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fantasynovel's review
5.0
brb, I'm dying!! Goddamn, my new aesthetic is a girl switching wigs and wiping off her makeup in an elevator. yes, there were some plot points that didn't make so much sense, like why the detectives would think Jule was Imogen. Jule absconding with the money makes so much more sense than Imogen! But honestly, those little things don't compare to how amazing over all this story was. And the whole "telling the story backwards" thing was genius. I know it's been done before, but it was super chilling anyway to see Jule work backwards. Her methods, her cold-bloodedness, her affinity for being anyone completely won me over. Jule could stab a grandma and I'd be like, "You're doing great, sweetie!" honestly, she's much more likable than male characters who treat their girlfriends terribly and are redeemed by the storyline. long story short, E. Lockhart has the juice.
sophiesmith's review
2.0
I had high hopes for this book since I devoured and loved ‘we were liars’ however this unfortunately didn’t come close.
I suppose the two shouldn’t be compared because the plots aren’t anywhere near the same, but I figured the author was good at writing mystery and suspense so hence I was excited.
This book is written in reverse chronological order which was an interesting concept, I’ve never read a book like that before and I think it was done fairly well, however this made it easier to predict the plot.
As I was reading this, I was predicting the plot and I was right with every guess I made which killed the suspense. I do like to guess what happens with mystery/suspense books, sometimes I’m right but I’ve never been right with the whole entirety of the book before so that meant that when everything was revealed, it wasn’t very exciting and it was an anticlimax every time.
Regarding the plot without spoilers, it was very basic and probably done many times before, probably another reason as to why it was easy to predict what was happening because I’m sure I’ve read something with this exact plot before.
it wasn’t a completely awful read and I did manage to finish it quickly and I never had the desire to DNF it, but I won’t be re-reading it nor would I really recommend it, however it was a wild ride to say the least.
I suppose the two shouldn’t be compared because the plots aren’t anywhere near the same, but I figured the author was good at writing mystery and suspense so hence I was excited.
This book is written in reverse chronological order which was an interesting concept, I’ve never read a book like that before and I think it was done fairly well, however this made it easier to predict the plot.
As I was reading this, I was predicting the plot and I was right with every guess I made which killed the suspense. I do like to guess what happens with mystery/suspense books, sometimes I’m right but I’ve never been right with the whole entirety of the book before so that meant that when everything was revealed, it wasn’t very exciting and it was an anticlimax every time.
Regarding the plot without spoilers, it was very basic and probably done many times before, probably another reason as to why it was easy to predict what was happening because I’m sure I’ve read something with this exact plot before.
it wasn’t a completely awful read and I did manage to finish it quickly and I never had the desire to DNF it, but I won’t be re-reading it nor would I really recommend it, however it was a wild ride to say the least.
jhartford's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
4.25
Loved that the story was presented in reverse!
holly41102's review
5.0
*4.5 stars*
Loved how this book was set out which definitely made the story more intriguing. It was genius and at not time did you expect some of the twists. I am still mind boggled by the whole book. I generally don’t pick this genre up but I kinda didn’t realise this was a thriller until about 25% through. Haha. Overall though I’m glad I picked this up and read something I wouldn’t generally read because I also surprised myself by liking it.
Loved how this book was set out which definitely made the story more intriguing. It was genius and at not time did you expect some of the twists. I am still mind boggled by the whole book. I generally don’t pick this genre up but I kinda didn’t realise this was a thriller until about 25% through. Haha. Overall though I’m glad I picked this up and read something I wouldn’t generally read because I also surprised myself by liking it.
drridareads's review
1.0
It's just sad when a book has so much potential but doesn't live up to it.
I think the biggest mystery to me is why I even bothered finishing it. I guess I was hoping it would have some cool totally unexpected end, but it was pretty predictable.
Shorter version of this story: Jule is a liar.
I think the biggest mystery to me is why I even bothered finishing it. I guess I was hoping it would have some cool totally unexpected end, but it was pretty predictable.
Shorter version of this story: Jule is a liar.
maekraetz's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ritmanbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Esta novela es una reinterpretación del clásico ‘El talento de Mr. Ripley’ de Patricia Highsmith.
Está narrada con una cronología inversa, lo que quiere decir que los hechos se nos presentan desde el final hasta el principio. Sin embargo, la autora nos pone en contexto al inicio de cada capítulo y hace que esta cronología resulte fácil de seguir. No olvida ningún detalle y nos presenta a dos mujeres excepcionales: fuertes, valientes, con las cosas muy claras y con un pasado complicado en común; ambos personajes están muy bien construídos.
La historia engancha desde la primera página, tanto por la estructura de sus capítulos como por la narración, fluída y muy realista. Hay gente que dice que este libro es predecible, porque el misterio principal se intuye demasiado pronto; yo opino que ‘la gracia’ de este libro no está en descubrir ese misterio, sino en saber cómo se ha llegado a esa situación, qué hechos la han desencadenado, y me parece que la autora lo ha contado muy bien y ha dado la cantidad justa de información en cada capítulo.
Si tengo que ponerle alguna pega es el final, que no es un mal cierre, pero me supo a poco y me hizo no darle las cinco estrellas.
En resúmen, os recomiendo este libro; es una buena reinterpretación y os dejará pegados a sus páginas hasta el final.
Está narrada con una cronología inversa, lo que quiere decir que los hechos se nos presentan desde el final hasta el principio. Sin embargo, la autora nos pone en contexto al inicio de cada capítulo y hace que esta cronología resulte fácil de seguir. No olvida ningún detalle y nos presenta a dos mujeres excepcionales: fuertes, valientes, con las cosas muy claras y con un pasado complicado en común; ambos personajes están muy bien construídos.
La historia engancha desde la primera página, tanto por la estructura de sus capítulos como por la narración, fluída y muy realista. Hay gente que dice que este libro es predecible, porque el misterio principal se intuye demasiado pronto; yo opino que ‘la gracia’ de este libro no está en descubrir ese misterio, sino en saber cómo se ha llegado a esa situación, qué hechos la han desencadenado, y me parece que la autora lo ha contado muy bien y ha dado la cantidad justa de información en cada capítulo.
Si tengo que ponerle alguna pega es el final, que no es un mal cierre, pero me supo a poco y me hizo no darle las cinco estrellas.
En resúmen, os recomiendo este libro; es una buena reinterpretación y os dejará pegados a sus páginas hasta el final.
catpanda1's review
dark
emotional
fast-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
3.75
hannahlnj's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really like the idea of this book. The execution could have been better. I really enjoyed how reading it backwards makes the mystery slowly reveal itself. I do not, however, think it is executed properly, and it gets confusing at times. I forgot parts I had read earlier, so several times I had to go back because I could not remember how things fit together.