This is an interesting one. Overall I give it a 4, hard to follow at times with so many characters and other motives at okay but I really the writing was good.

The night of a hurricane Jia takes her and her son to her sisters house to wait out the storm, but this quickly turns sinister. A mysterious man shows up and then ends up dead.

Who’s the killer and why? The last chapter was my favorite but I don’t fully agree with Jia recanting her statement about Seema for Asha. Different in opinion I’m sure but still a good book.

A gritty, intense, fast-paced, riveting, artful melding of stunning psychological thrills and nail-biting suspense. Edgy, atmospheric and full of dark secrets, shocking plot twists and pulse-pounding, palpable tension. A MUST for fans who thrive on superbly-written, unputdownable thrillers!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

3.5 stars

Jia, reeling from her recent divorce, finds herself in Houston, Texas, to be closer to her sister, Seema. Struggling with raising a pre-teen son on her own, the last thing Jia needs is a massive hurricane. With Harvey sweeping in, she flees to her sister and her husband's house in a wealthy suburb, son in tow. What happens that night rips the curtain back on secrets everyone in the house is keeping, and not everyone makes it out alive.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved that it focused so much on Southeast Asian culture—the descriptions of tradition and their implication were rich and detailed. The plot, however, felt a little disjointed to me, and some of the dialogue didn't hit like I wanted it to. Overall, I liked it, but I also wanted it to be better because it had a lot of potential.

This was a wild ride. Very slow pacing and just didn't catch my attention in the first half to make it an easy read. I found myself struggling to keep going to get into the thick of it all.

More like a 3.5 but let's round up. I liked the premise, setting, etc. I felt like the story unraveled quite slow and then finished very quickly. I felt like there were quite a few loose strings hanging that I wanted answers for.

The cover of this book made it seem really appealing and I really liked the premise of the book. I really did not like any of the characters and the story just ended up feeling ominous, however there was no delivery on this because nothing of note ever happened that brought anything to a head. This book just ended up being ok for me. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

I will dispense with the usual regurgitation of the. Title details. I was skeptical about this book - a good locked room is hard to pull off and as a debut novel? Highly ambitious. I actually enjoyed this book and thank Netgalley and Dutton Press for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

The book is set in a higher end suburb of Houston during Hurricane Harvey. Which was a dramatic event in n itself. It also addresses the complex family issues facing immigrant India-American families dealing not only with cultural differences, but intrafamily conflicts. Now, throw in a questionable feat (accident or murder) and a second death, clearly a murder, but by whom? A burglar? A family member? Relationships shift allegiances and ultimately unravel as the family faces the rising flood waters.

I was able to guess the "who done it " about halfway, but I still enjoyed the family dynamics. I thought the primary characters were fairly well developed and relatable. I thought the cultural dynamics were well explained. The suspense grew at a steady pace. The writing was consistently good throughout. I would rate it a HIGH 3, rounded up to a 4. If subsequent novels show continued growth on the part of the author, I believe Nishits Parekh could become a force to be reconned with.

I really struggled through the first 50-60% of this book. I think maybe I had a hard time connecting with or caring about the characters and what happened to them. I enjoyed the locked room murder mystery combined with the natural elements of the hurricane and the chaos that type of storm can bring. My initial thought getting to the end was that the story was predictable. But there were twists that changed my mind that I did not see coming. I think that saved this overall.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Everything is bigger and better in Texas - and that includes the drama and intrigue of being trapped with a murderer!! It's one of the best family-drama-based thrillers I've read in a while!! I could throw out reality TV (not that I watch it anyway...) and read thrillers for the rest of my days as long as I have juicy revelations like the ones in The Night of the Storm!!

What would I do if I thought my spouse was being unfaithful? I've never really had to consider that question, but every time I watch a true crime documentary or read a thriller like The Night of the Storm - I'm reminded of humankind's incredible capability for deception. There isn't another animal on the planet with the foresight to plan out the kinds of deceptions portrayed here -- and it's absolutely my favorite form of people-watching.

THOUGHTS:
- Do people really not know that you shouldn't stick behind for hurricanes??? My family and I have run from 3, and I'm so glad we evacuated?! We came back to complete devastation. I don't understand how people do it and think everything will be ok??

- I definitely found myself mentally screaming at the main character's POV and wondering at her sanity so many times. 'Why would you allow yourself to do this!? You have a son relying on you! ? Why didn't you speak up!?' Every time I had a moment to think, 'What would I do?' - I remember that I wasn't raised in an Indian household, and I had no idea how the cultural conditioning would affect the characters' motivations. Super fascinating to read! The Night of the Storm almost had *women's lit* leanings because you so clearly see how hundreds of years of societal conditioning led to the point where a family was torn apart.

- The commentary on the relationships and social hierarchies of Indian households was incredibly interesting to read alongside the twisting tale of alternating timelines. Mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationships in particular... It always makes me wonder... are any in-law relationships peaceful? I certainly haven't seen them if so!

NOTES:
- CWs: cheating (some off-page and some on)

<i>**Thank you to William Morrow & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤</i>
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Give me a good strong night, a murder, and some mystery and I’m fully invested! A must read for 2023

I was provided my copy from NetGalley.

The Night of the Storm was a quick, fun, enjoyable read. I really enjoyed the twists and the turns and I liked that there were enough clues that I could figure it out without feeling like it gave itself away too early.

I enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing who was doing what, and I was still shocked. I thought the beginning was a little slow, and I almost didn't finish the book, but I am glad I did. It turned out to be a good book.

The Night of the Storm follows Jia and her son as they flee their home in the face of Hurricane Harvey. She has been involved in a custody dispute with her ex-husband in order to get custody of her kid. Jia is apprehensive to stay in the same house as her sister when they need to seek refuge during the hurricane, but she thinks it is her best alternative. A murder happens during their stay, and the perpetrator may be any of the many individuals in the home. This book was exceedingly sluggish for me, and many of the details did not matter or help me to connect with the character. I wouldn't call this a thriller in the truest sense.

Special thanks to Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with the eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who loves mystery novels, I was very excited to read "The Night of the Storm" after reading the synopsis. Nishita Parekh, the author of this debut novel, has done an amazing job in explaining the backstories of each character, which gives readers a good idea of their personality.

The story revolves around a multigenerational Indian American family who become marooned in a house with a murderer during Hurricane Harvey. The plot is gripping and engaging, and I found myself hooked from the beginning.

One of the things I really appreciated about this book is how it balances several themes and subplots without becoming too overwhelming. Custody battles, affairs, and natural disasters are all elements of the story, but they are carefully woven together to create a cohesive narrative that keeps the reader engaged.

Although some chapters felt a bit rushed, and I would have preferred if the ending had been spread out a little more, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It had me second-guessing myself well into the halfway point, and even though I ended up guessing the murderer, I didn't anticipate how it would end, which was a pleasant surprise.

Overall, I would definitely recommend "The Night of the Storm" to my friends who love a good mystery novel. I look forward to reading more from Nishita Parekh in the future, and I think that she has great potential as a writer.

This story is about an Indian American family in Houston during Hurricane Harvey. Setting the story in the real backdrop of the storm made it come to life for me, and I liked how their family dynamic unraveled slowly as the book progressed. I had a hard time connecting to the characters, even the main protagonist, which was somewhat of a knock against it. But also, I can appreciate having characters who are all flawed in some way as well. The story wrapped up in a satisfying, if predictable, way. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was awesome! It was definitely “unputdownable” and held my interest from start to finish. Can’t wait to read more from this author!

I could not get into this book for some reason. I can’t exactly pinpoint why it didn’t resonate with me as the writing was decent.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/134116831

3 stars for this debut locked room mystery that had a lot going on.

Hurricane Harvey is barreling down to Texas and somehow Seema convinces her newly divorced sister Jia and her 12 year old son to come wait out the storm at their place --- despite it being clearly in the evacuation zone. The vibes in the house are off from the jump, and as the waters start rising in the neighborhood, so does the body count.

I had a tough time with this one because Jia was a narrator who was hard to root for. She was constantly anxious and afraid, leading to conflicts with her son and others in the house that could have been avoided. It took her awhiiiile to stand up for herself, and once she did the pieces started coming together. The various relational aspects of the story were revealed non-chronologically in a way that didn't help the flow of the book, in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for access to this ARC of The Night of The Storm by Nishita Parekh.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and also found that the story lacked the suspense that I usually look for in a book. These reasons caused me to skim through most of the 2nd half of the story.

This was an interesting book to read. I enjoyed reading it, it was certainly atmospheric. I found the plot lines a little incongruent in that the story didn't add up properly.

Having said that, I still finished the book and enjoyed and look forward to reading more from this author.