This was my third book by @kristenbirdwrites and she sure knows how to write a suspenseful mystery with something sinister looming. Beverly Hoffman is found dead in the Guadalupe River of her small Texas town. But surely she couldn’t have drowned in only two inches of water…

Beverly and her husband are well-known figures in their town, having cofounded a personal development company together, Genetive, Inc. As Nichole, Jenny, and Robin begin to expose the truth of what happened to Beverly, they begin to uncover the true intentions of Genetive.

The secrets and lies in this novel are in full force! I enjoyed the multiple POVs and the women banding together to get the answers they deserve. If you’re a fan of small town southern mysteries and culty books, you’ll want to check this one out!

The Hoffman's seem to own the tiny Texas town of Edenberg. They've lived there for generations, and now they are even more powerful because they have established a mega-successful self-help retreat center and pubishing company, Genetive. But when Beverly, the matriarch, is found drowned, that picture-perfect image is tarnished. The police dismiss it as accidental, but Nichole, a local teacher, her friend Jessica, a journalist, and Robin, Beverly's daughter in law, see it as a sinister murder and are determined to solve it. They put their lives in danger, as the NXVYM-like Genetive holds many secrets worth killing for. A great, twisty thriller with appealing characters.

Watch It Burn from Kristen Bird is the story of three women in a small Texas town who are all set on destroying the self-help guru who has taken over their entire world.

Told in multiple points of view, this book starts with a bang, when Nikki wakes up with a strange man in her bed. She takes off on her morning run and finds the body of Beverly. After calling the police, Nikki is met by her best friend, Jenny, who has recently returned to their hometown. Jenny is trying to solve her marriage as well as restart her journalism career at the local paper.

I enjoyed this book, overall, and found the story interesting. However, there was a ton of potential to expand the world of Genetive. I also felt that the plot wasn't sure which way it wanted to go. Plot points that were touched on: adoption, overseas adoption, book banning, a women's group that had its own agenda, conservative politics, self-help, marriage issues, divorce, sociological studies, racism....and that's only the start.

I realize this book and story could have been a 600-page epic, but I think some streamlining would be good.

Overall, I would still recommend it to read for fans of cults or domestic thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

🕵🏻 Three women work to uncover the scorching lies and scandal behind a self-help movement, igniting a powder keg of secrets that could blow their town apart.

👩🏻‍💻 A searing look at a community that has been overtaken by an idealistic man who wants everyone to live as he dictates; controlling school curriculum, media, women’s place as a wife and mother, men’s roles in the family, and demanding near perfection.

I loved the various POV, especially the Beverly chapters. There were several times I gasped at surprising reveals. Bird is the Queen of Southern Suspense…this is her darkest book yet and I loved it!

Highly recommend and I can’t wait to see what Kristen Bird comes up with next!

WATCH IT BURN is a multi-POV small town murder thriller full of secrets, a cultish company called Genetive, and the friendship between three women who are determined to find out how Beverly Hoffman could have drowned in just inches of water. My favorite part? The dead woman has a POV--and it is SO voicey and delightful (and dark. and moving. one part made me cry). This is a definite must-read for any thriller lovers!

WATCH IT BURN was a wild ride into Beverly's seemingly perfect hometown, until she is found dead in a river. Now things are not so perfect in this town and Beverly’s personal development company, Genetive, seems to be holding some serious secrets. I generally love multiple POV stories and this one has three. The best POV is from the deceased Beverly, she was actually my favorite character. This was a clever addition to the story! You can expect serious cult vibes from Genetive and this kept the creepy factor high. I really enjoyed this book and I hope you do also!

Many thanks to MIRA and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

In a small town shrouded in mystery, a woman of enigmatic origins was discovered lifeless under perplexing circumstances. The townsfolk knew little about her, and her sudden demise only deepened the intrigue surrounding her presence. Whispers of a hidden past and unanswered questions lingered as the community grappled with the mysterious circumstances surrounding the woman's untimely death. The investigation that ensued would unravel secrets that had long been concealed in the shadows of this enigmatic town.

So far I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by this author. I had no idea this had a cult element to it and I’m glad it did because it added an extra level of fun to the story.

The beginning does start out a bit slow (I’m an inpatient reader) but the payoff is worth it and the pacing does pick up toward the 2nd half of the book. So if you’re an inpatient reader like me…just chill it’s worth it.

I liked all of the various POVs esp the one from the person who got oofed. 😵 I feel like she’s the only character I really connected with. I liked reading about the bond she shared with Robin, a love of art and how that came to play out and push the story along, it was creative.

Genetive gave me Scientology vibes with how they sought out people of power to further their cause and how they dictated so much of their lives.

The twist at the middle and end I wasn’t expecting until it played out. I wanted more on that. Out of 2 particular characters who shall not be named.

I wanted a Christina epilogue to see her perspective too. Hmmm maybe a quick novella is in order…whatcha think Kristen?

Read this if you like:

Cults
Unreliable narrators
NDAs
Secrets

Watch It Burn grabbed me from the beginning and didn't put me down until I finished it on a cold, rainy day that begged for cozy reading. I discovered Kristen Bird at the library when I found I Love It When You Lie on the new release shelf. I flew through it as well, loving the three main characters and the interwoven mystery in a small Southern town. Bird brought all of what I loved in that book to Watch It Burn.

This novel is full of flawed, relatable female characters who are connected by their small hometown but very different. And now they find themselves connected by receiving mysterious postcards from a dead woman. And not just any dead woman, the dead wife of the richest man in town (Mr. Hoffman) who has managed to drown in a few inches of water. The small town Texas setting is a character in itself, and while she's also developing these fantastic characters Bird also manages to create an absolutely disturbing atmosphere as the MCs attend a retreat hosted by the rich Mr. Hoffman and his company Genetive.

I want to tell you SO much about the vibes in this book, but I think that would take some of the fun away. Let's just say Bird has a talent for writing complex women and for writing despicable men. I really don't think you should miss this one.

This is my favorite Kristen Bird book so far! Watch It Burn grabbed my attention from the start. If you like small town settings, strong women characters, and twists and turns, you will enjoy this story.

The characters were well developed and told through Jenny, Nicole, and Beverly’s point of view. I especially enjoyed Beverly’s story. Bravo!

Thank you Kristen Bird and NetGalley for allowing me to read it in advance. I can’t wait to see what else Kristen writes!

This may be the perfect thriller. I loved the multiple POVs and the writing style. I was hooked from the first chapter. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

It was early one morning when the body of sixty-five-year-old Beverly was found drowned in the Guadalupe River.

Nichole, an elementary school teacher discovers the body. After calling the police, she calls her best friend, journalist Jenny. Jenny is trying to revive her marriage, and her career, and while the authorities ruled Beverly’s death accidental, Jenny believes otherwise.

Beverly belonged to a tight-knit community, a personal development company called Genetive Inc, alongside her influential husband. Something sinister has been smoldering beneath the surface, and Genetive is at the center of it all.

This was an interesting read. I did find it a little hard to get into because it was pretty slow to start, but I ended up being glad I stuck with it. I was anticipating it to be a little more cult heavy, but I don’t even think that I would consider this to be a cult cult, more like cult adjacent. I found the concept to be creepy and eerie. The small-town aspect added to the atmosphere and made for an interesting setting. I enjoyed the points of view, but I did find them to be lacking a little depth. My favorite point of view was from Beverly, mainly because it was written postmortem. That was an added fun element that I really enjoyed.

I wasn’t expecting this book to have the triggers that it did, so they took me by surprise. While there are more the biggest ones for me were potential infant death and the death of children.

Thank you so much to Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA, and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded to 4

So I normally don't read anything that has to do with a cult aspect, but given how much I loved last years, I Love It When You Lie, I knew that I had to read this one. Set in a small town where one influential family owns just about every business in town (and freedom of the press is a thing of the past), three women must work together to solve the murder of the wife of the most influential man in town. 

While the cult aspects were hard to read, those are easily skimmed to read the best parts of the book. A must for lovers of suspense and mysteries set in the South.

This didn’t do much for me. I found the characters to be pretty one dimensional and oblivious to anything outside their immediate bubble. I can see how the ending was intended to be validating, but it just came off as poorly thought through.

Wow I loved this one. The author writes from multiple POV but what makes this book unique is that one of the 3 POV is from the deceased. The POV's come from three women- 1) Nichole- a single woman of color in her 40's who was adopted as a child and living in a predominately white small city in Texas. She is an elementary school teacher who lost her sister in a car accident a few months prior. 2) Jenny- a news reporter who just started back at her job after being a stay at home mom and discovering that her husband had an affair. Jenny is chosen to report on the death of Beverly and decides to go undercover at a "weekend getaway" at Genetive- George Hoffmans business- to see if she can find answers to what really happened to the deceased. 3) Beverly Hoffman- the wife of the most influential man in their small city who was found dead in a river. She writes "postmortem" and gives us insight into the behind the scenes of present day- the night of the flood, the night of the fire, what her marriage was really like.
These 3 women help you as the reader to discover the secrets of the town, what was really going on behind the scenes, and answers to the mysteries in each of their lives. I could not put this one down wanting to uncover all of the secrets myself! What happened to Nicholes sister? Why is George Hoffman so influential and why is everyone following his business and way of life? Will Jenny uncover what really happened to Beverly in the river?

There are SO many story lines to follow and the author does it beautifully- leaving you guessing the whole way and putting together the pieces of the puzzle yourself. What really happened to the kids who died in the camp flood? Who is sending the cryptic postcards of art with messages? Is George a cult leader? After marrying into the influential Hoffman family has Robin been brainwashed? Who started the fire?

TW: alcoholism, death, cult vibes, loss, mental health. Even though this book involves death, I didn't find it graphic or gory. No sex scenes.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on 3/12/2024!

The two main women in the book have the same voice. It was hard to follow who was speaking, Jenny, or Nichole – because they were so similar. Also, whenever it was Beverley’s chapter – why did it have to announce that it was one week postmortem and the night of the fire? Each Beverly chapter really had nothing to do with her even being dead, or the fire.

On page 207, it states “Nonfiction” Jenny asked – when she is explaining what type of writing she is doing. I’m fairly certain this is a statement, and that she was not questioning the group on the style of writing she does. Nichole is sometimes referenced as “Nikki” but she isn’t typically called that, so why is it even in the book?

It was challenging to finish this book, as it did not capture my interest.

I love a cult style story. This one was definitely a wild ride. There were so many twists throughout but I really enjoyed the women in this story. I think Nichole and Jenny along with Robin were a great trio. I loved the adoption aspect as well as the meaningful friendships. Nichole and Jenny infiltrating the cult was great while also attempting to solve a murder made this book. I love strong female characters. I loved the multiple POVs including the POV of Beverley from beyond the grave. That was very unique. I did hope for a little bit more from the ending but the twist was a good one for sure.

I really enjoyed the multiple points of view, the cult theme and the slow burn pace. Everything flowed nicely, and the suspense was on point. Very enjoyable.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This isn't your average murder mystery – there's a whole shady underworld lurking in the cozy town of Edenberg, TX. To unravel the chaos, you've gotta hit the brakes at the top. Getting to the bottom of Beverly Hoffman's saga means diving into the tangled connections of Nichole, Jenny, and Robin. Nichole and Jenny, lifelong buddies, are wrestling with some serious personal baggage. Nichole's in the thick of mourning her sister, Christina, while Jenny's navigating the wreckage of her marriage. Together, they're on a mission to uncover what went down right before Nichole stumbled onto Beverly's lifeless body in that shallow river.

Gotta admit, as much as it pains me, this story was a bit too on the nose. Flipping through my notes, I pieced together the gaps and called the ending as early as page 174. Didn't stop me from chugging along, just an observation.

The main deal is figuring out who offed Beverly Hoffman, but within that, there are all these distracting little Easter eggs throwing you off the scent. Don't get me wrong, I like a good twist, but I wish there was less fluff and more mystery.

Kristen Bird understands how readers digest words on a page, the writing was spot on - I have no complaints. Dialogue was perfect and timely. There weren't excessive words where they shouldn't be and, she painted a picture of the scene very well. Pick it up, you won't be disappointed.

This story takes us to a small Texas town where the veneer of a self-help movement conceals a powder keg of secrets. The novel follows three determined women—Nichole Miller, Jenny Martin, and Robin—who join forces to unveil the truth behind the drowning of sixty-five-year-old Beverly Hoffman in the Guadalupe River, a death initially dismissed as a mere slip and fall.

As elementary school teacher Nichole stumbles upon Beverly's body, she instinctively senses foul play and reaches out to her best friend, journalist Jenny Martin. The two women, fueled by a desire for justice, enlist the help of Beverly's daughter-in-law, Robin, to peel back the layers of deception surrounding the beloved woman's death. What unfolds is a suspenseful journey into the heart of a community and a self-help movement, Genetive, Inc., that conceals dark secrets.

The novel skillfully blends elements of mystery, scandal, and Southern intrigue, creating a tapestry of tension that keeps us engaged from the first page to the last. The characters, each grappling with their own challenges and motivations, add depth to the narrative. As the women dig deeper, they uncover a sinister underbelly beneath the picturesque facade of their town.

The author's vivid descriptions of the Texas setting contribute to the atmospheric tension, creating a backdrop that mirrors the simmering secrets at the heart of the story. The dynamics of a tight-knit community entangled in the web of Genetive, Inc., amplify the suspense as the women unravel the scorching lies that threaten to tear Edenberg apart.

This is a riveting suspense novel that delivers on both the mystery and Southern storytelling fronts. The unraveling of secrets and the pursuit of justice by the trio of women make for a compelling narrative, offering readers a front-row seat to a town teetering on the edge of revelation. If you love Southern mysteries with a blend of scandal and suspense, this novel is a must-read, showcasing a gripping tale that lingers in our mind long after we've finished reading.

I just reviewed Watch It Burn by Kristen Bird. #WatchItBurn #NetGalley