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minimicropup's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Sanctimonious. Vacillating. Petulant.
šµš¹ Set at luxury cliffside villa in Portugal.
Four friends since college (now in their 40s) are at a destination wedding for a younger sibling. They start reexamining their own life choices after seeing the relationship dynamics of the young couple in love.
ā
šŗGrowls, Howls, and Tail Wagsš
š¤ The writing jumps to the past mid-way as a character recalls something and itās not always clear that we are in a past timeline (or when we jump back to present timelines). Itās not my favourite style because I tend to imagine other characters standing around awkwardly waiting for the memory lane trip to end.
š¤ If you need likeable characters, this could be a slog. Thereās a lot of insecurity among these 40-year olds and one of them borders on toxic femininity, while the one in her 20s seems vapid and annoyingly attention-seeking. It was still a fun read because although none of them were likeable to me and our MC (Rachel) was infuriating, I could understand their perspectives and the troubles they kept getting into were consistent with their personality traits. They felt like real people I don't vibe with so I didnāt feel too badly watching their lives unravelā¦. bit of a guilty pleasureā¦š
š¤·āāļø The worldbuilding was okay. It could have been a generic villa on any Mediterranean cliff and there were some layout issues for me where I had trouble placing rooms and therefore characters in relation to each other. Itās sorted out by ~20%, it just felt like the author was thinking of a really specific villa and didnāt entirely describe it to us.
š The drama is driven by the cognitive psychology of Rachel, as we mostly get her perspective. We quickly discover she's full of cognitive biases and logical fallacies, but it isnāt presented with over-reliance on omission/baiting/lying at least. Most of the time we will know where things are heading because it is so obvious from all the foreshadowing, but Rachel will be oblivious or dismissive.
š¤Ŗ Mystery and suspense are from observing character interactions. Is there a scandalous situation? Are the rumours true? We get little reveals and new mysteries throughout the story, but to get there we endure a lot of Rachel with her delayed clue-ins and overthinking denial monologues.
š¤Ŗ Mystery and suspense are from observing character interactions. Is there a scandalous situation? Are the rumours true? We get little reveals and new mysteries throughout the story, but to get there we endure a lot of Rachel with her delayed clue-ins and overthinking denial monologues.
š„“ I lost interest whenever Rachel and Paige would go through spin-outs but it worked for the story. Rachel was so agonizingly self-defeating. She ruminates on every decision as if it just happens to her instead of acknowledging her role in choosing those outcomes. And Paige was so catty and passive-aggressive picking on Ali just because sheās young and pretty. But Ali was also annoying so sometimes that workedā¦like is Ali up to something and Paige is right after all? That would draw me back in when I started to feel like the story was spinning its wheels stuck in Rachelās mind.
š«„ For me the theme of lost youth, regrets, and life just āhappeningā were so heavily woven through almost every plot point and interaction that I had a hard time connecting. Depending on your life circumstances this could be full of relatable feelings and situations; the characters and circumstances, though messy, all felt plausible since they werenāt OTT or too contrived/convenient.
ā
šļø Narration was good and got me through the story sometimes. Not that it would have been a DNF, but I used the audio to break up the repetitive sentiments and add some expression and emotion to the text.
Mood Reading Match Up:
- 'What could have beenā, missed chance, mismatched romantic suspense
- Luxurious Mediterranean wedding destination summer vacay vibes
- Friends behaving badly, relationship secrets and lies, lost youth drama
- Swipe of āmurder or accident?ā
Content Heads-Up: Infidelity. Bullying. Fatphobic characters and comments. Alcohol (partying, celebrations, hang outs). Car accident. Mass murder. Suicide (implication). Existential/mid-life crisis, regret.
Format: Paperback + Library Audio via Libby
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Bullying, Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide
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