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vj_thompson's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The ending had me questioning what I just read. Overall, the plot kinda of dragged once I reached the halfway point. There were so many plot twists happening that it was hard to keep up. I loved the duel story element. The emails were a nice touch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Medical content, Gun violence, Stalking, Child abuse, and Blood
Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Racism, and Sexual assault
amandalorianxo's review
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
So this is actually a book within a book ish. We meet Hannah, a popular Australian author who is sending a fan named Leo her latest manuscript. We aren’t sure how the two of them initially spoke to each but it appears there is more to this back and forth (which is unfolded in the book.) Hannah is trying to maintain Leo’s interest with Freddie, Whit, Cain and Marigold- four people in their mid 20’s / 30’s who just so happen to be inside a library when someone is killed. I did a mixture of audio and kindle unlimited this one & I thought it was a great mystery / thriller but you really have to pay attention otherwise certain details you can blink and miss.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gun violence
bluecardinal's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Child death, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Infidelity, Rape, Domestic abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Classism, Gun violence, and Racism
mizmanderz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Stalking, Gun violence, and Rape
Moderate: Racism and Sexism
reallycooper's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Sexual violence
mariakureads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I picked this up on a whim because the blurb sounded so interesting - I mean a murder case within a library and a cast of possible choices - it made me think of the game Clue but I'm saddened to say that I didn't love this like I was hoping.
All in all, it's not a bad read. I found the writing to be entertaining as it's a whodunnit wrapped up in a story within a story within a story. The cast of characters are different from each other which allowed the narrator to create different tones among them so it made it easier for me to follow on audio as there's more than two people at any given moment but every time that I felt that the book was going somewhere it was interrupted by the author's choice to add an additional plot of someone corresponding with the author of "a" story and that's just a disruption from the overall mood for me.
I was tempted to skip those moments and probably would have had I known where in the audiobooks it happened just to along with the other story which had me shaking my head at different moments in disbelief for some of the character's actions but all in all not a bad read.
All in all, it's not a bad read. I found the writing to be entertaining as it's a whodunnit wrapped up in a story within a story within a story. The cast of characters are different from each other which allowed the narrator to create different tones among them so it made it easier for me to follow on audio as there's more than two people at any given moment but every time that I felt that the book was going somewhere it was interrupted by the author's choice to add an additional plot of someone corresponding with the author of "a" story and that's just a disruption from the overall mood for me.
I was tempted to skip those moments and probably would have had I known where in the audiobooks it happened just to along with the other story which had me shaking my head at different moments in disbelief for some of the character's actions but all in all not a bad read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Death
Minor: Violence
originally_olivia's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This mystery kept me guessing until the last moment! So many misleads, a really interesting format, and fantastic characters. I was convinced it was Leo who was the killer. Sending Freddy those anonymous gifts, being at the library that day, running by Boos crime scene, so I was definitely disappointed by the outcome. I wanted the real Leo to know how the author really saw him and that she knew all along. But I guess that would’ve given him the attention he so desperately wanted.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Gore, Violence, and Murder
a_m_c's review
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
The beginning was a slow burn, but 50+ pages in I was absolutely hooked. I had to know the connections between the crimes, the reasons for them, and if I could trust the narrator too!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Gun violence
heathermarie08's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.0
At first, I really didn't like this writing style. Just a tad confusing and took me a bit to get in the groove of it. But as I got used to it, it began to feel almost as if I was discussing the book with another person (the author to author emails). It was also exciting to see the remarks from the other author put into the rest of the story. The story is enjoyable and kept my interest. It ends up turning into 2 stories in one which is fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Minor: Blood, Racism, and Gun violence
bzliz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Woman in the Library is a thriller/mystery that manages to be satisfying and exciting without frequent graphic or gruesome descriptions of murdered people. It is a story within a story- each chapter is part of a manuscript by a writer named Hannah, which she sends to her beta reader, Leo. Each chapter is punctuated by the subplot of his emailed reaction to her writing and occasionally by other correspondences. Her story follows Freddie, an Australian writer living in Boston, who believes she may have overheard a woman being murdered and bonds to her table mates at the time the woman screamed- Marigold, Whit & Cain.
The story takes several turns and I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery along with Freddie and while I can’t say I was too shocked at the ending, there was just enough left that I hadn’t pieced together to be surprising. I believe the email subplot is the darkest part of the story because it’s meant to be the “real” world. I particularly like that although we see Hannah’s work and we see Leo’s response, we never see her directly nor do we see her messages to Leo. I just found that intriguing.
If you’re like me on occasion and need to see whodunnit, spoilers ahead:Whit killed Caroline because they were working on a scheme to do a close up story about Cain (who killed his stepfather as a teen and served 8 years in prison) and Whit didn’t want her to steal his thunder. Her scream while Whit was sitting by Cain was meant to bond them together, which it did, along with Marigold who was sitting there hoping to talk to Whit and Freddie who just happened to be there. He actually killed her later and somehow a man called Boo witnessed enough to know her death was fake until it wasn’t anymore. Whit tried to pay him off but Boo stabbed Whit because of some confused sense of justice for Caroline. Whit then killed Boo. Meanwhile Cain has been blamed for everything and is on the run. Freddie is helping him as best she can while being observed by the police. Her neighbor Leo (named for the “real” Leo) gives me weird stalker vibes but it doesn’t amount to anything. Cain is proven innocent after Whit shoots him and confesses his crimes to Freddie and Marigold.
The “real” Leo has been acting as a research resource for Hannah while he shops around his own book. He starts sending her photos of crime scenes, then bodies, claiming to have found the crime scene later but actually he killed those people and his emails get increasingly creepy with suggestions on how to brutalize characters or punish Freddie for falling for Cain. He finally tries to get to Hannah and is apprehended by Australian police. His final letter to her comes when he’s in jail.
The story takes several turns and I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery along with Freddie and while I can’t say I was too shocked at the ending, there was just enough left that I hadn’t pieced together to be surprising. I believe the email subplot is the darkest part of the story because it’s meant to be the “real” world. I particularly like that although we see Hannah’s work and we see Leo’s response, we never see her directly nor do we see her messages to Leo. I just found that intriguing.
If you’re like me on occasion and need to see whodunnit, spoilers ahead:
The “real” Leo has been acting as a research resource for Hannah while he shops around his own book. He starts sending her photos of crime scenes, then bodies, claiming to have found the crime scene later but actually he killed those people and his emails get increasingly creepy with suggestions on how to brutalize characters or punish Freddie for falling for Cain. He finally tries to get to Hannah and is apprehended by Australian police. His final letter to her comes when he’s in jail.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, and Drug abuse