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okevamae's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
BBC producer and single mom Tessa and her sister Marian live in Northern Ireland, where despite peace having been officially reached decades earlier, the IRA is still active and tensions in the community remain high. One day, much to Tessa’s shock and confusion, Marian is caught on video participating in an armed robbery. Police believe Marian has joined the IRA, but the very idea of this goes against everything Tessa knows about her sister, with whom she has a very close relationship.
The plot and pacing of the story get more intense as Tessa slowly becomes embroiled in a world of espionage and her life spins out of her control. But through it all she remains focused on what is most important to her – the through line guiding all of her actions is her love and concern for her son, Finn. Tessa’s fear and desperation are palpable, as is her love for her family. The book contains beautiful depictions of motherhood, and captures the devotion (and frustration) of sisterhood, as well as including some gorgeous descriptions of the Irish scenery. This book was beautifully written, and the plot kept me flying through the pages. It’s the first book I’ve read by Flynn Berry, but now I’m definitely interested in looking into her other works.
BBC producer and single mom Tessa and her sister Marian live in Northern Ireland, where despite peace having been officially reached decades earlier, the IRA is still active and tensions in the community remain high. One day, much to Tessa’s shock and confusion, Marian is caught on video participating in an armed robbery. Police believe Marian has joined the IRA, but the very idea of this goes against everything Tessa knows about her sister, with whom she has a very close relationship.
The plot and pacing of the story get more intense as Tessa slowly becomes embroiled in a world of espionage and her life spins out of her control. But through it all she remains focused on what is most important to her – the through line guiding all of her actions is her love and concern for her son, Finn. Tessa’s fear and desperation are palpable, as is her love for her family. The book contains beautiful depictions of motherhood, and captures the devotion (and frustration) of sisterhood, as well as including some gorgeous descriptions of the Irish scenery. This book was beautifully written, and the plot kept me flying through the pages. It’s the first book I’ve read by Flynn Berry, but now I’m definitely interested in looking into her other works.
amylynn1031's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
michhxox's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
elliemck's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rachellherrington's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lauralovefeild's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
booksadoodle's review against another edition
4.0
This was a bit of a slow starter for me, but once going, I became more interested in the story and characters. Having been to Ireland several times, I did really enjoy all the location references, and was already familiar with many of them.
cindy_f's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the general plot of this book. It takes place in Northern Ireland post GFA with a threat of a new Republic Army. It is told from the perspective of Tessa, a mother of a six month old baby boy who discovers from police video that her sister is suspected of being a member of the IRA. Refusing to believe her sister Marian had anything to do with this army, she confronts her. She admits to being a member of the IRA for seven years but feeds information to MI5. Due to heavy surveillance, it’s not safe for her to meet her handler so she recruits Tessa to be a spy along with her.
This is the moral dilemma for Tess as she wants to help her sister, but also has different priorities now that she has her baby Finn to protect. But she also thinks of a future for Finn with a conflict-free Belfast.
I really loved the moments when Tessa is with Finn, and the description of her hometown sounds lovely. Beautifully written book about choices, motherhood, loyalty and consequences.
This is the moral dilemma for Tess as she wants to help her sister, but also has different priorities now that she has her baby Finn to protect. But she also thinks of a future for Finn with a conflict-free Belfast.
I really loved the moments when Tessa is with Finn, and the description of her hometown sounds lovely. Beautifully written book about choices, motherhood, loyalty and consequences.
dpikkert's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Audio book.
I went in and out of this book as far as interest went. I can most hauaratee I would have rated it higher had a I read the book rather than listened. The author did an incredible job describing the main character's love and observations of her son - I could vivid picture the baby cooing, sleeping, eating, etc with the playful description provided. The spy section and sisters in the story were good as well. I just found myself lacking a bit of focus here and there which took away from the storyline at times. Overall a good book focusing on family loyalty and spy/intrigue.
I went in and out of this book as far as interest went. I can most hauaratee I would have rated it higher had a I read the book rather than listened. The author did an incredible job describing the main character's love and observations of her son - I could vivid picture the baby cooing, sleeping, eating, etc with the playful description provided. The spy section and sisters in the story were good as well. I just found myself lacking a bit of focus here and there which took away from the storyline at times. Overall a good book focusing on family loyalty and spy/intrigue.