Reviews

I would rate this 3.5 stars out of 5. My star system is as follows:
5 Stars - Loved it! It's one of my favorites. I would read this again. (I give very few 5 star ratings)
4 Stars - Very, very good. I probably wouldn't read it again, but I really enjoyed it.
3 stars - Good. I enjoyed it. I felt something was lacking, however.
2 stars - It didn't hold my attention, didn't enjoy it
1 star - Hated it (I give very few 1 stars)

If this book had not been advertised as a thriller, I probably would have rated it four stars. This is a good story about secrets and relationships, but there are less than 50 pages of suspense in the entire book. It is not a thriller. It absolutely is not the "hot new thriller of the year" as it was advertised.

Darcy and her three friends are invited to her grandmother's chateau in France where the old woman claims to have something very important she needs to tell them. Before she can tell them, however, she is murdered. The book begins with the murder, which makes it seem that it will be a very fast-paced story. This is only a tease, however, and the story quickly switches to before the women's arrival at the chateau. and the pace slows. The women's relationships and the secrets they share become the primary focus of the story.

My biggest irritation with the book is its narration. I typically love stories with multiple narrators, but in this book, nearly every single character narrated at least once. Even minor characters. I would rather have stayed with one or two of the main characters.

Towards the end of the novel, the pace picks up, and we do get the typical elements of a thriller novel. It seems to be too little too late to call this a thriller, however. Overall, I'm torn between giving it 3 stars or 3.5, so I rounded up to 3.5.

jkar7's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The whole premise was weird, tbe characters weren't likeable, and the accent switching in the audiobook was cool when done well, but sometimes a "French" accent would suddenly completely drop.
Overall it was fine. I hardly saw any of the twists coming.

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