Unfortunately this book was not for me. I actually DNF'd it about 25% in because I could not get connected with the characters at all and it failed to hold my attention.

Sometimes I look at a cover and read a synopsis and just KNOW that I'm going to love a book. That was how I felt first seeing this book, and I am so glad when I'm right. I love locked room thrillers but there are so many on the market right now, and there are some that feel so generic or blah. The Night of the Storm had everything that I love (and feel is necessary for a successful locked room): unsettling atmosphere, unhinged decisions, and a cast of characters where the whole time I'm wondering what their motives are. With all of these characters, when I was trying to figure out who the murderer was, I was thinking this person could be the murderer for this reason, but also it wouldn't make sense for this reason. I feel like that is so important for locked rooms. That way the resolution doesn't come out of nowhere, but it is still surprising. Some things I figured out or felt predictable, but a lot was also fairly surprising.


This definitely got unhinged in a fun way, and was filled with questionable decisions and unlikable characters. I can't wait to see what this author writes next.

This book is a case of the cover/plot summary not really connecting, for me, with the more family drama driven plot. I love family drama, I love locked room themes but this one just didn't come together for me This is largely a writing style issue for me, the plot never quite took off for me and the writing lacked the kind of cohesive focus I prefer when there is mystery and drama in place. The story itself did not feel original enough or developed enough to draw me in and keep me interested in the plot or characters.
I appreciate the review copy from Penguin group.

I love a locked room thriller… and on the surface, this has it all. Jai and her son are trapped at her sister’s house. With her brother-in-law, who she’s maybe having an affair with. Add grandma, the in-laws, and Jai’s niece. Oh, and a Cat 4 Hurricane coming at them, so they can’t leave. Then the neighbor shows up - and he’s extra shady

Unfortunately, this fell flat for me. Character development was iffy, and no one in the book was likable. Jia also went from a bumbling single mother who can’t drive in the dark to suddenly picking up on the slightest clues and solving a murder. Just seemed a little bit of a reach.

Without giving too much away, the ending was very predictable, and as the morning approached, it was all very cliche. THEN there was that last chapter. Well played. Enough to salvage the read, but there are better stories with the same plot line (Daisy Darker, The Hunting Party, One by One)

I received an ARC via #NetGalley for review!

I found this book to be far too predictable for me. And if I'm going to be completely honest. I couldn't wait for it to be over.

THE NIGHT OF THE STORM by Nishita Parekh is a fast-paced, dramatic suspense!

⭐⭐⭐💫

This story follows Jia, an Indian-American who is living in Sugar Land Texas when Hurricane Harvey hits, driving her and her son to her sister Seema's home where all is not as picture perfect as it seems. Seema's home becomes the hub for the family with not just her sister, but also the matriarch, Grandma, and Seema's brother-in-law and his wife. The family tensions are high without the hurricane bearing down, so the added storm and then the appearance of the neighbor adds more than this house can hold. When the storm blows over, not everyone will make it out alive.

This was a family drama that began to build suspense from the start. I loved the Indian culture presented and the Hindu practices that were peppered in. It felt like a fresh lens for a suspense. I loved the mix of characters and how they interacted. It felt like watching a fun murder mystery movie! I wasn't sure what was happening until it was revealed. The revelation felt a bit quick, but maybe I was just slow! I also didn't love the 2nd to last chapter, but did love the last one! Overall the story was a fun, quick read!

Thank you to @duttonbooks & @netgalley for this advanced copy and letting me share my thoughts! I really enjoyed this multi-generational, diverse, claustrophobic story that is set to publish on January 16th.

I’m not sure what to say about this book other than it felt so scattered and disjointed. There were too many things going on and it didn’t come together for me. I had a difficult time getting through it.

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

I love the concept of a locked room mystery but I think my expectations were set too high. The family drama definitely was the forefront of this novel. The ending was also anticlimactic for me.

While I was so eager to start this, I was kind of let down by it overall. It read very much like a YA novel and seemed quite juvenile. I didn’t like any of the characters but appreciated learning a bit about Indian culture as it pertained to marriage.

As this is a debut novel, I will always give an author another try if I didn’t absolutely hate the book, which I didn’t in this case.

I love the idea of a locked room mystery set in a hurricane. The descriptions of the hurricane and devastation were the most effective parts of the book. otherwise I found the writing and characterization a bit stilted. I think I need to stop reading thrillers with parenting anxieties- I really did not enjoy those aspects of this book. the examinations of marriage dynamics in Indian and Indian-American culture added some good cultural specificity to the book but it all felt like obvious observations to me. all that said I actually loved the epilogue!

“The Night of the Storm” by Nishita Parekh follows an Indian American family during Hurricane Harvey. Jia is a single mother, trying to do anything to keep her son safe. When her apartment complex falls under mandatory evacuation, Jia reluctantly takes up her sister Seema’s offer to stay with her family. Combined tensions run high as various secrets cloud each person’s mind. Suddenly, someone dies- was it an accident? Or is someone in the house a murderer?

I love a classic locked-room thriller, and this book was no exception. Placing a complicated family in a hurricane is a situation I’ve never read before in this genre, so I was drawn in from page one. Each member of the family is holding on to a secret and in a way it makes all of them somehow capable of murder.

In the end, this book earned 4 stars from me. It was quick, clever, and I couldn’t put it down until I could fill in the gaps. I was even pleasantly surprised by the final twist at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! This book comes out January 16th!

I was very excited for this because a) locked room mystery; b) people trapped during a storm; and c) diverse perspective. However, the balance between family melodrama and murder mystery was way skewed toward the melodrama, which isn’t my thing. As a result, I ended up disappointed. I also feel like the story could have been tightened to be more impactful.

I do appreciate the opportunity to read the ARC.

I read a NetGalley version of this book and love it. From the first page I was into the story and the characters. The author was constantly ratcheting up the suspense and I was here for it all. I really felt for Jia and her son. Such a crazy and thrilling situation to be in. This was a storm I was glad I was a part of. Thank you Nishita for letting us be a part of it. I will definitely be buying more of her work.

This wasn't quite fast paced enough to keep me engaged and interested. I like the premise of being stuck in a big house with family you don't quite like or trust while a dangerous storm rages on and I also liked the glimpse into Indian culture and experience.

This was a 3 star book for me. The beginning was a little slow, the middle was good but the ended was just strange and unsatisfying.

Unfortunately this wasn't for me mainly due to the extreme dislike I had for the main character. I really liked the idea of this happening in an enclosed area during a storm because you can't escape, but the main character and the motivations of the story were just not interesting and really frustrating. I didn't like a single character and it was hard to root for anyone. I also really didn't enjoy the ending of the book. I think this could have been a hit if it had more editing and maybe went a different direction. Basically I loved the set up, but the execution didn't work for me.

I didn't enjoy this that much. I think perhaps I just didn't mesh with the writing style but I found myself really skim reading this after the beginning set up because I wanted to get to the meat and flesh of the story. The twists and turns didn't really grab me, and the major twist at the end was pretty predictable at least for me. I think that the action of this story was still meaty in the way many mystery thrillers are but the predictability of the story line made this a more skimmy (this is not a word but it should be) read for me. I think that with a little tightening up of the plot and pacing, the juiciness of the story would really draw people in. The twists are a bit too baked into the plot to really be altered in a way that makes them less predictable but I think if the story was more polished that would be a lesser issue.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an ARC ebook. This book intrigued me because of the cover and the fact that it was based in Houston during hurricane Harvey. I love Houston and the spooky storm cover sucked me in.

We start out with lots of family drama involving custody and divorce. Then Jia and her son go to her sisters along with other people, where they can wait-out the storm but there is even more drama there. Jia’s son sees a man and he swears he hears gunshots. Next we have slashed tires and a break in next door, and that is just the beginning of what’s to come. When a dead body is discovered, Jia knows she’s in a house with a murderer, who could it be?

Honestly I was not into this book. I found myself skimming the pages just trying to get to the meat. Then when the twist came at about 90% it felt predictable in the way that most books use this storyline but it was still juicy and I enjoyed the twist nevertheless.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Dutton, and Penguin Random House for this arc. I was sent this book in exchange my honest review.
Jia and her son Ishaan decide to go to her sister Seema’s house when Houston has a category 4 hurricane. It is later revealed that everyone evacuated that lived in Seema’s neighborhood. Seema's husband has been sending flirty text messages to Jia. Jia is in jeopardy of losing her son since her now ex-husband wants to re-examine their custody agreement. Seema writes her a glowing reference but hasn't signed it. Seema's brother and law and his wife also stop by to stay during the hurricane. A neighbor stops by that has been staying next door and has actually been having an affair with Seema and is her daughter's biological father. He dies from his peanut allergy after Vipul's mother poison's his drink after learning about the affair and doesn't want to see her son hurt. Vipul is murdered by Seema and Lisa, the sister in law. Seema and Lisa plot together in order to keep their lives and for Lisa to start a family with Vipul's brother Raj. Raj ends up writing a book about the events of the night and Jia starts an organization to help woman that want to leave their marriages. Raj divorces Lisa and Jia recants her statement to the police about Seema's involvement after her daughter almost dies after being admitted to the hospital for her declining health from home remedies and pneumonia. Jia's son ends up getting to return to school after his dad finds a video that shows that Ishaan was defending himself and was almost chocked to death.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the eARC copy of The Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh.
Jia, a recent divorcee decides to take her son Ishaan and hunker down at her sister, Seema's home during a hurricane in Texas. Right from the start, you know these sisters are the total opposite with a lot of family drama. Jia is hesitant in staying with her sister because Seema's husband, Vipul has been coming on to her via texts. Vipul's brother and wife show up at the house and shortly after, someone is dead. Now you have a story.
Part locked room mystery and full of family drama, this book was full of twists and surprises. Everyone has secrets they are hiding and lucky for us, we soon find out all the secrets. Unfortunately, people will get killed one by one. Do all of them have ulterior motives and secrets? Are any of them as innocent and nice as they seem? This story is told in present and past tense to keep you up to date with all the family drama. In the midst of it all, you learn about Indian culture, superstitions, traditions and food.
So if you are into locked room thrillers with a mix of family drama and Indian culture, go read The Night of the Storm, coming out January 16, 2024.