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debbiecollectsbooks's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book although it seemed to take me forever to read it. I have not read Nora Roberts in a while and was surprised to find out , the book did not read like Nora Roberts at the beginning. By the middle of the book it was truly recognizable as Nora Roberts, surprises , romance, intrigue. Enjoyable read, I would recommend this to others.
book_concierge's review
2.0
2.5**
From the book jacket: It was a typical summer evening at a mall outside Portland, Maine – until the shooting began. For eight minutes the chaos and carnage spread – eight minutes that transformed the lives of everyone in its wake. Some had their futures stolen from then, while others would discover their true calling. But for one person, it would be the start of a far more calculated plan, one that would force the survivors to face an even greater test in the years to come.
My reactions
Well that blurb is certainly full of hyperbole. Roberts, best known as a romance writer, turns her attention to the thriller genre, and she fills it will all the stereotypical characters of that genre. A seemingly fragile, but really strong-as-steel heroine. A big, strong, handsome hero cop who will save the day. A devious, brilliant psychopath intent on killing as many people as possible.
An eccentric, “just a little bit psychic” grandmother full of new-age advice to heal the soul. (And in case you didn’t pick up on this key trait, Roberts reminds us of Cici’s “little bit psychic” talent about every other time she appears in the novel … and she appears OFTEN.)
She fills out the plot with a lot of soul searching as Simone becomes an artist, scenes of her close friendship with a girl who shared the horror at the mall, and some family drama between the heroine and her bratty sister Natalie. Talk about a bridezilla! Of course, one key event (and the love of a good man) will repair this sisterly bond practically overnight. It’s a side plot that is totally unnecessary to the main story line. In fact, Roberts (or her editor) could have cut about 150 pages of this book and still had the basic plot.
There wasn’t much suspense as I could see the end coming practically from the beginning of the novel. Still, it was a pretty fast read and mostly held my attention.
From the book jacket: It was a typical summer evening at a mall outside Portland, Maine – until the shooting began. For eight minutes the chaos and carnage spread – eight minutes that transformed the lives of everyone in its wake. Some had their futures stolen from then, while others would discover their true calling. But for one person, it would be the start of a far more calculated plan, one that would force the survivors to face an even greater test in the years to come.
My reactions
Well that blurb is certainly full of hyperbole. Roberts, best known as a romance writer, turns her attention to the thriller genre, and she fills it will all the stereotypical characters of that genre. A seemingly fragile, but really strong-as-steel heroine. A big, strong, handsome hero cop who will save the day. A devious, brilliant psychopath intent on killing as many people as possible.
An eccentric, “just a little bit psychic” grandmother full of new-age advice to heal the soul. (And in case you didn’t pick up on this key trait, Roberts reminds us of Cici’s “little bit psychic” talent about every other time she appears in the novel … and she appears OFTEN.)
She fills out the plot with a lot of soul searching as Simone becomes an artist, scenes of her close friendship with a girl who shared the horror at the mall, and some family drama between the heroine and her bratty sister Natalie. Talk about a bridezilla! Of course, one key event (and the love of a good man) will repair this sisterly bond practically overnight. It’s a side plot that is totally unnecessary to the main story line. In fact, Roberts (or her editor) could have cut about 150 pages of this book and still had the basic plot.
There wasn’t much suspense as I could see the end coming practically from the beginning of the novel. Still, it was a pretty fast read and mostly held my attention.
nicolecaprice53's review
2.0
Great premise, poor execution. It read like a Hallmark movie. I was put off by Reed flirting with Simone’s grandmother for the whole book, and the ending was anticlimactic. Took me 6 months to finish because I couldn’t get into it.
mariealma's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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? No
5.0
sslovesbooks_1's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed a couple of Nora Robert's most recent stand alone novels and thought I would go back and read some of her other older books.
This book for me was not as enjoyable has her most recent work. It follows the story of one of the main characters Simone Knox who as a teenager witnesses a mass shooting when she is with her friends at a cinema complex in a large US mall. The book follows her trying to come to terms with dealing with her experience and many times she takes herself back to her grandmother Ci Ci's house in a small community in Maine to try to heal herself and find her one passion in life. I loved Ci Ci, what a great character for an older woman, making her choices and living her life as she wants without the view that many have that age is a barrier.
The other main character is Reed Quartermaine who was also at the mall complex when the mass shooting occurred and the influence of that night led him to become a policeman.
What neither of them know is that there is a killer who is tracking those who survived and were in the mall that night and is killing them one by one.
When Reed moves to the small community to heal himself from an incident it appears that Simone and Reed are both in terrible danger. Can they stop the killer of will it be too late?
This book was focused on many themes, the impact of such a terrible incident on peoples lives, family issues, love and revenge.
I gave this book a 4 star. I enjoyed the setting of the small Maine coastal town and its way of life and liked both main characters but there was less romance in this one for me than there usually is in this authors work and I was slightly disappointed.
A great read if you like this author, if your interested in a killer looking to take revenge with a tiny bit of romance added in there too then I would recommend this book.
This book for me was not as enjoyable has her most recent work. It follows the story of one of the main characters Simone Knox who as a teenager witnesses a mass shooting when she is with her friends at a cinema complex in a large US mall. The book follows her trying to come to terms with dealing with her experience and many times she takes herself back to her grandmother Ci Ci's house in a small community in Maine to try to heal herself and find her one passion in life. I loved Ci Ci, what a great character for an older woman, making her choices and living her life as she wants without the view that many have that age is a barrier.
The other main character is Reed Quartermaine who was also at the mall complex when the mass shooting occurred and the influence of that night led him to become a policeman.
What neither of them know is that there is a killer who is tracking those who survived and were in the mall that night and is killing them one by one.
When Reed moves to the small community to heal himself from an incident it appears that Simone and Reed are both in terrible danger. Can they stop the killer of will it be too late?
This book was focused on many themes, the impact of such a terrible incident on peoples lives, family issues, love and revenge.
I gave this book a 4 star. I enjoyed the setting of the small Maine coastal town and its way of life and liked both main characters but there was less romance in this one for me than there usually is in this authors work and I was slightly disappointed.
A great read if you like this author, if your interested in a killer looking to take revenge with a tiny bit of romance added in there too then I would recommend this book.
cat_astrophicallybookish's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
cassymarya's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
caitlinjane97's review
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thebookdivareads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25