Sweet Water

By: Cara Reinard

Narrated by: Amy Rubinate

What did her son do in the woods last night? Does a mother really want to know?

It’s what Sarah Ellsworth dreamed of. Marriage to her childhood sweetheart, Martin. Living in a historic mansion in Pennsylvania’s most exclusive borough. And Finn, a teenage son with so much promise. Until...A call for help in the middle of the night leads Sarah and Martin to the woods, where they find Finn, injured, dazed, and weeping near his girlfriend’s dead body. Convinced he’s innocent, Sarah and Martin agree to protect their son at any cost and not report the crime.

But there are things Sarah finds hard to reconcile: a cover-up by Martin’s family that’s so unnervingly cold-blooded. Finn’s lies to the authorities are too comfortable, too proficient, not to arouse her suspicions. Even the secrets of the old house she lives in seem to be connected to the incident. As each troubling event unfolds, Sarah must decide how far she’ll go to save her perfect life.

©2021 Cara Reinard (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“An unsparing account of ‘rich people problems’ that goes on forever, like all the best nightmares.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“[A] nail-biting psychological thriller.... Reinard knows how to keep readers turning the pages.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Sweet Water is electrically suspenseful, impossible to put down until the last gut punch of a killer ending.” (Luanne Rice, New York Times best-selling author)

Good quick read

Overall it was good. A little predictable but had a good storyline. Very quick read.

Cara Reinard

This was my first book I've read and listen to written by Cara. I enjoyed reading this book. The storyline was awesome. The book kept me intrigued the whole time. It will have you guessing right up to the end. And even then, you will find yourself realizing you guess wrong. Thanks

Rich folks coverup

very forgettable. listened in early 2021, came back today and took over four chapters to recall an inkling

ewwe

it would really drawn out and sappy and kind of annoying I was not really impressed with this book at all a single father with his daughter who get to scholarship and goes out with a frat boy and they get married and all the truths about him and his family come out in the end not that great

family and suspense

this book had so many surprises and unfolded the secrets well. such a good book. very real. easy to visualize throughout.

Sweet storytelling

The narrator was awesome and engaging. There were enough twists to keep me interested. The story had a good base.

Geez.

I'm a little unsure how I feel about this story featuring a twisted little world full of people and their agendas. The characters were interesting, especially the mother, Sarah, who I could relate to on such a personal level it was a bit scary. She's smart, and driven. But her control isn't what she thinks it is.

I'm finding that I can't really share my thoughts without getting into spoilers. So I'll just say this is a haunting tale of secrets, lies, schemes, and control freaks. Who wins? The one with the most money... the most secrets... nothing to lose?

Read it instead of listening

The book itself is great! The audiobook is just a robot, not a person. It is very difficult to listen to, so I gave up and read it instead.

Silly storyline, so repetitive

The story initially engaged me, despite the author's tendency to repeat the same information over and over again. However, about half-way through, the tale became so ridiculous that I lost interest. I did finish the book but didn't enjoy it. Overall rating: 2.5 stars rounded up

Good premise but...

Dear Lord! There is so much repetition! The main character says/thinks the same thing over & over. It was annoying. It's a shame the writer used repetition as filler because the story line was good. Perhaps the writer gets paid by the number of words?