Member Reviews

Although this book was intriguing and a bit haunting, it was really slow for my liking. The plot was interesting enough to keep me reading to the end, but I do wish the pacing picked up. Many times I was confused by the amount of characters and I continuously had to go back and reread who did what and who said what.

The back end of the story was exceptional and pulled everything together nicely, hence the 4-star rating.

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I was interested in reading The River Knows Your Name because I had really enjoyed the author’s other book (The Girls in the Stilt House). This is a dual timeline story set mainly in Mississippi. Nell has many unanswered questions about her childhood and goes on a journey in search of answers. In the 1930’s Mississippi timeline, widowed Becca and her daughter Evie flee a bad situation. Mustian weaves an atmospheric, often mysterious tale that held my interest throughout. Highly recommend this book!

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The River Knows Your Name by Kelly Mustian, published by Sourcebooks Landmark is a historical novel that spans decades.
A story of secrets, betrayal, love.
Nell, Becca, Evie, Lottie and Hazel, these women are united in a way they couldn't have dreamed of. An intriguing read, 4.5 Stars.

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The River Knows Your Name is a pilgrimage through time, wrought with emotion and a river flooded with secrets.

📖 I thought the plot was really good. It was interesting and I enjoyed the then/now format. Like the river referenced in the book, it weaves and bends the plot in ways that keep you turning pages, and as it approaches its thrilling conclusion - that's when I got super into it. And that's part of why it's not quite a 5 star read for me. I enjoyed the first +/-75%, I just didn't love it.

I also found the number of characters to be a bit confusing, their voices didn't feel quite distinct enough for me to quickly and easily orient myself. It pulled me out of the story multiple times before I was able to get a better grasp. The time jumps and which characters belong in each - I felt the voices could've been more distinctly different early on to aid the reader.

The last +/- 25% I loved, though. That's when it really brought out emotions - when the stories come together.

✍️🏼 I enjoyed the writing. It's clear and reads smoothly. The dialogue reads as natural.

⏳️The pacing is consistent, a bit on the slower side of medium up until the last 30% or so.

👥 The characters are well developed and dimensional.

🪟 I read a lot of this book via the 'read aloud' feature in the netgalley app. The AI voice certainly didn't help me orient myself with the characters. Since that's at least a small factor, I tried not to let that impact rating too much.

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read the eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

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I loved this authors debut novel so I was excited to get an ARC for this one. I really enjoyed the story and how it was wrapped up at the end. I had an idea what happened but couldn’t put it all together completely. This story was engaging and well written. I would read more books by this author..

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I had enjoyed the way Kelly Mustian wrote this and thought everything worked with the storyline being told. The concept worked well overall and was engaged with how haunting this was. I enjoyed the overall feel of this and glad I got to read this.

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A beautiful and moving southern story about a mother and daughter and the story of both their comings of age against the backdrop of both the Depression and the chaotic 1970s

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A great read. I loved the haunting atmosphere and the detailed story. All of the characters were perfectly crafted.

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