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cydr's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
3.75
caro_lann's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jtbrooksbooksandreviews's review against another edition
4.0
The Pact by Sharon Bolton was a thrilling and twisty suspense. All the characters have something about them that makes you wonder how they will react to the next situation that comes their way. I was amazed and chilled by Megan and her actions once she was released from prison. The favors she asks for were a bit shocking, and the twists kept me on the edge of my seat. This story was a quick read that kept me guessing what would happen next. However we do wish there had a been at least another chapter or two providing what the future for our characters looked like. It felt like a bit of an abrupt ending.
kendall_mesnard's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.75
_gwenstacy's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
daydreamereyes's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Really enjoyed this as a fast paced holiday read, lots of twists that kept you guessing right up until the end, though I thought the motivation could have been explained a bit more to help tie things together .
thestucumminsreads's review
5.0
Dark, morally thought-provoking thriller with gut-wrenching suspense!
This was my first Sharon Bolton novel and I can confidently say that it won’t be my last! I was completely absorbed in this thriller and it’s breakneck pace, exciting mystery and continually building tension. Split into two parts - when the characters are teenagers and the accident happens and then 20 years later, after Megan is released from prison - the novel is a masterclass in layering atmosphere and suspense. As the narrative unfolds, the plot builds to a devastating crescendo and a closing sequence that genuinely had my heart in my throat and my breath held.
What I also found refreshing in The Pact was the fact that the lead characters are rather morally corrupt and not entirely likeable. The friends - Felix, Talitha, Xav, Amber, Dan and Meg - are not always likeable. They are vivid symbols of privilege, entitlement and a general sense of their own importance. Their immature decision making and reckless driving has far-reaching consequences. The different reactions to what they have done explores the full spectrum of self-entitlement and grandiose ego, creating a moral conundrum for the reader that is really interesting to explore. Despite the questionable principles and self-importance, I still found myself invested in these characters and as events unfolded, I found I cared about what happened to them. This is testament to Bolton’s skill as a writer, as despite finding various actions the group takes to be reprehensible, I still rooted for them. This was mainly down to the emotional crisis each character endured and the varying degrees of guilt and remorse they felt. Mixed with the lengths they would go to to retain their lifestyle, family and social standing, made this a grippingly taut read.
I highly recommend this fast-paced and highly enjoyable thriller, which will keep you on the edge of your seat and wondering how you’d react in this situation!
This was my first Sharon Bolton novel and I can confidently say that it won’t be my last! I was completely absorbed in this thriller and it’s breakneck pace, exciting mystery and continually building tension. Split into two parts - when the characters are teenagers and the accident happens and then 20 years later, after Megan is released from prison - the novel is a masterclass in layering atmosphere and suspense. As the narrative unfolds, the plot builds to a devastating crescendo and a closing sequence that genuinely had my heart in my throat and my breath held.
What I also found refreshing in The Pact was the fact that the lead characters are rather morally corrupt and not entirely likeable. The friends - Felix, Talitha, Xav, Amber, Dan and Meg - are not always likeable. They are vivid symbols of privilege, entitlement and a general sense of their own importance. Their immature decision making and reckless driving has far-reaching consequences. The different reactions to what they have done explores the full spectrum of self-entitlement and grandiose ego, creating a moral conundrum for the reader that is really interesting to explore. Despite the questionable principles and self-importance, I still found myself invested in these characters and as events unfolded, I found I cared about what happened to them. This is testament to Bolton’s skill as a writer, as despite finding various actions the group takes to be reprehensible, I still rooted for them. This was mainly down to the emotional crisis each character endured and the varying degrees of guilt and remorse they felt. Mixed with the lengths they would go to to retain their lifestyle, family and social standing, made this a grippingly taut read.
I highly recommend this fast-paced and highly enjoyable thriller, which will keep you on the edge of your seat and wondering how you’d react in this situation!
caththereader's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
louise1608's review
4.0
You can find my full review for this as well as other books on my blog here
Many thanks to Orion Publishing Group for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I picked this one up as a bit of a mood read. I'd never read anything by Sharon Bolton before but when I read the blurb it just sounded like a really interesting and exciting read and my god, I was NOT disappointed.
I literally finished this entire (nearly 400 pages) book in less than 24 hours. I couldn't put it down and when I did put it down I was thinking about it and wondering what on earth was going to happen next.
So the basic idea with this one is you have a group of 6 privileged kids who attend a private school and are about to get their final exam results and start their future at university. Like typical teens though these kids dabble in a bit of drinking, parties etc and they come up with a very stupid and dangerous dare that they eventually all take part in.
Only the last time it results in a fatal accident.
Now this part of the book had my heart absolutely pounding. I was completely absorbed, shocked and then heartbroken by the turn of events and that all happened in about the first 15% so needless to say the pace is quite fast and you can consider yourself gripped pretty much from the very start!
Megan (the outsider of the group) offers to take the blame for what happened in exchange for a favour from each of her friends upon her release from prison (expecting to be inside for a relatively short amount of time on a drink driving charge/death by dangerous driving charge). It seems fair to expect this of her friends considering everything she is about to sacrifice for them right?
Jumping forward in the story Megan is released from prison after a much longer stretch than anticipated and she wants payback from the friends who she considers to have abandoned her.
They never visited her and all went on to carve very successful careers for themselves. All of the others have been living with fear, guilt and shame hanging over them for their entire lives. Always looking over their shoulders and wondering if Megan is going to tell the police how they were involved and so they are not at all happy to have Megan walk back into their lives and they work together to try to find the "proof" that Megan took and concealed of their involvement so that they can carry on living without the fear of losing everything.
Things just get absolutely crazy though. I mean this book was so full of twists and turns and literally keeps you guessing all the way through.
I actually did not suspect the ending at all and was completely enthralled. The plot is fantastic, maybe not perfect or entirely believable but sometimes that's okay isn't it? I felt that it really was with this one.
The suspense was driving me crazy and I couldn't stop reading until I knew how it all worked out.
This certainly won't be my last Sharon Bolton book!
Many thanks to Orion Publishing Group for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I picked this one up as a bit of a mood read. I'd never read anything by Sharon Bolton before but when I read the blurb it just sounded like a really interesting and exciting read and my god, I was NOT disappointed.
I literally finished this entire (nearly 400 pages) book in less than 24 hours. I couldn't put it down and when I did put it down I was thinking about it and wondering what on earth was going to happen next.
So the basic idea with this one is you have a group of 6 privileged kids who attend a private school and are about to get their final exam results and start their future at university. Like typical teens though these kids dabble in a bit of drinking, parties etc and they come up with a very stupid and dangerous dare that they eventually all take part in.
Only the last time it results in a fatal accident.
Now this part of the book had my heart absolutely pounding. I was completely absorbed, shocked and then heartbroken by the turn of events and that all happened in about the first 15% so needless to say the pace is quite fast and you can consider yourself gripped pretty much from the very start!
Megan (the outsider of the group) offers to take the blame for what happened in exchange for a favour from each of her friends upon her release from prison (expecting to be inside for a relatively short amount of time on a drink driving charge/death by dangerous driving charge). It seems fair to expect this of her friends considering everything she is about to sacrifice for them right?
Jumping forward in the story Megan is released from prison after a much longer stretch than anticipated and she wants payback from the friends who she considers to have abandoned her.
They never visited her and all went on to carve very successful careers for themselves. All of the others have been living with fear, guilt and shame hanging over them for their entire lives. Always looking over their shoulders and wondering if Megan is going to tell the police how they were involved and so they are not at all happy to have Megan walk back into their lives and they work together to try to find the "proof" that Megan took and concealed of their involvement so that they can carry on living without the fear of losing everything.
Things just get absolutely crazy though. I mean this book was so full of twists and turns and literally keeps you guessing all the way through.
I actually did not suspect the ending at all and was completely enthralled. The plot is fantastic, maybe not perfect or entirely believable but sometimes that's okay isn't it? I felt that it really was with this one.
The suspense was driving me crazy and I couldn't stop reading until I knew how it all worked out.
This certainly won't be my last Sharon Bolton book!