I paid the full hardcover price for “Where The Crawdads Sing,” by Delia Owens. I didn’t shop around, I didn’t score Target’s 30% off- the- cover steal (look out for the sticker on a lot of their books!) but merrily handed over my credit card at That Bookstore in Wethersfield, Connecticut, watched the cashier add my newest read to a cute little brown bag.

The reviews on social media teased me, and the cover was striking. I had to know what all of the hype was about.

It took me all of 24 hours.

Kya was used to being left behind. At just ten years old, she watched her mother stroll down the old dirt road of their North Carolina makeshift home without looking back, suitcase in hand and alligator shoes disappearing from view. Then, her siblings took off, one by one, clinging to the hope of independence and freedom from an oppressive, abusive father and a rickety, too-small shack on the Marsh. Kya tried making her living situation comfortable for her and her father, but eventually even he preferred an alternative fate. So Kya learned to take care of herself in the only place she ever called home.

She never went to school, but learned to read. She studied the Marsh and all of its wonders: The birds were her friends, the dark shallow waters, her sanctuary. She rarely went into town, never made any real friends, and neighborhood gossip began labeling her as the strange, abandoned “Marsh Girl.”

Kya blossomed into a clever, self-sufficient beauty and began turning heads, though from afar. One handsome man, high school jock Chase Andrews, saw her evasive nature as a conquest, and the two began dating for a while before the unthinkable happened: He was murdered in the Marsh.

This story is one about loss, perseverance, childhood innocence and adult strength. Owens developed Kya’s character incredibly well and I fell in love with her layers: A stunning juxtaposition between a vigilant, timid doe and a strategic, cunning firefly.

It is my sister-in-law’s baby shower tomorrow and I’m excited to- in addition to baby gifts- provide her with a copy of this book. She is having a girl herself and I know that it is a hope, a mother’s deepest wish, to raise a daughter like Kya- smart, independent, incredibly resilient.

Full hardcover price, purchased two times.

My opinion? Totally worth it.

Final Score: 5 One Of My Favorite Reads This Year: Might Even Steal The #1 Spot. An Absolutely Divine Read.

BEST FOR: Everyone! Good Plot, Good Character Development, A Little Suspense, A Little Scandal

NOT GOOD FOR: If You Have Read This Book And Don’t Like It, Tell Me Why In The Comments Below! I’m Stumped.

IF THIS BOOK/ AUTHOR WAS A HIGH SCHOOL STEREOTYPE: The Girl Who Helps All Of Us With Our Biology Homework.

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