Scan barcode
pattiillbee11's review against another edition
3.0
nothing much to say about this book. it had a promising beginning but lost me about half way.
betty816's review against another edition
3.0
Slow start because I had trouble following different POV, but I really enjoyed once I got past page 100 or so. 3 1/2 stars & will look for more by her
doublearegee's review against another edition
4.0
Normally I really like Catherine McKenzie books, no questions asked. They make you question what you'd do in the situation given. They make you question your ethics, your morals. This one is no different, but the questions I asked myself made me uncomfortable and angry. Just how far do you have to go to consider what you're doing cheating? What happens when a friendship between a man and a woman crosses a line? Can you come back from that? Is an emotional attachment cheating? And then there's lying to protect someone's feelings and preserve the memories they thought they had of a spouse. Maybe it's that the questions were harder and more high stakes in this book. Maybe this is just a hot button issue. Point being, I liked it but I felt uncomfortable doing so.
secretskeeper's review against another edition
2.0
I don't really know how I feel about this book. Conflicted maybe the right word. I really wanted to like it, but then... I don't know. I was confused at first about all the characters and the mix that they were in. There was no definite way to tell who was who until maybe the second page of any chapter. After I got into the groove of reading it however, it became easier, but I struggled with the first half of the book. Then the ending. Really, just "promise?". I guess that should suffice, but the whole while I thought they had this illicit affair of the minds without ever being sexually active. Kind of ruined it for me.
marvelmama19's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. Quick. Reasonably well-written. Typical fluff.
vkshiro's review against another edition
1.0
I got this a while ago for free and had forgotten that it was about an affair. I've been cheated on before so am a little wary of this topic. I really didn't like the apparent "moral of the story" that the husband (Jeff) did some great thing by choosing his wife (Claire) over his affair partner (Tish) and that the wife should just be OK with that. Claire's sister said as much.
F*** that! I'm glad he died and wish Tish's life would have been ruined as well. Yeah, you could argue that technically Claire cheated first but the order of magnitude is completely different. She was in a serious depression that Jeff ignored for the most part and when her ex, Tim expressed his concern for her when she was crying, he took advantage and kissed her. Nowhere near the same as Jeff and Tish carrying on a year-long (or was it longer?) emotional affair. And then they had sex the first time they had a chance to be together again. So he's so great for deciding to end it?! And Tish is forgivable because she agreed?! And technically, it didn't even end because he died before their "deadline" to cut off the relationship. I'm guessing they would have kept on going judging by their previous actions.
So it's not just that I didn't like the above--the book was written from their three pov but they seemed like the same voice and it got confusing. If you are going to write a book that way you have to be very sure that you have distinct voices for each of the characters. If you don't, you should write for the screen instead.
F*** that! I'm glad he died and wish Tish's life would have been ruined as well. Yeah, you could argue that technically Claire cheated first but the order of magnitude is completely different. She was in a serious depression that Jeff ignored for the most part and when her ex, Tim expressed his concern for her when she was crying, he took advantage and kissed her. Nowhere near the same as Jeff and Tish carrying on a year-long (or was it longer?) emotional affair. And then they had sex the first time they had a chance to be together again. So he's so great for deciding to end it?! And Tish is forgivable because she agreed?! And technically, it didn't even end because he died before their "deadline" to cut off the relationship. I'm guessing they would have kept on going judging by their previous actions.
So it's not just that I didn't like the above--the book was written from their three pov but they seemed like the same voice and it got confusing. If you are going to write a book that way you have to be very sure that you have distinct voices for each of the characters. If you don't, you should write for the screen instead.
phoenixpond's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this one, although I would have been happier if I'd skipped the epilogue! Good Read.
jaxyway's review against another edition
3.0
Hidden is told in the first-person narrative of three characters – Jeff, the deceased, in the past, along with Claire, his wife, and Tish, his lover, both in the present. The novel begins with Jeff’s untimely demise, and the first half of the novel tells the story of the first few days following his death, along with a look at Jeff’s past.
We know going in to the novel that Jeff was cheating on his wife with a coworker at the time of his death, and it is slowly revealed how his adulterous relationship came to be throughout the course of the novel.
Like most novels that start with a huge opening such as this one, Hidden was easy enough to become interested in. The characters were satisfactory, but not great; Tish and Claire didn’t really stand apart from one another in their narratives, but Jeff had his own unique voice. The writing is decent, but again, not great; unfortunately, when a novel deals with a topic that is written about a lot like this one is, it has to be fantastic to stand out. This novel fell a bit short of fantastic. However, if you haven’t read any books with a plot like this in the past, you may feel differently. For me, though, nothing about this book was especially unique.
The big reveal at the end was not much of a reveal at all. I was hoping to like all of the characters despite their obvious flaws (adultery sucks, but it happens to the best of us, after all; no one is perfect), but sadly, at the end, I was left thinking that two of the three characters were assholes. Also, Jeff’s reason for cheating wasn’t a good reason at all, in my opinion. Sorry, Jeff, you’re one of the assholes.
Review to be posted soon on my blog, www.bibliobrat.com
We know going in to the novel that Jeff was cheating on his wife with a coworker at the time of his death, and it is slowly revealed how his adulterous relationship came to be throughout the course of the novel.
Like most novels that start with a huge opening such as this one, Hidden was easy enough to become interested in. The characters were satisfactory, but not great; Tish and Claire didn’t really stand apart from one another in their narratives, but Jeff had his own unique voice. The writing is decent, but again, not great; unfortunately, when a novel deals with a topic that is written about a lot like this one is, it has to be fantastic to stand out. This novel fell a bit short of fantastic. However, if you haven’t read any books with a plot like this in the past, you may feel differently. For me, though, nothing about this book was especially unique.
The big reveal at the end was not much of a reveal at all. I was hoping to like all of the characters despite their obvious flaws (adultery sucks, but it happens to the best of us, after all; no one is perfect), but sadly, at the end, I was left thinking that two of the three characters were assholes. Also, Jeff’s reason for cheating wasn’t a good reason at all, in my opinion. Sorry, Jeff, you’re one of the assholes.
Review to be posted soon on my blog, www.bibliobrat.com
mom2triplets04's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up for free for march from amazon prime first reads. It was told through 3 characters point of view. It was about a man who dies suddenly. He leaves behind his wife and son. Apparently he was having an affair with a married woman. So you get to see 3 sides of the story. I enjoyed the story.
grojasmartinez415's review against another edition
5.0
Hmmmm... A very well-written story. I wish I hadn't read the epilogue though. But it's necessary to read it. I liked having three narrators although a bit confusing at first. I definitely recommend this book.