Reviews

The Girl With No Past by Kathryn Croft

tuliptree's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-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

1.5

Found the main character unlikable and uninteresting.  Only finished it to find out the ending 

samtag47's review against another edition

3.0

Kept me going with the back and forth of past and present. Definitely caught me by surprise on a number of accounts. Really didn't like the actual main event that the entire book is based on.

kategci's review against another edition

1.0

This will be the worst book I read in 2017, because I will DNF anything else that comes close. It is a book club selection and I cannot wait to see what other people think. This is a psychological thriller, but it is poorly written and the main character is so immature that I was yelling at the book as I was reading. Leah lives like a hermit and lies about her past to her coworkers. Clearly, something awful happened in her youth and you are expected to keep turning the pages to find out. I did not care. The sections written from her perspective at ages 15-19, reveal an immature, sheltered girl who is unable to stand up to her peer group as well as the trope of having a charismatic, sociopathic boyfriend. The catalytic event is so awful and over the top, I was unable to believe that three teenagers could keep it a secret. Leah's solution was also over the top. In the current sections, 2 men come into her life, just as she is being stalked by someone intent on revealing her past. The most uncomfortable parts of the book were current day Leah revisiting relatives of her teenage friends; they were truly cringe worthy. Overall, the book was poorly written and the writer really seems intent on shocking the reader, without providing any literary value.

skot's review against another edition

5.0

Couldn't put it down. Phenomenal read. Psychological thriller at its richest.

sausome's review against another edition

3.0

This was a relatively quick, engrossing read. It's set up in the style of so many recent mysteries wanting to feel the success of Gone Girl, giving you the present existence of someone, flashing back to when something happened. You don't find out the something until the end, when the mysteries and tense mood are heightened and then something else happens. So aside from being pretty formulaic, it reached a few new levels of disturbing, and I'm not really sure whether or not this was necessary? It may have added another layer, making it more than a possible YA-slotted book, and added some heightened levels of crazy/psychotic as well. There's almost a screen-shot of Teaching Mrs. Tingle as well, if that makes sense. I haven't read her other novels, but the descriptions sound like they could be for this book. From Behind Closed Doors: "Meeting ______ is the beginning of an unspeakable nightmare for ______ and her world slowly unravels. It is only through the re-telling of her story that we piece together what has led her to become a mere shadow of the woman she once was." I mean, this book is this description. That being said, it doesn't really matter so long as the book takes you on the thriller/mystery ride you want, right?

mamaroe93011's review against another edition

4.0

It took me a while to read this book, but that was because of life changes (hello new baby!) rather than the book. It was a quick read with a suspenseful, page turning vibe to it. You know that Leah was involved with something bad, but you don’t know what or who was all involved. It kept me guessing for quite a while about who was targeting her and there were lots of characters that you had questions about. The ending felt a bit abrupt and forced, but all in all it was a good book.

problemreader's review against another edition

2.0

It was okay. I thought it was slow and I really didn't get into it until I was almost finished reading it.

clairereviews's review against another edition

4.0

Published by: Bookouture (15th October 2015)



ISBN: 978-1910751244



Source: Netgalley



Rating: 4.5*



Synopsis:

Twenty years running from your past. Today it catches up.

Leah Mills lives a life of a fugitive – kept on the run by one terrible day from her past. It is a lonely life, without a social life or friends until – longing for a connection – she meets Julian. For the first time she dares to believe she can live a normal life.

Then, on the twentieth anniversary of that day, she receives a card. Someone knows the truth about what happened. Someone who won’t stop until they’ve destroyed the life Leah has created.

But is Leah all she seems? Or does she deserve everything she gets?

Everyone has secrets. But some are deadly.



Review:

The Girl With No Past is a gripping psychological thriller that has lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing. The story alternates between the present and the past as we find out exactly what Leah did all those years ago that was so wrong.



I couldn't decide whether I liked Leah; I felt some sympathy for her as a teenager, being so infatuated with Adam, but I don't think I could see any of that girl in her present - no doubt that part of her left in that day in the past.



This is another fantastic book from publisher Bookouture that'll keep you guessing and keep you reading into the small hours.

davidkeithley81's review against another edition

3.0

A very interesting read. It started a bit slow, but the ending, while rushed, was unexpected which I love. The author strength is dialogue. A decent book!

pegbw's review against another edition

4.0

This was a quick read and the author kept me in suspense and had twists and turns to the end.