
Kylie Milliard: Sandra Bullock
Iver Larson: Gerard Butler

Perfect read for a snow storm! So creepy and it kept my heart racing! I felt like I was actually in the book and being chased and hunted. So so good. I was in the edge of my seats!

Thank you so much to Danielle Girard for reaching out to me and offering me a copy of White Out for review!

Thrillers have become one of my favorite genres during quarantine, and this one was no exception. The twists and the turns captivated me from start to finish! A lovely aspect of this novel was how Girard brought in supporting characters and was able to give them enough backstory so that they felt relevant and important. Everyone in the book seemed to matter and play a part in the plot.

A quick word of warning: it’s a slow burn, but a slow burn done well. Girard ties up all of the loose ends well in her explosive and exciting ending.