What hurts the most

'What Hurts the Most' is one of those books that pull you in from the start and does not let go. I was completely blown away by the storyline. It was definitely an engrossing, heart-stopping thriller that had so many twists and turns that left me speechless. I loved how the story played out. One thrilling scenario after another.

I just read "What Hurts the Most", by Willow Rose. I thought it was a great book. The author did a great job on introducing a vibrant, passionate main character in the book named Mary. Mary is called back to her small home town because she needs to solve a mystery that is directly related to her past.
In order to do so, she must confront and solve the issues of her past and acknowledge what made her leave. When the first read this book, I though the ending was simply too outrageous, but then when I found out that there was a series coming, I thought the ending was excellent because it sets up further adventures and pursuits for Mary.
The book was well written, well-paced and included intrigue and suspense to keep the pages turning. In enjoyed this book very much and really liked the main character. She was flawed but fiercely devoted to helping others. The ending left me wanting more, and wanting to read more about Mary's adventures.
I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of this genre. You will be entertained and intrigued throughout. Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this book . I will definately be reading moe from this author.

This is a new to me author. I simply loved this novel. I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. We are introduced to many and separate characters. The thrill of the novel is trying to figure out how all these characters and their storylines connect and come together in the end. Tons of twists and turns and nail biting suspense sum up this novel. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to read more from this author!

This is the first book in a series, there were a lot of characters but it was an easy read, and I can’t wait to read more.

This is my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last!

First book in a new series. Likable characters, smooth writing with even storytelling. I look forward to reading more from this series and Willow Rose.

Willow Rose has a wonderful ability to write these complex storylines with multiple characters and pull them all together for a stunning conclusion. They are fast reads that keep you guessing until the end. If you enjoy stories that keep you involved these are for you. This particular book was inspired by the author's admission of reading about Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. I think this is the first book that I have read where this is part of the story. It was a wonderful inclusion and it was a surprise as to which character was the victim of their mother's disease.

I've read Willow Rose's work before and this book lives up to the usual standard. Would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

How is this the first time I've heard about this author?!?

What Hurts the Most is a perfectly fun, quick, beach read! The storyline is dark and devious. and will have you sucked right in.

Mary Mills returns to her home town in Cocoa Beach, when he brother is accused of murder. She was recently fired from her job at the NY Times. She's still trying to come to terms with her divorce and raising her son in NY, while her ex husband is living in FL. The return trip home resurrects a lot of issues from the past. I love, love, loved the 7th Street Gang and all of their interactions. Very fun characters!
There are also a few storylines concurrently occurring. These all end up wrapped in a nice bow at the end, but this is only book 1 of the series....I'm looking forward to devouring the remaining two books!

A special thank you to NetGalley, Buoy Media, and Willow Rose for providing me with an copy.

Enjoyable thriller with plenty of twists and turns. I am a huge fan of Willow Rose and always look forward to reading her books!

Mary Mills is a famous journalist who is fired by her newspaper in New York due to writing a story that didn't fit their narrative. Meanwhile, her father asks her to come back to her hometown of Cocoa Beach, FL to help her younger brother who is in trouble with the law. She returns and teams up with her old crowd to try to figure out what is going on. One of her old crowd is her ex-husband who just loves surfing and didn't like NY. He is the father or her young son.

I'll just stop right here and say that I chose 4 of Willow Rose's books to review, never having heard of this author before, but always a fan of a good law enforcement story. Wow! I was hooked immediately. I then discovered that Ms. Rose is a prolific writer and proceeded to order all her books from 3 of her series so I could read the WHOLE story. I had a reading marathon. I am hooked and can't wait to read more. Highly recommend anything by this author!

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

I’ve read books by the author before. This is a new series and this book is brilliant, so much so I have just bought the next 3. Brilliant characters and a great style of writing where lots of lives are discussed and brought together in a cover way. The main character Mary is endearing and I love the setting of Florida where the book is based. Gripping, twisty and easy to read.

Mary Mills returns to Cocoa Beach with her son to help her brother who is accused of a murder. She has been gone for twenty years but her friends all are there to help her solve the mystery so her brother can be released from prison. Many heart wrenching things have happened to them but they are there for each other as if they had never parted. There are women who were from the same group in high school being killed also and she tries to find out who is responsible. After looking back at some of the things that happened to those in the story you will find a surprise in the ending.

What Hurts the Most by Willow Rose is one heck of a thrill ride, from start to finish. Life is going downhill fast for journalist Mary Mills. Then her father calls, letting her know that her younger brother was arrested for a gruesome murder. Mary immediately flies back to her hometown of Cocoa Beach, Florida. She left twenty years ago and hasn't been back since. Working with her oldest, lifelong friends, she manages to track down the most disturbing killer her town has ever seen. Determined to solve the murder and to have her brother freed, Mary's forced to face demons that she thought were dead and buried. A surprise twist changes everything for her and her loved ones. This was such a great read, I literally couldn't put it down. Willow Rose is easily becoming one of my favorite suspense writers.

Another gripping and highly entertaining story by this author.
I had a lot of fun, the solid mystery kept me hooked and guessing.
Good plot full of twists and turns, interesting characters.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the first in a series of Mary Mills. She goes home to Cocoa Beach, Florida to get her brother released from jail. She has friends that she meets back up with that she has not seen in years included her ex.
This is a very action packed thriller that has twists that are so good.
Definitely check out this author!

This book pulled me in and did not let me go!!!! So good. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving this book in this manner had no bearing on my review.

The first in a new series from Willow Rose. Mary Mills is a reporter in New York and gets fired from her job, just as she is wondering how she is going to support herself and her son, Salter, she gets a call to say her brother had been arrested for murder. So she decides to return to her hometown of Cocoa Beach to help him and once there she reconnects with old friends including her ex husband. Great characters and storylines that all make this an exciting read I can’t wait for the next one!

I discovered Willow Rose on NetGalley and cannot wait to read every single on of her novels. "What Hurts the Most" is a light easy read but full of suspense. I loved this novel so much, and highly recommend you find her novels and sit down for a long read!

1st book in the 7th Street Crew series. Willow Rose adds another series to her prolific back library where the titles cover all genres and themes. A Willow Rose fan knwos that her books are not the run of the mill usual mystery solving books. Happily ever after is just a suggestion, not a rule. Her characters live in a world where anything can, and has, happened.

When her brother's arrest for murder provides Mary Mills' the perfect excuse to return to her hometown and move in with her father....and her sterotypical stepmother....she will find herself back in the familiar circle of friends, family, and ex-husband that she had thought in her past. Seems Mary wrote one too many stories for publication where the facts could not be verified. She finds herself without a job and needing a soft place for she and her son to land. if you've read any of Willow Rose's back library, you know that Mary's soft landing will not be soft. As Mary and her circle of friends work to prove her brother innocent, the story takes a few sudden twists and your guess to the real killer will change often. Another great series start for Rose and her readers.

There is a lot of different people, with each their own storyline - I'll be honest, I was confused at first.

But as I kept reading, a complex and disturbing plot unfolded before me.

This is one of those books that leaves you speechless... I don't really know how to explain it, except to say OMG, what a plot twist (which happened more than once!)

If you are into mysteries at all, you really should pick this one up!

This is the start of a new series by Willow Rose and wow what a start, i really enjoyed this book it had great characters and a fab story line full of twists and turns that keep you enthralled to the end. I read this in 2 sittings and can’t wait for the next book. This was the first book i’ve read by this author and will definitely checking out her other books, while waiting for the second instalment.
Thank you NetGalley for the copy in return for an honest review.

I thought I had read all the Willow Rose books and then she surprises me with this. I just read this in one setting it was so intense. Now I have to investigate more as the ending was left in such a way that it can go either way.

I will say for this author she never disappoints.

I was given a free copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this as there were so many storylines going at the same time, but in the end, they all tied together perfectly and suddenly everything made sense. I didn’t expect the ending at all. All in all I really enjoyed it once I was able to get over everything being thrown at me all at once it felt like

Book 1 of the series and I already want more. So this series is off to excellent start. And who doesn’t love a strong female lead? I know I do. The twists and turns will leave your head spinning. This is my first book from this author so I did’t know what to expect. I was surprised in the best possible way. There are lots of characters so you might need to pay attention to this one. You will love it though.

What Hurts the Most, by Willow Rose. What an amazing ending for this nail biting, page gripping suspense thriller. Mary was fantastic with her investigating abilities. I normally don’t read books that involve investigative reporters. Don’t ask me why.
But it was something about this book that pulled me in to read it. Maybe it was the authors name that is so original and unique, with a bit of mystery about it, or could it be the title of the book? It could be a collaboration of them both. All that I can say is, that the psychological suspense was very powerful in this story. Just when I thought that the story would lead me down the path to a person who I thought was pulling the strings, I would be directed over to someone else who holds another peace to the puzzle.
I’m very interested to know who the General is. I thought it was a certain person, but I was clearly wrong as that person was incapacitated. The book most definitely is a page turner. I found myself staying up late trying figure out who the General was. I liked that Mary had a number people to rely on in the story.
All the characters made some type of contributions to help Mary in her investigation. I have to say one character really had me scared. Her name is AK. That woman… oh wow! Talk about someone needing some calming medication.
That woman was a well built Tasmanian devil that the military let loose! I found all the suspense very exciting as well as the action jaw dropping. The flashbacks and flash forwards helped explain reasons of why the story was taking the direction a certain way. I thought that this style made the book even more better. It was like you were holding a secret that some characters didn’t have and when it came time for the secret to be exposed, you found yourself surprised and shouting what the heck at the shock of it all.
I so look forward to the next book that comes out. I give this book two snaps and a, Mary, its time to take up some self protection classes. Until next time my fellow readers… read on!

I'm a huge Willow Rose Fan, and this was my first read of the Mary Mills series. When Mary loses her job in NYC she returns to the place where most of Willow's characters reside: Cocoa Beach, Florida. Seems her brother has been arrested for murder, and their father implores Mary to come back and help. There are lots of twists and turns in the story to keep you wanting to turn the next page... and the next on... and the next one...

A great read that had me captivated from the first page to the last!

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

This is the second series I’ve started to read from Willow Rose and I enjoyed this book…..it’s a 3.5 star read for me. I found the first few chapters a bit confusing and lacking more in-depth writing . I found as I read on the writing evolved more and my interest peaked and I enjoyed the book more. A great murder mystery book and I am looking forward to reading the remainder of the Mary Mills series.

I voluntarily received a free copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own .

I would recommend this book and the series to my friends and family and my book clubs.

Took me a bit to get into it, but once I did WoW! Mary has lost her job, she’s to good at what she does. Then she gets a call .for her dad saying .her brother is in jail, for murder! Can she save him!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Net Gallery. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

When I first started reading this I couldn’t quite put all the pieces together and then the longer you get into the book more things find themselves in the places to put the puzzles together.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book and totally recommend reading this.

After being fired from her job as a journalist, Mary Mills was suddenly informed that her brother had been charged with murder. She decided to leave her job and go back to her childhood home in Cocoa Beach, Florida. However, she quickly finds herself running back to the people she left behind, including her manipulative stepmother, an ex-husband, a depressed father, and a group of friends she used to hang out with called the 7Th Street Crew.
The situation in Mary's case has become more unsettling as more bodies start to turn up. She gets threatened by the high levels of the military in her old hometown. As the past and present collide, Mary must decide if she should seek help from her old crew or be one of the next victims. This is a great psychological novel that I enjoyed reading.

The first few pages of the book are very slow to get your head around the various characters and their backgrounds. As you get more and more clues, you start piecing together the pieces of the puzzle. However, after a while, you realize that your assumptions are not correct.

The main idea of the book is to be read with artistic license as it involves various aspects of the characters' lives. However, after a while, you start questioning some of the actions and statements that they make. These can be overlooked to make the story more enjoyable.

Although the writing is good, I did find some jumps between the first and third-person perspectives of the characters that caused me to get a jolt in the reading experience. To sum it up, enjoy the story and take a deep breath before reading it.

Don’t let the first few pages stop you from reading this mystery that is so intriguing…some rough language at first… however, this talented and gifted author has written a cannot put down story. The characters are intriguing…the story moves quickly. Friends and family…secrets and red herrings…love and marriage…separation…children…a brother who is difficult to understand…losing a job…going home…separation…themes running through this book. The mystery is difficult to solve…I was surprised at the ending…cannot wait to read the sequel. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author.

This was my first book by this author and it did not disappoint. Such an easy style of writing that had me not wanting to put the book down. Can't wait to read more books from this author.

WOW!! What an awesome, action packed mystery!!
Several timelines of different characters to lead up to an outstandingly twisted ending!
I was not able to put this book down, at first I couldn’t keep up with all the characters due to the timelines but it quickly moved on in year 2015.

Mary just lost her job in New York and her brother is in jail for murder. She comess back to Cocoa beach to stay with her father to try to help her brother. She is separated from Joey, but quickly starts to confide in him for comfort while trying to piece together her brother's prison sentence and the ongoing murders of a group of friends who went to her high school decades ago.

There’s a serial killer who’s picking off one by one that her close friends from high school knew. Mary and Joey’s friends join up surfing and supporting one another through the murders when it becomes dangerous for all of them.

It was fun to read. Loved the characters too. Enjoyed till the end. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a free e-book.

"What Hurts the Most" by Willow Rose is a chilling and gripping thriller that takes readers on a suspenseful journey into the dark corners of a seemingly peaceful town. The story revolves around journalist Mary Mills, who is thrust back into her hometown of Cocoa Beach, Florida, when her brother is arrested for murder.

From the moment Mary receives the disturbing phone call, the tension begins to mount, and the author skillfully maintains it throughout the narrative. The small-town setting is vividly depicted, creating a sense of familiarity that adds to the story's unsettling atmosphere.

The character of Mary is a compelling protagonist, and her determination to uncover the truth and prove her brother's innocence is both relatable and admirable. As she reconnects with old friends from high school, the dynamics of their relationships and the secrets they harbor become central to the plot.

Willow Rose excels in creating a web of mystery and intrigue, as Mary delves deeper into the investigation, uncovering shocking revelations and confronting demons from her own past. The pacing of the story is well-executed, with each chapter delivering new twists and surprises that keep readers eagerly turning the pages.

The novel explores themes of friendship, betrayal, and the lasting impact of past actions. It also delves into the darkness that can hide beneath the surface of a seemingly idyllic community.

"What Hurts the Most" is a thrilling and suspenseful read that will have readers guessing until the very end. Willow Rose masterfully combines elements of mystery, psychological suspense, and family drama to create a story that is both emotionally resonant and highly entertaining. If you're a fan of fast-paced thrillers with well-developed characters and a riveting plot, this book is a must-read.

This is the first book in the series and the first book I've read by this author. There were a lot of characters introduced and some were like able. It was an easy book read that I read in one sitting. I cant wait to read more books by this author.

This book is so good! It is the first book in the Mary Mills series and since finishing it, I have purchased the second book. Mary, who is estranged from her father, gets a call saying her brother has been arrested for murder. She and her son Salter head back to Florida to try to help her brother. After getting there a string of murders keep happening. Can Mary free her brother?

This is a book you won’t want to put down. I know I didn’t. I wasn’t able to guess all the key players either. Which I really liked.

This book is set in Cocoa Beach, which always reminds me of the places we used to visit in Florida when I was growing up - small towns, with Mom and Pop motels right across the road from the beach. However, there is a very dark side to this small town.

This is the first book in the Mary Mills series. Mary has just lost her job in NYC when she receives a phone call from her father asking her to come home. Her brother has been arrested for murder. Mary has bad memories from living in Cocoa Beach, but she returns for her family, along with her young son and their dog. She discovers that a lot of her old high school friends are still in town, but so are some of the worst bullies. She and her friends begin their own investigation to try to figure out who had reason to want to kill the murdered person.

This book alternates between the past and the present, with different points of view. There are a lot of twists in this book, particularly the final one that I never saw coming.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher Buoy Media via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

Am I Pretty?
After reading this book I will always get a chill hearing those words!

This was my first Willow Rose book and it did not disappoint. The character development made you feel like you really knew some of the characters- but you will never guess who’s the killer. Don’t worry though you won’t have to wait until the last chapter for all the excitement in this book- there are lots of twists and turns along the way to keep you wanting more. If you love a great suspense book this is the one you!

Publisher Buoy Media
Author Willow Rose
Categories General Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense

This book is the first in a new series for the author, Willow Rose. And it is a good start. The characters are well-written and the storyline is great. She knows how to get the readers attention! For me, I could not put the book down and read it quite quickly. I am looking forward to more in this series. I do recommend this book!

This story switches back and forth between the high school years and when the characters are nearly 40. It does keep one guessing and most likely you will be wrong. There are many twists and turns to this tale. I do look forward to reading the next one in this series. I definitely need a break first with something lighter as this one is rather intense. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

You will never guess the ending!

Am I pretty?

Imagine being asked that question standing face to face with a killer. What would you answer?

While her life is going from bad to worse, journalist Mary Mills receives a disturbing phone call from her father. Her brother was arrested, charged with murder.

Mary decides to go back to her hometown of Cocoa Beach, Florida, which she left twenty years back and has never visited since.

Working with her old friends in from High School, she tracks down the most disturbing and surprising killer this town has ever faced before a shocking conclusion turns everything upside down for them.

Determined to solve the murder and to have her brother acquitted, Mary, is forced to face demons from her past she never thought she would have to again.

What Hurts the Most is a chilling, fast-paced story of the power of friendship, but also murder and revenge.

I enjoyed reading this fast-paced thriller about an investigating reporter who is back in her hometown and a serial killer who is killing people who knew each other back in high school. I was quickly pulled into the story and I tried to read the book as fast as I could. It is a good story and kept me guessing til the end.

Willow Rose always leave me wanting and need more of her work and this is no different. From the characters to the plot it’s amazing

Willow Rose's What Hurts the Most is a gripping and emotional thriller that delves into themes of love, loss, and the impact of past traumas. The story follows a protagonist grappling with the aftermath of a devastating event, navigating the complexities of grief while uncovering dark secrets that threaten to unravel her world.

Rose's writing is evocative and suspenseful, drawing readers into a narrative filled with tension and unexpected twists. The characters are well-crafted and relatable, each facing their own demons, which adds depth to the story. As the plot unfolds, readers are taken on a rollercoaster of emotions, balancing moments of heartbreak with flashes of hope and resilience.

The pacing is expertly handled, keeping readers engaged as the layers of mystery are peeled back. Rose masterfully combines psychological depth with thrilling elements, creating a compelling narrative that resonates long after the last page.

Overall, What Hurts the Most is a poignant and thrilling read that will appeal to fans of emotional dramas and psychological thrillers alike. It’s a powerful reminder of the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity.