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sashachauhan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
paulabrandon's review against another edition
3.0
Corinne and Ashley are sisters. Corinne is a hot mess thanks to taking extra hormones in order to get pregnant through IVF. It has failed so many times already. Ashley is barely holding on, with an infant who is crankier and fussier than her previous children, and she suspects her husband James is having an affair. Their lives get more complicated when Ashley starts receiving prank hang-up calls, and Corinne starts receiving bits and pieces from a childhood doll house that she used to own, along with other sinister events happening.
I haven't had a good run with psychological thrillers lately, and while The Doll House is better than the last few I've read, it still fell a bit short. For one thing, it is relentlessly predictable. Of course, protagonist Corinne is such an insipid ninny that nobody believes her claims about the doll house. Because instead of taking pictures of what she has received, she screams and panics a lot, running around, flailing her arms about, acting like a chicken with its head cut off, allowing the antagonist to remove the evidence later. She is just always freaking out about everything, and running to Dominic about it. Even a knock at the door sends Corinne into a complete meltdown. I mean, if it's an intruder with malicious intentions, are they really going to knock??? Corinne really tested my last nerve.
Other reasons for predictability: So I comfortably anticipated everything that happened here.
I was also bothered by the traditional, somewhat anti-feminist sensibilities that abounded here, particularly from a female author who looks quite young. You know, that tired old thing where a woman feels like she's nothing if she doesn't have a baby, that she's a failure if she can't conceive, and having a baby is the only, only, ONLY thing that can ever make you happy EVER. Haven't we moved on from that yet? Similarly, the book seems to suggest that a young woman's life is over if she learns her daddy isn't as perfect as you thought he was, and that if you don't have a daddy figure at all, it will make you psychologically unbalanced. I love my dad; I know he's not perfect, but I turned out okay! (Unless reading stuff like this is a sign of something ominous!)
Although this is less laboriously paced than some other psychological thrillers I've read recently, it still felt padded. When Corinne launches into another memory of her father yet again, that went on for more than five pages, I started to skim. Daily routines are described down to the last detail, and it got old fast. I'm surprised that every little last fart and burp wasn't told to us. Also,
BUT - and this is important, I mostly wasn't bored. Once we hit the home stretch, this was very entertaining and suspenseful. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Or, since I read this on my Kindle, I suppose the correct thing to say would be I was jabbing my finger at the screen to go to the next page with excitement. If a book can go out on a high, that's generally a good thing. I like a bit of fast-paced excitement after all that build-up, which a surprising number of books seem to get wrong.
But that final twist. Ugh.
Despite its extreme predictability and an annoying dimwit as one of its main protagonists, The Doll House mostly worked, with something always going on, and a nice build-up to a fairly good climax. It played a lot like a made-for-TV movie which, of course, is never a bad thing in my book!
I haven't had a good run with psychological thrillers lately, and while The Doll House is better than the last few I've read, it still fell a bit short. For one thing, it is relentlessly predictable. Of course, protagonist Corinne is such an insipid ninny that nobody believes her claims about the doll house. Because instead of taking pictures of what she has received, she screams and panics a lot, running around, flailing her arms about, acting like a chicken with its head cut off, allowing the antagonist to remove the evidence later. She is just always freaking out about everything, and running to Dominic about it. Even a knock at the door sends Corinne into a complete meltdown. I mean, if it's an intruder with malicious intentions, are they really going to knock??? Corinne really tested my last nerve.
Other reasons for predictability:
Spoiler
The book makes such a big deal about neighbour Gilly possibly being the bitter half-sister that, by the very conventions of this genre, we know that it won't be her. It will be the young woman who has never been considered a suspect. And since there's only one other young woman character it could possibly be, it's not hard to make the connection to Erin. Similarly, June was the only other 60/70 something character who could possibly be Erin's mother/Richard's mistress.I was also bothered by the traditional, somewhat anti-feminist sensibilities that abounded here, particularly from a female author who looks quite young. You know, that tired old thing where a woman feels like she's nothing if she doesn't have a baby, that she's a failure if she can't conceive, and having a baby is the only, only, ONLY thing that can ever make you happy EVER. Haven't we moved on from that yet? Similarly, the book seems to suggest that a young woman's life is over if she learns her daddy isn't as perfect as you thought he was, and that if you don't have a daddy figure at all, it will make you psychologically unbalanced. I love my dad; I know he's not perfect, but I turned out okay! (Unless reading stuff like this is a sign of something ominous!)
Although this is less laboriously paced than some other psychological thrillers I've read recently, it still felt padded. When Corinne launches into another memory of her father yet again, that went on for more than five pages, I started to skim. Daily routines are described down to the last detail, and it got old fast. I'm surprised that every little last fart and burp wasn't told to us. Also,
Spoiler
I'm confused as to how Erin got the butchered doll into the flat when she had been at work all day and then gone out for drinks with Dominic afterwards.BUT - and this is important, I mostly wasn't bored. Once we hit the home stretch, this was very entertaining and suspenseful. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Or, since I read this on my Kindle, I suppose the correct thing to say would be I was jabbing my finger at the screen to go to the next page with excitement. If a book can go out on a high, that's generally a good thing. I like a bit of fast-paced excitement after all that build-up, which a surprising number of books seem to get wrong.
But that final twist. Ugh.
Spoiler
If someone had tormented me for months, attacked my mother, sister and baby niece, and then tried to kill me, I wouldn't have much compunction in pushing them in front of a train deliberately and claiming it as self-defense. Yet Corinne feels guilt and uses this as an excuse when June shows up at her work not to call police. Oh, fuck off. Punch the old bitch in the face, call the police and have her arrested! How could June even know it was deliberate, anyway? And even if she claims it, nobody's going to believe it, because she was an accomplice to attempted murder!!!Despite its extreme predictability and an annoying dimwit as one of its main protagonists, The Doll House mostly worked, with something always going on, and a nice build-up to a fairly good climax. It played a lot like a made-for-TV movie which, of course, is never a bad thing in my book!
misslolen's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
labunnywtf's review against another edition
4.0
Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Corinne is a woman desperate to start her family. Her sister Ashley is desperate to keep hers together. Their beloved father has died, and as they are getting their normalcy back, pieces of a dollhouse from their childhood start appearing at Corinne's door.
It is becoming increasingly rare for a mystery/suspense/thriller novel to surprise me. I generally figure out the whodunit within the first handful of chapters. That doesn't mean I don't still enjoy the ride, because the 'why' is always more interesting than the 'who'. But surprises, and good twists, are getting harder to come by.
This one? Yes. This one did a fanbloodytastic job of surprising the hell out of me.
To be clear, chapter 6, 14% into the ebook, I made one note in the kindle app. Three words. I had the why. Not the who, but the why.
On top of knowing that, I also had some issues with the writing of the book. There's some heavy descriptors at the beginning that had me staring for a minute and worrying I was about to deal with a real pain in the ass of a book. On top of that, Corinne's poor pitiful me-ness throughout had me rooting for the as yet unknown bad guy.
Not to mention the other note I made in the app, "Your red herring is showing. Badly."
I've included all of this negativity because I need it to be understood that with as many problems as I had with this book, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This plot is both original and unoriginal.
The dollhouse is not a major plot point here, we only get to see four pieces from it. I actually thought that was going to be a bigger thing. But by the time you get to the final climax, you understand the real importance of it, and the entire crooked line suddenly straightens and stands tall.
There is a bunch wrong here, but there is so much right. It really comes together so well, and is a truly delicious read.
Corinne is a woman desperate to start her family. Her sister Ashley is desperate to keep hers together. Their beloved father has died, and as they are getting their normalcy back, pieces of a dollhouse from their childhood start appearing at Corinne's door.
It is becoming increasingly rare for a mystery/suspense/thriller novel to surprise me. I generally figure out the whodunit within the first handful of chapters. That doesn't mean I don't still enjoy the ride, because the 'why' is always more interesting than the 'who'. But surprises, and good twists, are getting harder to come by.
This one? Yes. This one did a fanbloodytastic job of surprising the hell out of me.
To be clear, chapter 6, 14% into the ebook, I made one note in the kindle app. Three words. I had the why. Not the who, but the why.
On top of knowing that, I also had some issues with the writing of the book. There's some heavy descriptors at the beginning that had me staring for a minute and worrying I was about to deal with a real pain in the ass of a book. On top of that, Corinne's poor pitiful me-ness throughout had me rooting for the as yet unknown bad guy.
Not to mention the other note I made in the app, "Your red herring is showing. Badly."
I've included all of this negativity because I need it to be understood that with as many problems as I had with this book, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This plot is both original and unoriginal.
The dollhouse is not a major plot point here, we only get to see four pieces from it. I actually thought that was going to be a bigger thing. But by the time you get to the final climax, you understand the real importance of it, and the entire crooked line suddenly straightens and stands tall.
There is a bunch wrong here, but there is so much right. It really comes together so well, and is a truly delicious read.
kayleem93's review against another edition
1.0
Heaven help me I did not like this book. The characters are all just willfully obtuse do the exact opposite of what normal humans would do in any of these situations, they all act stupidly sneaky with their spouses for no reason other than the plot needs them too.
The IVF story line took up like 1/3 of the story but guess what? actually has nothing to do with the stalker or the "thriller" part of the book. Everyscene gets rehashed from every point of view so you end up hearing something about four different times *once when it happens *once when character 1 tells character 2 *once when charceter two tell her partner *once when character one thinks about it again two pages later.
Speaking of the thriller part, not thrilling. Guessed who the "baddie" was in the first 30% and WHY they were terrorising the family. I was correct by the way 100% and I did read all the way to the end hoping I was wrong. Everything was just too set up and convenient, I am fine with suspension of disbelief but none of this would happen in real life because in real life people actually talk to one another and tend to be concerned if people are leaving creppy gift for there wife.
Oh the ending, the stupid stupid "cliffhanger" ending. The book should have stopped one chapter before and it would have been two stars but no you had to do that "but it isnt over ........" thing. ugh.
Anyway, having said all that my problem was with the story and the plot so maybe I would try something from the author again. Even more likely if she changes editor.
This is just my opinion it doesn't mean you won't like the book. It doesn't mean you're wrong for liking the book. It doesn't mean I'm wrong for not liking the book. Please respect my opinion and I shall respect yours
I recieved this copy as a free ebook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The IVF story line took up like 1/3 of the story but guess what? actually has nothing to do with the stalker or the "thriller" part of the book. Everyscene gets rehashed from every point of view so you end up hearing something about four different times *once when it happens *once when character 1 tells character 2 *once when charceter two tell her partner *once when character one thinks about it again two pages later.
Speaking of the thriller part, not thrilling. Guessed who the "baddie" was in the first 30% and WHY they were terrorising the family. I was correct by the way 100% and I did read all the way to the end hoping I was wrong. Everything was just too set up and convenient, I am fine with suspension of disbelief but none of this would happen in real life because in real life people actually talk to one another and tend to be concerned if people are leaving creppy gift for there wife.
Oh the ending, the stupid stupid "cliffhanger" ending. The book should have stopped one chapter before and it would have been two stars but no you had to do that "but it isnt over ........" thing. ugh.
Anyway, having said all that my problem was with the story and the plot so maybe I would try something from the author again. Even more likely if she changes editor.
This is just my opinion it doesn't mean you won't like the book. It doesn't mean you're wrong for liking the book. It doesn't mean I'm wrong for not liking the book. Please respect my opinion and I shall respect yours
I recieved this copy as a free ebook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
debtat2's review against another edition
5.0
25/08/17
I have just finished this book and i am really really impressed with how the book played out.
It is a massively over used statement but! You really should read this book!
If you are fans of Chelsea Cain, Karin Slaughter or M. J. Arlidge, you will love this.
It is an amazing debut novel and Phoebe Morgan is going to be an author to look out for, she will definitely be on mine.
When i wrote the initial review i was only 28% the way through and if my ME wasn’t playing up i would have completed the book much much faster.
It continued all the way through with twists and turns, some plot twists you might see coming but there are many more you won’t!
It’s nice to be surprised by a book these days and not to have it worked out how it will end completely without having to read the end!
I will be recommending this book to anyone that ill listen and i wouldn’t hesitate buying this book for a present for friends and family 😉
Congratulations Phoebe on a brilliant debut, i hope the wait until your next release isn’t going to be too long!!
I have been a bit slack on the book reviews thanks to my M.E but I am still trying!
My ME has decided to flare up so I have either been asleep or topped up on morphine
I honestly wouldn’t wish this on anyone, just when I thought I had a handle on it, thought I was on the up with it it decides to remind me it still has control over my life!!
I am currently reading The Doll House by Phoebe Morgan and I’m 28% the way into now.
So far it’s a really good book. Very atmospheric and as things are picking up in the book it’s starting to get more suspenseful with plot twists added in.
I can’t wait to unravel the plot, I just need to stay awake long enough and have the brain fog to clear so I can keep up with the new twists and turns!
The story so far is about 2 sisters and their partners and the grief of losing there dad who was a world renowned architect. He hand made a big dolls house to a replica of their own house for the girls which they treasured all through childhood.
Now grown up and having moved the sisters haven’t seen or thought about that dolls house for years, that is until a piece of the house turns up on 1 of the sisters doorstep.
Who is leaving parts of the house? Where is the dolls house and who has it?
That has yet to be discovered and I can’t wait, it has defiantly got me intrigued!
I fell asleep on the sofa reading earlier and Birdie has had a bit of a chew on the corner of my new kindle Only cosmetic damage that god! Some how she managed to take all my earrings and nose ring out without waking me up!! Maybe she has a bit of Magpie in her DNA!
If money gets tight I will have to take her into some jewlery shops lol.
The kitten wladimir ( named after Wladimir Klitschko! ) is getting a bit to brave, as you can see he ended up shutting himself in Birdies cage!
I was worried about the dog with the kitten but other than following him everywhere we’ve had no problems of that front yet! My dog is a huge Alaskan Malamute so compared to a 10 week old kitten he looks like a giant!! It is a mad house here!!
I am sure the animals know when I am suffering and not feeling great, all 3 cars plus the kitten are in bed with me tonight! Thank god I have a superking size bed or there would be no room for me!
That statement instantly let’s you know I am single!!! I’m heading into the crazy cat lady category if I’m not there already
I will do a full book review on The Doll House when I finish it and going on what I’ve read so far it’s just getting better and better!
Thanks for bearing with me.
Have a good weekend from me and Birdie and now Jack the dog and wladimir xx
I have just finished this book and i am really really impressed with how the book played out.
It is a massively over used statement but! You really should read this book!
If you are fans of Chelsea Cain, Karin Slaughter or M. J. Arlidge, you will love this.
It is an amazing debut novel and Phoebe Morgan is going to be an author to look out for, she will definitely be on mine.
When i wrote the initial review i was only 28% the way through and if my ME wasn’t playing up i would have completed the book much much faster.
It continued all the way through with twists and turns, some plot twists you might see coming but there are many more you won’t!
It’s nice to be surprised by a book these days and not to have it worked out how it will end completely without having to read the end!
I will be recommending this book to anyone that ill listen and i wouldn’t hesitate buying this book for a present for friends and family 😉
Congratulations Phoebe on a brilliant debut, i hope the wait until your next release isn’t going to be too long!!
I have been a bit slack on the book reviews thanks to my M.E but I am still trying!
My ME has decided to flare up so I have either been asleep or topped up on morphine
I honestly wouldn’t wish this on anyone, just when I thought I had a handle on it, thought I was on the up with it it decides to remind me it still has control over my life!!
I am currently reading The Doll House by Phoebe Morgan and I’m 28% the way into now.
So far it’s a really good book. Very atmospheric and as things are picking up in the book it’s starting to get more suspenseful with plot twists added in.
I can’t wait to unravel the plot, I just need to stay awake long enough and have the brain fog to clear so I can keep up with the new twists and turns!
The story so far is about 2 sisters and their partners and the grief of losing there dad who was a world renowned architect. He hand made a big dolls house to a replica of their own house for the girls which they treasured all through childhood.
Now grown up and having moved the sisters haven’t seen or thought about that dolls house for years, that is until a piece of the house turns up on 1 of the sisters doorstep.
Who is leaving parts of the house? Where is the dolls house and who has it?
That has yet to be discovered and I can’t wait, it has defiantly got me intrigued!
I fell asleep on the sofa reading earlier and Birdie has had a bit of a chew on the corner of my new kindle Only cosmetic damage that god! Some how she managed to take all my earrings and nose ring out without waking me up!! Maybe she has a bit of Magpie in her DNA!
If money gets tight I will have to take her into some jewlery shops lol.
The kitten wladimir ( named after Wladimir Klitschko! ) is getting a bit to brave, as you can see he ended up shutting himself in Birdies cage!
I was worried about the dog with the kitten but other than following him everywhere we’ve had no problems of that front yet! My dog is a huge Alaskan Malamute so compared to a 10 week old kitten he looks like a giant!! It is a mad house here!!
I am sure the animals know when I am suffering and not feeling great, all 3 cars plus the kitten are in bed with me tonight! Thank god I have a superking size bed or there would be no room for me!
That statement instantly let’s you know I am single!!! I’m heading into the crazy cat lady category if I’m not there already
I will do a full book review on The Doll House when I finish it and going on what I’ve read so far it’s just getting better and better!
Thanks for bearing with me.
Have a good weekend from me and Birdie and now Jack the dog and wladimir xx
knittyreader's review against another edition
4.0
I received a free copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
The creepy part of this story was very subtle; for a long time there hardly happened anything. It was what not happened that made the suspence even greater; I was waiting for all that could happen. The relationship between Corinne and Ashley was something I loved too. In this type of book it is the easy way to create problems like jealousy between sisters, but those two had a loving and open line of communication.
There were some minor things that ... not really bugged me, but that I noticed to be a little off. Corinne who did call the locksmith to change the locks herself for instance. Apart from these minor things I loved The Doll House!
The creepy part of this story was very subtle; for a long time there hardly happened anything. It was what not happened that made the suspence even greater; I was waiting for all that could happen. The relationship between Corinne and Ashley was something I loved too. In this type of book it is the easy way to create problems like jealousy between sisters, but those two had a loving and open line of communication.
There were some minor things that ... not really bugged me, but that I noticed to be a little off. Corinne who did call the locksmith to change the locks herself for instance. Apart from these minor things I loved The Doll House!
dopexthrone's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
laaurajayde's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kathhreads's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
I wasn't expecting that twist, it really took me by surprise, and that's something I value in a thriller.
It was a fine book, I didn't care for Dominic or Corinne for that matter, but I really liked Ashley's POV
I wasn't expecting that twist, it really took me by surprise, and that's something I value in a thriller.
It was a fine book, I didn't care for Dominic or Corinne for that matter, but I really liked Ashley's POV