Scan barcode
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Mind Blown! Talk about twists! I didn't know what to expect for most of the book and majority of my ideas were way off. Once the end came, it was twist after twist, and just when you thought it was done, a gigantic reveal comes outta left field. This one definitely kept me on my toes.
Lenora Hope has been confined to a wheelchair for decades. Unable to talk or move anything but her left hand. She is completely dependent on others and unable to communicate in any way except tapping her hand or t ing on a typewriter. When her caregiver disappears, Kit is hired to replace her. As Kit starts digging into Lenora's past we're led through a crazy story of betrayal and heartbreak.
I liked how the house was a character in its self. This old dilapidated mansion on the edge of a cliff slowly sliding into the ocean made for an eerie and suspensful setting.
There's so many twists in this book, which makes it both intriguing and a little over the top. There's almost too many twists. Within a couple chapters we're hit with twist after twist after twist. The majority of the twists I didn't see coming, I knew that
The story ended up being
Lenora is blamed for the murders. She decides change her name and to fake her sisters death then pass her off as herself. So for years Virginia has been living as Lenora.
Fast forward: Kit finds out that her father is a murderer. Jessie, the maid is actually Virgina's granddaughter. Kit's father killed Mary to try to keep the truth of his past hidden. The house falls into the ocean with Kits father and Lenora in it. AND: Virgina has been faking it this whole time. She can actually walk and talk but wanted to punish her sister for everything she did to her.
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Grief
felofhe's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Ableism, Alcohol, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, Grief, Kidnapping, Sexism, and Medical content
hellokatya's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
it felt like he was trying too hard to put as many plot twists as he could possibly make into the book, and the big reveal muddied the plot a lot. it took a bit for my brain to catch up with the new info and it ruined the reading experience for me.
too much of a “gotcha” for my taste.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Ableism, Blood, and Body horror
Minor: Child abuse and Misogyny
kelseyr713's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Medical content, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Death, Murder, Misogyny, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Homophobia, Medical content, Police brutality, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Cursing, Mental illness, Alcohol, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Abandonment, Addiction, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Sexism, Alcoholism, Gore, Infidelity, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
daydaybookbay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I would feel smart for a moment because I noticed an inconsistency in the story, but that was the whole point to notice. It threw me through a loop because I then questioned myself if the other off-points I noticed were actually supposed to be there. This lost trust in myself made it more difficult for me to piece together the plot before the author wanted to reveal a twist. Very clever writing-I love it
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Ableism, Misogyny, Outing, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Minor: Rape, Addiction, Gun violence, Homophobia, Classism, Confinement, Abortion, Grief, and Medical content
rochelleisreading's review
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Death, Suicide attempt, Murder, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Violence, Emotional abuse, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Classism, Addiction, Terminal illness, and Cancer
Moderate: Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Alcohol
rorikae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Kit has been going through a hard time since the death of her mother. Finally able to get back to work, she is assigned as the caregiver to Lenora Hope, who supposedly killed her mother, father, and sister when she was seventeen. But the woman that Kit finds is far from the scary murderer that people talk about. After suffering a few strokes, Lenora can no longer speak and is also not mobile. Soon Kit learns that despite being unable to speak, Lenora can type on a typewriter and is interested in telling her story. But as Lenora's story begins to unfold, Kit becomes entwined in the history of the house and its tendrils that extend into the present day.
This is my first Riley Sager book and I was pleasantly surprised. I have heard positive and negative things about his past books but the gothic nature of this one peaked my interest. Sager completely delivers on the atmosphere in this novel as well as the tense pace of the plot. It's been a while since I have been so invested in a novel that I actually didn't want to put it down but that was true for 'The Only One Left.' Sager slowly unwraps what has happened at the house while continually adding new mysteries. The ticking time bomb of a crumbling house that could eventually fall into the sea added to the atmosphere and great pacing. There are so many twists and turns, a few too many to be believable but that didn't stop me from enjoying them. A few moments were a little bit hard to believe but I think the characters completely sold the plot and made it easy to gloss over some of those harder to believe moments. I also really appreciated how the story switches between Kit's story in the present timeline and Lenora's telling of the past timeline. This gave Lenora much needed agency throughout the book.
The audiobook is excellent and uses a different narrator for Kit's chapters and for Lenora's written story. I think that the audio narration definitely added to my enjoyment of the story and I would highly recommend it.
I will definitely be returning to Sager's books in the future though I think I will rely on reviews and the general plot to chooses ones that I am the most interested in.
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Death, Murder, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Blood, Confinement, Misogyny, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
chasingpages1's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Chronic illness, Suicide attempt, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Classism, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Death, Death of parent, Confinement, Infidelity, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Blood, Misogyny, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Homophobia, Violence, Body shaming, Excrement, War, Gun violence, and Sexual content
nrogers_1030's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Classism, Blood, Alcohol, Infidelity, Death of parent, Death, Addiction, Drug abuse, Violence, Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Grief
Moderate: Terminal illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, and Cancer
Minor: Homophobia and Body shaming