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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
dark
tense
fast-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
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
Clever. A little I’ve the top in some ways with extreme character behavior. Quick read. I loved the Spellman series so much I just long for something that comes close to that. Which this doesn’t quite.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
who would like to be my partner in crime? i'm taking applications.
i enjoyed this story, i loved owen and luna together. i hated when they were apart. i think the mystery is actually the least interesting part of the story in retrospect, but it's okay. being on the ride with them sufficed. it's an easy read, and that's enough sometimes.
i enjoyed this story, i loved owen and luna together. i hated when they were apart. i think the mystery is actually the least interesting part of the story in retrospect, but it's okay. being on the ride with them sufficed. it's an easy read, and that's enough sometimes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail
According to Urban Dictionary, the term ride or die used as a verb means “you are willing to do anything for someone you love or someone you really appreciate in your life” or used as a noun, it’s “the person who you stand by in any problem and vice versa.”
My friend and fellow reviewer, Jen, used this term and it perfectly encapsulates Luna and Owen, who’ve been strictly platonic best friends since their college days. They’ve spent years keeping each other’s secrets, running interference if someone is bothering the other, lying if necessary - even to each other, if they think it will help, and generally having each other’s backs whatever the scenario. It’s the ultimate stew of loving support and complete co-dependency.
Still friends and now neighbors long after their student days, they find themselves being questioned when Owen’s wife is murdered. The only problem is, they’ve been under a cloud of suspicion before while students at Markham University, when a female acquaintance of theirs mysteriously died, not to mention the trouble caused by Luna’s dark and secret past she was trying to keep hidden.
Is there a connection between these events? Why do Luna and Owen seem to attract death and drama like moths to a flame? They both have secrets, so … do they really know each other? Just how far will they go to protect the other?
I loved this book, and despite their mutual dysfunction and unlikable moments, I loved Luna and Owen! Lutz did a great job keeping me guessing at how all the pieces fit together through past and present chapters, and every character was well-written and interesting, so I always felt invested in the outcome. The resolution was satisfying, though I was just a tiny bit disappointed with the lack of a clear conclusion for Luna’s relational situation at the end. Nonetheless, I could live with it and be happy.
An outstanding first read for 2022 and a new-to-me author to watch!
★★★★ ½ (rounded to 5)
Thanks to Random House Publishing - Ballantine, Netgalley and author Lisa Lutz for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. It’s due for publication on January 25, 2022.
*****************************************
Please bear with me if I'm slow to reply to comments. I'm still on semi-hiatus for the next month or two, but I'll try to squeeze in reviews and replies when I can, as well as visiting your reviews! :)
My friend and fellow reviewer, Jen, used this term and it perfectly encapsulates Luna and Owen, who’ve been strictly platonic best friends since their college days. They’ve spent years keeping each other’s secrets, running interference if someone is bothering the other, lying if necessary - even to each other, if they think it will help, and generally having each other’s backs whatever the scenario. It’s the ultimate stew of loving support and complete co-dependency.
Still friends and now neighbors long after their student days, they find themselves being questioned when Owen’s wife is murdered. The only problem is, they’ve been under a cloud of suspicion before while students at Markham University, when a female acquaintance of theirs mysteriously died, not to mention the trouble caused by Luna’s dark and secret past she was trying to keep hidden.
Is there a connection between these events? Why do Luna and Owen seem to attract death and drama like moths to a flame? They both have secrets, so … do they really know each other? Just how far will they go to protect the other?
I loved this book, and despite their mutual dysfunction and unlikable moments, I loved Luna and Owen! Lutz did a great job keeping me guessing at how all the pieces fit together through past and present chapters, and every character was well-written and interesting, so I always felt invested in the outcome. The resolution was satisfying, though I was just a tiny bit disappointed with the lack of a clear conclusion for Luna’s relational situation at the end. Nonetheless, I could live with it and be happy.
An outstanding first read for 2022 and a new-to-me author to watch!
★★★★ ½ (rounded to 5)
Thanks to Random House Publishing - Ballantine, Netgalley and author Lisa Lutz for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. It’s due for publication on January 25, 2022.
*****************************************
Please bear with me if I'm slow to reply to comments. I'm still on semi-hiatus for the next month or two, but I'll try to squeeze in reviews and replies when I can, as well as visiting your reviews! :)
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2 different murders in 2 separate timelines between 2 interesting characters. I truly enjoyed reading it, Lutz’s writing style kept me hooked. Very original and well-executed mystery/thriller.
This book's about family, down under all of the suspicion, lies and affairs. It's a good story that pivots back and forth between Luna and Owen's college day and current time. The end did surprise me, I felt like some of the third person context was a bit flat but I did really like this book!
A great thriller with very refreshing characters, making this book feel very original. While a little haphazard at some points, the book was overall plotted very well and I LOVED Owen and Luna's relationship and how it did not evolve into romance. We need more of this in fiction. Was their relationship perfect? Not at all, but no relationships are - and Lutz did a great job of showing the complexity of platonic relationships in general; their opposite sexes just happen to be the source of annoying comments by others. All in all this was a great book with refreshing characters, relationships, and a heart-racing plot. It was on the shorter end for most thrillers, but it made it a read I could get through in a single weekend and enjoyed the whole ride.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Owen Mann is charming, privileged, and chronically dissatisfied. Luna Grey is secretive, cautious, and pragmatic. Despite their differences, they begin forming a bond the moment they meet in college. Their names soon become indivisible--Owen and Luna, Luna and Owen--and stay that way even after an unexplained death rocks their social circle.Years later, they're still best friends when Luna finds Owen's wife brutally murdered. The police investigation sheds some light on long-hidden secrets, but it can't penetrate the wall of mystery that surrounds Owen. To get to the heart of what happened and why, Luna has to dig up the one secret she's spent her whole life burying.
The Accomplice examines the bonds of shared history, what it costs to break them, and what happens when you start wondering if you ever truly knew the only person who truly knows you.
The Accomplice examines the bonds of shared history, what it costs to break them, and what happens when you start wondering if you ever truly knew the only person who truly knows you.