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_askthebookbug's review against another edition
5.0
The River Widow.
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Thank you so much for the review copy @annhowardcreel.
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Let me start off by saying how excited thriller genre makes me feel. I started reading this book in the morning and I'm done by 6 in the evening. I guess it speaks for itself :)
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The River Widow is the story of a young woman named Adah, who gets orphaned at a very young age. After being left on her own, she learns how to use Tarot reading and starts making a meager living out of it. She gets lured in by a handsome man during one of her readings and before she knows, they are married. Lester, her husband starts showing his true side very soon after their wedding. Adah lives under the care of her abusive husband for three years, taking care of her stepdaughter, Daisy.
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Things turn for worse when a flood engulfs their farm and Adah accidentally kills Les in self-defense. Now Adah has no option but to go back to Les's family before they can hurt Daisy. Les's family, the Branches are known for their mean tricks and conniving behaviour. As Adah struggles to live amongst the Branches after being mentally and physically tortured, she eventually finds a plan to escape from their clutches. But it isn't so easy to deceive a family that's so powerful.
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Luckily, Adah finds a confidante and conjures up a plan. But will she be able to escape once and for all? Will she defeat the Branches? This story had me in its grip from the very first page. The plot, the anticipation of where the story is heading had be baffled. The characters are masterfully worked on. It truly felt amazing to read such an amazing thriller.
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I would rate this book 5/5.
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Thank you so much for the review copy @annhowardcreel.
🍃
Let me start off by saying how excited thriller genre makes me feel. I started reading this book in the morning and I'm done by 6 in the evening. I guess it speaks for itself :)
🍃
The River Widow is the story of a young woman named Adah, who gets orphaned at a very young age. After being left on her own, she learns how to use Tarot reading and starts making a meager living out of it. She gets lured in by a handsome man during one of her readings and before she knows, they are married. Lester, her husband starts showing his true side very soon after their wedding. Adah lives under the care of her abusive husband for three years, taking care of her stepdaughter, Daisy.
🍃
Things turn for worse when a flood engulfs their farm and Adah accidentally kills Les in self-defense. Now Adah has no option but to go back to Les's family before they can hurt Daisy. Les's family, the Branches are known for their mean tricks and conniving behaviour. As Adah struggles to live amongst the Branches after being mentally and physically tortured, she eventually finds a plan to escape from their clutches. But it isn't so easy to deceive a family that's so powerful.
🍃
Luckily, Adah finds a confidante and conjures up a plan. But will she be able to escape once and for all? Will she defeat the Branches? This story had me in its grip from the very first page. The plot, the anticipation of where the story is heading had be baffled. The characters are masterfully worked on. It truly felt amazing to read such an amazing thriller.
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I would rate this book 5/5.
toesinthesand's review against another edition
2.0
This had such potential. Not only was the heroine the dumbest person ever, the ending was so ridiculous I was sorry I stayed up. After all that nonsense about blowing up the still, lightning does the job and she's just able to leave?
And the "romance" is just a guy comparing parts of her body to cake.
And the "romance" is just a guy comparing parts of her body to cake.
kittietta's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing plot
I loved this book. it takes place in 1937 depression era. While trying to save their possessions from a raging flood that is threatening the whole town, Adah accidentally kills her abusive husband. While trying to push his body in the raging river, she gets swept away. What follows is a fight for survival in this extremely well written story about the desperate love a Adah has for her 4 year old step child and the extreme means she will go through to be with her and save her from her abusive in laws.
The characters....I didn't like the in laws who were well written mean people. Adah seemed conflicted. She could have walked away and left the child but I think her own past demons made her stay and fight for her. I loved her character and how The author wrote her story.
.The plot was well thought out and kept me guessing what was going to happen.
I dove into this story and could not put it down! In fact I pulled an all nighter reading it. It it's a 5 star rating from me because of the way it pulled at my heart.
I loved this book. it takes place in 1937 depression era. While trying to save their possessions from a raging flood that is threatening the whole town, Adah accidentally kills her abusive husband. While trying to push his body in the raging river, she gets swept away. What follows is a fight for survival in this extremely well written story about the desperate love a Adah has for her 4 year old step child and the extreme means she will go through to be with her and save her from her abusive in laws.
The characters....I didn't like the in laws who were well written mean people. Adah seemed conflicted. She could have walked away and left the child but I think her own past demons made her stay and fight for her. I loved her character and how The author wrote her story.
.The plot was well thought out and kept me guessing what was going to happen.
I dove into this story and could not put it down! In fact I pulled an all nighter reading it. It it's a 5 star rating from me because of the way it pulled at my heart.
alyssah3768's review against another edition
5.0
Could not put it down!
I found myself reading this book in every nook and cranny of time I could get. The story was well told and I loved the progression of hope in Adah.
I found myself reading this book in every nook and cranny of time I could get. The story was well told and I loved the progression of hope in Adah.
dmwhipp's review against another edition
2.0
Adah Branch is married to a brute of a man, but endures his abuse to care for the four-year-old stepdaughter she's come to love as her own child. When Adah kills him in self defense, she disposes of his body in a flood. She soon finds herself and stepdaughter Daisy at the mercy of his family, who are no better and suspect her of killing their son.
The nearly constant depressing and oppressive state of Adah and Daisy's existence grew tedious when there was little change in their circumstances for ages. Adah finds herself falling in love with a man who repeatedly tells her to just leave daisy with her in-laws, despite knowing that have little love for the child and that they're mentally abusive and physically harsh. Daisy grandmother even beat the child for accidentally dropping eggs after gathering them and they've forced the four-year old to sleep in the barn.
The book becomes repetitive with little happening for long periods and many of the similes used seemed awkward. This was a book I had to force myself to finish. The Kindle version is listed as 256 pages, but it felt much, much longer.
The nearly constant depressing and oppressive state of Adah and Daisy's existence grew tedious when there was little change in their circumstances for ages. Adah finds herself falling in love with a man who repeatedly tells her to just leave daisy with her in-laws, despite knowing that have little love for the child and that they're mentally abusive and physically harsh. Daisy grandmother even beat the child for accidentally dropping eggs after gathering them and they've forced the four-year old to sleep in the barn.
The book becomes repetitive with little happening for long periods and many of the similes used seemed awkward. This was a book I had to force myself to finish. The Kindle version is listed as 256 pages, but it felt much, much longer.
carlydbar's review against another edition
5.0
I still wish she would have made it work with Jack but in the end, it was such a good, good book.
jacquieburrellcarson's review against another edition
2.0
So disappointing. Not developed, and the ending felt tacked on. It had potential. Alas.
thereadingbel's review against another edition
3.0
During the Great Depression, there is a massive flood in Ohio. While attempting to retrieve items from her house, Adah kills her husband in self-defense. Adah attempts to cover up the crime by taking her husbands body to the river and let it float away. Adah ends up in the river herself and is swept away until rescued by local farmers. Adah moves in with her in-laws who are long time locals that other townspeople avoid because of their reputation. Adah's husband had a daughter that she raised since the girl was 6 months old. Adah does not want to live with her in-laws, but she knows that she has no legal rights to her step-daughter and does not want to leave her behind. The ending felt rushed and that sort of ruined the story.
moonglue's review against another edition
3.0
I won't go into a summary, as that's already been done for me. Overall, my issues with this book overshadowed the things I enjoyed to the point where I can't really recall anything about The River Widow besides a vague sensation of disappointment and doubt. Pro: The writing style reminded me of Toni Morrison at times. Really great descriptions and tender inner monologues. Cons: I felt like the book couldn't make up its mind. Ada, the protagonist, had a lack of depth. Her past was hurried and almost summarized, which made all callbacks to her past ineffective and emotionless. I probably should have waited to write a review, because I'm mostly just upset over the ending. It felt like a cop-out. I do understand that Jack and Ada's future is purposefully left vague, but it hammered the final nail on Ada being unlikable and almost robotic or ingenuine. I justz couldn't buy that she actually cared about anything because of how flat she was.
Overall: I loved the author's style and the premise had ex silent potential, but it just fell short. The characters felt flat and robotic at times-the dialogue was sorely lacking in substance. 4 stars for craft, 2 for content!
Honorable mention: Jack saying "On our wedding night, I'm going to sop you up like a biscuit..." refuses to leave my brain. My brain can't process it.
Overall: I loved the author's style and the premise had ex silent potential, but it just fell short. The characters felt flat and robotic at times-the dialogue was sorely lacking in substance. 4 stars for craft, 2 for content!
Honorable mention: Jack saying "On our wedding night, I'm going to sop you up like a biscuit..." refuses to leave my brain. My brain can't process it.
thereadingbel's review against another edition
3.0
During the Great Depression, there is a massive flood in Ohio. While attempting to retrieve items from her house, Adah kills her husband in self-defense. Adah attempts to cover up the crime by taking her husbands body to the river and let it float away. Adah ends up in the river herself and is swept away until rescued by local farmers. Adah moves in with her in-laws who are long time locals that other townspeople avoid because of their reputation. Adah's husband had a daughter that she raised since the girl was 6 months old. Adah does not want to live with her in-laws, but she knows that she has no legal rights to her step-daughter and does not want to leave her behind. The ending felt rushed and that sort of ruined the story.