Publisher: Mira
Publish Date: July 30th
How I got this book: NetGalley
Sometimes home is the refuge you need-and sometimes it isn’t Adelaide Davies, who’s been living in Sacramento, returns to Whiskey Creek, the place she once called home. She’s there to take care of her aging grandmother and to help with Gran’s restaurant, Just Like Mom’s. But Adelaide isn’t happy to be back. There are too many people here she’d rather avoid, people who were involved in that terrible June night fifteen years ago.
Ever since the graduation party that changed her life, she’s wanted to go to the police and make sure the boys responsible-men now-are punished. But she can’t, not without revealing an even darker secret. So it’s better to pretend….
Noah Rackham, popular, attractive, successful, is shocked when Adelaide won’t have anything to do with him. He has no idea that his very presence reminds her of something she’d rather forget. He only knows that he’s finally met a woman he could love.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
I really enjoy the Whiskey Creek series, and I was excited to read about Noah, especially since the last few books have been leading up to a big confrontation with Noah’s best friend. I have to say though, I never expected this book to be so incredibly heavy.
Addy swore she would never return to Whiskey Creek, but her sick grandmother has her coming back, and she isn’t exactly welcomed with open arms. The last person she ever expected to rescue her, Noah, seems to be the only person willing to welcome her home.
The death of Noah’s brother still haunts him at times, and when he finds Addy at the bottom of the mine shaft that killed his brother, he is drawn to her in so many ways he never expected. As Addy finds herself in more and more trouble, Noah is bound and determined to keep her safe, all the while falling for her. The last thing Noah expected was to fall for a woman, let alone one with secrets that someone would kill to keep.
Oye, this book was tough to read. I don’t like to give away spoilers, but I also feel it’s kinda important to know what you might be getting yourself into when you pick up this book. If you don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading now…
At 16, Addy goes to a graduation party and gets gang raped by a group of boys from the baseball team. The ringleader happens to be Noah’s twin brother, and after he comes back for more, Addy fights back and inadvertently causes the cave in that kills Noah’s brother.
Needless to say, there is some seriously heavy stuff going on in this book, and I still am not sure how I feel about it all. It’s been almost a week now and every time I think back on the book I’m hurt and confused and sad and there are just so many emotions welling up I have problems process it all.
Despite the horrific part of Addy’s past, she seemed incredibly strong to not only go back to Whiskey Creek, but to also live through the torment all over again. I know that had I been in her place, I would have run at the first sign of trouble. The strength of her character was amazing, but at times it bordered on the unreal. I had a hard time believing that she was so put together, that she was so strong, that she was able to deal with everything she had to endure. She was almost too healed, too put together, too perfect.
I liked Noah and thought that he handled the truth of his brother well. I was glad to see him stick by Addy’s side, despite the fact that so many people tried to convince him otherwise. Despite the fact that Addy was somewhat responsible for his twin’s death. He was there for her every step of the way, and I adored him for that.
I have to say, I really liked the parts where Noah had to deal with his best friend, Baxter, coming out. It was something that had been building for awhile now, and I liked the way it all played out. From the awkward way that Baxter told Noah, to the struggle with maintaining their friendship, it was actually the lighter sub-plot of the whole book! I hope that things with Bax resolve within the next book though, because I love his character.
All in all this book was tough. I am still struggling with my overall feelings on it, because the subject matter was so hard to read, so hard to handle. Novak did a wonderful job bringing out so many different emotions with this book, but I’m just not sure it’s one that many people will enjoy.
This book is so hard for me to grade, but I think I’ll have to give Home to Whiskey Creek a B-/C+
Can’t wait for this one. Loved the first 2.
@Patoct: I hope you enjoy it. I love this series too, but this book was a struggle.
I gave some serious thought to requesting this one.. but that blurb held me back. I often have a really hard time dealing with the repercussions of rape (single/multiple – what have you) w/ in a book and how the author goes about putting that in a story without being heavy handed or ludicrous. I think I’ll steer clear of this for now.. but thanks for the review.
@Readsalot81: It was really hard to read at times. Especially since I had a hard time reconciling how Addy was acting at times.
Wonderful review.
I do love this series but they are extremely emotional and it feels like everyone in this town has serious problems. I still need to read book three, but Noah sounded like a haunted guy from the start.
@Tori: Thanks! It was tough to write, that’s for sure!
@Mariana: It really does feel like everyone has some kind of tragic thing happen, and while I love it, it gets emotionally taxing.
I do think it is wonderful that an author tackles problems like gang rape, especially after those real-life scandals last year. But I don’t think I want to read this.
@xaurianx: I agree, it is wonderful that Novak takes on some of the most difficult topics. But I agree, each and every person has to choose if this book is right for them or not. 🙂