Book 13 of 2019.

Yes, this was the thirteenth book of this year and it definitely wasn’t an unlucky choice. I only wish I had picked this up sooner.

Released in America a lot sooner than in the UK, I saw this book a lot on Instagram and wanted to read it straight away. I was hooked before I’d even bought it. It’s being made into a film for crying out loud!! Reese Witherspoon has fallen in love with it… I absolutely HAD to read it.

I devoured the whole thing! I was so emotionally involved that a simple feeling of ‘proudness’ from one of the characters, made me cry. When I got to the end, the final two chapters had me crying all the way through. You possibly saw the picture I posted on Instagram of myself with mascara running down my face.

Everyone should read this book. Love every word on every page. Feel every single emotion felt by Kya and the people around her. This is one of my favourite books of all time and definitely a FIVE STAR read.

After I finished the book, it took me a while to actually write a review because nothing I can say will do the book justice. You’ll just have to read it for yourself and find out why it’s so amazing.

The author has written a lot of the speech in a southern dialect and you’ll find yourself attempting the accent in your head as you read it. (Which will no doubt, make you laugh).

The basis of the book is Kya (The Marsh Girl) bringing herself up after all of her family gradually abandons her. She lives on a marsh on the North Carolina Coast. She survives on her own somehow fending for herself and finding ways to make some money for food and supplies. She is taught to read and write by one of her friends and she falls deeply in love.

Throughout the story of Kya’s life, the author has also made this a bit of a murder mystery. What looks like suicide, ends up being treated as murder and it isn’t until the very end that we find out what actually happened. I feel like some people may guess the ending, but I was so engrossed in it, I didn’t even think about it. So, at the end, I was completely shocked and I didn’t want the story to end there.

I can’t wait to see who plays each character in the film version. I hope it’s as good as the book itself.

Published by Corsair and 368 pages. I really hope you love this book as much as I did.