This book was a unique thriller. It reminded me more of watching the typical haunting movies that start out with a murder

It's...fine. It's not what's marketed. This isn't a horrific story of every November getting hella spooky and violent. Was hoping for a purge-esque novel, but instead this is just ...meh? The town's had some losses, including Wyatt our main character.

I feel this book could have been better with flashbacks. I didn't care about Cash, he's not in the book long enough for me to care. His involvement in everything is not a shock -- he reads as a modern, stock JD character.

I fabulous read that I thoroughly enjoyed! Highly recommend and will purchase several physical and digital copies for library collections. Thank you!!

defintily unsettling but a very quick read. Not so much horro to me as phsycological twisitng. Not bad, just not my favorite.

A unique story line that will convince you to never leave your house in November again! As this town contracts a mass "sickness" one young woman must find the cure before everyone she loves dies.

Not applicable not applicable not applicable not applicable not applicable not applicable not applicable Not applicable not applicable not applicable not applicable not applicable not applicable not applicable

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

The book focuses on a town called Wolf Ridge where, every November, teenagers are hungry to commit violent acts, or so Wyatt thinks. Considered a legend, Wyatt sets out to prove that it is not a legend but the truth, all while suffering from hallucinations of her late mother.

The beginning was quite nice, but unfortunately, the rest of the book was bad. The plot was boring. I didn’t care for the characters or what happened to them, they were so unlikable. It just wasn’t what i was expecting and I think that ruined for me. With that being said, the book wasn't a horror, I would say mostly a mystery. The writing is not bad, the problem was the plot, also that love triangle, bye.

My thanks to the author Sara Walters, SOURCEBOOKS Fire, and NetGalley for the opportunity to get this ARC for an unbiased review.

Unfortunately I lost interest in this book. It does sound really good and I’m sure it’ll be enjoyed by others.

Wyatt Green's mother was brutally murdered last November, and Wyatt has been trying to figure out what happened ever since. She should not be so surprised by the death, because her home town of Wolf Ridge has a problem. Every November a sort of sickness takes hold, a darkness that manages to take lives with it before December unfolds. Whether murder, suicide, or a fatal accident, no one is safe from the November sickness. Wyatt dreads every November and falls into her routine of cigarettes, drugs, and her lovestruck obsession with her uninterested best friend, Cash. But, when Wyatt is paired up for a project with the one boy Cash despises most, Porter, Wyatt and Cash's relationship begins to unravel and with it secrets that may just destroy Wyatt.

This was such a nail biting, phenomenally written novel about an abusive relationship. Wyatt has been sucked into Cash's orbit and he keeps her on an emotional leash, dangling his love and affection then pulling back when she thinks they might actually get together. They have bonded over the loss of their mothers, his to suicide and hers to murder. If Cash was simply firm on them being only friends that would be one thing, and Wyatt should respect his decision and move on. But, Cash has isolated her from her peers, from her family, and continues to use her emotions for his own selfish needs. He also uses her physically, slowly crippling her self worth and sanity as he continues to pull back after taking what he wants from her. She is his pawn and I found him to be despicable.

When Wyatt begins to hang out with Porter, she sees what real care and compassion is from someone genuinely interested in her. It is not about possession, it is about mutual trust and respect. This book was gut wrenching, sad, and infuriating. I was mad at Wyatt, but then I had to pull my emotions back and realize that she has been placed in this position, this lifestyle, this headspace by someone she deeply loves and erringly trusts. Her lifetime with Cash has left her vulnerable to his manipulation, selfishness, and desire to own her.

As the novel continued on, I was beginning to dread the reality of Wyatt's mother's death. I figured whatever truth there was to find would break Wyatt's already fragile psyche. She clings, desperate, to this idea of a November sickness because the reality is that people can be inherently bad and everyone you know cannot be trusted. It is a sad reality to face, especially when it means you too could be just as bad.

This book was fast paced and I really enjoyed the format and the supernatural element to the novel. The novel pulls you right into the story and pushes the reader to want to know if this sickness is real or imagined. The instances of past November deaths being revealed at the beginning of chapters made you flinch when you knew the next reveal would be coming. Why are there so many deaths in November, who killed Wyatt's mother, why is she so attached to this boy who only hurts her?

Be prepared for a dark storyline and please read triggers, as it touches on many topics that can be hard.

This was such a great read! The concept of a town where violence happens once a year in November in this small town, yeah, I had to read it! And the wondering if it was real, was it not, was a big part of the tension in this book for me!

Wyatt is stuck in this town, her mom was murdered here, and she doesn't really have much opportunity to get out of town. And with her belief that there is something wrong with this town, that it causes violence every year...not a good situation!

There were times that I didn't really like Wyatt. She hangs around her boyfriend, who is the bad boy, the one who moms tell their daughters to stay away from. Like Wyatt's mom, before she died, told Wyatt to stay away from Jack. Not that Wyatt listened.

I really enjoyed watching the mystery unfold, there was a red herring that I was really interested in with the one teacher. But oh, how it all turned out? That was unexpected and it hurt, but I couldn't look away, I had to consume it all!

This was a fantastic mystery, and I can't wait to read more by Sara Walters!

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

I really liked this author’s writing style. I felt like she really painted a picture and set the mood. I liked her character development. I thought the story was interesting and flowed at a really good pace. I wasn’t quite in love with how the last few chapters went and concluded, but the writing was strong enough to make me not focus too much on that.
3.5 rounded up

This book was disturbing and intense! I kind of went into this one blind and I'm so glad I did! I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

1/5 🔆

Personally, I could not stand this book. The only reason I kept reading the novel was that I thought maybe the ending could have provided me with a satisfying conclusion to the murder mystery but it left a lot of questions unanswered and towards like the middle of the book, the who-dun-it aspect become pretty obvious. None of the characters were all that likeable and I found it really toxic. It was just kind of monologue-y at times and I wish there was more dialogue than just her thinking at us but again, that's just me. I gave it a shot but it was not for me.

The Violent Season is a mysterious novel with dark tones about a town where every November people turn violent. The main characters mother was murdered during a previous "violent season" and this year, her friend seems to be affected and is acting different.
Unfortunately, this book did not work for me due to the content. A trigger warning for sexual assault is definitely needed. I was not comfortable finishing the book due to this as I didn't realize this would be in the book.
I also was not connecting with the characters and the writing style. I wish I had enjoyed this more and I would not have requested this had I known SA would play such a large role in the book.
If you like creepy small towns and are ok with the content, you may enjoy this book.
TW: sexual assault, violence, murder of a parent (off page)

Thank you to netgalley and sourcebooks fire for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

Be sure to check trigger warnings for this book!

I think my biggest issue was how predictable the book was, especially once you're given the trigger warning. It also is marketed more as something with fantasy elements, but it's just about an abusive relationship and how horrible people truly are. There is depth to that that I enjoy, but with the way it was marketed, it wasn't what I expected to read.

I had trouble connecting to Wyatt, but I did really appreciate her growth when it comes to relationships and love. It was refreshing to see her learn how healthy love is supposed to be and how she truly deserves it. I realized, however, that I dislike the unreliable narrator trope and that kind of took the enjoyment out of the big reveals.

If you like a little bit of creepy with some deep themes, this might be the book for you!

This was a weird one for me. I'm not sure if I even liked it, but the premise was interesting enough to finish.

Wyatt believes there's a "curse" in town that causes deaths every November, ever since her mother died. She's completely wrecked with grief and emotions. The only friend she has anymore is Cash, who she's completely in love with.

I think the relationship between Wyatt and Cash really bothered me. Wyatt is obviously seeking something from Cash that he's not willing to give, and what little he does give completely fucks with her head. When Wyatt finds a friendship with Porter, everything completely unravels.

There's a lot of truths that Wyatt needs to hear, things she can't remember about her mother's death and when she finds out . . . she finally sees everything in a brighter light.

We have a little bit of an unreliable character in Wyatt because there are some things she can't remember, so she doesn't know what's actually true or not. But there is no horror, and I really don't see the thriller aspect either.

For a debut, it was good. Just could've been a lot better.

This book had a creepy, uncertain undertone that kept me on edge and kept me flipping the pages. The mystery didn’t grip me as much as the writing did. It was very well crafted. The ending was a little less than I wanted but 4.5 stars.

Love love love

This book not
Only kept you guessing but left You dissecting the ending.

Very clever read