THE INGENUE | Rachel Kapelke-Dale
12.06.2022 | St. Martin’s Press
Rating: 3/5 stars
When former piano prodigy Saskia Kreis returns home to Milwaukee after her mother’s unexpected death, she expects to inherit the family estate, the Elf House. But with the discovery that her mother’s will bequeathed the Elf House to a man that Saskia shares a complicated history with, she is forced to reexamine her own past–and the romantic relationship that changed the course of her life–for answers. Can she find a way to claim her heritage while keeping her secrets buried, or will the fallout from digging too deep destroy her?
THE INGENUE is a slow-burn suspense fiction story that will be of interest to readers who enjoyed My Dark Vanessa. The story kicks off as Saskia’s quest to understand why her mother would leave their prized family estate to a man from her past and slowly shifts to reveal a chilling reality from her childhood. The pacing is on the slower side, but I enjoyed the way Kapelke-Dale revealed details about Saskia’s childhood secrets. While the story was captivating, it did start to feel a bit repetitive at times and I found myself waiting for the next reveal. My favorite part is definitely the way Kapelke-Dale ended the book. I won’t spoil anything for potential readers, but just know you’re in for a treat!
🎧: I decided to check this one out over audio and I found it helped me click more with the pacing of the story versus reading it physically. The narrator does a fantastic job of bringing Saskia and her story to life!
A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my gifted copy and Netgalley for my audio copy!
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