I thought this book showed lots of promise from the synopsis but I found it a difficult read. I could not feel any empathy with the various characters. It was well written but unfortunately not the book for me and sadly, I gave up halfway through and didn't finish reading it.

Now honestly, this mystery kept me hooked. But to my heartbreak, the writing style fell flat for me and I had had a hard time bringing myself to like the characters. But it's crystal clear that the author has put a lot in here. This book fills a handful of check boxes for the things I want to see in a crime thriller.

Lastly, thank you so much NetGalley and the publishers for providing an advance reading copy.

Layla and Bette have a father in common, but that where it stops. Layla was brought up in a loving family by her grandparents after her Mom died. Vic, her Dad, had left years before. Bette was brought up by Vic, a ruthless criminal. Layla meets Bette in her teens when their Dad took them on a camping trip hoping they would connect, it was a disastrous trip. Their next meeting was after Vic died and Layla goes to stay with Bette and her autistic son Jake for the funeral.
The story picks up when Bette tells Layla she has to go to Phoenix to pick up art supplies for her son. Layla suspects Bette isn’t being completely truthful and decides to join her.
There are some twists and turns in the mystery which keeps the readers’ interest. I would recommend it as a quick read mystery novel.
I give it 3.1/2.

The book started a bit slow and was a bit difficult to follow. Layla was at a funeral and only knew Bette but was looking for someone based on a sketch her mother had drawn. About half way into the book, her and Bette go on a roadtrip and that's when things started to get interesting. The ending was a complete 180. Keep reading!

The plot was intriguing, and there were parts that I enjoyed, but the whole thing felt rushed to me. Everything happened so quickly, and the conclusion just wasn't satisfying. I just never felt 'sucked in" to the story and didn't feel there was enough depth to it. The author is a good writer, but the story just didn't seem "complete" or thought out to me.

This was a quick read, but a slow burn at the same time. It kept me intrigued enough to keep reading, but I was bogged down in the details at some points. There are 2 estranged sisters reunited, a mom who died mysteriously, and a dad who died recently. A road trip commences, and the mystery builds, but too many side dialogues/diversions along the way to really keep my interest high.
Thankful for the ARC!

I feel very ambivalent about this book, I didn't hate it but I didn't particularly like it either. I really struggled to keep reading this as the story just wasn't holding my interest and the characters were all very flat.

"I mean you no harm" sounded great in the blurb, but really fell flat for me.

Following her estranged father's funeral, Layla finds herself spending time with her half-sister, who she barely knew growing up. Bette has an urgent errand that needs done, and Layla decides to go with her. What follows is a long, drawn out history of their childhood lives, their mob-boss fathers dealings, and a few bumps and surprises along the way.

This book just didn't hit the mark, was very slow to build, and had a lot of unnecessary details that took away from the story. Not a fan. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

I Mean You No Harm had an interesting premise, but it was way too slowburn for me. I usually like this style of writing, but this novel had a few too many characters for how short it was. I did like the descriptive writing, but it was descriptive for the things that didn't really matter (ie Layla's art). The shifting perspectives made it a bit confusing to follow, and I felt like the end was super rushed. I contemplated a DNF but I pushed through as it did pick up towards the end.

Layla knows hardships early on from her mom’s apparent suicide and her estranged corrupt father left her to be raised by her grandparents. After her father dies, she sets out on a road trip with her half sister, Bette, for what she thought was a art supply trip becomes a revenge, score settling trip that could possibly bring her face-to-face with her mom’s killer. This man appears to know a lot more about her mom’s death bringing more grief to her life.
The trip becomes a much needed interaction with Bette breaking barriers and building a sister bond. The trip expands deep family emotions and shielded hearts that have been compromised.
This was thrilling and would make a good movie full of suspense.
Thank you NetGalley for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

An interesting multiple crime novel. The lead character, Layla, tries to understand her mother’s hanging and ends up reconnecting with her step-family at her father’s funeral. Touched by the reconnection and a young nephew with Down’s, she unwittingly joins her half-sister on a road trip to retrieve “art supplies” for her nephew while the true purpose of the journey is to find money her father left behind. Interspersed with the crime story is the more redeeming theme of what it takes to be an artist, a story line involving Layla’s mom who was murdered, Layla herself, and her nephew who expresses his artistry in cartoons.

On the journey we see the story lines intertwine finding that neither artist nor criminal are one dimensional attributes. As Layla’s father has said, “people get away with murder more often than we think.” Similarly, people have more artistic talent than we probably realize.

My opinion is that this is a good escape and quick read. The intermix of the art and multiple murders could make for interesting moral thinking and discussion.

I Mean You No Harm by Beth Castrodale #eleventhbookof2021 #arc Thank you to #NetGalley and #ImbrifexBooks for the advance reader copy. (Pub date 8/3/21)

**Content warning: discussion of suicide, murder.
Layla has joined her half sister on a road trip and discovers there may be more to their journey than she was told. Add a recently deceased father who was probably connected, a mother with a long ago mysterious death, and a car that seems to be following them, and you have all the makings of a fun thriller. But this one didn’t pull me in. It was a slow burn, and it made a big point of describing Layla’s artwork, but I found myself skimming those parts. I didn’t feel like I knew the characters enough to be invested in their story. I think people will enjoy this book, it just wasn’t for me in this moment. #imeanyounoharm

This story focuses on artist Laylah. She was brought up by her now deceased grandparents after her mother apparently took her own life in the local woods. The curcumstances of her death have always been surrounded in doubt. Laylah's father has been absent from her life due to his career choices. You wouldn't describe him as a law abiding citizen, more like some kind of gangster. After his recent passing Laylah reconnects with her sister Bette at his funeral. Along with Bette's son and aunt. During her stay Bette reveals that she is about to embark on a road trip to collect some equipment for her special needs son, so Laylah tags along and uses this as an opportunity to bond with her sister. But has Bette been completely honest about the reasons for her trip? She is also hiding another secret about her recent health issues. What starts as a simple car ride with her estranged sister, turns into an adventure to complete a certain mission, and it looks like the are not alone.
I really liked the characters in the book. They felt believable. You got a real sense of the awkwardness surrounding the ladies and could see the barriers start to fall down.
I found it fairly predictable although there were still a few surprises. But I wasn't disappointed. I found myself shouting at Laylah in my head about the danger she will face, almost like when you watch a horror film and the viewer knows the bad guy is round the corner. It actually added to the suspense.
I enjoyed the relationship between Laylah and Bette's son. Their love and natural talent for art really bonded them and you could see that it would be a really strong relationship for years to come.
This was a quick, enjoyable thriller. Lots of suspense, some exciting developments and also interesting interactions between a split family. It had a sense of duty to loved ones and breaking down barriers to include people into your unit.
I would recommend.

Characters developed well and related to the reader. Interesting action and settings. Enjoyed throughly

Beth Castrodale’s “I Mean You No Harm” expertly fuses family drama into the organized crime narrative, resulting in a juicy thriller that readers will devour.

Focusing largely on the relationship between sisters Layla and Bette, Castrodale excels at slowly building the tension with a strong focus on really exploring the complex dynamics between the sisters.

Overall this was an easy read for devotees of the domestic thriller genre - with a little something extra to keep readers on their toes.

I loved this book. I Mean You No Harm is a well written mystery/thriller. The characters weave together from years before to present day. Vic - deceased crime boss, is the glue that holds all the characters in each others lives. Layla, Vic’s daughter, is the main character. W see her face turmoil when dealing with her parents passing away, her estranged sister, and a stalker. This all forms a story that will keep you turning until the last page.

Layla is dealing with the loss of her estranged father. When she meets up with her half sister, details emerge that help bring Layla peace.
This was a great mystery read. It dealt with issues of the heart that we all deal with at some point or another. It showed a bond between family even when they were miles apart. This was a great read! Thank you to NetGalley and Beth Castrodale for a copy of this ARC.

I didn't think too much of this. It was a slow burner, almost too slow and the writing felt tired and cliched.
However, just as I was contemplating a DNF, it did pick up but unfortunately this was only a brief repose before I lapsed back into inattention.

Here's some possible reasons why:

There were too many characters and none of them were remarkable. We're plunged into a meet and greet at a funeral and it's just a sea of names and handshakes. Who are all these people?

Too much was made of Layla's drawings. The descriptions were not enough to render the artwork off the page so this read as flat text.
There's some hint that the dad is involved in shady business but man, they make such a meal of this.
It was hard to keep up with all the nuisance texts that seemed to be from different people.

The two half sisters go off on a road trip. As they do, they start to bond and we hear more of the back story. This was good but could have been better executed. When they reach the end, there's still the same confusion of a cast of thousands and it's actually quite hard to decipher who killed who. This is mostly because the writing is so flat.

A short book that took me ages to read.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

Set in the US, this is the story of Layla . She was raised by her grandparents after the death of her mother when she was a child. The book begins when her father dies and she travels to her half-sister's home to attend the funeral . Their father , Vic , was inolved in some shady business and when Bette gives Layla a box from her father with $50,000 she is reluctant to accept it because of her feeling that it came from ill gotton gains.
Layla and Bette undertake a cross country journey, to pick up some art materials for Bette's son , Jake , who has Down's syndrome. Their relationship has never been a good one, but as the journey progresses, they come to understand each other better and Layla gets to understand the family. On the whole, Layla is the narrator, but there are chapters set at different times from the viewpoints of others, which add depth and understanding to the story.
Most of the book is concerned with the journey of the two sisters and the descriptions of this journey are well done, not overdone but enough to give you an impression . On the whole, I liked the conversations between the sister, though a few times it felt somewhat contrived. The most action is towards the end, it becomes a real page-turner .
I liked this book and the characters a lot . It is short , which I appreciated, no endless pages of irrelevant information so it kept my interest throughout. I will look out for more from this author .
Thank you to Net Galley for a great read in exchange for an honest review .

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an advanced electronic copy of this book to read and review.

First off, I am a character reader. In real life I’m a total people watcher, so characterization in novels is critical for more. So, lucky for me, this book focuses primarily on characters; the plot line is secondary and at points almost nonessential.

With that said, I was interested in Layla, her estranged half sister, Bette, and the line of characters associated with their shared, career criminal father, Vic. I still felt a little disconnected from them though, even with so much insight into their lives and their past. But out of all the characters, I found Jake, Layla’s nephew, to be the one I cared the most about.

While the bulk of the novel takes place during a road trip from Ohio to Arizona, the substance comes in the stories and flashbacks that occur along the way.

I have seen this book categorized as a suspense/thriller/mystery, but I didn’t find it thrilling or suspenseful at all; instead,, I found that it made me curious. I was curious about how their lives all connected and how the backstories made the characters act and react the way they did. I would agree that it fits more into the general fiction category.

Now, there was a small mystery that I felt was downplayed until the end of the book where there was about 20 pages when said mystery came to its conclusion. In the end, it was my curiosity that kept me hooked.

This book is about family and grief and with a dash of revenge. It’s about choices. The ending was bittersweet,

This is an easy read, but if characters drive your decision to put books on your TBR list, this is a good option. It’s not set to be released until August 3, so take note.

Overall, I’d give this a 3.5/5 because while it peaked my curiosity, I didn’t find it possessed that hard-to-put-down quality.