Wow wow wow what did I just read??? This book is as odd as they come but still pulled me in! This book centers around Mary Olivia Pentecost or as Mop to her loved ones and the mysterious death of her mother two years prior. The big question is what happened the night her mother threw her burning body into the waves below? The chapters alternate between Mop and her Aunty Liv past and present and they both are telling a deep dark and disturbing story that will lead us to the dark night. The first chapter pulls you right in with Mop in present time hiding in the cellar while a hatchet wielding mad woman is screaming and trying to break in! This book had me in the middle at times either loving or hating it or completely confused. I kept turning every dark page to figure out what really happened and for a 277 page book felt more like 500 pages at times and I don’t know why ? This was a horrifyingly beautifully written book. I want to thank Thomas and Mercer for my copy!

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Mary Olivia Pentecost, known as Mop, is who this book starts with. She is hiding in a burned cellar, along with someone else, a companion, while a mad woman holding a bloody hatchet is ramagings her Aunty’s lawn looking for them. That’s quite a scene to start a crazy book like this one!

The story goes like this. Two years after her mother has died, Mop is seeking closure, by driving to her Aunty’s New England estate. Aunty Liv used to be the closest relative Mop had, besides her mother. She practically lived in the Aunty’s house, when not in the family Rye estate. And so was her mother.

However, the person Mop finds is not the Aunty Liv she once knew and cherished. She has changed and the secrets she has been keeping for two years now have come to haunt her. How many secrets can a wealthy family have and how can they affect Mop’s life? She is about to find out!

Shannon Kirk has her own writing style that can drive a reader mad, until they understand what is actually happening. In this one, Kirk has created a dark Gothic atmosphere to support her narration.

The games a mind can play on a person are the protagonist here. Several of those have been going through the main characters, creating this creepy, crazy setting the book lies on. It’s when you lose track of time and reality and even yourself that unexpected things happen. The main characters are as crazy as hell, and that’s an understatement! Past events, have led to the awful horrible situation Mop finds herself in the very first chapter, but they are also hidden behind what happened two years ago, during the night of the fire and maybe a couple days earlier.

I’m not sure what happened. This book seems like it was right up my alley - dark psychological thriller, family secrets.. count me in! I just had a really hard time staying engaged with the story. So much crazy rambling. I didn’t connect with any of the characters. It seems kind of crazy to feel bored listening to this book when there was so much that happened in the story, but there you have it.

Underwhelming. The ending was especially lackluster. I don't like recap endings. It feels so lazy. The only good character is Mary but Mop spends the entire book crap talking about her because she's a catholic and an ex-nun.

Very suspenseful. I struggles to put the book down without finishing a chapter and looking forward to finding out what happened. Would recommend

What in the looney toons just happened. Hold on while I pick my brain up off the floor. I admit this was super odd yet awesome. Now at times you will be like “WHAT…THE...EFF?” and you might think to yourself I should just stop but DON’T. This book is worth reading till the end.

Let’s meet the characters, shall we?
Mary Olivia Pentecost AKA Mop- Johanna’s daughter
Johanna- the sister of Aunty Liv
Aunty Liv-Sister to Johanna and Aunt to Mop

This novel is told in Mop’s point of view and her Aunty Liv’s, mainly jumping around all over the place from past and present within a two-year time frame. The story mainly revolves around that two years ago Mop’s mother died at Liv’s estate. Apparently, a fire broke out and she jumped off a cliff into the water, but her body has ever been found. HMMM…?
Since this tragedy Aunty Liv has shut herself away from the world. To help her fully grieve, Mop decides it is time to reunite with Aunty Liv but what she finds is more disturbing than she can handle. What secrets lie in this family, what is hidden in the barn, in the rooms?

Wellllll this stirred the pot of crazy for me. I enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on and who was the real crazy was of the bunch.

I'm setting this one aside for right now. I may just be burned out on thrillers; I'm not sure. I haven't been able to connect with this one, though. The writing is gorgeous, but it's just a bit slower than I expected but. There are some mysteries going on, but they haven't kept my attention very much. I feel like things are going in circles. Anyway, I may pick it up again another day.

Wow that was a crazy ride!

I'll definitely recommend this book to my friends! What to say without giving the story away. I already have to friends that want to read it!