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panicatthebookstore's review
3.0
I never read reviews before reading a book because I like to go in open-minded. But on this occasion, I do wish I'd at least looked into the book before I started reading, especially this week. This story seems to solely revolve around couples going through late miscarriages and stillbirths. This Sunday is 3 years since my son was stillborn, so this couldn't have been worse timing if I'm honest.
But that said, I finished the book just so I didn't need to come back to it.
I've read a few from this author and I've enjoyed them so far, but this one was definitely not a favourite.
If it had been purely about Jan, staying in a secluded cottage, with weird things happening after dark. That would have been brilliant. But the discovery of what it was making the noise outside the cottage could have been something else entirely and would have been a lot better, in my eyes. As for the rest of the story; the baby losses, the whole thing with the clinic etc, I just don't think any of that was needed.
I have a few more books by Lisa on my shelf so I'm hoping the next one I pick up is better.
But that said, I finished the book just so I didn't need to come back to it.
I've read a few from this author and I've enjoyed them so far, but this one was definitely not a favourite.
If it had been purely about Jan, staying in a secluded cottage, with weird things happening after dark. That would have been brilliant. But the discovery of what it was making the noise outside the cottage could have been something else entirely and would have been a lot better, in my eyes. As for the rest of the story; the baby losses, the whole thing with the clinic etc, I just don't think any of that was needed.
I have a few more books by Lisa on my shelf so I'm hoping the next one I pick up is better.
pillywiggin's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I enjoyed the "strange noises and partially seen creatures from the woods" aspect of this story; however, once the second strand of the plot came into play, I figured out pretty much what was happening right away. The book never lived up to the early promise of suspense. The final resolution a year after the events was just not for me.
lolamuy's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
I must say, when I picked up this book, I didn't expect what I was going to read. But I thought it was really good, a good page-turner with good suspense and some disturbing elements. I thought the ending was a bit superfluous though.
Nonetheless I would recommend this story.
Nonetheless I would recommend this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Miscarriage, Infertility, Pregnancy, and Child death
Moderate: Ableism
laufr19's review
3.0
Es la primera vez que leo un thriller sobre el atavismo. El final ha sido un poco meh, pero he devorado el libro en 2 días.
groovykathy's review
3.0
Like many have said this book was really misrepresented by the back cover blurb. I expected a creepy stalker type story. That was confusing at first, but once I got past that, I did find the story somewhat interesting. Interesting but not very believable. The plot required a level of suspending disbelief that I couldn’t quite manage.
My vibe was that this was a small town. How many people would be using a fertility clinic here? It seemed like an inordinate amount to me. Also, the small twist at the end, was just totally unbelievable.
Why wouldn’t Jan tell Chris about her brother? That would have protected him far more than saying nothing. I found that really awful of her, actually. And what are the chances that Jan’s parents would go to a fertility clinic in this same town? And wouldn’t Chris & Jan have gotten DNA tests just to be certain they didn’t have any typical genetic issues before they got pregnant? I mean, Chris had been through some crap. He would have probably wanted that reassurance.
Also, when Chris finds out via Jan’s email, wouldn’t he see that Jan had read the email already? I’m sure she would have. Or she would have just deleted it, since she knew the truth.
Really, the more I think about it, the weirder the story gets to me. It did keep my interest, but only because I was hoping the twists would be better than they were. Many of them were predictable.
I did like the writing and will check out more of this author’s books, but this one didn’t quite do it for me.
My vibe was that this was a small town. How many people would be using a fertility clinic here? It seemed like an inordinate amount to me. Also, the small twist at the end, was just totally unbelievable.
Why wouldn’t Jan tell Chris about her brother? That would have protected him far more than saying nothing. I found that really awful of her, actually. And what are the chances that Jan’s parents would go to a fertility clinic in this same town? And wouldn’t Chris & Jan have gotten DNA tests just to be certain they didn’t have any typical genetic issues before they got pregnant? I mean, Chris had been through some crap. He would have probably wanted that reassurance.
Also, when Chris finds out via Jan’s email, wouldn’t he see that Jan had read the email already? I’m sure she would have. Or she would have just deleted it, since she knew the truth.
Really, the more I think about it, the weirder the story gets to me. It did keep my interest, but only because I was hoping the twists would be better than they were. Many of them were predictable.
I did like the writing and will check out more of this author’s books, but this one didn’t quite do it for me.
emilykdickey's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
krusttttt's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
livres_de_bloss's review
3.0
I loved the start of this: the cottage, the spooky factor, the crawling sense of dread at what was in the woods.
The build up and tension were excellent. The truth of what was in the woods, and circumstances surround same, was horrifying but the story petered out a bit afterward. I wasn’t convinced by the
The build up and tension were excellent. The truth of what was in the woods, and circumstances surround same, was horrifying but the story petered out a bit afterward. I wasn’t convinced by the
Spoiler
Jan and Chris thing. Neither character was flushed out enough for this to be convincing. It’s not a problem they weren’t flushed out until the book veered off into this weird relationship bit. I feel like a relationship and baby weren’t necessary to the story. It made a solid spooky book end on a whimper more than a bang.graabi's review against another edition
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.0
Started out really strong. However, the characters were not very well developed and some (Ian especially) were very unlikeable. Dialog was forced and unnatural. The story seemed to drag on and could have been wrapped up in about 100 pages less. However, some scenes were unnerving and the tension was built well at the start. It was quite atmospheric, until it became repetitive. Some “show not tell” would have made this book a lot better; it gets tedious when everything is spelled out.