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sangenuer's review against another edition
DNF. I just couldn’t get into it. I found nothing likeable about any of the main characters and despite constant very thinly veiled references to “the fire” I couldn’t bring myself to care enough to find out what had happened.
macrosinthemitten's review against another edition
4.0
Penelope Cox is barely holding it together between a demanding job, two teenagers, and an unemployed husband who spends his days on "self-care". When her old roommate Willa knocks on her door one day, claiming to be on the run from an abusive husband, Penelope opens her home and life to Willa. The memories fill Penelope's head; twenty years earlier Penelope, Willa, and three others lived together in a converted church and called themselves The Spires. Amid wild parties, drugs, sex, and booze, one night things went horribly wrong. Willa hasn't spoken to Penelope since that fateful night, and now she's at Penelope's door as the perfect roommate - making dinners, running the kids to events and activities, and pulling her husband out of his funk. And yet, something still seems off... This was a really engaging read that kept me guessing until the end. I enjoyed this one a lot!
melissadelongcox's review against another edition
4.0
*thanks to thomas and mercer + netgalley for the arc!*
i'm split on this one. on one hand, i was very intrigued to find out what was going on, and i stayed interested throughout the entire book. on the other hand, it was almost too slow at times - i wanted things to start coming together a bit earlier. i'm also a bit obtuse at times with clues, so perhaps it did and i just missed it? either way, the end was satisfying, and i'll be recommending this based on how badly i wanted know what was going on. lots of dark secrets and what the fuck moments.
i'm split on this one. on one hand, i was very intrigued to find out what was going on, and i stayed interested throughout the entire book. on the other hand, it was almost too slow at times - i wanted things to start coming together a bit earlier. i'm also a bit obtuse at times with clues, so perhaps it did and i just missed it? either way, the end was satisfying, and i'll be recommending this based on how badly i wanted know what was going on. lots of dark secrets and what the fuck moments.
lisamarie523's review against another edition
4.0
Really connected with the characters, enjoyed most of the plot. A bit repetitive at times. The ending let me down; the “big twist” was not a surprise and some of the characters that I wanted to survive did not make it, while other major plot points were left unresolved. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I love Kate Moretti’s style and was really into the book until the end.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
2.0
"Sometimes a piece of your soul can rot, she thought. If you can’t get it out, it festers like an infection."
Such a great, creepy cover and an interesting plot. But I'm so so sorry book, I'm just burnt out on your side story. I'm so sick of woman creeping in to another woman's life just to mess it up. I'm just tired of it. This was so over-the-top Lifetime movie I just couldn't anymore. I think I'm just burnt out on cheating and bad marriages that would just be cleared up if people would just communicate.
If this book sounds great, go for it! I'm sure you will love it more than I did.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
Such a great, creepy cover and an interesting plot. But I'm so so sorry book, I'm just burnt out on your side story. I'm so sick of woman creeping in to another woman's life just to mess it up. I'm just tired of it. This was so over-the-top Lifetime movie I just couldn't anymore. I think I'm just burnt out on cheating and bad marriages that would just be cleared up if people would just communicate.
If this book sounds great, go for it! I'm sure you will love it more than I did.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
rmcumber's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Too slow & too many annoying editing errors.
jerseygirlreads's review against another edition
4.0
Penelope (aka Pip) can't believe it when her old college friend Willa shows up at her front door. She hasn't spoken to Willa in almost twenty years, not since the night of "the fire" that took their home, a refurbished church building. Penelope hasn't spoken to any of her former friends/roommates since that night, for a number of reasons, foremost of which is her guilt over what happened. But it's nice having Willa around (she tells Penelope that she needs a place to hide out temporarily as she escapes her abusive husband) - with Penelope's husband unemployed and "finding himself" through yoga and therapy, and her two kids involved in a number of activities, Penelope has been stretched thin lately, and Willa is happy to help with dinner and shuttling the kids around. But soon, things begin to seem weird around the house - Penelope's jewelry goes missing, random photos of Penelope and her kids from years past appear out of nowhere, Pen's husband ends up in the hospital - and Penelope can't help but think Willa is behind it all. But why? Told in alternating timelines leading up to the big reveal, we slowly find out what happened all those years ago - and how it ties to what's happening now.
I have never read anything by Kate Moretti but did know that she is a thriller queen - and I wasn't disappointed. I did figure out some of the big reveal, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. I will definitely read more by this author in the future :)
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this book!
I have never read anything by Kate Moretti but did know that she is a thriller queen - and I wasn't disappointed. I did figure out some of the big reveal, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. I will definitely read more by this author in the future :)
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this book!
sunnys_shelf's review against another edition
4.0
Stars: 3.5
Here's what worked for me: I really enjoyed the present-day storyline. I thought Penelope's character was really interesting and well written. I could sympathize with a mother spreading herself really thin and feeling like she can't keep up with all of the moving pieces in her life. I also liked the psychological aspect--Is Willa up to something, or is Penelope overreacting? Once I hit about the halfway point of the book, the story really picked up for me, and I couldn't wait to see how everything would unfold.
Here's what didn't work for me: Although I typically really enjoy stories that take place in two different timelines, I wasn't very invested in the past timeline in this book. I felt like Moretti tried to give the reader enough background story on the five Spires, but I didn't feel like I got to the point where I cared about any of them. The book also started out pretty slow for me, and I found myself wondering if/when the story would pick up and get more exciting.
Overall, I did enjoy the book. Although the twists weren't super surprising to me, that wasn't a deal breaker, and I still found myself wanting to finish the book to find out what happens. This is my first Moretti book, and I'd be interested in reading some others to see how this compares.
Here's what worked for me: I really enjoyed the present-day storyline. I thought Penelope's character was really interesting and well written. I could sympathize with a mother spreading herself really thin and feeling like she can't keep up with all of the moving pieces in her life. I also liked the psychological aspect--Is Willa up to something, or is Penelope overreacting? Once I hit about the halfway point of the book, the story really picked up for me, and I couldn't wait to see how everything would unfold.
Here's what didn't work for me: Although I typically really enjoy stories that take place in two different timelines, I wasn't very invested in the past timeline in this book. I felt like Moretti tried to give the reader enough background story on the five Spires, but I didn't feel like I got to the point where I cared about any of them. The book also started out pretty slow for me, and I found myself wondering if/when the story would pick up and get more exciting.
Overall, I did enjoy the book. Although the twists weren't super surprising to me, that wasn't a deal breaker, and I still found myself wanting to finish the book to find out what happens. This is my first Moretti book, and I'd be interested in reading some others to see how this compares.