This book sounded so, so good but it ended up being such a slog.

Parekh, like the MC, is clearly an Indian immigrant and that came though in how the MC spoke, thought, and behaved. I think this authenticity really helped make me feel more invested in the story. However, the rest of the story was frustrating and relied on unbelievable twists and behaviors. I struggled to understand why not only the MC but also most of the other characters did what they did. Moreover, while MC's ex husband was a jerk, I'm not sure her resultant actions were reasonable overall. Literally every single character made me cringe.

This was a disappointing debut and would have benefitted from further editing. However, I think Parekh has potential to write a really good thriller so I'll definitely be checking in to see what Parekh writes next.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

The Night of the Storm takes place during a hurricane. The foreboding atmosphere and raging storm are palpable in this thriller. I didn’t connect with characters as much as I would have liked to. There was some character development but I think I needed more. The surprise ending was a little predictable and the story was not as intense as I thought it would be. All in all ok.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an electronic ARC and the opportunity to review this book.

Imagine Being trapped in a house with family and strangers during a hurricane, with threats inside and out. This book was tense from start to finish, and is a great new thriller.

This was a very fast, propulsive thriller. The storyline was interesting, and the family dynamics of most of the players being first or second generation Indian-Americans made it pretty unique. I had made my guesses about who the murderer was, and was correct on some counts but not all, which I think is relatively ideal as far as a murder mystery/thriller goes.

Thank you NetGalley and Ms. Parekh for giving me an opportunity to review "The Night of the Storm." If you want an easy fast paced thriller this is the book for you. Were there some parts that were not believable? Sure, but did the story overall keep you guessing and wanting to find out more? Absolutely! I was not enamored with any of the characters, but I believe that the author didn't want the reader to be It made everyone a potential suspect. I am also happy to say that finally we have a thriller that deals with a family living in America from another culture.

I don’t quite know what to say about this one. I read it pretty quickly, but in the end it was pretty ridiculous. There was just too much - the weather, the circumstances, the family dynamics. I wanted to like it, but I just didn’t.

The Night of the Storm was about Jia and her son who take shelter with her sister and family as a hurricane is going on outside but the storm is not the only thing Jia should be worried about. This book started out slow for me and it did not pick up till the end. The book had an amazing end and I loved the twist in this book. I do recommend this book to other readers and I did enjoy reading this. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC read in exchange of my honest review.

The Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh
Release Date: 1/16/24
Format: ebook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a strong debut by Nishita Parekh! This novel kept me wondering what the heck was going on until the very end, but it was honestly so much more than that!

Here’s what you can expect:
-Closed door thriller
-Natural disaster heightening stakes
-Some big twists in the last 30%
-Lots of familial drama

I really loved how much Parekh dug into what a mother’s love can mean throughout this thriller. She leaves you questioning just how far a parent could go to protect their children and also really digs into the tradition that plays a part in Indian families. I feel like I truly learned a lot while unraveling this mystery.

In my opinion, there are some slight pacing issues in the middle of this book, but it is so worth pushing through. A really great thriller all in all! I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

📖 Book Review 📖

📱 "The Night of the Storm" by Nishita Parekh

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
To be published January 16, 2024

Thank you @netgalley for the eARC of this novel. 

I enjoy a good claustrophobic locked room mystery, so when the author added Hurricane Harvey, plus a multigenerational, dysfunctional Indian American family and then a murder it was quite the story. As a debut, the author weaved a complex story of family and relationships, which overshadowed the mystery of it all.

Houston is expecting Hurricane Harvey and telling homeowners to evacuate.
When recently divorcee Jia Shah, is told by her overly controlling sister, Seema to come ride out the storm in her Sugar Island mansion, Jia and her preteen son, Ishaan begrudgingly accept. Seema’s husband, Vipul, gives Jia the creeps, but she wants to be safe. Vipul’s mother and brother with his wife all join them and when someone ends up dead the chaos of it all explodes. I enjoyed learning about Indian household hierarchies and family roles, and the story was very well written and kept my attention.

#somanybooks #readsomemore #audiobooks #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #booklover #bookishlove #readersgonnaread #bookishaf

I received this as an advanced reader copy from NetGAlley

Jia is a single mother who is trying to get established in Houston after recently getting a divorce. Her son, Ishaan was just suspended from school for pushing a class mate. She is concerned that this behavior will lead to the government taking him away from her and letting his father raise him.

Now Hurricane Harvey is headed their way and there is an mandatory evacuation. Jia and Ishaan pack up and head to her sisters place in the suburbs. The only reservation she has is that Seema's husband Vipul has been texting her and sending her love poems and saying he is having marital problems. So, in order to be safe from the storm she has to deal with being in the same house as Vipul.

Vipul's brother and his wife also show up to escape the storm. And you also have Grandma living there so you have a full house. With that many in the house the family starts bickering. Then one of their neighbors knocks on the door asking for help. Then something happens and the neighbor is killed and then everyone is suspecting everyone else of the murder. When a second body appears and the flood waters start rising things really heat up and they all suspect Jia of the murders. Who did it? Will they get out before the house is completely flooded?? Read it to find out!

The Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh
Publication Date- January 16th Penguin Group Dutton
Publisher- Penguin Group Dutton
Overall Rating- 5 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Wow where do I even start with this one. I read this book basically in one sitting because I quite simply couldn't put it down. I kept telling myself, okay at this next chapter you NEED to put it down and do something. But turns out that point didn’t come until I reached the end of the book. This is a locked room mystery set during hurricane Harvey that has all kinds of family drama, intense moments, jump scares, and morally gray characters. Nishita Parekh is a fresh new voice to the thriller genre and I couldn’t be more excited, I’m already anticipating her next book and this one isn’t even out yet.

One thing I loved that is so simple but really brought me into the story is the cute chapter illustrations. They are just little water drops over the start of each chapter and that really pleased me. Throughout the story, you really feel the pressure of the storm. Everything is so wet, you can feel the danger coming down from the sky, you feel trapped with them. While they are all inside this house, riding out a storm they should have evacuated from, you get so many tense moments where I honestly was holding my breath. The reveals and pacing felt perfectly timed, we also get snippets from the past that are placed in a way that makes sense. We don’t get too much information or too little. The author gave me enough to make me care and feel on edge but the book wasn’t too long.

Going in, I was thinking, why would an author write a thriller based on a real event. Oh how I was naive. That aspect made this story really compelling and imaginative, like wow this could have really happened.

Indian culture is woven throughout the story. This made it interesting and also felt refreshing. We also get commentary on motherhood, divorce, being a single mom and a reminder that people raising children are also humans and shouldn’t be expected to not make mistakes. I enjoyed getting to know and suspect each character. By the end of the story, characters are sitting around a dining room table and everyone is watching each other and afraid to turn their back. This was a well crafted thriller I would recommend to almost anyone. It’s not too over the top, it’s believable but still fun, I just loved it so much. Give me the next one ASAP.

I didn't know what genre this novel was before reading. I thought it was a family drama, set during Hurricane Harvey and centered around an Indian-American family. Right away, I also picked up on some spooky vibes and kept reading. It wasn't until around 30% I realized (and looked up) this was a locked room thriller. That's where it lost me. I also didn't particularly like any of the characters, and the sisters' relationship was so weird and off putting. If you read this, please know it's a locked room thriller. I think I might have liked it better had I known it, and if the characters were a little more likable.

I DNFd this one. I cannot stand a character who cannot think for themselves, or even have a minimally rational thought.

Jia is still trying to get her footing after leaving Chicago divorcing her husband and trying to raise her 12-year-old son Oshman on her own in Houston Texas Theres a hurricane coming and Jia. His waited to the last moment to prepare for it. The fact that she recently got a letter from her husband Deb’s lawyer saying due to Osmans recent suspension he is suing for custody of their son puts more pressure on her than normal. In her family it is still very much looked down on if you divorce and she is already feeling ostracized by the new friends she’s making in Houston. After all they are mostly her sister Seaand‘s friends for this reason and a secret she’s been keeping from her sister she is trying her best to avoid going to her house for hurricane Harvey but when she thinks about how it’s going to look to the judge she gives in and decides to go to her sisters Sugarland mansion to wait out the storm. Throw in her secrets other peoples secrets and a stranger across the street and a murder and you have the perfect locked room mystery with strange neighbors and even stranger noises not to mention the hurricane that is bearing down in this worse than any hurricane previously and as I said you have the perfect locked room mystery. I would absolutely state that this is my favorite book I’ve read in December it is an awesome book with secrets and even more secrets I loved her second guessing how she mother and her son and she was so likable and the narrative was fast paced and so interesting and there are many many twists in this book that I did not see coming which is the mark in my opinion of an awesome awesome thriller/mystery which this absolutely is a definite five star read the book I will probably read again in the future. I want to think penguin group Dutton and Net Galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This was not what I expected. The main character was annoying and her morals were absent. I really didn't care what happened ed to them and therefore could not continue reading this.

Thank you for choosing me to review this book! This had me coming back for more with an ending that I did not see coming. I was trying to predict what would happen in the end, but I was only able to solve segments of the larger puzzle. Highly recommend reading this while also being stuck in a storm for the whole ambience.

This book had atmospheric read stamped all over it and I was psyched to dive in. Hurricane Harvey is charging its way toward Houston. Leaving no one in its wake untouched. You can feel the tension, terror, fright, and the unknown this storm strikes in all that is in its path. The book starts out a little slow and clunky. As the characters start to take shape and the family drama appears all that slips away. I was pulled into this family and all its nasty ways everyone treats one another, or the way the men expect certain things from their women. The hurricane takes a backseat and adds the distraction for murder to come forward. Throwing everyone into chaos and adding an additional obstacle to escape this closed room thriller.

Jia and her son Ishaan have moved to Houston to be closer to her sister after she divorced her husband. She is struggling to hold onto the threads that make up her life. Her son is suspended from school, her husband wants custody, and the storm is throwing a wrench into her life. She makes for her sister Seema's house. Hoping to be safe from the flooding and the disaster Harvey may pose. She did not know that Harvey would be the least of her problems. As drama seems to be seeping out of each person in this house. As the body count starts to grow, everyone is pointing fingers and trying to grasp what exactly is going on.

Each person in this family comes with a train load of baggage. Unsuspecting secrets, filthy habits, nasty behavior, and the list goes on and on. I was completely swept up in this storm. I tore through this book in one day. Wanting to know who was behind it all. Thank you to Nishita Parekh and Dutton for my gifted copy.

The Night of the Storm is a “locked room” mystery that was focused a lot on family dynamic and lot less on the mystery at hand.

I did not love some of the characters and when that happens, I normally hold on to the action in the story. In this case, I didn’t feel that there was a lot for me hold on to. This one just may not have been for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for providing me with an advance copy♥️

As I delved into this story, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, like the ominous clouds gathering on the horizon. Jia's journey, fraught with the raw emotions of betrayal and uncertainty, resonated deep within me. I found myself questioning the complexities of family dynamics and the blurred lines between love and loyalty. The claustrophobic setting of the stormy Houston night amplified the tension, making me feel trapped alongside Jia and her son Ishaan. And when the storm finally subsides, the truth reveals itself like the calm after the tempest. I was left pondering the scars we carry, both from the secrets we keep and the storms we weather.

The family dynamics were like a perfectly imperfect puzzle, with each piece revealing a new layer of intrigue. And that mystery? Ah, it'll keep you guessing till the very end! This book defies categorization - it's a genre-bending, heart-pounding, can't-put-it-down masterpiece. So, if you're ready to have your mind blown by a story that's equal parts family saga, mystery, and thriller, dive into 'The Night of the Storm' and brace for impact!

A very interesting premise, but I think the execution could have been done a lot better. The characters all made bizarre choices, completely underreacting to the chaos they were under. I think the worst part was Dev being a statutory rapist but also was given a relatively forgiving arc.