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emeraldmachireads's review against another edition
slow-paced
4.5
˚ ༘ ೀ⋆.˚ “we all have a happily ever after, each story just needs to pick the right time to claim it.”
plot: ✰✰✰✰ 4.5 | spice: —
› genre: contemporary fiction, mystery, psychological thriller
› slow–paced, dual timeline, multiple point–of–views
!! trigger/content warnings: r4pe, de@th, p3doph!lia, su!cid3
ೃ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚ — i actually discovered this book was searching for a story that has the same concept as colleen hoover's verity. the story follows helena ross, a successful author, who hires a ghostwriter to help her finish her final book. as secrets from the past unravel, the line between truth and fiction blurs in this gripping tale.
first of all, this book was definitely a page–turner. the storyline was interesting and the writing style was so perfect. the chapters were just short so it will actually make you flip the page for the next chapter right away. the element of mystery was amazing and the excitement building up in every chapter was out of this world. you really wouldn't take your eyes off of the book once you start reading it. the characters were also good, and i loved how helena's point–of–view was written—it was full of different feelings and emotions. the revelation about the past and helena's husband was jaw–dropping and insane! it was the kind of plot twist that would really make you stare at the ceiling for hours. plus, what happened to helena was heartbreaking and it literally made me cry.
however, i think i've missed some details because i skipped some long paragraphs which i thought are somehow unnecessary. but overall, it was really a great read and it was a good idea that i looked for a mystery book with the same concept as my favorite book, verity, because i will never be able to discover this masterpiece if i did not think of it. 𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖
note: the story contains disturbing contents, so please check trigger/content warnings and read at your own risk.
.𖥔˚ finished: march 21, 2024 𖹭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Suicide, Rape, and Death
nehaslibrary's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I went into this book not really expecting anything, knowing it would be enjoyable after reading The Good Lie.
I loved how not a single clue was given for how everything would unfold and the structure of the book is great, especially for parallel storylines. The only thing that I didn’t like was how quickly the book was wrapped up after the main events occurred.
I loved how not a single clue was given for how everything would unfold and the structure of the book is great, especially for parallel storylines. The only thing that I didn’t like was how quickly the book was wrapped up after the main events occurred.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Rape, Sexual assault, Death, Pedophilia, Suicide, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Murder, Sexual content, Vomit, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Grief, Alcoholism, and Child death
bea2001's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Child death
marik0n's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Okay people, it's official; I'm hooked.
In the spam of the last week I have read three A.R. Torre books and for a person who is working full time and doing a master's, that's a lot. Okay, I am getting off track here. Back to the review.
For the first 1/4 of the book I was really worried, because the protagonist -Helena- stoke me as a severely misanthropic and annoying character. Of course I was intrigued, but with these characters it's a hit or miss and the possibility of this book becoming really boing really quickly if it didn't pick up the pace was getting very real.
[Side note: I can excuse a variety of things. JUST TELL ME WHAT IS IT. Also, what's Helena's problem with smut?]
However, as my reading progressed, I understood how complicated of a character Helena is; she is a truly multidimensional character. Some of the aspects of her personality I understand, some annoy me and some others hit too close to home and I am afraid that we share them.
Somewhere around here, it should be noted that this book, much like Every Last Secret and The Good Lie had a lot of suspense and was truly a page turner. The only difference is that book actually caused me emotional pain at the end, to the point where I started crying. Due to the complexity of Helena's thoughts and the submerging we experience in her own thoughts and experiences it's pretty hard not to get moved by this book's ending.
Overall, it was another great book by A.R. Torre and my obsession is holding strong. I shall continue with the rest of her book. Thank God this woman writes A LOT.
As always, check the trigger warnings before reading this book. A brief list of trigger warnings; child abuse, pedophilia, violence, murder, cancer, death.
In the spam of the last week I have read three A.R. Torre books and for a person who is working full time and doing a master's, that's a lot. Okay, I am getting off track here. Back to the review.
For the first 1/4 of the book I was really worried, because the protagonist -Helena- stoke me as a severely misanthropic and annoying character. Of course I was intrigued, but with these characters it's a hit or miss and the possibility of this book becoming really boing really quickly if it didn't pick up the pace was getting very real.
[Side note: I can excuse a variety of things. JUST TELL ME WHAT IS IT. Also, what's Helena's problem with smut?]
However, as my reading progressed, I understood how complicated of a character Helena is; she is a truly multidimensional character. Some of the aspects of her personality I understand, some annoy me and some others hit too close to home and I am afraid that we share them.
Somewhere around here, it should be noted that this book, much like Every Last Secret and The Good Lie had a lot of suspense and was truly a page turner. The only difference is that book actually caused me emotional pain at the end, to the point where I started crying. Due to the complexity of Helena's thoughts and the submerging we experience in her own thoughts and experiences it's pretty hard not to get moved by this book's ending.
Overall, it was another great book by A.R. Torre and my obsession is holding strong. I shall continue with the rest of her book. Thank God this woman writes A LOT.
As always, check the trigger warnings before reading this book. A brief list of trigger warnings; child abuse, pedophilia, violence, murder, cancer, death.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Murder, Cancer, Child death, Pedophilia, Death, and Violence
sizzlesteaks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Suicide, Death, Pedophilia, and Child death
pollyhall's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book reads more like a contemporary with an element of mystery rather than a mystery. You get a whisper of a mystery throughout the book but no details are revealed till the last quarter.
This story is character driven. I liked the main character Helena she is a strong woman but not perfect. At times I would have liked to shake her and ask what the hell she was thinking but I would also like to give her a medal for what she did. Mark was also a well-developed character, I liked that he was strong but also had his faults. The relationship between Helena and Mark was done extremely well. There are other minor characters that I would have liked to see get hit by a bus. This is a fast-paced book with twists that I didn't see coming. After reading the story it felt like I got hit by a bus.
This book has some serious subject matter. CW- pedophilia, child abandonment, child neglect, rape of a child, death of a child, cancer, suicide, murder.
This story is character driven. I liked the main character Helena she is a strong woman but not perfect. At times I would have liked to shake her and ask what the hell she was thinking but I would also like to give her a medal for what she did. Mark was also a well-developed character, I liked that he was strong but also had his faults. The relationship between Helena and Mark was done extremely well. There are other minor characters that I would have liked to see get hit by a bus. This is a fast-paced book with twists that I didn't see coming. After reading the story it felt like I got hit by a bus.
This book has some serious subject matter. CW- pedophilia, child abandonment, child neglect, rape of a child, death of a child, cancer, suicide, murder.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Bullying, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Violence
rebecca124's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide
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