I'm begging Reese's team - next time she chooses a 'thriller' at least three other people need to confirm it's good before officially choosing it

If I hear, read, or see gingerbread lotion again anytime soon, it will be too soon

Sadly this one was a DNF for me, DNF @ 28%, page 90

After seeing early hype for Locust Lane in 2022, I was hoping this one would be a winner. However, I think it is a victim of mismarketing. This is not a thriller, it's a mystery with a character study in family dynamics much like Miracle Creek.

While  I loved a character study like Miracle Creek, Locust Lane fell short. I did not care to continue on in this one as the first 90 or so pages were all focused on the parents and some random man. All equally bad and annoying, their characters weren't worth carrying on studying. 

I say pass!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley, as well as Libro.FM for ARCs and ALCs in exchange for an honest review. 

Honestly, I don't know what to make of this one. The prose of this debut is absolutely stunning, possibly the best prose I've read in the past year or so. 

However, the plot was jumbled and at times read more like a collection of short stories rather than a cohesive work of literary fiction. I'm left trying to figure out if Warrell successfully completed her goal here as I'm not sure what it was to begin with? Redemption arc for Circus? A character study on Circus and the various women in his life? 

If it's either of those, I'd say its partially successful, but as it was not cohesive it is hard to decide. 

If I was rating this on prose and the most of plot alone, I would probably give it a 3.7-3.75 stars. While it's obvious no one in this story is supposed to be likable, there was a glaring issue with on plot point that readers should not forgive or forget. 

Let's talk about the romanticizing and the idolization of one of the Boston Marathon Bombers by teenage girls. 

One, it's problematic - people died and people's lives were changed forever. Two, it was unnecessary as the plot could've been moved along in a similar fashion without this monstrosity. 

Additionally, the teacher/student relationship idolization at the beginning added absolutely nothing and could've also been removed.

This glaring issue is why I'll be rating it 2.75 stars. 

Worrell's debut held a lot of promise with the amazing prose and the synopsis, but it was not successful in being a cohesive novel.

Big DNF for one of my least favorite tropes popping up at 19% in this one. 

Read this after the author brought up in a book club discussion 2022.

Had promise, but needed a little more development. 

DNF #1 of 2023 

DNF @ 31%

Identical twins 
Identical, bland personalities 
Identical stupidity 

I usually love seasonal romances, but I think I need more than Hallmark worthy books. 

Honestly this was just “okay”. Was hoping for more after one of my favorite bookish podcasters raves about this one. 

Anticlimactic and not enough espionage.