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ktbeth143's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I didn’t like this. I felt like the premise and bare bones of the story were intriguing but the execution was lacking.
Firstly, the characters weren’t likeable. There’s nothing that made them stand out, and the FMC in particular was easy to pity but hard to root for. You felt bad because she clearly is going through a lot, but her actions and reactions were immature.
Secondly, the romance is non-existent. Obviously, this isn’t marketed as a romance, but a thriller (I think). But right from the beginning it’s made clear that the FMc and MMC have unresolved love and issues and that by the end of the story they’ll be back together. The problem is that he starts out engaged to someone else. Someone who for all intent and purposes seems like a good woman we could root for because of her kindness and understanding. But then she randomly dissolves their relationship? And from what we’re told about her, it sounds like she always knew he would hold a flame for his ex-wife and was cautious to agree to marry him, but since she leaves pretty early on this whole part of the story line felt unnecessary. And then, as he and the FMC rekindle their relationship, it’s very boring. It’s like he takes a week to think after his fiancé leaves, then goes to his ex wife and says “it seems like every one thinks we should try this again” to which she is hesitant, then apologizes for how things ended their relationship, then agrees he’s her person again. And I wasn’t expecting much from this subplot since it’s not the main plot/theme of the book, but I still feel like this was underdeveloped to the point of “why even include a romantic subplot in the first place?”
On top of this, we see no character growth from him in the main plot and very little from the FMC. The main plot—the crime that is solved was interesting. But there were still things about the pace the way things were revealed that felt more tell not show. And since the characters themselves remain kind of flat, the story overall was boring.
Secondly, the romance is non-existent. Obviously, this isn’t marketed as a romance, but a thriller (I think). But right from the beginning it’s made clear that the FMc and MMC have unresolved love and issues and that by the end of the story they’ll be back together. The problem is that he starts out engaged to someone else. Someone who for all intent and purposes seems like a good woman we could root for because of her kindness and understanding. But then she randomly dissolves their relationship? And from what we’re told about her, it sounds like she always knew he would hold a flame for his ex-wife and was cautious to agree to marry him, but since she leaves pretty early on this whole part of the story line felt unnecessary. And then, as he and the FMC rekindle their relationship, it’s very boring. It’s like he takes a week to think after his fiancé leaves, then goes to his ex wife and says “it seems like every one thinks we should try this again” to which she is hesitant, then apologizes for how things ended their relationship, then agrees he’s her person again. And I wasn’t expecting much from this subplot since it’s not the main plot/theme of the book, but I still feel like this was underdeveloped to the point of “why even include a romantic subplot in the first place?”
On top of this, we see no character growth from him in the main plot and very little from the FMC. The main plot—the crime that is solved was interesting. But there were still things about the pace the way things were revealed that felt more tell not show. And since the characters themselves remain kind of flat, the story overall was boring.
learntoreid's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
andreadeaver's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
haybolt4's review against another edition
5.0
Such a great Amazon first reads, good thriller and kept me wanting to continue to read! I am now an Angela Crook fan!
josieg2002's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
aelliott207's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed this story and found it a quick read. I would have liked more detail about some of the characters and events. It has me on the edge of my seat at the end and I needed to finish it!
jenn1177's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It was okay but the ending was just kind of weird.