You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
This was about two teens who go missing and their soap opera-level family, which includes a narcissistic mother, a lecherous stepbrother, and a dad who smokes too much pot. I was compelled by the mystery, but the telling was long monologues interspersed with porny plot lines. It was sometimes boring and often all over the place. And the main intrigue (the island) is explained away in two pages at the end. Still, an inoffensive quick read.
I loved the premise of this book but sadly I found it became a bit wearisome towards the end. There were a few 'I didn't see that coming moments' but I found it all a little far-fetched. The majority of the novel is a comprehensive analysis of narcissism; how a narcissist thinks, feels, what they're needs and insecurities are, etc. So although it wasn't my cup of tea, if you enjoy psychoanalysis, this book is for you!
I realllllly wanted to love this book but in reality it took forever to hold my interest and I ended up not finishing it.
I think this book is a 2.5, but rounded up to three because I really did want to know what happened in the end. The beginning was frustrating to get through. I thought it was told kind of awkwardly when Abby would listen or think back to bits of Emma's confession that we hadn't heard already from Emma's perspective. The whole narcissistic personality disorder was really heavy handed too I thought. Magically Abby knew a lot about this disorder and then it was relevant to the case! Maybe I've just never read a thriller where the set up was similar to this, but I just felt like it took a lot of the surprise out of the book. Thanks Netgalley for my copy of the book!
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow this book is going to stick with me for a while! Emma and Cass Tanner are sisters. Emma is the older sister and she’s seventeen while Cass is only fifteen. Their mother is a narcissist and believes she’s the most beautiful woman and the best mother, she constantly puts the girls down and feeds off of turning them against each other and she has them call her Mrs. Martin. The girls live in a very dysfunctional family, their mother married a creepy stepfather, their step brother gets away with everything and crosses the line constantly, their older brother who lives with their father is over protective and their father is to weak to stand up for them against their mother. One night they both disappear and the police found no trace of them or clues to what happened. Fast forward three years Cass returns and without Emma. When the FBI question her on what happens, her story has way to many holes in it. So FBI psychiatrists Abby Winters begins to investigate and she specialize in personality disorders and narcissism and when she begins to dig into Cass’s dysfunctional family and their secrets what she uncovers will not only shock you but will have you thinking about this book days after finishing it! I give this five stars! I read this in a day! I was sneaking in pages whenever I got the chance! I grew up with a narcissistic step mom and what scared me, is while reading I could constantly see little things that Mrs. Martin did that my own step mother did like play mind games! Thankfully I had a grandmother that helped take me out of the unhealthy house hold and raised me.
Based on the synopsis and reviews I had read I knew that this book wasn't quite what it seemed and I had that in mind going into it. I think because I had this mind set I was trying to find holes and gaps in the story that would lead to the twist at the end. Even with that in mind I wasn't able to piece everything together until the end when they started revealing more. The premise of the book kept me reading, you want to know if they find Emma and what really happened. I was captivated by the story.
Wendy Walker did a great job of revealing the psychological pathology throughout the book which developed aspects of the family life while not quite revealing the aspects of Cass's personal psychology that develop during the storyline. I think the psychology in the book is what makes this stand apart from others. The scientific view on the narcissist brought in a new aspect to the story that made it more realistic and intriguing and really develops the characters in the story.
Wendy Walker did a great job of revealing the psychological pathology throughout the book which developed aspects of the family life while not quite revealing the aspects of Cass's personal psychology that develop during the storyline. I think the psychology in the book is what makes this stand apart from others. The scientific view on the narcissist brought in a new aspect to the story that made it more realistic and intriguing and really develops the characters in the story.