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pryorlee's review
dark
mysterious
medium-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
Moderate: Murder and Violence
Minor: Antisemitism and War
dev921's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Genocide, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, War, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Abandonment, Cancer, Death, Hate crime, Infertility, Medical content, Outing, and Grief
maddyhammer's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Murder
Minor: Rape
rileejsmith's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I love me a good French-chateau set book, so the setting of The Chateau is what initially hooked me - and was one of my favorite “characters” in the end. As for the actual characters themselves, it was hard to root for anyone, as they all had massive flaws. But that being said, I liked the multi-POV that kept you guessing which one of them actually committed the crime. It was a bit of a slow burn and there were a lot of dominating all-over-the-place plot points that were a bit overwhelming when running concurrently (a hidden van gogh? a famous restaurant influencer? getting a duchess pregnant? an infertility charity? a famous spin class owner? the holocaust? all in one book? yep! . But about 2/3 in it seemed to hook me and I wanted to know who did it! Overall it was a fun read for what it was and a fun “who done it” modern thriller with some social media plot points!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Rape, and Murder
katieb1034's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is a pretty good suspense murder mystery that keeps you engaged and surprised, but there are some problems with it stylistically. For instance, all the perspectives of the characters are told in first-person, alternating chapter by chapter, which is confusing when you find out who the murderer is. In order to conceal their identity, the writer had to conceal any sort of sociopathic impulses in their internal monologues, as well, which leads to some inconsistencies. For instance, why was Arabelle so concerned with defending Darcy when Oliver said she always takes photos? She's supposed to viscerally hate her so much she wants her dead, it doesn't make any sense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Rape
beckyremillard's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Violence, Death, Gun violence, Antisemitism, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Cancer
Moderate: Bullying, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, and Rape
jaimbee's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I was intrigued by the synopsis and some summaries I saw on TikTok but was deeply disappointed. What I thought would be a suspenseful locked room murder mystery was slow paced with no sense of danger. The skeletons crawled out of the closet like slugs, the “present danger” occurred far too late into the novel. I felt I was forcing myself to finish rather than ripping through the pages as fast as I could.
Since I also listened to this book on Audible, I feel it’s worth mentioning that the attempted accents were horrible and inconsistent and made this tough read even more difficult to get through.
If you’re looking for a (weak) character-driven story, with no thrills in sight, you could probably still find a better one than The Chateau.
Since I also listened to this book on Audible, I feel it’s worth mentioning that the attempted accents were horrible and inconsistent and made this tough read even more difficult to get through.
If you’re looking for a (weak) character-driven story, with no thrills in sight, you could probably still find a better one than The Chateau.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Antisemitism
Minor: Rape
boiler_bookworm's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Rape
katefrost's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Reading this book about a group of what I can only think to describe as grown up frenemies with trust issues, in this, the year of the Barbie movie, felt bananas. Though it absolutely passes the Bechdel test, the relationships between these women are full of judgement and. back biting, when they’re bothering to communicate at all. Each of the four main characters seem to harbor the belief that each is an island unto herself and no one could possibly understand her (so why bother using words to talk to your oldest and dearest friends).
I feel so frustrated with the predictably pat ending to this frustrating set of interactions. I will say it made me deeply grateful for my own group of friends, because murder mysteries aside, I cannot imagine any of us being so consistently shitty toward one another.
The unnecessarily mind boggling secrecy around even the most banal topics throughout this book was a deeply frustrating experience. I wanted to shake each of these women for their theatrics and make them use their words. I finished reading it through sheer stubbornness on my part.
It’s done now and I’m relieved that I can stop thinking about these self absorbed jerks. Two stars for its vibes and pacing, but no thank you please to any more of these characters.
I feel so frustrated with the predictably pat ending to this frustrating set of interactions. I will say it made me deeply grateful for my own group of friends, because murder mysteries aside, I cannot imagine any of us being so consistently shitty toward one another.
The unnecessarily mind boggling secrecy around even the most banal topics throughout this book was a deeply frustrating experience. I wanted to shake each of these women for their theatrics and make them use their words. I finished reading it through sheer stubbornness on my part.
It’s done now and I’m relieved that I can stop thinking about these self absorbed jerks. Two stars for its vibes and pacing, but no thank you please to any more of these characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Violence and Murder
Minor: Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Genocide
cewright521's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Murder
Minor: Rape