Just River by Sara B. Fraser

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!)

 

about book:

Sara B. Fraser paints for readers how life in a nothing upstate New York town in the ’90s might look: bleak and gritty. Wattsville was a booming manufacturing town on the Otis River. But now, the mills are closed. The windows boarded up. The same people frequent the same bars every day without fail. What once was a prosperous place is now somewhere riddled with substance abuse, poverty, violence, and hush-hush secrets. But only the river bears witness to all these secrets — and only the river can divulge the truth. 

At the heart of these secrets is one family. When Carol’s daughter, Garnet, is caught in the crosshairs of justice and her former boyfriend’s deceit, Carol and her best friend Sam plot to prove Garnet's innocence. Told with beauty and tenderness against the landscape of forgotten everyday America, Fraser’s JUST RIVER connects the complexity and danger we all contain.

my thoughts:

Wow. What a story! Just River is a fantastic read that will have you turning pages faster than you can read. I absolutely LOVED it!

Wattsville is a small town that has lost its economy and now its residents are struggling to survive. There's poverty, violence, and plenty of secrets to go around in this small, forgotten town. Carol and her BFF, Sam, have each other to lean on during these hard times. And Carol will need this friendship to help her cope with her daughter Garnet's recent troubles with the law. Talk about a troubled family. This story is chock full of sadness, hardship, and broken dreams, but peeking through it all is a smidgen of hope. And it is that glimmer of hope that will help Carol and Sam stay determined to prove Garnet's innocence. 

Fraser has written a terrific story that will make you laugh, cry, and want the very best for these characters. Just River is one book you won't soon forget. Definitely check it out!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!