St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama is famous for three the deadly hurricanes that regularly sweep into town, the Rosalie Inn, a century-old hotel that’s survived every one of those storms, and Lo Bailey, the local girl infamously accused of the murder of her lover, political scion Landon Fitzroy, during Hurricane Marie in 1984.
When Geneva Corliss, the current owner of the Rosalie Inn, hears a writer is coming to town to research the crime that put St. Medard’s Bay on the map, she’s surprised to hear the innfamous Lo is returning as well.
Geneva learns that some people can be just as destructive—and as deadly—as any hurricane, and that the truth of what happened to Landon Fitzroy may not be the only secret Lo is keeping…
Rachel Hawkins is one of my favorite authors, so when the publisher reached out to read an early copy of her new newest book – I dropped everything I was doing and downloaded it immediately.
I’m so glad I did, because this book was a ride.
The story, the setting, the architecture of this book … all combined, made an excellent piece of art work.
The story itself is twisty and might make people think of some old movies of little girls, pretending to be witches on a seaside cliff. Which is fine, but sometimes overdone. I love that this element was in there, but it didn’t take over the whole story.
What this story is about a guy, a slimeball one could say, that didn’t take over the whole story. It wasn’t about him. It was about the girls. It was about surviving Mother Nature. I loved that Rachel was able to pull off that delicate balance when writing a story like this.
I felt like this pink inn really exists. I wish there was an author note, revealing that she stayed in this pink inn and while experiencing a big storm wrote this book. That would be the cherry on top. I felt like I was there. I felt like I could smell the inn and the shack and be on the beach with the captain who is fishing. It all felt so real.
The architecture of the book was woven so well. The glimpses into the past. The way they are titled for the hurricanes to tell their own story. The snippet of August’s in progress book. You soak in all these POV’s without really knowing what you’re reading or what you’re supposed to take from it. As a reader you are hoping that the end the author will bring them all together in a perfect little bow. Spoiler alert, it does.
And then when you think you’re done with the book and we’re just wrapping things up, Rachel Hawkins hits you with a few more presents.
Sometimes it feels like Rachel Hawkins writes for me. I can read every word so easily. Every sentence flows so well together. The action is packed, but also descriptive and not rushed.
Excellent work and I’m excited for your next one Rachel Hawkins! If it weren’t obvious, I would definitely recommend this to my reader friends. Curl up, turn the lights down low, and listen to the rain hit the windows as you dive into The Storm.
Stats: xxx pages – Expected publication January 6, 2026
**Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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