Buried Road by Katie Tallo

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early.

This story follows Gus- Augusta and Bly , being told from a child’s POV, where they are trying to follow the path of what happened to Gus’ fiancé Howard.
The story is twisty and interesting as there are many investigation pieces to be put together by these two to find the answer

This book is the third in a series however it was a good standalone.

I enjoyed the story, especially the mother-daughter mystery-solving duo. I felt there could have been more set up and backstory for Howard and the relationship of the characters in the beginning.

Overall, I rated this 3.5 stars! Buried Road follows a mom and daughter duo (Gus and Bly) who are trying to find Howard, Gus’ fiance. Howard is a journalist who suddenly disappears while writing an investigative story that took a dark turn and was about to break wide open. After missing for three years, his camper suddenly appears and it contains clues to his disappearance. Gus and Bly return to the town to unravel what really happened to Howard, his investigation piece, and the townsfolk.

This twisty, small town mystery will make you question every character and I was not expecting the twist at the end! This is the third book in a series but it can read it as a standalone. The narrator is from the perspective of Bly, the child, and I was not a huge fan of that. Overall, it was a fun mystery!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC! #TheBuriedRoad #NetGalley

I found this to be an intriguing read. I adored the younger girl's point of view. Although it seemed to be going slowly at times, the character development was excellent. The tale started to take shape in the second half of the book, which is why I found it so much more engaging. I'm glad the finale caught me off guard because it was unexpected. All things considered, this book was excellent!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for this ARC.

Buried Road started out fine. Mother, Gus, and daughter, Bly, are reunited with their camper van, last seen when Howard, Gus’ boyfriend took it to meet with someone connected to an investigation he was involved in. They enter the camper 3 years after Howard goes missing and find some evidence that compel them to investigate. The story is believable and interesting,so far.

Where it went off the rails for me is hard to say, but at about the half-way point, my eyes began to roll. Bly was supposedly only a pre-teen, yet she reads much more mature than a not quite teenager, making her actions and thought processes difficult for me to wrap my head around. Mother Gus will never be nominated for Mother of the Year, as she put herself and Bly in danger time and time again. She’s really just short of unhinged.
While their relationship reeked of wanna be Gilmore Girls, the foolish decisions and reckless actions of Mom would have social services knocking on her door at every turn. This is not the behavior of a Mother who should be a protector of her child. While she was touted as a hero, there was nothing heroic about dragging her daughter into her madness.

Now for the storyline:
Where do I begin?
The reader is drawn into a mystery surrounding Howard’s disappearance, and that story was believable.
There were so many Red Herrings in this one that my eyes are tired from rolling.
So many things thrown in that only achieved loose ends that were never revisited, let alone tied up.
The ending was just so contradictory to the other parts of the story that I was left just shaking my head.
Supposed caring adults making horrible decisions.
Strong men caving in to their circumstances.
Creepy man doing a 180.
A simple minded character overpowering not one, but two people who, coincidentally, cross his path. For 3 years. While adults in the know turn a blind eye with the excuse of “that’s just the way he is”.
An entire complex in the woods that locals surely should have known about.
I just couldn’t.

Finally, the main Red Herring being buttoned up all neat and tidy as an afterthought just sealed my final opinion of this one.
If a friend asked me if I would recommend this one I would have to say, “Hard pass”.
There are too many good books out there to spend time on this one.

I really wanted to like this book. From the beginning I really loved the characters and the overall mystery. As the story continued, it just became very meh and an average thriller to me. Overall, just not my favorite sadly.

Wow this was a doozy…in a good way. Having a 13 year old being the POV character is rarely well done in my opinion but it was perfect here. There was no weird blend of super knowledgeable and then young when it fits. The author was able to really give you a solid POV with a strong character. The mystery or thriller aspect was perfectly paced and insanely engaging. I couldn’t stop reading and was able to put a few pieces together but not all. Now that I know the ending (no spoilers!) I realize I could really have put it all together which I love in a book. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC of this book- I LOVED it.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers, for the advanced copy of this book!

I was nervous when I first saw this was the third book in a series, but you can absolutely read as a stand alone.

I don't always love a child narrator, but the author wrote her perspective well. I was excited about the mother/daughter team taking on a mystery, but I really disliked the mother's character. She was largely unsympathetic to her daughter's struggles and put her in increasingly dangerous situations with no remorse.

Some of the metaphors were pretty heavy handed and I didn't think they added enough to the story. There is a great twist near the end that I never would have predicted! After the final twist, I did feel that the story wrapped up awfully quickly and a little too neatly for my taste.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Publication date is December 3, 2024.

This was an interesting read for me. I loved the perspective of the younger girl. At times it felt like it was moving slowly but the character development was great. The second half of the book held my attention so much more because of the story beginning to take shape. The ending was a surprise that I did not see coming and I appreciate that. Overall, this was a very good book and I would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC of Buried Road. Buried Road by Katti Tallo was a quick read filled with determination and perseverance. In Buried Roads we meet Bly and her mother Gus as they are heading back to Prince Edward County for the funeral of Howard, their dad/ boyfriend who has been missing for the last 3 years. Only Gus doesn’t believe Howard is dead, so the trip becomes a mission to uncover what everyone has been hiding… Bly has no choice to go along with it. Every clue and piece of evidence found folds perfectly into the story. Every obstacle met only makes you love these characters more and will have you rooting for them all the way through the twisty ending you’ll never see coming. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and devoured it in a weekend. If you’re looking for a faced pace, edge-of-your-seat thriller – look no further than Buried Road! Absolutely 4/5 stars.

This was a faced-paced suspense filled with twists and turns. A mother and her teenage daughter go on the search for Howard (the mother's partner) after he randomly vanishes while following a lead on a story. When Howard's vehicle shows up the girls find something that was missed and follow the clues to the big question of, where did Howard disappear to? I loved that the main characters were independent strong women. It is a little unrealistic for the mother to put her teenage daughter in some of the dangerous situations they were presented with however still a good story line. The mother daughter bond was one of my favorite parts of this story. Katie Tallo did really great describing situations and experiences and painting them into a picture from a young teenager's perspective. There were so many twists and turns some of which really caught me off guard.
Definitely recommend this one.

I could not put this book down! Will definitely be reading more from this author. I did not realize it was the third book of a series but I think it’s okay to read it as a standalone as well.

This book was so good. I loved the storylines and did not expect the ending at all. It did keep me guessing. I loved the ending also

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. Along with others, I did not realize this was part of a series but agree that it reads well as a stand alone. I wouldn’t consider this a true thriller, but I applaud Tallo for her storytelling.

Publication date December 3, 2024

Unfortunately, I am going to have to DNF this book. I do not like to DNF books, however this book did not grab my attention like other mystery/thrillers I have read. The prologue at the beginning was sort of bland for me as well. Sort of lost interest in the book throughout reading. :(

I didn’t realize this was a series, and as I haven’t read the others, I don’t want to start a new one. It’s not clear it is except on Goodreads. Love the cover!

Wow! I loved this! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is a new to me author but I loved this pulse pounding propulsive thriller that kep me guessing till the end .

I have learned to love a good mystery, and going into this book, I wasn’t aware it was the third installment in a series but thankfully I didn’t feel like I missed a beat.

It was easy to get pulled into the story with the narration from 13 year old Bly. The author did a great job describing situations and experiences from a young teenagers eyes. In their quest to find her step father who’s like a dad to her - Bly and her mom (Gus) set off to finally discover what happened to him and boy what a twisted town they arrive in.

You’ll love characters, You’ll loathe characters and you won’t expect the ending when it unravels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date is set for Dec 3 2024

Thank you to Harper Paperbacks and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Buried Road is the third installment in the Gus Money series but reads easily as a standalone.
Three years ago Gus Monet’s longtime partner Howard, a journalist, goes missing when going to meet a source for a story. Gus and her young daughter Bly are devastated. Now Howard’s camper van has just been found, and Gus and Bly are determined to find out what happened to Howard.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this book. The story pulled me in right from the start and the writing is strong. I loved the mother-daughter bond and Gus’ strong female character. Yet I struggled when I found Gus to be putting her 13 year old daughter in some dangerous adult situations. However this book was full of twists and turns and interesting characters.