Gripping and emotional story of a family who's son has been diagnosed with Huntington's and just as they are learning how to manage the illness their daughter shoots and kills the son and then retreats into a traumatic mutism. Their parents struggle with mounting legal bills, their marriage and understanding how this could happen as they reflect on the months leading up to the shooting, and their own guilt and blame game. I was afraid the sadness would be too much for me but I really enjoyed the lingering mystery as to why but also how they navigated through their feelings of grief, unconditional love, sacrifice, and forgiveness.

Thank you to Celadon and NetGalley for the ARC! #Penitence

Thank you for this ARC! I had heard a lot of buzz about this debut novel and was so excited to read it. I loved it! Part love story, part mystery, ultimately it is a story of forgiveness. The characters were beautifully developed, and the story was effectively woven over two timelines. I don't want to give too much away, but I think fans of Angie Kim would really enjoy this book.

4.5 stars

Holy debut, Batman. Perfect for fans of William Landay, Celeste Ng, Mary Beth Keane, and Jodi Picoult. With her legal background, Koval had crafted a fascinating look at not only the juvenile justice system but forgiveness - forgiveness of the worst things imaginable, not only what others have done but of the worst parts of ourselves.

Complex, heavy, and emotional, this is a story that stays with you. The relationships are raw and turbulent, but not without a hopeful ending.

At parts a little slow, but that is mostly due to a thoughtful plot and character development. This would be a fantastic book club pick.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books.

Penitence by Kristin Koval

Thirteen year old Nora Sheehan shoots her fourteen year old brother to death, in Lodgepole, Colorado. Nora has been suffering from depression and Nico has a neurodegenerative illness with a grim prognosis, Huntington’s disease. Nora calls 911 immediately after shooting her brother three times and now she is not talking to anyone.

The lives of the Sheehan family had already been under immense strain due to Nico's disease and now their lives have been shattered in an even more disastrous way. This story is all about forgiveness, forgiveness of oneself, forgiveness of others, forgiveness when reality can't be changed. What has been done is done, there is no going back and fixing anything, life goes on even if the heart and mind want it to stop, back up, do over.

We meet not only the Sheehan family, past and present, but small-town lawyer Martine Dumont and her lawyer son, Julian. Julian and Angie were meant to be together forever when they were dating in high school but a different disaster back then caused their mothers to tear them apart and Angie could not bear to disappoint her mother. Guilt, remorse, blame, and the need for forgiveness of self and others drive this story and every character is affected by the actions or inactions of other characters throughout the years.

I could just read and watch this difficult story play out. I think it is well done and I'm glad I was able to read it (I had the audiobook from my library so I was able to listen to the story, too). Where we aren't given details or answers, where we aren't told the future, I've made up my mind about the way things play out. For me, I feel like the story allows hope of some healing and that's what I plan for the characters as my mind creates their futures.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

I found this read to be slowly paced, with side tangents and repeated paragraphs of details that did not add to the plot or the character's perspective, it took away. I think a bit of editing would have gone a long way in this regard. I found myself skimming over paragraphs that were sharing details we had already heard, or that church scene??? I did like the compelling premise around not knowing why, but moving forward despite not having answers. I also liked that the author gave us dual timelines of Angie's experiences. I just wish we had more time in the present day with her. The last thing I would have liked would have been an epilogue with Nora 15 years later. Because we didn't get answers, I think it would have been a nice resolution to show us where her and Nora's relationship ended up, and how this choice had affected Nora beyond her sentence. However - I am okay with an open ending so I see the value in both. All in all, I enjoyed this and it reminded me of early Jodi Picoult days. I would definitely read this author again!

Thank you Celadon and NetGalley for this advance copy. I know many readers are loving this debut novel, and Koval clearly has much talent and a promising career ahead. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I felt like the present day storyline was a sensational premise to attract readers, when the book was actually a quiet story about the relationship in the past timeline. The characters did not feel real or fully developed, which is difficult for a mostly character driven story. As a reader, I never felt immersed in the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. Penitence may be one of the best books I read this year. The story is a full-circle account of what happens to two families whose lives have been intertwined for decades. When tragedy strikes Angie and David due to a murder of a family member in their home, they seek the help of Martine, a former long-time friend of the family. Her son, Julius, is a high-powered attorney in pre-9/11 NYC and was Angie's boyfriend for many years. The writing is intricately woven with cosmic justice (or karma as some might call it) coming around in some of the most painful ways imaginable. A book of love, love lost, tragedy and grieving.

Angie and David's life is destroyed when a crime is committed by one of their children. They turn to the one lawyer in their small town for help, who happens to be the mother of Angie's high school sweetheart, Julian. Julian also gets involved in the case, since he's a criminal defense lawyer in New York. This brings up some major things that happened in Angie and Julian's past.

I started out really invested and liking this one, but for me, it went downhill from there. A couple things happened that turned me off to this book that I don't want to spoil (I'd love to talk to someone who has read it) It's really not a surprise based on the synopsis that this is a sad, depressing book. It does make you think about mistakes, forgiveness, and children in the justice system.

Penitence
By Kristin Koval
Pub Date: 1/28/25

I always love the @celadonbooks #readalongs, and the book was pretty dang good! I’m so grateful to them for my #gifted copy and while our chat was pretty quiet, I still love connecting with other readers especially with #CeladonReadsTogether

This one had a lot of things to unpack. I'm not a massive fan of books that don’t tie things up neater than this. The ending bothered me for that reason. I don’t like that she doesn’t remember what happened. I was expecting that her brother asked her to do it but that never came up. I did enjoy the book though. I felt it was less about what happened to her brother but more about how they all ended up where they were and how they navigated their relationships after. I don’t know how I would feel or what I would do had I been in Angie’s position. As a mother it is devastating. You won't ever look at your child the same no matter what. I also felt that Angie’s back story didn’t warm me to her either and it was one of those books that kept me from connecting to anyone on a deep level and I kinda missed that.

It was brilliantly written and I don’t know if the author meant to keep you from investing in the characters so that you kept your eye on the family dynamics without picking a side… If they did then BRAVA! It was a risk but it was a clever one. It was heartbreaking and it definitely impacted in me in a way I didn’t expect.

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

I was provided both an ARC and an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

A family is destroyed when their son is murdered and the only suspect is his younger sister, Nora. Nora doesn't really remember what happened that night, and she isn't speaking to anyone. Her father seeks the aid of local lawyer Martine, who doesn't have experience with criminal cases but her son Julian is a criminal lawyer. We come to find out that all of the character's are interconnected as the story is told from different points of time from different characters perspectives.

Initially I was hooked and couldn't put this down, but as the book continued I realized this wasn't really a mystery or thriller as it was marketed. There is no big reveal or twist at the end and I felt mislead, the resolution is information we already know. The book is well written no doubt but it is not mysterious or thrilling as the story plays out, it is more of a family drama This book initially reminded me of DJ Palmers The Perfect Daughter where you weren't sure if the sister did it or if there was some medical diagnosis that was going to lead somewhere. There were initially some red herrings in the case that made me believe this was a thriller and something was going to come of Martine and Julian's investigation into Nora's behavior especially the mental illness. The book focuses more on the adults and their relationships and entanglements than it does on the actual investigation and trial. As the book unfolds we come to find that this was more of a story about family, forgiveness, grief, the human condition, and healing.

I did enjoy this, however I don't like it when I feel misled. I would have liked this much better had I known this was not a thriller. It is like ordering coffee and getting tea, I like both and consume both regularly, but when you get something you aren't expecting you don't like it as much. I did think Thérèse Plummer was an amazing narrator as always, she always does such a wonderful job.

Penitence is a story full of flawed characters, moral dilemmas and broken relationships. I found it to be very emotional and thourght provocting. The story begins with Nora who has just kiled her terminally ill brother, a brother she was so close they were almost twins. The events that unfold tear her family apart, however we learn that there were many tears in the fabric that begin even before the siblings were born.

I found the story brought to my mind how important forgiveness is and if that is missing it has consequences on future generations.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGallery for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts on the work.

The story starts off with a bang, three of them actually. Nora is thirteen years old, steals her father's gun and shoots her fourteen year old brother, fatally. When their parents, Angie and David, call on a lawyer friend of their mother's to help with Nora's criminal defense, she calls her son, Julian, who currently lives in New York and has experience in criminal defense cases. Along the way, we learn that Julian and Angie were high school sweethearts and a tragic event changed the course of their lives. There's lots of drama and family secrets in this one. Penitence - the action of feeling sorrow and regret for one's actions.

Penitence was a captivating story about tragedy, reflection, and reconciliation of life’s experiences. The book starts with a shocking discovery of the death of a child caused by a family member. As the mystery unfolds, the past catches up with the child’s parents. This emotional storyline weaves dual timelines with buried secrets along with developing rich characters with hopes and dreams. A stunning debut!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read, "Penitence" by Kristin Koval - I absolutely loved this book. The last 20-30% was a punch straight to my gut. Chapter 21. Amazing debut novel. Can't wait to read future books by this author!

Penitence by Kristin Koval is one of those books that after reading, I struggle to put my feelings into words. Part love story and part legal drama, the novel probes at the readers beliefs about forgiveness and redemption. It is not a book that leaves the reader feeling uplifted, and most of the characters have flaws and have done things that have caused others pain. The emotional pain of each character came through clearly, though, and I have not been able to stop thinking about the book since I finished.

The tragedy that is at the center of the novel is unimaginable, and the knowledge of what eventually drove a wedge between Angie and her childhood friend/high school sweetheart broke my heart all over again. The theme of forgiveness takes many different forms through the story, some characters struggle to forgive others, and some need to find forgiveness for themselves. I loved the authenticity of each characters' actions and emotions, the story seemed like it could have been about real events and people.

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for the digital ARC of Penitence by Kristin Koval. The opinions in this review are my own.

A debut that will have readers either love or loathe the characters choices in the novel. And with multiple storylines, there’s a few to pick from.

Basic premise: sister shoots brother who has Huntington’s disease. Sister calls 911 and admits it. And is immediately arrested. That’s all before the book even starts off.
What the real story is about is forgiveness. But it’s also lies and deceit that some readers may struggle with … which is why I think if you’re looking for a book club choice that will bring up a heated conversation, then this is one to look at.

I struggled with wanting more of the Nora storyline. The book starts there but it becomes a backstory to the relationships that happen and lies built on them. Nora’s mother is an old lover of Nora’s lawyer’s son. Nora’s grandmother has Alzheimer’s. The sister and brother were best friends. So while I found myself flipping the pages, I also found myself wanting it to stay in one lane.

It almost felt like an earlier Jodi Picoult book. Or if I fused Picoult with the emotions that came up while reading Audrain’s “The Push”.

A debut it is, but one that will get ppl talking. I liked it for the reactions it evoked but I also wanted more at the end.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a read along with four other readers of this book. I was really surprised by how dark the overall theme of the book was, and I disliked the main character from the beginning. I’m including a blurb from the author!

kristinkovalwriter
I’m almost at a loss for words about this news (except I love words, so here are a few: flabbergasted, dumbfounded, and astonished… ), but I’m also thrilled and happy: Penitence was chosen as the Barnes & Noble DISCOVER PICK for February! I can’t believe the story I wrote—a novel that explores the complexities of familial loyalty, the journey of redemption, and the profound experience of forgiveness in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy—is being honored this way, and I’m very grateful. Pub day is this coming Tuesday, and this is an incredible way to head into pub week. Thank you,

I absolutely adore the #celadonreadstogether program. I believe I’ve had to good fortune to participate every time it’s been offered. I love the chance to read an amazing book early, of course, but I also love getting paired with other bookstagrammers, making new friends, and discussing the book over the course of several weeks. My personal book club, #readspinrepeatbookclub, also chose to discuss this book this month.

One of my favorite features of the #celadonreadstogether program is a zoom chat with the author at the end of the month. In this case, Kristin Koval was interviewed by a favorite author of mine, Amy Jo Burns (𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘆). In their conversation, many questions I had at the end of the novel were answered - specifically she shared more about what was going on with Nora, and speculated on why people feel so strongly against Angie. In our book club chat we explored which characters were truly penitential. I really loved both of these conversations.

When this novel starts, 13 year old Nora has just been arrested after calling 911 to report that she just shot and killed her 14 year old brother. Her father David goes to local lawyer Martins and asks her to represent Nora, but Martine has history with the family because her son Julian used to date Angie, who is David’s wife and Nora’s mom, and eventually Julian gets involved with the case as well. The book is told from all of their 3rd person perspectives, not just in the present but also in the past as we see what happened between Angie and Julian decades before including another tragedy.

This may sound like a mystery, but while the question of why Nora did what she did does hang over the book, it’s really more of a slow moving character study that is also about the nature of grief, repentance, and forgetness. It’s sort of like a cross between Jodi Picoult and Tracy Lange, or maybe like an Angie Kim book. The writing is just wonderful, especially for a debut novel. Looking forward to discussing with my Read Spin Repeat Book Club as there is a lot to dig into with this one.

This debut was very well written - exactly the type of story with intrigue, character development and family drama that draws me in. I was engaged from the beginning. For fans of Celeste Ng and Jodi Picoult. This author will be on my radar!