Reviews

Il bivio by Kathleen Barber

jwolfpack's review against another edition

5.0

Well, hit me with a stick and call me a piñata! Any book that advertises itself as anything like Serial is bound to be good, so I had my hopes high for this one and I was not let down in the slightest.

Are You Sleeping is a roller-coaster ride of emotions, all centered around the tragic life of Josie Burhman. From murder to betrayal to heartbreak, AYS covered it all. And while the novel is presented as a mystery, I found it more of a story of reconciliation and forgiveness. I throughly enjoyed watching Lanie and Josie grow as characters and become more mature adults. Their story--though dramatic--is a testimony to others on how to move on and forgive.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys suspense and mystery, as well as some good coming-of-age bits here and there.

*My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.*

lori_vols's review against another edition

3.0

There are so many twists and turns in this book... so many unexpected surprises. Two of the most fascinating traits of the book, however, are how unreliable the narrator is and how unlikable several characters are. It is unusual to have both these traits present in one novel... and yet, that is the entire point of this page-turner and what keeps the reader unsure of what’s happening, unaware of what the truth is, and questioning what is, indeed, reality.

mmajer's review against another edition

4.0

I was so into this book. It of course reminded me a lot of the first season of Serial (which I loved). I was so drawn into this and couldn’t stop reading and thinking about it, even though the twist could not have been more obvious. I also didn’t care for the last few chapters, parts seemed kind of unnecessary and too convenient/tidy. Overall this was a fun read.

tmawhir's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

snoopydoo77's review against another edition

4.0

***I received a free copy from the publisher and chose to leave a voluntary review. Thank you!***

 

This was a fun and fast read for me that I enjoyed very much, I enjoyed it actually more than I thought I would.

The writing just had a way to draw you in and I didn’t want to put the book down and wanted to know what is going on.

Of course it goes back and forth in time, between and of course past, but it’s clear early in that we don’t know who is a bigger liar.  Of course there is a lot of Mystery about what really happened that night and every time we think we get it and find out what really, really happened or do we?!

 I also enjoyed all the family drama, past and present and the people around them.

I’m a true crime fan and I enjoy podcasts, so while this is not true crime, it presents itself as such ,it also has the parts of the podcasts and excerpts and such which honestly were my favorite part of the book.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, tons of suspense, kept me guessing and was easy and fast to read.  There were a few slower parts for me, but mostly it was great and enjoyed it a lot.

I hope to find more books like that.

Now that I read and enjoyed the book I might actually check out the TV show but we shall see.

I rate it 4 ★

livvpivv's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

4.0

katiefayslacker's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

3.0

booksamongstfriends's review against another edition

3.0

I wanted more…

MY THOUGHTS

edshara's review against another edition

4.0

Interesting mystery with flawed yet likable characters. Things could have gone in a few different directions and I think I would have been satisfied, though I do think the ending was a bit safe/predictable. I did experience some frustration while reading, however, I’ll blame it on personal preference.

Overall this was easy to get into and it was a fast read with great pacing. I’ll definitely be interested in reading more from Kathleen Barber.

bbrown0526's review against another edition

3.0

Not an okay book. Not so bad that I couldn’t finish it, but the characters weren’t very developed so I found it hard to connect to any of them, including the narrator. The ending was predictable and felt too sudden for the build up. A lot bigger issues were left undone in my opinion.