River, Sing Out is set in fictional Neches County, Texas, in the East Texas bottomland. It's a hardscrabble existence for many folks, and Jonah Hargrove is no exception. His father works on an oil rig, so the days he's gone on the job are days Jonah doesn't have to duck his blows. In spite of his seemingly bleak existence, though, Jonah has a good heart. So when River, a teenage girl, stumbles into his sphere, injured and running scared after stealing a backpack full of meth from local drug lord John Curtis, Jonah feels like he should help her.

This book is a fascinating contrast. On the one hand, you've got the violent life of the drug trade and the grinding poverty in which Jonah lives. On the other, you've got the author's lyrical turns of phrase like, "That night he dreamt the earth was water alone and he floated atop it and from the center of the endless sea rose enormous a single oak and upon its bark and branches clung thousands of gray and green tree frogs and none moving or trilling yet all somehow calling to him and the boy spoke in a voice they understood." As an editor and proofreader, that really, really long sentence makes me a little crazy. But what amazing imagery. Can't you just see that lone oak in your mind's eye? The book is full of vivid, musical word pictures that make you feel almost like you're right there with Jonah and River.

As the title would suggest, the river is an important part of the story. It offers Jonah and River shelter and a means of escape at times. It rises and falls, and sometimes floods, bringing destruction as the waters crest and then recede. The river may not be alive in the sense of a sentient existence, but it has its mysteries and changes and moods, much like a person would.

Ultimately, I thought the book was about the resilience of the human spirit and the struggle to maintain faith, even in the face of indifferent nature and the sometimes brutal realities of life. And here, it felt like indifferent nature maybe cared just a little, that nature thought it time to wash a few old wounds clean, and perhaps make room for, if not complete healing, then at least growth. Given the difficult subject matter, it wasn't always an easy read, but it's a story I'm glad I read.

This book has quite the cast of characters in it with most of them having bad intentions. This story takes place in Neches County, Texas. There is Jonah Hargrove a 13 year old boy who is someone who is pure and with no friends from a broken home and lives out in the sticks in a dump of a trailer with a father that is rarely there who is also abusive and a drunk. There is a girl that has the nickname of River who decides to steal something that does not belong to her but may provide a way out of the current situation she is in. She is being chased by a couple of war time buddies who along with their minions are the biggest dealers in the the Neches County who have their own troubles with their business partners in Mexico. This is a quick read with plenty of turns follow along to see if a young boy who thinks he's learning about love can save the girl. Can the girl get away ? Or will the bad guys who run rough shod over the area will win. There are some triggers in this book if you might have missed somethings in the description. There is drug use, brief description of dog fighting to name a few. But overall this is a solid read. Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC for a fair and honest review.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book for the most part, but mainly because of characters like Jonah and River. For someone who had been shown so little love by the mother who abandoned him and the abusive father who stuck around, I was amazed by how resilient and kind hearted Jonah became. The world needs more people like him!

I thought the premise of the book was good but ended up not enjoying the chapters that focused on John Curtis and Dakota Cade. I know they were needed for the progression of the plot, but they didn’t grab my attention as much as I had hoped they would. I’m also not one to expect a perfect or happy ending, but I was so brokenhearted by the end of this book that it just didn’t sit well with me.

Not sure if I would recommend this one, but I’m sure there are others who would enjoy it more than I did.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4005581162

onah is a 13 year old who has not had a good life. Then it gets really complicated when River shows up with a tale of meth stolen from Dakota, her abusive boyfriend, who works for John Curtis. She lost the meth in the Neches River and she's got to find it. This is a chase/quest novel told from multiple perspectives. These are not good people (except for Jonah and his neighbor Mr. Carson) and this is a dark novel. There's bad choices, violence, and despair. Wade has a way of describing the landscape- as gritty as it is- in a way that makes it come alive. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's more thoughtful than you might think on the face of it and more urgent. A very good read.

River, Sing Out by James Wade is a highly recommended, grim, violent novel set in the East Texas river bottoms.

In an area plagued by poverty and abuse, River, Sing Out follows young Jonah Hargrove as he helps a teenage girl, River. River shows up at his trailer in bad shape. She had stolen a backpack full of crystal meth from John Curtis, head a local meth distribution empire and dogfighting ring. The two end up running from Curtis and Dakota Cade, his murderous enforcer, who, along with all their henchmen, are looking for her. At the same time Curtis is having problems with the cartel that controls his supplies. Jonah and River what they can to flee so River can sell the drugs for the money but their outlook for survival looks bleak.

This is a very ominous, violent, bleak narrative where right from the start it is clear that there can be no redemption or good ending based on the characters. Everyone in this novel has secrets they are keeping from the other characters. Jonah is the only character, because of his age, that you will hope has a chance to overcome his situation and rise above his circumstances. Mr. Carson, an elderly neighbor who is Jonah's only real friend and support system helps Jonah as much as he can. It is better to enter into reading this novel knowing it depicts extreme poverty, brutality, and ruthlessness.

The prose is almost lyrical at times, with discussions of nature, eternity, and God juxtaposed with the severity of their circumstances. The pace is measured at the beginning and slowly picks up as the threat to Jonah and River increases. The chapters switch points-of-view from different characters, mainly Jonah, Curtis, and a mysterious man. River, Sing Out is a hard book to read due to the haunting subject matter and the cruelty presented, which will need to be taken into consideration when you start it, however, it is definitely worth reading.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of the publisher/author.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and submitted to Amazon.

I enjoyed most of this book!
I really liked Jonah. For growing up in an abusive home with nothing, he was the sweetest character. He was faced with challenges no 13 year old should have to brave alone.

There was a little more violence in the book than I anticipated. But when drugs and cartel are involved I suppose that's to be expected.

I am almost 40% through River, Sing Out. I admire the descriptive wording in the Preface and in some of the chapters But, I am struggling with the negativity of this novel. This novel centers around the success of certain individuals in Dealing Drugs. It is too much of a reality for so many families in our country today. Very depressing. I find it difficult to keep reading this novel.

Jonah seems to come from a household of no love, but that doesn't take away his sweetness and helpfulness. When River comes to his place as she is running, he ends up with a crush and is willing to put himself in danger to help her get away from the bad guys. As the story unfolds, we see that Jonah is willing to risk everything to help her become free not only from her addiction but from the guys that hunt her. He grows up a lot quicker than most teenagers his age. I really liked his neighbor, who doesn't ask many questions but is willing to give a helping hand if needed. In some ways, the book reminded me of Where The Crawdads Sing. I am not sure if it is because of the setting or kids growing up way too fast, but I got that same vibe when I read that story. Sometimes in the backwoods of the river or swamp, things have a way of coming full circle; Jonah and River will learn this.

I think it's just me but I was not in the mood for this book's choppy sentences, violent narrative and the regular changing of topics. Sometimes I actually search for books with these attributes but now isn't the time. I read half way through the novel and just put it down. I loved the author's last book and was hoping I'd get another fix of his writing with this one, but the two novels are very different.

Perhaps it's because of covid. I want something lingering and with continuity. I couldn't find it with this novel.

Great story with stellar character development and lovely prose. This is an atmospheric read. I plowed through it in an afternoon. James Wade is one to watch for.

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and the author for the free arc in exchange for my honest review.

Oh boy! What a mind bending, heart pounding, exciting,mystery , a real unputdownable page turner!

James Wade is such a brilliant storyteller who can create memorable, well-researched and impeccably crafted characters!

I was hooked up with little Jonah’s story from the beginning and I wanted to know what’s gonna happen next, turning pages as fast as I can, barely gathering my feelings.

I couldn’t wait to read more works of the author! This book is freaking fantastic!

Millions of thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for sharing this reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

WoW what a great book! I felt like I was right in the story.
The writing was amazingly written. The storyline was fantastic!
I really loved the characters! They seemed so real! Awesome job!