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.

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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!

Angie and David have experience a horror no parents wants to occur - their teenage son is murdered in their home. What makes this even more torturous is that their daughter Nora is arrested for killing him. Desperate to help their daughter, David asks the local lawyer, Martine for help. Unfortunately the case is too complex and not her expertise so she enlists the help of her son, NYC lawyer Julian. Adding to the layers of complexity, Julian and Angie were in a serious relationship for much of their teens and young adulthood and experienced their own trauma when Angie's sister died in front of them. All of the interpersonal issues are present while Angie and David just want to learn the truth and protect their daughter.

This was a complicated slow burn book that I really enjoyed. I listened and read this one along and I thought that the narrator hit just the right tone for this novel. This story touches on grief, forgiveness, and the dynamics of familial relationships and digs deep into these themes with each character. I thought this was going to be a mystery (because the question of why Nora kills her brother runs throughout the book), but it was really a character driven story. While the ending led to a more real life resolution - I appreciated that the story doesn't get wrapped up neatly like many novels (after I read it and thought back on it, not necessarily while I was reading it).

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC to review

The Celadon read-along had me dying to read this book. I was so excited to be able to read it early and see what all the hype was about. I tandem read this book with the audiobook.

Penitence is a multilayered story about two families, a past tragedy, a present day tragedy, and the aftermath of both of these events. This story addresses guilt, betrayal, who we are after we do bad things, and forgiveness. It’s about the price we pay for being human.

I’ve seen a lot of reviews and people hated Angie. I do not share that opinion at all. Angie was a flawed human like everyone else.

You’ll read this wanting answers to “why” and “what happened next” and this was not a story that delivers answers. You have to be okay to be left wondering.

It’s important to go into this book knowing it’s not a thriller and more of a contemporary fiction novel.

The pacing was on the slower side which was hard for me so having the audio to listen to alongside reading it helped a lot. The narrator was Therese Plummer and I loved how she told the story.

Also, any time I put a book down after I’m finished and I feel like I’ve been given life advice or a lesson, it’s a good thing. The book made me think about who I am as a mother and I’m all about self-reflection so I loved this.

Thank you so much to celadon for my ARC and ALC!

I binged Penitence (mostly audio, and some reading my physical copy) over the Christmas break, but I held off of posting in anticipation of joining a zoom call with the author (tonight!), and discussing the book further with reading buddies joining me in this Celadon Read Together Initiative. I could not put the book down and I thought it was exceptional.

The content is heavy, as it’s about a horrific murder within a family, and to complicate things further, the lawyer who representing the case happens to have a complicated history himself with the family. Their paths are intertwined as we move from present day to the past and uncover secrets as human flaws are revealed.
I absolutely love it when books have big underlying themes and FORGIVENESS and it’s layers and complexities is the big overarching one, which gave me much to think about while reading, as well as I was finished. The author has pointed out that themes she wanted to explore also include mercy, judgement, truth and memory, and the balance between navigating these things in relationships, as well how the justice system works deals with it. This was such an emotional read, and I found myself tearing up at more than one spot. We don’t get answers to everything, which I think was purposeful and fit with the theme of the book.

Koval’s writing has been compared to Ann Patchett and Celeste Ng, and I really did feel the Ng comparison. I thought this debut novel was excellent, and I will definitely read more from her in the future. And Therese Plummer’s narration was perfect- it was fantastic on audio. Definitely recommend!

A moral whirlwind of a story. It’s a beautiful but sad book and really makes you ponder forgiveness, the mistakes people make and why they make them. I thought the writing was very good and I would definitely read more from this author.

I received a free DRC through Netgalley. I thought I had this book figured out in the first 5 minutes, but I was wrong. We get pulled back and forth into Angie and Julian's younger selves and into their own horrific life turning points while they are dealing with a new horrific reality. Angie's son has been murdered by his sister. A compelling and thought-provoking book that had me asking myself questions as a mother and sibling. Well-written and hard to put down.

A big Thank you to @celadonbooks & @macmillan.audio for this really great #CeladonReadsTogether choice of 𝑷𝑬𝑵𝑰𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝒃𝒚 𝑲𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏 𝑲𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒍!

This was a family drama centered around a traumatic event that connected 2 people for decades, leading to another traumatic event that unearths long held secrets.

Angie and David are stunned when their daughter Nora is arrested for her older brother, Nico's murder. Stunned, David calls Martine who gets her son Julian to represent Nora. Julian is hesitant since he and Angie have a long past including fist love, but he agrees, stirring up old memories.

I was so glad to be able to read and process this book with fellow readers. It was difficult to pause and discuss but it led to great discussions and some predictions!

I enjoyed the journey of this book, dealing with secrets, family trauma, first loves, and rare diseases. I had a bit of a harder time staying in it at the end, but only because I wanted more! I had hoped for a couple more issues to be drawn out and explained or developed a bit deeper, but overall, still a moving family drama.

What a fantastic debut!!!
Feels very similar to Celeste Ng or William Landay. It’s not a thriller. It’s a slow burn family drama about what would happen if something happened to one of your children, and how far you would go to protect your family.

Very good and kudos to Kristin Koval because this was incredibly written and I can’t wait to read next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for advanced copy!

This was sensational! I love a legal mystery/family drama or thriller and I flew through this in less than a day.
When a shocking murder occurs in the home of Angie and David Sheehan, they turn to small-town lawyer Martine for help. And a twisted situation unfolds, as Martine is also the mother of Angie's first love, Julian and she will need to involve Julian in the case for his expertise. As Julian returns to town to help, the cracks in relationships are exposed and tensions rise, along with a tragic accident from the past.

This was devastating and shocking, with such an intriguing backstory. The way the author intertwined the story from the past was masterful and kept me flying through the pages. The legal element, as always, had me completely immersed in the story and this was such a fabulous debut! I cannot wait to read more by this author.