Eventide: Sarah Goodman

Title: Eventide

Author: Sarah Goodman

Publish Date: October 6th, 2020

Publisher: Tor Teen

Source: Received an ARC from Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review

Summary by Goodreads.

MADNESS, SECRETS, AND LIES

Wheeler, Arkansas, 1907

When their father descends into madness after the death of their mother, Verity Pruitt and her little sister Lilah find themselves on an orphan train to rural Arkansas.

In Wheeler, eleven-year-old Lilah is quickly adopted, but seventeen-year-old Verity is not. Desperate to stay close to her sister, Verity indentures herself as a farmhand. But even charming farm boy Abel Atchley can’t completely distract her from the sense that something is not quite right in this little town. Strange local superstitions abound, especially about the eerie old well at the center of the forest. The woods play tricks, unleashing heavy fog and bone-chilling cold…and sometimes visions of things that aren’t there.

But for Verity, perhaps most unsettling of all is the revelation that her own parents have a scandalous history in this very town. And as she tries to unearth the past, sinister secrets come with it—secrets that someone will go to violent lengths to protect….

A haunting tale of long-buried secrets, small-town scandal, and single-minded vengeance by talented debut novelist Sarah Goodman.

Penelope's Review

This book turned out to be surprisingly good! It was a historical fiction/mystery/spooky YA book with a female main character that I ended up enjoying more than I anticipated. The book is based in Wheeler, a small town in Arkansas where Verity and her sister Lilah are sent on an orphan train to be adopted. When Lilah is adopted but not Verity, Verity indentures herself to a farm to stay near her sister. 

Verity is an interesting character, she's strong-willed and curious. She sets her mind to things and doesn't waver from her path. I like how she grew as a character throughout the book by letting herself open her heart to others. And I liked the male lead, Abel as well. Though I would have liked to see more buildup and chemistry between him and Verity. 

The supporting characters were great as well! Lilah was a feisty little girl with an inquisitive nature and a fiery tongue. I adored her! Della ended up becoming one of Verity's close friends, and she was sweet and honest and loyal throughout the whole book.

I found the book to be quite well-written and the plotline itself was unique. While I did find the first half a bit slow, the last half more than made up for it with unexpected twists and turns that I never saw coming! The last half was a definitely a "can't seem to put it down" type of storyline which was great! 

Overall, I really liked this book! I'm intrigued to see what else this author comes up with, I will definitely be keeping tabs on her!

Rating: 4/5 Devils!