Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - He Started It

Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

He Started It by Samantha Downing

14 reviews

zoeblair's review

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

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bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? Yes

3.5

Really slow start, it took almost 150 pages to really get into the story. Only reason I didn’t DNF was because I desperately wanted to know the secrets 😅

The writing style was a little overly descriptive for my taste, with more telling than showing. All the characters are unlikeable and most are annoying 😅 but they’re interesting nonetheless, and I did like that none of them are trustworthy or reliable so you can never pinpoint their secrets or “guilt.”

The twists were completely unexpected and I was happy that all of my predictions were wrong! Sadly though the ending and twists felt way too rushed, all of the twists were in the last 20-30 pages which just left me with an unsatisfying ending. There was also one part towards the end that I found completely unbelievable, and a bit of a cop out.

Portia threatening Beth with a psych ward was a weak attempt at blackmail compared to her threat to Eddie. Unless the journal showed clear threats to herself or others (which in my opinion it did not), you legally can’t put someone in a psych ward especially if you’re not a spouse/legal guardian.

Overall it was an entertaining and unpredictable thriller! I really enjoyed the unreliable narrator aspect and split timelines but even the unpredictability couldn’t save the book from being a bit disappointing. But the ending really ruined it for me and just because I was surprised doesn’t make it good 🫣 If you’re looking to read a psychological thriller from Downing, I’d recommend The Lovely Wife instead!

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cbirv's review

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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riella_reads's review

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mysterious tense fast-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

3.0

This was an overall pretty good thriller. I can definitely see why some people didn't care for this one since the entire book was them on the road. This had the typical unreliable narrator but honestly I didn't trust anybody here. I also didn't really get why their grandpa was so crazy but I guess that's real life lol. This was still a fun time and I'd reccomend this to someone newer to thrillers.

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