Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Night of the Storm fell flat for me. I kept waiting on something to happen, for there to be actual twists, but that didn't happen. Even the "twist" at the end didn't quite surprise me. I think there was too much focus on the family drama aspect and not enough of the thriller aspect to keep the reader engaged. I honestly hurried through this so I could get to my next read.

I had high expectations but I was disappointed. All of the family drama overshadowed the thriller and suspense aspects of book. The “big twist” was disappointing. I was hoping for more.

1.5 Stars

I couldn’t stand Jia. She was a selfish, immature character and I could rant a long time about all the things she did. But honestly, every character was insufferable and I don’t have time to rant about each one.

As for the plot, this is the second book in a matter of months that I’ve read that centers around a locked room mystery. Judging from both, it’s clear they’re not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for this ARC. The Night Of The Storm is a well thought out and clever debut novel! I did find the first 20% to be a bit slow, but once the ground was laid for the characters things got intense!

I was surprised with the twist and the ending was great. All and all, I think this was an interesting popcorn thriller.

The Night of the Storm was a fun and twisty thriller. Jia, a recently divorced mom, found herself wondering what to do when Hurricane Harvey came through her area. Her sister offered sanctuary in her home atop a hill, certain there was no need to evacuate.

Lots of family dynamics, an accident or a potential murder, and the water levels rising in the neighborhood made this thriller feel claustrophobic and dramatic.

I really enjoyed the story, the way it unfolded, and the way it challenge assumptions. I didn’t love the characters and found Jia to be a scared doormat, but it was interesting to watch the various dynamics play out, while watching Jia practically jump at her own shadow.

This is a fantastic debut and I definitely recommend it to fans of thrillers and locked room mysteries.

BIPOC Mystery Thriller set in 2017 following an Indian American single mom and her son stay with her sister and her in-laws during hurricane Harvey only for someone to turn up dead.

4/5 stars: With plenty of twists and turns, Parekh has crafted a fresh take on the isolated mystery thriller, about a multigenerational Indian American family marooned in a house with a murderer during 2017's Hurricane Harvey. I very much appreciated Parekh's ability to create such incredibly complex characters who still remain relatable. Jia's, tough and vulnerable at the same time and her care and concern for her son shine through. The family dynamic is fraught with tension and I really enjoyed seeing how everything played out. I have to say Grandma's a darkhorse and reminds one that you should never underestimate your elders. Parekh's mystery deftly balances the suspects, weaves in plenty of clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. This book touches on some very sensitive topics; take care, check the CWs. I enjoyed this debut and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

I dont typically gravitate towards mysteries but this one was great! I finished this book in one sitting and it kept me on my toes the entire time, I had to know how it was going to end. This is a good locked room mystery, so if you are into those I would say its worth reading. 3 1/2 stars!

A spooky locked room mystery, this story kept me up all night just to find out whodunnit. A fun thriller!

Jia is just trying to get through her never ending to do list. As a single mom, many things fall on her shoulders, including her son Ishaan's suspension. To add the list, Hurricane Harvey has been upgraded to a Category 4 and disaster is on the horizon. After a forced evacuation, Jia and Ishaan escape to her sister, Seema's beautiful home. Built on higher ground, Seema's husband, Vipul, believes they will be perfectly safe. As more members of Vipul's family make an appearance in the story, several shocking truths are going to come to light. Someone will not survive Hurricane Harvey. The big question in Jia's mind will be was it a tragic accident or cold blooded murder.

Nishita's debut book is a well done locked room mystery. She not only has the thriller element but weaves in Indian family hierarchy. Grab this book ASAP. I could not put it down. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

This was a perfect cizy mystery! The cover is what first pulled me in! This was a good family drams but I wouldn't call it a thriller!

It wasn't what I expected but was still a book I would recommend!

Thanks NetGalley fir letting me read and review

***** I have received and read an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****

Great idea, but unfortunately there was poor execution.

The main character wasn't likable in the least, the family drama took away from the murder, and overall it just felt like no one was really behaving in any sort of believable way.

The ending felt forced and rushed and took too long to get there.

Overall, it would have been great as a first draft, but there needs to be some serious editing.

This one for me felll flat. I was drawn in at the beginning but that quickly fizzled out. Felt like both a carbon copy of another stories but lacking in the important plot details. Felt very predictable and not shocking at all for most of the book.

The plot in this book got me so excited! There is some family drama here when you start to read the book, we get the main character Jia who is recently divorced, moved to a whole different state to get away from her husband, she has this sudden fear of him and we get to understand why throughout the book, there is a crazy storm coming through and her sister Seema wants her to come stay with her and her family, then we learn there is drama there. There is family DRAMA everywhere in this book. There is murder of course, and the “who done it” everyone is on edge, except for me, I personally wanted to love this book, but it fell flat for me, it was repetitive and Jia was such a draining character, the end fell flat, and it felt rushed at the end. I didn’t want to DNF, I am happy for everyone’s happy ending and finding their new normal, but it was nothing like it I expected.

I love a good locked room mystery. I also love family drama. What do you get when you combine these two? A well executed book. This is exactly what Nishita Parekh has done with this book. I can already see a long future for this talented author. I can't wait for what some next.

This is a suspenseful drama glazed with a murder mystery, pushing a single mother into forced circumstances that leave her stuck between the safety of her son and the secrets she is drowning in.

A full-length review will be published on the blog and updated here on December 16, 2023.

🖤Thank you so much to @duttonbooks for the gifted ARC🖤

🗓️Save the date because a storm is coming on 1/16/24 and you're not going to want to miss this one!

Title: The Night of the Storm
Author: Nishita Parekh
Pub date: 1/16/24

🌀One deadly hurricane
✌️Two shocking murders
3️⃣Generations trapped in a house
🙅Everyone is a suspect

This one was a fun surprise for me especially considering it's a debut 👊

🔒I don't particularly LOVE locked-room thrillers because I tend to get bored. I mean, really how much can happen in one room? (don't answer that, it was a joke), so LUCKY for me this book was a mix of current day (trapped in a house during Hurricane Harvey) and flashbacks (drama drama drama).

🍵I actually loved the flashbacks and all the family drama, it was my favorite part. If you only read thrillers for the action, that might bother you, but as someone whose favorite genres are thriller and family drama, this was my cup of piping hot tea.

🌀The hurricane wasn't the only TWISTY thing in this story either! The plot twists kept coming and the last chapter was really the icing on the cake. I was thinking 3.5 and the last couple pages bumped it up to 4!🎂

📖I think fans of Sally Hepworth and Liane Moriarty will really enjoy this one!

I loved the cover of this book and was hoping for a good thriller. What I got instead was a good family drama. Not what I expected but still a good read. There was still a murder and mystery but it felt incidental to everything else that was going on. I would recommend this read but more for fiction lovers than mystery readers. Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

4 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.

Set with the backdrop of Hurricane Harvey, this novel excels in providing suspense and mystery, all while also dealing with issues of family, adultery, and divorce.

Jia fled Chicago with her tween son Ishaan when she found out her husband was having an affair. To force him out of their lives forever, Jia threatened Dev with exposing his secret affair. She relocated to a suburb of Houston where her well-off sister and her husband live.

Ishaan is struggling with the separation from his father, his mother’s challenge to be a single parent, and being on the cusp of puberty. Jia is trying her best, but comes down on Ishaan far too often. Their relationship is strained.

When the hurricane approaches Texas, Seema, Jia’s sister, implores her to come stay in the family house, as they will be safer there from the storm. Also in the large home are Seema’s husband Vipul, his brother Raj & wife Lisa, and Grandma, the Indian matriarch. It’s a full house, but one in which Vipul assures them will provide safe shelter from the hurricane.

As the night goes on, events grow stranger between the family members and the deluge. A person dies. The waters continue to rise and everyone in the house realizes they are trapped inside with a murderer. With no help on the way, and hours before daylight, how they will get through the night is a mystery in itself.

So much to digest in this one. Jia for all her faults, is a tough cookie. Her strained relationship with her son brings her so much grief, and her estrangement from her ex-husband and the effects of that on her Indian family even more heartache. The novel is written from her point of view which is fascinating from scene to scene. In the end, we hope that not only will Jia prevail through the night, but also realize that divorce doesn’t mean the end of her life.

This book gave such chills as the storm rolled outside and a mystery of who dun it occurred inside!! Perfect cozy thriller!

This was more of a drama than a thriller. And the drama was boring. Nothing much happened until the second half of the book and even the murders were boring. None of the characters reacted much to them or anything else happening and the main character was an obnoxious idiot.