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jayneb22's review against another edition
3.0
This book was odd, i liked the twists and turns. I hated that the husband married almost immediately after the wife died that’s was weird to me. I did always feel that Claudia was a little weird and seemed off. I would have never guessed that Zoe would have been undercover
mistydawnwaters's review against another edition
4.0
Would have been 5-stars but for the deliberate holding of crucial information by 2 PoV characters. This was meant to mislead (I figured one out early on and hoped I was wrong) but I feel betrayed by the author. This was a great mind-twist of an idea that failed in the telling.
paulabrandon's review against another edition
2.0
Claudia has a loving husband, is a stepmother to twin boys, and is eight and a half months pregnant with her own child. She and husband James have advertised for a full-time live-in nanny. The ad is answered by Zoe, and it's clear she has ulterior motives for being there. Meanwhile, a detective, Lorraine Fisher, is investigating brutal crimes in which unborn babies are being removed from their mother's stomach.
Predictable, lazy thriller that only kept me reading to find out about Zoe's story, as I had figured out everything else. Spoilers follows.
It doesn't make any sense. Why was there all this blather from Zoe that she was trying to get a baby for her sister if that's not what she was doing? She's got pregnancy tests, is meeting up with men to try and conceive at Cecilia's behest....only for the author to conveniently forget all of this when the "twist" arrives. It's also revealed that Zoe had an affair with Lorraine's husband, Adam, who is also a detective, and he remains silent so he doesn't blow her cover. But Lorraine and Adam work together! How could she not recognise Zoe as a police officer, but Adam does?!?
It makes no sense.
Nor, really, does the revelation of Claudia as the killer and that she was never pregnant. We see every facet of Claudia's thoughts and personality, except this. It's not being an unreliable narrator. It's deliberately withholding information. What has Gone Girl wrought? That book used an unreliable narrator, and then went other places with it. Too many authors, like this one, are hopping on the bandwagon without understanding how the trope even works. What is delivered here is not a twist. It's a cheat.
On top of everything, with Claudia being the killer and not being pregnant (which she is fully aware of), it makes ZERO sense she would even hire a nanny in the first place. Nor does it make sense she would keep the nanny around if she's as unrelentingly nervous about having her around, as she continually states.
And what on earth was up with the subplot involving Lorraine's daughter, Grace? It has zero relevance to the main plot, and I quickly tired of reading about the problems of this bratty, ungrateful, spoiled little bitch. It didn't add a single thing to the story and had no purpose being in this book. It should have been excised.
If you want a slapdash post-Gone Girl unreliable narrator thriller with plot twists that make no sense in light of what has come before, you might be able to tolerate this one. I'd recommend skipping it and trying your luck with the multitude of knock-offs already out there.
Predictable, lazy thriller that only kept me reading to find out about Zoe's story, as I had figured out everything else. Spoilers follows.
Spoiler
Pretty much from the get-go, I had figured out that Claudia was the one attacking mothers and trying to remove their babies from the womb. The book desperately tries to paint Zoe as the main suspect, with blood on her clothes (never explained), photographing records of the victim, and all of this talk about procuring a baby for what is portrayed as her lover, Cecelia. It turns out that Zoe is actually an undercover officer investigating James for fraud (basically a completely out of left field revelation) and that Cecilia is her sister. At first I was like, "Okay, cool, didn't see that coming," but then after a bit of thinking thought, "What the hell?"It doesn't make any sense. Why was there all this blather from Zoe that she was trying to get a baby for her sister if that's not what she was doing? She's got pregnancy tests, is meeting up with men to try and conceive at Cecilia's behest....only for the author to conveniently forget all of this when the "twist" arrives. It's also revealed that Zoe had an affair with Lorraine's husband, Adam, who is also a detective, and he remains silent so he doesn't blow her cover. But Lorraine and Adam work together! How could she not recognise Zoe as a police officer, but Adam does?!?
It makes no sense.
Nor, really, does the revelation of Claudia as the killer and that she was never pregnant. We see every facet of Claudia's thoughts and personality, except this. It's not being an unreliable narrator. It's deliberately withholding information. What has Gone Girl wrought? That book used an unreliable narrator, and then went other places with it. Too many authors, like this one, are hopping on the bandwagon without understanding how the trope even works. What is delivered here is not a twist. It's a cheat.
On top of everything, with Claudia being the killer and not being pregnant (which she is fully aware of), it makes ZERO sense she would even hire a nanny in the first place. Nor does it make sense she would keep the nanny around if she's as unrelentingly nervous about having her around, as she continually states.
And what on earth was up with the subplot involving Lorraine's daughter, Grace? It has zero relevance to the main plot, and I quickly tired of reading about the problems of this bratty, ungrateful, spoiled little bitch. It didn't add a single thing to the story and had no purpose being in this book. It should have been excised.
If you want a slapdash post-Gone Girl unreliable narrator thriller with plot twists that make no sense in light of what has come before, you might be able to tolerate this one. I'd recommend skipping it and trying your luck with the multitude of knock-offs already out there.
jimmyjamesnickels's review against another edition
4.0
This is really not a book for pregnant ladies. Further, I'd suggest anyone who's suffered pregnancy or infant loss, or those trying to conceive proceed with caution, too. Those expecting or wishing they were: You have been warned.
Until You're Mine tells the story of Claudia, social worker wife to a career submariner and stepmother to two young boys, who is just about to pop pregnant. Because her husband is about to be underway during the birth of their child, Claudia seeks out a live in nanny. Enter the mysterious Zoe who, as is common in these books, is both too perfect to be true and not what she seems. Oh, and then there's the thing about how a lunatic is going around attacking pregnant women in their homes and stealing their babies via DIY c-sections. Yowza. It's a bit dark, bit dark.
There's also a side story told from the perspective of Lorraine, the wife in a feuding husband and wife detective duo having issues with their teenage daughter but the less said about this side plot, the better.
I picked up this book dreading the notion it would be some modern retelling of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, devious evil nanny disrupting an otherwise perfect family. But it's so much more than that. What kept me engaged wasn't so much the twists and turns, but the fact things were slowly revealed as the book went on. You never had the full picture, not til the very end. I respect this. I was midway through Until You're Mine and had to admit while I didn't know where it was going, I really was enjoying the ride. The plot moves ahead at a brisk pace, but there were any number of conclusions to be had; from the plausible or expected, to the laughably convenient, to the far flung and unlikely. But the fact things didn't actually coalesce til the very end, the fact I was kept guessing all the way through meant this book kept me entertained and engaged until those final chapters.
I'm impressed.
I have no respect for the book I have completely figured out in the first few chapters and I have even less for the book that falls apart at the end. Anybody can come up with a good hook, a great first few chapters of a book but endings seem to elude an unfortunate number of authors these days. Until You're Mine was like a old fashioned, slow burlesque strip tease...a very slow and tantalizing reveal of one teasing detail at a time. Pointing out the obvious, there are several disturbing parts of the book, calling to mind one of those gory, exploitative true crime books that were so popular in the 90s.
I disagree with the reviews saying the author was inconsistent. The story was stuffed full of slow reveals and red herrings, true. But I believe, in looking back in the end at all the holes are filled in neatly and loose ends tied up. I could be wrong in this though. I don't recall any glaring mistakes but possibly a second read would better reveal whether or not the author actually contradicts herself in a sloppy or lazy manner. Yet again, we are dealing with the specter of the Unreliable Narrator. However, in this story, not only is the narrator herself unreliable (either because she's withholding facts from the audience, thinking in generalities and vagaries or out and out shithousemouse crazy), at times it feels like the author herself is taking the reigns in misleading the reader by way of white lies or omitting facts til later on. You don't fully know who's back story belongs to whom until practically the last twenty pages of the book, and even if you start to sort out who is connected to which person, which story and how...the big reveal is critical to tie everything together. I can absolutely see how this frustrates and annoys other readers though. I enjoyed it.
The weakest part of the book came in the chapters with the married detective couple. I honestly don't see what point there was in their side story, it added nothing to the plot and just broke up the over all flow of the book. The Lorraine chapters were the ones typically with the gory crime scenes and the investigative work, which was well done...but the side plot with Lorraine's cheating husband and her teenage daughter was a waste of time. It was boring, shoe horned in for no purpose other than to fill up pages and Further, I don't believe for one half second an old married couple would be allowed by a police force to work together as detectives. There has got to be some sort of policy or regulation or conflict of interest there, credulity is strained and lost.
Also, major props for the last sentence of the book. A strange thing to mention, but all the same it bears mentioning that the final sentence of the book gave me chills.
There's something to be said for finishing a book and then wanting immediately to re-read it. Until You're Mine is one of those. I thoroughly enjoyed the first read through, look forward to going through it again.
ETA: Oh christ, I just noticed the author's blurb on the Goodreads profile about how Until You're Mine is "The first in my new series of books featuring married detectives DIs Lorraine Fisher and Adam Scott." Suddenly, my complaints about the pointless detective side story all makes sense. In a still awful, most likely money grubbing sort of way. Can't help but wonder if UYM was meant to be a stand alone book until the Good Idea Fairy came along and shove in that fumbling side plot as a flimsy way to make a new series.
Until You're Mine tells the story of Claudia, social worker wife to a career submariner and stepmother to two young boys, who is just about to pop pregnant. Because her husband is about to be underway during the birth of their child, Claudia seeks out a live in nanny. Enter the mysterious Zoe who, as is common in these books, is both too perfect to be true and not what she seems. Oh, and then there's the thing about how a lunatic is going around attacking pregnant women in their homes and stealing their babies via DIY c-sections. Yowza. It's a bit dark, bit dark.
There's also a side story told from the perspective of Lorraine, the wife in a feuding husband and wife detective duo having issues with their teenage daughter but the less said about this side plot, the better.
I picked up this book dreading the notion it would be some modern retelling of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, devious evil nanny disrupting an otherwise perfect family. But it's so much more than that. What kept me engaged wasn't so much the twists and turns, but the fact things were slowly revealed as the book went on. You never had the full picture, not til the very end. I respect this. I was midway through Until You're Mine and had to admit while I didn't know where it was going, I really was enjoying the ride. The plot moves ahead at a brisk pace, but there were any number of conclusions to be had; from the plausible or expected, to the laughably convenient, to the far flung and unlikely. But the fact things didn't actually coalesce til the very end, the fact I was kept guessing all the way through meant this book kept me entertained and engaged until those final chapters.
I'm impressed.
I have no respect for the book I have completely figured out in the first few chapters and I have even less for the book that falls apart at the end. Anybody can come up with a good hook, a great first few chapters of a book but endings seem to elude an unfortunate number of authors these days. Until You're Mine was like a old fashioned, slow burlesque strip tease...a very slow and tantalizing reveal of one teasing detail at a time. Pointing out the obvious, there are several disturbing parts of the book, calling to mind one of those gory, exploitative true crime books that were so popular in the 90s.
I disagree with the reviews saying the author was inconsistent. The story was stuffed full of slow reveals and red herrings, true. But I believe, in looking back in the end at all the holes are filled in neatly and loose ends tied up. I could be wrong in this though. I don't recall any glaring mistakes but possibly a second read would better reveal whether or not the author actually contradicts herself in a sloppy or lazy manner. Yet again, we are dealing with the specter of the Unreliable Narrator. However, in this story, not only is the narrator herself unreliable (either because she's withholding facts from the audience, thinking in generalities and vagaries or out and out shithousemouse crazy), at times it feels like the author herself is taking the reigns in misleading the reader by way of white lies or omitting facts til later on. You don't fully know who's back story belongs to whom until practically the last twenty pages of the book, and even if you start to sort out who is connected to which person, which story and how...the big reveal is critical to tie everything together. I can absolutely see how this frustrates and annoys other readers though. I enjoyed it.
The weakest part of the book came in the chapters with the married detective couple. I honestly don't see what point there was in their side story, it added nothing to the plot and just broke up the over all flow of the book. The Lorraine chapters were the ones typically with the gory crime scenes and the investigative work, which was well done...but the side plot with Lorraine's cheating husband and her teenage daughter was a waste of time. It was boring, shoe horned in for no purpose other than to fill up pages and
Spoiler
give a weak, half-hearted "See?? It all FITS!" detail to the end reveal which wasn't even necessary.Also, major props for the last sentence of the book. A strange thing to mention, but all the same it bears mentioning that the final sentence of the book gave me chills.
There's something to be said for finishing a book and then wanting immediately to re-read it. Until You're Mine is one of those. I thoroughly enjoyed the first read through, look forward to going through it again.
ETA: Oh christ, I just noticed the author's blurb on the Goodreads profile about how Until You're Mine is "The first in my new series of books featuring married detectives DIs Lorraine Fisher and Adam Scott." Suddenly, my complaints about the pointless detective side story all makes sense. In a still awful, most likely money grubbing sort of way. Can't help but wonder if UYM was meant to be a stand alone book until the Good Idea Fairy came along and shove in that fumbling side plot as a flimsy way to make a new series.
deblyn's review against another edition
3.0
Not 4 stars because of a few glaring plot holes and loose ends left at the end.
kenny_2288's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Infertility, Violence, Miscarriage, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
aethenea's review against another edition
3.0
I have to say that I enjoy reading thrillers from time to time, it's not my favourite genre but sometimes I just crave some mystery and a bit of being afraid. This book seemed very interesting with its topic and I was so excited to start reading. Well, it definitely wasn't the worst thing ever but it failed to make me feel something, the writing also wasn't my cup of tea and I got bored for 200 pages in the middle of the book.
It plays with multiple POV so if you like those books you might try this one. Also, I found that the ending was a bit rushed (I mean... nothing happened in previous 200 pages but suddenly, in 40 pages there's everything).
On the other hand, I definitely didn't see the twist coming.
It plays with multiple POV so if you like those books you might try this one. Also, I found that the ending was a bit rushed (I mean... nothing happened in previous 200 pages but suddenly, in 40 pages there's everything).
On the other hand, I definitely didn't see the twist coming.
stcroix's review against another edition
4.0
The ending was very unexpected. I was very shocked. At certain points I was losing interest but the ending made it worth the read. I will definitely be checking out her other books.
dolly_dearest's review against another edition
5.0
This was an unexpected read. I just randomly found it & decided to give it a shot. I'm so glad I did. It was a lil different, but very enjoyable. And I can't help but love a good twist.
pnwshel's review against another edition
4.0
Hooked from the first page. It's been a while since I've been intrigued right away with a book. I like how there were 3 different character stories/ povs going on and how they would give little bits of foreshadowing but not give anything away.
I had an idea about the twist at the end when I read a certain conversation but still wasn't sure how the author was going to pull it off. Well done in the end!!
I had an idea about the twist at the end when I read a certain conversation but still wasn't sure how the author was going to pull it off. Well done in the end!!