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zasou_reads's review against another edition
1.0
Well... that was disappointing. What's thrilling about this thriller? First of all, in the "One Year Later" parts nothing happens, they are just boring. There is no sense of guilt from Mom, no sense of urgency, and by these parts we know, when we're in the "Then" timeline, that nothing is resolved 1 year after Naomi's disappearance. Also, Jenny was painted as a not so good mother. The tag line of this novel is "How well do you know your family?", and Jenny doesn't seem to know shit about any of her kids. How clueless can you be? Or how little do you care? I didn't like this, skipped big chunks just trying to find interesting parts, and I sadly did not. And that ending? Was NOT worth it...
faizastra's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
xheneta's review against another edition
2.0
A very interesting book with some plot twists but the ending was not satisfying for me. A lot of things still needed to be addressed.
beverly_h's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this read. What appealed to me the most about this book was that it was full of contrasts - twisting and turning society's stereotypes. I often get frustrated with what I consider to be 'lazy fiction' where, for example, society's poorest people are always scapegoated into becoming the evil characters while the middle-to-upper-class characters are portrayed as upholding the moral high ground. Without giving too much away, you will find that this book inverts said stereotype - yet not in a particularly obvious way. It has been done subtly via some peripheral characters, yet the message is loud and clear. As I have a natural inclination to be a champion of the underdog, I appreciated the book's conveyance of this.
I don't often enjoy novels that jump forward and backward to past and future, as well as being set in the present. However, this book's structural adherence to same was not a problem for me. I believe this was due to the pacing of the novel, which was agreeable - not too fast, and not too slow.
On the whole, I appreciated this book for its 'realness', a quality that I find to be lacking in many works of fiction nowadays. Although the characters could have been more well-developed-out, most of them were likeable (bearing in mind that - as a character-driven writer myself - I often critique authors for this). I did find one character to be perplexingly dark and unlikeable at times - I'm not sure overall what this added to the story, apart from perhaps being a red herring.
On the whole, I commend this book for its rejection of societal stereotypes and its handling of sensitive yet urgent - and almost universal - themes.
I don't often enjoy novels that jump forward and backward to past and future, as well as being set in the present. However, this book's structural adherence to same was not a problem for me. I believe this was due to the pacing of the novel, which was agreeable - not too fast, and not too slow.
On the whole, I appreciated this book for its 'realness', a quality that I find to be lacking in many works of fiction nowadays. Although the characters could have been more well-developed-out, most of them were likeable (bearing in mind that - as a character-driven writer myself - I often critique authors for this). I did find one character to be perplexingly dark and unlikeable at times - I'm not sure overall what this added to the story, apart from perhaps being a red herring.
On the whole, I commend this book for its rejection of societal stereotypes and its handling of sensitive yet urgent - and almost universal - themes.
mcearl12's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this and had a hard time putting it down. Page-turner and heart-breaker. Only complaint is that I wasn't crazy about the end...felt too abrupt. I would have liked another chapter... though maybe there will be another, related, book to come...??
sony08's review against another edition
4.0
I have read several of the reviews for this book and see how many people were dissapointed with the ending. I, for one, disagree. I thought the ending to this book for perfect and everything that was written before that has set the scene for exactly that ending.
When a 15 year old Naomi goes missing, her family falls apart. Always thinking they were doing their best and that the family was ticking over quite happily, with Naomi's disappearance, that picture disappears too. Cracks start to show and cannot be closed up again.
The characters are believable, just proving that no family is perfect. The book is tense and surprising and keep you going. In places it was slightly a slow progress, hence the loss of one start, but overall this is a brilliant read for any fans of suspense thriller, family drama type of book.
When a 15 year old Naomi goes missing, her family falls apart. Always thinking they were doing their best and that the family was ticking over quite happily, with Naomi's disappearance, that picture disappears too. Cracks start to show and cannot be closed up again.
The characters are believable, just proving that no family is perfect. The book is tense and surprising and keep you going. In places it was slightly a slow progress, hence the loss of one start, but overall this is a brilliant read for any fans of suspense thriller, family drama type of book.
kristinreadsall's review against another edition
2.0
Spoilers ahead.
The writer was really good at making you dislike the parents. Disengaged, neglectful towards each other and their children. Then were surprised when they had no idea what was going on. The first half of the book is Jenny having a pity party for herself. Insisting that she knew her kids, especially Naomi. It chugs along, slowly. I thought that it was going to build up to something huge. It didn't. The ending was weird, unfinished, and not worth the time I took to read the book. I had to look to see if this was a series.
The writer was really good at making you dislike the parents. Disengaged, neglectful towards each other and their children. Then were surprised when they had no idea what was going on. The first half of the book is Jenny having a pity party for herself. Insisting that she knew her kids, especially Naomi. It chugs along, slowly. I thought that it was going to build up to something huge. It didn't. The ending was weird, unfinished, and not worth the time I took to read the book. I had to look to see if this was a series.
laloba's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
courtneye12's review against another edition
2.0
It was okay. It got quite slow towards the end, but I pushed through to finish it.