Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
A psychological thriller with many twists and turns--Told from the points of view of Corinne, Ashley, and Dominic this is a tale that only adds bits of information with each chapter, leaving the reader to make predictions as to who is evil and who is good. Character development was excellent and I really found myself liking the protagonists precisely because they had flaws and were not perfect.
The story revolves around Corinne and Dominic's efforts to get pregnant and her sister, Ashley's family of five. All sounds very tame until a spy is added....And the fun begins.
The story revolves around Corinne and Dominic's efforts to get pregnant and her sister, Ashley's family of five. All sounds very tame until a spy is added....And the fun begins.
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed this book. I started it on Saturday and finished by Monday. It was one of those books you have to keep reading to find out what happens. And then as the book comes to an end you never expect the actual it eekk. Would highly recommend!
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
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:
No
I found the first three-quarters of this book very readable, enjoyable and page-turning.
In the final quarter of the book, however, the naivete and privilege of the two sisters Ashley and Corinne really started to grate on me. I couldn't help but feel that the way the story panned out was very unjust. These two sisters - Ashley and Corinne - appeared to have been living in a la-la land since childhood; nothing remotely gritty has ever happened to them in their perfect little lives. This becomes evident throughout the story, particularly with Corinne: an absolute drip of a woman who appears to need to have her boyfriend Dominic's shoulder to cry on on demand. Honestly, as a fellow female, her weak behavior riled me - she showed not an ounce of mettle, resilience or hardiness throughout this book. Every time something untoward happened, she was running towards her boyfriend's work offices, bawling crying, and of course he (a fellow drip) would be right there to comfort her. This made me embarrassed, frankly, as well as angry, on behalf of the female form. I really dislike a female character who finds in a man all the mettle and strength she needs to survive.
Apart from this, I felt the novel reinforced the benefits of privilege. As a champion of the underdog, I didn't like this. There is no justice in the end (spoiler alert!) for the character who suffers the most throughout the novel - who has a pitiful childhood, a deadbeat father, a mentally unstable mother. The one (potential) saving grace comes at the end of the novel, where the door is left open for Corinne to get her comeuppance. I relished the sweet, sweet prospect of this; annoying, spoilt and privileged as she was all throughout the novel.
The first three-quarters of the novel, as aforementioned, were more enjoyable than the final quarter as, for me, it was towards the end that these prejudices really came to light. I thought it would have added 'spiciness' to the story if the whisper of James having an affair was realised; I found the real reason behind his constant 'staying late at the office' to be a bit of a letdown. But maybe that's just because I was rooting for at least a little something to go awry in the perfectly unruffled lives of Ashley (or Corinne for that matter) - who knows.
Overall, an engrossing and entertaining read, although the perfect trajectories of these women's lives was somewhat triggering. I'm assuming that the average reader has encountered more hardship in life than these two entitled sisters, thereby rendering the minor plights of the two quite unrelatable.
In the final quarter of the book, however, the naivete and privilege of the two sisters Ashley and Corinne really started to grate on me. I couldn't help but feel that the way the story panned out was very unjust. These two sisters - Ashley and Corinne - appeared to have been living in a la-la land since childhood; nothing remotely gritty has ever happened to them in their perfect little lives. This becomes evident throughout the story, particularly with Corinne: an absolute drip of a woman who appears to need to have her boyfriend Dominic's shoulder to cry on on demand. Honestly, as a fellow female, her weak behavior riled me - she showed not an ounce of mettle, resilience or hardiness throughout this book. Every time something untoward happened, she was running towards her boyfriend's work offices, bawling crying, and of course he (a fellow drip) would be right there to comfort her. This made me embarrassed, frankly, as well as angry, on behalf of the female form. I really dislike a female character who finds in a man all the mettle and strength she needs to survive.
Apart from this, I felt the novel reinforced the benefits of privilege. As a champion of the underdog, I didn't like this. There is no justice in the end (spoiler alert!) for the character who suffers the most throughout the novel - who has a pitiful childhood, a deadbeat father, a mentally unstable mother. The one (potential) saving grace comes at the end of the novel, where the door is left open for Corinne to get her comeuppance. I relished the sweet, sweet prospect of this; annoying, spoilt and privileged as she was all throughout the novel.
The first three-quarters of the novel, as aforementioned, were more enjoyable than the final quarter as, for me, it was towards the end that these prejudices really came to light. I thought it would have added 'spiciness' to the story if the whisper of James having an affair was realised; I found the real reason behind his constant 'staying late at the office' to be a bit of a letdown. But maybe that's just because I was rooting for at least a little something to go awry in the perfectly unruffled lives of Ashley (or Corinne for that matter) - who knows.
Overall, an engrossing and entertaining read, although the perfect trajectories of these women's lives was somewhat triggering. I'm assuming that the average reader has encountered more hardship in life than these two entitled sisters, thereby rendering the minor plights of the two quite unrelatable.
The plot of this story is really interesting. Corinne and her partner Dominic are going through IVF to have a much wanted child. Meanwhile, her sister Ashley is already a busy mother of three who suspects her husband of having an affair, due to the strange calls she keeps getting. Their father, a popular and famous architect, died almost a year ago and both women are struggling to come to terms with the loss. When Corinne starts to find small pieces of their childhood doll house, she is baffled and soon frightened. Someone is getting into her flat to leave the pieces there, and how did they get their hands on the doll house anyway? When she questions their mother, she seems evasive. The narrative jumps between first person for Corinne and third for Ashley, but with a third narrative from a mystery character. At first, a small girl who is being forced to watch a house with her rather unstable mother, this separate storyline soon twists and weaves with the others. I have to admit I did predict the storyline after a while, but I was wrong about who the villain was! A great debut thriller which was difficult to put down and very well orchestrated.