Audiobook ARC Review:

The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

Read by Alex Knox; Cathi Colas; Dan Bittner; Jane Oppenheimer; Patti Murin; Petrea Burchard; Stephanie Németh-Parker

Publication Date: January 6, 2026

Summary from NetGalley:

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…

ARC provided by MacMillan Audio via Netgalley for an honest review.

Confession:

This was a very entertaining read and the full cast audio really made a difference. The different voices narrating the many characters made the story easier to follow. I also really liked the way the different hurricanes were woven into the story, almost like they were characters themselve. Hurricanes are scary and devastating, and this story captures that well.

All of the female characters were well written and for the most part likable. Lo Bailey was perhaps the hardest to like, but she kind of grew on me. She has lived a hard life and she wasn’t afraid of standing up for herself. Geneva was the most likable of the group and the most vulnerable. She narrates most of the present day part of the story. I loved how devoted she was to the inn, but also felt trapped by it. She also is devastated by some of the things that are revealed but comes through them stronger.

The layout of the story is an interesting one. The chapters start off in the present with Geneva telling the story. There are then sections that tell about past hurricanes and other parts of the story from other people’s points of view. All of these parts do come together to tell the whole story of what happened the night Langdon Fitzroy was killed. There were lots of great twists and a few surprises, but much of the story was predictable. But even though I knew how things were going to end, they way it was told was fabulous and I was all in for the ride.

The setting is what really carries this story, and I am including the hurricanes in this as well as the inn. The atmosphere of a southern inn in the summer was very well written. I could feel the heat and the humidity as well as the tension that was constantly in the air. The whole story was written so that the tension just kept getting tighter until the final hurricane and the ending that was very well done.

If you are looking for an atmospheric gothic like story that centers around women and their strength then this is one you should take a look at. I enjoyed the audiobook and I think the narrators added to the tension in the story, but reading it would be exciting too. This is the first book by this author I have read, but I will be checking out some others soon.