It seems like everyone is talking about Where The Crawdads Sing. At this writing, it has 19,702 reviews on Amazon, and 85% are five stars. Can that many readers be wrong?

No.

The audiobook was enthralling, though I wish I had time to sit down and savor actually reading this book. I kept finding a few minutes here and there to listen because I needed to know what happened.

The writing is rich and succulent. There were a few points in the plot where Owens could have taken things in a much different direction and created a tawdry and salacious story. She never does that, and the narrative is better for it.

I absolutely loved some of the characters, like Lightning and his wife- more people should be like them. Tate, who mans up. The sheriff, who was intense in his job, but fair. The marsh and the water and the wildlife are all characters in their own right. And of course, Kya herself.

Owens certainly holds a couple of great twists until the end. And she packs an emotional punch. I found myself tearing up more than once.

This one lives up to the hype. I highly recommend.