Already calling this my favorite book of the year! I could not out this down and loved all 600 pages!! Patch is a new favorite book character for me! I was very pleased with the ending and I could not stop thinking about this book after I finished it! Loved loved loved it!!

It's been said time and again - this is a modern classic in the making. I loved walking through life over the years with these characters. The way love and trauma and their impacts on every day life are portrayed felt very real. This is a story I want to read again.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #CrownPublishing for a free copy of #AllTheColorsOfTheDark by Chris Whitaker. All opinions are my own.

5 luxurious stars

From the publisher: “From the New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End comes a soaring thriller and an epic love story that spans decades.” Full of tragedy with showers of hope. Evil exists but love triumphs. Whitaker’s characters are fantastic, the pacing and plot are excellent, the writing is touching and visual.

Whitaker’s writing is rich. “In the embers of summer…” ”A sunset fired colors that splintered over the water.” Good authors can describe worlds with few words. “Thoroughly beaten, she looked a woman who had outlived her child.”

This book is long, but it Never bogged down. Chapters are short and I finished the book quicker than most, because it was so good. I love that it is a love story, a missing person story, a serial killer story, a family and friendship story. Not many authors can put that together successfully. I hope that this turns into a mini-series, as more people need to read it! It is one of the very few books that I will reread.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Crown Publishing and Net Galley for this Advanced Reader E-Copy of All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. Pub date: June 25, 2024.

Wow what an unforgettable genre-transcending read. It’s a beautifully written coming-of-age, thriller, suspense, romance book. If you loved The Lovely Bones or liked the shows Mare of Easttown and Broadchurch, then this book is for you. It’s also got elements of The Notebook and some parts reminiscent of Demon Copperhead.

What worked for me:

-Characters with well-developed story arcs, allowing for attachment and complexity to marinate
-Patch, Saint and Misty: their life stories of friendship, unrequited love, platonic love and everlasting love
-Exploration of trauma and survivors’ guilt
-Strong female protagonist and the struggle of challenging archaic societal values and ideologies
-That underdog story trope with moments of defeat, triumph, loss and redemption
-Had legit goosebumps after one of the plot revelations - absolutely BRILLIANT writing (riddles that you didn’t know were riddles😲)
-Clear distinct timelines that offer references to past events that were easy to follow

I must admit that I initially thought the pacing of this book was too slow for my liking. I was struggling to keep going after the 20%ish mark and actually ended up reading 2 books in between. The darkness was not my friend (definitely needs a claustrophobia trigger warning). But when the book got into the adolescent years of the main characters, I could not put it down. There were so many surprises even after the 70% mark that this book became addictive. It turned into a riveting fast-paced read, a puzzle revealing itself to you in doses that could not keep you satiated.

Overall, a 5⭐️ read that took my breath away *BIG SIGH*🥹

Whitakers unique story telling in short, concise bursts of information keeps you guessing until the end. There are always so many characters, details, locations that make such a robust story that begins in a small, nowhere town. Following Patch and Saint throughout their lives, as they try to unravel the mystery of the missing girls both breaks your heart and warms it at the same time. Everyone in the story plays such an important part of understanding right vs wrong, horror and heartache, love and compassion. All the colors of the dark reminds you that life has so much more going on than what may be seen at the surface and everyone is living something differently than what may be perceived.

One of my favorite authors and for good reason. Chris Whitaker writes beautifully and writes stories that stay with you long after that last page is turned. Expect no less from this book. Buy it!

I love it when a book like this comes along. There’s a path of stepping stones in my book-reading brain. The books that reach me, grip my heart, affect my day, and will earn their own stepping stone. This book has achieved that, and to the point, I hesitate to continue my travels.
Saint is living with her grandmother in a small Missouri town. Saint’s parents died years earlier, so all they have is each other. And Saint is not your typical little girl. She’s rough and tough, doesn’t worry about appearances, could care less about schedules and demands, loves her bee hives, and has one favorite friend. Patch is an outsider like Saint. Small, a bit weak, and has only one functioning eye. He’s convinced himself he’s a pirate; it makes his difference easier to explain. Patch and Saint use their imaginations and enjoy every hour of every day. Until one afternoon when Patch foils an attempted kidnapping and is taken instead. His chances are very slim. There have been other kidnappings over the years; young girls leave and never return, and there’s blood and Patch’s eyepatch where he was last seen. The years that follow that day are not what a reader would expect. The author threw out the boilerplate and created a whole new world evolving around missing children, growing up scarred, being in unrequited love, sacrificing for others, and accepting the crappy hand you are dealt in life.
This book is so much more than a thriller, a mystery, a saga about kidnapped girls. It’s a study of human nature, developing characters, and the torture of time. Sit down with this book. Read a few pages. Do yourself the huge blessing of living with the lives Chris Whitaker has created.
Thanks so much to Crown Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is June 25, 2024.

This is a case of “it’s not you it’s me” because this is the second book I read from the author and I just can’t point what it is but the best way I can describe is that I feel like a read a different book from everyone that loved it. So many great reviews but it was just ok for me. A bit chunk could’ve been cut. The ending was my favorite part because I love happy endings.

Title: All the Colors of the Dark
By: Chris Whitaker

Genre:
Literary Fiction, Saga, Multigenerational, Mystery
(This is a character driven saga which spans several years, not to be confused with a suspenseful plot driven novel.)

Red Flags:
Abduction, Trauma, Loss, Murder

Favorite Quotes:
“Best education you can get,” he said, “See through someone else’s eyes and you understand more of everything.”

‘Maybe when we pray we’re not asking for intervention. We’re just reminding ourselves of the things that matter. You screw up and ask forgiveness of yourself. Someone loses their way, and you search your own mind for guidance to help them.”

“Grief is a part of life. It’s the unknown that truly ruins us.”

Summary:
Saint and Patch are relatable, childhood friends, who the reader will remember long after the story is over.

Patch is in the right place at the wrong time…the woods, he sees it, and it isn’t right, what should he do?

The man has taken an only child, an affluent girl named Misty. Patch chooses to muster up his courage, take action, and goes after the girl. The result of attempting to save the girl begins the premise for this literary saga, a slippery slope of cause and effect decisions, which alter the course of all the characters drawn into the suspenseful literary novel.

Review:
This is by far the hardest review I’ve ever written! This is my first novel by Chris Whitaker. I was under the impression that it was a suspenseful mystery or thriller. However, it is not! It is a very well written, literary fiction novel, coming in at a whopping 608 pages. The beginning of the novel started off really well for me and I was thoroughly enjoying it. Then it S-L-O-W-E-D way down…and dragged on for me, parts of the middle I was so frustrated and confused. I stopped reading it.
Then after reading all the great reviews…I thought what is wrong with me...so I purchased the audio. I thought it would help me follow along better and I would see what everyone else was talking about!

However, it still didn’t do it for me…until about the last 100 pages. Then out of nowhere the plot picked up, and I was engrossed. Here’s the problem, if I’m going to read a 600 page book, it should entertain me the entire time! I have a strong love of reading and I am a believer in a DNF. It took me a month to read and finish this novel. That is unheard of for me, so as I've contemplated how to rate "All the Colors of the Dark. I decided that I would give it 3.5 stars and round up to 4.

Why round to a four star? Chris Whitaker is very talented with words, still creates suspense with unpredictable twists, and the end is emotionally beautiful. I know I am a true outlier on this one, but I can say I finished it. Just because I struggled with this read, doesn’t mean you will. So, if you are contemplating reading “All the Colors of the Dark,” see my recommendations below.

I would recommend this book to:
- Anyone who loves literary fiction.
- A novel that spans generations.
- If you liked, The Covenant of Water
- If you liked, Demon Copperhead

Thank you Chris Whitaker, Crown Publishing, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#allthecolorsofthedark
#chriswhitaker
#crownpublishing
#reluctantreaderreads
#advancedreadercopies
#netgalleyreviews #netgalley

Heartbreaking and hopeful, this novel will mesmerize you until the very end.

Patch is a young boy living on the edge with his single mother in Missouri. Saint is a young girl living with her grandmother trying to figure out life. The two are friends in a town where they are the outcasts. One day, Patch helps a young woman escape an abductor and disappears. Saint never gives up trying to find him. When Patch is finally found, nothing is the same for either of them. As the two of them try to make sense of what has happened and navigate growing up, life has its way of throwing curve balls. An amazing cast of characters, incredible settings, this novel will break you up and put you back together.

The pirate and the beekeeper will stay with you long after you finish this book

Sorry but I tried to get into this book on 2 ocassions...and failed each time. Forgot the review must be longer. Had no interest in any of the characters.

Literary Saga for sure. Wanted to love this but sadly for me, it didn’t happen.

Truly such potential, the story of a one eyed boy called Patch and a girl named Saint but oh my geez the middle of this book dragged so much. I wanted to stop, felt invested, so many rave reviews, kept with it and the ending did keep it from being two stars but still very disappointing overall.

Spans numerous years and eras of lifestyle.

Random short chapters that you’d read and be like well what the heck does that have to do with anything, by the time it was pertinent information you might have forgotten you read it……

Definitely should/could have been 300 pages shorter.

Plenty of characters and really not much side stories going on.

Anyway I realize I’m in the minority and okay with that. Really enjoyed We begin at the end and will definitely try more by the author. Loved the cover.

Thanks to Netgalley for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.5
This book was good, but also had some things that I struggled with. Let me attempt to explain:

The good:
1. Beautiful character development spanning many years.
2. A long mystery that was slowly weaved together with many breadcrumbs. A very satisfying conclusion.
3. The relationships within the book were compelling.
4. Short and sweet chapters.

The struggle:
1. While the writing was well done, I found it difficult to concentrate and it felt a bit like a slog to get through the 600 pages (I stopped and started multiple times).
2. This book felt more like a literary fiction than a mystery. I was completely into it at the beginning but it took a long time to solve. It was a slow and steady walk through the mystery.
3. Not a book to listen to on audio because there are multiple plot points that were alluded to and never told and by the next chapter you had to put the pieces together to know what happened in the previous chapter-this was hard to follow on audio.
4. Again, it was too long.

While this wasn't my favorite book, I still enjoyed it. It was just difficult to keep my attention. I'll definitely read the authors next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the gifted e-arcofthis book.

This was my first read from Chris Whitaker, and it did not disappoint. All the Colors of the Dark is an exquisitely written thriller of love, loss, and hope with characters who feel deeply human because being human is messy and beautiful. Thank you, Shelf Awareness and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review All the Colors of the Dark.

This novel by Chris Whitaker has a TON of buzz on Bookstagram and other social media platforms. For GREAT reason. He is a master storyteller that will take your heart and squeeze it with his beautiful prose. At the core of this touching and intense story is Patch Macauley, a local boy born with one eye, who turns his difference into a symbol of strength. His brave act of saving a rich family's daughter from being kidnapped sparks a series of events that deeply connect him with those around him.

Whitaker mixes genres easily, using a missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, and a heartfelt love story. The characters in "All the Colors of the Dark" are vividly portrayed and heart wrenchingly unforgettable. From Saint, who never stops searching for her lost friend, to Misty, the girl Patch saves who has her own secrets, each character adds complexity to the story.

Whitaker's writing is vivid, painting the American landscape with striking clarity and drawing readers into the time period. His use of short chapters and concise, compelling sentences drives the story forward, making it hard to put down. I found myself immersed and too busy reading to cook for my family!

The novel also deeply explores the ripple effects of trauma and the various ways people deal with loss and fear. Patch’s transformation from a bullied boy to a celebrated artist highlights the theme of change, while Saint’s career in law enforcement emphasizes the moral complexities of seeking justice.

"All the Colors of the Dark" is more than just a thriller; it is a literary masterpiece that captures the essence of human vulnerability and strength, making it a standout read of 2024. This is a novel that demands to be read, shared, and remembered. GET THIS BOOK and read it with your book club.

Welcome back We Begin At The End fans. It’s been a long, but truly worthwhile wait. This dark and sometimes gritty thriller will have you hooked from the very beginning. The characters are so genuine and pure you can’t help but want to love them. The devastating effects of your first love, heartbreak, trauma. and a serial killer on top of that immerses you in the lives of Patch and Saint. This book was an incredible read. Grace paints us such beautiful backgrounds. Saints commitment and loyalty are unending. This book had a few parts I gasped out loud. Highly recommend!!

3.5 stars for me.

Whitaker offers several interconnected storylines, and while each one individually appealed to me, I felt a growing lack of connection to the characters as the tales melded into another: young friendship, serial killer, outlaw search, small-town intrigue, and longtime mysteries revealed.

Chris Whitaker's novel All the Colors of the Dark builds a story of a deep friendship between two young outcasts in small-town Monta Clare, Missouri: Patch, a pirate-playing young man missing one eye, whose mother is unreliable and a substance abuser; and Saint, a tomboy raised by her fearless grandmother.

A kidnaper and serial killer intrudes on the quiet community and directly impacts Patch and Saint. The horrifying crimes seems to be motivated by religious fanaticism, and both Patch and Saint's futures are shaped by their ties to the darkly disturbing events.

I adored the early building of the deep connection and affection between Saint and Patch. And I was intrigued by the disparate-seeming story that soon emerges, beginning with the premise of a serial killer whose actions haunt our main characters and whose horrifying spectre looms over them.

There's yet another somewhat separate-feeling story of an outlaw, and a study on prison life, as well as an extended look at a life spend in law enforcement and seeking justice. There are deep betrayals, long-term mysteries, and, finally, many revealed truths (some of which you may anticipate, including the biggies). Each of these storylines would be one I'm interested in, and Whitaker offers a fascinating interconnectedness between them.

But the storytelling frequently felt scattered to me, with overly dramatic moments, abrupt statements that are seemingly meant to add impact, and what felt like self-conscious attempts to be offbeat. Characters frequently offer grand speeches to each other about how the world works, and these didn't feel genuine or likely to me.

A key character gives up everything to relentlessly seek out a dreamlike possibility of something that might be real, and this didn't sit comfortably with me after the early devotion illustrated between our main protagonists and the character growth evidenced in the meantime. This character's youthful romantic relationship, whose impact becomes pivotal in some ways, also didn't feel real to me.

Yet the cast of characters is colorful, and I enjoyed the time I spent with them.

I received a prepublication edition of this title courtesy of NetGalley and Crown Publishing.

Chris Whitaker is also the author of We Begin at the End, a novel I adored.

To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see All the Colors of the Dark.

What a beautiful story with such dark subject matter. Characters are written so richly, and the twist was never something I had suspected. Just in time with our local art fair book display

Sometimes, when you really love a book, it's hard to write a review of it. This is how it is for me with All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. This book is over 600 pages, but I didn't want it to end. The story takes place in Missouri in 1975, Two best friends, Patch and Saint, are each a little bit odd, but they've got each other and that's enough for them. Tragedy strikes one day and separates them. What happens from there is an epic tale spanning decades. This story is part mystery, part thriller, and many parts friendship and found family. There are some great twists and turns but what sticks with me is the prevailing theme of devotion woven throughout the story. The characters in this book will be living in my head for a very long time. 5 stars for All the Colors of the Dark.

Huge thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for a review copy of All the Colors of the Dark.

A unique journey, spanning decades. A similar reading experience to that found in The Gold Finch. 10/10 recommend for those who gravitate towards character driven plots.