Reviews with content warning for Violence - Goodnight Beautiful

I don't think the audiobook is the one for this one! The narrators' voices didn't match the characters in my head, and it was doubly jarring when the perspective shifts and one narrator is doing the voice of another.

Then, I'm very anti spoilers so all I will say is don't read this book if you're currently watching The West Wing or plan to read Stephen King's Misery. I even skipped some parts to avoid further spoilers so don't know the extent reached re the latter reference. But that's me — I'm sure a bunch of people won't mind!

I also felt there were a lot of unnecessary sexist commentary lobbed in...

I also didn't really believe/get invested in the main relationship. The narrator choices probably played into this a lot.

Still, there were moments of intrigue and tension and I remained curious as to how it was all going to end!

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mothercoconuts's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I was so disappointed in this after reading the raving reviews saying there were so many twists and turns….

For one, there aren’t even any “twists” there are only light reveals. Once the main reveal is done, about half way thru, it’s pretty much over.

The book even mentions another novel in it that the second half of the story pretty much mirrors! 🙄 So, there really isn’t much mystery there.

The reveal about the landlord towards the end is pretty obvious. I didn’t predict it, but it’s not surprising and made me just go “oh yeah ok that sounds about right.” 😒

I also felt very disconnected to Sam and Annie as a couple. Like, I didn’t feel their chemistry or know much about their dynamic at all besides that they role play, which also had zero significance to the main plot!! 😡

The end was also a little too perfect and felt rushed. It was fun in the first half, and I kept reading to find out what happens but I just felt so let down. A very run-of-the-mill thriller imo.

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1auren's review

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I finished this in a few hours. It was a super quick, fun read.

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hazelgirl21's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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rivercat0338's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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justagirlwithabook's review

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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 Misery), 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 Misery (as well as The West Wing 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

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moonlit_paperbacks's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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thebakerbookworm's review against another edition

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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

4.0

This is a psychological thriller at its best, in my opinion! It starts out feeling like your average domestic thriller, but there are so many twists in this. I did not guess anything correctly. 😂

It’s definitely plot-focused, but there are some nice character touches throughout and a small amount of development in our main characters. I didn’t really fall in love with any of the characters, but the story had me caring about what happened to them.

The plot will keep you on your toes, and it’s not very long, so if you’re looking for a book that will completely suck you in for a few hours, this will do the trick. I do think the ending was a bit abrupt and rushed. I can’t recommend the audiobook enough though—another stellar listen!

Thank you to Libro.fm, Harper Audio, and the author for my copy.

I feel like I can’t say much more about this book without it being a spoiler…but it’s one that’s more enjoyable if you go in knowing nothing!

Read if you like: psychological thrillers, fresh takes on thriller stereotypes, eavesdropping, stalking people on social media.

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