Absolutely obsessed with this book!!! I love seeing a neurodivergent role!! It keeps you on your toes the entire time! Definitely a must-read!! Thank you so so much for sending me a copy! Now, I need to go back and read all of your other books!!

@carterwilsonauthor #thefathershewenttofind #thrillersbythebookclub #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd

When I started this book I actually didn’t like it 9% of the way through. My husband told me to stick with it and it will hook me. I’m so glad he did. Not only did I get so hooked I found this book incredibly hard to put down but I actually ended up loving this book. What a roller coaster of emotions! By the end of this book my jaw was completely on the floor!

This book was great, it felt fresh and not like anything else I've read lately. It kept me intrigued all the way through, I didn't want to put it down.

What a ride 😱 This book had me in a chokehold. I needed a good thriller and this one delivered 100%! I went in blind and to be honest didn’t know what to expect but OMG!!! The premise is so interesting, chaotic and unbelievably sad at times. There were many twists throughout, some I was able to see coming but others came as a shock.
Loved the author’s writing style, is definitely one that makes me want to read more from him.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This book is available right now! Thank you so much to @netgalley, @poisonedpenpress and the author for the ARC, opinion is my own.

Penny is a dream of a character. Her back story is fascinating and she brings such an unusual perspective to absolutely everything, which the author presents incredibly well both through descriptions, dialogue and interactions with other characters. I loved this book, even when I had to flip back through it because it took me down a tangled path. It’s clever, confronting and made me look at the situation with different eyes,

Penny is about to turn 21. She has spent most of her youth at an institute where a team of specialists work with (and study) her, because when she was 7 a traumatic brain injury left her with acquired savant syndrome. In her case, this manifests itself as photographic recall of everything she has experienced since her fall—as well as a sudden talent for photorealistic drawing. In her sheltered existence, Penny has had little experience of the world at large, but when her annual birthday card from her long-absent father says it will be the last time she hears from him, she decides to take the drastic step of leaving the institute to find him. Who can resist a protagonist who combines exceptional skills and cluelessness about the real world? There are maybe a few dozen individuals on Earth with this sort of miraculous recall, but they crop up with some frequency in mystery fiction because we find them so fascinating. For someone with such a staggering amount of information available to her at all times, Penny makes some stunningly bad decisions, but of course that’s half the fun. As Penny pursues her quest to find her long-absent father, the discerning reader will see where this is all going, but that doesn’t make the ride any less entertaining. It’s easy to overlook convenient coincidences or things that don’t make a lot of sense when you’re having fun watching the adventures happen. Bonus points for the nostalgia-provoking cultural references in this 1980s-set novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital advance review copy.

What a page-turner this book is! Penny, the main character, became a savant after an accident. She was living in an institute, but on her 21st birthday she decides to go on a road trip to find her father whom she has not seen in years. There is suspense, friendship, and a coming-of-age story all contained in this adventure.

Master storyteller Carter Wilson returns following The New Neighbor with his latest intriguing coming-of-age complex mystery thriller—THE FATHER SHE WENT TO FIND. An exceptional, emotionally wrought tale of a young girl who sets out on a road trip to uncover the secrets of her past and find her father.

Fabulous—Like no other book you will read!

Set in the 1980s in Wisconsin. Penny Bly just turned 21 and received her annual birthday card from her father. Has he been traveling all over the world? However, this card will be the last by his note and the only one with a return postage stamp. She has received a card yearly since childhood—since he left.

Penny had a tragic accident falling down a flight of stairs when she was only seven years old. She was in a coma and experienced a brain injury.

She became a savant and can remember everything. She has the uncanny ability to remember details, see numbers as colors, and more. She has a brilliant mind. She remembers almost nothing of her life before October 1973. Every now and then, she recalls something of that lost period of her life with small details.

Her father left her after the accident, and she has not seen him since he left her and her mom. Her mom was unable to take care of her. She studied at an academy devoted to those with brilliant minds, and they also studied her.

She feels like she is at a turning point. She remembers bits and pieces of a road trip she took with her father when she was six.

At age 21, her mentor, Dr. Brock, is leaving the school, and she decides this is the perfect time to venture out into the world and out of her comfort zone. The doctor says she has abandonment issues. She has an acute fear of desperation and cannot seem to find hope for a good outcome. She processes the information and holds all the pain inside, talking to her father. The one who left fourteen years earlier. How deceiving memories can be.

It is time to find her father—the man who left her. Why? She has always wondered. She needs answers. She has no address, only a postmark. Penny sets out on a road trip to find her father and the clues they buried all those years ago in their final moments. She needs closure and possesses a solid need to face her fear of abandonment.

She and Travis, a starving artist she met at the mall (funny story), are two artistic minds who begin to travel to California (where the last card came from) with a woman named Fia. They run into all sorts of problems, dangers, and adventures. She soon learns she is out of her element and may get in over her head in this complicated world she has been sheltered from. She is intelligent but not worldly (street smart).

Will Penny find answers to what she seeks —happiness over or through tragedy?

Carter Wilson is a gifted, dynamic, creative writer whose stories are compelling, intriguing, and thought-provoking. From action, suspense, and mystery, THE FATHER SHE WENT TO FIND is unique, emotional, and intensely psychological, with opposing forces of joy and happiness, despair, fear, abandonment, and the unknown. Penny possesses a fierce drive to understand her past.

As we find in the story, Penny is an interesting character—intelligent and bright, book smart but not street smart. The story is told in first-person narrative, giving the reader a complete view of her thoughts.

A vast long-time fan of the author, THE FATHER SHE WENT TO FIND is a memorable and incredible road trip journey—Beautifully written, unpredictable, immersive, absorbing with well-developed characters, and a fascinating heroine to root for. It's a heartbreaking family drama, a wild ride, and a thriller with lots of heart.

I hope we see Penny again. I loved it, and it would be a great Father's Day novel and book club pick. Discussion questions included. I also enjoyed the Author's notes and inspiration. The novel would make a noteworthy movie.

AUDIOBOOK: I enjoyed reading the e-book and listening to the audiobook, narrated by Gina Rogers; delivering a superb performance— making the characters come alive!

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for an advanced reading and listening review copy.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: April 2, 2024
April 2024 Must-Read Books
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Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔽𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕊𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕕
𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝘀𝗼𝗻
Thriller
448 pages
Pub Date: April 2, 2024

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs
Penny is a savant, one of seventy-five in the entire world. She wasn’t born with it, though. A fall down the stairs changed her.

She is studied from then on, never going out into the world or learning social cues. She has no friends and has been a recluse, splitting her time between home and the clinic.

Now, as a young adult, she is on a wild ride as she takes off searching for her father.

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs
My favorite part of this book is watching from the outside to see Penny’s behaviors, gifts, and life decisions affected by her being a savant. I find this to be incredibly interesting. Her brain works so mysteriously.

Though I don’t know anything about savants, I enjoyed the nuances the author gave Penny.
The problems Penny and her travel companion skid in to keep the plot rolling along at a fast pace with plenty of action. It’s a tense ride that takes the reader to a surprising ending.

💕Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.

Isn't it ironic? Yes, The Father She Went To Find by Carter Wilson is absolutely ironic, in the way that only a psychological thriller with a character driven plot can be!

The idea for this book came to Wilson in the form of a female character, Penny, whom he thought about for months; it's clear that he developed her thoroughly, looking at every aspect of her personality in detail since she is such a fully formed entity. Penny has savant syndrome, meaning she is extremely intelligent, but also undeveloped socially. It was incredible to watch how she interacted with others on her quest to find her father, a man she hasn't seen since she was in a coma fourteen years ago.

I was constantly wondering where Penny's journey would take her, but instead of guessing, I just let the story unfold before me. The plot took many turns along the way, but none more shocking than how it ended! I could tell it was going to be this type of ending shortly before it unfolded, but watching it play out was a beautiful thing! This ending is perfection and I'm not sure I've ever encountered a finale that perfectly fit the main character and book so well!

I love what Wilson said about Penny's happiness in the Author's Note (especially related to the books ending). As a lover of character-based novels, Penny's story will be one that stays with me for awhile!

This audiobook is narrated by Gina Rogers and she did a phenomenal job embodying Penny. There was both empathy in her voice towards Penny, while still completely personifying the character. I really noticed the slight quietness that Rogers employed at times, emphasizing the importance of the specific scene.

I can't wait to read more from Wilson, after loving this one so much!

Thank you NetGalley, Kaye Publicity, Poisoned Pen Press and Dreamscape Media for the complimentary copies to read and review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this read. This was quite good. I have read Carter Wilson’s books before and I like his writing style and this one is no different. I like the short chapters and how he like to keep you reading with cliffhanger like chapters.

I enjoyed this book SO much! It gripped me immediately with the unique premise. It was action packed, dark, twisty, and absolutely thrilling. I couldn’t put it down. Definitely recommend

Spoiler free!

This was my first read by this author. I was intrigued by the title and the book description. I was intimidated at first because there were so many chapters, but the chapters were very short which made my heart happy. I loved the uniqueness of the MFC, Penny Bly. She lived a sheltered life and really put her smarts to the ultimate test by choosing to leave the institute and search for her father. I was not prepared for all the twists and turns and events that took place! I loved her honesty and snide comments/responses. The pacing of the book was perfect and the author did a great job at maintaining my attention which can be an obstacle because I am a mood reader. Penny remained in my head and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next or if she would find her father. The ending was really unexpected for me and a little emotional. I found myself questioning the end of the story and imagining my own ending. This was a five star read for me!

Thank you to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Penny’s rollercoaster of a story!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
An engaging, suspenseful novel with a unique plot about a trauma induced savant. However, it was
lacking in some character development and a particular discrepancy regarding the last birthday card affected my ability to be fully engrossed in the story. I loved the emotive ending.

My mind is completely blown. When I first started this book, I was beginning to wonder if I fell down the rabbit hole with Alice. I was scratching my head wondering if I was going to be able to read this book. Strange does not even begin to describe it. Then suddenly things got exciting, and I did not come up for air until I closed the final page. Now I sit here in completely awe at how this author captured my imagination and pulled me so far into this story.

Penny is definitely not your normal 21 year old girl. She is highly intellectual with an off the charts IQ. She has an eidetic memory, which means she never forgets anything she reads or sees. After a tumble down the steps of her home at age 7 and spending a week in a coma, she woke up to this new person. She has been sheltered her entire life, only staying at home with her mother or spending time at the special school she has been a part of for many years. Her only regret is that her father left her while she was in a coma. Her only contact with him is that he sends her a card every year on her birthday. On her 21st birthday, she decides she is going to find him. Penny, though highly intelligent, is not equipped to handle the world on her own. This is when the story gets good.

You are taken on a ride of epic proportions cross country to find a dad she has not seen since that fateful day. You will be wondering just how much trouble can one girl get herself into when bam something else will happen. However, Penny is not someone you want to play chess with. She is so far above the rest of humanity that she can see six moves ahead. She does not have the real world knowledge that the rest of us do., but you do not want to take her on in an IQ test. The ending was jaw dropping. I am still sitting here wondering what just happened. My only complaint and trigger for this book was the use of a four letter word that was used way too much, in my personal opinion, but this book is still worthy of my five stars because the plotline is fabulous.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoyed the short chapters, but the book read a little choppy and was sometimes all over the place. The plot had some good potential, but I don’t feel it was executed well.

This book did not work for me for several reasons.

Traumatic brain injuries lead to mysterious abilities

Mom pushed her down the stairs (at 7 mind you) yet she takes care of her mom

That was all within the first 50 pages and I felt that I had whiplash from everything going on. Just what?

The writing was also a bit odd with a lot of inner monologue happening which was frustrating and distracting.

I love action packed thrillers, but I didn’t think I was getting into a fantasy or sci-fi novel and just wasn’t prepared for how outlandish this was.

While I appreciate the opportunity to read this one, it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc. All thoughts are my own.

I will not be posting this review outside of NG.

EXCERPT: July 13, 1987
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Monday

I remember everything.
This isn't an exaggeration. As the few who know me would confirm, I'm not prone to hyperbole. And when I say I remember everything, I'm not talking about the events of this morning. Or yesterday. Or the whole of last week.
I remember everything since October 7, 1973.

ABOUT 'THE FATHER SHE WENT TO FIND': A road trip to find closure… or a reckless chase that could turn deadly?

Penny has never met anyone smarter than her. That's par for the course when you're a savant--one of less than one hundred in the world. But despite her photographic memory and super-powered intellect, there's one mystery Penny's never been able to solve: why did her father leave when she was in a coma at age seven, and where is he now?

On Penny's twenty-first birthday, she receives a card in the mail from him, just as she has every year since he left. But this birthday card is different. For the first time ever, there's a return address. And a goodbye.

Penny doesn't know the world beyond her mother's house and the special school she's attended since her unusual abilities revealed themselves, but the mystery of her father's disappearance becomes her new obsession. For the first time ever, she decides to leave home, to break free of everything that has kept her safe and use her gifts to answer the questions that have always eluded her. What Penny doesn't realize is she might not be able to outsmart a world far more complicated and dangerous than she'd ever imagined...

MY THOUGHTS: If there is one thing The Father She Went to Find by Carter Wilson reinforces, it's that intelligence doesn't always equal common sense.

The entire narrative is from Penny's point of view. A savant, she is determined to find her father who disappeared while she was aged seven and in a coma. The only clues she has to go on are the birthday cards she has received each year from different locations and a treasure map relating to a road trip the two of them took when she was aged six.

Penny hasn't really lived in the 'real world' since she woke from her coma with her new abilities. She has been isolated and protected in 'The Institute' (a nod to Stephen King?) only returning home to check on her alcoholic mother. She has no friends and the only person she feels close to is a doctor at the Institute - that is, until she meets Travis.

I have to admit to having been quite fascinated by this story. I didn't always like it, but it did fascinate me. It's a real mix of a tender coming-of-age story with a crime thriller with bad guys, car chases, guns and bodies. Surprisingly, it mostly works.

The ending isn't going to please everyone. Personally, I liked it.

I recommend you go into this read with no expectations. I went in expecting it to be a certain type of read, and it was nothing like I expected. This may have slightly affected my rating, and this is something I can think on and adjust.

I was lucky enough to receive both a digital and an audio ARC of The Father She Went to Find by Carter Wilson, and I honestly preferred the written to the audio. This is no reflection on the skills of narrator Gina Rogers who did a perfectly adequate job of the narration. It is just a personal preference with this book.

⭐⭐⭐.5

#TheFatherSheWenttoFind #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Born in New Mexico in 1970, Carter grew up primarily in Los Angeles before attending Cornell University in New York. He lived in Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Miami before moving to Boulder, Colorado in 1996. Throughout his life, Carter has journeyed the globe for both work and pleasure, and his travels have been a constant source of inspiration in his fiction.
Carter’s writing career began on a spring day in 2003, when an exercise to ward off boredom during a continuing-education class evolved into a 400-page manuscript. Since that day, Carter has been constantly writing.
Carter lives in Erie, Colorado in a Victorian house that is spooky but isn’t haunted…yet.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Dreamscape Media via NetGalley for providing both a digital and audio ARC of The Father She Went to Find written by Carter Wilson and narrated by Gina Rogers for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

The Father she Went to Find by Carter Wilson is due for publication 2nd April 2024.

This is going to be hard to explain but this is one of the few books that would have been better as a a movie. I say this because it would have been better with some way to move the story along that didn’t concentrate on this main character’s inner monologue and conversations with a dad she doesn’t remember but somehow has elevated in her mind. The story was good. It read very much like a first draft of a very young writer. I am not sure how to explain it better than that. This would have been one of those oddball on the road meets crazy people on a journey. Almost like Poker Face with a teenager who is not at all world wise.

Thank you so much to Poisioned Pen Press for the free book!

I was absolutely HOOKED on this from the moment I started reading this one! The first person narration caught my attention instantly and really made this impossible to put down. I basically read the the entire thing straight through.

I can't say too much without giving anything away and think it's best if readers go in blind, but suffice it to say things did not go the way I expected them to. When the major twist came, I was absolutely surprised and flabbergasted! The whole premise of this one felt fresh and original!

As a Wisconsinite, this gets bonus points for taking place in Eau Claire, WI!

I will say there was way too much cursing for my taste it almost felt like every other sentence and it became a distraction after a certain point.

Overall, I think this will be a huge hit!

3..5 stars rounded to four for GR

This will be available for purchase on April 5, 2024.