The Storm

I have to be honest … I’m a little underwhelmed. For a book called The Storm, I was anticipating high drama and edge-of-my-seat stuff. I hate to say it, but at times this felt more like being stuck inside on a rainy day watching water drip down the window pane. Not exactly the mystery-thriller vibe I was hoping for!

I really loved The Heiress last year which was my first Rachel Hawkins read. The story revolved around an older sassy Southern woman of wealth named Ruby McTavish who was suspected of having a hand in the deaths of her late husbands. Though Gloria “Lo” Bailey, the MC in this one didn’t have Ruby’s wealth, she still felt strikingly similar as an older sassy Southern woman suspected of having a hand in the death of her late lover. Maybe it was just me who felt like the characters were too similar despite the women’s wealth gap?

Geneva Corliss owns the Rosalie Inn in St. Medard’s Bay in Alabama - a town with a dark history of hurricanes and deaths. One of those deaths was that of aspiring politician Landon Fitzroy who Lo was accused of murdering during Hurricane Marie in 1984. Now a journalist named August Fletcher has brought Lo to Geneva’s inn to stay while he writes a book about her that she hopes will clear her name once and for all.

It sounds like a great premise and the writing was good, but the story employed the “everyone has a secret/everyone will find out a big secret” trope that’s been done a zillion times, there was a weird thread about witches that I guess was tongue-in-cheek humor … (maybe?), and the ending went in a particular direction that’s a pet peeve and literally made me want to scream and throw my Kindle at something.

All those things said, I think my issues with this are a “me” thing more than a book thing. Sometimes particular storylines and tropes aren’t a good match for a reader and this was one of those times. This was an immersion read and the bright spot was the full cast narration who all did an excellent job. I can recommend the audio for those wanting to try this!

★★ ½ (rounded up for the audio)

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and author Rachel Hawkins for the digital ARC and Macmillan Audio for ALC to honestly review. It’s out on January 6, 2026.