Kylie’s Book Nook
My name is Kylie Sebert. I'm a native of Spirit Lake and recently moved back to West Des Moines! I have a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, with an emphasis in fiction. You can find me on Instagram and Facebook as @litwithkyiejo. As with most writers, one of my passions is discovering and reading great books. I hope my reviews will spark an excitement for literature in people around the Iowa Great Lakes area!
The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding
This was my first from Robyn Harding and definitely won’t be my last! Wow, what a story.
One of our protagonists, Lee, is homeless, and this is a major theme throughout the book. I found this so fascinating to read about, as I feel like that life is not often explored.
My summary: Lee was a successful restaurateur in NYC, all of her dreams are coming true…then enter the pandemic. Everything stops including her revenue and to-go orders don’t cut it. She’s desperate/owes money to some shady people and ends up running for her life all the way to Seattle. She’s sleeping in her car and when one night she hears the scream of a woman drowning. She saves her on instinct but instead of thanks, she’s met with anger. Hazel tells her she is trying to escape a life with an abuser and she has no other options.
That is just the beginning and this story is totally captivating/twisty! I listened in two days while cleaning/exercising/basically anything to continue listening.
I didn’t predict the biggest twist, bananas! Also the ending was amazing. I finished my workout and kept listening in Walgreens. My jaw was dropped in the middle of the aisle for a solid minute when I finished. I needed to process so, I listened again in the car…audiobook problems.
The Kind Worth Saving
by Peter Swanson
This is the sequel we didn’t know we needed to The Kind Worth Killing! That book is still one of my favorites ever. It really got me into thrillers many years ago. Even with the big expectations, I loved this sequel! I almost listened to the whole thing in a day. I do wish I had re-read the first because there were so many references and the story was intertwined with the original.
I can’t say much about the plot but we do follow Henry the detective from The Kind Worth Killing for part of the book. I really enjoyed following his story.
He also has some new psychos for us. Peter Swanson is the master of creating perfect sociopath killers. You get in their heads and it’s so well done, they’re almost relatable. His characters always stick with me.
Highly recommend reading The Kind Worth Killing & this one immediately after!