I had to sit with this one for a while to figure out what I felt. Others have commented that this is a slow burn and yes--it certainly is. Maybe knowing that going into it is a good thing. If you're looking for a fast-paced procedural, this probably will leave you frustrated. But if you're interested in character-driven stories that march on the line between literary and mystery, then the one might be just right for you.

After Jess and Liz's mother disappears when they're young, the two grow in different directions. Liz stays home and resides in the family house while Jess gets out of there, looking for something to take the place of her early loss. Then Liz calls to say their mother's remains have been found--and Jess comes home to confront her past and her present.

The book delves deeply into relationships between women--all kinds of relationships. And it expires grief, love, and loss. Ultimately, I think this was a very effective book. It's not always easy to read, but the payoff is worthwhile. I'll be looking for other work by this new novelist. I think she shows great promise.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Knife River by Justine Champine. Jess and Liz are sisters whose mother disappeared 15 years ago. The sisters have grown apart. Liz stayed back in the town where they grew up, Jess left for the city and tried to move on. When they get a call that their mother’s body has been found, Jess goes home and the sisters try to figure out what has happened. The story follows them as their relationship grows, and as they try to solve the mystery of what happened to their mother. #kniferiver #justinechampine #netgalley #bookstagram #lovetoread #advancedreadercopy #tbr #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #booklover #readallday #takeapagefrommybook

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.

While KNIFE RIVER wasn't the page-turning thriller I expected, I still loved this solid literary fiction novel. The story begins with the discovery of bones and a skull buried in the woods, believed to be the remains of a woman who went missing 15 years earlier. The narrator, her daughter, is a lost soul who jumps from girlfriend to girlfriend looking for a real home. Once the skeleton is found, she heads back to her hometown to be with her older sister Liz. They aren't as close as they should be for daughters who have lost both of their parents. As they wait for some answers, including how she died and if there is someone to blame.

I have to admit, as much as I was drawn in by the story, it was slow moving for me and I often had a hard time wanting to pick the book up. It's the definition of a slow burn, and the cozy small-town vibes I was drawn to via the cover just weren't there for me. It's a pretty depressing book, with sad characters and not much optimism. The writing is beautiful though. It's just not the page-turner I was anticipating. I think it could have used a little editing, with the ending being solid but happening too fast. A really well-written book though, by an author I will continue to follow.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)

Knife River by Justine Champine is a mystery/suspense drama that dives into the ripple effects of a family tragedy on two sisters. Jess leaves the small town of Knife River, searching for herself, while her sister holds onto hope for their mother’s return. The story spans over a decade, and while the premise drew me in, I found myself struggling with the back-and-forth timelines at times.

This was my first read by Champine, and I’ll definitely be checking out more of her work! Unfortunately, this one just missed the mark for me.

Big thanks to #NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC! 🙏📚❤️

Jess was only 13 when her mother left for a walk and never returned. Glued to her older sister Liz's side, the two girls poured over maps and every possible suspect in town in an attempt to solve their mother's disappearance, only to turn up dead ends. Jess left the town of Knife River the second she turned 18, drifting aimlessly from girlfriend to girlfriend in hopes to put her past behind her. That is, until she receives a call from her sister years later that her mother's remains have been discovered. Her return to Knife River is like stepping into a time capsule--their childhood home and the town remain frighteningly untouched by time, and her sister has grown even more obsessive over their mother's case. Jess regains contact with her old high school girlfriend, while her understanding of her past and her mother's past becomes increasingly complicated.

I absolutely loved this book. It is definitely a slow burn, and not for those looking for a thriller with crazy twists and satisfying endings. If anything, I found this read as more of a literary fiction/crime novel than a thriller and I think it should be marketed as such. Although distinctly different, this book does have echoes of Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, which is one of my favorite novels of all time, and has hints of Gothic influences throughout. Although slow (I do think the pacing could use a bit of work, especially around the 60% point), this book is definitely worth the read! It is a beautiful character study of two sisters and a small town as they grapple to understand a situation they never wanted to be placed in. There is also lesbian representation, which I enjoyed! I find they are often tokenized in crime/thriller media, so it was nice to see an example where this didn't happen. While the ending is not necessarily satisfying or what the average reader may have wanted, I found it to be realistic and sad yet hopeful. I found it the perfect read for curling up on a rainy fall day with a nice candle!

I felt that the main characters for this novel were well-developed and interesting. Liz's and Jess' stories definitely stirred up several different emotions and helped them come across as very "real" people. I was disappointed that the storyline behind Natalie's disappearance and demise was not as developed, and seemed to have an abrupt and lackluster outcome. I was pleased with the ending of the story, however, especially Liz's sojourn into a new city and set of circumstances.

For me, the theme that jumps to my mind to describe this book is abortions. Not the medical, political fetus kind, but the aborted lives, futures and dreams.
Rural American towns are very much a Hotel California. People want to leave, try to leave, some even do leave. And yet they are always pulled back in somehow. Having read this just after The Bear, the sister relationship was poignant to me and yet it is hardly even a focus of this book. It just is the family dynamic.
I really appreciated the author’s portrayal of what the Me Too movement really takes away - the chances, hopes, dreams and ambitions of too many women. All the “nice guys” that stand by and let things happen or the townspeople who just accept that’s the way things are. These are the true villains who chase everyone away from town. Everyone must either conform to a “normie” model citizen and hide any hint of creativity, intelligence or differentness or risk the consequences. And so the cycle repeats and repeats. Even by the end of the book, it feels like all the loose ends have been tied up in a neat little bow… and then you realize that the snag in the fabric is still there, still running, still separating all the seams and tearing away the foundations of the town.
Characters like the main character are difficult to write. I don’t think it was a perfect job here. I really enjoy these types of people (in fiction and in real life). It’s just that the inner monologue and introspection is not true to form for a character like Jess. If she knew herself that well and could expound on her feelings and emotions so succinctly, she wouldn’t be who she is. I also don’t think I’d enjoy the story as much from anyone else’s perspective either though.

A literary mystery that pulls you into the life of two sisters searching for answers in their mother's disappearance. The prose is captivating and the scene-building encompasses the reader in the grief and confusion and stagnancy of their lives. Haunting and heart-wrenching and completely enthralling, this novel is a must read.

This slow burn mystery is told from Jess’s POV and ends with a bang. I struggled to connect with Jess in the beginning but as the story unfolded, her decisions made sense and she came into focus. I loved the sister relationship for its honesty and uncomfortableness and for how it changed as the two women became reacquainted with each other. This story explores the love between daughters, sister, friends, and lovers and how grief can shape a life. It’s an emotional journey that ends with a satisfying conclusion.

This book went in a much different t direction than I anticipated. I was expecting this to be more of a thriller, but I was surprised to find that this was more of a mystery intertwined with family drama. I loved how the relationship between the two sisters were portrayed, and how the death of their mother impacted each of them. This was a slow burn, which I normally don’t mind. However, I felt that this book did drag out longer than it needed to. This is the only reason why this was not a five star for me, but this could easily be a five star for someone else!

3.5/5

I wasn't really sure how I wanted to rate Knife River by Justine Champine and I still don’t know if I like my rating. This is a character driven storyline that reminded me a lot of In Cold Blood by the beloved Truman Capote. I didn’t like that book because of how slow and over-the-top descriptive it was, which was the vibe I got from this one except different? I liked the mystery element but that isn’t really as front and center as the character study of Jess and the bonds of sisterhood after a tragedy.

I got to listen to the audiobook which is narrated by Jennifer Pickens, and she is definitely what kept me going. Slow, character-driven books aren’t always my jam and without her this may have been a DNF. However, I am really glad I finished because the ending completely shocked me. I can’t say it made the slowness worth it, but it was up there with twists I didn’t see coming. I also have to admit that Champine’s writing is very expressive and sharp; something I took into consideration when giving Knife River a star rating.

I first need to address expectations with this book because I think expectations, in this case, have the potential to kill it for some readers.
When a book kicks off with a disappearance and then finding the remains, I think it sets up expectations of a mystery or a thriller…or at least something a bit more fast-paced. That is NOT the case with this book. BUT - credit to the publisher for calling this Literary Fiction in Edelweiss.
This story is quiet and not much happens - but, that’s what I was in the mood for at the time.
The writing is really good.
At 56%, I was actually undecided on what the overall point of the story was or if I liked it.
Ultimately, this felt like a quiet story about sisters. And, their mother’s murder is just something they’re dealing with, but not the central point of the story.
We get to watch their relationship grow and evolve as they’re brought together and there is hope in this story. And, I liked that.
I’m intrigued by this debut author and will absolutely read her next book!

Knife River (2 1/2 stars)is a bit of mystery and dysfunctional sisters trying to cope with their mothers disappearance.
Jess was a child when her mother disappeared and had to rely on her older sister, Liz, to take care of her.
Liz and her mother had an argument the morning of her disappearance. Liz’s world comes to a stop and she has to give up her dreams of college and getting out of town to care for her little Jess. Fast forward present day Liz is still emotionally traumatized and having difficulty coping with moving on.
Jess left Knife River immediately after graduation and plans to push push forward. She never kept anything stable. She moved around frequently after breakups and would move onto another girlfriend and wherever that took her.
Jess returns home when Liz calls and tells her they found bones and think it’s their mothers remains. Once home Jess finds herself in the small town vibes that the people haven’t changed and their attitudes/beliefs/values are stuck in the 1970’s.
This book started off strong, mediocre middle, and little twist at end but not jaw dropping.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/The Dial Press for the ARC read in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed this book — it was definitely more literary than mystery, but I really liked getting to know Jess and Liz, and the author’s writing managed to be both gripping and beautiful. A great read, plus a satisfying ending.

The writing was good but the story was painfully slow and the characters very unlikeable--I really had to force myself to stick with this book.

While for me this was a case of wrong expectations (I thought I was reading a page turning mystery), if you go in with the right expectations this could be for you. If you are looking for a slow burn, character driven, small town story, this could be for you.

For me, this novel felt a bit slow (or at least slower than I expect for a mystery). It also explores relationships (family lovers, neighbors, etc) but it felt that some of these lingered a bit too long, and resulted in losing the plot line. Although my attention felt divided, I did like both---the exploration of complicated relationships and the plot of two daughters wrecked by their mothers disappearance many years ago and the body that is discovered that might be her's. I think there is great potential here and the writer is quite talented, but maybe tried to do a bit too much.

Listed as a mystery, this story does indeed have a mystery at its core. However, it’s so much more a character study, particularly of Jess, the main character, who is also the narrator.. Her inner workings, thoughts, physical reaction to stresses are all finely detailed. The setting of her childhood home, the home of Eva (girlfriend of her youth), and even of parking lots and the police station are detailed - giving this reader the same physical reactions as Jess. You can see, smell, and almost touch each location in the story..

As much as I love detail, this was almost too much detail. It became repetitive. Several times I considered jumping ahead - just get to it. At 47% I assumed I was near the end.

The things I’ve criticized, however, are also the things I loved. I felt I knew many of the characters personally. I carried the feeling of the story around with me, even when not reading. I understand this is a debut novel - I will definitely look for this author’s next book.

Round up to 3.5

This smart, literary thriller had me from page one. Sisters, a missing mother who turned their lives upside down, this was just delicious.