I love reading books about small communities in the middle of nowhere where life it tough. So, when I saw the cover of this book and read the blurb did I instantly know that I just had to read the book!

What I loved about this book is that the "main character" Sadie Blue only have a few POV chapters, the rest are told from people around her, like her husband, the towns preacher and the new teacher that arrives in the town. Not to mention the odd lady who lives with a crow. True all these people's POV do vet get not only a glimpse into Sadie's life, but also the hard life in Baines Creek. From events in the past up to the present time in the town. I think one of my favorite chapters was that of the preacher's sisters Prudence POV. She's quite a sourpuss and I thought that perhaps we will learn why she's so bitter and get a better understanding of what makes her tick and perhaps even feel sympathy. Well, let's just say that that bitter cow deserves no sympathy, together with Sadie Blue's husband.

Sadie Blue, this sweet little girl that has to grow up fast when she gets pregnant with the good for nothing Roy Tupkin who as soon as he has her legally married to him starts to beat her. Sadie Blue's hero is Loretta Lynn who also came from a poor background. And, I just love her adoration of Loretta Lynn who had four children before she was twenty. However, the question is will Sadie Blue even manage to have one child before Roy beats her to death?

If The Creek Don't Rise is a wonderful book about hardship, but also strength and perseverance. It's a book that is hard to put aside when one has started to read it and I just love the ending of the book. Although I wouldn't have minded some more chapters just because I love Leah Weiss wonderful way of writing and the intriguing story.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

In a North Carolina mountain town filled with moonshine and rotten husbands, Sadie Blue is only the latest girl to face a dead-end future at the mercy of a dangerous drunk. She’s been married to Roy Tupkin for fifteen days, and she knows now that she should have listened to the folks who said he was trouble. But when a stranger sweeps in and knocks the world off-kilter for everyone in town, Sadie begins to think there might be more to life than being Roy’s wife.

I feel pretty bad about this rating. It should have been so much higher. I got sucked in by all the advanced press and reviews. And now I put it down feeling disappointed and sad...

I was drawn in by the opening chapter about Sadie - she has been beaten (again) by her husband Roy, and we learn that her story is a sad one - but one that she would like to change if she could. And I was immediately interested in that story. I wanted more of that story. Instead, we get side-tracked by memories from her grandmother and visits from Marris (and her story)...and the story of Sadie is lost within 50 pages. And I never really got it back...

And then, by the time I dragged my backside to the finish of the book, I get left disappointed again cos, apart from Sadie, no other storyline or plot gets resolved. They are just left hanging. I don't know if there is a plan to write more about these people but, what I do now is that it is a most frustrating way to leave a book...unfinished.


Paul
ARH

I just could not get into this book because of the writing. It is well written and the characters and story is good, but something about the writing just made it hard for me to read. This book has gotten lots of great reviews and should be checked out.

“ If the Creek Don’t Rise” caught me completely offguard and ended up being such a delightul read. Creative storytelling, dynamic characters, within a painfully honest & empathetic community. This book is a completely immersive experience!

I was captivated by this story from the first few pages but then became disinterested after the first few chapters. I struggled to continue reading it. The storyline just wasn’t one I’m particularly fascinated by which made reading a little hard. I thought the author did a great job keeping within character. The language used is impeccable. Very true to the people of the area the story takes place in. Loved that she went that detailed with the characters and the way they speak. Great job.
Although it wasn’t my favorite story the writing was good.
I received a digital copy from netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review.

This just wasn't the book for me. Weiss creates a world that is miserable for her main character, and I couldn't read beyond the initial abuse and neglect to find out if the story improved or continued to feel hopeless and desolate.

What a great story! Fell in love with the characters and couldn't wait to see where the author was taking them!

A somber and sad story yet enthralling and gripping ...all in all utter brilliance

Unlike the charming tales of Appalachia produced by Adriana Trigiani, Leah Weiss’s maiden voyage to the hills and valleys of Appalachia via IF THE CREEK DON’T RISE brings readers in contact with dirty fingernails, gravel roads, grim poverty, brutal beatings and death. Set in the North Carolina town of Baines Creek circa 1970, this is a novel overflowing with the uneducated and impoverished and an atmosphere of tradition, hopes and dreams that bears some similarity to Catherine Marshall's CHRISTY, which I loved.

The characters inhabiting this tale are captivating and their views of life and the world around them fascinating. While the narrative focuses primarily on teen-aged Sadie Blue, everyone in town has a story to tell, each from their own perspective and life experiences. Like those inhabiting most small towns Baines Creek has its share of the suspicious, the eccentric and the envious and bitter.

For readers seeking a Southern story romantic love and pampered ladies languishing on wrap around porches and sipping mint juleps, this is not the book for you but for those who appreciate well researched authenticity, a sense of time and place and an engrossing story of survival in the face of staggering barriers, IF THE CREEK DON’T RISE should definitely be added to your TBR list.

The journey into fictional Appalachian Baines Creek is twisty, eerie, funny, and charismatic, with lyrical writing that engages while it haunts. I loved IF THE CREEK DON’T RISE by Leah Weiss and I can’t wait for more from this talented author.

Normally I’m not fond of multiple points of view, but I found this book fascinating. Such an eclectic mix of characters. Birdie was my favorite. With a crow nesting in her hair and bones around her neck, she’ll entertain until the last page. Full of eccentricities, Birdie has riddles and perfectly timed humor, with a one-liner I didn’t expect. Pure gold for this reader’s soul.

The novel begins in Sadie Blue’s point of view in a creepy scene where she wonders about the abuse she has endured. Not just the abuse from her new husband, but abuse from her father who talks to her from his grave. The reader wonders right along with Sadie as she ponders her life, as well as wondering about how she landed in this predicament. I couldn’t help but feel for Sadie’s plight, hoping somehow her life will get better.

Next, we get Sadie’s Granny Gladys Hicks’ point of view, and we get to know her through her friendship with her neighbor and second cousin by marriage, Marris Jones. These women have led a hard life and they have done things to survive that are better left unsaid at church.

There is the expected community church where gossip flows, and piety sometimes overrules good sense. The preacher and his sister are particularly interesting, adding more fun to the mix. When a new teacher arrives, all kinds of nonsense begins. Will she outlast those who want her gone?

That’s just the beginning of the characters that carry the story forward by telling their side of it. Sometimes being in the evil characters’ point of view is squirmy. I enjoyed them all so much that I had to read this book a second time, a few months later, before writing my review. I felt I couldn’t do the book justice without really concentrating on what made it such a great story.

In the end I decided that it’s the characters who won my heart, even when they were naughty. I loved the structure of this novel and the way it flows.

The prose in IF THE CREEK DON’T RISE is beautifully rhythmic. It emerges as the story unfolds like a ballad. The rhythm captivated me as much as the story and characters, making it a unique blend of craft. Once I realized author Leah Weiss was a fan of Ron Rash, I knew why I loved her lyrical style. It’s a thing of beauty, unveiling the characters’ lives and the thriller content slowly around the setting. Crisp and clean, its qualities breathe fresh air straight into this literary lover’s heart. Highly recommended!

Review by Dorine, courtesy of The Zest Quest.

As a resident in Eastern Kentucky, I was immediately drawn into the Appalachian background. I LOVED this book. There were strong characters that I loved and some that I didn't like at all. The narration using different characters helped to develop the understanding of the character. Even forty years after this novel is set, some of the images and descriptions made me recognize home.
This is a somewhat dark novel and could be considered somewhat depressing, but Sadie Blue is developed throughout the story. It's suspenseful and I honestly didn't know how it would end until I got to the very last page.
It did have some language and sexual content.
I would recommend it to other readers.

3.5
What a story all interwoven in a small town. The hidden secrets everyone has and how they all tie in together through tears fear and laughter. A story to make you think and question

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and especially, the author, for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

I really wanted to love this book, I see that so many did, but it just wasn't my type of story, I guess. I liked the book, it took me awhile to read it though as I found it depressing and I just had a hard time getting into it.

I really sympathized with the main character, Sadie Blue, she was young, pregnant and her man was abusive and mean. I did find the characters were well written and the story was good. For me, the star if the book, is the description of this small town near the Appalachian mountains, it portrayed a vast and beautiful area.

All in all, it was a good book, maybe just not my kind of book.

This is one of those books that stays with you. It’s hard to put down. It’s one that makes you feel love and anger. Sadness and laughter. It’s just an all around good books.
I love the Appalachian setting in a story and this one was there. The language of the Appalachian people is one of a kind. They can stick together when need be and turn on each other if need be.
Sadie Blue is the main character and you will fall in love with her. She goes through so much but seems to always have such a good outlook. She’s full of questions and loves learning. She also loves Lorretta Lynn something fierce. She falls for the town bad boy, ends up pregnant and in a very abusive marriage at such a young age. Her mother left when she was just a baby and her dad raised her the best he could until he died. She lived with her granny, who had already had a hard life and was tough on Sadie but I think she loved her. She just didn’t really know how to show love like some people do. She didn’t want her to be involved with Rob Tupkin but you can’t tell young girls since they truly think they know it all. Sadie believed Roy wanted to marry her and would take care of her and their baby. But he was such a mean person. He had a bad reaputataion for violence. He ran around on her, beat her, was just a terrible person. He had come from a bad childhood but still you would think that would make him want to be kind to someone carrying his child. It was not going to happen though. He and his friend Billy Barnhill were together almost all the time, with the exception of when Roy was with his lover and I don’t mean Sadie. Billy didn’t like the way Roy treated Sadie, he liked her himself. But Sadie never felt anything for Billy except maybe revulsion.
Eli, the preacher, was a kind sort of man. He wanted the best for the people of the town and sent for another teacher for the children. His sister, Prudence, was totally different. I didn’t like her. She didn’t like anyone and would do bad things to people. She hated the new school teacher, Kate Shaw. Kate had taught at one of the best private schools and was dismissed. She came to the mountain to get away and start over. Her and Sadie became quick friends. Then there is Birdie. Birdie was the lady with the pet crow, the one with all the answers, all the ways to cure things. I liked her. I liked Kate and I loved Sadie. I liked Eli but I did not like Prudence or Roy or even Billy. I had a hard time with Sadie’s granny too until I read her story. She had a sad life, but still she could have been kinder to others I think. I like Sadie’s Aunt Marris was a very lovable character. She wanted to take Sadie in and protect her although she knew that Sadie would have to want that help.
This book will certainly make you stop and think. Make you grateful you don’t live in any of their shoes. It was a good story from start to finish. It never lagged. It kept me wanting to read until I got up at 4am and read the very end of this book. I LOVED the ending, but hope so bad that the author will consider writing a sequel so we can see what ends up happening to Sadie, to Ms Shaw and Eli. I’m hoping Sadie ends up learning a lot and doing something good with her life. Life in the Appalachians is hard. They are a different kind of people too. With their own language, ways and feelings. It’s a very good book. Don’t be afraid to read this one. It will melt your heart, make you angry, make you laugh and make you cry. It has it all.
Great debut book by another great indie author.
I thank NetGalley for the honor of reading this book. It was so good.
Another 5 starts from me.

I absolutely loved the book. We are reading this book for our December 2017 book club!! I am so excited. Ms. Weiss describtion of Appalachia is so exact you can smell the mountain air.

Being a child of the 1970's her character description were a definant match to the time period. Each of these people tell their story as it relates to Sadie Blue. Sadie Blue is a pregnant 17 year old that is in an abusive relationship with Roy Tupkin.

This book was quicked paced and the ending was totally unexpected. Ms. Weiss is most certainly a new voice in southern literature. Can't wait for her next book.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley.

This was a Traveling Sister Read with Brenda, Sarah, Jennifer and Porshajo. It was so enjoyable and fun reading and discussing the book with them.

This book takes place in the mountains in a small town called Baines Creek, N.C. It is 1970. I really loved reading about the Appalachian culture, and learned a lot. The grammar in the beginning was really bad, but then it got a lot better, then it got bad again, so I then noticed that it was the dialogue of the character's that were uneducated, who had the bad grammar, and the characters that were educated had the good grammar.

The main character is Sadie Blue, who is only seventeen years old and is married to Roy Tupkin and she is with him for 15 days. He is a drunk, a wife beater and is so mean. He is such a bad guy but she was warned about him. Sadie is just lovable and my heart really felt for her.

I usually stay away from a book that has domestic violence in it, but this one really wasn't bad at all. It wasn't graphic, and didn't go into detail about it. It was very well done. Before I read the book I messaged a GR friend to see if the abuse was really bad and she told me that it wasn't bad at all and that it was more of a character driven novel and urged me to read it. That is why I love Good Reads so much
because I probably would of never of picked this book up if it wasn't for her urging me to read it. If I didn't pick this up I would of really missed out on a lot.

This is a character driven novel and the author does so well with the development of the characters. They come to life. There were so many characters but they never confused me because each character's name was on the chapter, so you knew which character was telling their story. There were characters that I loved and characters that I disliked. I just loved Marris. She was always helping the needy. She had a huge heart and was always so nice. I also loved Eli Perkins who was a preacher and he really gave the town hope. The town has a lot of poverty. I loved Kate Shaw too. She was the new school teacher and she would not let anything get in her way. She made sure they got their education. I also loved Birdie. She was such a quirky character and kept herself in the company with crows. She would also give out a lot of herbal remedies.
I am not going to get into all the characters, just wanted to go over the ones that I really loved.

I have to have some suspense in a book when I read it, and this one had some suspense. The suspenseful parts would build up and by the time it got close to the end, the suspense hooked me in and I couldn't put it down. I also loved the twist at the end. I don't read very many historical novels, but since I loved this one, I will be reading a new genre. I am so excited that I have a new genre to read.
I highly recommend this book.
I want to thank Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Grammar lovers beware, you're in for a scare! This is an alternately bleak and hopeful portrait of Appalachia in the 1970's. Due to my own ignorance about the people and culture of this area at that time, I assumed it was earlier on. The schooling is dismal, the people run wild, and there's hardly any law to speak of. I've never met characters like these ones, and I probably never will. Some are easy to love, some are easy to hate, and some you just want to wrap in your arms and protect. There's many characters to keep track of, and I found almost all of them fascinating. The only thing that kept it from being a five star for me was some lagging around the middle, but it's a great read and a real departure from the books I usually enjoy.

Sadie Blue isn't the only girl with a rotten husband, but Roy may just be the worst. She married him after she became pregnant. They never really knew each other that well. Now they're going to have a baby... and Sadie is getting beat. She's married a cruel man and sees no way out, until a little light enters her life by way of the tallest woman she's ever seen. Kate Shaw has come to teach the children of Baines Creek... the ones who want to learn, anyway. She's intelligent, brave, driven, and (GASP!) a feminist. Most of the townsfolk have no idea what to make of her, but some are drawn to her. She just might make some changes to Baines Creek yet.

There are many other rich characters, but I'm not going to go into too much detail. The characters are the absolute heart of the novel. You'll despise some and learn to love others as their stories unfold from their own perspective. Almost all have experienced true sorrow in their lives, the kind of hurt many of us can't even imagine. A beautifully written tale about an unfamiliar way of life. I read this with The Traveling Sisters group and it incited a lot of debate and discussion. This would be a wonderful read for a book club.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and Sourcebooks Landmark, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

Firstly thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for an ARC of this story in exchange for a fair review.

I found this to be a very thought provoking telling of life in a small town in Appalachia.
Each chapter is told by a different character, some nice and others not nice at all. I liked the character change, it keeps you on your toes and shows the story from different perspectives. I would be interested in getting to know some of the characters in more detail.
The story is very well written, once you get into the dialect of the area it really flows.
I would recommend this story and look forward to seeing more from this author.

What an enthralling debut novel from Leah Weiss. It’s the story of of Sadie Blue and the community she lives in which is very harsh. The story is told by different members of that community and between them they take the reader on a journey of life in Baines Creek. Sadie is at the center and features in every story. Leah is certainly an author to watch in the future