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londonlisa's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
wholouxo's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
nickymaund's review
5.0
Blimey! What a taut and suspenseful read. Starting out with a fairly detailed description of how you break into someone’s life, and basically ruin it. (I really hope this was over-exaggerated for dramatic purposes!). Anywho, Rachel, is a single mum who survived the attention of a stalker when she was younger finds her life falling apart as she struggles to understand what’s happening and who’s behind it. Malakin provides a detailed depiction of living with an eating disorder (including drug use) and takes the reader to some very dark places. Be warned it’s not an easy read. But it was very engaging and had me turning the pages to find out who was behind it all (I didn’t guess!)
ncteixeira's review
3.75
A fast read, no doubt about it.
I thought that it was cleverly written.
I appreciated the details of cyber crime and I hope that it will serve as a lesson to some readers.
I thought that the character development was well done, even though the main one is not all that likeable (but at the same time is easy to feel sorry for her).
Some parts were a bit repetitive, but the chapters are very short.
Not a flawless story, but we are presented with some believable characters and situations.
The author did an excellent job portraying someone with a mental illness.
A good entertainment.
TW: eating disorder
hollystrev's review
5.0
Great read
Was a fab read. Great twist too! Highly recommend
It was written superbly. 5* rating from me!! Well done chap.
Was a fab read. Great twist too! Highly recommend
It was written superbly. 5* rating from me!! Well done chap.
abookwormwithwine's review
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
I don't know what is going on, but I like it. I have been on a streak of really good mystery/thrillers and [b:The Regret|47553662|The Regret|Dan Malakin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565107625l/47553662._SX50_.jpg|72680894] by [a:Dan Malakin|14901397|Dan Malakin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1554167145p2/14901397.jpg] was no exception!
What it's about: Rachel Stone's world was shattered when she was just a teenager by a stalker named Alan Griffin. Now she has a three-year-old daughter named Lily and has rebuilt her life, but as someone seems to start stalking her again and ruining her life as she knows it, old demons will rise again to the surface and threaten everything.
I want to keep my summery short and sweet for The Regret because I think it is great to go into this book blind! There were a lot of surprises as I read it, and so many things that I never saw coming. I won't lie, this was also a really hard book to read. Rachel suffers from addiction and anorexia, and there were so many times I wanted to throttle her, but I know this is the disease that takes over a person's mind. It is hard to read, but I think it is also so important and I'm glad the author decided to tackle these dark issues.
I also really liked the bits of technology and hacking that were spoken about in this book. Even though parts of it gave me the heebie jeebies, it was also fascinating at the same time. I really hope lives aren't as easy to mess with as they are in this book because otherwise that is just downright terrifying!
I didn't love Rachel as a character, but when we got towards the end and things got really messed up, she managed to pull me around to her side. If you are looking for a badass female lead throughout the book it is not Rachel, but she definitely proves herself at the end which made me like her more overall. I also thought there were a couple other frustrating characters that were pretty awful, but they really make the story what it is.
One major reason that I am giving this a 4/5 is because I didn't like the loose ends at the end of the book. I had an idea of what was going on, but I wasn't completely right, and then I was disappointed when the author didn't get into the why of it all. Maybe it is just because I am really anal and want to know the facts, but I think it would have been much better if Malakin would have included more in the epilogue.
Song/s the book brought to mind: When It All Falls Apart by The Veronicas
Final Thought: Overall, The Regret was really fast-paced and it almost hurt to watch Rachel go into her downward spiral, but at the same time it was just done so excellently. If you like a book that has darker themes, with a tiny bit of gore the The Regret is the book to check out! As long as you can handle reading about addiction and just how far someone will sink before they pick themselves back up again...
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
I don't know what is going on, but I like it. I have been on a streak of really good mystery/thrillers and [b:The Regret|47553662|The Regret|Dan Malakin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565107625l/47553662._SX50_.jpg|72680894] by [a:Dan Malakin|14901397|Dan Malakin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1554167145p2/14901397.jpg] was no exception!
What it's about: Rachel Stone's world was shattered when she was just a teenager by a stalker named Alan Griffin. Now she has a three-year-old daughter named Lily and has rebuilt her life, but as someone seems to start stalking her again and ruining her life as she knows it, old demons will rise again to the surface and threaten everything.
I want to keep my summery short and sweet for The Regret because I think it is great to go into this book blind! There were a lot of surprises as I read it, and so many things that I never saw coming. I won't lie, this was also a really hard book to read. Rachel suffers from addiction and anorexia, and there were so many times I wanted to throttle her, but I know this is the disease that takes over a person's mind. It is hard to read, but I think it is also so important and I'm glad the author decided to tackle these dark issues.
I also really liked the bits of technology and hacking that were spoken about in this book. Even though parts of it gave me the heebie jeebies, it was also fascinating at the same time. I really hope lives aren't as easy to mess with as they are in this book because otherwise that is just downright terrifying!
I didn't love Rachel as a character, but when we got towards the end and things got really messed up, she managed to pull me around to her side. If you are looking for a badass female lead throughout the book it is not Rachel, but she definitely proves herself at the end which made me like her more overall. I also thought there were a couple other frustrating characters that were pretty awful, but they really make the story what it is.
One major reason that I am giving this a 4/5 is because I didn't like the loose ends at the end of the book. I had an idea of what was going on, but I wasn't completely right, and then I was disappointed when the author didn't get into the why of it all. Maybe it is just because I am really anal and want to know the facts, but I think it would have been much better if Malakin would have included more in the epilogue.
Song/s the book brought to mind: When It All Falls Apart by The Veronicas
Final Thought: Overall, The Regret was really fast-paced and it almost hurt to watch Rachel go into her downward spiral, but at the same time it was just done so excellently. If you like a book that has darker themes, with a tiny bit of gore the The Regret is the book to check out! As long as you can handle reading about addiction and just how far someone will sink before they pick themselves back up again...
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
ellie_bell's review
4.0
Wow! How has this author flown beneath my radar?
Rachel has a dark past which includes doxing, a stalker, an unresolved issue with her now dead mother, and a serious eating disorder. With the help of friends and family she has managed to move forward and rebuild her life with a small daughter, a serious boyfriend, and a nursing career.
In the blink of an eye it is all threatened as her smart phone is hacked and the hacker undermines every area of her life.
What follows is a taut, suspenseful and scarily believable plot where Rachel is unable to make people believe her and self doubt starts her spiralling downward into her dark past, putting her relationships and career in jeopardy.
I started the book with one suspect, and then it went to two and then three, back to two and then it stayed that way - constantly wavering back and forth - until the reveal.
Rachel has a dark past which includes doxing, a stalker, an unresolved issue with her now dead mother, and a serious eating disorder. With the help of friends and family she has managed to move forward and rebuild her life with a small daughter, a serious boyfriend, and a nursing career.
In the blink of an eye it is all threatened as her smart phone is hacked and the hacker undermines every area of her life.
What follows is a taut, suspenseful and scarily believable plot where Rachel is unable to make people believe her and self doubt starts her spiralling downward into her dark past, putting her relationships and career in jeopardy.
I started the book with one suspect, and then it went to two and then three, back to two and then it stayed that way - constantly wavering back and forth - until the reveal.
bwagner's review
5.0
This is my first book by this author, I enjoyed it right from the beginning. I loved that I was pulled into the story right from the beginning. It had me sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the book. The story is creative and well written. The characters are well develped and made the story feel real. Once you open an email you can't take it back as Rachel is about to find out. What happens when you open the wrong email? Rachel is about to find out. I highly recommend this book.
bookishbiker's review
5.0
I'm one of those fussy reviewers who rarely give 5 stars, but The Regret by Dan Malakin is definitely worth every one!
Mr. Malakin winds together wonderfully written characters with well-researched and believable backstories with enough misdirection, twists and turns to keep you guessing, then pulls it all together with one of the best (and surprising) endings I've read all year.
Terrifying, tense and emotional - this one will keep you up all night!
Mr. Malakin winds together wonderfully written characters with well-researched and believable backstories with enough misdirection, twists and turns to keep you guessing, then pulls it all together with one of the best (and surprising) endings I've read all year.
Terrifying, tense and emotional - this one will keep you up all night!
nietzschesghost's review
4.0
What a fantastic read this was! I mean what more could you ask for? There's the stellar cast, a beautifully plotted story and fascinating insight into the daily life of those who have been stalked or scammed and the knock-on effect this can have on their lives for the foreseeable future. Not only this but it packed a real emotional punch too. Right from the beginning, you are drawn into a tale it is easy to immerse yourself in and losing a couple of hours between the pages was very enjoyable. I particularly loved the short, snappy chapters as it makes it so much simpler to read a couple more and then keep on reading even though you know you should sleep. There are multiple threads establishing themselves throughout but they were so seamlessly interlinked and it was a doddle to keep it all aligned in my head.
The sensitivity and true compassion the author shows in relation to topics such as stalking, anorexia and online fraud through his words felt as though they came from someone who really understood these subjects and the complexity of them inside and out. I could relate to Rachel and felt for her quite strongly as she was dealing with such a lot. It's well written in a way that will appeal to many readers and is a captivating, harrowing and evocative read for sure. There were twists and turns aplenty and the conclusion was a surprise but also added to the visceral punch. All in all, The Regret is an excellent debut thriller, and Malakin focuses on more realistic nightmare-inducers more of us may be able to connect and empathise with. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bloodhound Books for an ARC.
The sensitivity and true compassion the author shows in relation to topics such as stalking, anorexia and online fraud through his words felt as though they came from someone who really understood these subjects and the complexity of them inside and out. I could relate to Rachel and felt for her quite strongly as she was dealing with such a lot. It's well written in a way that will appeal to many readers and is a captivating, harrowing and evocative read for sure. There were twists and turns aplenty and the conclusion was a surprise but also added to the visceral punch. All in all, The Regret is an excellent debut thriller, and Malakin focuses on more realistic nightmare-inducers more of us may be able to connect and empathise with. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bloodhound Books for an ARC.