Wow, what a wild ride this book was! I was super excited to read it because of the dual Colorado (where I live now) and New York (where I was born and raised) settings, and the mysteries behind the two tragedies intrigued me. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. I was heartbroken for many of the characters throughout the whole book, and got so angry at some of the decisions they made. I didn’t love how a few things were never explained, and I guessed a few of the big twists well before their reveals, but I still really enjoyed it. Each character felt rich and well-developed, and I really felt like I was in the vividly-described locations - the industrial, isolated, juvenile detention center, the sunny but cold and snow-filled ski slopes, the picturesque town of Lodgepole, and the varying neighborhoods of New York City. I would highly recommend this book and hope to read more by this author soon!

This is the story of secrets, heartbreak and guilt that will tear everyone
in its path apart~without consideration for how much grief each of us can be
expected to endure.
This is the book you read and you’re positive this actually has happened
to someone known to the Author~it’s just so well,written with so much
insight, and in such a way that everything, every person, every word
is actually alive and the consequences are real. And, you expect
to hear that the whole thing is a huge misunderstanding.
And, it is not…
This is a stratospheric debut! I highly recommend this book.
My thanks to Celadon Books via NetGalley for the
download copy of the book for review purposes.

A powerful and emotional tale of a family and the tragic events the surround them. I wasn't sure what I thought of this book, but by the end I found this to be a book that left a profound impact on me. The characters are deeply flawed and complex and yet resonate. Some of the thoughts on family and parenting were beautiful and profound. I don't know that it is a book for everyone, but it is a book I will be thinking about for a long time.

How do we punish the guilty? If we’re guilty, how do we atone? For some crimes, it feels like no sentence is adequate. Nothing we do to the guilty will restore what was lost. The US justice system is a punitive one, to the point where AI has been used to create “risk assessments” and sentencing guidelines for people convicted of crimes. Kristin Koval’s novel, Penitence, wrestles with the unfairness of a system that wields a sledgehammer in every violent case, regardless of mental health, drug use, and other mitigating factors.

Our primary protagonist, Martine Dumont, is used to taking on cases that no other defense attorney will. She is notorious in the town of Lodgepole, Colorado, because of her belief that everyone deserves representation and as fair a trial as possible. That reputation causes David Sheehan to wake her up in the wee hours of the morning on his daughter’s behalf. That very night, Nora shot her brother, Nico. Nora hasn’t said a word since she killed her brother. There is no doubt that she did so. Apart from her father, everyone in Lodgepole behaves as though Nora has been tried, convicted, and sentenced. Martine recognizes her lack of experience in criminal law and calls in her son, Julian, to help. Unlike Martine, who mostly does divorces, wills, and other small-town law, Julian specializes in helping teenagers, especially those who are going to be tried as adults.

I thought that this plotline would be the major focus of Penitence; surely that’s enough story for any novel, right? Early in the book, there are hints that Julian and Nora’s mother, Angie, bear a lot of guilt for the death of Angie’s little sister. (It doesn’t take long for us to get the whole story.) After the ball gets rolling on Nora’s case, Koval gives us extended scenes from Julian’s past, his doomed relationship with Angie, how he became dedicated to juvenile criminal cases, and why he avoids Lodgepole as much as possible. There are also scenes in which Angie talks to her mother, now speechless from dementia, about how torn she is between grief and anger for her children. How is she supposed to feel when her son is dead and her daughter, the guilty party, is in prison? How can she fight for a daughter who took away her son? Especially when there doesn’t seem to be any reason Angie can see?

I was frustrated by how much of the book was about Julian rather than Nora. I never quite got to the bottom of Nora’s character or her motivation. I think I know what happened but I wished we’d spent more time in Nora’s mind rather than Julian’s, who I found much easier to figure out and, therefore, much less interesting. Penitence was a miss for me, in spite of the potential I saw in its premise.

Penitence grabbed my attention from the first page - it opens with Nora Sheehan sitting in a jail cell after shooting her brother, Nico. The Sheehan family lives in a small town in Colorado and they don't have many choices for legal representation so they turn to Martine who has a history with Nora's mother. And from there the story unfolds in a dual timeline. We follow Nora and her family's legal battle and we see the history of Nora's mother and her old boyfriend, Martine's son. This was a really bleak and heartbreaking novel and I honestly had to pace myself because I just felt sad every time I sat down with it. But it's also a beautifully written page-turner. I feel like this is the perfect blend of thriller and litfic. Thanks so much to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC of Penitence.

Penitence is suspenseful yet emotional, mystery with human depth, horror yet compassion. In her debut novel, Koval delves into several moral dilemmas with poignant and realistic insights.
“You are more than the worst thing you’ve ever done.”
Two devastating tragedies decades apart affect two families in a small Colorado town, permanently altering their lives.
This isn’t a just a murder mystery. It’s a deep dive into the choices and mistakes made by the characters, the ramification of those choices, and the consequences of the lies they told to themselves and others and the impact on the rest of their lives.
It’s a heavy read. My heart broke for each of the characters and the mistakes they made and then the consequences of those decisions. The characters are deeply developed and realistically flawed.
I companion listened to this novel, expertly narrated by Therese Plummer. Her narration set the tone and expressed the emotions perfectly without any over dramatization.
This would make an excellent choice for a book club read, with much to discuss!
Celadon’s books are an auto read for me. They choose the most exceptional books to publish!

What an unforgettable debut novel 💙
Thank you, Celadon Books, for the gifted copy of Penitence through the #celadonreadtogether program! {partner}

Genre: Literary Mystery
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date:  1.28.2025
Pages: 320
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

“Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve done.”

If there is one piece of advice I have for you about Penitence - it’s to go into it knowing very little. The less you know, the less you will expect, and the more you will be in awe of Kristin Koval and her incredible debut novel. 

Because I want you to go into knowing as little as possible, I will keep my review brief. Pertinence is a heavy, heavy read—the characters in this book feel very real, and they are also very real. They have made mistakes, tried to do what is best for those around them, and ended up carrying the consequences of their actions for their entire lives. My heart broke for every single person in this book. 

I gave Penitence five stars, not because it left me feeling happy or gave me the ending that I expected, but because Koval took a 320-page book and made me feel such raw emotion that I had to take a break from reading at times. Penitence will stay with me for a very long time.

Read if you enjoy:
👩🏽‍⚖️ Legal drama
🥺 Real, flawed characters
🫤 Complex & complicated
🗣️ Multiple POV
👏🏼 Debut novels

I recommend adding Penitence to your reading list. If you have any concerns about the content, please DM me, and I can answer your questions.

“You are more than the worst thing you’ve ever done.”

An unspoken tragedy on a Colorado mountain sets into motion a family drama affecting multiple generations for many decades. Julian and Angie were high school sweethearts in a small community and their forced separation put them, and the reader, on a roller coaster ride of emotion.

In the present day Angie and David are parents to two young teenagers and their daughter Nora has been charged with the murder of her beloved brother Nico. David enlists the help of small town lawyer Martine Dumont who happens to be Julian’s mother. They are all desperate to exonerate Nora and discover what really happened and why. When Martine implores Julian to return to Colorado from his New York City life to help with the case, the stage is set for an exploration of regret, guilt and forgiveness.

The descriptive passages highlighting both Rocky Mountain skiing and 9/11 era Manhattan were very well done and the character development uncovering complicated family histories were strategically arranged. Astute readers will identify the twists and the red herrings but it did not affect my enjoyment of the debut. I would have loved a few more pages to dissect the clear answer to the anchoring question rather than an implied answer. I’ve already turned to some trusted early reader friends to discuss, and look forward to more conversation upon publication.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Celadon for the early copy in exchange for my honest review

The premise of this novel is absolutely heartbreaking. The writing was poignant, emotive, and direct.

Koval develops such strong characters and I loved that while the novel centered around an enormous and devastating tragedy, it encompassed so much more. I loved the backstory with Angie and Julian and how their love story and ultimate breakup slowly revealed itself across the span of the novel. The current timeline with Julian and his mother helping Angie's family during their tragedy was riveting and Koval clearly did her research. The information surrounding the juvenile justice system and procedures felt thorough, well-informed, and well executed within the plot.

Impressively, for such a profound and deeply tragic novel, I wasn't overcome with sadness or grief for most of the novel. I felt emotional with the ending, but most of the novel was conveyed in a way that wasn't hyperbolic or upsetting for the sake of being upsetting. This is something I actually really appreciated about the writing and really credit Koval for mastering that art of language.

I also loved the span of time with this novel. It felt relevant and relatable. I liked the development of people over time, the family grudges that festered and grew without oxygen, and the secrets that ate people alive from the inside it.

I listened to this novel and loved the narrator, Therese Plummer. Her voice was soothing and also exactly right during the heavier parts, even evoking some emotion of her own when necessary. It was perfectly acted and added a lot to the novel overall.

Penitence is a complex story - mostly about grief and facing tragedy. It's also about family secrets, forgiveness, survival, love, and our relationships.

Thank you to Celadon and MacMillan Audio for the copy.

Penitence by Kristin Koval is a fantastic debut novel that I would call a family drama. At the beginning of the book we learn that teenage Nora has just shot and killed her teenage brother Nico, who was recently diagnosed with juvenile Huntington's Disease. The rest of the book is less about why she shot him than the far reaching implications of that action.

The parents are understandably devastated: imagine the grief, guilt, shame, loss and anger - both for and with your child. Having only the two children, Angie and David are basically childless now, since Nora is immediately confined to a juvenile detention facility. Even adults can be released on bail, and the book makes a strong case for the travesties occurring in the juvenile justice system.

Adding to the complications are Angie's mother with Alzheimer's Disease, David's role as a park ranger (his gun was the weapon in question), and remnants of Angie's sister's death when she was a child. A large part of the story is told in flashback to when Angie was a teenager dating her first love, Julian. As a defense attorney, Julian reenters Angie's life after the tragedy with her children, which adds another layer to the story.

The characters were richly developed, as all are shown as realistic and flawed. The book's strong theme of forgiveness - both giving it and receiving it - lends itself to much discussion. The end was satisfactory enough, although a few threads were left dangling.

I will recommend this to readers who like family dramas that feature a moral dilemma. Book clubs will have a lot to discuss.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

🎧Advanced Audiobook Review🎧
Penitence is a debut you’re going to want to get your hands on!

🌲The Premise🌲
The book starts with a tragedy. A teenager is found shot to death, and his younger sister is to blame. We then learn about the pasts of the family involved and how previous tragedy has affected their lives. The book takes us from a juvenile detention to ski slopes (and more) and each location is vivid and impactful.

✨My Thoughts✨
This is one of those books you want to talk about as soon as you’re finished. Luckily @reading.is.your.destiny finished right before me so we chatted about the themes and our thoughts. The book is very layered and while I think some will think it’s a thriller because of the murder at the start, I’d caution that this isn’t really what the book is about. It’s no whodunnit but rather a look at how people deal with loss, tragedy, mistakes and secrets. It’s certainly got a lot to say about how we treat juveniles in the criminal justice system and that alone is a worthwhile discussion. I highly recommend this one and expect it to be a “big” book club pick come February.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨(4.25 stars)

‘When a shocking murder occurs in the home of Angie and David Sheehan, their lives are shattered. Desperate to defend their family, they turn to small-town lawyer Martine Dumont for help, but Martine isn’t just legal counsel—she’s also the mother of Angie’s first love, Julian, a now-successful New York City criminal defense attorney. As Julian and Angie confront their shared past and long-buried guilt from a tragic accident years ago, they must navigate their own culpability and the unresolved feelings between them.’

Penitence is told entirely through the third person POV and alternating timelines. I hate to say I struggled through this one, but I truly did. The chapters sometimes seemed endless and the story as a whole is slow-paced, dark and dreary. And maybe this is just me, but I felt like there was a lot of unnecessary fluff and filler.

For some reason, I thought there was an actual mystery here and I kept waiting for the twist, the inevitable a-ha moment, the WHY of all WHY’s, only for it never to come. The one fact that does come to light in the end, is the one thing I figured out much earlier on. I did appreciate the premise and the fact that this is a debut novel and a well done debut at that. But those certitudes didn’t change how I felt when I finished, which was a little disappointed, unsatisfied and kind of gloomy. But who knows, maybe that was the intent. Despite my personal blah, blah, blah’s, it is undeniable that Koval is talented and I wouldn’t hesitate to read her again.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for this arc in exchange for review. I am always grateful.

Pub date: 1.28.2025.

Huge thank you to Celadon for the gifted ARC!

Title: Penitence
Author: Kristin Koval
Pub Date: January 28, 2025

Wow- this book absolutely blew me away. I'm adding this to my list of mind-blowing debuts. This is a perfect example of why debut books excite me so much! This is the exact kind of book that I want to read, but finding an author capable of writing family dramas with this level of reality and depth is so rare. Kristin Koval just became an instant auto-read author for me!

I can't even begin to describe how well Koval captured so much of the human experience in this book. You can read the synopsis to see what the book is about on a surface level, but on deeper level this book is about everything that makes us human: relationships, fear, trauma, healing, redemption, forgiveness, anger, love, etc. etc. It's impossible to even put into words what Koval accomplished here.

As always, when there is a beautiful character-driven literally fiction/family drama story that also can be categorized as a mystery, there will be people that will go in expecting a mystery or a thrilling "gotcha" moment and be disappointed that "nothing happened". I can already see this happening and BEG you to go into this book with an open mind and try to take it out of a nice and tidy "genre box". In my opinion, the best books don't fit perfectly into a single genre because they are so much MORE than what is typically expected from a certain genre. In this case, this book is more than a genre label could give it .

While reading this book, it felt like no time passed at all because I was literally hanging on every word these character's spoke. The characters are messy people, many of them making terribly messed up choices, but I was so invested in what was happening to each and every one of them the entire time.

This book took me through such a wide range of emotions, so be prepared to feel everything from horror, sadness, disappointment, excitement, hope, and healing.

The book is called Penitence which is literally defined as "the action of feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentance." So be aware that there are some HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY things in this book that may be extremely upsetting for readers. If you have concerns, check CW.

A great debut!

A complex story written around two families involved in two tragedies, one in the present day and another in the past. This is a story about the family ties that bind us, secrets, guilt, redemption and forgiveness. It’s a heavy read but one I kept coming back to. I definitely recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Will post a review to my Instagram and Goodreads on publication day.

I couldn’t put this debut novel down—and I am stunned that it’s a debut. The writing and the story are masterfully imagined, tender and painful. This book’s incredibly difficult premise might be difficult for some readers, but I think the payoff is worth it. This novel is a triumph.

This a book with layers.

It may take me a bit to process this story. There is so much depth to it that it may even need a reread. Hard to believe this is Kristin Koval’s debut novel but am so excited to see what she writes next.

Are we more than just our worst actions? Is there such thing as being unforgivable? Are we all worthy of forgiveness and forgiving? So many shades of grey, that your immediate answers may change.

The pacing was great and the character development nice too- with Angie’s exceptionally well done. One criticism would be a twist near the end of the book that just felt forced. I don’t think that added to the story. I also thought leaving Nora’s storyline (her motivation for her actions) open ended was unsatisfying-wish it was cleaner for the reader.

This book has been placed in the “mystery” genre but it certainly isn’t a murder mystery. We know very quickly who died in each of the two timelines and who is responsible for the deaths so the mystery is “why” and “how”. This story is very complex and there are so many facets that seem designed to make the reader think about them even after finishing the book. Both timelines offer completely different but engaging stories and there’s a lot to unpack in both. This debut novel is very well written and offers aspects of mystery, complicated family of origin relationships, impossible romance situations, legal drama, ethical dilemma and so much more. So much going on in a fairly short and fast paced novel. I certainly wasn’t bored! I also enjoyed that the story doesn’t have a happy ending - situations like these characters deal with aren’t realistically wrapped up neatly and I appreciate this style of writing. I look forward to future books by this talented author.

Unfortunately, I am going to be an outlier on this one. This novel feels very issue-driven to me. The conceit and "twist" is evident from page one, and I found it hard to suspend my disbelief. The writing is serviceable and I am sure this title will be popular with book clubs.

What is the worst thing you’ve ever done? Does that define you? Penitence explores this question. This story follows a family that harbors secrets in the wake of a shocking murder in a small ski town in Colorado. As we explore the whys, inevitably many of the secrets are revealed and emotions get raw. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon for the ARC. Check this one out when it publishes January 28, 2025.

Such a beautiful book! Penitence wraps up several generations of love, suffering, secrets, and regrets into a wonderfully executed story. Kristin Koval has written a thoughtful, tender, touching family drama.

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.