This is the first novel I've read that revolves around a sad case of fratricide. It has real heart within it's pages.

I felt the pace of the book was good and the storyline kept me hooked, I appreciated the developing back stories of Angie and Julian, and the depiction of a parent with Alzheimer's was portrayed well.

The sadness and despair crept from the pages at times and you felt involved enough to be waiting along with the characters to find out the outcome of judicial proceedings.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

Nora Sheehan has just shot her brother dead. She is just a teenager and he was a couple of years older but suffering from an incurable disease..So was it a mercy killing or something else. Whatever it was her parent's lives will never be the same again.
Nora's parents, Angie and David, turn to a local lawyer ,Martine, to represent their daughter. Not only a lawyer, but the one time friend of Angie's mother until a tragic accident happened.
Marine is also the mother of Julian, Angie's first boyfriend. The tragic accident affected everyone.
Julian is now a defence attorney and comes back to help his mother deal with the case.
There are questions unanswered and the answers will tear people apart. What will happen to Nora and her family?

Penitence is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant novel that tackles grief, guilt, and forgiveness with great sensitivity.

From the outset, the story carries a sense of emotional depth and quiet intensity. Kristin Koval handles difficult themes with compassion, allowing the characters space to feel real and flawed rather than perfectly resolved. The exploration of loss is particularly strong, showing how grief can linger, change shape, and influence every decision we make.

What makes this novel stand out is its humanity. There is no easy redemption here, but there is hope — fragile, hard-earned, and deeply moving. This is the kind of book that stays with you after you finish, prompting reflection rather than offering neat conclusions. A thoughtful, poignant read that I would happily recommend.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Penitence by Kristin Koval
This was an awesome novel, it made you think and feel and wonder. The story goes from past to present as the story unfolds and we learn more about the characters and their history.  I didn't see the twist coming until we were supposed to. Awesome characters, well described and realistic, the settings are well described also. Lots of emotions and difficult topics in this novel, the author handles it well.
I have not read this author's books before, but I'll certainly add her other books to my list.

What I liked about this book was that it was busy. Although at times it seemed that some of the events were not connected, in the end it turned out that they were.
The interactions between the character were typical of what they would be in real life.
There were also a number of facts in the book that not only was I not aware of, but often I had not even heard of.
Characters were good, background was superb. There were also enough surprises in the tale that it is unlikely that any reader would foresee them all.
I loved it.
My thanks to the author for the hours of enjoyment that the book has brought me, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A really interesting and intriguing story that begins with a thirteen year old girl in custody after shooting dead her brother. Slowly the complicated back story of her family and that of the lawyer they appoint for Nora is revealed. A very thought provoking story of the complications of life and the consequences of a moment of madness.

I was offered this title by the publisher and am so grateful for the opportunity to read an advance copy. I was invested from the first page. Nora, a 13 year old in detention; her parents, Angie and David, grieving for the loss of their 14 year old son, dead because their daughter shot him - 3 times! With this action they have lost both of their children - how do they mourn, how do they forgive. The story unfolds, Angie's life is laid out and two stories are told at the same time. Beautifully written and leaving the reader with moral dilemmas to wonder over. There is betrayal, lies, legal arguments, culpability. As a reader I feel I was left to apportion blame as I saw fit! Would make a fascinating book club book eliciting strong feelings!
Four and a half stars rounded up for me.
Very many thanks to Netgalley/Kristin Koval/Simon & Schuster UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

i was completely taken into the world of this book and the characters it took me too. i was right there with them thinking and feeling so much over what id read. it was a stunning novel for me and i cant wait what Kristin has to come. this book really really was excellent. from start to finish i needed to know more, i needed to read more, i needed to just be in this books pages. and there i stayed right until the very end.
what we know and what we start with is a young girl Nora who shoots and kills her brother. she admits to it. but she says she cant remember it.
Angie and David are her parents. they must now navigate everything they are going through whilst also needing to do what next. which is getting their daughter through this. they turn to Martine their towns lawyer. this is too big for her though so she calls upon her son Julian whos better equipt. but Julian and Angie already know each other. already KNOW each other. they share a history that spans many years previously. they share thing in their past which if not to get in the way will need to equally be moved on from.
all avenues collide together in this book. what will take to mean they dont combust in a mess in the middle?
this book made me feel so many thing i actually felt shaken with it. that is so bad thing. i was beyond in awe of this book. you know when books just connect that you feel them with your whole heart and soul. yes this is one of those. one of those you think far too much of and are connected far too much with. you care whats going on. you care about the characters you meet.
the way we go back and forth in time was done with skill. it never felt messy and all felt important to the story. its only added to the layers of this story and this character group. and it also meant once again i as a reader cared more because yes i did indeed keep knowing more about them even in their own pasts.
this is one of those special books that i want to have as a real life thing to keep on one of my shelves for ever. not many get there. this one would have pride of place.
yes, thats it that what i just thought of. this book reminds me a bit like what a much younger by decade old me. one who had first read her first heart tugging, shattering, moving Jodi Picoult book and then later with my first Karin Slaughter book. stunning this book was. just stunning i loved it. even though it was entirely unfair on my emotions i loved it.