Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
3.5 stars. I really liked the concept of this one, but as with other Wrobel books, the execution falls a bit short for me. This one did keep my guessing, but I was not a fan of the ending. And the characters were just.....meh.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"A Hitchcock fanatic with an agenda invites old friends for a weekend stay at his secluded themed hotel in this fiendishly clever, suspenseful new novel." - from Goodreads summary.
This cover, that premise - this book was at the very top of my TBR as soon as it came in from the library. I love a book featuring friends reuniting with a shared dark past. What made this book unique was Alfred himself. From the very beginning of this book, we know that Alfred seems to have his own agenda behind inviting his old friends to visit his hotel for the weekend. The question is what are his plans behind the stay and why? The book builds slowly as we get to know this group of friends. They each seem to have their own secrets but with this shared past that ties them together. I honestly was completely here for it all and loved how the suspense was building. Without sharing specifics or spoilers, there comes a point to this book where things change and I wasn't expecting it. It took a fun turn that for me was unexpected. That being said, I didn't completely love the ending which I did see coming. This was a very solid, enjoyable read for me overall though. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author and seeing what she comes up with next.
Readers who enjoy atmospheric, suspenseful reads should pick this book up. If you enjoyed There Should Have Been Eight by Nalini Singh, give this one a try or vice versa as both books have the friends reuniting and things going badly vibes. This book feels perfect for fall reading and the spooky season. I'm going with four stars overall.
This cover, that premise - this book was at the very top of my TBR as soon as it came in from the library. I love a book featuring friends reuniting with a shared dark past. What made this book unique was Alfred himself. From the very beginning of this book, we know that Alfred seems to have his own agenda behind inviting his old friends to visit his hotel for the weekend. The question is what are his plans behind the stay and why? The book builds slowly as we get to know this group of friends. They each seem to have their own secrets but with this shared past that ties them together. I honestly was completely here for it all and loved how the suspense was building. Without sharing specifics or spoilers, there comes a point to this book where things change and I wasn't expecting it. It took a fun turn that for me was unexpected. That being said, I didn't completely love the ending which I did see coming. This was a very solid, enjoyable read for me overall though. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author and seeing what she comes up with next.
Readers who enjoy atmospheric, suspenseful reads should pick this book up. If you enjoyed There Should Have Been Eight by Nalini Singh, give this one a try or vice versa as both books have the friends reuniting and things going badly vibes. This book feels perfect for fall reading and the spooky season. I'm going with four stars overall.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gripping and interesting throughout, it’s more a 3.5 but because I was so interested and it made mopping my floor less annoying, I gave it the 4.
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read this one super fast. Giving it a 7.5. I feel like it’s relatively predictable but not entirely - the ending didn’t shock me but some of the details were unexpected. I think this book would make a great movie or even a short tv series !
A really interesting premise about how the secrets we keep in our youth come back to haunt us years later. It also speaks to how when you’re young you don’t really think through the consequences of your choices, and you don’t realize how some certain things wouldn’t be the end of the world (for example, failing a class). I think this book would have been much more impressive if I had an interest in Alfred Hitchcock, but I wouldn’t have been able to tell you who he was before this book.
I would recommend this book as an easy intriguing read!
A really interesting premise about how the secrets we keep in our youth come back to haunt us years later. It also speaks to how when you’re young you don’t really think through the consequences of your choices, and you don’t realize how some certain things wouldn’t be the end of the world (for example, failing a class). I think this book would have been much more impressive if I had an interest in Alfred Hitchcock, but I wouldn’t have been able to tell you who he was before this book.
I would recommend this book as an easy intriguing read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder
dark
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Violence, Murder
Minor: Infidelity, Terminal illness
Boring and super slow, also didn’t care for any of the characters. Bummer, I loved the author’s previous novel!
lighthearted
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:
Yes