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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
4.5 stars
I really loved this one! I need to read more Chevy Stevens since this is the second one that I enjoyed from her. She writes characters that draw you in and make you care. Not to mention I had no idea how this one was gonna go so there is an intense desire to turn the pages.
I really loved this one! I need to read more Chevy Stevens since this is the second one that I enjoyed from her. She writes characters that draw you in and make you care. Not to mention I had no idea how this one was gonna go so there is an intense desire to turn the pages.
I LOVED this book!! Chevy Stevens has easily climbed to the top of my must-read authors. Quite frankly, I'd read her grocery list!
This is a pretty average mystery/thriller novel. For some reason, I always think I'm going to enjoy these more than I do, but the lack of originality is definitely a letdown here. The plot oscillates between That Night-- the night that rebel child Toni finds her perfect sister dead on the beach, Toni's experiences in prison after she is convicted for the murder, and 15 years later, when Toni is released from prison and decides to go back to her hometown to solve the mystery. She is not a very sympathetic character, if only because the whole teen angst no-one-understands-me thing just comes off as whiny and self-centered.
The main problem with this book is that there is simply no tension. From the start, it is made clear that Toni is not the killer, so I wasn't caught between trying to decide whether she did it, or was wrongly accused. When the full story is finally revealed, I was disappointed not only because it was so obvious who was in on the murder, but I also realized that the story centers so much around what happened that night that it doesn't give Toni a chance to grow up and away from who she was then. She is so stuck in the past that it is impossible for her to change, so learning who framed her doesn't really matter. Yes, it's supposed to be cathartic, but in this case, I can't find a way to care because she hasn't fought her way through and emerged out as a new person.
Most books are written in past tense, but I was really bothered by that while reading this. It served as a constant reminder that more half of the book is a flashback. Not very much action takes place in the present and that distanced me from the text and the characters to a point that I could not get invested in the outcome.
I will probably continue reading these books and will also probably continue being disappointed by them, because they all seem to be trying to adhere to this thriller formula that some have found such monetary success with.
People are sure to enjoy this book if they like mindless reading, but I prefer a book with more difficulty; one that makes me work to unravel the story rather than just being handed it on a plate already chewed up and easy to swallow.
The main problem with this book is that there is simply no tension. From the start, it is made clear that Toni is not the killer, so I wasn't caught between trying to decide whether she did it, or was wrongly accused. When the full story is finally revealed, I was disappointed not only because it was so obvious who was in on the murder, but I also realized that the story centers so much around what happened that night that it doesn't give Toni a chance to grow up and away from who she was then. She is so stuck in the past that it is impossible for her to change, so learning who framed her doesn't really matter. Yes, it's supposed to be cathartic, but in this case, I can't find a way to care because she hasn't fought her way through and emerged out as a new person.
Most books are written in past tense, but I was really bothered by that while reading this. It served as a constant reminder that more half of the book is a flashback. Not very much action takes place in the present and that distanced me from the text and the characters to a point that I could not get invested in the outcome.
I will probably continue reading these books and will also probably continue being disappointed by them, because they all seem to be trying to adhere to this thriller formula that some have found such monetary success with.
People are sure to enjoy this book if they like mindless reading, but I prefer a book with more difficulty; one that makes me work to unravel the story rather than just being handed it on a plate already chewed up and easy to swallow.
This was a re-read for me but just as good the second time! A great read and the ending was a shock if you’re reading for the first time (love when you genuinely can’t predict who did it until the end!)
Definitely parts about this story that were amazing and really thought out. The book overall was pretty decent, but lacked at parts that I wish were gone over in more detail. Solid read though.
This book follows the story of a wrongly convicted woman who served time for the murder of her sister. Interesting plot premise.
It felt as though the background was spelt out very well but the book began to lose momentum, and then BANG you find out the series of events. Maybe I missed all the easter eggs leading up to what happened, but it did come out of the blue without any lead up.
A 3.75 star book - up to 4 stars in some places.
It felt as though the background was spelt out very well but the book began to lose momentum, and then BANG you find out the series of events. Maybe I missed all the easter eggs leading up to what happened, but it did come out of the blue without any lead up.
A 3.75 star book - up to 4 stars in some places.
3.25 stars. Stories that are told out of chronological order always blow my mind because the structure is so complex. Did the author write the past sections first and then add the present (or vice versa), and alternate them as the last step? Did the author move back and forth between the past and the present during the writing process? However Chevy Stevens decided to craft this novel warrants praise because I feel like creating a story with this kind of structure and level of depth is hard. Kudos to her!
Stevens also gives life to all her characters - they feel like real people rather than characters in a book. But the story itself - I wasn’t too engaged, and the plot twists were forgettable.
Stevens also gives life to all her characters - they feel like real people rather than characters in a book. But the story itself - I wasn’t too engaged, and the plot twists were forgettable.
I think I’ve read too many of her books now, as they all seem to have the same flawed main character and similar plot lines, it gosh darn it I’ll keep coming back for more. Compelling storyline that kept me interested, even if the “twist” wasn’t that surprising. I love her writing style and her books, and this was another good one.