What The Storm Broke

This is a review of the Advanced Readers Copy*

Very dark and twisty book. I found myself reading through quickly, as I wanted to just get the answers. Wish I felt more closure and definitive answers than what I was left with. I know that was the author's intention, so I can appreciate that she hit her mark in a way I've never felt before! Not sure if I'd consider it a thriller - more of an emotional mystery. A great book, amazing for a debut novel, and I look forward to following along in her journey!

What the Storm Broke was a really entertaining and atmospheric psychological thriller that kept me turning the pages.

I’m always intrigued by stories involving psychology, memory, and especially repressed memories, so the premise immediately caught my attention. Myla’s fragmented memories and the questions surrounding what really happened to Melody made for a compelling mystery.

I also enjoyed how the story kept making me question what I thought I had figured out. Just when I thought I had something worked out, the story would reveal that I was wrong. That kept the suspense going and made it difficult to put the book down.

It may not have quite reached the level of a Riley Sager thriller for me, but it was definitely a good, suspenseful, and entertaining read. The atmosphere worked really well, and I enjoyed the gradual uncovering of the secrets surrounding Myla and her family.

Overall, this was a fun and gripping thriller with an intriguing premise. It’s probably not a book I’ll be thinking about for years to come, but I definitely enjoyed the time I spent reading it.

This book was far sadder than I anticipated. It is a story about love and loss, and the lengths that a parent would go to in order to protect their children.

Myla is forced to return home to deal with the final arrangements for her mom, whom she hasn't seen in years since Myla left Cedarwood and didn't look back. Now, a discovery on her mother's farm after a storm is bringing up old memories that she had no clue existed and hopefully solving a decades-old case.

As a lover of true crime and cold cases, this story really intrigued me, but it ended up doing more than that. It gets under your skin, and you grieve along with Myla for her mom, and you are right there with her confusion and scary memories and the urgent need to just understand what it is that she is remembering.

For a debut novel, this book is excellently written. When some authors start out, you can kind of see it in the way that they write, but not here. This book was written as though this author has been writing books for years. Just the prose and the way the story pulls together is honestly brilliant. I cannot wait to read more books from her!

ARC Review

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What the Storm Broke by Nicole M. King

Published June 1, 2026

First of all, thank you to Nicole and InsideStory for allowing me to get completely lost in thought with this one.

Writing this review turned out to be harder than reading the book. Not because it’s bad—absolutely not. In fact, I loved it. There was something about the carefully chosen words and the writing style that pulled me in immediately. I flew through the beginning like a madwoman because I was completely there.

Now, if you know me, you know I have a complicated relationship with slow burns. Slow everything, really. My brain likes to sprint while books sometimes prefer a leisurely walk through the countryside. Usually that’s a problem. Strangely enough, it wasn’t here. The pacing felt slower than my usual goblin-speed reading habits, but I didn’t mind it at all.

Where I did struggle was near the end. For me, the story could have comfortably ended around chapter 40. Everything that needed to be said felt like it had already been said, and what followed felt a little like an old VCR tape stuck on a loop. Sometimes the mystery and the emotional depth lie in what isn’t explained, and I personally felt some of that magic was lost.

Please put the pitchforks down for a second. I know this is just my opinion, and I’m also fully aware this book wasn’t written specifically for me. If I had judged it purely on my personal reading preferences, the rating probably would have been lower. But I also know there are plenty of readers with far more patience than I have who will appreciate exactly what the story is doing and enjoy letting it sink in slowly. That’s why I genuinely feel it deserves four stars.

If you’re ready for a journey through blocked memories, buried emotions, and everything painful—and sometimes beautiful—that comes with uncovering them, then this book is definitely for you. Just close your eyes every now and then, take a deep breath, and don’t be surprised if you find yourself mentally feeding those farm animals twice a day, just like I did.

I finished this so quickly and I loved every minute of it! The pacing was just right and very tense, the atmosphere just feel very eerie the whole way through. It actually felt like it was very dreary and stormy the whole time. Myla just felt out of place and like she didn't belong at her hometown anymore. I thought I knew what the big mystery was, but boy was I wrong. I was very surprised by it and I understand why she left. She also forgot everything because it was so traumatizing. Nicole did an amazing job with this story and it had a great ending too!

What an intriguing story. Right from the very beginning this pulled you in and hangs in to you until the end. And by that point, you don’t want it to let you because you’re not finished. I loved the depth that was weaved into this story. The desecration, the characters, all so well done. It definitely had me turning the pages needing to know more. Buried secrets that Myla didn’t know until returning to her hometown. Remains found after a storm. Her mother passing during a storm. There were twists and turns that were so captivating. I was so invested throughout. I truly didn’t want this to end. I hope there will be another that follows this one.

This book gave me all the foggy, isolated farmhouse dread I wanted. I just needed a bit more from Myla to fully love it - more character development would’ve had me 100% hooked.

But if you like psychological thrillers that simmer, give this one a shot.

Huge thank you to Nicole King for the ARC opportunity. This debut novel exceeded expectations. Following Myla's return to Cedarwood after her mother's passing, the story takes a gripping turn when a storm reveals Melody Harper's remains, exposing long-hidden secrets. The slow build-up, suspense, and heartfelt moments made this a compelling read. The thought-provoking ending left me with questions and craving more. Would love to read a prequel to get more of the whole story!

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.

This book started off really strong. I honestly thought it was going to be a great debut. But for me, repetition is a major issue. And I’m not talking about a repeated phrase here and there or something that comes up over a chapter or two. I felt like I was reading the same things over and over again throughout the entire book. Eventually, I got bored and found myself counting down the pages until I reached the end.

Another thing that bothered me was not knowing from the start that this is part of a series. I would have appreciated that being made clear from the beginning.

I also struggled with the frequent use of asterisks between scenes. They appeared so often that they became distracting. In many cases, the story flowed naturally without any obvious change in time, location, or perspective, so I couldn’t really see the purpose of those scene breaks. Instead of helping the pacing, they pulled me out of the story and, after a while, started to feel like something that constantly caught my eye for no reason.

The story follows Alora/Myla, who returns to CedarWood after sixteen years following her mother’s death. She has to deal with the funeral, the family home, and the animals left behind. But returning home also brings back memories she didn’t even realize she had. After a powerful storm, the body of a thirteen-year-old girl who disappeared twenty-six years earlier is discovered not far from her property.

The big question is: what connection does Alora have to this disappearance? Honestly, even after finishing the book, I didn’t feel like I received a clear or satisfying answer. The entire mystery left me with the impression that too much of the story existed to fill pages rather than build toward a strong resolution.

I don’t think this is a bad book. The premise is interesting, and there are elements that work well. However, for me, the execution never lived up to the potential of the idea.

I never DNF books and always try to finish them, even when I’m not connecting with the story. But if I were the type of reader who gives up on books, this would unfortunately have been a DNF for me.

What The Storm broke had me captured right from the start.

It was a story that I thoroughly enjoyed and I am eager to return back to Cedarwood, there best be book 2 🤣

I felt like everyone had a part to play in that one unfortunate night but it was making you question everyone and everything.

I definitely could have read this in one sitting, especially if I was listening to it.

It held my attention, it had me gobsmacked at points and I am going to keep this author on my watch list for more books!

Thank you to Nicole M. King and Inside Story for an advanced copy to review.

The ending destroyed me. I have been sitting with this book for days and I'm still thinking about it.

If you want something with a nice neat ending that answers all your questions, don’t read this. But if you do, you will fall in love with Myla and her tenacity.

I expected something a bit different out of this thriller. But the quiet burn, the silent searching she did, it was better. It felt like a fresh psychological thriller.

This was a return home after years and then stay longer than planned story. Myla is a podcaster, which makes the long stay believable. She was a bit of a professional in the world of cold cases so her research and involvement didn't feel forced. Especially because she didn't jump right in. She resisted becoming a part of the story.

Cedarwood came alive. The setting was important and I felt like I was there. That is something that can be challenging and can detract from a story, so I appreciated how real it felt.

I would’ve finished this book a lot quicker if life didn’t keep getting in the way. It kept me hooked and needing to know what happened.

This isn’t psychological thriller in the sense of jump scares at every turn. This is deeper… more psychologica You really get into the main character’s head. What she’s thinking, how she’s processing. You really feel for her, and want answers as much as she does.

I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for more stories from Ms. King.

“What The Storm Broke” by Nicole M. King is an intense, dark read that completely pulled me in. I genuinely couldn’t put it down and had to force myself to just to get some sleep. I loved every second of it. It’s packed with dark secrets, creeping suspicion, and that constant feeling that something isn’t quite right.

Myla Miller is a true crime podcaster who has built a carefully controlled life investigating cold cases from a distance. But when human remains tied to a decades old disappearance are discovered in her hometown, everything starts to unravel. Returning to Cedarwood means confronting the truth about who she really is, Alora Jameson, and the buried memories she’s spent years trying to outrun.

The deeper she digs, the more unsettling things become, with fragments of the past surfacing in ways that are impossible to ignore. The tension builds perfectly as secrets come to light.

Dark, gripping, and full of emotional weight, this one kept me hooked from start to finish.

Review of advanced copy received from the author. This review is of my wholehearted personal opinion.

What the Storm Broke - by Nicole M. King

Once you start you can’t stop. You just need to know, need to solve it. Albeit noted a thriller i felt it was more of an emotional mystery for me. This novel brought me through so many emotions as a mother, a daughter. The silence and distance seperating them. Slowly piecing together, trying to understand why our main character Myla/Alora ran away from her life to become someone different, yet she doesn’t even recall. The novel will have you thinking you know, but do you know?

What The Storm Broke is such a compelling read. You'll pick it up and try to put it down, but it'll haunt you. With a slow burning intrigue that gathers pace, this story is a clever mix of suspense and comfort that keeps you regulated amidst the uncertainty of what looms. My curiosity about one character in particular is piqued as I wait in anticipation for the prequel!

What the Storm Broke by Nicole M. King is definitely not sunshine and daisies… I mean, technically there are daisies mentioned, but let’s not get carried away.

This is one of those stories that leaves you with more questions than answers but in a good way, not a “throw the book across the room” way. More like a “stare at the ceiling at 2 a.m. questioning everything” kind of way. Who did what? Why did they do that? Is that really what happened? And if it is, why didn’t they just do literally anything else? The questions just keep coming. So thanks for that, Ms. King, I really needed more to ponder in the middle of the night.

All jokes aside, this was a fantastic debut. It’s definitely on the dreary side, but that’s part of the charm. I fully committed to the vibe with a rainy day ambience playing on the tv with a barn in the background (iykyk), and honestly, it felt like the perfect reading companion.

Now I just need a return trip to Cedarwood, because clearly I haven’t overthought things nearly enough yet.

The book will pull you right in to the storyline from the very first page! The author's writing takes you along as Alora or Myla moves though the emotions and learns how to work through them on her own. It truly feels like your right there in cedarwood going through the motions of her days with her and feeling what she feels! Truly a great read and I can't wait for more about her story or from the author either!

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This book hooked me from the very beginning and kept me turning pages because I truly wasn’t sure how it was going to end. Sixteen years is such a long time to leave a town behind, and coming back to the kind of news Myla discovers made the story even more emotional and intriguing. I really enjoyed following her journey and seeing everything unfold. I’m hopeful there will be more about Myla in the future because I would love to know what happens next after the ending of this book.

I love a well written story that brings the past back into the present with unexpected realities. This story delved into emotions of many people in and around the events. Giving you a mess of emotional reactions in the suspense of what happens next. I enjoyed this story and all the thoughts that kept me turning pages.

I got the ARC from Nicole M. King. This book was great and full of mystery. Myla's mom passed away and she had to come back to this town after 16 years of never returning. She is learning all of the mysteries behind what happened to the bones that were found on the edge of her mom's property. But she cant seem to remember it all.

Definitely kept me up at night and had to make myself go to bed but had to finish it tonight and I'm glad I did. What The Storm Broke was a great book and I'm glad i got the Chance to read it! Nothing better than a mystery that no one can figure out and if they do, then we find out where it goes from there......