Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was good. A little slower than I prefer but well written. I was surprised to learn that this was the authors first novel.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is more of a family drama about the sisters’ lives and relationship with each other than a murder mystery. I think if I went into this book understanding that, I would’ve liked it better. The main character definitely grew a lot during this book, and I was happy to see that. My favorite part is when she said she wanted her love interest to experience freedom with her sexuality, whether or not it was with her. That was a beautiful sentiment. It was interesting to see how the sisters handled their grief so differently. It really shows the variety of ways that people can respond to trauma. I also appreciated how it showed at the end that there is always a way forward despite the pain. The negative of the book is that there wasn’t a whole lot of plot, and a lot of nothing happens for the majority of the pages. Felt like it went on longer than necessary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Cancer
ARC review - publishing date 5/28/24.
3.5 stars rounded down. I went into this thinking it was a cold case/murder mystery vibe, and while there is an unsolved case involved this is more of a family drama and exploration of grief. The first 35% or so is extremely slow, but once things picked up I was really invested! I enjoyed the characters and the author's depiction of two very different ways of coping with trauma. Really great for a debut novel.
3.5 stars rounded down. I went into this thinking it was a cold case/murder mystery vibe, and while there is an unsolved case involved this is more of a family drama and exploration of grief. The first 35% or so is extremely slow, but once things picked up I was really invested! I enjoyed the characters and the author's depiction of two very different ways of coping with trauma. Really great for a debut novel.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
This is a slow burn sort of mystery. I was invested in these characters, the location it takes place and the plot-I just wish it was a touch shorter? I’m excited to read future books by this author.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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:
No
3 stars and that’s me being generous. I didn’t think this was a thriller at all, but more of a family drama story. It kept introducing characters that didn’t have much of anything to do with the main plot. It was dreadfully slow and kind of boring, I find my mind wandering a bit. At least the ending wraps up her mother’s murder.
Life is sometimes full of heartbreaking experiences and this book captured the dreadful feeling of deep despair with two sisters. It showed how trauma can change the direction of those left behind when someone close has been murdered.
One evening, Natalie, took off after dinner in the small town of Upstate New York. She never returned and her two daughters were desperate to get answers from a detective working on the case. They suspected someone killed her but no substantial clues were found after an exhaustive search.
Fifteen years later, the older sister, Liz, got a call. A skull and bones were found by a young girl playing with her brothers in a field near their home. Liz, 34, was still living in the same house but her younger sister by six years, Jess, was now in New Jersey. Liz called and asked her to come home.
It was easy to imagine the town that had a few favorite restaurants where gossip rolled out quickly. The pace of the murder was slow which made the story long and drawn out, sometimes crawling in parts. The author added a subplot which took it into another direction with Jess trying to resolve a renewed relationship with her high school lover, Eva.
It's a depressing story of sisters living of the edge for months in a distressed state. It was often cold outside and Jess was covering her pain with drinks. The house was undesirable and Liz didn’t feel safe. It left me feeling sad and hopeless. The end caught me completely by surprise.
My thanks to The Dial Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of May 28, 2024.
One evening, Natalie, took off after dinner in the small town of Upstate New York. She never returned and her two daughters were desperate to get answers from a detective working on the case. They suspected someone killed her but no substantial clues were found after an exhaustive search.
Fifteen years later, the older sister, Liz, got a call. A skull and bones were found by a young girl playing with her brothers in a field near their home. Liz, 34, was still living in the same house but her younger sister by six years, Jess, was now in New Jersey. Liz called and asked her to come home.
It was easy to imagine the town that had a few favorite restaurants where gossip rolled out quickly. The pace of the murder was slow which made the story long and drawn out, sometimes crawling in parts. The author added a subplot which took it into another direction with Jess trying to resolve a renewed relationship with her high school lover, Eva.
It's a depressing story of sisters living of the edge for months in a distressed state. It was often cold outside and Jess was covering her pain with drinks. The house was undesirable and Liz didn’t feel safe. It left me feeling sad and hopeless. The end caught me completely by surprise.
My thanks to The Dial Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of May 28, 2024.