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A review by darkpsychereads
Hurry Home by Roz Nay
4.0
★ ★ ★ ★ - Tense & electric domestic thriller.
When Alex's long lost and untrustworthy sister, Ruth, knocks on her door with a baby bump, she brings an unsettling series of events that rock the stability of Alex's now stable life. While Alex enforces strict guardianship over her sister, their childhood afflictions inevitably come back to haunt them both full force. High secrecy, elevated tensions, and all kinds of deceit and games between two badass sisters run consistently throughout this story - keeping you guessing!
"Again and again the universe pins me onto a hideous wheel, and I'm always at the very center as it spins."
I applaud an author from grabbing my attention from the very beginning with the depiction of a woman "ghost-danc[ing]" with her baby by a window... that was haunting enough for me to begin! Then, twisting my world all over again at the very end. I also enjoyed the atmospheric setup, attention to body language (well done! many writers forget this!) and good character development which left a strong visual impression. However, perhaps the male characters felt a little washed out, seeming all a bit too easygoing and gullible. I enjoyed how analytical and observational Alex was, reading into people's psychological subtext. Also how badass she was! I did enjoy how events transpired and it was a rewarding ending (even though I kinda predicted it from 50%).
While the writing was good, I felt the storyline a little predictable and orchestrated in parts. Like simply going through the motions, everybody behaving as they should, all characters in place for the final scene. For that reason, it was more of a lulling thriller - keeping a consistent pace without much change in overall experience. I struggled a bit with the unrealistic turns of events, like weeks would go by and Alex wouldn't have those conversations with her partner about how weird it was that Ruth was staying? I get that Alex was quite secretive and independent, but it still seemed odd. I know when I live with someone and there's tension, weeks don't just go by, that stuff comes out, rather fast! And the tension about Sully.. really? A girl's allowed to have friends.
And Chase needed a little more depth as I couldn't quite understand where he was coming from - Particularly his love of babies and sadness over discovering his gf of two years didn't disclose she had a brother.. like so what? Unless it's really hammered in that Chase is passionate/sensitive about family, and there's maybe scenes where his family drop in or he experienced some kind of strong loss himself, this emotion didn't seem to qualify in the readers eye (And that brotherly sporting accident doesn't count! Even though I did enjoy the reference to Chase's 'light trauma' of it).
I also think the ending needed more fleshing out to make it really sink in how damaged they really were.
(Irrelevant storyline sidenote: I cringed at the character who tipped breast milk bottles down the drain!! nooo !! babies need those specifically developed nutrients to survive their first few weeks!!! AGH.)
While the plot was somewhat predictable, I still found many of the twists, lies and motivations very enjoyable. I think I would read more by this author based on how fun the writing was! Especially, since she referred to pregnancy as "an alien trapped in a bag".
Thanks to NetGalley, Roz Nay and the publisher for this free Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review!
*This book came out on July 7, 2020 and is available for purchase!*
When Alex's long lost and untrustworthy sister, Ruth, knocks on her door with a baby bump, she brings an unsettling series of events that rock the stability of Alex's now stable life. While Alex enforces strict guardianship over her sister, their childhood afflictions inevitably come back to haunt them both full force. High secrecy, elevated tensions, and all kinds of deceit and games between two badass sisters run consistently throughout this story - keeping you guessing!
"Again and again the universe pins me onto a hideous wheel, and I'm always at the very center as it spins."
I applaud an author from grabbing my attention from the very beginning with the depiction of a woman "ghost-danc[ing]" with her baby by a window... that was haunting enough for me to begin! Then, twisting my world all over again at the very end. I also enjoyed the atmospheric setup, attention to body language (well done! many writers forget this!) and good character development which left a strong visual impression. However, perhaps the male characters felt a little washed out, seeming all a bit too easygoing and gullible. I enjoyed how analytical and observational Alex was, reading into people's psychological subtext. Also how badass she was! I did enjoy how events transpired and it was a rewarding ending (even though I kinda predicted it from 50%).
While the writing was good, I felt the storyline a little predictable and orchestrated in parts. Like simply going through the motions, everybody behaving as they should, all characters in place for the final scene. For that reason, it was more of a lulling thriller - keeping a consistent pace without much change in overall experience. I struggled a bit with the unrealistic turns of events, like weeks would go by and Alex wouldn't have those conversations with her partner about how weird it was that Ruth was staying? I get that Alex was quite secretive and independent, but it still seemed odd. I know when I live with someone and there's tension, weeks don't just go by, that stuff comes out, rather fast! And the tension about Sully.. really? A girl's allowed to have friends.
And Chase needed a little more depth as I couldn't quite understand where he was coming from - Particularly his love of babies and sadness over discovering his gf of two years didn't disclose she had a brother.. like so what? Unless it's really hammered in that Chase is passionate/sensitive about family, and there's maybe scenes where his family drop in or he experienced some kind of strong loss himself, this emotion didn't seem to qualify in the readers eye (And that brotherly sporting accident doesn't count! Even though I did enjoy the reference to Chase's 'light trauma' of it).
I also think the ending needed more fleshing out to make it really sink in how damaged they really were.
(Irrelevant storyline sidenote: I cringed at the character who tipped breast milk bottles down the drain!! nooo !! babies need those specifically developed nutrients to survive their first few weeks!!! AGH.)
While the plot was somewhat predictable, I still found many of the twists, lies and motivations very enjoyable. I think I would read more by this author based on how fun the writing was! Especially, since she referred to pregnancy as "an alien trapped in a bag".
Thanks to NetGalley, Roz Nay and the publisher for this free Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review!
*This book came out on July 7, 2020 and is available for purchase!*