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recovering_my_sparkle's review
5.0
Never would have predicted the end!! I, like the main character, ended up suspecting everyone but the actual person. First time in a long time that I’ve gasped when I reached the twist
laurenlethbridge's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
namitakhanna's review against another edition
5.0
Joanna , a single mother, has moved back to small beach town Flinstead with her son Alfie for a fresh new start. Trying to fit in with the other moms she engages in a little gossip and mentions that a famous child killer is living under a new identity in town to one of her friends in her club. The rumor catches on and it spreads like wildfire and things start spiralling out of control rapidly.
The Rumor is an intriguing debut by Lesley kara. Written in short chapters with plenty of twists and turns , red herrings along the way and an unexpected ending made it a gripping addictive read
I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
The Rumor is an intriguing debut by Lesley kara. Written in short chapters with plenty of twists and turns , red herrings along the way and an unexpected ending made it a gripping addictive read
I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
jansbookcorner's review against another edition
2.0
A great premise and some twists that should have made this a top notch book but it just missed the mark for me. There were too many characters and most of them did not add anything to the story. I had to go back at times to figure out who the person was and sometimes couldn’t find them. The story did not have a good flow to it. Just a meh book that had more promise.
abjasp's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
cozylittlebrownhouse's review against another edition
2.0
Rumor has it...a child murderer, long released from prison, has resumed life under a new identity in the small lakeside town of Flintside and single mom Joanna is obsessed with learning more. Using this gossip as a means to squeeze her way into a group of moms from her son's school, the rumors spread, and she finds herself in the center of mystery that begins to unravel leaving her and her family vulnerable to a killer.
I admittedly am harsher when reviewing the thriller genre, but this latest is really just okay. The book seemed like it was set in the UK based on descriptions and expressions used, and every once in awhile something referencing the US jolted me back to this setting. This is a huge problem. The book should have remained set in the UK because the editing on this is...bad. The overall mystery at the center of the story is not incredibly engaging or plausible, and it sparked a lot of questions from me as the reader. (I don't want to get into spoilers here.)
Red light. Sadly, I just can't recommend this thriller.
I admittedly am harsher when reviewing the thriller genre, but this latest is really just okay. The book seemed like it was set in the UK based on descriptions and expressions used, and every once in awhile something referencing the US jolted me back to this setting. This is a huge problem. The book should have remained set in the UK because the editing on this is...bad. The overall mystery at the center of the story is not incredibly engaging or plausible, and it sparked a lot of questions from me as the reader. (I don't want to get into spoilers here.)
Red light. Sadly, I just can't recommend this thriller.
paulabrandon's review against another edition
2.0
Predictable and mostly boring "psychological thriller".
The set-up is good: Joanna Critchley finds herself telling friends at book club about the rumour that a a 10-year-old girl who killed a five-year-old boy 50 years ago is now living in their small town under an assumed identity. In an effort to befriend other mums at her son's school, she tells the rumour to them as well. Soon, the story has made its way across town, to the point where a town resident has been singled out as the child killer and is being harassed. However, the story will have further impact on Joanna's own life as well.
Unfortunately, the book doesn't really do much with the concept. A lot of the book felt like filler, with Joanna being all insecure over her relationship with her son's father, a freelance journalist who wants to do a book on Sally McGowan, the aforementioned child killer. He's suddenly come back into her life, wanting to make a real go at being a couple and blah blah blah zzz zzz zzz. Joanna is a real estate agent, so we get a description of every room of every house that Joanna visits throughout the book. B-O-R-I-N-G.
Too many characters are fluttering about through the pages of the book. There are women from Joanna's book club. There are women who are other mothers at the school. There's a woman selling a house and a woman who wants to buy it. A lot of these women are in their late 50s, just to make sure we have as many red herrings and suspects as possible. But aside from Twitter threats and another mild threat at the school, suspense is thin on the ground. The only mystery really lying at the heart of this is the identity of Sally McGowan.
I twigged most of the plot twists before they happened. The climax was reasonably decent, so I enjoyed that events capped off with some actual suspense and dread. But getting there was sometimes quite the hard slog.
The final twist was obvious, insulting and lazy.
The set-up is good: Joanna Critchley finds herself telling friends at book club about the rumour that a a 10-year-old girl who killed a five-year-old boy 50 years ago is now living in their small town under an assumed identity. In an effort to befriend other mums at her son's school, she tells the rumour to them as well. Soon, the story has made its way across town, to the point where a town resident has been singled out as the child killer and is being harassed. However, the story will have further impact on Joanna's own life as well.
Unfortunately, the book doesn't really do much with the concept. A lot of the book felt like filler, with Joanna being all insecure over her relationship with her son's father, a freelance journalist who wants to do a book on Sally McGowan, the aforementioned child killer. He's suddenly come back into her life, wanting to make a real go at being a couple and blah blah blah zzz zzz zzz. Joanna is a real estate agent, so we get a description of every room of every house that Joanna visits throughout the book. B-O-R-I-N-G.
Too many characters are fluttering about through the pages of the book. There are women from Joanna's book club. There are women who are other mothers at the school. There's a woman selling a house and a woman who wants to buy it. A lot of these women are in their late 50s, just to make sure we have as many red herrings and suspects as possible. But aside from Twitter threats and another mild threat at the school, suspense is thin on the ground. The only mystery really lying at the heart of this is the identity of Sally McGowan.
I twigged most of the plot twists before they happened. The climax was reasonably decent, so I enjoyed that events capped off with some actual suspense and dread. But getting there was sometimes quite the hard slog.
The final twist
Spoiler
hey, Sally really did kill Robbie 50 years agojohnsonines's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked the book. I was hooked from the first page. The story line is unique and quite captivating. The end, I did not expect that at all.
The only thing that kept confusing me was, where in the world did this book take place? First I thought it was based in the UK, due to the language and the obscene amounts of tea the characters drank. Then I thought Michigan, because there was reference to that state. Finally, I thought Boston, because they referenced the T and Kenmore Square.
I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway sponsored by Random House Publishing House.
The only thing that kept confusing me was, where in the world did this book take place? First I thought it was based in the UK, due to the language and the obscene amounts of tea the characters drank. Then I thought Michigan, because there was reference to that state. Finally, I thought Boston, because they referenced the T and Kenmore Square.
I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway sponsored by Random House Publishing House.