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ninasbooks57's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent Book! I love the inserts between the author and Leo. I did not have this book figured out at all! Not even until the very last- keeps you guessing!!
iphigenie72's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
polyxenas_revenge's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, first off this book is riddled with cliches. But they’re all red herrings. The only one that’s not is the one where the girl falls hard and fast for the handsome man with a dark past she’s just meets. Literally risks it all for him. But, to be honest, wouldn’t we all if the right person asked us? I do wish that there had been more explanation about Leo’s character. Otherwise, would recommend.
a24kuipers's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Slow in the beginning, but once you get 1/4 of the way through, it’s impossible to put down!
wogslandwriter's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
To be honest, I found the book mostly boring. I only finished it because the audiobook was pretty short and I wanted to see how the real world storyline resolved. It wasn't too much of a mystery and the novel portion of the story was more of a supporting character to the narrative between Leo and Hannah than a full story on it's own.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and it's nuanced and less nuanced analyses of how a story is affected by the author and vice versa. Some parts were feather-light and I felt accomplished for seeing them and noticing the themes. Other parts were extremely heavy-handed and felt a little silly to read.
I think having the "real world" elements be restricted entirely to correspondence was a really smart move and really pulled the book together.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and it's nuanced and less nuanced analyses of how a story is affected by the author and vice versa. Some parts were feather-light and I felt accomplished for seeing them and noticing the themes. Other parts were extremely heavy-handed and felt a little silly to read.
I think having the "real world" elements be restricted entirely to correspondence was a really smart move and really pulled the book together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Blood, Violence, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Gore, Classism, Medical content, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Minor: Addiction, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Deportation, Alcohol, Child death, Sexual violence, Mental illness, and Pedophilia
One of the main characters describes and incident from their past where a younger sibling dies in an accident. Another describes a childhood incident where a beating from a parent has pedophilic overtones, but there is an intervention before anything beyond physical violence occurs.beetee719's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.75
katierussell798's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-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? No
2.75
thenovelbook's review against another edition
2.0
Three stars for intriguing setup and narrative choices. I was easily drawn into the layers of mystery at the beginning, and had high hopes for ways that the story and the frame story might start to intersect. But the pacing was slow, and, for me, the conclusion just completely fizzled out. It wasn't as twisty and surprising as it seemed like it should be.
Content note: Strong profanity sprinkled throughout the text. Some fairly minimal but still disturbing descriptions of crime scenes.
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this digital advance review copy.
Content note: Strong profanity sprinkled throughout the text. Some fairly minimal but still disturbing descriptions of crime scenes.
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this digital advance review copy.
vlreid's review against another edition
4.0
A fast-paced suspense novel set in and around the Boston Public Library. Four strangers are in the library researching and writing when a scream is heard. The usually silent reading room buzzes with conversation about the scream, and these four quickly form a friendship. The story-within-a-story in epistolary format gives an additional, unique perspective. This is quite a page-turner and I finished the book in about 36-hours, anxious to find out who-dunit! It had everything I look for in a book - mystery, books, libraries, writers, readers, red herrings. Many thanks for NetGalley for the ARC! Highly recommended!
Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.
Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.
ktlvaughan's review against another edition
Too many incorrect/implausible errors in the world-builidng. This probably wouldn't be a problem for a reader who doesn't have deep knowledge of Boston, Harvard, and libraries. Also, the conceit of the book (local wannabe author giving feedback on a mystery novel for an overseas author) was a surprise, and not a welcome one.