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pagebypaigebks's review against another edition
4.0
“I’m worse than the devil because I exist.”
I was sent an ARC copy of this book by HarperCollins Canada in exchange for an honest review.
I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.
Instagram Post
Blog Post
Content Warnings: death, murder, death of parent, (mention of cancer, suicide, physical abuse)
While this book started off a bit slow-paced, it gradually ramped up the action and left me on the edge of my seat! The mystery was intricately plotted and featured many twists and turns I couldn't see coming. In terms of the writing style, it matched perfectly with the overall vibe of the plot and grabbed my attention right away. We also follow a wide range of characters that we get to see grow and contribute to the story. It was exciting to learn the many secrets of each character and depending on what section you were reading, you could easily switch from rooting for them to hoping they'd be caught based on what was revealed. All of the characters felt lifelike and could have been based on real people. I really enjoyed trying to piece together the murder and the many other mysteries within this book, I couldn't get enough! I also listened to the audiobook and definitely recommend giving it a listen. The narrator did a fantastic job of giving personality and life to the story!
I was sent an ARC copy of this book by HarperCollins Canada in exchange for an honest review.
I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.
Instagram Post
Blog Post
Content Warnings: death, murder, death of parent, (mention of cancer, suicide, physical abuse)
While this book started off a bit slow-paced, it gradually ramped up the action and left me on the edge of my seat! The mystery was intricately plotted and featured many twists and turns I couldn't see coming. In terms of the writing style, it matched perfectly with the overall vibe of the plot and grabbed my attention right away. We also follow a wide range of characters that we get to see grow and contribute to the story. It was exciting to learn the many secrets of each character and depending on what section you were reading, you could easily switch from rooting for them to hoping they'd be caught based on what was revealed. All of the characters felt lifelike and could have been based on real people. I really enjoyed trying to piece together the murder and the many other mysteries within this book, I couldn't get enough! I also listened to the audiobook and definitely recommend giving it a listen. The narrator did a fantastic job of giving personality and life to the story!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Death
Minor: Suicide, Physical abuse, and Cancer
internationalreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The crime aspect of this book was fantastic. However, it took far too long to develop. The pace was all off. The meta autofiction aspect was not needed at all. If this book had just been written as the crime plot, without the author in the present day investigating, it would be a 4 or 5 star thriller for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Xenophobia
meganrae047's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death, Death of parent, and Cancer
Minor: Domestic abuse
mtnest's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Vomit, and Infidelity
danaaliyalevinson's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Okay, so this is a bit of a f*ck it 4.5 that is probably not earned by the actual writing, and is definitely influenced by the fact that I've been reading so much dark and deep literary fiction and I just needed something fun. And that was definitely this. A breezy madcap whodunnit about a murder in a hotel during a Swiss bank's annual retreat. Intrigue abounds. If you love "Knives Out" you'll love it. It's also a book within a book within a book, which sounds wild, but it really works and it injects some unexpectedness into what would otherwise be a bit of a routine genre mystery. Do I think it's a genius book? No. But I had a lot of fun reading it. Also *as a Jewish person* there was a really smart send up and implicit critique of the crafty Jewish banker' antisemitic trope that I won't spoil, but I quite enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Murder, and Death
sarasbooks's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The enigma of Room 622 is about a writer who goes to a hotel in order to spend two weeks relaxing but ends up writing a new book about an investigation. A few years ago, in that same hotel, someone died in room 622 and the police never found the murderer.
I was expecting to love this, since The truth about the Harry Quebert Affair is one of my favorite books. However, this one was very different. I felt like it wasn't by the same author. The writing style was not even close to being as good as his older book. (??) It didn't feel like a novel, it felt like a script. The language was too simplistic, unnatural with no depth. The dialogues almost felt childish and cringey, like they were a way for the author to reveal a certain things in a very obvious and easy way.
I also didn't see the point of the author constantly speaking and referring to his editor as a tribute. I mean it's nice but it doesn't have any connection to the story. (??)
I was very often bored, over it and even thought of dnf'ing it. There are many characters and a lot of information that I found useless and confusing. It really could have been a shorter book!
Also the themes of this book weren't very interesting to me and maybe I wasn't the right audience. It deals a lot with business and bank affairs, which is something I don't really care that much to be reading about. Or maybe it just wasn't presented in an interesting way. (??) I really think this could be adapted into a good movie. I would probably watch and like it. However, as a book, it just wasn't that fascinating.
The last few chapters were way more interesting and there were a few surprising twists I didn't see coming but I wish it hadn't dragged for so long.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder
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