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chelle22's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation
kccool12255's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Alrighty, let's see if I remember anything from a book I read three months ago...
I kept seeing this book recommended EVERYWHERE, so I figured it was about time I actually READ it. And WOW, do I understand why this book has so much hype. It is ABSOLUTELY deserving of it. Though once again, I do wish I knew what I was getting myself into beforehand, as this book does fall in the same genre as "Then She Was Gone" and "I Invited Her In", but I guess that's a consequence of me not doing more research before I jump headfirst into a popular book. That's probably something I'm gonna start doing in the future, just to make sure I can properly prepare myself beforehand.
That being said, let's get into the review! (I'm unusually cheery today, and I'm not exactly sure what's caused it. Just roll with it, that's what I'm doing.)
The mystery aspect of this book was VERY well done. From the very beginning, you're fully immersed and invested in the story, and the characters are all very fleshed-out and well-developed. I really like how the author included POVs from each of the important characters, I feel like it added a lot of depth to the story and opened up a lot of entertaining stuff to read. The only character I wish Lucy Foley had done more with is the Concierge, because even though she has a sad backstory and is Mimi's grandmother , it felt like that was her entire character. She didn't really serve an overall purpose in the story, and I wish she had had a bigger role. I don't even think JESS figures out all that's been going on with her brother and the people in the apartments, but the reader gets to find out EVERYTHING, and BOY, is it juicy.
But that being said...did it have to be THIS juicy? I could've been okay with Ben getting with Mimi, it felt like that was where the story was headed ANYHOW, and he was already into her and literally promised her that they would eventually get together, just not while she was drunk. And I understand the element of surprise and the subverting of expectations, but we could've done without the Ben-Sophie relationship. I mean, I'm being a little harsh, because that's not a BIG problem I have with this book. The relationship was fine (though a little icky, because Sophie's having an affair and these two have a SIZEABLE age gap), it was just a little GRAPHIC. But I will acknowledge and appreciate that level of the story I was OKAY with. It's ICKY, but it's relatively FINE. But while we're talking about Sophie, what was the point of her having an org*sm in the shower???? It felt really out of place, and I don't understand the point of including that scene if it adds nothing to the narrative. It just adds to the tone (BARELY), and that's not really what we should be trying to get at here. It's just an unnecessary and gross detail to add.
Let's get to the REAL juice, though. But before that, I do want to address something else I like. I think it's really funny how you can definitely tell that Lucy Foley is a fan of New Girl. Main character Jess feeling attraction to a guy named NIck Miller? Yeah, that was pretty spot-on. THEY EVEN ADDRESS IT IN THE ACTUAL STORY. And apparently, upon further research, some of the plotlines of the book match up with a specific episode of New Girl? But I have nothing to prove that, I'm just taking it from what the Internet says. But like, even THOUGH New Girl is its own thing and has its own Nick and Jess, I STILL WOULD'VE BEEN OKAY if these two had ended up together in THIS book. I feel like there was a genuine SPARK there (this was of course before Nick reveals that he's a very closeted gay man, but in that case, why was it written like these two were genuinely attracted to each other???? If you're gonna write him to be gay, then why would there be any attraction or almost-kisses there? It just doesn't make sense to me.) , and they could've been a GOOD couple. I would've even taken just them being together for a little while before Jess finds out about all the other stuff, and then they fall out. MAKE HIM BI, AT LEAST. And I know his sexuality's not explicitly stated, but I feel like it's heavily implied that he's gay. If he's bi, at least that explains the initial attraction to Jess while he also likes men. Not that I support bi characters (don't hate them, but that's a topic for another day), but I feel like in the context of the NARRATIVE here, it just makes sense. And maybe even get back together, who knows, but there was SOMETHING there. Definitely something more than whatever Jess had with Theo, which by the way, WAS ALSO NOT FULLY FLESHED-OUT. THAT COULD'VE BEEN SOMETHING TOO. (Though this one has less potential, as they literally have little in common and are not really attracted to each other at all. They have little to no chemistry, and they bone while she's wearing his ex's clothes. Icky.) And even IF they weren't going to be a romantic item, their friendship could've had a LITTLE more development. That just phases out of existence after the first one hundred pages, and then it's COMPLETELY abandoned. Yes, have them fall out, but either bring them back together or just give their relationship more development before you do.
But the REAL juice. Even IF Nick is gay...did we NEED to read the SUPER descriptive scene of him sucking Ben's d*ck? Is that REALLY necessary? I feel like even WITH all the Ben-Sophie and Ben-Mimi stuff, that's KIND OF nasty, but it's enough to cover the book. We didn't NEED the added Nick storyline. Make their whole Amsterdam or wherever it was trip something else, because that's not needed. It was gross and disturbing to read, AND it prevents Nick and Jess's relationship (though that's more of a personal complaint on my part). In conclusion, I have issues with the way Nick's character is written. I feel like there could've been more that was done with him, and he just fell flat in the end. As did both Antoine and Jacques, who I haven't even MENTIONED in this review because they're honestly so irrelevant to the story. Jacques could've done SOMETHING, and Antoine could DEFINITELY have served a bigger role, even though he's a drunk.
That being said, I did really like Mimi's character, and even Camile's, though she doesn't really add anything to the story. She is some nice comic relief, and just provides a nice foil to Mimi's darkness. The way she found out Ben was boning her mother was...unfortunate, and icky, but she's not even the person I have the main ick with in that scene, so I can forgive that. And every plot twist was EXPERTLY done, I didn't predict ANY of it, ESPECIALLY all of them being a family, though it should've seemed obvious from the get-go, and everything wrapped up nicely in the end. Though, I have to say, what exactly was the POINT here? What was this book trying to SAY, what was the MESSAGE? Is it just a bunch of messed-up crap?
Anyways, there's the review. Pretty good book, DEFINITELY an entertaining read, but could've done more.
I kept seeing this book recommended EVERYWHERE, so I figured it was about time I actually READ it. And WOW, do I understand why this book has so much hype. It is ABSOLUTELY deserving of it. Though once again, I do wish I knew what I was getting myself into beforehand, as this book does fall in the same genre as "Then She Was Gone" and "I Invited Her In", but I guess that's a consequence of me not doing more research before I jump headfirst into a popular book. That's probably something I'm gonna start doing in the future, just to make sure I can properly prepare myself beforehand.
That being said, let's get into the review! (I'm unusually cheery today, and I'm not exactly sure what's caused it. Just roll with it, that's what I'm doing.)
The mystery aspect of this book was VERY well done. From the very beginning, you're fully immersed and invested in the story, and the characters are all very fleshed-out and well-developed. I really like how the author included POVs from each of the important characters, I feel like it added a lot of depth to the story and opened up a lot of entertaining stuff to read. The only character I wish Lucy Foley had done more with is the Concierge, because even though she has a sad backstory
But that being said...did it have to be THIS juicy?
Let's get to the REAL juice, though. But before that, I do want to address something else I like. I think it's really funny how you can definitely tell that Lucy Foley is a fan of New Girl. Main character Jess feeling attraction to a guy named NIck Miller? Yeah, that was pretty spot-on. THEY EVEN ADDRESS IT IN THE ACTUAL STORY. And apparently, upon further research, some of the plotlines of the book match up with a specific episode of New Girl? But I have nothing to prove that, I'm just taking it from what the Internet says. But like, even THOUGH New Girl is its own thing and has its own Nick and Jess, I STILL WOULD'VE BEEN OKAY if these two had ended up together in THIS book. I feel like there was a genuine SPARK there
But the REAL juice.
That being said, I did really like Mimi's character, and even Camile's, though she doesn't really add anything to the story. She is some nice comic relief, and just provides a nice foil to Mimi's darkness.
Anyways, there's the review. Pretty good book, DEFINITELY an entertaining read, but could've done more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Biphobia, Cancer, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, and Car accident
jamie_pulsifer's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book took a little while to get me hooked, but once it did, I couldn’t put it down.
I find I always judge a mystery by how quickly I put together what was happening. Lucy does a great job of throwing readers off the scent while leaving enough breadcrumbs to make them feel smart and “in the know” Throughout. While some details were off, I was able to predict the general idea of the ending before it was revealed. Overall this book had good twists, but not as shocking as some of her other work.
I find I always judge a mystery by how quickly I put together what was happening. Lucy does a great job of throwing readers off the scent while leaving enough breadcrumbs to make them feel smart and “in the know” Throughout. While some details were off, I was able to predict the general idea of the ending before it was revealed. Overall this book had good twists, but not as shocking as some of her other work.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Murder
veronicandoit's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
mi_bean's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
krosebooks's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book had interesting perspectives through the characters. I liked that the chapters were short and the writing style flowed well through out the book, keep pushing me through the book. The mystery side of things I found a little predictable, but I think the author used that on purpose because while I did predict some things I didn't predict everything that happened in the climax.
Has Salt Burn vibes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation
kathlynnsell's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
kpitsker's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Trafficking
brookey8888's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was fine, thank for it was different then her other two books. I didn’t find anything shocking and was kind of bored for the most part , but it was interesting enough for me to finish. To be honest I would probably skip this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
andreaaaoid's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence