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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
In the adult thriller debut novel The Dark Path by: Michelle Sacks, a woman named Merry has moved with her husband Sam to Sweden. They have a son named Conor who Merry takes care of, while Sam goes out to find work. But, what if all is not as it seems? What if both Merry and Sam Hurley both have skeletons in their closets? Will Merry's friend Frank figure out the truth before it's too late? Or, will all that Merry's worked for come apart at the seams?
This book was probably the most corrupt of books that I have read, with toxicity levels that are off the charts! There is SO much deception and betrayal happening under the Hurley's roof that you can't help but find yourself getting sucked in! Also, this book has a very unique writing style in which the author does not use any quotation marks whatsoever and puts dialogue on the same line as the narrative portion. This can make it hard to follow at first but does not take away from the overall suspense and mystery within its pages. If anything, the writing style reminds me of its main character Merry Hurley, with her 'plain-Jane' appearance and behavior, akin to Anne Conti's demeanor from The Couple Next Door. Both women are very similar but are also very different. That book focused on postpartum depression and while not explicitly mentioned, could explain the root of all of Merry's issues throughout this novel.
If you enjoy domestic, contemporary thrillers than this one might be worth giving a shot! It's very entertaining to say the least...
This book was probably the most corrupt of books that I have read, with toxicity levels that are off the charts! There is SO much deception and betrayal happening under the Hurley's roof that you can't help but find yourself getting sucked in! Also, this book has a very unique writing style in which the author does not use any quotation marks whatsoever and puts dialogue on the same line as the narrative portion. This can make it hard to follow at first but does not take away from the overall suspense and mystery within its pages. If anything, the writing style reminds me of its main character Merry Hurley, with her 'plain-Jane' appearance and behavior, akin to Anne Conti's demeanor from The Couple Next Door. Both women are very similar but are also very different. That book focused on postpartum depression and while not explicitly mentioned, could explain the root of all of Merry's issues throughout this novel.
If you enjoy domestic, contemporary thrillers than this one might be worth giving a shot! It's very entertaining to say the least...
I didn’t think this was for me but found it addictive and read it in one sitting over the course of an evening and was fighting sleep as I was desperate to finish it. I’ve never read a book before where I have disliked all of the characters. What a despicable bunch they all were. Dealing with some dark issues it is very well written.
American couple Sam and Merry move to a house in the Swedish countryside to start a new life. Fired from his previous job in New York, and with the arrival of baby Conor, Sam is trying to make amends. But old habits die hard.
When Merry's closest friend Frank (Frances) comes to visit, she realises all is not as it seems. Frank witnesses Merry doing things that others, who know her less well, wouldn't notice. Events take a tragic turn and it becomes apparent that everyone has a secret to hide - some of which are about to be discovered.
This is the first novel by author Michelle Sacks and what a fine book it is too! It's excellently written; so eloquent and flowing. It's unsettling, tense and foreboding. None of the characters have any redeeming qualities which, in my opinion, works extremely well. I felt vindicated in my loathing; proof that a dysfunctional childhood can, and does, lead to an even greater dysfunctional adulthood.
The story is emotionally charged and won't be for everyone. I've had time to think and my own conclusion is that it's an uncomfortable read. I appreciated it for it's bleakness; the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach; knowing that whatever happened, it would be disconcerting.
Overall, it was a really good read. I felt it lacked the final killer twist at the end, but for a debut novel I was more than pleasantly surprised.
* My thanks to Michelle Sacks, NetGalley and HQ for providing me with a copy of this book.
Read my review on my blog: https://bit.ly/2IrQuUP
When Merry's closest friend Frank (Frances) comes to visit, she realises all is not as it seems. Frank witnesses Merry doing things that others, who know her less well, wouldn't notice. Events take a tragic turn and it becomes apparent that everyone has a secret to hide - some of which are about to be discovered.
This is the first novel by author Michelle Sacks and what a fine book it is too! It's excellently written; so eloquent and flowing. It's unsettling, tense and foreboding. None of the characters have any redeeming qualities which, in my opinion, works extremely well. I felt vindicated in my loathing; proof that a dysfunctional childhood can, and does, lead to an even greater dysfunctional adulthood.
The story is emotionally charged and won't be for everyone. I've had time to think and my own conclusion is that it's an uncomfortable read. I appreciated it for it's bleakness; the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach; knowing that whatever happened, it would be disconcerting.
Overall, it was a really good read. I felt it lacked the final killer twist at the end, but for a debut novel I was more than pleasantly surprised.
* My thanks to Michelle Sacks, NetGalley and HQ for providing me with a copy of this book.
Read my review on my blog: https://bit.ly/2IrQuUP
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Warning: Some scenes may be uncomfortable to read so this book is not for everyone.
3.5 stars
This was a very fast and enjoyable read. I finished this novel in two sittings because the plot was really intriguing and although I’ve read similar novels like this, this one standouts by a lot.
Immediately when I thought of Frank, I thought that being her childhood friend means hey must be inseparable and like sisters. One of these things is true. They are like sisters. But jealous ones for sure. This, to me, was really the central of the story. The relationship between Merry and Frank. It’s just crazy what goes on in this novel and you don’t really know what will happen next. I wouldn’t say she was much off friend though.
There are two parts to this story. One where Frank comes to visit, and one where Frank is about to leave. Something bad happens. Who is to blame? It’s interesting because we know who is to blame, but we don’t know the full reason. It does switch between characters and there was a point in the novel where I was second guessing myself.
This novel is slow paced but that honestly didn’t affect my rating. I felt that a novel like this isn’t meant to be fast paced, because when something bad happens, it is very much out of the blue and unexpected which I found extremely entertaining because I wasn’t expecting it. That’s the good thing, because it was slowly paced, I didn’t know when or what would happen.
It’s the kind of novel in which you don’t who to root for because there isn’t a protagonist. They’re all antagonists and you just have to pick one. I picked Merry. I would’ve liked the ending to conclude in a different way but it wraps up somewhat nicely.
3.5 stars
This was a very fast and enjoyable read. I finished this novel in two sittings because the plot was really intriguing and although I’ve read similar novels like this, this one standouts by a lot.
Immediately when I thought of Frank, I thought that being her childhood friend means hey must be inseparable and like sisters. One of these things is true. They are like sisters. But jealous ones for sure. This, to me, was really the central of the story. The relationship between Merry and Frank. It’s just crazy what goes on in this novel and you don’t really know what will happen next. I wouldn’t say she was much off friend though.
There are two parts to this story. One where Frank comes to visit, and one where Frank is about to leave. Something bad happens. Who is to blame? It’s interesting because we know who is to blame, but we don’t know the full reason. It does switch between characters and there was a point in the novel where I was second guessing myself.
This novel is slow paced but that honestly didn’t affect my rating. I felt that a novel like this isn’t meant to be fast paced, because when something bad happens, it is very much out of the blue and unexpected which I found extremely entertaining because I wasn’t expecting it. That’s the good thing, because it was slowly paced, I didn’t know when or what would happen.
It’s the kind of novel in which you don’t who to root for because there isn’t a protagonist. They’re all antagonists and you just have to pick one. I picked Merry. I would’ve liked the ending to conclude in a different way but it wraps up somewhat nicely.
The facade of Mary and Sam's life is beautiful, pretty hose in the middle of the Swedish wilderness, baby boy, happy parents, fruit and vegetable garden, homemade meals. Sounds so charming, and looks so nice on the photos that Mary sends to her childhood friend Frank. Unless you look closely you won't see all the secrets and abuse. Mary, Sam and Frank should never spend time together, they are destructive forces by themselves, but in a group, it's tenfold. The secrets they keep simmer underneath just to overboil at one point.
You Were Made for This is a dark story, that very slowly creeps on you. For a long time, you are not sure what will happen, what the tragedy will be, you feel that's something's not quite right, but what exactly? I haven't read a similar story to this one, and I'm struggling to find words to describe my feelings about this book. The story is disturbing, and it was hard to read about such atrocities. But just because I find the story itself so horrible, doesn't mean it's not a well-written story. It's just hard to read because of the emotions of anger and dismay that it triggers.
No matter how many secrets the characters have, I think the author is showing them off too early, and even readers that aren't well-seasoned in suspense novels will know who committed the crime. There's an attempt to fool us, but really, it doesn't work. The power of the book doesn't lie in the search of who did it, you keep turning pages because you need to understand why they did it.
You Were Made for This is a dark story, that very slowly creeps on you. For a long time, you are not sure what will happen, what the tragedy will be, you feel that's something's not quite right, but what exactly? I haven't read a similar story to this one, and I'm struggling to find words to describe my feelings about this book. The story is disturbing, and it was hard to read about such atrocities. But just because I find the story itself so horrible, doesn't mean it's not a well-written story. It's just hard to read because of the emotions of anger and dismay that it triggers.
No matter how many secrets the characters have, I think the author is showing them off too early, and even readers that aren't well-seasoned in suspense novels will know who committed the crime. There's an attempt to fool us, but really, it doesn't work. The power of the book doesn't lie in the search of who did it, you keep turning pages because you need to understand why they did it.
I really loved this book, the only thing that really hurt it for me, was the writing style. The lack of quotation marks really threw me off.
She smiled when she saw me. I kissed her and she went to fetch a vase for the flowers. Beautiful, she said. As is my wife, I replied. I know she likes it when I call her that.
Thanks to Netgalley for sending me this book to read!
WOW
This book took me by surprise.
I'd not heard of it or the author before but when I got an email about the novel I felt compelled to download it and I'm really glad that I did.
The book is told from three points of view, Same, Merry and Frank. Now I bet you're thinking that it could get confusing but it's so well written that actually this style of writing really suited the story. As the reader you get more depth of character and it allows for hidden details to be revealed as we see things from various angles of the lives being lived.
We go from fairytale, idealistic life. You know the ones you see plastered all over social media, to dark and almost scary.
Looking at mental health and the way we see others and they see us. What sort of secrets can be hidden with a good smile?
Slow building, it was spaced out in a way that you just had to turn the pages to know where the story would lead and let me tell you the direction it took was somewhat unexpected but brilliant none the less. I read the book in 4 hours!!
My only complaint is that there were a couple of gaps in the narrative but I'm not sure if this was on purpose to leave things open to interpretation.
I can't really say much without giving away part of the plot but I will say that I highly recommend You Were Made For This.
WOW
This book took me by surprise.
I'd not heard of it or the author before but when I got an email about the novel I felt compelled to download it and I'm really glad that I did.
The book is told from three points of view, Same, Merry and Frank. Now I bet you're thinking that it could get confusing but it's so well written that actually this style of writing really suited the story. As the reader you get more depth of character and it allows for hidden details to be revealed as we see things from various angles of the lives being lived.
We go from fairytale, idealistic life. You know the ones you see plastered all over social media, to dark and almost scary.
Looking at mental health and the way we see others and they see us. What sort of secrets can be hidden with a good smile?
Slow building, it was spaced out in a way that you just had to turn the pages to know where the story would lead and let me tell you the direction it took was somewhat unexpected but brilliant none the less. I read the book in 4 hours!!
My only complaint is that there were a couple of gaps in the narrative but I'm not sure if this was on purpose to leave things open to interpretation.
I can't really say much without giving away part of the plot but I will say that I highly recommend You Were Made For This.
Irredeemably, immediately loathable characters, a predictable plot, and awkward prose. Not a fan of this one.
Also what's with all the books that turn post-natal depression into a cute thriller plot? This is the third one I've unintentionally read very very recently with no indication in the blurb of such, though the others ([b:The Better Liar|45189927|The Better Liar|Tanen Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555879552l/45189927._SY75_.jpg|65076935], [b:Little Darlings|41806986|Little Darlings|Melanie Golding|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537554545l/41806986._SY75_.jpg|61722329]) were better reads, and also covered the topic pretty responsibly thanks to author notes. This one... not so much.