At the beginning I struggled to keep up with the many characters and individual story lines, but once I got into it I really enjoyed the well thought out plot and its many twists. It felt like at first seeing only tiny threads, constantly zooming out until you recognize the intricately woven fabric. Sometimes I thought it was too much put into one story, but towards the end everything came together smoothly and effortlessly, and I was impressed by the complexity of the book. The story itself was a well-balanced mixture of suspense, action and romance that kept me glued to the pages. I'm glad I gave this one a try, and I will also check out the other titles by the author.

When I first starter this book, I almost put it down….. TRIGGER WARNING— parent has cancer. I just recently lost a parent to cancer so I almost did not continue but the blurb sounded so good I kept going.

While the beginning was hard to keep up with just because there are so many characters, it was so hard to keep up with who was who. I felt like I was reading a fantasy novel with how many characters were thrown at me. I did realize by the end that they were all pretty necessary to the story line and every one fit in well. By the end of the book I was hooked and wanted to know what happened. I do feel the ending was a bit rushed but overall I did enjoy the story. It kept my attention and I kept asking questions throughout. So many lies, murder, and heartbreak.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collin’s Muse for an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.

An interesting tale of social history mixed with mystery, murder, and a side of romance. Tying it all together is a mother-daughter team that cares for each other over anyone or anything else. The story moves along swiftly with lots of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing where some of the answers may end up. The dirty side of humanity makes more than a few showings, with murder at the top. How does a town recover and cover up the deaths of 9 girls? And why was an answer never really sought after? The answer to this leads to a winding trail that could cost everything.
This book has a large number of characters. Even a physical copy was hard to follow who they all were and how they were related to other characters. Because of this I didn't feel I was able to make too much of a connection with many of the characters. The setting was so descriptive, at times it felt like the boat was waiting on the water just outside my door. It was easy to imagine the backdrop for this story.
I enjoyed the author's style of writing, the twists in the story that left me knowing some answers and surprised at others. It was a nice mix of figuring it out and the gasp moment when the answer is opened in front of you. With the trouble I had with the characters this helped me get through the book. It will be interesting to see how future books by Court Stevens goes. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Court Stevens is an amazing author. I absolutely loved Last Girl Breathing, so when I saw she had a new book out, I knew I had to read it! And it did not disappoint. Read this ebook along with listening to the audiobook.

#Tell Me Something Good, #Court Stevens, #netgalley, #Southern mystery, #romance, #thriller

When Anna loses her job at the local high school and her mother is diagnosed with cancer, she seeks the help of her ex-fiance, Jack, who works across the Ohio River at the ultra wealthy Lodges compound, where the annual hunting Royale is about to begin. She is hired and immediately enmeshed in questionable activities. There is blackmail, murder, coverup, romance, alliances made and surprise twists that made this book impossible to put down. I loved every minute of it. Tell Me Something Good is not only a great thriller read, but an emotional contrast between wealth and poverty; self sacrificing love and careless abandonment. Great adult debut from Court Stevens.

Love this book! Very excited to see an adult debut from this author. If you're a fan of Stevens' combo of edge-of-your-seat thriller vibes with authentic, messy, *human* characters, Tell Me Something Good will not disappoint! And the texture of the woodsy Kentucky backdrop is *chef's kiss* This would make for a great book club read. Highly recommend!

Set between Bent Tree, Kentucky and Luxor, Illinois, along the Ohio River, this superb novel is about families, murder, needy men, and love. Librarian and author, Court Stevens, offers readers a look into the operation of the Lodges where each year the Royale is held, bringing wealthy hunters into the poor Kentucky community. Anna Ryder's job at the school district is eliminated, so she takes a job at the Lodges to ensure she has money to get her mother, Starr, to her cancer treatments. This opens up Starr's entire history with the Lodge and the family who runs it. Highly recommended for discussion groups and a must-purchase for regional libraries. Readers will have opinions about Foster, a former ATF agent in an arranged farce of a marriage, who says she has been looking for her childhood friend, Anna, for years, even though Anna never left Starr and her home.

If you like multiple povs, this might not be the book for you.
I however, enjoy them. Nothing wrong with a diverse cast of characters. Nuanced, and fleshed out.
That aside, this is a book that will evoke emotion.
Tell Me Something Good is the type of book that's supposed to be about one thing. In this case a murder. But in the heart of it, it's about a poor Southern town and it's inhabitants, their relationships, class and community.
It's well written and moving. A very good debut.
Looking forward to what this author writes next.

I’m not quite sure what to think of this book. In some ways, it was well written and a great story. I think that the way things were done could have been better with different editing. A better editor would have really made this story shine. All in all, it’s a great story with wonderful characters. I shouldn’t feel so conflicted about it, but I do.

I loved this book. I grew attached to many of the characters and loved seeing them develop throughout the story. The setting was very authentic to the southern landscape and felt nostalgic and dreamy. This book has everything: Mystery, romance, and a twist you don’t see coming! A very satisfying read. I’ll be looking forward to more novels like this from Court Stevens.

Tell me something good by Court Steven’s. I realize this is a galley but truthfully was not able to follow the story. I gave up. Thanks for the chance to read it though.

The way I squealed when I saw Court Stevens had an adult novel coming out! A long fan of Stevens, I was thrilled to be able to read an early copy of Tell Me Something Good. And it didn't disappoint! I love this book, and I can't wait until it is released so I can add it to my shelves!

Court Stevens is a must read for me. I like the mystery and thought provoking characters that despite their many flaws, you end up liking for all the wrong reasons. With Anna Rider, I wasn't sure I was going to like her. But I ended up cheering her on as she tried to find the truth that everyone was withholding from her.
Good characters along with a very interesting backdrop of murders, illegal guns and lies.

Loved the way the story lines entertwined to tell a compelling mystery ! Also handled a controversial subject in a compelling way.

I have mixed feelings about this one, to be honest. On one hand, it delivered on what it promised, but it did so in a way that left me both impressed and frustrated.

The story starts off strong: Starr Ryder is battling cancer while her daughter, Anna, struggles to make ends meet in the impoverished town of Luxor. Recently fired from her teaching job , Anna crosses the river to The Bent Tree—a stark contrast to her world of poverty—to take up a job . A big hunting event is coming up, and her arrival sets a series of events into motion.

While the story had potential, a lot of it didn’t work for me. The mother-daughter relationship felt unrealistic. I’m not a fan of the “best friend” dynamic between mothers and daughters (think Gilmore Girls), and Starr came across as too whimsical, while Anna felt like a weak shadow of her.

The writing style was another issue. It was inconsistent—switching between character perspectives and a narrator without warning. It took me a while to get used to it, and even when I did, the story didn’t improve much. There were too many characters introduced early on with little explanation, making it hard to keep track. And when things finally started happening, the book rushed to its ending

That said, the book does have its strengths. The contrast between the poor town of Luxor and the wealthy Bent Tree was well-drawn, and it tried to tackle themes like poverty, privilege, and survival. However, these positives were overshadowed by the lack of focus and poor structure.

For those interested, Tell Me Something Good will be out on June 3rd. Big thanks to @harpermusebooks for providing me with an advance copy via @netgalley.

this book was very very hard to read. It was kind of all over the place, there was too much going on all at once and nothing ever really felt tied together or complete. I think it was messy and difficult to get through. I did not like it

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Murders, memories, secrets: woven into a fast read.

Set around multiple families/friendship groups where everyone is connected to a 20 year old multiple murder. The characters were solid, the plot had great potential and for the most part the first two thirds were building depth, mystery and explanation. Unfortunately the last third felt rushed, unclear and super abrupt.

This is a pleasing enough read, a solid 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I only read about 20% of this book and then stopped. The prologue sounded fantastic, but I had to go back to it twice to make sure that I was still reading the same book. I wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters And the writing seemed a bit choppy for my liking.. I’m sure that, at some point in the book, the theme would’ve connected back to the prologue, and I’m hopeful that it does for new readers.

I was instantly drawn into this book with the descriptive writing and the author does a nice job delivering a story with southern flair. There were some areas that I did find rather frustrating. There are times the story is stopped and then suddenly a narrator speaks directly to the reader stating things about the characters to explain/foreshadow events. This was distracting and interrupted the flow of the story. Also, the ending was rushed and all the conflicts/character development was suddenly put on fast forward in order to wrap it all up. So much of the story was spent building on the shady characters and the criminal activities as well as a second chance romance. Then, suddenly it blows up (literally and figuratively) and everything is finished with little explanation. I felt like the book had a lot of potential and the author does a nice job of penning southern life. The story just needs more clarity and direction and less crazy mess confusion. Also, spoiler here: who spends the whole time pining over a sexy man just to marry a woman?!? The story was sensible and realistic and then- what?!?
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was all over the place. I felt like I had ADHD reading it. This book could use a hefty edit.