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nea95217's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ericabailey004's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
emmaleckie7's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.5
chloejeanwoodhead's review against another edition
4.0
4⭐
What an addicting read. I am not sure whether it is due to the fact that I am doing a PhD in psychology and somewhat resonate and emphasise with Dr Adrienne Hale, or whether it was due to the alluring characters in the story along with the ever pressing unknowns and questions I wanted answering. I really enjoyed the way that the story was told from a dualistic perspective, so as the reader I could understand Tricia's perspectives along with Dr Hale's lived experiences, as she experienced them. I think that Frida McFadden did a fantastic job at allowing us to explore the mysteries of the house with Tricia in the present day, as she chartered the house and listened to the tapes, whilst simultaneously allowing us to jump back to Dr Hale whilst she was experiencing the sessions. Allowing us to gain further meaning and understanding beyond the voices on the tapes.
About halfway through the book I was 99% I cracked the code. I put the book down and praised myself in a smug, yet disappointed manner, I really wanted to be caught off guard and surprised by a twist... and oh I was. It was not the most unearthly twist in the world and I did feel deceived by the author with all the red herrings laced throughout the first half go the book. However, it did catch me off guard. I was not expecting the book to take such a direction, yet it felt pleasing and conflicting.
(SPOILER WARNING FROM HERE ONWARDS)
I say the twist was conflicting, part of me felt betrayed by Tricia (the narrator). I trusted her fear and trepidations about the house, I felt like I was exploring a new environment with her, trying to listen to the soft whispers of the walls and hear their tales of sorrow. Then the truth prevailed, all the ulterior motives were exposed and I felt heavily deceived by Tricia. Upon reflection, this feeling of betrayal and feeling as though I had been manipulated by Tricia made sense. She is a psychopath, why wouldn't she betray the reader. If anything it would be out of character for her not to do so.
I grew fond of Dr Hale, part of me understood her greatly, yet I also questioned a lot of her decisions, like the way a colleague/friend would. I was rooting for her. From her not wanting to be within a mile of a male companion to watching her fall so deeply for Luke, I was taken away from the fact that this was a thriller and wanted to read more about their relationship and where it was going to go. I wanted to hear about how they were both going to get back together after their relationship hiatus and move in together and start a beautiful life together, whereby Dr Hale can understand more about her emotions. However, that was not the case... the EJ situation was not handled well and Dr Hale exposed some of her own psychopathic thoughts and tendencies. She never said she was perfect.
What an addicting read. I am not sure whether it is due to the fact that I am doing a PhD in psychology and somewhat resonate and emphasise with Dr Adrienne Hale, or whether it was due to the alluring characters in the story along with the ever pressing unknowns and questions I wanted answering. I really enjoyed the way that the story was told from a dualistic perspective, so as the reader I could understand Tricia's perspectives along with Dr Hale's lived experiences, as she experienced them. I think that Frida McFadden did a fantastic job at allowing us to explore the mysteries of the house with Tricia in the present day, as she chartered the house and listened to the tapes, whilst simultaneously allowing us to jump back to Dr Hale whilst she was experiencing the sessions. Allowing us to gain further meaning and understanding beyond the voices on the tapes.
About halfway through the book I was 99% I cracked the code. I put the book down and praised myself in a smug, yet disappointed manner, I really wanted to be caught off guard and surprised by a twist... and oh I was. It was not the most unearthly twist in the world and I did feel deceived by the author with all the red herrings laced throughout the first half go the book. However, it did catch me off guard. I was not expecting the book to take such a direction, yet it felt pleasing and conflicting.
(SPOILER WARNING FROM HERE ONWARDS)
I say the twist was conflicting, part of me felt betrayed by Tricia (the narrator). I trusted her fear and trepidations about the house, I felt like I was exploring a new environment with her, trying to listen to the soft whispers of the walls and hear their tales of sorrow. Then the truth prevailed, all the ulterior motives were exposed and I felt heavily deceived by Tricia. Upon reflection, this feeling of betrayal and feeling as though I had been manipulated by Tricia made sense. She is a psychopath, why wouldn't she betray the reader. If anything it would be out of character for her not to do so.
I grew fond of Dr Hale, part of me understood her greatly, yet I also questioned a lot of her decisions, like the way a colleague/friend would. I was rooting for her. From her not wanting to be within a mile of a male companion to watching her fall so deeply for Luke, I was taken away from the fact that this was a thriller and wanted to read more about their relationship and where it was going to go. I wanted to hear about how they were both going to get back together after their relationship hiatus and move in together and start a beautiful life together, whereby Dr Hale can understand more about her emotions. However, that was not the case... the EJ situation was not handled well and Dr Hale exposed some of her own psychopathic thoughts and tendencies. She never said she was perfect.
mymellowmania's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
manaiasimpson's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
i really thought i had this book sorted out from the start and i thought i was going to be disappointed cause i guessed what was going on so early on but MAN was i wrong!!! i was like wayyy off and my jaw was literally on the floor when the plot twist was revealed. this was a nice short easy read, i read majority of this book within a night. nothing is what it seems in a freida mcfadden book.