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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Found this to be a riveting read. Basic Cathy meets a bouncer at a night club and every other chapter is about their developing relationship and the emergence of the sinister side of Lee. The alternating chapters find Cathy 4/5 years later when she has moved to London from the North and is suffering from personal issues. Heart-wrenching depictions of her anxiety and fear. Quite violent in parts but well written and gripping. The best thriller I’ve read in ages.
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Are you into personality types? I'm an INFJ, just in case you were wondering (you probably weren't, haha). My question to you is, do movie and book preferences say a lot about the person we are, our past, our fears? Too much psychology on the brain! I wish I could understand why I am drawn to movies and books like "Sleeping With The Enemy (which happens to be an amazing book, by the way) or "Enough", and more recently "Safe Haven."
Women in abusive relationships who overcome their fears and get on with their lives are so precious to me! It proves that the human spirit is outstandingly resilient. This book appealed to me more so because Catherine, the protagonist, suffers from a pretty severe case of OCD. Her daily struggles to get out of the house, and make sure it's secure upon returning, highlight her need to control her environment, and the body's natural inclinations to self-preserve.
That being said, I liked this book but I didn't love it. I wanted to so badly! In the end, it was a thrilling page turner, but I felt like the characters lacked real depth. It was also a little too graphic for me. I know! That never happens; I have steel nerves. But some of the scenes were just hard to read.
I should also add that I was (and still am) that annoying kid who would interrupt a good anecdote to ask, "How'd you get there?" or "So the car came from the west and then struck your car? That's not possible." So it was hard to stop asking those questions while reading. Yes, it's fiction...but after you've read some amazing literary thrillers and mysteries, it's hard not to expect anything but the best. I may pick up Haynes next book, which will be published this spring. Maybe like a fine cheese, she gets better with age, or in this case—experience.
Women in abusive relationships who overcome their fears and get on with their lives are so precious to me! It proves that the human spirit is outstandingly resilient. This book appealed to me more so because Catherine, the protagonist, suffers from a pretty severe case of OCD. Her daily struggles to get out of the house, and make sure it's secure upon returning, highlight her need to control her environment, and the body's natural inclinations to self-preserve.
That being said, I liked this book but I didn't love it. I wanted to so badly! In the end, it was a thrilling page turner, but I felt like the characters lacked real depth. It was also a little too graphic for me. I know! That never happens; I have steel nerves. But some of the scenes were just hard to read.
I should also add that I was (and still am) that annoying kid who would interrupt a good anecdote to ask, "How'd you get there?" or "So the car came from the west and then struck your car? That's not possible." So it was hard to stop asking those questions while reading. Yes, it's fiction...but after you've read some amazing literary thrillers and mysteries, it's hard not to expect anything but the best. I may pick up Haynes next book, which will be published this spring. Maybe like a fine cheese, she gets better with age, or in this case—experience.
So fucking disturbing. It scared the hell out of me! I felt all the trauma Cathy was going through and the paranoia he caused her. To be honest, I don't know if I will ever be able to date someone without having a foot back, especially a cop. This is a perfect read!
I thought this book was fantastic!! I could t read it fast enough. It kept my attention with every page!
I scored a galley of this at PLA and read it in 2 days. It definitely sucks you. And it makes you feel sick the whole time you are reading it. There are two stories taking place: before the attack and after the attack. Catherine Bailey meets super sexy Lee in a nightclub and they commence in a super hot relationship that quickly turns into a controlling, manipulative, abusive nightmare. Lee is a psychopath who does this crazy little things like switching the silverware to drive Catherine crazy. After the attack we follow Cathy who has a severe case of PTSD and OCD. She spends her life checking and rechecking her doors, windows, silverware drawer to make sure he has not been in her flat. She knows she has OCD, but to her it is more a matter of self-preservation than crazy. As a reader the tension and fear just builds and builds and builds. You see how messed up Cathy is from the attack and you can see the red flags that Catherine shrugs off before. The craziest part for me is how Catherine's friends were so quick to turn against her. She told them she was afraid of Lee and they told her to get over it, it was obvious he loved her. They chalked it up to her being afraid of commitment or being jealous of his job. I found this hard to believe/understand. I would/could never do what Catherine's friends do in this book. The book is sexually violent and a little hard to read at times, but it definitely grips the reader and doesn't let go. I did not give it a five because I found it a little predictable and the ending was not as developed as it should be. After reading 350 pages of increasing tension, fear, suspense, the end just came super quick and then it was over. I wonder if there will be a sequel, the author kind of left it as a possibility.
Dark, disturbing psychological thriller. I like dark books, I really do but this one was just so close to the bone. The back and forth of the story made the whole thing even more disturbing as I sat reading the complete breakdown of young carefree Catherine into terrified OCD sufferer Cathy. There were a few little twists and turns in the story towards the end but overall I felt like I knew where and when things were going to end. I'm hesitant to say I would have liked a little insight into Lees' head but I don't know, he scared me enough tbh. Lastly I'm not sure that I would recommend this book, but if you want too read it I'll hold your hand.