Review: The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

 

The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

Publication Date: January 6th 2026 by St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 288

Audio Book Length: 7hrs 48min

Narrator: Alex Knox, Cathi Colas, Dan Bittner, Jane Oppenheimer, Patti Murin, Petrea Buchard, Stephanie Németh-Parker

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Geneva has inherited her parents’ beloved but financially struggling inn, the Rosalie, perched on the hurricane‑battered coast of St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama. The historic property has weathered many storms, yet keeping its doors open has been a fight. So, when August Fletcher, a true‑crime author, books a long stay to research the infamous Lo Bailey case, Geneva sees a rare opportunity to help keep the Rosalie afloat.

 

Lo Bailey, a local girl accused of killing her married lover during the catastrophic Hurricane Marie in 1984, has always been a name Geneva recognized but never truly understood. As a new hurricane builds and threatens, secrets are revealed that tie past and present together.

 

The tension builds chapter by chapter, each reveal raising the stakes as the incoming hurricane barrels closer. The story unfolds through multiple POVs, primarily Lo and Geneva, with glimpses of August through his manuscript and other characters. Lo, in particular, was a standout: flawed, magnetic, and impossible not to root for.

 

While I correctly guessed some of the twists and found a few details a bit far‑fetched, I was completely absorbed from start to finish. It’s an engaging, atmospheric read that kept me turning pages.

 

I alternately read and listened to the audio copy and can recommend either version. The audio was wonderfully narrated by a full cast, Dan Bittner, Patti Murrin and Stephanie Németh-Parker, just to name a few, and it definitely enhanced my entertainment!

3.5 Stars

Book Description:

St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama is famous for three things: the deadly hurricanes that regularly sweep into town, the Rosalie Inn, a century-old hotel that’s survived every one of those storms, and Lo Bailey, the local girl infamously accused of the murder of her lover, political scion Landon Fitzroy, during Hurricane Marie in 1984.

When Geneva Corliss, the current owner of the Rosalie Inn, hears a writer is coming to town to research the crime that put St. Medard’s Bay on the map, she’s less interested in solving a whodunnit than in how a successful true crime book might help the struggling inn’s bottom line. But to her surprise, August Fletcher doesn’t come to St. Medard’s Bay alone. With him is none other than Lo Bailey herself. Lo says she’s returned to her hometown to clear her name once and for all, but the closer Geneva gets to both Lo and August, the more she wonders if Lo is actually back to settle old scores.

As the summer heats up and another monster storm begins twisting its way towards St. Medard’s Bay, Geneva learns that some people can be just as destructive—and as deadly—as any hurricane, and that the truth of what happened to Landon Fitzroy may not be the only secret Lo is keeping…