Thank you Netgalley for an ARC! I loved this book! Full of twists and turns. I had a hard time putting it down and finished in a few days! I rate the book a 3.4

I really enjoyed this book and would be very keen to read a follow up, some unanswered questions still in the mix.

This just wasnt fully for me. The cover is gorgeous, but everything just came off blah. Just wasn’t very memorable

Sometimes a cover just pulls you straight in. For me, that was the case with Over the Falls by Rebecca Hodge. It is so vivid and the sense of danger but also temptation is utterly present. The novel itself is not unlike a watery roller-coaster, fraught with danger but also moments that make you go 'what?'. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure whether to attach a mild spoiler alert here, but I did want to discuss one of the major topics of Over the Falls, which could potentially reveal some of the directions the novel goes into. SO consider yourself warned. The opioid crisis is central to some of the storylines in Over the Falls and Hodge doesn't shy away from laying it out rather clearly how much damage it does to a person and their family. Prescription drugs can be a slippery slope for some and the way out of that hole is long and difficult, and those who suffer under it are not always extended the right kind of compassion and help. While Over the Falls cannot address everything, it does try to give it its rightful place without taking over much advantage of the drama it can bring. I think it is important for novels, even thrillers, to engage with social issues like that in a way that is kind but also clear. Drug addiction, whatever form it takes, is a reality for many people and its impact runs deep. As long as novels don't use it as a cheap shot or as an easy way to victim-blame and shame a character, it can be a really valuable experience for a reader who doesn't have direct experience with this themselves. While I can't say Over the Falls goes deeply into the topic, it does provide a glimpse into that life.

Bryn has plenty of things on her mind, like the fact her goat is giving birth and that her friendly relationship with her neighbour has taken an interesting turn. The last thing she needs is her nephew showing up on her doorstep, bringing with him mystery and danger. So she packs up and hits the road with Josh in the search for her trouble-making sister. Along the ride she'll find out more about her own past and her sister's life than she ever bargained for. And maybe, just maybe, she will get back into the whitewater again. Over the Falls is packed to the brim with twists, turns, revelations, and potential disaster. Hodge does her best to balance this with quiet beats, with moments of reflection and bonding. This meant that while I definitely wanted to solve the mystery, I found myself more engaged with the growing relationship between Bryn and Josh, who reach across countless barriers and unspoken traumas to form a strong bond. The rest of the characters, in comparison, feel a little flat although they're perfectly serviceable for the story.

Rebecca Hodge has crafted an interesting novel that uses relatable tropes but introduces new twists and ideas. The whitewater rafting is something that truly ratches up the tension, while tying in nicely with many of the other plot threads. It is, however, one of the few elements of Over the Falls that really stands out. For the rest, many of the elements of the novel are the usual suspects: tense family relationships, a betrayal in the past, a potential love interest a damaged protagonist can't quite embrace yet, a teenager that is too mature for their age, a dangerous man from the past, the end that brings it all together surprisingly neatly. All these elements fit together nicely, which is what makes many thriller and suspense novels such a good time. You know where things are headed, which means that the new and twisty elements really get to surprise you. What bogs down the narrative slightly is the back and forth between Bryn and Josh, in the sense that we get chapters narrated from both sides, yet the two don't entirely trust one another with all the information. It means that there is a lot of repetition of certain things, of characters finding out information way after the reader, which can be fun but can also really slow down the pace of a story. Overall, I found Over the Falls a fun and quick read, with a specifically engaging aunt-nephew relationship at its heart.

Over the Falls is a thrilling read, full of twists and building tension, but with a deep layer of tragedy at its core. Also, maybe I would like a farm as well, with baby goats...

This is a difficult review for me because there were some parts of the book that were excellently written and there were others that I felt like the author just threw in for word count. The characters could have been more deeply enriched along with the story line.

This book was an ok read. It would not be my top recommendation to anyone.

Received an ebook ARC from Netgalley but read the hardback version and this is my voluntary, honest review.

This book was ok but I found that it dragged in parts which led me to drop a star. This book was a good mystery without all the blood and gore,.

Bryn has a nephew , who turns up as his only hope of finding his mom, her sister. Twist the nephew is the result of her sister and her lover being together. Family. That’s the backstory of this twisty story that takes these two unlikely family members on a quest that has more questions than answers. Twist, the sister has ripped off a drug dealer for a large stash of pills which he wants back. Fast. Happy reading

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* found this book to be too long at times, drawing things out or taking forever to come to obvious conclusions

it was an intense suspenseful thriller that was another win in my books. I was immediately intrigued by the story.

In the story we follow Bryn who has made a life for herself on an isolated farm after her sister Del and fiance broke her heart by having an affair. A teenager, Josh appears one day looking for his aunt, they immediately end up delivering twin goats with eachother. The teenager turns out to be her nephew. It turns out his mom, Bryn's sister is missing. Del had always told Josh that if he ever ran into trouble to find his aunt. Bryn doesn't have the best relationship with her sister for many reasons but knows she can't turn her back on her nephew. So naturally they start the search in trying to figure out what happened to Del.

This was definitely a slow burn for me but I was so immersed in the mystery that I think it really worked with the plot and book overall.

This is the second book I’ve picked up from this author and I look forward to reading whatever she publishes next. Huge thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this advance reading copy.

Bryn has created a nice quiet life for herself on her farm in Tennessee. Outside of her neighbor, she is pretty isolated from the world and has no desire to open her heart up to anyone. Bryn has never been able to move beyond the heartache she experienced when her fiancé Sawyer slept with her younger sister and then ended things so he could raise his child that was on the way. Two of the most important people in her life absolutely devastated her and betrayed her on a level she still can’t comprehend.

Now, 14 years later as she’s kneeling on the ground helping her goat deliver twins, a teenage boy is walking up her driveway looking for his aunt Bryn. The moment she gets a good look at him, she knows this is Sawyer and her sister Del’s son. Josh informs her that his mom is missing and that she always told him if he is ever in any trouble to go find his aunt Bryn. Bryn may not have a relationship with Del, but she can’t turn her back on her nephew so they set out together to figure out what happened to his mom. The closer they get to tracking her down, the more they uncover about Del’s life and realize they’re in a world of trouble.

This book was intense and once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. I was intrigued by this story immediately and the mystery behind these characters and how they were all connected. There was one part of the ending that was a little too tidy for me and far fetched, but overall this was definitely a binge worthy read and it kept me guessing.

This was an interesting book, it was a great thriller but I also loved the author’s descriptive writing. I will definitely look for more by this author!

Brynn is struggling with a betrayal that happened years ago and has never forgiven her sister. When her fourteen year old nephew, Sawyer, shows up at her quiet, out of the way Tennessee farm, Brynn isn’t overly sympathetic. Her sister, Del, is missing and Sawyer wants her to help him find his mom. His mother has never been that reliable, and with his father dead, he’s basically raised himself. Brynn finally agrees to help out, but to do so she has to face the past she has buried for so long. The search takes them to Colorado where they find way more than they were expecting and to save Sawyer, she has to face her fears and get back in the water. The water that once almost killed her. A family drama that’s action packed and filled with twists. I loved Wildland and Hodge delivers another great read with Over The Falls.

Bryn has made a quiet life for herself in the eastern country of Tennessee 15 years after her fiancé Sayer betrayed her by sleeping with her sister Del, who became pregnant.
Josh, Sawyer and Del’s child, is now 14 years old and shows up at his aunts farm, a woman he’s never met, because his mother is now missing. Not long after Josh was born Sawyer died in an accident leaving Del a single mother to take care of Josh. But Del loves drugs and alcohol and Josh has been taking care of her more than she’s been taking care of him. Bryn’s never her met her nephew and hasn’t talked to her sister in 15 years. She has no idea where to begin. But when someone from the past comes to threaten her and Josh, Bryn realizes she’s the only one who can figure it out.
This story was suspenseful from the start and immediately hooked me in. It was fast paced with short chapters that kept me engaged and left me wanting more. I read half the book in one night and finished it the next. I loved watching Bryn and Josh’s relationship and trust grow as the story went on. They were incredibly lovable characters and I was rooting for them the whole time. But, this was also a raw and real story that left me heartbroken more than once and I felt for Josh throughout.
I don’t want to give too much away because I don’t want to ruin the story, but there are definitely enough twists to keep a mystery and suspense lover engaged. There is one story line that is left open ended…and while it’s rare for lightening to strike twice, I think in this case it did.

I really enjoyed this book. I love the East Tennessee setting and how it played a part in the overall story. And I really appreciated the story (and drama) between sisters and how that impacted the protagonist's relationship with her nephew.

This was a wild thriller! Bryn lives alone in the mountains of Tennessee. 14 years ago her sister slept with her fiancée and ended up pregnant! Her 14 year old nephew Josh shows up because his mother is missing!!! As Bryn and Josh try to figure out what happened to Del, they are in terrible danger! I loved the relationship between Bryn and Josh. This is a story of family. I enjoyed this book and read it quickly! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

I really loved Rebecca Hodge's debut novel Wild land (see review) and she keeps getting better. Her new book is well written story about family, love and forgiveness and is also full of suspense that had me turning pages rapidly to find out how it all ended. She created characters that the reader can identify with - flaws and all.

Bryn lives in the beautiful mountains in Tennessee. She has been living in isolation for 14 years ever since her fiancée got her sister. Del, pregnant. She tends to her chickens and goats and grows most of her food. She enjoys her solitary life and tries to keep busy so that she doesn't think about Sawyer, her ex-fiancé. One day in early summer as she is working to help her goat deliver twins, someone shows up in her yard. When she manages to look at him, she realizes that it's Josh - her 14 year old nephew. Josh asks Bryn for help finding his mother. She disappeared from home and isn't answering her phone and because his father died in a plane crash years before, he has no family available to help him. At first, Bryn is reluctant to give up her solitary life but soon realizes that Josh needs help. Together they follow an elusive trail to Colorado - the last place that her sister had been seen. As they are traveling, they realize that a very evil man is also looking for the money that Del stole from him and will hurt them if Del isn't found within a week. I definitely enjoyed the growing relationship between Bryn and Josh as they face danger trying to find Del.

This is a fantastic intense novel that you won't want to put down. It is full of twists and surprises and I was intensely hoping that the characters would all be safe at the end. Rebecca joins a wonderful group of North Carolina authors who I love and always pre-order their new books before I even know what their book is about because I KNOW that it will be great.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review.

Over The Falls is set in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee and later in the depths of the well known Falls in Colorado. I was able to imagine the farm landscape and the harsh cold wet conditions in Colorado.

Bryn has separated herself from her sister Del, after finding out that her sister and her then soon to be husband Sawyer had an affair and a pregnancy resulted in it. Sadly, two years later Sawyer died in a plane crash, and Bryn still couldn't forgive her sister despite the loss.

After 14 years, Del and Sawyers boy Josh turns up unexpectedly at Bryns farm declaring his mother Bryn's sister is missing.
Bryn had to put her feelings aside and help Josh to find his mother. Bryn takes it upon herself to find the clues and desperately find Del before it's too late. To make matters worse Carl, a well known trouble maker has given Bryn an ultimatum to find Del in a week or Bryn's farm goes up in smoke.

I enjoyed the fast paced, well written story. A book that made me laugh and cry, one that makes me want to go whitewater rafting but at the same time not too.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the gifting of an eARC and thank you to Rebecca Hodge.

Fast-paced suspense combined with a compelling family drama. about connections, betrayal, and tearing down walls that kept me engaged throughout. All of those things combine to keep you on the edge of your seat! Author Rebecca Hodge breathed so much life, action and emotions into this intense page-turner, while creating characters that were complex, and settings that added layers of intrigue.

Heart-pounding action. Riveting suspense. A terrifying game of cat and mouse. Family drama about connections, betrayal, and tearing down walls that kept my heart engaged throughout. All of those things combine in this fantastic book, keeping me on the edge of my seat! Author Rebecca Hodge breathed so much life, action and emotions into this intense page-turner, while creating characters that were complex, and settings that added layers of intrigue.

Over the Falls is an under-the-radar slow burn mystery about a woman living quietly in rural East Tennessee when her life is thrown into upheaval when her nephew (son of her estranged sister) arrives. Over the Falls is emotional and explores betrayal, abandonment, and trauma. It is a mystery, and has some surprising twists, but it has depth and explores complex relationship dynamics. I was put off a little by the dialog -which although coming from vastly different characters all sounded the same. The pacing was fairly slow. The book likely requires some suspension of belief, particularly at the end. If you have a love of white water rafting or kayaking (this plays a big role), check this one out. Thank you to @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for the chance to read this one early. It comes out September 7, 2021!