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dawndiscusses's review against another edition
2.0
2 stars
The Holdout presents and intriguing premise and frustrating read, marred by Moore's heavy-handed, underdeveloped, inauthentic handling of race and other social issues. The first third of this book, in particular, was painful to read as the writing called attention to the race of each character while reducing them to stereotypes and identities built on tropes. Many of the character served as one-dimensional mouthpieces for juvenile talking points and were motivated by whatever the increasingly unrealistic plot called for. The author's attempt to condemn white saviourism felt hollow when juxtaposed against what was essentially self-insert white saviour fantasy with the journey the protagonist takes. Additionally the unearned, self-congratulatory tone the book takes for even mentioning social injustice was just awful.
However the book did have its strengths. The pacing us engaging, the dual timelines and the multiple POVs add intrigue and I did find at least one twist really thrilling. The middle section in particular had far less preachy, poorly developed, sections and actually made for an entertaining read.
Sadly the conclusion, was largely unsatisfying. Much of what the characters were able to accomplish felt far-fetched and unfortunately at least one of the twists was really cheap. I've heard it may be adapted into a miniseries and I think perhaps that would be a better format for this story.
Overall this was a dissatsifying read for me. If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller and are able to suspend a decent level of disbelief, this may be a more enjoyable read for you. For readers looking for a nuanced, well-developed social commentary piece or a grounded, somewhat accurate legal thriller, I'd maybe skip this one.
The Holdout presents and intriguing premise and frustrating read, marred by Moore's heavy-handed, underdeveloped, inauthentic handling of race and other social issues. The first third of this book, in particular, was painful to read as the writing called attention to the race of each character while reducing them to stereotypes and identities built on tropes. Many of the character served as one-dimensional mouthpieces for juvenile talking points and were motivated by whatever the increasingly unrealistic plot called for. The author's attempt to condemn white saviourism felt hollow when juxtaposed against what was essentially self-insert white saviour fantasy with the journey the protagonist takes. Additionally the unearned, self-congratulatory tone the book takes for even mentioning social injustice was just awful.
However the book did have its strengths. The pacing us engaging, the dual timelines and the multiple POVs add intrigue and I did find at least one twist really thrilling. The middle section in particular had far less preachy, poorly developed, sections and actually made for an entertaining read.
Sadly the conclusion, was largely unsatisfying. Much of what the characters were able to accomplish felt far-fetched and unfortunately at least one of the twists was really cheap. I've heard it may be adapted into a miniseries and I think perhaps that would be a better format for this story.
Overall this was a dissatsifying read for me. If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller and are able to suspend a decent level of disbelief, this may be a more enjoyable read for you. For readers looking for a nuanced, well-developed social commentary piece or a grounded, somewhat accurate legal thriller, I'd maybe skip this one.
lr205's review against another edition
4.0
Jury trial. One juror trying to swing the rest. Fallout after the verdict.
crlopez2013's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book. New twist on the traditional courtroom thriller, and modernized with sprinkled commentary about race. It is written from many different points of view (though mostly told from the protagonist's perspective) which is sometimes confusing, but this was easy to follow along. I appreciated the author's ability to really make the reader think about their moral and ethical decision making.
zozoleqq's review
3.0
Zupełnie nie mogłam się zaangażować :((
rozwiązanie całkiem ciekawe, ale nie zaskoczyło mnie szczególnie
rozwiązanie całkiem ciekawe, ale nie zaskoczyło mnie szczególnie
jansbookcorner's review against another edition
4.0
Great story that kept me guessing all the way through. Character driven and well written.
ignited_redqueen75's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book, it had me guessing to just about the end and although I somewhat guessed the truth reading how and why was just great. I would definitely recommend this to any of my book reading friends.
giraffeinabookstore's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
lattemommyreads'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
edshara's review against another edition
1.0
*This review is, to me, all over the place. I finished this in the wee hours of the morning and just needed to get it written down. I didn’t include everything that bothered me, just some of the bigger things.
The Holdout was easy to read, though the entire time, it just felt off. Now the more I think about it, the madder I get.
So we have Maya, our White female MC, who plays the “savior” role, who can’t believe that the Black jurors aren’t on her side because, you know, they’re Black and the defendant is Black and she thinks he’s innocent.
Then, you have Rick, who thinks they chose the wrong verdict and is obsessed with trying to put a man in jail although he has absolutely NO EVIDENCE, to back his claims!!!! He’s willing to blackmail a man into an admission of guilt and ruin even more lives all because HE feels bad. Also the author waited to “reveal” that Rick was Black, as if we were supposed to be shocked that a Black man would be trying to convince everyone else of another Black mans guilt. As if Black people can’t acknowledge when other Black people screw up.
Next, you have Peter, a White male, who sexually assaults the hotel maid, Margarita(real clever Graham), while they are sequestered. Margarita, tells the Bailiff, another white man, what happened and while he confronts Peter, he doesn’t pursue it, because Peter denies it and Margarita has no evidence. Yet we’re told that during the assault Peter ripped her shirt and after a struggle she ran into the hallway. I’m sure the rest of her clothing, as well as, HER BODY, would have been visibly damaged, unless you know she got herself dressed and received medical attention or took a shower, during the process of struggling and running. Plus their was mention of a posted guard, later in the book. He gets away with it for 10 years and it’s only brought to anyone’s attention after he can no longer go to jail for it. And Maya’s chosen punishment for him is that he has to pay Margarita a lot of money. Also, can you explain to me why the maid, who Graham chose to make Latina or Hispanic, is still working in the same position, at the same hotel, 10 years later??????
The last thing I’ll mention is the fact that Bobby Nock, definitely crossed an ethical line and should have suffered consequences. However, he did not commit any of the crimes of which he was accused. Yet in the end, his life was ruined, he was murdered and made to look guilty because two White women lied!!! And they get to live Happily Ever After.
Ugh, just garbage!!
The Holdout was easy to read, though the entire time, it just felt off. Now the more I think about it, the madder I get.
So we have Maya, our White female MC, who plays the “savior” role, who can’t believe that the Black jurors aren’t on her side because, you know, they’re Black and the defendant is Black and she thinks he’s innocent.
Then, you have Rick, who thinks they chose the wrong verdict and is obsessed with trying to put a man in jail although he has absolutely NO EVIDENCE, to back his claims!!!! He’s willing to blackmail a man into an admission of guilt and ruin even more lives all because HE feels bad. Also the author waited to “reveal” that Rick was Black, as if we were supposed to be shocked that a Black man would be trying to convince everyone else of another Black mans guilt. As if Black people can’t acknowledge when other Black people screw up.
Next, you have Peter, a White male, who sexually assaults the hotel maid, Margarita(real clever Graham), while they are sequestered. Margarita, tells the Bailiff, another white man, what happened and while he confronts Peter, he doesn’t pursue it, because Peter denies it and Margarita has no evidence. Yet we’re told that during the assault Peter ripped her shirt and after a struggle she ran into the hallway. I’m sure the rest of her clothing, as well as, HER BODY, would have been visibly damaged, unless you know she got herself dressed and received medical attention or took a shower, during the process of struggling and running. Plus their was mention of a posted guard, later in the book. He gets away with it for 10 years and it’s only brought to anyone’s attention after he can no longer go to jail for it. And Maya’s chosen punishment for him is that he has to pay Margarita a lot of money. Also, can you explain to me why the maid, who Graham chose to make Latina or Hispanic, is still working in the same position, at the same hotel, 10 years later??????
The last thing I’ll mention is the fact that Bobby Nock, definitely crossed an ethical line and should have suffered consequences. However, he did not commit any of the crimes of which he was accused. Yet in the end, his life was ruined, he was murdered and made to look guilty because two White women lied!!! And they get to live Happily Ever After.
Ugh, just garbage!!
ayla22's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75