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heidirgreen's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I really enjoyed this book. Alice Slater tells the story of two young women we all know - Laura, a poetry writing, brogue wearing, blonde bobbed Swifty, and Roach, a purple-haired, true crime obsessive. Their paths intertwine at a local branch of Spines, which feels very Waterstones to me, and we watch as their stories unfold.
The book is written from both Laura and Roach’s perspectives, and their voices are distinct - something very tricky to do. I enjoyed that the audio was narrated by two different actors too. I didn’t like either of the characters, but felt closer to Laura, maybe because she spills more emotion, maybe because I also own book-related tote bags. Either way, despite feeling closer to Laura, at no point did I skim through Roach’s chapters. Usually when books are written in this style I find myself favouring one narrator over the other, but Slater has managed to create two main characters that contribute equally to the story.
The supporting cast are well-formed, I could also smell the essential oils when reading about Shirona, and Eli was exactly the sort of cool, curly haired bookseller that I expected.
I would have loved to have heard more from the older booksellers, and I could see follow ups to this book from the perspective of other characters in a similar way to Rachel Joyce’s Harold Fry series.
I cannot wait to see what Alice Slater writes next.
The book is written from both Laura and Roach’s perspectives, and their voices are distinct - something very tricky to do. I enjoyed that the audio was narrated by two different actors too. I didn’t like either of the characters, but felt closer to Laura, maybe because she spills more emotion, maybe because I also own book-related tote bags. Either way, despite feeling closer to Laura, at no point did I skim through Roach’s chapters. Usually when books are written in this style I find myself favouring one narrator over the other, but Slater has managed to create two main characters that contribute equally to the story.
The supporting cast are well-formed, I could also smell the essential oils when reading about Shirona, and Eli was exactly the sort of cool, curly haired bookseller that I expected.
I would have loved to have heard more from the older booksellers, and I could see follow ups to this book from the perspective of other characters in a similar way to Rachel Joyce’s Harold Fry series.
I cannot wait to see what Alice Slater writes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Mental illness, Murder, and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm
velvetreads_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness
librariangeorgia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Woooooow. What a book!
I loved the concept of this book - true crime, bookseller and anti-social people has me written all over it! From the title I did expect it to be a murder mystery but it was so much better than that.
It follows 2 perspectives, Laura and Roach, who have similar interests but polar opposite personalities. I liked seeing both of their views on the same situation and actually I liked and felt sorry for Roach at the beginning until Laura was introduced and the realisation that not everything is as it seems set in.
This is such a good psychological thriller that slowly became more creepy and stalker-ish as time went on. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it for other thriller fans.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Mental illness, Stalking, and Murder
abigailwantstoread_01's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley for the Earc in exchange for an honest review.
If you love books with an unlikeable main character you should pick up this book. Roach is quite possibly the worst character I've read from the perspective of. She shows the worst of the true crime community and how it can affect victims and their families negatively. I did struggle to rate this as while I did appreciate the commentary regarding true crime I did struggle to read it as I'm not that big if a fan of unlikeable main characters.
If you love books with an unlikeable main character you should pick up this book. Roach is quite possibly the worst character I've read from the perspective of. She shows the worst of the true crime community and how it can affect victims and their families negatively. I did struggle to rate this as while I did appreciate the commentary regarding true crime I did struggle to read it as I'm not that big if a fan of unlikeable main characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Stalking
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