whitneydaniell

Summary

For every storm that devastated the Alabama Gulf Coast, one little jewel always remained standing: the Rosalie Inn. When Geneva’s mother is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, her intent was to sell the Inn. But Geneva’s long-term boyfriend, Chris, thought she should keep it, and that they should move back to Alabama to run it—you know, get away from Atlanta’s city life for a slower pace on the Gulf shore.

A year later, Chris has decided that small-town living isn’t for him. He’s not into managing the Inn—or the Inn’s manager. Now, Geneva is at the helm with her best friend and right-hand woman, Edie, just as another devastating storm looms. Then August Fletcher emails, requesting to stay at the Inn for a few months while he works on a book about a local murder case. True crime is right up Geneva’s alley, and a long-term guest willing to pay double could get her finances back in the green. What’s the worst that could happen?

Forty years earlier, during Hurricane Marie, Gloria “Lo” Bailey was accused of murdering the governor’s son, Landon Fitzroy. After the storm, his body washed ashore. While he could have died from rising waters and high-speed winds, evidence pointed to an altercation, and his cause of death was not drowning. The jury deadlocked, the judge declared a mistrial, and Lo walked away unscathed. Now she’s back in St. Medard’s Bay, ready to tell her story—and August has offered to help her write it.

In Alabama, the Fitzroys were political royalty, with infamous men of power dating back to before Prohibition. Landon, the golden boy, was expected to follow in their footsteps. His life, however, was cut short at thirty—before he could be sworn into any significant office.

Back at the Rosalie Inn, questions start flying, and the past resurfaces like secrets pulled from the sand during a raging storm. Lo holds the key to all of St. Medard’s Bay’s buried truths—and she’s an open book about them. With Hurricane Lizzie barreling toward the coast, Geneva learns that some people can be just as destructive—and deadly—as any hurricane, and that the truth about Landon Fitzroy’s death may not be the only secret Lo is keeping.

Character Summary

The Original Witches of St. Medard’s Bay:

• Ellen Chambers Corliss – The nice one. Ellen’s family ran the Sand Dollar Inn (later the Shipwreck Inn, and now the Rosalie Inn). Boring Ellen Chambers, the one who got good grades but never had much to say. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s just before turning sixty, she now lives at Hope House while her daughter, Geneva, runs the Inn.
• Frieda Mason (now Edie Vargas) – The smart one. In 1977, Hurricane Audrey headed straight for the Gulf. A small white lie spiraled into panic, and Frieda’s family was caught in floodwaters too high to survive. After the tragedy, she lived with her aunt until college but never forgave Lo for setting those fatal events in motion.
• Lo Bailey – The wild one. Out-of-this-world beautiful, her looks often put her in precarious situations. After high school, with Ellen and Frieda at college, Lo worked at a dive bar called The Line, where she met political golden boy Landon Fitzroy.

Geneva Corliss – Ellen’s daughter, who couldn’t wait to leave St. Medard’s Bay but found comfort in its familiarity after years in big cities. Fresh out of a ten-plus-year relationship with Chris, she’s trying to steady the Inn’s finances and find her footing.

August Fletcher – A nonfiction writer who discovered Lo’s story during research and reached out about collaborating on a book covering the summer before the storm and the events following Landon’s death.

My Thoughts

Immediate thought upon finishing… I liked it.

Advanced reader copies aren’t always fully polished, so I’ll give some grace on editing, formatting, and flow. Still, a few things stood out.

Early on, there’s a lot of repetition. We get articles about Lo and the trial, then Lo’s own narrative, and they cover much of the same ground. For example, I think I read about “the testimony from one of Lo’s closest friends” three times. We get it. Geneva also repeatedly says she didn’t know her mother and Lo were close—or even knew each other.

The e-book ARC formatting was also tricky. The narration sometimes jumped from Geneva to Lo—or to an article—with only a few spaces in between. No new header, no chapter break. It occasionally felt abrupt and jarring.

Even with that, the pacing was decent. The story flowed, and despite the multiple perspectives and storm retellings, the plot was easy to follow.

I pegged the main twist early, but Hawkins still delivered a satisfying reveal and made sure to call out the real culprit. While one major twist didn’t shock me, there was another surprise I genuinely didn’t see coming. I suspected ulterior motives, but not that.

I’ve read two other Rachel Hawkins books (not The Villa), and neither worked for me, so I’ll admit I went in expecting to hate this. I guess she shut me up.

Final Verdict

I wouldn’t rate this a 4- or 5-star read—it’s predictable and leans heavily on common tropes—but it’s a solid 3.5. If quick, easy thrillers are your thing, you’ll likely enjoy it.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced reader copy of The Storm by Rachel Hawkins in exchange for my honest review.