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spowers2627's review
4.0
Catherine McKenzie delivers a twisty story with a surprising ending. I was pulled into this story from the beginning, feeling for Jennifer and her diagnosis. As she grappled with her suspicions, I felt I had a sense for what was happening to Jennifer, boy was I wrong. The suspense kept me turning page, kept me engaged, even as the ending was unsettling. I recommend this story for anyone who enjoys suspenseful stories with layers and surprises.
tennisgirl27's review
4.0
This book was not at all what I expected based on the title (I didn’t read the synopsis) but I really liked it. The story follows The main character Jennifer who has six weeks to live after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. She thinks she was poisoned with lead which led to the tumour. Each time I thought I figured it the plot there was another twist. Although I eventually figured it out close to the end I liked the way it was written to keep you guessing all the way to the end. 4.5/5
lizkatiereads's review
5.0
Jennifer receives the news...a woman in her forties with a terminal brain tumor...her time left is six weeks, and she wants to spend it with her grown children and her grandchildren. After further review of test results, she is convinced that she was poisoned with lead a year prior, deliberately causing her cancer. The only person she suspects is Jake...her current husband who is moved out but has been pressing her for a divorce for quite sometime.
Everyone always suspects a spouse, I mean Jake is a lawyer, so he could probably cover his tracks, but we have some other key players to look at...her current boyfriend, her mother, her best friend, and then her three grown triplet daughters...Aline, Miranda, and Emily. Aline seems to have a strained relationship with her mother, she doesn’t feel sad about what is happening once she learns the prognosis. Emily seems as though she might have a stronger connection with her mother, more than the other two siblings, she seems the most mature, but just might not be living the perfect life everyone thinks. Miranda seems the most timid of the three, also the most needy. She often sides with her father but lives with Jennifer, leaching off of both parents. Miranda also has some skeletons in her closet. Jennifer is convinced it has to be Jake but everyone around her, including her therapist is telling her to listen to herself, that it essentially sounds preposterous.
The thriller aspect of trying to determine who is to blame while also seeing the weight unfold of how each of the three daughters try to cope with the raw emotional truth of losing their mother is absolutely gripping! This book keeps you hooked from beginning to end! The wheels start to turn as the past is brought to light, but also everyone is talking to each other behind Jennifer’s back and they are starting to unearth pieces to this puzzle and the plot thickens in a way you would never imagine! The ending was mind blowing! Just know that every choice comes with a price, a hidden cost...
A special thank you to Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!
Everyone always suspects a spouse, I mean Jake is a lawyer, so he could probably cover his tracks, but we have some other key players to look at...her current boyfriend, her mother, her best friend, and then her three grown triplet daughters...Aline, Miranda, and Emily. Aline seems to have a strained relationship with her mother, she doesn’t feel sad about what is happening once she learns the prognosis. Emily seems as though she might have a stronger connection with her mother, more than the other two siblings, she seems the most mature, but just might not be living the perfect life everyone thinks. Miranda seems the most timid of the three, also the most needy. She often sides with her father but lives with Jennifer, leaching off of both parents. Miranda also has some skeletons in her closet. Jennifer is convinced it has to be Jake but everyone around her, including her therapist is telling her to listen to herself, that it essentially sounds preposterous.
The thriller aspect of trying to determine who is to blame while also seeing the weight unfold of how each of the three daughters try to cope with the raw emotional truth of losing their mother is absolutely gripping! This book keeps you hooked from beginning to end! The wheels start to turn as the past is brought to light, but also everyone is talking to each other behind Jennifer’s back and they are starting to unearth pieces to this puzzle and the plot thickens in a way you would never imagine! The ending was mind blowing! Just know that every choice comes with a price, a hidden cost...
A special thank you to Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!
dawnsworldblog's review
4.0
A domestic/family thriller in which mom of 3, Jennifer, is diagnosed with a brain tumour and told she has only 6 weeks to live. Jennifer vows to enjoy the time she has left with her family but when she discovers that her cancer could be a result of poisoning she determines to find out if this is the case and if so who her murderer is.
I really felt for Jennifer and despite her previous struggles, which come to light throughout the book, I still really liked her character. The adult daughters on the other hand I was not a fan of. The triplets all had very distinct strong personalities but their selfish behaviour and terrible attitudes appalled me.
Domestic thrillers can be a bit hit or miss for me but I enjoyed this one and the ending gave me goosebumps.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really felt for Jennifer and despite her previous struggles, which come to light throughout the book, I still really liked her character. The adult daughters on the other hand I was not a fan of. The triplets all had very distinct strong personalities but their selfish behaviour and terrible attitudes appalled me.
Domestic thrillers can be a bit hit or miss for me but I enjoyed this one and the ending gave me goosebumps.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
aznickster's review
4.0
Jennifer discovers she has a terminal brain tumor and has six weeks to live. She thinks her tumor could have been caused by being poisoned. She is in a race against time to find out who possibly poisoned her.
This book was a fast paced read. It was told through multiple perspectives which I really enjoyed. The ending was perfect. I would rate this book 4 1/2 stars. It had enough family drama to keep me entertained and wanting more. The pace was good and it was really hard to put this book down. There were many times when I told myself one more chapter, only to continue on. I will definitely read more titles by this author.
This book was a fast paced read. It was told through multiple perspectives which I really enjoyed. The ending was perfect. I would rate this book 4 1/2 stars. It had enough family drama to keep me entertained and wanting more. The pace was good and it was really hard to put this book down. There were many times when I told myself one more chapter, only to continue on. I will definitely read more titles by this author.
m_lockreads's review
2.0
2.5 stars. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters and so many POVs didn’t allow our main character to be fleshed out. The ending was also so disappointing. No resolution and felt very lazy.
trisha_thomas's review
2.0
"We all lie in little ways. That's how you get through life."
This one was just okay for me and it's for completely personal reasons. The writing is really good, the suspense is well done and the tugging back and forth of trying to figure out who did it was pretty good too. SO if the synopsis works for you, then give this one a try (and ignore my rating!)
I just didn't like the 3 daughters. They were awful. I can't imagine being a mid-20's adult and thinking my mom is a liar because she didn't give me details about her current boyfriend. I can't imagine thinking my mom can't have her own life but owes me all the answers to hers. I can't imagine being mad at my mom, believing she's lied to me, for having a secret spot she hides things to share with her best friend. That is just so weird and foreign to me. They are adults and their mother owes them absolutely nothing. And yet their mother gives and gives and gives. And they were just awful to her. It was hard to read what awful people they were.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
This one was just okay for me and it's for completely personal reasons. The writing is really good, the suspense is well done and the tugging back and forth of trying to figure out who did it was pretty good too. SO if the synopsis works for you, then give this one a try (and ignore my rating!)
I just didn't like the 3 daughters. They were awful. I can't imagine being a mid-20's adult and thinking my mom is a liar because she didn't give me details about her current boyfriend. I can't imagine thinking my mom can't have her own life but owes me all the answers to hers. I can't imagine being mad at my mom, believing she's lied to me, for having a secret spot she hides things to share with her best friend. That is just so weird and foreign to me. They are adults and their mother owes them absolutely nothing. And yet their mother gives and gives and gives. And they were just awful to her. It was hard to read what awful people they were.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
br3nda's review against another edition
3.0
The story starts out with us learning that Jennifer, a mother of adult triplet girls and estranged from her husband Jake, has been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. Jennifer suspects 5th at the cancer has developed from being poisoned a year ago.
The story was gripping and a well written page turner at the start when we learn all this in the first few pages. I was thinking that this is going to be like the novels that McKenzie wrote earlier in her career.
The chapters are written from four different viewpoints of the main characters.... Jennifer and each of the three daughters. Each chapter there was evidence provided as to who may have been the one to do the poisoning of Jennifer.
Unfortunately for me about halfway through the story lost it’s page turner feel and it just felt I was reading to get to the end and find out “whodunit”. When the final turn of the plot was revealed it was disappointing and kind of anti-climatic. And some of the details seemed a bit far fetched.
I’m pleased for Catherine McKenzie that the book appears to be a success but for me I was hoping for more.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy!
The story was gripping and a well written page turner at the start when we learn all this in the first few pages. I was thinking that this is going to be like the novels that McKenzie wrote earlier in her career.
The chapters are written from four different viewpoints of the main characters.... Jennifer and each of the three daughters. Each chapter there was evidence provided as to who may have been the one to do the poisoning of Jennifer.
Unfortunately for me about halfway through the story lost it’s page turner feel and it just felt I was reading to get to the end and find out “whodunit”. When the final turn of the plot was revealed it was disappointing and kind of anti-climatic. And some of the details seemed a bit far fetched.
I’m pleased for Catherine McKenzie that the book appears to be a success but for me I was hoping for more.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy!