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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
Typical murder mystery
I liked how each chapter was from a different character relating. However about halfway through there was an odd change where the third person/ first person was mingled more noticeably. Also it seems like it was obviously written to make the reader think it could be certain people who committed the crime, a little too obvious where I didn't feel I was going to be missing clues later and surprised
I liked how each chapter was from a different character relating. However about halfway through there was an odd change where the third person/ first person was mingled more noticeably. Also it seems like it was obviously written to make the reader think it could be certain people who committed the crime, a little too obvious where I didn't feel I was going to be missing clues later and surprised
Lots of flashbacks from different characters perspectives add to the suspense.
I found this book engaging, I guess... there were zero likeable characters, though, which made it harder. I knew I was supposed to like Haley but I couldn't. She danced between cold and distant and mildly obsessed, and the family dynamics were over the top. The whole back and forth between POVs thing is starting to wear on me - is there no one who can just develop a single narrator anymore? Anyway, at least I constantly wanted to know what happened next... until the epilogue. I wish I'd stopped before the god awful epilogue.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
This was my Amazon First Read for November! This book comes out on 12/1. The plot piqued my interest and it ended up being...fine. It didn’t blow my socks off, but it’s well-written and was easy and fun to binge read. The thing is though, it almost needs to be binge read, particularly in one sitting, because once I put it down for the night, it was super difficult to motivate myself to pick it back up in the morning. But I did like the alternating POV chapters and the fact that they flipped from Haley and Priya’s POVs in the present day to Emma’s POV from ten years ago.
Okay but it took a long time to come together
The title of the book bothers me because there’s one incident that takes place in an open house. The plot was fairly predictable but the main character was good. The end felt rushed.
The title of the book bothers me because there’s one incident that takes place in an open house. The plot was fairly predictable but the main character was good. The end felt rushed.
two stars for the story; the ending is somewhat rushed, and overall the execution is sloppy, especially with regard to the setup for the potential suspects and all of their motivations (it just comes across as unnecessarily difficult, almost to a detrimental degree.) + another star for the characters, who, despite their painful conformity to certain mystery/thriller stereotypes, have distinct voices, rather than blending together.
the shift between first and third person is somewhat grating, but i can see and appreciate the sentiment.
the shift between first and third person is somewhat grating, but i can see and appreciate the sentiment.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book relies way too much on the mystery being people just... not saying specific characters' names. It comes off as stilted and amateurish. Yet I still read the whole thing despite DNFing books relentlessly so that counts for something.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced