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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Meh. The entire book was building up to something big and then it just fell flat and ended. Wouldn’t recommend reading it.
My Two Cents: Centered around a small town Pacific Coast island village, an awkward teenager (Low) becomes enamored with a new celebrity couple that recently moved in (Freya and Max). When a new couple (Jamie and Brian) moves to the island and becomes friends with Freya, Low infiltrates herself into their lives and becomes increasingly obsessive.
This book was a breeze to read through! The chapters changed perspective every few chapters and were very short, ending each character’s narrative with so much foreshadowing that I couldn’t help but keep going!
I really enjoyed this book for the entertainment factor and the suspense that permeated the entire story. Knowing from the description that the two main couples end up swapping partners on a drunken night, I expected most of the drama to climax around that event. However, when that night came and went about mid-way through the novel, the foreshadowing only became more elusive and kept me telling myself “just one more chapter… I’ll stop when it changes perspective…”
Typically, I tend to relate to one or more of the main characters and that's what makes the story that much more real to me. In this case, I can’t say I related or even really liked any of the characters, but being inside their heads and understanding why they did the things they did still drew me in. This is probably one of the few books where I loved the book itself, but disliked every single character. Max was probably the one redeemable player and even that I only came to conclude at the end when we finally saw a brief birds-eye-view of his feelings throughout the chaos.
Besides Max, the other characters – Low, Freya, Jamie, and Brian – were horribly selfish and dysfunctional. I could sympathize with them in some ways, but it didn’t excuse their behavior. I don’t want to spill any beans so I’ll just say that Low had a fleeting moment in which I thought she had grown as a person, but in the end I think she was still chasing the same obsession and demons.
Overall, despite disliking the characters, they worked for the story which felt plausible, in large part thanks to the setting that brought it all together. This is a great book if you’re looking for something fun, but dramatic this summer!
This book was a breeze to read through! The chapters changed perspective every few chapters and were very short, ending each character’s narrative with so much foreshadowing that I couldn’t help but keep going!
I really enjoyed this book for the entertainment factor and the suspense that permeated the entire story. Knowing from the description that the two main couples end up swapping partners on a drunken night, I expected most of the drama to climax around that event. However, when that night came and went about mid-way through the novel, the foreshadowing only became more elusive and kept me telling myself “just one more chapter… I’ll stop when it changes perspective…”
Typically, I tend to relate to one or more of the main characters and that's what makes the story that much more real to me. In this case, I can’t say I related or even really liked any of the characters, but being inside their heads and understanding why they did the things they did still drew me in. This is probably one of the few books where I loved the book itself, but disliked every single character. Max was probably the one redeemable player and even that I only came to conclude at the end when we finally saw a brief birds-eye-view of his feelings throughout the chaos.
Besides Max, the other characters – Low, Freya, Jamie, and Brian – were horribly selfish and dysfunctional. I could sympathize with them in some ways, but it didn’t excuse their behavior. I don’t want to spill any beans so I’ll just say that Low had a fleeting moment in which I thought she had grown as a person, but in the end I think she was still chasing the same obsession and demons.
Overall, despite disliking the characters, they worked for the story which felt plausible, in large part thanks to the setting that brought it all together. This is a great book if you’re looking for something fun, but dramatic this summer!
Freya Light is a narcissist psychopath influencer who somehow ensnares anyone who meets her. Low, a teenager from the local high school falls in love at first sight and signs up for her pottery classes. Jamie, a local shop owner also has an unhealthy attachment to her. Everything goes awry when Jamie and her husband spend an evening with Freya and her husband, Max, drinking mushroom tea. They do a partner swap and nothing is the same.
I honestly have always wondered about influencers and their obsession for approval and likes, this novel really takes that to the next level and to be honest, I found parts of Freya's character somewhat believable. The only criticism I have is that as a reader, I couldn't quite understand Freya's appeal, and the hypnotic effect she seemed to have on everyone she came across; she just seemed like an awful human being.
4.5/5 rounded up to 5. This book was hard to put down and I really enjoyed reading it.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
I honestly have always wondered about influencers and their obsession for approval and likes, this novel really takes that to the next level and to be honest, I found parts of Freya's character somewhat believable. The only criticism I have is that as a reader, I couldn't quite understand Freya's appeal, and the hypnotic effect she seemed to have on everyone she came across; she just seemed like an awful human being.
4.5/5 rounded up to 5. This book was hard to put down and I really enjoyed reading it.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
This was so captivating and engaging.
Like the other story I read from the author, there is no big plot twist. However, the plot holds the reader and makes him want to know more.
The characters are imperfect and strange and that is why they are so real!
It is an addictive story about obsession and its consequences.
I really want to read more books by the author.
This was on some Single White Female mess! Like the whole story was dumb & made no sense. The characters were vapid & bland. Why this is raved about is beyond me. Don’t read this. The audio was decent. That’s the second star. Otherwise, it’d be one.
It was okay, I found it a little predictable, and I did not like any of the characters, but... I think that might have been some of the point
THE SWAP was my first Robyn Harding book and it did not disappoint!
My thoughts:
-a twisted story with characters keeping all kinds of secrets & starting drama
-plenty of unlikeable characters but Freya takes the cake
-set on a "secluded" island where they can't help but into each other constantly
-quick chapters & very fast paced throughout
If you want a thriller that will keep you guessing until the end and is full of drama, I would totally recommend this one.
My thoughts:
-a twisted story with characters keeping all kinds of secrets & starting drama
-plenty of unlikeable characters but Freya takes the cake
-set on a "secluded" island where they can't help but into each other constantly
-quick chapters & very fast paced throughout
If you want a thriller that will keep you guessing until the end and is full of drama, I would totally recommend this one.