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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
the summary
The Swap follows Low, a queer teen from a polyamorous family who has thus been alienated from her small island community. One day, she sees Freya, a new arrival, signs up for her pottery class- and so starts the obsession. If I were to sum up this book in one word it would be obsession. Freya is charismatic, sociopathic and manipulative- an expert at winning over vulnerable people like Low. Low quickly becomes swept away with her adoration and- you guessed it- obsession. She becomes resentful of Freya's best friend Jamie who has similarly fallen prey to Freya's charms. One night, Freya and Jamie swap husbands which sparks a dark chain of events.
the writing
Robyn Harding's writing was really well suited to the story. I enjoyed the multiple POVs included, while I found a few to be unnecessary. I found the writing to be addictive, easy to fly through and distinct for each character.
“At home, I was an afterthought. At school, I was a pariah. At Freya’s studio, I was everything. Freya was a best friend, a parent, and a crush all wrapped up in one worldly, glamorous package. Later, people would say I was obsessed with her, but I wasn’t. With Freya, I was home.”
the characters
I didn't particularly care for any other characters, which i think was the point. I understood that they were all meant to be unlikeable and morally grey, but it still impacted slightly on my enjoyment of the story. I think if there was the inclusion of someone I could root for it would have added to the suspense of the story, because I would have actually cared what happened to them. Instead, I spent the whole story almost wishing something would happen to them (particularly Low and Freya who really got on my nerves)
the suspense
this is where my enjoyment faltered. While this was marketed as a suspense-thriller, I found it more like a literary drama for the majority of the book. I didn't have that foreboding or unsettling feeling that I need in thrillers to pull me in. It was only in the ending that The Swap felt satisfactorily thrilling.
the ending
I really loved the ending. The slow burn of the rest of the novel finally payed off in the end. However, the finale could not completely make up for the, not boring per se, but monotonous build up.
the verdict
overall, this was a satisfactory read that makes me really excited to dive into some of Robyn Harding's backlist which I have heard such good things about. I found this book to hold much potential, and while the story wasn't entirely for me, I have hope that another of her books will click better with me. I would still recommend this if the premise interests you, and I think my 3.5 stars is definitely the minority considering all the 5 star ratings I have seen!
★★★☆☆.5 stars
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia for this ARC!
Release Date: 8 July 2020
The Swap follows Low, a queer teen from a polyamorous family who has thus been alienated from her small island community. One day, she sees Freya, a new arrival, signs up for her pottery class- and so starts the obsession. If I were to sum up this book in one word it would be obsession. Freya is charismatic, sociopathic and manipulative- an expert at winning over vulnerable people like Low. Low quickly becomes swept away with her adoration and- you guessed it- obsession. She becomes resentful of Freya's best friend Jamie who has similarly fallen prey to Freya's charms. One night, Freya and Jamie swap husbands which sparks a dark chain of events.
the writing
Robyn Harding's writing was really well suited to the story. I enjoyed the multiple POVs included, while I found a few to be unnecessary. I found the writing to be addictive, easy to fly through and distinct for each character.
“At home, I was an afterthought. At school, I was a pariah. At Freya’s studio, I was everything. Freya was a best friend, a parent, and a crush all wrapped up in one worldly, glamorous package. Later, people would say I was obsessed with her, but I wasn’t. With Freya, I was home.”
the characters
I didn't particularly care for any other characters, which i think was the point. I understood that they were all meant to be unlikeable and morally grey, but it still impacted slightly on my enjoyment of the story. I think if there was the inclusion of someone I could root for it would have added to the suspense of the story, because I would have actually cared what happened to them. Instead, I spent the whole story almost wishing something would happen to them (particularly Low and Freya who really got on my nerves)
the suspense
this is where my enjoyment faltered. While this was marketed as a suspense-thriller, I found it more like a literary drama for the majority of the book. I didn't have that foreboding or unsettling feeling that I need in thrillers to pull me in. It was only in the ending that The Swap felt satisfactorily thrilling.
the ending
I really loved the ending. The slow burn of the rest of the novel finally payed off in the end. However, the finale could not completely make up for the, not boring per se, but monotonous build up.
the verdict
overall, this was a satisfactory read that makes me really excited to dive into some of Robyn Harding's backlist which I have heard such good things about. I found this book to hold much potential, and while the story wasn't entirely for me, I have hope that another of her books will click better with me. I would still recommend this if the premise interests you, and I think my 3.5 stars is definitely the minority considering all the 5 star ratings I have seen!
★★★☆☆.5 stars
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia for this ARC!
Release Date: 8 July 2020
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
What absolut misogynistic hellscape was this? The characters were the most unlikeable, unsympathetic people! Swallow (ugh) was as the most unbelievably unoriginal pick-me girl I've read since I was into YA, and Freya just felt like someone trying to write a "dark woman" á la Gillian Flynn, but completely misunderstanding the point of it and making her into an incel's wet dream.
emotional
Mehh I think it was just a basic thriller. It's not really anything to write home about in my opinion.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I love Robyn Harding’s writing. Her storylines and her characters are so well written. I honestly did not like any of these characters. I didn’t find redeeming qualities about any of them. Just a testament of how well she writes her characters.
Each chapter is told by a different POV. The story moves along quickly. It was a train wreck and I needed to be there for every second of it.
This wasn’t my favorite of Harding’s books, but I would still recommend it to anyone who likes psychological thrillers. 3.5 stars.
I love Robyn Harding’s writing. Her storylines and her characters are so well written. I honestly did not like any of these characters. I didn’t find redeeming qualities about any of them. Just a testament of how well she writes her characters.
Each chapter is told by a different POV. The story moves along quickly. It was a train wreck and I needed to be there for every second of it.
This wasn’t my favorite of Harding’s books, but I would still recommend it to anyone who likes psychological thrillers. 3.5 stars.
I read this in two sittings, it was very entertaining!
Thanks to the publisher, via Edelweiss, for an advance e-galley for honest review.
This was my first Robyn Harding book, and I'm definitely more curious about the author's backlist at this point. I was quite sure I knew where this book would be going, but I was surprised at the varied places where it turned in opposite directions from what I expected, and I certainly didn't see the ending coming. It's just a little bit weird and unusual with characters I couldn't quite decide what to make of, making this an interesting choice of reads.
This was my first Robyn Harding book, and I'm definitely more curious about the author's backlist at this point. I was quite sure I knew where this book would be going, but I was surprised at the varied places where it turned in opposite directions from what I expected, and I certainly didn't see the ending coming. It's just a little bit weird and unusual with characters I couldn't quite decide what to make of, making this an interesting choice of reads.
There are some crazy people in this book!
I wasn’t a big fan of all the different points of views from the Characters.
Freya was evil and Low was very naive in her way of thinking sometimes.
This thriller was not really my cup of tea. This is my first book by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn’t a big fan of all the different points of views from the Characters.
Freya was evil and Low was very naive in her way of thinking sometimes.
This thriller was not really my cup of tea. This is my first book by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.