I picked this as my Kindle FirstReads book when it came out (I don't even remember when anymore!), and I regret not reading it earlier. I have a weakness for small towns and families with dark secrets - and this book delivered. Jess Lourey is a phenomenal storyteller, and I was hooked from the first page. And the fact that it was inspired by a true story? Icing on the cake.

This is the story of Joan Harken, a pregnant reporter who is mugged and, terrified, she moves to her boyfriend's small, seemingly idyllic hometown with him. Everyone there is overly welcoming and doting, but there's a sinister reason why. There's also the story of a missing child weaved in, which Joan investigates, and soon, she doesn't know who to trust. Everyone is hiding something, and I was eager to find out what.

The author has a great voice and has a way of setting the scene and writing memorable characters. The ending is satisfying and ties up loose ends. It has one twist after another, and I could not put the book down.

That being said, the main character was a little annoying and not the most likeable, but she did redeem herself at the end and her motivations were explained quite well (except the stealing, I still don't really understand why she did that).

I will definitely be looking out for other works by this author! ( )

I thought this book was a bit far-fetched. When I first started reading it, I was interested in the missing child mystery. As it went on, the book started feeling a bit like The Stepford Wives with perfection being the norm. Then, when the real story came to light, I thought it was ridiculous. The author based her story on the real-life disappearance of a young boy in her hometown, but the rest of the book was pure fiction.
Jean Harken and her boyfriend Deck move to his hometown of Lilydale after Jean is mugged in Minneapolis. Initially, the small town seems ideal, but there are secrets hidden in its beginnings and the secret is very dark. ( )

Bloodline— Jess Lourey
Should be called boring line

This book is a complete mess. I thought for sure it was the authors first, but it’s not. Did anyone bother to edit this? Is Joanie thinking out loud or speaking it loud to herself? most of the time it doesn’t matter because because what is being exposed will bore the reader to death.
Also can you do a little fact checking?
Example
“The radio drama that I flipped on is interrupted with another Vietnam story, this one about American troubles at Kham Duc.
During an evacuation, there wasn’t enough room in the helicopters for Chinese soldiers battling alongside the American boys.”
1. The battle of Kham Duc was in 1970
2. Good to know China was fighting alongside their American Brothers!
What possessed the author to write a fictional book that takes place in 1968 yet she has no grasp of the time period other than to rely on the usual cliches and common knowledge. The author wasn’t even alive then.
The main character Joanie doesn’t behave like any woman I have ever known or read about. She is unmarried in Minnesota and lives with a guy after what six months and gets pregnant. Oh yeah a daily occurrence Her boyfriend Deck is so boring, the story is boring, and way too long. The depiction of the town is impossible
Nothing about this story was believable. ( )

Newly pregnant journalist Joan Harken is eager to flee the city where she’s been mugged and to settle down with her boyfriend, Deck, who wants, more than anything, to avoid the draft. Deck convinces Joan that his hometown of Lilydale is the perfect place for them to both get what they need.

On the surface, Lilydale is idyllic, but things take a swift and uncomfortable turn as Deck tells locals that they’re married, because it would be inappropriate for Joan to be pregnant otherwise. He reveals the pregnancy ahead of when Joan is comfortable sharing the news, and Joan becomes the center of the town’s attention. Everyone thinks they know best how she should act and who she should spend time with. They know what’s best for her baby, and it may not be her…

In the sidelines of a plot that is a mix of the Stepford Wives and Rosemary’s Baby, Joan investigates the return of the town’s missing boy, now returned as an adult. Who is Paulie Aandeg, and what does he have to do with Joan? What, if anything, does he have to do with her baby? A deep dive into history unearths an unsettling genesis tale of the town’s Mothers and Fathers, an association Joan is reluctant to join.

Overall, this was a decent read. Time period correct with just a bit of suspense in the chapters where Joan can be seen in the aftermath of her baby’s delivery ahead of the actual birth. The backstory held my attention right up to the book’s logical conclusion, though I don’t know why I’m not more excited by this one. Maybe it’s the awkwardness of the setting. I’m aware of the era, but not from it. Maybe it’s the fact that I didn’t love Joan and Deck together. Maybe it’s because I didn’t particularly like Joan. Whatever the reason, this one’s a solid three from me. Good, but not great. ( )

Many people seemed to like this book, I thought it would be good since it was among the books nominated for a Goodreads award. I did not like the book, the story was laughable with paper-thin characters. Avoid, pick something else if you want to be entertained. ( )