The Storm by Rachel Hawkins Book Review

Rachel Hawkins has become one of my favorite authors over the past couple of years. Her stories are very intriguing and her writing style just really works for me. So when I was approved to read and review an early copy of The Storm through Netgalley, I jumped at the chance! This murder mystery spans generations as well as many tropical storms. It kind of reminded me of Where The Crawdads Sing a little bit. So if you want to know more, make sure you keep reading for my full The Storm book review.

And if you enjoy thrillers, you can find more book recs here.

What is The Storm by Rachel Hawkins About?

St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama is famous for three things: the deadly hurricanes that regularly sweep into town, the Rosalie Inn, a century-old hotel that’s survived every one of those storms, and Lo Bailey, the local girl infamously accused of the murder of her lover, political scion Landon Fitzroy, during Hurricane Marie in 1984.

When Geneva Corliss, the current owner of the Rosalie Inn, hears a writer is coming to town to research the crime that put St. Medard’s Bay on the map, she’s less interested in solving a whodunnit than in how a successful true crime book might help the struggling inn’s bottom line. But to her surprise, August Fletcher doesn’t come to St. Medard’s Bay alone. With him is none other than Lo Bailey herself. Lo says she’s returned to her hometown to clear her name once and for all, but the closer Geneva gets to both Lo and August, the more she wonders if Lo is actually back to settle old scores.

As the summer heats up and another monster storm begins twisting its way towards St. Medard’s Bay, Geneva learns that some people can be just as destructive―and as deadly―as any hurricane, and that the truth of what happened to Landon Fitzroy may not be the only secret Lo is keeping… (from Amazon.com)

My Initial Thoughts

St. Medard’s Bay in present day seems unassuming at first. When we first meet Geneva Corliss, she is just trying to make it through the daily grind of running her gulf coast beach motel in the small beach town of st. medard’s bay. But it’s hurricane season and a powerful storm is on the way. It’s up to her to protect her family business.

I love the way author Rachel Hawkins tells a story. That’s why I enjoy her mystery/thrillers so much. She does a great job of interweaving the past and the present to create enticing characters and plot twists that such you in. This thrilling new gothic suspense is no exception.

The Storytelling Was Very Enjoyable

That’s something I have come to expect from each modern gothic thriller that Rachel Hawkins writes. She crafts a juicy story that she delivers little by little, so that us readers can come to our own conclusions as the story progresses. She has a mastery of multiple timelines which really kept me on the edge of my seat as I was reading last weekend.

In The Storm, a big part of the story is the hurricanes. So I liked how little bits of the story were shared through remembrances of the hurricanes. It helped to explain the backstories of the different characters, and why they were the way that they were. The main character Lo and her friends Ellen and Frieda experienced many hurricanes throughout the years. Different tragedies occurred during each of the devastating hurricanes which shaped them to be the people that they were.

Something I Didn’t Like

In this book review, I am not going to go too in depth about the major plot line. That is because it is very complicated and I think that the less you know beforehand, the better. With thrillers like these, it’s always best to know nothing and come to your own conclusions about the unreliable narrators.

The story line was very interesting, but at a certain point, I think it jumped the shark. Don’t get me wrong. I found this to be an good read and I really enjoyed it. But at a certain point, there were certain twists that felt a little too farfetched. I think that readers who read a lot of psychological thrillers will have a problem with that.

Me? I still enjoyed it. I have the abiltiy to separate things in my mind. But there were definitely some aspects of this book that felt a bit like a soap opera. And I’ll leave it at that. If you know, you know.

In Conclusion

Thank you so much for checking out my honest review of The Storm by Rachel Hawkins. I really enjoyed this book and although it’s only January, it might become one of the best books I’ve read this year! It’s still early though, so time will tell. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy for review.

I mentioned earlier that Rachel Hawkins is one of my favorite domestic thrillers writers, and it’s still true! I look forward to all of her new releases and this one did not disappoint.

In a way it reminded me a little of Where The Crawdad’s Sing. So I think if you’re a fan of that book or if you’re a fan of Sally Hepworth and Riley Sager, you’ll want to check this new release out. It’s a quick read that will keep you entertained!