OVER THE FALLS by Rebecca Hodge

 

For fans of The River at Night, Rebecca Hodge's next thrilling read explores how far one woman will go to find her sister.

Bryn Collins moved to the Eastern Tennessee mountains and never looked back when, fourteen years ago, her fiancé, Sawyer, jilted her for her despised sister, Del. Sawyer was later killed in a plane crash, but Bryn has never been able to forgive her sister for what she did, and instead chooses to spend her days in the idyllic beauty of the rugged landscape. Although a life-threatening accident ended her days navigating the perils of whitewater, she still finds refuge kayaking in the local lakes.
 
But Bryn's placid life hits the skids when an unwelcome cast of characters reenters her life. Del goes mysteriously missing, leading her fourteen-year-old son, Josh, to Bryn's doorstep for help. Then Carl, a trouble-making outcast the sisters knew years before, is desperate to find Del because she owes him money, pulling Bryn into the orbit of his schemes.
 
On the hunt for Del, Bryn and Josh follow an ever-elusive trail to Colorado, and at the annual Mountain Games competition in Vail, they finally confront the truth. For Bryn, all roads lead to the river, and on vicious Colorado whitewater, she is forced to muster every ounce of courage and strength she has to piece her family back together again.

MY THOUGHTS:

I read Wildlands and loved it. Now Over the Falls is another one to love. This book is so good. It's a bit mystery. A bit of a thriller. A lot of family. A lot of love. Some loss and some closure. This book truly has all the feels. 

Bryn was engaged to Sawyer but her younger sister, Del, got pregnant by Sawyer and that was the end of that engagement. Sawyer was killed in an airplane accident two years later. From there things really take you on a wild ride. It really does. Bryn has made a home for herself in a cabin with animals and a garden. She works from home and does not want or need any distractions in her life. But... Josh, Del's son, comes to see her and tells her about his missing mother. He needs help. He's desperate and alone. Bryn's world will never be the same.

Josh was told by his mother to find her sister is he got scared or if anything happened to her. He is a fourteen year old kid who wants some answers. Why would his mother just up and leave him. She has a lot of problems but she's never just abandoned him before. He reaches out to Bryn for help. The two have never met but they do have a few things in common. 

This story takes off and will not let you go. You will go on an adventure that you won't soon forget. From the hills of Tennessee to the mountains of Colorado. Bryn and Josh are looking for Del and are leaving no stones unturned. They are also having to fight with Carl. A big bad man from Bryn and Del's past. He's not a good man. He gives Bryn and Josh one week to find Del and get back something she stole from him. 

There is a lot going on in this book. I wept about a chicken in this story. I loved Josh and oh the dog, Tellico. Bryn's dog. He's a great one for sure. Then there is Landon. You will love him. He's the neighbor to Bryn and he wants a relationship. After fourteen plus years is Bryn ready for that yet? Will things work out for them? There is opioid addiction, overdose addressed in this book also. It's a terrible thing and is out there. In the real world so many die each year. It's hit my family and most likely yours too. What happens when a person overdoses from drugs is horrible. Nothing is ever the same whether they live or die. It halts your world in ways you never knew possible. I've lost family to drug addition/overdose. It hurts. You don't forget it. What it does to your family.

This book is told by Bryn and Josh. Alternating between the two. Josh is a very smart young man. One who should have had the chance to be a real child but instead basically always took care of his mother. Who didn't get to know his dad before he died. Many things will come out in his life during this search. He will meet a few people and find some closure in his young life. Him and Bryn are a pair to be reckoned with. Together they are basically unstoppable. Bryn faces her biggest fear. Josh faces his future. 

I disliked both Carl and Sawyer. I didn't think Sawyer was a good man at all and not just because he cheated on Bryn with her sister. That was horrible from both of them. An unforgivable act of selfishness. I hated Carl for what he was. A bully. A thug. A sorry excuse for a human being. He was just not good.

This book is well written. The only thing I didn't like was a couple of things at the very end that I thought should have been addressed. But that is just my thoughts and in no way took away from this wonderful book.

Thank you to #netgalley, #rebeccahodge, #crookedlanebooks for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

5/5 stars and a big huge recommendation. Read it. Devour it. Enjoy it. Have tissues handy though.