Overall, what do you think of Miracle Creek? (no plot spoilers in this thread please)

Overall, what do you think of Miracle Creek? (no plot spoilers in this thread please)

Woah..Ok firstly this book is completely out of my normal comfort reading, but it deserves ALL the Hype that is has received!?
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It took a few chapters to get into, but once all the characters get introduced; this story takes off and you can’t put it down!?

Review:?
Just when you think you have figured out what truly happened at Miracle Creek, a wrench is thrown into your theory..and you have to keep reading cause you were sooo wrong; you have to get to the TRUTH!?
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The court procedural mixed in with family drama, parental challenges and immigration story sucks you in..and where this story winds up, you will think about this book long after you’ve read it!?
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5?????????? amazing stars!!?

This book was entirely different than what I expected. I was immediately invested in the story and had a hard time putting it down. I had never heard of this therapy for autism or fertility or anything really. That the author chose the main operators of the Submarine Korean immigrants was a wonderful and interesting twist. All of the characters come vividly alive as you read on and the mystery you think you have solved easily throws you another twist. The Court room scenes are well done as well. Bravo! I enjoyed this book immensely. Laura L.Engel

I liked the book, it was a good read, a fast read, hard to put down. The characters all immediately became people I cared about. It was a good mystery. I kept changing my mind about who was really involved. An excellent book for book clubs, a lot to discuss.

Miracle Creek is a GOOD read. I have just recommended it to our book club even though it is a genre we have not previously read (or perhaps because of that). The mystery is maintained throughout with frequent enough changes in direction and new information to keep reader intrigued. The court room dialog is “spot on”; not surprising since author is a former litigator. Book is much more than just a good courtroom drama/mystery. The character development is as integral as the plot. The reader comes to understand and identify with each of the (imperfect) main characters—to actually like them. Kim writes from a very compassionate point of view. This book will engage, surprise, and educate readers, and open their hearts.

I liked this book tremendously and have recommended it to others. I have asked myself why I hesitate to say I "loved" it: I think it is that the child abuse was disturbing. However, many great books have disturbing scenes- Tom Robinson and the trial verdict in To Kill a Mockingbird, Nurse Ratchett's behavior in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the abuse in Pol POt's death camps in In the Shadow of the Banyan, and on and on. I would definitely give Miracle Creek a 5 star rating. I doubt that the cover design or the first couple of pages would have hooked me in a physical book store, so here is another example of why I appreciate BookBrowse. I'm glad that there was a detailed character list at the beginning of the book because I did occasionally find myself flipping back for reference.

In the beginning I had never heard of hyperbaric oxygen therapy so I Googled it and found the Mayo Clinic uses this method for some diseases. Then the monthly newsletter from my local hospital arrived and it contained an article about HBOT including a photograph of the unit used here in Augusta County Virginia. I really did not trust Pak because there was no real description of his credentials from Korea. So to say I was skeptical from the beginning is true. I felt sad for the mothers of the children in need of therapy but the doctor was beside the point.

I had a difficult time getting into this book, although I enjoyed it and am glad I persevered. There were many characters, so I'm glad the author added a "cast of characters" since I found I needed to go back to see who was who. I read about the author before I read her book, so I understand why fears of discrimination was an underlying theme. All in all I'm glad I read it and I would like to recommend this to my book club members, but I'm not sure many of them would have the patience. I guess I thought it was too long.

I had heard many things about this book and was excited to read it. There were a lot of characters introduced immediately that I had a hard time trying to keep straight. I was forever going back and referencing exactly which characters were the ones that were killed versus the others and exactly who they were/what role they had played so far. It took several chapters to get all that straight. While I had previous heard about HBOT (previous wound care experience) I wasn't all that interested in it. The writing kept me turning the pages as I wanted to get to the end to see what actually had happened, but overall the book was just o.k. I have tried to put into words why I feel that way, but I'm having a hard time doing that. I usually either like a book because of the way it makes me feel, I identify with the character or some other reason that I can put my finger on and this book was different in that respect. The plot was o.k. it kept me guessing for 2/3 of the book but it just wasn't something that made me want to root for any of the characters.

I think this was a very powerful book. It's about an experimental form of treatment for autism, cerebral palsy, and infertility leads to a horrific crime that results in the death of a mother and a child. I love courtroom dramas so this was right up my alley.

I liked the book, it was a good, fast read, hard to put down. The characters all immediately became people I cared about. It was a good mystery. I kept changing my mind about who was really involved. An excellent book for book clubs to discuss.

Loved it! Thank goodness I got to read it in actual book form and not on the Kindle as I needed to refer to the Cast of Characters often throughout the book. I liked that it was told as a courtroom drama; that the character development was so interesting and thorough; that it kept my interest throughout the story; that the identity of the person who started the fire was not revealed and the reader was kept guessing through the entire book.

I had a mixed reaction to this book as I was sucked into the story and wanted to know who set the fire, but I had a hard time relating to most of the main characters as their selfish behavior and perpetual lying caused so much unnecessary pain, intentionally or otherwise, to people they loved. I, too, was grateful for the cast of characters provided, as I got confused as to who was who in the story, and it took several chapters to get to know the families. The book felt a little long, and although I enjoyed the courtroom scenes a lot, as the story unfolded and the lies became more entangled, I lost patience and was tempted to fast forward to the ending. The book did make me think about the lengths parents will go to protect their children, but mostly it left me feeling sad for all the lives lost and the wasted opportunities to make things right. I did, however, find some comfort in the ending and was glad that when the truth came out, some good remained, and there was still hope for redemption.

I had difficulty reading this book. The HBOT treatment was interesting as I had never heard of this type of treatment previously. I found the book clever and well written, but the treatment of the autistic child Henry was disturbing and the lying and weakness of the characters horrible. I like mysteries but there was too much pain in this one for me to really enjoy it.

I was kind of disappointed as I had such high hopes of this being a great book. It was interesting learning about the HBOT treatments. It broke my heart reading about Henry and his mom. But it just felt like there was too much going on-too many characters and too many lies. I had to keep looking back at the cast of characters to keep it all straight.

I loved this book. I don't give many 5-star reviews on Goodreads, but this novel earned it. It sort of defied genres - it was literary fiction and legal drama and family saga and immigration tale. I found it to be a very quick read because I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next (yes, I stayed up late reading more than once).

I didn't know a ton about the novel going into it, which is probably a good thing because knowing too much might have ruined the plot for me, and I'm not sure what I expected. However it's a lot better than I was expecting. I enjoyed the drama, the characters and their complicated relationships with each other, and how each member of the Yoo family acted in the US compared to how they were in Korea.

I am sorry I am late at checking in, have had a problem with reading right now. I am still reading it, so will answer questions as I go along. So far, I am enjoying the book. I am about half way though. I cannot imagine anyone doing this. I am just starting to get excited about the book now that I am, though the trial, learning more about the characters.

Although one third of all book reviews are fake, i.e., they are written either by people paid to write good book reviews or by friends of the author, this is not one of them. You can believe it: MIRACLE CREEK is probably the best book you will read in a long while.

Although the book flap says that the main characters are a family and a single mother, the book is actually told from the viewpoints of several characters, and I would say that each of them is also a main character.

Simply put, two people die in MIRACLE CREEK, and a single mother is put on trial for the murders. But what really happened?

Several characters have chapters devoted to their viewpoints. Turns out that lies and secrets abound among all of them. There are so many lies and secrets that I sometimes lost track. Maybe no one person was responsible.

A member of my book club recommended this book having seen the author at a gathering (prior to the stay-at-home order). It turned out to be one of the best books I've read and I've recommended it to others. In fact, our book club will discuss it when we can get together.

I liked it very much. I look forward to recommending it to many of my friends.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have recommended it to numerous book clubs. For me , it was a page turner and the twists and turns were fascinating. I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen next. The relationships among the various characters are well developed and the story is just great.

I liked it. I thought it was a well-paced whodunnit. An explosion, a fire, with resulting fatalities. An arrest and subsequent court room drama. A cover up! Who was responsible? Who did it? Anyone of the characters could have done it. The book kept me involved trying to guess. I loved the mental challenge. In this case I kept changing my mind. There is a large cast of characters. You get to know them, like them or dislike them. Seems as if everyone is hiding something. Finally, someone with a moral compass comes forward!
Although I consider the book primarily a mystery, the author does weave family responsibility and filial loyalty into the story. The significance of culture is brought to light. Autism, different therapies with a focus on HBOT is interesting. Especially poignant is the impact a child's disability has on the people in their lives. A good read!

I think this is very well written. It really digs into the characters and we get a deeper knowledge of what makes them tick. The courtroom drama is tight and really reels you in. It kept you guessing as to who did or did not cause the incident.

I thought it was a really good book. It did take me a few chapters to get into it, but really worth the read!!!

I thought it was an alright read for a first novel,not a Grisham but good

I loved this book. I loved how the author took us down the path of good intentions and weaved all the lies and half truths into a tragic but also heart warming experience. I felt for all of the characters and would and have recommended this book to my book group.

This was a very good read. Great character development and story line, interesting concept and lots of emotion make the story flow from start to finish. There is just so much here to think about - ambition, lies, family, marriage, guilt, caregivers, immigration, belonging, the legal process and I'm sure I missed some things. What is good or right? What is bad or wrong? How far should you go to take care or or protect someone? What does truth mean? Definitely will recommend Miracle Creek to friends.

I have read similar books to this one and Miracle Creek has not disappointed. Unfortunately, I am not quite finished yet do to a recent move for our family. I have not been able to finish it yet - about 82% complete. I plan to have it completed soon, as I have stated in the beginning I have really enjoyed reading this book. I like how the author outlines each character in their own chapter, it really helps to connect one to the characters and establish a familiarity with them. I will revisit this discussion once I have completed the book to give a more indepth viewpoint, with no spoilers, promise!

I am a bit late getting to the discussion and still haven't finished the book. I am almost done, although I had a difficult time getting into it and dropped it for another book, BUT I have finally gotten into it and it is so cleverly done I think. The cast of character list definitely helps and the writing is great. I will probably recommend this to my book group for this year as it is has so many topics for discussion.

I loved this book. The story was beautifully & powerfully written. I also loved that is takes place in this lovely area of Virginia. I could identify with the locations & the people that live there.

This is a magnificently written novel. The author has such amazing skill with weaving plot threads together thereby causing the reader to change and modify suspicions regarding who is guilty. I would recommend this book to everyone I know.

I loved this book. I was constantly changing my mind on who was guilty. The immigrant angle added a lot to the story along with the unusual medical treatment.

I love a book that’s twists and turns keep you guessing with every turn of the page and that’s definitely this one!