One of my favorite books of the year!

Families are complicated. Love, like, jealousy, mistrust, mistakes, and multitudes of dysfunction, there’s no escaping it.

The Sheehan Family has always been close, after all, they’ve had to be. One fateful, tragic day everything changes. A day when this family is dealt a devastating blow, tearing their world apart.

Blows they didn’t anticipate, just keep on coming. Isn’t that always the way?

Character driven literary fiction at its best that will keep you gripped to the pages.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

I am extremely impressed by Kristin Koval's debut novel. It was incredibly well-written and thought provoking, with many flawed characters that were portrayed with so much honesty. The setting was easy to visualize through descriptions that didn't take away from the narrative. I also liked the shifts back and forth in time to tell the full story.

There were a lot of complex feelings that came through in this novel, especially with the current situation forcing Angie to revisit her past. We learn new things from each flashback and what the impact of those things are in the present. The current situation is horrific and unimaginable and I know it will haunt Angie and David for a long time.

I wish we could spend even more time in Nora's head. I felt like she alluded to the reason she killed her brother, but it was swept under the rug when it could have been addressed more. Even so, Nora was such an interesting and complicated character and I wanted more time with her to see if we could get additional information and answers.

While this is a dark story, it is perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult. I look forward to reading more from Kristin Koval in the future!

(Trigger warnings below.)

Movie casting suggestions:
Angie: Katherine Waterston
David: Wes Bentley
Julian: Devon Sawa
Martine: Caroline Aaron
Nora: Abigail Pniowsky

Thanks to Celadon for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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TW: death of children, death of parent, Alzheimer's, cancer, Huntington's disease, alcoholism

I don’t really know how to review this book. Heavy is the word that comes to mind. It’s heavy and thought-provoking, and leaves you with so many questions... or at least it did me. I am honestly not a person who really enjoys closure in a book but this was even a stretch for me. There were some answers that I really wanted. For now I’ll go with 4 stars. I’m not sure I “liked” it but it was quite the read.

We are always looking for novels that portray health conditions. We’ve recently discussed Huntington’s - and given that it’s not a very common illness, probably will not make a new episode about the same topic.

Penitence was a super interesting read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I'd read more from the author.

This was a tough read. Hard content but beautifully written. I wanted a bit more clarity about what set off the major incident in the novel but then again, I guess life isn’t always that clear or straightforward, is it? The past and present timelines gave some really helpful context and background to the characters. It was like unpeeling an onion.

This was a beautifully written story. The characters were well developed and the author seamlessly intertwined the lives of two families throughout the story.

Like life the tragedy and angst in the book is not magically resolved with a big red bow. It’s messy just like life is. The characters are flawed and admirable-just like we all are.

I loved how the story left me asking myself some of life’s most complicated questions. How do we learn to forgive? How do we move past life-altering tragedy? How do we pick ourselves back up after we have hit rock bottom?

This book punched me in the gut but also drew me in and didn't let me, or my heart, go until the end. It was sad, thought provoking, and genuinely left me conflicted at times. My one wish is for more even pacing, the chapters were long and could feel as if they dragged a bit. However, I can also see reasoning behind slower pacing, really leaving you to sit in thought and emotion.

3.5/5

It took me about half of the book to really get into it, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the way it was laid out. I felt like I couldn’t keep up with who I was really reading about sometimes, but once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down! Penitence is a very complex read but I really enjoyed the way you get to see every characters perspective even if the layout confused me a bit. Overall, I enjoyed this and will be reading more from Koval!

I received an ARC for an honest opinion. Thank you #NetGalley #KristinKoval #CeladonBooks

A wonderfully written literary fiction that is very reminiscent Fredrik Backman’s writing style.

The story of how a family struggles through a murder while family secrets unfold that is written in a then and now timeline.

The story was wonderful with sadness, heartbreak, love and forgiveness. The imagery and character development were so beautifully written.

At the centre of this strong debut is a murder mystery. We know the who, but not the why. And while the 'why' is what ultimately moves the story forward, it primarily stays in the background.

Instead, this is a book about family and forgiveness. It explores the relationships between parents and their children, adult children and their parents, siblings, and married couples. It examines grief, shame, guilt, and loss while doing so, but mostly forgiveness. How do we ever forgive ourselves for our past wrongs? What can we do to atone? How do we forgive others that we love for the worst thing that they've ever done? Are they minimized to this action or can they ever be more?

Told in dual timelines with multiple POVs, spanning the continent and several decades, this was a strong and subtle character-driven debut novel by an author whose work I will definitely pick up again.

We all have something in our pasts that we regret, that has altered our lives and may never get an opportunity to make amends for. We meet characters in this story that have carried such burdens until one incident happens that opens all the old wounds. It all starts with a 911 call from a 13 year old who declares she just shot her brother.

The book revolves between two time periods for these characters from a small town . The past tells the story of a deadly ski accident that is never accurately narrated which haunts those involved: two teenagers who were crazy about each other and destined to be together. Time and circumstances dissolved that plan and their lives moved apart: she going back to the small town to marry and he becoming a successful attorney.

Now they are forced back together because he has the skills to represent the young lady, her daughter and certain regrets are revisited. Hiding all those secrets (and there are some real shockers) takes a lot of work and some are finally brought out and dealt with. Is there understanding after all these years, will forgiving allow them to go back to their normal lives, are their futures permanently changed?

The reader has to ask themselves WERE there regrets or were they able to move on successfully. It was an interesting page turner albeit sad.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an early copy in exchange for a review.

While I believe this one is overhyped, it was pretty good. But it sort of left me lingering with questions. Why did she do it? That was never revealed.

This is the exact type of book that I am constantly hunting for: a family drama 🤝🏻 literary mystery. This is absolutely going to be a 2025 favorite for me. The intertwining of these two families was masterfully done, and I couldn’t get enough of any perspective or timeline. When I wasn’t reading it, I kept thinking of the characters like they were people I knew. I will be chasing the high of this book for a long time.

Synopsis: “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.”

I started off really hooked into this book and captured by the premise.

13 year old Nora has been charged with murdering her older brother, a brother that had been diagnosed with a fatal disease.

The story is fast paced in the beginning… but then it drags and drags… and you end up with basically no answers at the end. Why did Nora kill her brother??? What happens to all the people in the story? There is no resolution.

By the end of the book, I was just slightly confused and unsatisfied.

I like the writing style.. but this one just didn’t do it for me.

This novel is marketed as a thriller, but I really wouldn’t call it that at all. To my mind, a thriller is fast paced with high stakes and at least a little danger. What this book actually is is a moderately paced family drama between two families across decades, with a bit of legal drama thrown in. But even though it’s not a thriller per se, it’s still a page turner for sure. My attention never waned as I read – I just wanted to keep going. The narrative weaves together two time periods decades apart, each rocked by tragedy, and follows how relationships are shaped or destroyed in the aftermath. It’s a really engrossing story. My only complaint is that there was a twist, a real bombshell dropped into one character’s life, which was heavily telegraphed enough that I saw it coming, and I’m still not sure if I, as the reader, was supposed to be surprised by it or not. I also didn’t love that there was a very central question which was not definitively answered to my satisfaction. But overall it was a really excellent read. 4.5 stars.

CW: child death, mental illness, terminal illness

I received an advance copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love books that navigate through different points of view. In this book, Angie’s daughter faces a murder trial, and the family ends up hiring Angie’s former boyfriend to be the defendant. As the story goes we learn more about their lives in the past and then, and what might have happened that led to the murder itself.

This was a twisty drama that kept me on the edge of my seat for the entirety! The complexity of the relationships between the characters made for a un-put-downable read.

"Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done." (Bryan Stevenson) And we all need forgiveness - as a gift for ourselves and for others.
A shocking murder occurs in the home of Angie and David Sheehan. The couple asks lawyer Martine Dumont for help, and she relies heavily on her son Julian who has experience in child murder cases. But Angie and Julian used to be lovers, which adds a layer of complexity to the case. And the defendant isn't talking, which also complicates matters. As the story unfolds, each character must face the reality of the present and the past.
This book is a winding tale. I found myself wishing it would move a bit quicker. Only in the last half did I want to finish the story.
I like the addition of psychology. For example, this quote: "[I]t’s easier to be angry than it is to be sad. Some people eventually forget the difference.”
The ending is not pat. The characters do not all get a happy ending, and readers are left with some unanswered questions, which I like because it mirrors real life.
The addition of 9/11 New York City feels forced to me, and the book could have survived without that plot element.
"Penitence" is a fitting title for the book because each character must face themselves and others and decide -- will they forgive? And while I liked the story overall, I didn't ever feel strong or deep emotions for any of the characters, which disappointed me.

OH my goodness this was SOOOO good!!!

I cannot recommend this book enough and am so glad that I finally was able to get to it!!!

What a beautiful tale of love, loss, and grief.

Such a heartbreaking and powerful read!!!

5/5 stars