this book held so many feeling within its pages. so many powerful moments both harrowing and tender. i was in awe of some of the characters both in their grit to carry on or in their grit to fight on.
there were some real horrors in this cast of characters.
the mysterys evolved around a baby left to a mother and her daughter one dark night. nothing more is said and its clear nothing more should be asked on the matter. and so the girls and their mother grow on. but Nell isnt ok with leaving it there and is determined for both Evie and herself and possibly even their mother,to find out more. to find out why.
in our dual timeline we also have the tale of a mother who is going through so very much. and gradually these two timelines meet until we finally found out who plays what part in these girls lives. and how Nell came to have a new baby sister overnight.
there is so much pull to this book. its a fantastic read. its hold you tight until youve read every last page and even then leaves you thinking long after the last page is turned.

So excited to receive an ARC of this book. Girls in Stilt Houses is one of my all-time favorites so couldn't wait for this one. I didn't love this one quite as much due to the dual timelines. It did have all the moodiness & Southern charm that I have come to expect from Mustian though. The two storyline involve Becca, a young widow trying to care for her baby during the depression and Nell in 1971 trying to piece together the mystery of how her baby sister came to live with her & her mother. Neatly tied together at the end. Looking forward to the third novel.

My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this free ARC and the opportunity to review it.

Kelly Mustian writes from the heart, and this dual-timeline story, told through the perspectives of sisters Nell and Evie, is both suspenseful and emotional. Their relationship, intertwined with that of their unknowable mother, Hazel, is complicated by the story of Evie’s mysterious origins. In the depths of the Great Depression, a baby was dropped off at the ramshackle home that Nell shared with single-mother Hazel, by a male stranger, in the middle of the night. Nothing more is said about it to the bewildered Nell, who quickly becomes a devoted big sister. She never asks, and Hazel makes it clear that she won’t tell. Does she even know Evie’s story?

During the 1930s timeline, however, the focus is not so much the girls and Hazel as it is fugitive mother Becca’s story. all is revealed in the 1970s timeline, when Nell takes it upon herself to get answers.

The double timeline occasionally trips over itself, largely because many of the 1930s characters are very relevant to the outcome, but their relationships are unclear. Hazel’s background is hazy until the end; by the time Evie and Becca get their story told, it’s hard not to have guessed. With this large and often overlapping-yet-separate cast, the many changes of setting (all beautifully depicted), and the multiple, also entwined- but -distinct stories unfolding, it’s hard to keep them straight. Some of the links, when revealed, are also a bit contrived, with too much power given to the villain. Still, the author’s story-telling and character development are excellent and I found myself willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of a good tale and beautiful writing.

Unfortunately this did not work for me and I gave up around 30%. Maybe it’s just me but the recent trend in literature with dueling POVs is getting tiresome. It’s hard to keep track of the characters. Once you get invested in one storyline, the POV switched. The pace was also just a little too slow for me. Thanks SOURCEBOOKS and NetGalley for the eARC for review.

This book was a trip through time. Starting in the 30’s and moving into the 70’s. It’s a story of survival, endurance and love. I was so moved by the last quarter of this book that I’m still in awe of the way this writer gave me hope and found family and yet a deep sense of loss for many of the characters. My book club chose The Girls in the Stilt House for this month’s selection and I’m picking it up next to read by this same author and I’m looking forward to another story by this gifted writer. Excellent story I highly recommend. 4.5 stars!

I was excited to see that there was a new book out by this author. I loved The Stilt Girls, a lot!

This book has two timelines, 2 stories, seemingly unconnected. One timeline is in the 1930s, during the tough depression. Becca is a young widow trying to bring up a toddler without family support. The 1970s is about Nell and Evie, who were sisters by chance with a very enigmatic “mother”. Nell is trying to figure out their past. It takes place in the Deep South, often close to the Mississippi River, sometimes in the mountains in the Carolinas. As in the previous book, the setting is very descriptive and important to the story.

BUT. And, I hate that there is a “but”. This story fell short for me. There were a few too many characters, especially in the 1930s segments. I had trouble trying to keep them straight in my mind. A name would pop up and I’d have to stop to try to figure out who it was. Some of the story felt disjointed. Maybe there were too many words. I'm not sure what it was.

As happens with two timelines, they come together in the end, in ways that I did not expect. And, I enjoyed that. In fact, I enjoyed the whole storyline. It had good elements: secrets, family, perseverance. I think it could have been presented a little more smoothly.

I would rate this a solid 3.5 stars, but I have to go up or down. I'll go up to 4 stars because I did enjoy the story, through my own confusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

I can't help it, sometimes the most captivating stories, the books that have you enthralled for days... are the most difficult to write a proper review about.

The River Knows Your Name is one of those books, a story that I am finding it not easy to put into simple words because of the layers and depth, the wonder of putting pieces together and finding out what was troubling Nell and Evie's mother all that time. The sisters being close, but even as adults are still children of her mother, in need of being mothered.
A very impressive story about doing the right thing, but at a cost.

I am very much looking forward to another book by Kelly Mustian.

Set in the depression along the Mississippi River, sisters Nell and Evie grew up with Hazel, their secretive and closed off mother. Nell often felt Hazel favored Evie, but with a 4 year age difference between them, she attributed it to Evie being younger.

Once grown, the sisters notice a change in Hazel. She has become more involved, getting in church choir and becoming more social. Nell decides to take it upon herself to learn more about Hazel, and due to a document she and Evie stumbled upon uses that as a starting point.

I really enjoyed the story. The dual timeline was not annoying and the characters were interesting. As the truth was revealed, the characters proved to have links to each other, some in a surprising way. I especially liked the villain’s (Mildred’s) link to a woman who ran a brothel!

This is a story about a lost child, a found family and a group of friends who share a strong bound and form to make an even larger family.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review and recommend this to readers.

A lyrical story of a mother’s love and a daughter’s search for the truth. I loved every sweeping minute of this dual timeline tale set in Depression-era Mississippi and 1970s North Carolina. Mustian’s beautiful writing about the landscape and time period is descriptive and impactful. She weaves the mystery’s threads together in a seamless way that leaves the reader turning the pages quickly to get to the answers. I learned so much about the everyday life of people in the Depression, especially mothers, and enjoyed picturing the swinging clubs and dusty streets. Highly recommend!

Which character is keeping the most secrets in this beautifully written dual timeline read?

The writing and storyline are just pull-you-in amazing.

We meet Hazel, Nell, Evie, Becca, Ben, and Mildred.

Evie is the connection to both time periods and families in both the 1930s and in 1971.

We follow Becca and Evie as they go through their days without Becca’s husband and Evie’s father Ben.

Becca finds out that her nasty mother-in-law, Mildred, kept information about her husband from her, and she does some other horrible things to Becca.

We also follow Hazel, Nell, and Evie as adults as we see what their life is like now and as they try to figure out what really happened during their childhood and the secrets their mother kept.

A marvelous, heartfelt, as well as heartbreaking read with wonderful characters you will love and feel for.

You will not want to put the book down, and you will need tissues at times.

THE RIVER KNOWS YOUR NAME has intrigue and is a you-have-to-know-how-it-all-happened read and how it all turns out. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I had high hopes for The River Knows Your Name by Kelly Mustain. Although I did not read this author's first book, I read many positive reviews of it. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the slow pace and haphazard characterization of this novel.

I appreciated the dual perspectives of Nell and Becca, but I wanted to hear from Evie, since she was the subject of the biggest plot point. And to suddenly get Hazel's perspective near the end, although enlightening, felt like an afterthought. The pacing was quite slow, but I was most engaged during Becca's time in Natchez.

The southern settings of Mississippi and North Carolina were depicted beautifully and evocatively making me want to visit in person. The writing was mostly solid, although I will admit the incomplete sentences did get on my nerves. The resolution held some surprises but was still somewhat predictable.

I may recommend this to readers who like leisurely paced historical fiction from the south.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was truly looking forward to this story from Ms. Mustian, I loved The Girls in the Stilt House, unfortunately this book was completely different. The concept of the book was good, but I found it difficult to keep up with the multiple characters along with the changing between the dual timelines. I had to go back and re-read several times to understand where I was.

The ending did clear up most of the confusion but there were just too many characters involved. I’m sure many readers will find this a great read, but I was expecting a bit more. Comes in with 4 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love the girl in the stilt house by this author and this novel also did not fail to disappoint. The story follows Evie and Nell, who history holds secrets. This book takes us back in time along the Mississippi River as Nell seeks to discover the truth. A sweeping, engaging historical mystery. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advance copy.

4.5 stars.

The River Knows Your Name by Kelly Mustian is a truly captivating historical novel.

The 1930s Depression Era is a difficult time for Becca and Ben Chambers. She has recently lost her beloved second mother and deeply mourns her loss. Ben is having difficulty finding work so he travels to find a job. Becca will do anything she can to protect her family but will she regret one of her decisions?

In 1972, Nell Brown and her sister Evie are bewildered by the recent changes in their mother, Hazel. Their formerly reticent mom is now practically a social butterfly so Nell comes back for a visit. While Hazel is out, Nell’s curiosity leads to an intriguing discovery that she cannot resist investigating. Her quest for answers leads to shocking information.

The River Knows Your Name is a riveting novel with a hint of mystery. The characters are wonderfully developed and the majority of them are likable. The two timelines are seamlessly woven together into a compelling tale. The storyline is engaging and impeccably researched. Kelly Mustian bring this marvelous historical novel to a very heartwarming conclusion.

Enjoyed this historical fiction set in Mississippi and North Carolina - it took me a bit to keep the characters and story straight- there were a lot of moving pieces and difficult to read in ebook form. A satisfying and happy ending to a family mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

A stunning dual timeline story that unravels as a daughter questions her memories. Nell has kept a secret for 30 years after finding a document that showed her sister Evie, having a different mother. Now haunted by the memories as an adult, she dives in and what a story we dive into with her. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for letting me read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Sourcebook Landmark for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
I enjoyed this atmospheric, nostalgic story. It is told in two timelines. In 1971 Nell is exploring and trying to find out how her sister Evie came to live with them. She is also curious about her mom Hazel. In the early 1930's the reader is introduced to Becca, a young mother. It is interesting to see how their stories connect and what really happened. I have to admit, I had a little trouble getting into this book. I though the beginning was a little confusing. Once the story got going though, it was easy to follow. I liked the setting, and Hazel's story the best. I liked the way the author slowly let the reader know her life had been a lot more interesting than it appeared. Recommend if you like stories of family secrets and forgiveness.

Author Kelly Mustian has followed up her debut The Girls in the Stilt House with a strong sophomore novel The River Knows Your Name, coming out April 1. Set in 1971, the story introduces sisters Nell and Evie Brown who are concerned about their mother Hazel. She has started acting opposite of her secretive and emotionally remote ways, doing things she had never done: inviting Evie out to lunch, taking her shopping, going to movies, and singing in a church choir.

Nell was six years old when Hazel did a favor for a friend by taking in a little girl around two for one night. The friend was never heard from again causing Hazel to uproot them all from their home in Mississippi to Clay Mountain near West Jefferson, North Carolina, to raise Evie as her own. When Evie was ten, she and Nell found inside a book a birth certificate for Evie naming a stranger as her mother. The girls never let on to Hazel that they knew this secret. Because of Hazel’s change of personality, Nell decides to go back to Mississippi to learn more about Hazel and to track down the person listed on Evie’s birth certificate.

Becca, who had married Ben Chambers in 1932, was still a newlywed, when her “second mother” Lottie drowned in the Mississippi River. Upon hearing the terms of Lottie’s will, Becca learned that she had inherited a house in the near ghost town of Rodney, Mississippi. Orphaned at age six, Becca was aware that Lottie had once lived in Rodney with the only man she had ever loved. Becca did not realize that Lottie still owned a house there, a house that would provide refuge for Becca when her world turned upside down.

The lives of all four women will come together as they deal with love, loss, secrets, and “chosen family.” This book will be hard to put down until the last mystery is revealed. The River Knows Your Name is set in the Mississippi Delta as well as in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Kelly Mustian received the Mississippi Library Association's 2023 Author Award for Fiction, while The Girls in the Stilt House was shortlisted for the 2022 Crook's Corner Book Prize for best debut novel set in the American South. She has also written for numerous literary journals and commercial magazines. Born in Mississippi, Mustian lives in North Carolina.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting February 28, 2025.

I would like to thank Sourcebooks Landmark, an imprint of Sourcebooks, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Nelle and Evie are two sisters who are extremely close and loving. Their mother, Hazel, has aways been very private and never very demonstrative so when the sisters find a birth certificate one day, showing that Evie was born to a different mother, they know better than to question Hazel. Years later Nelle is living a nomadic life and decides to dive into the past to try to uncover the truth about Evie. The story she unlocks will change all of their lives forever.