Never seen anything wild as you: THE STORM.

The Storm by Rachel Hawkins


Ok, THE STORM is just pure, delicious fun!

St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama is well-known for its hurricanes—and the many deaths that have accompanied them. During it all has stood the Rosalie Inn, a beach hotel that has made it through every storm. And during Hurricane Marie in the 1980s, it’s where the infamous Gloria “Lo” Bailey was accused of murdering her lover, Landon Fitzroy, the far older son of Alabama’s governor. Lo got off on a hung jury, but the scandal has stuck with Medard’s Bay all these years.

Geneva now owns the Rosalie, passed on from her parents, and is thrilled when she hears a writer, August, is coming to stay at the Inn. He wants to research Lo and Landon’s murder; Geneva hopes a mention of the Inn could help drum up some much-needed business. But when August shows up, he isn’t alone—he’s brought Lo Bailey with him—and soon it looks like things will never be the same in St. Medard’s or at the Rosalie.  It takes a minute to get into this one – so many names and dates to place! But once you do, it reads like an amazing soap opera.

At its heart, is this: did nineteen-year-old Lo Bailey, St. Medard’s “most beautiful girl” bash in the head of Landon Fitzroy and leave him to drown the night of Hurricane Marie? Lo claims no, and August’s book is going to tell her story in her own words. As it does, we get clippings from that time period, excerpts from Lo’s old journals, and flashbacks to other various major storms in St. Medard’s history.

What results is an incredibly dark and twisty tale that keeps you reading (and often guessing) until the very end. This is a stormy book (ha!) filled with anger and betrayal and centered around big events that occurred at various hurricanes. It covers the power of friendship (and the power of wealth and class). Overall, though, I found this to be a fun page-turner with a dark side that does an excellent job of playing up its ominous beach setting. 4+ stars.  

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press in return for an unbiased review. Look for it on 1/6/2026! 

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