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alexandraknaub's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
missyjohnson's review against another edition
2.0
audiobook while walking. totally predictable and completely disappointing. Rose and Fern are twins. Fern is autistic with sensory issues. Rose is her "protector" as they grow up. Rose's story is mostly told from her diary that her therapist(?) suggested she write to deal with past trauma. Fern's story is current day. Fern is a librarian. Fern meets Rocco/Wally when he comes into the library one day. He is also a high functioning autistic genius who is a software developer. It was obvious from the beginning how this story would end up. I had to increase the reading speed to 1.50% just to hurry and get through it. Rose cannot have a baby, Fern "decides" to have one for her and Wally/Rocco is the person she decides will be the father. Further manipulation from Rose will twist things around but of course all will work out for Fern and for Rocco/Wally (who is rich of course from selling apps)
tburk76's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
litwithleigh's review against another edition
** I do not give audio books star ratings because I cannot analyze the prose **
Audiobook Rating: fun and cute (yeah I said it) | Performance: good!
I definitely liked this one more than [b:The Soulmate|60784540|The Soulmate|Sally Hepworth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1669915047l/60784540._SY75_.jpg|95849334]. I wouldn't classify it as a thriller though. More like a family drama/romcom with a splish splash of oh damn! And as I said above, this one was cute!!! Cute?? Yes CUTE!! I said what I said!! My fave part was the love story between Fern and Wally (Rocco). I would've read a romcom just about them.
Fern's character was the 'designer' version of Sally from [b:Strange Sally Diamond|62322008|Strange Sally Diamond|Liz Nugent|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677749819l/62322008._SY75_.jpg|98126214]. I dnfed Strange Sally Diamond at 40% because I found the character to be inconsistent across the story, but in this book, Fern stays Fern-like. Her very literal interpretation of the world around her and social cues was also... cute LOL. By that I mean, innocent and harmless, like a young child. And yes, I know there are very real dangers to Fern's behaviour (as demonstrated in this book), but you can't help but warm to her. She has a heart of gold and cares deeply about loved ones. She's also self aware enough to consider others while protecting her own mental health. I hope Fern's pillows are always cool and her socks always match. She deserves it. The image of Fern in her swim goggles and headphones never ceased to make me do something resembling a smile... scary image, I know.
All in all, I wouldn't pick this up expecting to be SHOOKETH, unless you're new to the genre. There's many glaring red flags that veteran thriller readers will pick up, but I can see myself being knocked for one if I read this years ago. If you're looking for something that has a lil bit of cozy mystery, romcom, and a bit of edginess, AND you're okay with the predictability, pick this one up.
____________________________
For some sick reason, do you want to hear more of my nonsense? Check out my podcast: Novels & Nonsense streaming everywhere.
Audiobook Rating: fun and cute (yeah I said it) | Performance: good!
I definitely liked this one more than [b:The Soulmate|60784540|The Soulmate|Sally Hepworth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1669915047l/60784540._SY75_.jpg|95849334]. I wouldn't classify it as a thriller though. More like a family drama/romcom with a splish splash of oh damn! And as I said above, this one was cute!!! Cute?? Yes CUTE!! I said what I said!! My fave part was the love story between Fern and Wally (Rocco). I would've read a romcom just about them.
Fern's character was the 'designer' version of Sally from [b:Strange Sally Diamond|62322008|Strange Sally Diamond|Liz Nugent|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677749819l/62322008._SY75_.jpg|98126214]. I dnfed Strange Sally Diamond at 40% because I found the character to be inconsistent across the story, but in this book, Fern stays Fern-like. Her very literal interpretation of the world around her and social cues was also... cute LOL. By that I mean, innocent and harmless, like a young child. And yes, I know there are very real dangers to Fern's behaviour (as demonstrated in this book), but you can't help but warm to her. She has a heart of gold and cares deeply about loved ones. She's also self aware enough to consider others while protecting her own mental health. I hope Fern's pillows are always cool and her socks always match. She deserves it. The image of Fern in her swim goggles and headphones never ceased to make me do something resembling a smile... scary image, I know.
All in all, I wouldn't pick this up expecting to be SHOOKETH, unless you're new to the genre. There's many glaring red flags that veteran thriller readers will pick up, but I can see myself being knocked for one if I read this years ago. If you're looking for something that has a lil bit of cozy mystery, romcom, and a bit of edginess, AND you're okay with the predictability, pick this one up.
____________________________
For some sick reason, do you want to hear more of my nonsense? Check out my podcast: Novels & Nonsense streaming everywhere.
drrodman29's review against another edition
5.0
This book was phenomenal. I wasn’t initially convinced that I was going to like this book. After the first 50 pages, I really didn’t care for any of the characters and did not find the storyline interesting. However, I decided to keep going as the reviews for the book were so good. I’m glad that I did. Shortly after the 50 page mark, I was hooked. I initially had such a hatred for the mother. However, this quickly turned into a hatred for Rose. Being a clinical psychologist, I know the importance of autonomy, and I found Rose’s controlling behaviour and inability to allow Fern to have any level of autonomy to be deeply horrifying, and ignited a rage within me. I was willing to forgive her actions to an extent, given her upbringing. However, upon the discovery that Rose did not become a narcissist because her mother was a narcissist, I am left wondering what happened in her life to make her such a truly awful person.
mackenziemarie_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
faithreads23's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Fern and Rose started off with a great bond and I actually loved it! I slowly realized Rose wasn’t what Fern thought she was. I’m so happy the detectives didn’t buy her antics. Wally was such a sweet guy! Fern lowkey hit the jackpot in all ways! The fact that Rose made a fake journal is beyond me lol! I hated that it ended in somewhat of a cliffhanger
juliariley9's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
mariko_boulet's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75