The story revolves around Liv, a single mother who relocates to a seemingly idyllic New Hampshire town only to discover a troubling undercurrent at her daughter's school. I so wanted to like this book; however, the narrative gets bogged down by predictable plot points and a lack of character development. I really could not connect with Liv and didn't like her character. She starts off as a character faced with the challenges of adjusting to a new environment and a precarious situation as a single mom. But, her journey quickly devolves into a series of clichéd confrontations with school authorities, making her come across as more of a one-dimensional caricature than a fully fleshed-out character.

The portrayal of the school board and its members feels overly dramatized. While the book tries to provide commentary on mental health, especially with Liv's daughter's anxiety, to me, the story often skirts around these topics rather than addressing them with the sensitivity and depth they deserve.

In the end, for me, The Board struggles to deliver the suspense and revelation it promises.

#TheBoard #NetGalley

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

2 stars

Liv Wilcox is a single mom to third grade daughter Piper and they’ve moved to Whitebridge, New Hampshire after Liv’s divorce and a messy job loss. Sensitive Piper is now in school but Liv is quickly labeled as a “problem” parent by Bob Stewart, the principal and superintendent of Piper’s school. The place is run like a military academy.

Liv begins to investigate and learns that Lydia Brown, a former teacher, was bullied and forced to resign. Things begin to get worse for Liv and Piper, and police are involved. What is going on in this small town?

The sales pitch on this likened it to BIG LITTLE LIES, but…no. Liv is an insane person putting both herself and her daughter at risk constantly. I couldn’t stand her. Go to the state police, you nutjob! And quit impersonating a lawyer, you are never, ever going to pass the character exam to actually become one, you know! It only gets two stars because it had nice cats and a sweet old lady.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC! I loved this story! The struggles of being a women and a mother are so well described. Standing up for yourself and following your gut brought the main character struggles but they were worth it.