Little One by Olivia Muenter (2026)
(My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company/Hachette Book Group for an advanced read of "Little One" in exchange for an honest review..)
Can't say enough about how this book grabbed hold of me and kept me intrigued and enthralled right to the crushing revelations of its last few chapters. What can I say other than it's everything you want in an up-all-night page turner........characters and storyline that hook a reader from the beginning and radiate a constant feeling of 'I can't wait to stop what I'm doing right now so I can get back this book."
At its core, 'Little One' concentrates on a toxic, dangerous cult and its charismatic, seemingly a wise fatherly founder and leader........who in reality is a monstrous individual who leaves shattered lives and death in his wake.
Among those victims (and survivors) is Catherine West ,who's built a new life for herself as an adult, after a childhood and adolescence on a communal 'back-to-nature-live-off-the-land' farm established by her father in steamy central Florida.. Her memories of the farm run the gamut from dreamy Garden-of-Eden romps through ripened fields to the sometime capricious cruel and, dictatorial methods of her father,, whose teachings and ideals Catherine tried to faithfully follow. During that time, she'd forged a loving, sisterly bond with Linna. another child of one the farm members. And Linna's sharp intelligence always saw right through the false fatherly benevolence of Catherine's magnetic father, but neither she nor Catherine could imagine the full extent of his evil.
In the here and how, Catherine's past and identity has been discovered by Reese, a journalist who's seeking to tell the full story of her past, her father and his farm. And that would mean uncovering whatever became of him and those who fell into his grasp......including Linna. whom Catherine has not laid eyes on since they were seventeen and whom she achingly pines for still.
As 'Little One' shifts back and forth between Catherine's past and present, the book slowly but relentlessly pieces together the twisted tale of life on that Florida agrarian 'paradise and the parts that Catherine, Linna and others played in it. It's story filled with ever growing dread, heartbreak, tragedy and finally some horrific surprises. But author Olivia Muenter finds a way to finish with a particular endearing moment that's bound to leave you pondering and no doubt touch off endless book club discussions.
I didn't know what to expect with this book which is why I'm happy to describe it as one of those 'can't put it down' reads that everybody searches for. With this one, mission accomplished.
Can't say enough about how this book grabbed hold of me and kept me intrigued and enthralled right to the crushing revelations of its last few chapters. What can I say other than it's everything you want in an up-all-night page turner........characters and storyline that hook a reader from the beginning and radiate a constant feeling of 'I can't wait to stop what I'm doing right now so I can get back this book."
At its core, 'Little One' concentrates on a toxic, dangerous cult and its charismatic, seemingly a wise fatherly founder and leader........who in reality is a monstrous individual who leaves shattered lives and death in his wake.
Among those victims (and survivors) is Catherine West ,who's built a new life for herself as an adult, after a childhood and adolescence on a communal 'back-to-nature-live-off-the-land' farm established by her father in steamy central Florida.. Her memories of the farm run the gamut from dreamy Garden-of-Eden romps through ripened fields to the sometime capricious cruel and, dictatorial methods of her father,, whose teachings and ideals Catherine tried to faithfully follow. During that time, she'd forged a loving, sisterly bond with Linna. another child of one the farm members. And Linna's sharp intelligence always saw right through the false fatherly benevolence of Catherine's magnetic father, but neither she nor Catherine could imagine the full extent of his evil.
In the here and how, Catherine's past and identity has been discovered by Reese, a journalist who's seeking to tell the full story of her past, her father and his farm. And that would mean uncovering whatever became of him and those who fell into his grasp......including Linna. whom Catherine has not laid eyes on since they were seventeen and whom she achingly pines for still.
As 'Little One' shifts back and forth between Catherine's past and present, the book slowly but relentlessly pieces together the twisted tale of life on that Florida agrarian 'paradise and the parts that Catherine, Linna and others played in it. It's story filled with ever growing dread, heartbreak, tragedy and finally some horrific surprises. But author Olivia Muenter finds a way to finish with a particular endearing moment that's bound to leave you pondering and no doubt touch off endless book club discussions.
I didn't know what to expect with this book which is why I'm happy to describe it as one of those 'can't put it down' reads that everybody searches for. With this one, mission accomplished.
5 stars (*****).
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