SheKnows Book Club Pick: Night Road by Kristin Hannah
Night Road by Kristin Hannah is the March/April pick for the SheKnows Book Club!
Reviewed by Jodi Horsley
Lexi Baill has had a rough beginning in the first fourteen years of her life. Having been through seven different foster homes due to a mom who was addicted to drugs – she is finally taken in by a long lost family member. Lexi, afraid of feeling anything, fights the feeling of hope.
Now in a new school, Lexi, who is a loner and an outsider, befriends Mia and Mia’s twin brother Zach. Mia and Lexi quickly realize they have a lot in common and become best friends. Eventually Zach and Lexi fall in love and the three of them become inseparable.
Jude, Mia and Zach’s mom, has always put the needs of her twins above her own. She’s managed to keep her kids out of harm’s way and has always been very focused on keeping her kids on track for college. When Lexi arrives in their small community, Jude welcome’s her with open arms and treats her as one of the family.
Then senior year of high school hits and everything spins a little out of control. Jude wants to trust her children but is in fear every time they leave the house. One night, a bad decision changes everything. Tragedy strikes and Lexi is blamed.
Night Road, a novel of motherhood, love, loss and forgiveness, was one of those books I had a hard time putting down. Because of the emotional rollercoaster, I also had a difficult time forgetting about it. It quickly draws you in and takes a hold of you, leaving you laughing one moment and crying the next. Kristen Hannah is wonderful at character development and truly makes you feel you know all the character’s in the book, which allows you to become emotionally tied to them.
Night Road is not a “feel good” type of book – but truly emotionally complex. I love books that grab a hold of you and allow you to feel emotionally connected. I would absolutely recommend this unforgettable story as a must read.
Rating: 5/5
Jodi lives in the western suburbs of Illinois with her husband, her elementary school daughter, and preschool boy/girl twins. She is an avid reader and loves losing herself in a good book. She has a Master’s in Information Technology and has been a WAHM mom for 4 years now.
This book was provided free of any obligation by St. Martin’s Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
Category: Contemporary, Literature & Fiction
I read another book by this author, FIREFLY LANE, and I’ll never read another.I think her books are what they mean by “chic lit.” I read the entire book because I had to for a discussion. That’s the reason I’ll never join a book club: I’ll sometimes have to read books like that.
[...] Kristin Hannah interviewed helicopter pilot and mother, Warrant Officer Teresa BurgessCheck out our review of Hannah’s last novel, Night Road Amanda lives in Missouri with her engineering husband, two [...]
I gave this one a 5 also, it was emotional but written beautifully.
Marce recently posted..Want to read this one with us June Book choice
[...] our review of Kristin Hannah’s Night [...]
I just finished this book tonight. I’ve always enjoyed Kristin Hannah’s books, but this one was so real. I’ve deal with lost and grief, and it was a powerful story. Highly recommend it!
Jeanne recently posted..Night Road by Kristin Hannah
Wow, I can’t wait to read this one now! I have heard and read such wonderful things about it, and I have never shyed away from a book with a complex and hard plot. Thanks for the review, I am biting at the bit to read it!
I never thought of Kristin Hannah as a complex writer, but the reviews I’ve been reading for this one make me think I’d like it because it is a little darker.
At first when I saw the beautiful cover and the age of the main character I thought this was a Young Adult book but reading the reading it seems to stretch into the Adult catergory. The story sounds like an emotional roller coaster, something that I would like. I have read several people thought it was the best that they have read this year. So I am in!
Carol Wong
Although I haven’t read this book, I’ve read another by this author. My impression was that her books ARE more YA than adult. When I was a teenager I read some books similar to hers.
Sounds like a very emotionally involved story. My daughter is now 19 years old, so stories involving raising teenagers always engage me.
As the mom of a teenager, I was very emotionally involved in this story and its characters. Probably my favorite read of the year so far.