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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
Complicated
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sleep deprived, struggling and at breaking point, first-time mum Gracie Michaels booked a me-time at The Maxwell Hotel. Somehow, she woke up in a room she didn’t recognise after an encounter with a man who was not her husband. Then she saw something she wished she hadn't, and found herself at the heart of a police investigation. Would she destroy her family’s trust in order to reveal the truth?
I had an interesting experience reading this book. I don’t know why, but I initially thought this was your usual pop-corn thriller with some whodunnit mystery. So I was super confused when I almost reached the end of the book and there was no ‘murder mystery’ (because it wasn’t supposed to be one 🙈!).
So, genre misunderstanding aside (due to my own mistake and nobody else’s!), I found most of the motherhood parts to be relatable, except the part where Gracie made bad decisions involving drinks and the hotel bar (I wanted to tell her to turn around and leave)! I kept nodding at the struggles, frustrations and loneliness she felt, being a newborn mum.
I probably would’ve enjoyed the book more had I not mistaken the genre, but in the end this was a great introduction to Kylie Orr’s writing! I liked her wittiness and dark humour (I unexpectedly chuckled at some dark moments before catching myself!), and some of the scenes were outstandingly written. Plus, I listened to the audiobook (alternating with the physical copy), and the narration was done well - I think I finished the book in a day and a bit!
So yes, I immediately moved on to Kylie’s backlist afterwards.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I listened to this courtesy of an audio book through Libro.fm
and Harper Audio. It’s a great quality audio and a wonderful way to have ‘read’ this particular book.
This is an interesting read, and a first by this author for me. It threw me for a loop as I thought I was delving into a thriller and that’s how it started out, but it took a bit of a turn mid way through and was more contemporary (Women’s) fiction. It became less of the gritty thriller detail about a murder and some lies a woman told, and more about the dynamics that unfolded, the context of her familial and personal life. There is an underlying narrative about sexual and personal violence against women but I won’t say how it relates to the plot as I think that part of the synopsis gives a bit too much of the story away.
As someone who has worked in this area I’m all about the subject matter - I’ve recently read Prima Facie which has a similar focus but was presented quite differently. I find both books to be good, but Prima Facie was a little more edgy, and somewhat more direct in its plot whereas this one felt like it was trying to do too much.
Still, I liked it, and whilst it’s all from Gracie’s POV because it’s her experience, I did wonder about an epilogue as the final chapters whilst alluding to certain things just didn’t do so satisfyingly for me. I don’t mind being left hanging but if so it’s got to be a WTF moment whereas here it was a whimper more than a bang at the end.
and Harper Audio. It’s a great quality audio and a wonderful way to have ‘read’ this particular book.
This is an interesting read, and a first by this author for me. It threw me for a loop as I thought I was delving into a thriller and that’s how it started out, but it took a bit of a turn mid way through and was more contemporary (Women’s) fiction. It became less of the gritty thriller detail about a murder and some lies a woman told, and more about the dynamics that unfolded, the context of her familial and personal life. There is an underlying narrative about sexual and personal violence against women but I won’t say how it relates to the plot as I think that part of the synopsis gives a bit too much of the story away.
As someone who has worked in this area I’m all about the subject matter - I’ve recently read Prima Facie which has a similar focus but was presented quite differently. I find both books to be good, but Prima Facie was a little more edgy, and somewhat more direct in its plot whereas this one felt like it was trying to do too much.
Still, I liked it, and whilst it’s all from Gracie’s POV because it’s her experience, I did wonder about an epilogue as the final chapters whilst alluding to certain things just didn’t do so satisfyingly for me. I don’t mind being left hanging but if so it’s got to be a WTF moment whereas here it was a whimper more than a bang at the end.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed this book! I enjoyed the plot line and I enjoyed the ay the story unfolded. I was a bit disappointed at the ending. It felt a little rushed and I wanted to see more details about the court case and so on! I thought the author could have died into the auxiliary characters a little deeper. We didn’t really get to learn much about any of them.
This was an easy read but I probably wouldn’t read it again.
I enjoyed the aspects of synaesthesia and thought that was a cool little quirk to the book! It made me wonder what colour my name would be from her perspective.
I read this book for bookclub and I enjoyed it to the point I would recommend it to others.
This was an easy read but I probably wouldn’t read it again.
I enjoyed the aspects of synaesthesia and thought that was a cool little quirk to the book! It made me wonder what colour my name would be from her perspective.
I read this book for bookclub and I enjoyed it to the point I would recommend it to others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Murder
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated