The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent

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Want to know whether to read The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent? Here’s my full review to help you decide

The Stillwater Girls book review

“Do not judge a book by its cover”

I was intrigued to read this book due to the aesthetics of the book cover as well as reading the synopsis because I am all for women-empowerment in fictional books but I should have known it was too good to be true. 

Because by jove the plot twist was absolutely ridiculous. The plot twist was so far out of left field I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it came from another dimension.

Before I proceed with the spoiler, I shall discuss the context; the book is split into two POV’s; Wren and Nicolette.

Wren is the isolated teenager forced to be on the run and Nicolette is a rich pampered house-wife who suspects her husband is having an affair. Why she suspects him of having an affair is due to her finding a hidden picture of a toddler and she and her husband couldn’t have kids so imagine the betrayal she felt knowing he has a child with another woman.

How do these two POV’s have any relations to each other? Well, read on my dear readers read on…

When I read the first few chapters of this book, it truly gave me The Village vibes by M. Night Shyamalan and I should have taken that to heart because at first I had concluded that the book is set within two timelines but let me ask you, what was the plot reveal of The Village? 

They’re set in the same timeline! AND the “villagers” live right next to a modern town (more like they were surrounded by modernity but that’s not the point) but this is not the reason I am aggravated by the plot twist. Nay… Nay…

It was the fact that there were so many loopholes to this plot. 

Nicolette suspects her husband, Brant, of cheating, yes? But, he never cheated. The reason why he has been acting suspicious is due to him working together with the FBI to find his kidnapped and missing daughter. The daughter he had WITH Nicolette.

This plot twist was so far out of left field it might as well have come from another universe entirely and I wouldn’t have been surprised because…

Because get this…

The author is trying to convince me that Nicolette due to postpartum psychosis gave her baby away, then has selective amnesia and completely forgets she ever gave birth before her hysterectomy (she had a very traumatic birthing)

AND FOR 10 YEARS EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN HER LIFE PROCEEDS TO FOLLOW THIS STORY??????

Let me rephrase that, just in case I didn’t make myself clear, 

For 10 YEARS… ONE DECADE

Her whole family and friends HID THIS ASPECT OF HER LIFE from her for her own mental sanity and once she finds this out Nicolette is completely fine with her husband because of course lying to her for 10 years CONSISTENTLY is far better than to find him cheating with some woman, right?

AND

Remember Wren? She has three sisters and the youngest one is missing and guess who is the youngest sister? Yes, Nicolette’s daughter.

Well, COLOUR ME FUCKING CONVENIENT AT HOW THIS PLOT IS GOING.

THAT’S HOW THE TWO POV’S RELATE TO ANOTHER.

Another thing, Wren’s house is in the woods, the woods are literally right next to Nicolette’s house, and again the author is trying to  tell me that the woods was not exhaustively searched for when her baby was kidnapped?

Mind you, Nicolette is a RICH… WHITE WOMAN.

Also, I have never read a book so full of WHITE PRIVILEGE in my life.

Because Nicolette never faced repercussions from her actions, had this been a woman of color, a different story will commence as of course the author HAD to make Nicolette whit because then the BS plot twist wouldn’t work.

Nobody in the town she lived in confronted her. NOBODY. Due to the fact that she is white. They just tacked in on to white people doing their shit.

And again you’re telling me NOBODY found the house that Wren and her family lived in? Nobody? It was so close to civilization that Wren and her sister Sage only took a half a days walk to get to Nicolette’s house. 

The technicalities of this book just doesn’t make sense.

In terms of writing, it’s so bloody boring. Nicolette is so boring. I don’t want to read about the life of a rich white woman incessantly complaining that she thinks her husband is cheating on her YET DOES NOTHING ABOUT; because she doesn’t in the book, she doesn’t hire a PI, doesn’t confront him, doesn’t look for clues and when finally she does start being PROACTIVE Wren lands on her front door and she is too busy to help them to do some sleuthing against her husband.

Wren’s POV was far better, the suspense was there but when she met Nicolette, it was game over.

But honestly, who is editing this author’s work. This editor read this and thought this plot twist was a good idea? Are you kidding me?

Right, I should stop here, I think I have ranted enough. I hope you enjoyed my book review which unfortunately turned to a rant review. 

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The Stillwater Girls Synopsis

Title: The Stillwater Girls

Author: Minka Kent 

Published: April 9th 2019

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Rating: 2/5

Two sisters raised in fear are about to find out why in a chilling novel of psychological suspense from the author of The Thinnest Air.

Ignorant of civilization and cautioned against its evils, nineteen-year-old Wren and her two sisters, Sage and Evie, were raised in off-the-grid isolation in a primitive cabin in upstate New York. When the youngest grows gravely ill, their mother leaves with the child to get help from a nearby town. And they never return.

As months pass, hope vanishes. Supplies are low. Livestock are dying. A brutal winter is bearing down. Then comes the stranger. He claims to be looking for the girls’ mother, and he’s not leaving without them.

To escape, Wren and her sister must break the rule they’ve grown up with: never go beyond the forest.

Buy the book now

Amazon | Book Depository | Better World Books

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