Scan barcode
snoag's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse
nerdybookqueen's review
slow-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
This book was awful. I would've DNF'd it much earlier but I finished it because it was my book club book this month, and it only got worse.
Minor problem: it was boring, which is awful for a suspense novel. Every time I thought things would get interesting, they just went back to boring again.
I found the writing style very annoying to read. I hate the awkward switching between third and first person and I realize that it was meant to mislead as to who the one character was, but it made it very difficult and frustrating to read. Especially when it continued after the reveal of who the first person character was.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
What actually made me frustrated and dropped this to a one star was two things:
First, the big twist was the first person narrator, the villain, surprise, not a woman, a gay man! This book came out in 2020, are we not past villainizing gay folks? If your only LGBT character is the villain, and that's also your big twist, you're doing something wrong. I would've been more interested if it had been a woman, tbh, because I would've have been so frustrated with this BS. The homophobia trigger warning is for the author, not the book.
And the second part is that the ending is straight out of a different book. Referencing the book as the source for the character's decision to do those things doesn't excuse the fact you copied the plot. If anything the acknowledgement was more annoying.
Minor problem: it was boring, which is awful for a suspense novel. Every time I thought things would get interesting, they just went back to boring again.
I found the writing style very annoying to read. I hate the awkward switching between third and first person and I realize that it was meant to mislead as to who the one character was, but it made it very difficult and frustrating to read. Especially when it continued after the reveal of who the first person character was.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
What actually made me frustrated and dropped this to a one star was two things:
First, the big twist was the first person narrator, the villain, surprise, not a woman, a gay man! This book came out in 2020, are we not past villainizing gay folks? If your only LGBT character is the villain, and that's also your big twist, you're doing something wrong. I would've been more interested if it had been a woman, tbh, because I would've have been so frustrated with this BS. The homophobia trigger warning is for the author, not the book.
And the second part is that the ending is straight out of a different book. Referencing the book as the source for the character's decision to do those things doesn't excuse the fact you copied the plot. If anything the acknowledgement was more annoying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Homophobia, and Stalking
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Infidelity, Death, Dementia, Death of parent, and Grief
justagirlwithabook's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.5
Oh, this book was unputdownable. I recently posted a little blurb about great psychological thrillers on Bookstagram and was given a handful of recommendations back that I immediately added to my TBR; this was one of those books, and it did not disappoint!
This one gets most of its stars (I'd give it a 4-4.5) for the consistent plot twists thrown into the storyline. I fell prey to every kind of assumption the author was likely hoping that readers would fall prey to, so when the twists hit, my eyes got big, my jaw dropped, and I felt like an idiot having made all the assumptions I had. (And then I of course went back to the beginning to rifle through chapters and review the previous information in an entirely new light.)
This book has SO much plot and just enough character that it kept me utterly interested until the very end. As an added nugget, if you're a bit of a horror fan (think Stephen King's <i>Misery</i>), you'll appreciate the nod and will entirely eat this up.
So! To the brief lists:
What I Loved:
This one gets most of its stars (I'd give it a 4-4.5) for the consistent plot twists thrown into the storyline. I fell prey to every kind of assumption the author was likely hoping that readers would fall prey to, so when the twists hit, my eyes got big, my jaw dropped, and I felt like an idiot having made all the assumptions I had. (And then I of course went back to the beginning to rifle through chapters and review the previous information in an entirely new light.)
This book has SO much plot and just enough character that it kept me utterly interested until the very end. As an added nugget, if you're a bit of a horror fan (think Stephen King's <i>Misery</i>), you'll appreciate the nod and will entirely eat this up.
So! To the brief lists:
What I Loved:
- The twists, and not just one huge one but a handful that kept me having to rethink the story and characters that I thought I'd come to know fairly well
- The psychological aspects (a main character who is a therapist and another character who eavesdrops and diagnoses all said therapist's clients)
- The nod to Stephen King's <i>Misery</i> (as well as <i>The West Wing</i> references that came at perfect moments)
- The fast pace (entirely bingeable!)
What I Didn't Love:
- I wish the story had a been a little bit longer just because I wanted more (more twists, more backstories, more sordid details into other characters' lives), but for it being under 300 pages and such a great read, this is really more of a compliment to the author than a complaint!
Content Warnings:
Minor: child abuse, cursing, death of a parent, dementia, grief, thoughts of infidelity, medical content, sexism, sexual content, violence
Moderate: mental illness, stalking
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Stalking
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Sexism, Sexual content, and Violence
More...