My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh

Title: My Sunshine Away 
Author: M.O. Walsh
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
ISBN: 9780399169526
Number of Pages: 320
How I Got It: Associate Publicist, Lauren Truskowski
Format: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:
My Sunshine Away unfolds in a Baton Rouge neighborhood best known for cookouts on sweltering summer afternoons, cauldrons of spicy crawfish, and passionate football fandom. But in the summer of 1989, when fifteen-year-old Lindy Simpson—free spirit, track star, and belle of the block—experiences a horrible crime late one evening near her home, it becomes apparent that this idyllic stretch of Southern suburbia has a dark side, too.
In My Sunshine Away, M.O. Walsh brilliantly juxtaposes the enchantment of a charmed childhood with the gripping story of a violent crime, unraveling families, and consuming adolescent love. Acutely wise and deeply honest, it is an astonishing and page-turning debut about the meaning of family, the power of memory, and our ability to forgive.

My Review:
As the release date for this book approached my book blogging buddies started buzzing. I heard several "this is my first five star book of 2015" and "I read it in one sitting" comments. I was excited to start it but had no idea how engrossed I would become. The publicist's summary originally had me thinking of Joyce Carol Oates' We Were the Mulvaneys, but upon reading I found that My Sunshine Away is not so dark. Where We Were the Mulvaneys focuses on the demise of a family, My Sunshine Away shows the continuation of daily life. I love how the narrator's evolving point of view causes readers to consider the difference in their perceptions of events as children and later as adults. M.O. Walsh will have readers trying to guess who the perpetrator of the crime is and will make you suspect everyone. I am extremely impressed with this debut and expect My Sunshine Away to be on the top of the lists for 2015. I definitely recommend this book and I would recommend it to everyone! M.O. Walsh is definitely an author to watch. I expect many more great releases from this author.  

** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **