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heathercorinne's review
4.0
I really liked this book; it drew me in and kept me interested throughout. I enjoyed the short, digestible chapters.
Psychological suspense without being scary or violent. Told from two different perspectives, Dr. and study participant, it is full of manipulation and gaslighting. I would definitely recommend this read.
Contains some reference to suicide and sexual abuse, but not heavily steeped.
Semi-Spoilers
The reduction of one star: For the level of slow burn, the ending was lackluster for me. Dr. Shields deviated so far from her character setup in the last few pages by breaking down and giving up. Maybe that was the point, but it just felt abrupt and not very satisfying.
Psychological suspense without being scary or violent. Told from two different perspectives, Dr. and study participant, it is full of manipulation and gaslighting. I would definitely recommend this read.
Contains some reference to suicide and sexual abuse, but not heavily steeped.
Semi-Spoilers
The reduction of one star: For the level of slow burn, the ending was lackluster for me. Dr. Shields deviated so far from her character setup in the last few pages by breaking down and giving up. Maybe that was the point, but it just felt abrupt and not very satisfying.
bookgerm's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
illusie's review
2.0
This is about Jessica who joints a study on ethics and morality. At first I enjoyed it, but later on I got a bit bored with it. The pacing was slow, I didn't really like the characters and there were not enough unexpected plot twists. This book wasn't really for me.
rellyallen's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
tigeresseyes13's review against another edition
The writing was very cringe. And the characters were not enjoyable and relatively flat.
emilypaddon's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I don’t know if I would consider this a thriller exactly, but I really enjoyed it!
lmurray43's review
4.0
This book had so many twist and turns in it. I loved that it kept me guessing and wanting to read more so I would know what was going on with Jess, Thomas, and Dr. Lydia Shields. It starts out where Jess sneaks into a psychological study under the pretense of being someone else. The study is on Ethics and Morality and Jess just knows that it is a way to earn an easy $500. Upon entering the study, she has to give her real name and answer questions on a computer screen. As things progress she becomes the main subject of Dr. Shields' study and things progress from there. She meets Dr. Shields to find out she is a woman and is looking for more from Jess then just answering questions on a computer screen. Dr. Shields sets Jess up to meet with men and see if they will cheat on their wives with her but there is more to it then that. Dr. Shields is testing Jess and her husband Thomas at the same time but at first no one realizes this.
bookph1le's review
2.0
This wasn't the worst psychological thriller I've read lately. If that ain't a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is. Anywho, I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum as I briefly summarize here.
- Unlike most of the thrillers I read lately, this one did hold my attention. I couldn't figure out exactly what was going on, and I kept reading because I wanted to know where the authors were going with the plot. I give it points for that.
- This is yet another thriller that feels to me like it was written by outline, or by checklist. It has all the elements thrillers require these days, and all the feeling of being written specifically to chase the ol' New York Times Bestseller tag. It's not that the book was unoriginal, exactly. I'd liken reading it to eating fast food when what you really crave is a creative, chef-prepared meal. It's okay, but you would have been a lot more satisfied with something daring and different.
- Honestly, parts of this read like they were quoted verbatim from a pop-psychology book, hence why I was entirely unimpressed with Dr. Shields as a character.
- BeautyBuzz sounds like a legit business. Does this sort of thing actually exist? Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think there's a far, far more interesting plot in the idea of the makeup artist going from house to house. Imagine the possibilities there. They'd have been a lot more interesting than the plot of this book, I think.
Final thought: Yeah, I'm done with the hyped commercial thrillers for a while. They just leave me feeling so empty and disappointed. I crave something original, something that doesn't follow the current formula, but I can't seem to find it. I'm probably better off just sitting back and waiting for the next Tana French to come out.
- Unlike most of the thrillers I read lately, this one did hold my attention. I couldn't figure out exactly what was going on, and I kept reading because I wanted to know where the authors were going with the plot. I give it points for that.
- This is yet another thriller that feels to me like it was written by outline, or by checklist. It has all the elements thrillers require these days, and all the feeling of being written specifically to chase the ol' New York Times Bestseller tag. It's not that the book was unoriginal, exactly. I'd liken reading it to eating fast food when what you really crave is a creative, chef-prepared meal. It's okay, but you would have been a lot more satisfied with something daring and different.
- Honestly, parts of this read like they were quoted verbatim from a pop-psychology book, hence why I was entirely unimpressed with Dr. Shields as a character.
Spoiler
- And what even is Shields's motivation? She was such a weird, weird character. I spent the bulk of the book trying to figure out if she was a sociopath, but I wasn't convinced she was. This is what made it so weird to me. Had she been a sociopath, the things she'd done would have made more sense to me. Instead, she comes across as so clinical and cold. And I'm still not sure about her choice at the end. Is she meant to be a tragic figure?- BeautyBuzz sounds like a legit business. Does this sort of thing actually exist? Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think there's a far, far more interesting plot in the idea of the makeup artist going from house to house. Imagine the possibilities there. They'd have been a lot more interesting than the plot of this book, I think.
Final thought: Yeah, I'm done with the hyped commercial thrillers for a while. They just leave me feeling so empty and disappointed. I crave something original, something that doesn't follow the current formula, but I can't seem to find it. I'm probably better off just sitting back and waiting for the next Tana French to come out.
gamecocksara's review
3.0
3.5 stars. It was a quick & entertaining read. Not my normal favored genre, but it sucked me in & made me want to find out what was going on ASAP.