Penny For Our Thoughts

Grist Mill Road by Christopher J. Yates

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I started off lost in the brushy, woody lush coulee reading Grist Mill Road with three of my Traveling Sisters and we ended up in the thorny woody rocky coulee looking for a way out.

Grist Mill Road is a dark, complex story of secrets, deceit, and misunderstandings that started off with a bang for us and shocking us with the brutal crime committed by one character Matthew towards Hannah while Patch watched and didn’t intervene. We were drawn in right away to the mystery of the crime and what really happened that day and we flew through the first part of the story as fast as we could. Then things started to slow down for us as Christopher J Yates took us down some windy and twisty roads through the coulee till we hid a ridge of blazing white rock like a wall and were left a bit confused with the ending.

Christopher J Yates skillfully and uniquely takes us back and forth in time and from one narrator to another giving us different perspectives to the day that bonds Matthew, Hannah and Patch together. We loved being drawn into their minds and seeing their perspectives however at times things started to get a little bogged down for us with some of their thoughts and things started to get a little murky for us.

Overall we enjoyed this story for it’s different and interesting characters and cleverly written perspectives. We recommend for anyone looking for a little something a little more complexed and different to their mysteries.

Review by Brenda

Published on January 9, 2018

Thank you, NetGalley, Macmillan-Picador and Christopher J Yates for a copy to read and review.

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Kaceey’s Review

3.5*

What should have been a fun outing for three young teens, quickly turns tragic. Leaving all three with lifelong scars that each need to deal with in their own way. Years later, their paths will cross one more time. Will tragedy strike twice or will they all find the truth and closure they so desperately need.

This book started off very strong. Great story…great characters, with the potential to be an amazing read.  Unfortunately, somewhere around the halfway mark it just, well…I’m not sure what happened. The storyline slowed right down and then veered off in directions that, at the time, didn’t feel relevant.

When I started this book I was so excited! Couldn’t stop thinking about it every time I had to step away. If only that excitement could have lasted throughout.

It is written in several POVs and timelines that become difficult to follow. As all the storylines and characters converged at the end, for what should have been a spectacular finale instead I was left with a fizzle. Worse yet, so many unanswered questions.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan-Picador and Christopher J. Yates for an ARC to review in exchange for an honest review.