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ljesica's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
Freddie is an Australian in Boston. She is there on a grant to write a novel. She is sitting in the Reading Room of the Boston Public Library when she hears a woman scream. She and her tablemates look up and start talking about what could’ve happened. And then later a body is found.
This one is an interesting format. You read a chapter of the “story” and then it is followed by an email critiquing what has been written. A famous author is writing the story from Australia, and an aspiring writer is sending her his notes from Boston. Helping her with saying trunk instead of boot, etc, and telling her what Boston looks like. At first he seems pretty benign, but as the story progresses, he gets somewhat proprietary over “their” work. So there are two stories in this book.
I enjoyed it. I halfway guessed the bad guy. Which isn’t really saying much as there aren’t too many suspects. But there are a lot of red herrings. I kind of feel like maybe some things were left unanswered, but I think that was on purpose. It was definitely done in a way that will keep you thinking about the book
kellycallenm's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kandersen6's review against another edition
4.0
I LOVED this... and would give it 5 stars but am just a bit confused about the ending and was left a little unsure about whether I am supposed to be expecting a sequel. I would definitely recommend the audio book- the actors reading were fantastic.
louesums's review against another edition
2.0
⭐️⭐️/ 2
Okay! When I started the book I really enjoyed the letter perspective versus the story perspective. Definitely an interesting literary read and it made you think about what you were reading. But I just can’t get behind not having any real conclusion to either narrative. Also it took way to long for me to get through for a book that was under 300 pages so there’s that.
Okay! When I started the book I really enjoyed the letter perspective versus the story perspective. Definitely an interesting literary read and it made you think about what you were reading. But I just can’t get behind not having any real conclusion to either narrative. Also it took way to long for me to get through for a book that was under 300 pages so there’s that.
micmar's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
chelseacounsell's review against another edition
3.0
Reasonable. Not a genre I usually read necessarily but I read it with a book club that wanted to explore craft and the meta / nested nature of the book. It was definitely an interesting idea and I didn’t have any trouble reading it, but it also wasn’t my favorite book in the world. I saw much of the twists coming, but I think that’s probably good that the author foreshadowed it enough to cause that? I felt vindicated. Gosh I hated Leo the whole time lol (the one in the real world, who was penpal to the author writing the mystery). What a sycophant. The portrayal of him did escalate in quite a creepy way.
library_rift's review against another edition
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
knittyreader's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
I usually don't read mystery novels, but sometimes I am rewarded for trying anyway.
This book is a story within a story within a story, and that gives a couple of extra dimensions and a level of meta-reading that made it quite fun and refreshing to read. The solution was the one I somehow didn't think of yet (although I want to tell myself that I might have, but that is in hindsight). Funny really, as at one point it felt like I suspected everyone, including the protagonist. The story really did keep me on the edge of my seat!
This book is a story within a story within a story, and that gives a couple of extra dimensions and a level of meta-reading that made it quite fun and refreshing to read. The solution was the one I somehow didn't think of yet (although I want to tell myself that I might have, but that is in hindsight). Funny really, as at one point it felt like I suspected everyone, including the protagonist. The story really did keep me on the edge of my seat!