You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
cassiealexandra's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Margo has been working at a small-town public library for a couple of years. She left her previous job as a nurse in a bigger city and abandoned her life and name. She gets along with her coworkers and enjoys the purpose in her daily activities, all until a new reference librarian is hired. Patricia never thought she'd really become a librarian; she was certain she'd be a novelist. But fresh from rejection, she is also starting a new life and becomes suspicious of, even obsessed, with Margo's past.
I liked the dual point of view and two incredibly unreliable narrators in this thriller. I also appreciated the short length. As a former library assistant, I am a sucker for library settings. I recognized some of my own experiences with library patrons (good, bad, and ugly) in this book. I am used to and enjoy being surprised in my thriller reads, and this one was not that. This one revealed a lot about each of the characters from the beginning. There wasn't a lot to guess at or discover along the way. It was much more of a character-driven game of cat and mouse, which I think would be wonderful for some readers, and was not as suited to my taste. I also struggled with the pacing. While I liked how quick of a read this was, the fact that sometimes one voice would sometimes repeat the same scene from the other woman's point of view was frustrating and didn't serve to move the plot ahead. I understand why it was written that way though, and again, I think I am just not the right audience for a character-driven thriller. I also think that I would have liked to see more information and background on both pasts and what shaped these women into the people they were in this moment in time.
Overall, I think if I had come into this knowing it was more character than plot, I would have had a better experience.
I liked the dual point of view and two incredibly unreliable narrators in this thriller. I also appreciated the short length. As a former library assistant, I am a sucker for library settings. I recognized some of my own experiences with library patrons (good, bad, and ugly) in this book. I am used to and enjoy being surprised in my thriller reads, and this one was not that. This one revealed a lot about each of the characters from the beginning. There wasn't a lot to guess at or discover along the way. It was much more of a character-driven game of cat and mouse, which I think would be wonderful for some readers, and was not as suited to my taste. I also struggled with the pacing. While I liked how quick of a read this was, the fact that sometimes one voice would sometimes repeat the same scene from the other woman's point of view was frustrating and didn't serve to move the plot ahead. I understand why it was written that way though, and again, I think I am just not the right audience for a character-driven thriller. I also think that I would have liked to see more information and background on both pasts and what shaped these women into the people they were in this moment in time.
Overall, I think if I had come into this knowing it was more character than plot, I would have had a better experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual content
anyashadows's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
aileron's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Death of parent
jbosio's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
liamliayaum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Fire/Fire injury
marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is absolutely unhinged, and I loved it. Formerly a nurse on the run, Margo is a new woman upon settling in a small town as an “experienced” librarian. Two years in, and still no one knows about her past until Margo lets something slip to Patricia, her new coworker. The dual narrators become fast frenemies, equally obsessed with their exploits—Patricia secretly writing her next novel about Margo, and Margo “helping” people under the guise of a warm yet no-nonsense librarian. Fact and fiction blur into one in this darkly funny tale of two driven women.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
sheila_60608's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Self harm
Minor: Medical trauma and Fire/Fire injury
More...