This book took a hold of me from the VERY first sentence and didn’t let go of it’s grip the entire time. The story of The Widow Of Weeping Pines follows our main character Betty Lou (or Betts) after the loss of her husband. When she suspects her new fiancé of cheating on her and the deputy sheriff of Weeping Pines suspects Betts of having something to do with her husbands death, she takes matters into her own hands.

This story confused me in the best of ways. Every character seemed to be at some sort of level of fucked up, but I couldn’t figure out their involvement until the very end. This book kept me guessing the whole way through, and I have sooo many highlights throughout with notes like “WTF” and “is this a clue?!” I loved the internal monologue of both points of view and there were very definitive differences in the characters. This one had me sitting on the edge of my seat the whole way through. EASY 5 star read for me and I cannot wait to read more from this author!

THE WIDOW OF WEEPING PINES is a darkly compelling psychological tale. The darkness lies not only in the storytelling but in the atmosphere that weaves throughout the story. From the very beginning, you begin to sense the intriguing questions that surround each character as you start to wonder what their secrets are. As the story unfolds, secrets are revealed, and you are pulled deeper and deeper into the fast-paced narrative. Although this does move at a lightning pace, you can easily keep up, and just when you think you can predict what’s going to happen next, BAM, a very unexpected twist and then a more surprising ending. This is not your typical romantic suspense; it is so much more than that. This will surely capture your attention in ways you may not expect and keep you completely enthralled until the jaw-dropping end. Trust me, you are going to want to read this one. Brava, Ms. M, job extremely well done!!

Atmospheric gripping read which is too hard to put down - easy to fly through it!

Hard to decide if you like Betts or not. Or more to the point she is likeable but for all the wrong reasons! Thoroughly enjoyed this.

An unpredictable page turner
Thought-provoking right from the start which developed steadily with a twisting storyline. An unusual, suspenseful, mysterious tale that at first I was not even sure there was a mystery. Surprise, yes there is a dark mystery.
Excellent writing and I loved how the author gets into the head of the main character.
There were only a handful of characters to the story and a shorter book at 184 pages. I was hooked right away and unable to put it down till the end.
A fast pace, no romance and no HEA, but yes a great read and a totally unexpected ending. I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed.

This was absolutely brilliant, one of the best books I've read. I love Betts. That's the thing I loved the most. She's insane but somehow I loved her. This is the first book I've read by this author and it most definitely won't be the last. I would love to read more about Betty Lou Abbott. Highly recommended getting inside the head of Betty Lou Abbot and the other mysterious residents of the small town of Weeping Pines xx

I love this intense, climactic thriller. I was incredibly invested in the characters and plot. Readers are going to love this incredible novel.

thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read this before its official release in exchange for an honest review.
my one and only complaint about this book: WHY WASNT IT LONGER?????
wow i loved this book so much. there are so many crazy twists that you dont see coming until you read it and youre like "OH this adds up!" i love how fast paced it is, i love all the little details and backstories and the different pov's. i think this is one of my favorite reads in 2022!
5 stars, easily.

[ Review time ]

Title: The Widow of Weeping Pines
Author: Amanda McKinney
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Short Stories
Release Date: December 2nd 2022
Publisher: HH Tisevich
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

In just a short amount of pages Amanda hooked me from the start with this book!
I couldn’t put it down for a second!🤯

It was so captivating and well written.
The plot twist really made my jaw drop in a good way😨😳😎

An extremely interesting story, well written and addictive! I definitely recommend this one if you want a quick and good mystery/thriller book!📚

A big thank you to NetGalley, HH Tisevich and Amanda McKinney for letting me read this ARC for an honest review.

This book hooked me from the very start and didn't let me go. Well written with a gripping storyline and well developed and very messed up characters. The book is twisty and unpredictable and kept me guessing until the end. I loved it.

This was such a quick, fun read. I could not put it down and finished it in less than 24 hours. Thank you so much NetGalley and HH Tisevich for the advanced review copy of this book, it was a delight to read!

The Widow of Weeping Pines is twisted, dark and utterly compelling. Amanda McKinney has done a fabulous job of creating twisted characters with staggering intentions encased in a suspicious and uncertain ambience. Primarily told from Betty Lou & Nicholas Stahl's POVs, the first-person narrative is well executed. The internal monologues were far and few, which was perfect. I was immersed in this book from chapter one and devoured it in one sitting. When I thought I had connected the dots, I could have never predicted the sudden turn of events.

Furthermore, I was utterly shocked by the ending! Simply put, I was in a psychological coma. Do not skip this book if you seek a shocking thriller.

I look forward to reading more of Amanda McKinney's work.

Thank you to NetGalley & HH Tisevich for giving me an e-ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

"Sometimes I wish my husband would die."

From the first line of this book, I knew I wouldn't be able to put this down. I was drawn in from the opening to the very last sentence. This book is my idea of what a thriller should be. It had a great plot, well developed characters, the most unreliable narrator you can get, and so many twists and turns scattered throughout the story that you didn't see coming!

A quick read with tons of twists and turns. Every time I thought I had the plot figured out there was another twist. I absolutely loved it!

Outstanding!! What a great read. Amanda Mckinney had me guessing through the whole book. Such a page turner. The ending plot twist got me. I never excepted to happen the way it did. I really recommend reading this book. Can’t wait to read her other books.

A short, sharp suspense story with some gorgeously noir undertones, The Widow of Weeping Pines kept me guessing till the last page. In fewer than 200 pages, the author crafts and intriguing mystery and a set of compelling, inextricably linked characters, all of whom have questionable motives. I will definitely be checking out the rest of this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and HH Tisevich for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This might be one of my favorite January reads! Seriously loved it!
A twisty story of – of what, really? No, it is not about one “mad woman”. Everyone is mad there and everyone is a horrible person, as the one who is officially labeled to be the mad one is, well, in fact, not the maddest at all.
Loved every page of it, every twist of it, every insane character. And the ending even looked like a happy ending in its own very weird way.
This is definitely now an author I will be looking for more books coming from!

Before reading this book, I had never heard of this author. After finishing, I was SO happy to have discovered her. She has written many different series in the mystery / suspense categories. Her writing style makes these super easy reads that can be finished within a couple of days. It helps that I could NOT put this one down!

This is the first book in this series and the main character, Betts, is so relatable. The emotional roller coaster that you go on with her is a wild ride. I can not wait to see where she goes next in the storytelling journey. Amanda, you've got a fan for life!