A review by stephsbooktalk
Penitence by Kristin M.E. Koval

4.5

4.5- Thank you so much to Celadon Books for the gifted copy of this book & having me apart of the Read Together event!
Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio for the complimentary audio!

This book will be out January 28th, 2025.

I feel like this book is going to be one that a lot of people will be talking about this winter. This book has so many layers and get more complex as the story goes on.

"I didn't want it to suffer."
"I know.

This story is told from 2 timelines as well as multiple point of views (3rd person). I was very invested in the past timeline of the relationship between Angie and Julian. I was curious how the book would merge the past and present timeline as that is the case in most books. I may have been in the minority of readers in this (need to review my fellow readers review) but I was rooting for Angie and Julian throughout the book. They were childhood friends turned high school sweethearts but the mix of trauma from a skiing incident followed by alcohol addiction, changed this couple. They grow within the pages and I can't say I agree with a lot of the decisions that were made by them as young adults as well as grown adults but that is what made them feel realistic. We are messy humans and sometimes we don't make the best decisions especially under stress.

Nora did not get a lot of page time. At least not as much as I would have liked. I would have love to have seen more of her before the shooting. More of her with her brother. I just would like to have more inside of her brain. Though there was a moment that was very telling into her logic as to why she did what she did.

"Nostalgia is nothing more than a trick of the mind, she tells herself. A way to turn plain memories into great ones.

I don't want to say the end was truly shocking but I was caught by surprised on how it all wrapped up. Clues were dropped so readers may be able to figure out some of the turns. It continues to make you think after you are finish and I know was left with questions.

I paired my reading with the audio and veteran narrator Thérèse Plummer was once again stellar! I am currently listening to another book and she's the narrator and I feel like her tone is completely different which goes to show how talented she is! She can alter her tone and vulnerability for such a serious book compared to the other.

It did not feel like a debut by the way the book was written. I am anxious to see what Kristin does in the future!