Book Review-Beneath the Wreckage by Catherine Cowles

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

About The Book

It was supposed to be a summer we’d never forget.
Instead, everything was stolen from me.
The best friend who was more like a sister. The innocent way I looked at life.
Leaving me with only unanswered questions.

Returning to the island is the second chance I didn’t know I needed.
And Hunter is the surprise that knocks me sideways.

There’s a hurt in him that calls to my own.
A strength I find in sharing our scars.
Igniting a spark that turns to flame.

But someone isn’t happy about the world I’m building for myself.
And nothing will stop them from tearing it all apart…

That was the thing about being the one left behind. You couldn’t help but look for your loved one in the face of every new person you met, scanning everyone you passed on the street, hoping against hope that she’d somehow simply appear again—even if your gut told you she’d never left the island you’d lost her on.

My Review

First Impressions

Beneath the Wreckage is the final installment in the “Wrecked” series and I absolutely had a blast with this one here. I couldn’t get enough of this book and I think it might be one of my favorite Catherine Cowles. I really enjoyed the manner in which this one was developed and loved that we got the story for Hunter’s book, I just really have enjoyed his book in previous installment and was hoping that he would get a story. This book doesn’t quite start out as intense as some of the others, but it does have a mysterious beginning and instantly you are behind the heroine as it starts out in her POV. I really enjoyed the whole set up of her restoring a park of cabins and the connection that she and the hero has is on point, plus there is some fun family times that are so well focused on and the story wraps up just beautifully.

“Friends aren’t always forever. Sometimes, they’re just for a season. Others might fall away, only to come back when you least expect it. I have a feeling you and Jenn will find your way.”

Summary

The story begins with Piper as a teenager, about to enter high school, who was shy and reserved and when her best friend, Jenn, wanting to go to a party, Piper refused. She wasn’t ready and didn’t feel comfortable and wasn’t as extroverted as Jenn. And when she wakes up the next morning, Jenn disappeared, and nothing was heard about her ever since. Now Piper is a grown adult and determined to renovate the island of cabins where Jenn first disappeared, to maybe find some answers, and get this island back to where it should be. Her uncles, who raised her, are completely supportive of her in her endeavor. And then she meets Hunter, who is in charge of the construction work for the renovations and instantly chemistry builds between them. But when events start to destroy the work she has built, she and Hunter work together to find the culprit behind it all and get the island fully renovated and fall in love along the way…

“So, hold onto her. To all the memories you have. But don’t let them weigh you down and keep you from moving forward. That’s where you’ll find new joy. And she’ll be with you every step of the way.”

What I Loved

Beneath the Wreckage was such a superb read and every time I pick up this author I continue to be amazed by how she writes and what she is able to craft for her readers. I totally enjoyed this book fully and am a bit sad that the series is over as I have just loved this community and friendships that have been developed throughout it. There is also the style in which this author creates her suspense within her books that is flawless. Its perfectly balanced and this one was such a mystery and there were multiple causes happening within the story that it was hard to determine who was behind it. And I was half right on the villain but not completely haha So the author definitely threw me in for a surprise here and when we discover what happened to Jenn, yeah that was heartbreaking, but loved the way that Hunter and Piper come together in this one here and unite as a team

“You loved someone who did something horrible. That doesn’t make you bad. It doesn’t make you blind. It makes you loyal. It makes you someone who wants to see the best in people.”

The actual plot of the story is so well developed, you never really know who the true villain behind everything is though, there are multiple moments to give signs to various characters that come into play, I will tell you that at least one of the players involved will be a complete surprise to you. I was really curious to see how this would all play out and man my heart just broke out to Piper because all of their hard work kept getting torn apart so much but she has such solid drive and passion for what she is doing but that drive does keep her from fully accepting others into her life including Hunter.

Hunter was such a perfect hero, and he is definitely going on my list for the year of best boyfriends because man I loved how understanding and patient he is with Piper. He never pushes her except when she is going out of her way to hurt him and then he stands up for himself and what they have together and ironically that is what she really needed to hear from him. Because of the loss of her friend as a teenager, psychologically, she pushes many people away and I really became endeared that Hunter wasn’t going to let her do that to them when they have something worth fighting for.

“Life is full of unknowns. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take risks. Make that jump. Because as many things that can go wrong, a million more can go right.”

What I Struggled With

I think the only thing I wanted is to get a book for the Sheriff, I just loved him so much and a bit disappointed we don’t see anything for him. And I wasn’t a fan of how the heroine treated the hero in the third act. He has been so supportive and understanding and she gets pretty disrespectful and I would have liked to see a bit of a grovel from her as she really hurts him and he forgave her too easily haha

Overall View

Beneath the Wreckage is a such a heartfelt and poignant read that is bound to keep you on your toes and deliver all the heart and feels you can expect from this author!

Title: Beneath The Wreckage

Author: Catherine Cowles

Genre: Contemporary Suspense

Format: eBook

Source: Kindle Unlimited

Length: 328 Pages

Book Links

Amazon| Barnes and Noble| Goodreads| LibraryThing| StoryGraph| Literal Club

Series Order

About The Author

Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she’s not writing she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.