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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5. This one was just a lil too far fetched & frustrating, but still fun I guess.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Yes
I didn’t like this one as much as I liked all her others I read. I think I went in expecting too much.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
After reading The Housemaid and feeling disappointed, I had picked up Never Lie to see if I could change my mind about Freida McFadden books.
Unfortunately, I will not be purchasing her material again. Considering her books are on the front tables of every bookstore I have been to, her quality of writing and storytelling does not measure up to the expectations I have for her.
I did like this book better than The Housemaid, but my criticism remains the same: poor writing and just not a good story overall.
I do want to make a couple of comments that I feel like sharing:
1) I did really like the character of Adrienne Hale. There were even aspects of her that I connected with personally. Not the murderous tendencies, (obviously!!), but other traits such as this quote in the book on page 142 that I love and personally stand by:
"People look at this house and assume I must live here with a husband and children. And when I defy that expectation, it upsets them. People dislike when things don't meet their expectations".
Me too, Adrienne. There were parts of Adrienne's personality and life that I connected with which was really nice.
2) One thing that was very obvious was how the author was trying too hard (way too hard) to mislead the reader into thinking that EJ was in fact Ethan. Giving the same first name initial, the love of wine, no background history on Ethan and so much more. In addition, I lost count how many times Tricia stated that her friends thought Ethan was a red flag. It was overkill. I knew at the very start that EJ was in fact not Ethan, just by how hard McFadden was trying the reader to assume this.
At the end, this book earns 3 stars from me, and I've decided it's the last title I read from this author.
Unfortunately, I will not be purchasing her material again. Considering her books are on the front tables of every bookstore I have been to, her quality of writing and storytelling does not measure up to the expectations I have for her.
I did like this book better than The Housemaid, but my criticism remains the same: poor writing and just not a good story overall.
I do want to make a couple of comments that I feel like sharing:
1) I did really like the character of Adrienne Hale. There were even aspects of her that I connected with personally. Not the murderous tendencies, (obviously!!), but other traits such as this quote in the book on page 142 that I love and personally stand by:
"People look at this house and assume I must live here with a husband and children. And when I defy that expectation, it upsets them. People dislike when things don't meet their expectations".
Me too, Adrienne. There were parts of Adrienne's personality and life that I connected with which was really nice.
At the end, this book earns 3 stars from me, and I've decided it's the last title I read from this author.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
dark
mysterious
fast-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
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Was behind on my reading goal and picked an audiobook for when I’m not able to physically read. This had been on my TBR for years. So glad I finally got to read/listen to it. Each time I thought I knew what was going on, I didn’t, and I loved it. Got me out of a slump and excited to read more by this author!