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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Een leuk verhaal maar absoluut geen thriller! Ook het einde was zeer onverwachts
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Emily is a floundering temp who just lost her job, agent and her home in the same day. She’s desperate and is offered a job that seems too good to be true. To move into a beautiful French estate and be a live in housekeeper. However when things seem to be too good to be true, they usually are.
I wanted to like this one more than I did. I found the twists and the end to be insanely predictable. However that wasn’t my biggest complaint. The biggest issue with this book is how truly unlikable all the characters are, even the main character Emily. She just makes so many stupid decisions it just becomes unbelievable after a while. The only character I had any affection for was Aurelia.
The other issue I have is a spoiler to discuss in detail. So I will just say the overall reason Emily was offered this dream job never truly makes sense even when explained at the end. For the lengths it took to get her there and how the events played out once she got there, the logic just doesn’t hold up for me.
I will say there is a positive in the way the author handles the topics of trauma and mental health. As someone who lives with depression/anxiety, I wholeheartedly appreciate when mental health is handled with such grace and relatability. The author truly nails it in this aspect which knocked this up a full star for me, so shout out to the author.
Overall this wasn’t as enjoyable as I wanted it to be and I definitely don’t think I’d read it again.
I wanted to like this one more than I did. I found the twists and the end to be insanely predictable. However that wasn’t my biggest complaint. The biggest issue with this book is how truly unlikable all the characters are, even the main character Emily. She just makes so many stupid decisions it just becomes unbelievable after a while. The only character I had any affection for was Aurelia.
The other issue I have is a spoiler to discuss in detail. So I will just say the overall reason Emily was offered this dream job never truly makes sense even when explained at the end. For the lengths it took to get her there and how the events played out once she got there, the logic just doesn’t hold up for me.
I will say there is a positive in the way the author handles the topics of trauma and mental health. As someone who lives with depression/anxiety, I wholeheartedly appreciate when mental health is handled with such grace and relatability. The author truly nails it in this aspect which knocked this up a full star for me, so shout out to the author.
Overall this wasn’t as enjoyable as I wanted it to be and I definitely don’t think I’d read it again.
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up.
Enjoyed this one! I wish I could move to the French countryside as a personal assistant…
Love makes you do some crazy things.
Enjoyed this one! I wish I could move to the French countryside as a personal assistant…
Love makes you do some crazy things.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Everything that glitters is not gold!
Emily Proudman's life is falling apart when she receives an amazing offer... she's lost her job and her agent when her former boss, Scott, asks her to come stay at his home in France as a housekeeper and as a caregiver to his ailing daughter. Emily jumps at the chance to escape London, her failing acting career, and her empty bank account. But is this job too good to be true?
This is a quick read and quite the page-turner. It's not a read that will stay with me, but it was a fun one. It's crazy and a little wild and unbelievable but if you like bizarre family secrets and remote, creepy locations (exotic French house!), you'll enjoy it. Downes does a good job of building suspense and tension, with eerie events happening at Scott and Nina's house and Emily's doubts building every day.
Emily Proudman's life is falling apart when she receives an amazing offer... she's lost her job and her agent when her former boss, Scott, asks her to come stay at his home in France as a housekeeper and as a caregiver to his ailing daughter. Emily jumps at the chance to escape London, her failing acting career, and her empty bank account. But is this job too good to be true?
This is a quick read and quite the page-turner. It's not a read that will stay with me, but it was a fun one. It's crazy and a little wild and unbelievable but if you like bizarre family secrets and remote, creepy locations (exotic French house!), you'll enjoy it. Downes does a good job of building suspense and tension, with eerie events happening at Scott and Nina's house and Emily's doubts building every day.
Emily is unemployed and about to be homeless with no place to go and no one to turn to. When her former boss, Scott, asks her to spend the summer in France as housekeeper at his country estate with his wife and daughter, she thinks all of her prayers are answered. His wife Nina and daughter Aurelia are so happy to have the company. It seems like it will be an idyllic summer. However she begins to see that maybe this isn’t the paradise she hoped for. Anna Downs laid the groundwork for this disturbing thriller, slowly dishing out clues until the ending hits you. Thank you to the author and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for review.
fast-paced