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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
I expected Grist Mill Road to be a page turner and to be a bit disturbing, however, it did not meet my anticipations. I found it to be boring and that I wanted the book to hurry up and be over. I did not care about the characters and found the dialogue to be confusing since there were no quotations anywhere. There were parts of the story that was interesting, but it would die down fast. This book was not for me.
This one just hit the middle of the road for me. The plot was interesting enough to keep me engaged, but not enough to inspire the "I can't put this down feeling." While I liked the different view points from the main characters, and trying to put together what really happened, I wasn't a fan of the third person narrative sections. Those sections felt incredibly boring and added nothing to the story.
Overall it was fine, but nothing I would recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
Overall it was fine, but nothing I would recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
Rating: 5.0/5.0
Wow, I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. Hard to really say how much I loved this book. It is a dark story but has lots and lots of emotions to it. This is the second novel by the author Christopher J. Yates and I have not read his first (Which now I will) so I was not expecting much, but the case here is not about low expectations, nope. It is more about a wonderful style of writing, more about the deep analysis of the characters, the genuine point of view of each one of them, the multilayers that each character has. The characters felt very very alive.
I have read this novel in 5 days but I felt I know the characters for a long time. This book had a very strong impact on me. Mr. Christopher has kept me on the edge of my seat all the time from the start to the end but the suspense along with the character development is not the only element that made the book that good. There is a lot of beauty in connecting stories and scenes together of the different characters. Throughout the book, I felt so many different emotions be it pitty, anger, sorrow, pain, love etc. It was like someone was holding my heart in his hands and playing with it.
Another element I loved is the 1980s atmosphere. The author made sure to highlight that by including some of the cults of that era in the story, for example, his reference to one of my favorite TV shows of that era "Dynasty" and how one of the characters felt when he watched for the first time the catfight between the two iconic figures of that show Alexis Colby (Joan Collins) and Krystle Carrington (Linda Evans).
Another thing I have to mention here is that the story keeps going back and forth in time between the 1980s and 2008. Some books tend to become confusing a bit when this happens but here that was not the case. Also, we are getting to read about the point of view of three characters, Patrick, Hannah, and Matthew. Each one has his own side story. The three teenagers find themselves involved in a horrible act of violence that changes their lives. Then after twenty-six years, they meet again and each character tries to correct the wrong he made. I don't want to say more about the synopsis because I feel everything should be left to the reader's imagination.
It is a dark twisted story but be ready to have all your emotions stirred together. Do I need to mention how sad and beautiful the ending is? I feel and I also wish too that this book will get many awards. I also want to see this book turned into a feature film because it has all the great elements to make a wonderful movie.
I was lucky to grab an advance copy of this book from NetGalley's read now section. I would highly recommend everybody to read this gem. This is not just a must read book but a must own too. I can't wait to grab my own copy soon.
Wow, I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. Hard to really say how much I loved this book. It is a dark story but has lots and lots of emotions to it. This is the second novel by the author Christopher J. Yates and I have not read his first (Which now I will) so I was not expecting much, but the case here is not about low expectations, nope. It is more about a wonderful style of writing, more about the deep analysis of the characters, the genuine point of view of each one of them, the multilayers that each character has. The characters felt very very alive.
I have read this novel in 5 days but I felt I know the characters for a long time. This book had a very strong impact on me. Mr. Christopher has kept me on the edge of my seat all the time from the start to the end but the suspense along with the character development is not the only element that made the book that good. There is a lot of beauty in connecting stories and scenes together of the different characters. Throughout the book, I felt so many different emotions be it pitty, anger, sorrow, pain, love etc. It was like someone was holding my heart in his hands and playing with it.
Another element I loved is the 1980s atmosphere. The author made sure to highlight that by including some of the cults of that era in the story, for example, his reference to one of my favorite TV shows of that era "Dynasty" and how one of the characters felt when he watched for the first time the catfight between the two iconic figures of that show Alexis Colby (Joan Collins) and Krystle Carrington (Linda Evans).
Another thing I have to mention here is that the story keeps going back and forth in time between the 1980s and 2008. Some books tend to become confusing a bit when this happens but here that was not the case. Also, we are getting to read about the point of view of three characters, Patrick, Hannah, and Matthew. Each one has his own side story. The three teenagers find themselves involved in a horrible act of violence that changes their lives. Then after twenty-six years, they meet again and each character tries to correct the wrong he made. I don't want to say more about the synopsis because I feel everything should be left to the reader's imagination.
It is a dark twisted story but be ready to have all your emotions stirred together. Do I need to mention how sad and beautiful the ending is? I feel and I also wish too that this book will get many awards. I also want to see this book turned into a feature film because it has all the great elements to make a wonderful movie.
I was lucky to grab an advance copy of this book from NetGalley's read now section. I would highly recommend everybody to read this gem. This is not just a must read book but a must own too. I can't wait to grab my own copy soon.
Just finished this yesterday on audio (bookseller copy provided by Libro.fm) and I really liked it! The summary is a bit misleading because the story belongs more to Patrick and Matthew, and the way we can shape events by the truths we admit and the truths we omit. I was definitely drawn into the story and I liked the way it was told in past and present by Patrick, Hannag and Matthew. The ending was good, but I wish there had been an epilogue or that Hannah had been featured a little more. I definitely plan on reading more by this author!
I've always appreciated the simplicity and expediency of Goodreads' 5-star rating system (1=disliked it, 2=it was okay, 3=liked it, 4=really liked it, 5=it was amazing). I have historically found that books are pretty easy to characterize as either a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5-star read. But as I've thought and thought about Grist Mill Road, I've found it impossible to decide between giving it either a 4-star or a 5-star rating. It is, definitively, a 4.5 star book.
Grist Mill Road begins with an awful, stomach-churning incident. It would be easy to write that that incident is the impetus for all that follows, but to do so would fly in the face of the story's primary takeaway... Namely, that no event can stand alone, and that every event can be perceived quite differently, depending on one's perspective/personal experience.
Sometimes, when an author tries to impart a lesson, the lesson overwhelms and detracts from the story. Grist Mill Road is a book with a purpose, but author Christopher Yates deftly illustrates his lesson---the reality described in the paragraph above---without undermining the captivating and entertaining story that is his vehicle.
Despite the disturbingly awful event with which the story begins, Grist Mill Road starts slowly. The book is divided into 3 parts, and the first is the slowest/least enjoyable. But stick with it---the pace picks up and picks up and picks up, and you will not be able to put the book down by the time you get to Part 3.
I strongly recommend this book. It is a fast and eye-opening read.
Grist Mill Road begins with an awful, stomach-churning incident. It would be easy to write that that incident is the impetus for all that follows, but to do so would fly in the face of the story's primary takeaway... Namely, that no event can stand alone, and that every event can be perceived quite differently, depending on one's perspective/personal experience.
Sometimes, when an author tries to impart a lesson, the lesson overwhelms and detracts from the story. Grist Mill Road is a book with a purpose, but author Christopher Yates deftly illustrates his lesson---the reality described in the paragraph above---without undermining the captivating and entertaining story that is his vehicle.
Despite the disturbingly awful event with which the story begins, Grist Mill Road starts slowly. The book is divided into 3 parts, and the first is the slowest/least enjoyable. But stick with it---the pace picks up and picks up and picks up, and you will not be able to put the book down by the time you get to Part 3.
I strongly recommend this book. It is a fast and eye-opening read.
medium-paced
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
I was disappointed in this one. I didn't really like or understand any of the three main characters; their decisions and behavior often didn't make sense; and I didn't find the past or present plots particularly believable. I was invested enough that I read it to the end, and it was a nice quick read, but overall I wouldn't recommend it.
mysterious
fast-paced