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A review by winecellarlibrary
The River Girls by Melinda Woodhall
5.0
This review is also available on my blog: Wine Cellar Library
First, I would like to thank BookSirens and the author for providing me with a free Kindle ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Second, I have to warn readers of the potential triggers that you will find in this book. There is discussion of sex trafficking, murder, violence, domestic abuse, and drug use. This may be distressing for some readers.
Eden Winthrop has faced immense trauma, finding her younger sister's lifeless body after she was killed in a murder-suicide by her abusive husband. Although she is still haunted and grieving, she is determined to help other women in similar situations and establishes a network of safehouses.
She struggles daily with anxiety and has an emotional support dog who never leaves her side. His presence calms her nerves enough to help her stay off the prescription medications she was once reliant upon. I found that Melinda Woodhall wrote Eden's character beautifully. It is frustrating when a character is weak, but Eden is far from weak. Despite her horrific past, and despite her crippling anxiety, she refuses to stand by while women and children are abused at the hands of their partners or sex traffickers. Woodhall demonstrates how integral an emotional support dog's presence is to normal daily functioning for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder.
When a teenage girl arrives at one of Eden's safehouses, but promptly disappears, Eden knows this girl is in imminent danger and is compelled to find her. When not one girl, but two, are found dead near the river, killed by strangulation, her determination grows to return this girl safely home. She enlists the help of her sworn enemy—the defense attorney who was responsible for her sister's husband being released, leading to her sister's murder—because despite everything, he may be the only person who can lead her to the truth.
This book was an amazing read and I am so eager to dive into the next book in the series, [b:Girl Eight|44540572|Girl Eight (Mercy Harbor Thriller, #2)|Melinda Woodhall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553029527l/44540572._SY75_.jpg|69124713]!
First, I would like to thank BookSirens and the author for providing me with a free Kindle ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Second, I have to warn readers of the potential triggers that you will find in this book. There is discussion of sex trafficking, murder, violence, domestic abuse, and drug use. This may be distressing for some readers.
Eden Winthrop has faced immense trauma, finding her younger sister's lifeless body after she was killed in a murder-suicide by her abusive husband. Although she is still haunted and grieving, she is determined to help other women in similar situations and establishes a network of safehouses.
She struggles daily with anxiety and has an emotional support dog who never leaves her side. His presence calms her nerves enough to help her stay off the prescription medications she was once reliant upon. I found that Melinda Woodhall wrote Eden's character beautifully. It is frustrating when a character is weak, but Eden is far from weak. Despite her horrific past, and despite her crippling anxiety, she refuses to stand by while women and children are abused at the hands of their partners or sex traffickers. Woodhall demonstrates how integral an emotional support dog's presence is to normal daily functioning for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder.
When a teenage girl arrives at one of Eden's safehouses, but promptly disappears, Eden knows this girl is in imminent danger and is compelled to find her. When not one girl, but two, are found dead near the river, killed by strangulation, her determination grows to return this girl safely home. She enlists the help of her sworn enemy—the defense attorney who was responsible for her sister's husband being released, leading to her sister's murder—because despite everything, he may be the only person who can lead her to the truth.
This book was an amazing read and I am so eager to dive into the next book in the series, [b:Girl Eight|44540572|Girl Eight (Mercy Harbor Thriller, #2)|Melinda Woodhall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553029527l/44540572._SY75_.jpg|69124713]!