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holycowmomma's review against another edition
Wow, apparently I don't do dark stuff. Was too scared for where this was going. Got to page 169 and bailed.
evawondergem's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
gills_2022's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
wishknots's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Net Galley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing an E-ARC of The Death Of A Bookseller. After a little trouble with the file on my kindle repeatedly resetting to page one, I am happy to say that I did eventually manage to read this book and here is my review;
I found this a very enjoyable read. It is well written and the characters feel extremely real, which in the case of Roach is a little scary. I was hooked very quickly by the story and was 6% in when I hit a snag with the file on my kindle which halted my reading for a couple of weeks. Luckily I was able to reload it and soon got back into the book. I was easily able to visualise the characters and their environment, we quickly learn their personality traits and more gradually, the reasons behind them. The conversations felt natural and reactions quite genuine.
One thing that has stuck with me is the double sided coin that is the true crime industry, because it clearly is an industry in some respects. I have been keenly aware that true crime has been guilty of almost celebrating certain murderers, without consideration for the victims or their families. Some murderers have fans and groupies and dozens of books about them, detailing their lives from birth. Their victims lives are not given as much space on the page as their deaths, which are often described in detail. This book highlights this disparity but leaves room for debate, recognising that interest in true crime isn't always gross morbid curiosity. It has its uses and an interest in crimes, even murder, doesn't make you a bad person.
That being said, Roach clearly has a warped idea of what is acceptable. She does not understand why Laura does not want to be her friend. Roach's actions are extreme but they are well explained from her point of view and so the plot is not totally unbelievable.
I must say that I really loved the bookshop. I could absolutely picture it, smell it, feel it. I have worked retail during Christmas (sadly not a bookshop) and every bit of it rang true. I was very interested in the behind the scenes knowledge. I really want to go and get a job in a bookshop now.
I found this a very enjoyable read. It is well written and the characters feel extremely real, which in the case of Roach is a little scary. I was hooked very quickly by the story and was 6% in when I hit a snag with the file on my kindle which halted my reading for a couple of weeks. Luckily I was able to reload it and soon got back into the book. I was easily able to visualise the characters and their environment, we quickly learn their personality traits and more gradually, the reasons behind them. The conversations felt natural and reactions quite genuine.
One thing that has stuck with me is the double sided coin that is the true crime industry, because it clearly is an industry in some respects. I have been keenly aware that true crime has been guilty of almost celebrating certain murderers, without consideration for the victims or their families. Some murderers have fans and groupies and dozens of books about them, detailing their lives from birth. Their victims lives are not given as much space on the page as their deaths, which are often described in detail. This book highlights this disparity but leaves room for debate, recognising that interest in true crime isn't always gross morbid curiosity. It has its uses and an interest in crimes, even murder, doesn't make you a bad person.
That being said, Roach clearly has a warped idea of what is acceptable. She does not understand why Laura does not want to be her friend. Roach's actions are extreme but they are well explained from her point of view and so the plot is not totally unbelievable.
I must say that I really loved the bookshop. I could absolutely picture it, smell it, feel it. I have worked retail during Christmas (sadly not a bookshop) and every bit of it rang true. I was very interested in the behind the scenes knowledge. I really want to go and get a job in a bookshop now.
mollye123's review
3.0
Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this debut!
This was wild! I’m leaning towards a 3/3.5 stars. I listened to the audio so maybe that affected my rating?!
For a start I feel like the book is mis-marketed in many ways especially with the title and description as I was expecting one of the booksellers to be murdered! Go into this blind-don’t read the description or any details about it.
The story follows Roach and Laura (booksellers). Roach absolutely adores true crime and her pet snail. Laura is the new mysterious girl who starts working at the book shop and from the get go Roach become absolutely obsessed with her, wanting to infiltrate her life and become her?!! It seemed Roach’s intentions were just to become best friends with Laura, or were they?!
I listened to this on audio so got only half of a feel for the writing style but the descriptions and the writing of the characters definitely made me feel creeped out and uneasy. I didn’t like the book, then I loved it, vice versa— a WILD ride!
I didn’t feel extremely connected to either Roach or Laura, mostly because I disliked them both so wasn’t rooting for either. The whole time I was waiting for a death or murder of one of them. They were both messy characters, in their lives and personalities not in the sense of how Slater wrote them. I loved Laura’s backstory and the true crime aspect and wish we could have touched more into that. I don’t think I really invested into the book until after the 50% mark but enjoyed it and how Slater wrapped the story up at the end
This was wild! I’m leaning towards a 3/3.5 stars. I listened to the audio so maybe that affected my rating?!
For a start I feel like the book is mis-marketed in many ways especially with the title and description as I was expecting one of the booksellers to be murdered! Go into this blind-don’t read the description or any details about it.
The story follows Roach and Laura (booksellers). Roach absolutely adores true crime and her pet snail. Laura is the new mysterious girl who starts working at the book shop and from the get go Roach become absolutely obsessed with her, wanting to infiltrate her life and become her?!! It seemed Roach’s intentions were just to become best friends with Laura, or were they?!
I listened to this on audio so got only half of a feel for the writing style but the descriptions and the writing of the characters definitely made me feel creeped out and uneasy. I didn’t like the book, then I loved it, vice versa— a WILD ride!
I didn’t feel extremely connected to either Roach or Laura, mostly because I disliked them both so wasn’t rooting for either. The whole time I was waiting for a death or murder of one of them. They were both messy characters, in their lives and personalities not in the sense of how Slater wrote them. I loved Laura’s backstory and the true crime aspect and wish we could have touched more into that. I don’t think I really invested into the book until after the 50% mark but enjoyed it and how Slater wrapped the story up at the end
yuilly95's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wowsmeows's review against another edition
dark
sad
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
3.5
"Reading is a way of life for some customers, the
kind of customers who buy more than they read, who behave as though 'bookworm' is as inherent as their blood type or their astrological sign."
Death of a Bookseller is about two characters told through their alternating POVs. There's Roach, a creepy true crime fanatic and Laura, who is unhealthily dealing with her traumatic past. The pair work together in a bookshop are are both unlikeable in their own unique ways. The book explores the idea of hating someone so much that it turns into an obsession and morphs into stalking. As the title suggests, it does delve into a lot of morbid topics with a lot of grotesque language and descriptions throughout. I'd recommend checking out content warnings for this read. However, it is a very slow read and because we have the split POV, I dont think I would personally class it as mystery or a thriller novel as we know what both characters are doing and thinking at all times.
What I I did enjoy was that it had some interesting ideas around the ethics of true crime as a genre. It really made me think about how healthy it really is to consume true crime content. I also thought the book was well written and I thought both characters had distinct personalities that shone through in the text.
I will say that I did dislike the ending and I did feel a bit frustrated by it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Vomit, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Violence, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, and Gore
booksmelreads's review against another edition
2.0
slow, repetitive and anticlimactic.
for a thriller, i did not feel thrilled at any point reading this.
for a thriller, i did not feel thrilled at any point reading this.