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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
I really did not enjoy this book. The writing style was definitely not for me. If there's dialogue, there have to be SPEECH MARKS. If you're asking a question, there has to be a QUESTION MARK. I get it, no emotion in the writing symbolises the emotionless characters and the eerie vibe. But it just wasn't a mystery. Okay, the plot twist was fair enough about Conor. But the rest of the book was just so predictable, and not in a good way. The characters were just awful for me; I have to relate to a character or find some kind of loveable/redeeming quality in them. That just didn't exist.
I know a lot of people have enjoyed this book, but in relation to my own personal tastes, this book was not for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, even though I've genuinely taken way too long to actually get to this.
I know a lot of people have enjoyed this book, but in relation to my own personal tastes, this book was not for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, even though I've genuinely taken way too long to actually get to this.
Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. Look at the cover of Michelle Sacks’ You Were Made For This. Aren’t those cherries luscious? Perhaps they make you think of “Life Is Just a Bowlful of Cherries.” But then you look closer and that bowl is broken. At first glance, Merry and Sam’s new life in Sweden with their infant son is a bowl of cherries. They inherited a lovely cottage next to a nature reserve with woods, a lake, and trails. They planted a garden and she’s baking, canning, even making homemade baby food.
Nonetheless, subtly unease begins to creep in right from the beginning as Merry never says the baby’s name. She always calls him the baby. In the second chapter, Sam’s use of Conor’s name is reassuring, but then you notice as their narrative switches back and forth that neither of them are good or honest people. Their false happiness is laid bare when Merry’s best friend Frank comes to visit. Her open adoration of Conor highlights Merry’s coldness. But then, Frank is an odd sort of best friend, considering how she could insinuate herself into Merry’s place, how she could be a better mother, a better wife.
I did not enjoy You Were Made For This. I don’t think enjoy is a word you can use for a book where an infant breaks his arm and his mother doesn’t take him to a doctor and a husband enjoys cutting his wife off from the rest of the world. This happens early in the book and it only gets worse. I had to turn away, feeling sick, more than once reading this book.
On the other hand, the growing sense of unease, the slow revelation of their deceit, the rising menace, and the slow unraveling of everything is masterful. You will think you know what is going to happen, but you will be surprised again and again. That makes it a compulsive, fascinating book, but nothing can make it enjoyable.
I received an ARC ofYou Were Made For This from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.
You Were Made For This at Little, Brown, and Company
Michelle Sacks author site
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2018/06/05/9780316475433/
Nonetheless, subtly unease begins to creep in right from the beginning as Merry never says the baby’s name. She always calls him the baby. In the second chapter, Sam’s use of Conor’s name is reassuring, but then you notice as their narrative switches back and forth that neither of them are good or honest people. Their false happiness is laid bare when Merry’s best friend Frank comes to visit. Her open adoration of Conor highlights Merry’s coldness. But then, Frank is an odd sort of best friend, considering how she could insinuate herself into Merry’s place, how she could be a better mother, a better wife.
I did not enjoy You Were Made For This. I don’t think enjoy is a word you can use for a book where an infant breaks his arm and his mother doesn’t take him to a doctor and a husband enjoys cutting his wife off from the rest of the world. This happens early in the book and it only gets worse. I had to turn away, feeling sick, more than once reading this book.
On the other hand, the growing sense of unease, the slow revelation of their deceit, the rising menace, and the slow unraveling of everything is masterful. You will think you know what is going to happen, but you will be surprised again and again. That makes it a compulsive, fascinating book, but nothing can make it enjoyable.
I received an ARC ofYou Were Made For This from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.
You Were Made For This at Little, Brown, and Company
Michelle Sacks author site
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2018/06/05/9780316475433/
I must admit I’m not generally a fan of the domestic thriller. The ones I’ve looked at seem to present a very narrow view both of women and of families, and to favour pace over prose.
I thought I’d give this a go though, because it includes that endlessly fascinating trope of escaping the rat race to live the dream.
Merry and Sam are living with their baby in rural Sweden, in a cottage he inherited from a relative. He is trying to establish himself as a filmmaker, she is caring for their baby, baking and growing vegetables. They have left their home in New York under slightly murky circumstances.
We see first the beauty of this new life, then its downsides. It is the arrival of Merry’s childhood friend, Frank (Frances), that brings things to a head.
The positive about this book is that the writing is gorgeous. You get a real sense of the beauty of the Swedish countryside and the appeal of the life they are living. Later, you see how the same setting can be claustrophobic and threatening. It’s the ideal combination – you get to both bask in Merry and Sam’s idyllic lifestyle, and to see it fall apart and realise it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
I didn’t enjoy the story, though. In part this is to do with the structure of the book. We already see the problems in Merry and Sam’s life before Frank’s arrival, then we have to repeat the same journey from envy to disillusionment from her point of view. When the crisis happens in their lives, there is a police investigation in which the protagonists are interviewed and go over much of the same ground yet again.
More than this, though, I found this book profoundly depressing in what it says about women. There are various archetypes in the book, all of them negative. Frank is successful in her career and travels the world but it’s only because her mother didn’t love her enough. She’d give it up in a heartbeat to have what Merry has.
Merry feels confined by her new life but can’t think what else to do. Sam takes it for granted that Merry should do all the household chores. Neither Merry nor Frank seem to think any less of him for it, nor to question what they themselves expect.
The three protagonists are depressingly predictable. There is no grit that makes them run against type, no sense that they have complex emotions and drives that exist beyond the frame of the story. I had a strong reaction to the twist at the end, but I don’t think it was the one I was meant to have.
Sam is a former anthropologist with an interest in masks and Merry was a set designer. They are interesting choices but I didn’t feel the implications were explored. Are these characters more interesting than they appear? Has their potential been stifled by the limited roles they are allowed to play? Or were they made for this?
*
I received a copy of You Were Made for This from the publisher via Netgalley.
This review first appeared on my blog katevane.com/blog
I thought I’d give this a go though, because it includes that endlessly fascinating trope of escaping the rat race to live the dream.
Merry and Sam are living with their baby in rural Sweden, in a cottage he inherited from a relative. He is trying to establish himself as a filmmaker, she is caring for their baby, baking and growing vegetables. They have left their home in New York under slightly murky circumstances.
We see first the beauty of this new life, then its downsides. It is the arrival of Merry’s childhood friend, Frank (Frances), that brings things to a head.
The positive about this book is that the writing is gorgeous. You get a real sense of the beauty of the Swedish countryside and the appeal of the life they are living. Later, you see how the same setting can be claustrophobic and threatening. It’s the ideal combination – you get to both bask in Merry and Sam’s idyllic lifestyle, and to see it fall apart and realise it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
I didn’t enjoy the story, though. In part this is to do with the structure of the book. We already see the problems in Merry and Sam’s life before Frank’s arrival, then we have to repeat the same journey from envy to disillusionment from her point of view. When the crisis happens in their lives, there is a police investigation in which the protagonists are interviewed and go over much of the same ground yet again.
More than this, though, I found this book profoundly depressing in what it says about women. There are various archetypes in the book, all of them negative. Frank is successful in her career and travels the world but it’s only because her mother didn’t love her enough. She’d give it up in a heartbeat to have what Merry has.
Merry feels confined by her new life but can’t think what else to do. Sam takes it for granted that Merry should do all the household chores. Neither Merry nor Frank seem to think any less of him for it, nor to question what they themselves expect.
The three protagonists are depressingly predictable. There is no grit that makes them run against type, no sense that they have complex emotions and drives that exist beyond the frame of the story. I had a strong reaction to the twist at the end, but I don’t think it was the one I was meant to have.
Sam is a former anthropologist with an interest in masks and Merry was a set designer. They are interesting choices but I didn’t feel the implications were explored. Are these characters more interesting than they appear? Has their potential been stifled by the limited roles they are allowed to play? Or were they made for this?
*
I received a copy of You Were Made for This from the publisher via Netgalley.
This review first appeared on my blog katevane.com/blog
Breathless suspense and elegant prose make this novel creepy and complicated in the very best ways. Each narrator takes their turn being The Absolute Worst, keeping my sympathies shifting until the very end.
Also brought into focus one very important characteristic of myself as a reader (which explains a lot about my occupation): When the worst thing happens, I don't throw the book aside; I plant myself in a chair and read through to the very last page because I HAVE to see how it turns out.
Also brought into focus one very important characteristic of myself as a reader (which explains a lot about my occupation): When the worst thing happens, I don't throw the book aside; I plant myself in a chair and read through to the very last page because I HAVE to see how it turns out.
I have a lot of feelings about punctuation and the lack thereof. It is not very challenging to do punctuation correctly, thus I have little patience for silly errors. It is a huge decision to choose to ignore conventional grammatical standards, and if you are going to make this decision, the payoff better be worth it. (And yes, sometimes it is. Of recent memory--SEVERANCE, I'm looking at you.) But I think this is becoming a trope, a device authors are using to make something because they think it makes the book more unique or more gripping. It doesn't. Unless it's done really well and it adds something. Which is not the case with this book. (Look, I'm defying grammatical conventions myself and using choppy sentences--I'm such a hypocrite.)
This book was pretty eh, but it ended exactly a stop before I had to get off the train, so that was nice. Again with the thriller thing--too many are not living up to my expectations right now.
This book was pretty eh, but it ended exactly a stop before I had to get off the train, so that was nice. Again with the thriller thing--too many are not living up to my expectations right now.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not entirely sure how to review this book. It's definitely not for everyone and probably not for most people. It's beyond dark; "grim" is the word I keep coming back to. I couldn't stop reading it and while I think it's fair to say that I didn't enjoy the book, per se, I also loved it.
Sam, Frank and Merry are not good people. And this isn't like, "Oh, they were petty sometimes or they got mean when they were hungry." It's actually more accurate to say that they are actively bad people. Bad things happen and horrible things happen and the ending is a little chilling.
So again, this book isn't for everyone. I don't recommend it. But I am happy I read it and I will be reading everything Michelle Sacks writes.
Sam, Frank and Merry are not good people. And this isn't like, "Oh, they were petty sometimes or they got mean when they were hungry." It's actually more accurate to say that they are actively bad people. Bad things happen and horrible things happen and the ending is a little chilling.
So again, this book isn't for everyone. I don't recommend it. But I am happy I read it and I will be reading everything Michelle Sacks writes.
Three horrible people, all awful for different reasons. One murdered baby. A page-turner I read while I was in a waiting room.
My brother chose my August TBR experiment : So my sweet brother decided to help me choose my TBR for this month by giving me 9 challenges to build my TBR around and the second one is « Read a domestic thriller »
So I decided to go with this book : [b:You Were Made for This|36341649|You Were Made for This|Michelle Sacks|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519323597s/36341649.jpg|58021636] by [a:Michelle Sacks|16645706|Michelle Sacks|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1513618507p2/16645706.jpg]. Now, I have quite a complicated attitude towards domestic thrillers, they're usually my least favorite thrillers but at the same time some of my favorite thrillers are actually domestic so we'll have to see with this one, if it's going to be a miss or a hit.
Full review now posted
Merry, Sam, and Conor are the perfect family, as it least, that’s what it look like to someone who doesn’t really know them. Finally living in a peaceful new place, they are extremely happy with the new and exciting life they’re building together. Merry is the doting wife whose whole desire is to create a home that’s warm, satisfying and stable. Sam is the determined husband who’s providing for his family while also going after his dreams and Conor is the baby that makes all the struggle they went through in the past just a memory.
But when Frank, Merry’s childhood friend visits their home to stay with them for a while, the façade of perfection starts to crumble one piece at a time until all the hidden secrets and the ugly truths are revealed and there’s no coming back for some of things they’ll do, say or discover.
[b:You Were Made for This|36341649|You Were Made for This|Michelle Sacks|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519323597s/36341649.jpg|58021636] is absolutely one of the best domestic thriller of the year but it’s not a thriller that I could enjoy, thinking about all the unsettling stuff that took place makes me shudder. I was uncomfortable and in shock the whole time and I find my self deeply affected by the story and where it took me. Be careful before choosing to embark on this dark journey, it’s not for the faint of hearts. So here’s a trigger warning forChildren abuse, miscarriages, infanticide, violence and cheating so you won’t be blindsided by something who could affect you negatively or deeply.
This thriller is character driven and that’s what made it so disturbing, I mean to spend so many time in the head of the characters is simply a hard thing to endure but the whole thing is like a train wreck you know it’s horrible yet you can’t look away. And I know something bad is going to happen, I just didn’t except it to be that devastating. I should’ve seen it coming the more the characters become unhinged but it’s not something you want to think about or can even imagine and that’s what the effect that particular event is still messing with me after all this time. You were made for this is not a book you shake easily; its darkness clings to you and makes you feel like a prisoner.
The style in which the story was written is a clever creative choice, how the dialogue is presented in the book and how the transition from one character to another keeps you glued into the book and drives you crazy at the same, it made me feel like I was living alongside the characters every step of the way. It’s been a while since I’ve read such an engaging thriller that holds by the throat and never let go even after that twisted and vengeful finale.
It’s not just the writing style and the dark themes of the book that makes it such an engaging read, the characters and the dynamic that exist between each one of them is absolutely fascinating in a very scary way. The author doesn’t shy away for delving so deep into the dark side of marriage, motherhood and friendship that I felt like I was swimming inside the hatred the characters were feeling.
The way the author portrayed the toxic marriage between Merry and Sam that has been build on lies, betrayal and pretending and how she reflected that relationship on the other ones using it as a starting point to invite us into a world of unhealthy relationships between every two other characters was masterfully done. And the fact that the author also gave us glimpses on the past of each character and how that past or childhood still bleeds through the way they behave themselves now as adults is a tool the author use to send the message that a twisted childhood can be a the first step into the life of an emotionally scarred individual who can’t provide love because he/she never tasted it in the first place
Perfect for fans of [b:The Couple Next Door|28815474|The Couple Next Door|Shari Lapena|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471502242s/28815474.jpg|48284103] and [b:Behind Closed Doors|29437949|Behind Closed Doors|B.A. Paris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1458854462s/29437949.jpg|45981530], this is a character driven book that’s bold in its representation of the dark and toxic side of human relationships. Troubling and extremely painful to read, [b:You Were Made for This|36341649|You Were Made for This|Michelle Sacks|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519323597s/36341649.jpg|58021636] is a memorable book that’s you’re better off forgetting. I totally recommend it if you’ve been reading thrillers for a while but if you’re new to the genre; you better start with another book.
Immediate thoughts
Intimately disturbing, super dark and extremely uncomfortable, [b:You Were Made for This|36341649|You Were Made for This|Michelle Sacks|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519323597s/36341649.jpg|58021636] is a domestic thriller like no other and I'm still reeling from the story and the characters and everything that happened. I just can't wrap my mind around how twisted and chilling this book was.
Some people will hate the guts of this book and others will love it beyond reason. I don't think this is a book that you could like, either you'll hate it or you'll be so hooked by the story and the way it was told that you won't be capable of escaping it and you definitely will want to.
A more detailed review to come once I sort out my feelings.
So I decided to go with this book : [b:You Were Made for This|36341649|You Were Made for This|Michelle Sacks|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519323597s/36341649.jpg|58021636] by [a:Michelle Sacks|16645706|Michelle Sacks|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1513618507p2/16645706.jpg]. Now, I have quite a complicated attitude towards domestic thrillers, they're usually my least favorite thrillers but at the same time some of my favorite thrillers are actually domestic so we'll have to see with this one, if it's going to be a miss or a hit.
**************************************
Full review now posted
Merry, Sam, and Conor are the perfect family, as it least, that’s what it look like to someone who doesn’t really know them. Finally living in a peaceful new place, they are extremely happy with the new and exciting life they’re building together. Merry is the doting wife whose whole desire is to create a home that’s warm, satisfying and stable. Sam is the determined husband who’s providing for his family while also going after his dreams and Conor is the baby that makes all the struggle they went through in the past just a memory.
Love. What is love but the prelude to betrayal?
But when Frank, Merry’s childhood friend visits their home to stay with them for a while, the façade of perfection starts to crumble one piece at a time until all the hidden secrets and the ugly truths are revealed and there’s no coming back for some of things they’ll do, say or discover.
Sometimes it feels like a trap, doesn’t it? she says. Love. Marriage. Motherhood. It takes so much. It leaves so little.
[b:You Were Made for This|36341649|You Were Made for This|Michelle Sacks|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519323597s/36341649.jpg|58021636] is absolutely one of the best domestic thriller of the year but it’s not a thriller that I could enjoy, thinking about all the unsettling stuff that took place makes me shudder. I was uncomfortable and in shock the whole time and I find my self deeply affected by the story and where it took me. Be careful before choosing to embark on this dark journey, it’s not for the faint of hearts. So here’s a trigger warning for
This thriller is character driven and that’s what made it so disturbing, I mean to spend so many time in the head of the characters is simply a hard thing to endure but the whole thing is like a train wreck you know it’s horrible yet you can’t look away. And I know something bad is going to happen, I just didn’t except it to be that devastating. I should’ve seen it coming the more the characters become unhinged but it’s not something you want to think about or can even imagine and that’s what the effect that particular event is still messing with me after all this time. You were made for this is not a book you shake easily; its darkness clings to you and makes you feel like a prisoner.
Here is the truth. The truth is, you don’t always set out to do something. Sometimes, it is the buried part that takes over, the part deep and black inside you. You know it is there—it always has been—but it is kept secreted away, chained up in the basement because it is so fearful and hideous and shameful that you cannot imagine anyone ever seeing it and understanding that it belongs to you.
The style in which the story was written is a clever creative choice, how the dialogue is presented in the book and how the transition from one character to another keeps you glued into the book and drives you crazy at the same, it made me feel like I was living alongside the characters every step of the way. It’s been a while since I’ve read such an engaging thriller that holds by the throat and never let go even after that twisted and vengeful finale.
It’s not just the writing style and the dark themes of the book that makes it such an engaging read, the characters and the dynamic that exist between each one of them is absolutely fascinating in a very scary way. The author doesn’t shy away for delving so deep into the dark side of marriage, motherhood and friendship that I felt like I was swimming inside the hatred the characters were feeling.
We are childhood friends, that most dangerous kind. Bonded over memories and sleepovers and secrets; over betrayals and jealousies and cruelties big and small. She has always been in my life somehow, a lingering presence.
The way the author portrayed the toxic marriage between Merry and Sam that has been build on lies, betrayal and pretending and how she reflected that relationship on the other ones using it as a starting point to invite us into a world of unhealthy relationships between every two other characters was masterfully done. And the fact that the author also gave us glimpses on the past of each character and how that past or childhood still bleeds through the way they behave themselves now as adults is a tool the author use to send the message that a twisted childhood can be a the first step into the life of an emotionally scarred individual who can’t provide love because he/she never tasted it in the first place
Perfect for fans of [b:The Couple Next Door|28815474|The Couple Next Door|Shari Lapena|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471502242s/28815474.jpg|48284103] and [b:Behind Closed Doors|29437949|Behind Closed Doors|B.A. Paris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1458854462s/29437949.jpg|45981530], this is a character driven book that’s bold in its representation of the dark and toxic side of human relationships. Troubling and extremely painful to read, [b:You Were Made for This|36341649|You Were Made for This|Michelle Sacks|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519323597s/36341649.jpg|58021636] is a memorable book that’s you’re better off forgetting. I totally recommend it if you’ve been reading thrillers for a while but if you’re new to the genre; you better start with another book.
**************************************
Immediate thoughts
Intimately disturbing, super dark and extremely uncomfortable, [b:You Were Made for This|36341649|You Were Made for This|Michelle Sacks|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519323597s/36341649.jpg|58021636] is a domestic thriller like no other and I'm still reeling from the story and the characters and everything that happened. I just can't wrap my mind around how twisted and chilling this book was.
We brought out the worst in each other. Envy, anger, deceit. It’s only later when you learn to hold the impulse to hurt with your fists. You discover words and silences are the real killer. The withdrawal of affection, the sly planting of rumors and half-truths, the deft salting of the wounds you know cut the deepest. This is where the power is. A different kind of violence.
Some people will hate the guts of this book and others will love it beyond reason. I don't think this is a book that you could like, either you'll hate it or you'll be so hooked by the story and the way it was told that you won't be capable of escaping it and you definitely will want to.
A more detailed review to come once I sort out my feelings.
I picked this up when I was in a slump. I hadn’t been finishing any books, I just kept starting new ones. I figured a psychological thriller might help, since they’re usually quick. It worked - I read this in one sitting.
This book is about a couple, Merry and Sam, who appears perfect, with their new baby, living in Sweden. When Merry’s best friend comes to visit, secrets start coming to light. Oh, also, none of the characters are likable at all or have any redeeming qualities. They’re all just bad and maybe bad things happened to them in the past but the story doesn’t really go much into that to let you feel any sympathy for any of them.
The writing in this book certainly isn’t perfect. The story isn’t entirely surprising (though be warned - parts of it are tough to read because of the subject matter - message me if you need the deets before you read). Yet, I still found it held my attention enough to want to see what happened next. Truthfully, I skimmed a little, which might have helped me read it in one sitting. Regardless, I still need to give this book some credit for breaking me out of a slump. It definitely has page-turner qualities. Also, I’ve finished two books since I read this one. Thrillers almost always do the trick... but I just can’t give this one three full stars. I’ll give it 2 which in my rating scheme, means “it was fine”.
This book is about a couple, Merry and Sam, who appears perfect, with their new baby, living in Sweden. When Merry’s best friend comes to visit, secrets start coming to light. Oh, also, none of the characters are likable at all or have any redeeming qualities. They’re all just bad and maybe bad things happened to them in the past but the story doesn’t really go much into that to let you feel any sympathy for any of them.
The writing in this book certainly isn’t perfect. The story isn’t entirely surprising (though be warned - parts of it are tough to read because of the subject matter - message me if you need the deets before you read). Yet, I still found it held my attention enough to want to see what happened next. Truthfully, I skimmed a little, which might have helped me read it in one sitting. Regardless, I still need to give this book some credit for breaking me out of a slump. It definitely has page-turner qualities. Also, I’ve finished two books since I read this one. Thrillers almost always do the trick... but I just can’t give this one three full stars. I’ll give it 2 which in my rating scheme, means “it was fine”.