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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Its a very clever thriller. The premise of the book, the plot, the characters, every event, up until the ending, is a refreshing and clever read for its genre.
The ending is slightly rushed and at times there is no relevance to certain scenes.
But it was absolutely one of those books you don't want to put down until you finish it.
The ending is slightly rushed and at times there is no relevance to certain scenes.
But it was absolutely one of those books you don't want to put down until you finish it.
I was recommended this book by my sister and fellow blogger, Chrissi Reads and as usual, she knows exactly what kind of book I like to get my teeth into. Just What Kind Of Mother Are You is a gritty and exciting psychological thriller that I ended up devouring in just a twenty four hour period. It was so difficult in fact to put this book down and it was a shame that life got in the way sometimes as I could have easily finished it in one sitting.
The story focuses on Lisa Kallisto, married mother of three who is struggling to look after her three children, house and finances and manage a company that re-homes unwanted cats and dogs. It isn't really surprising that from time to time, she becomes entirely human and makes mistakes. On the day in question she has kept her thirteen year old daughter Sally home from school as she is ill but has neglected to remember that Sally's friend Lucinda is meant to be having a sleepover that night at her house and that she is meant to pick her up from school. Understandable really, she had her unwell daughter on her mind?
However, it is not until the next day before she discovers that Lucinda is missing and now Lucinda's mother, Kate blames her entirely for what has happened. Worse of all, it is feared that Lucinda has fallen victim of a serial kidnapper and rapist as previously, another girl from the community was taken and subjected to a horrific ordeal. After a third girl goes missing the race is on for lead investigator DC Joanne Aspinall to find the individual responsible for these chilling crimes before it escalates beyond control. Lisa, feeling terrible about what occurred on "her watch," also does a bit of investigating of her own and what she finds brings a whole new interpretation to the title of this novel.
This was a fantastic debut novel that kept me gripped throughout, desperately turning the pages to find out what was going to happen. The plot and characters are beautifully conceived and very realistic which added a new chill to the narrative as it was so darn believable. I especially felt for the character of Lisa, caught up in the hectic dramas of everyday life, trying to do it all and be a great mother at the same time. She put a lot of pressure on herself and constantly compared her own life to those of her other friends, especially Kate who seemed to take things in her stride. We had a whole host of strong, independent female characters which I loved but even the male characters were wonderfully drawn and constantly intriguing to me. It was so easy to race through this action-packed novel, it felt like the author had been writing for years and years and there was never a dull moment. The ending just knocked me for six I have to say and I'll certainly be putting Paula Daly's next two novels, Keep Your Friends Close and The Mistake I Made on my "must read soon," list. She definitely has the potential to be one of my favourite authors.
For my full review and many more please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
The story focuses on Lisa Kallisto, married mother of three who is struggling to look after her three children, house and finances and manage a company that re-homes unwanted cats and dogs. It isn't really surprising that from time to time, she becomes entirely human and makes mistakes. On the day in question she has kept her thirteen year old daughter Sally home from school as she is ill but has neglected to remember that Sally's friend Lucinda is meant to be having a sleepover that night at her house and that she is meant to pick her up from school. Understandable really, she had her unwell daughter on her mind?
However, it is not until the next day before she discovers that Lucinda is missing and now Lucinda's mother, Kate blames her entirely for what has happened. Worse of all, it is feared that Lucinda has fallen victim of a serial kidnapper and rapist as previously, another girl from the community was taken and subjected to a horrific ordeal. After a third girl goes missing the race is on for lead investigator DC Joanne Aspinall to find the individual responsible for these chilling crimes before it escalates beyond control. Lisa, feeling terrible about what occurred on "her watch," also does a bit of investigating of her own and what she finds brings a whole new interpretation to the title of this novel.
This was a fantastic debut novel that kept me gripped throughout, desperately turning the pages to find out what was going to happen. The plot and characters are beautifully conceived and very realistic which added a new chill to the narrative as it was so darn believable. I especially felt for the character of Lisa, caught up in the hectic dramas of everyday life, trying to do it all and be a great mother at the same time. She put a lot of pressure on herself and constantly compared her own life to those of her other friends, especially Kate who seemed to take things in her stride. We had a whole host of strong, independent female characters which I loved but even the male characters were wonderfully drawn and constantly intriguing to me. It was so easy to race through this action-packed novel, it felt like the author had been writing for years and years and there was never a dull moment. The ending just knocked me for six I have to say and I'll certainly be putting Paula Daly's next two novels, Keep Your Friends Close and The Mistake I Made on my "must read soon," list. She definitely has the potential to be one of my favourite authors.
For my full review and many more please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
Loved it. Couldn't put it down. It brought to mind Broadchurch, probably just because it's a whole mystery deal where a female police officer figures in heavily and it's British, but still. :) There were a few things that seemed like they were supposed to be sort of clues, but didn't end of going anywhere (like the hair growth stuff in her friend's house. Then very late in the book before Lisa knows the deal, something her son does is supposed to jog Lisa's memory about something. The reader knows what she's getting at because it's been revealed, but there's no way Lisa would know that. Still, overall, I loved it.
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars
Engaging read about a string of missing girls in an English small town. I think it was supposed to be more of a thriller than it really was. I didn't feel a compulsion to figure out who did it while reading. I think I was too distracted by the characters and their oddities.
Overall, great debut novel. I think this is the first novel with a detective where the detective didn't solve the case. That was a little less satisfying than most detective novels.
Engaging read about a string of missing girls in an English small town. I think it was supposed to be more of a thriller than it really was. I didn't feel a compulsion to figure out who did it while reading. I think I was too distracted by the characters and their oddities.
Overall, great debut novel. I think this is the first novel with a detective where the detective didn't solve the case. That was a little less satisfying than most detective novels.
Oh my god I was literally not expecting that, I usually despise plot twists that happen within the last 50 or so pages but Paula Daly can pull it off. I was so hooked for the entire book just waiting to see what would happen next and all the other suspects, I’ll definitely be reading more books by Daly.
The book was just an average read for me. I figured out early what would happen, and I just kept feeling somewhat irritated by Lisa and her dramatic responses.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
All the authors' quotes on the cover are true...a well-written story I couldn't put down.