Book Review: Night Road

*Spoiler-Free Review*

Synopsis (taken from Goodreads):

Jude Farraday is a happily married, stay-at-home mom who puts everyone’s needs above her own. Her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill enters their lives, no one is more supportive than Jude. A former foster child with a dark past, Lexi quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. But senior year of high school brings unexpected dangers and one night, Jude’s worst fears are confirmed: there is an accident. In an instant, her idyllic life is shattered and her close-knit community is torn apart. People—and Jude—demand justice, and when the finger of blame is pointed, it lands solely on eighteen-year-old Lexi Baill. In a heartbeat, their love for each other will be shattered, the family broken. Lexi gives up everything that matters to her—the boy she loves, her place in the family, the best friend she ever had—while Jude loses even more.

When Lexi returns, older and wiser, she demands a reckoning. Long buried feelings will rise again, and Jude will finally have to face the woman she has become. She must decide whether to remain broken or try to forgive both Lexi…and herself.

Night Road is a vivid, emotionally complex novel that raises profound questions about motherhood, loss, identity, and forgiveness. It is an exquisite, heartbreaking novel that speaks to women everywhere about the things that matter most.

Night Road by Kristin Hannah: 5/5 Stars

*CW at end of review

This was my first Kristin Hannah read and it did NOT disappoint!

I knew going into this book that her books tend to be long and rather deep, and at first I was scared I would get bored too easily. I am happy to say that I was very wrong!

This story is largely character-driven and you’ll probably end up strongly disliking some of the characters at times. It made me laugh, tear up, and definitely tugged at my heart strings. One of the things I like the most about this book is the different kinds of relationships that the author portrays. As someone who isn’t involved in a romantic relationship, it can sometimes get unrelatable and boring reading about them over and over. In this book, we have all sorts of relationships, from parent/child, to siblings, to husband/wife, to best friends, to a romantic relationship. It’s the kind of book that will touch all kinds of people, no matter what genres they’re typically interested in reading because there is just that much depth to the story.

Overall, this is just such a well-written novel and I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a beautiful, intense story.

If you liked Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover, or any contemporary family drama (see a few posts before this for my review of Everything I Never Told You), then I think you would especially love Night Road.

*CW: drunk driving, car accident, grief

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