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mcmoon's review against another edition
4.0
I recently saw Steph Cha read at Skylight Books, promoting her new novel, Beware Beware. This inspired me to read her first book, Follow Her Home. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. As an L.A.-o-phile & fan of the mystery genre, I love reading noir stories set in Los Angeles. The book is wonderfully written, and a good balance of contemporary women's lit and noir. I liked the book's narrator, and the slick, gritty writing. My favorite parts were the flashbacks scenes involving the narrator's sister and the dialogue scenes with Lori. I liked that the book focuses on elements of Korean-American culture in Los Angeles. I think the book's pacing could have been slowed down for a more dramatic effect. Although I appreciated the novel's brevity (it's under 300 pages), I thought many scenes, particularly the ending, could've made more of an effort to immerse the reader in the novel's world. I also wanted to know more about the personal habits and interests of the detective-narrator. Still, a fast-paced and engaging read. The writing is sharp, accomplished, and luminous despite being spare and spartan. Thumbs up.
gracefullypunk's review against another edition
4.0
Unsure why this poor book is getting low ratings...I give it a solid 4.25, which is great for a debut. If you love noir and allusions to it, you'd likely give it a 5 (I only like, not love, it--so some of the references are lost on me). In addition to enjoying the story, I also loved the way the author described Los Angeles--as though we all live there, as though she didn't need to explain the reason for mentioning a particular street or neighborhood. I love this means of expression, particularly when (as occurs in this book) the reasons behind mentioning a specific locale become clear through the narrative itself, rather than unnecessary exposition. It really made me feel like I was right there in LA with her, trying to solve the mystery.
encryptedorchardpest's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shksprsis's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mcf's review against another edition
4.0
Well, that went from fun and vaguely fluffy to painfully emotional utterly exhausting in the space of about 10 pages. It started out an appealing if somewhat thin Chandler tribute but then, about halfway through, shifted very decisively toward Sara Gran territory -- utterly merciless, but totally worth it. There's a large chunk in the second half of the book which is magnificent in its unrelenting pace and claustrophobic writing, something which hadn't seemed remotely possible earlier due to what felt like some first novel clunkiness (trying to be too much like Chandler, a man whose weakness of flowery language only works through some sort of weird miracle), and a somewhat cliched organization. The second half, however, is much tighter, and a hell of an accomplishment. I don't want to spoil anything, but suffice to say Cha refuses to let anyone get away unscathed, as much as the reader might wish she did. Damn.
kdurham2's review against another edition
4.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
A who dun it thriller that sweeps you away from the beginning as a young Asian woman, Juniper Song is leaving a party and is swept into the makings of the crime novels that she loves to read. Juniper is sent to find out if a young lady has been seducing one of her friend's fathers and while in the midst of finding the details she is knocked over the head and left in her car to find more than just her automobile.
A who dun it thriller that sweeps you away from the beginning as a young Asian woman, Juniper Song is leaving a party and is swept into the makings of the crime novels that she loves to read. Juniper is sent to find out if a young lady has been seducing one of her friend's fathers and while in the midst of finding the details she is knocked over the head and left in her car to find more than just her automobile.
jrobles76's review against another edition
5.0
I've read her other two Juniper Song novels, but WOW what a debut! That ending is heartbreaking. So good that I need to reread the others. Can't wait to read her newest!
sandin954's review against another edition
2.0
I will probably give this series another chance since I did like the main character and her backstory but the plot in this book did not really hang together and the author tried too hard evoke the style of [a:Raymond Chandler|1377|Raymond Chandler|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1206535318p2/1377.jpg].
seest12's review against another edition
2.0
It was a fast read, but I was super disappointed by the characters and how they talked. E.g., a 20-something woman would not muss another 20-something woman’s hair, or call her a kid. And so many things were unresolved-I still don’t exactly get what Yujin and Lori’s relationships were to Cook.
megatsunami's review against another edition
4.0
Edgy, angsty feminist-noir thriller. Will definitely read more by this author.