Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - The Woman in Cabin 10

In Ruth Ware's "The Woman in Cabin 10," the suspense builds aboard a luxury cruise ship, where a series of mysterious events leave readers on edge. Despite the promising premise, the novel falls short in a few critical areas.

The storyline's choppy back-and-forth timeline can be disorienting, disrupting the flow of the narrative and hindering the reader's immersion. Furthermore, the protagonist's credibility wavers, making it challenging to fully invest in her journey. Additionally, the unrealistic portrayal of the main character's actions, notably her altercation with her boyfriend, detracts from the story's plausibility.

However, where this novel truly disappoints is in its conclusion. The ending feels rushed and lacks the depth and resolution readers might anticipate after navigating through the intricate plot. It's almost as if the author hurriedly left loose ends untied without fully exploring the story's potential.

Despite these shortcomings, "The Woman in Cabin 10" offers a gripping premise and moments of suspense that manage to keep readers engaged. Ruth Ware excels in creating an eerie atmosphere aboard the cruise ship, keeping the tension palpable throughout.

Ultimately, with a promising setup but faltering execution, this novel earns a middling three stars out of five. While it delivers suspense and intrigue, its unresolved plot points and the implausible nature of the protagonist may leave some readers wanting more.

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adelinebal4's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

3.0

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bettymer91's review

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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greatexpectations77's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-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? No

3.0

I wanted to see what happened at the end of this one, but I had a hard time getting into it. It felt too long, but the beginning also felt too quick; the action started before I could get to know Lo as a character, so I never really developed sympathy or a connection to her. I also felt like she was kind of terrible at common sense and any sort of decision-making. Weird stuff going on? Better drink a whole bunch. Saw a weird thing? Better harass everyone about it until they're positive that you're unstable. Important object? Better just leave it lying around for housekeeping to throw out. She was almost too annoying to root for. Also what the living hell was that

whole assault scene

that was brushed off like nothing?? That was not okay! Knocking my rating down another quarter point for that.

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hmstumfoll's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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renpuspita's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

"Kabin itu memang kosong. Tidak ada tamu di kabin sebelah. Kabin itu tidak berpenumpang sedari awal".

The Woman in Cabin 10 ini contoh novel yang ga ngerti sebenarnya mau fokus di misteri, psychology thriller atau malah jadi survival genre. Semuanya dicampur aduk oleh pengarangnya. Sebenarnya gue ga keberatan, seandainya tokoh utamanya minimal bikin simpatik. Astaga, Lo, literally act like a loser dan bahkan tindakan bodohnya pun konsisten dan permanen dari awal sampai hampir akhir cerita. Gue ngerti kalau trend buat novel dengan genre psychological thriller itu biasanya unreliable narrator dan ga perlu disukai. Okay, unlikable is fine, tapi minimal bikinlah pembacamu bersimpati pada karakter utama apalagi penceritaannya dari sudut pandang orang pertama. Gue berkali - kali tepok jidat dan bahkan sampe bilang "syukurin lo" pas tahu Lo jadi kena musibah.

Kenapa kok gue kesel sama cara penulisnya membawakan narasi Lo? Berkali - kali dibilang kurang tidur, padahal pembaca juga udah tahu sejak awal Lo itu kurang tidur semenjak kerampokan. Terus ga riset dengan baik saat ditugaskan membuat artikel untuk pelayaran kapal pesiar, padahal katanya jurnalis dengan pengalaman 10 tahun. Walau bisa dibela dengan alasan Lo ini dasarnya emang punya anxiety parah dan juga abis kemalingan, rasanya itu juga jadi alasan yang lemah. Sejak awal emang susah mau simpatik sama Lo, jelas - jelas punya pacar yang bucin parah tapi pacarnya malah dijudesin bahkan begitu taking things for granted pas si pacar, Judah, rela meninggalkan pekerjaannya dengan bilang kalau Lo ga pernah minta Judah buat berkorban. Gue KECEWA sampe akhir Judah masih setia sama Lo, alih - alih ninggalin cewek ga tahu diri ini karena ya Judah itu terlalu BAIK buat Lo. Ga cuma judes ke Judah, tapi Lo juga agresif ke banyak orang dan alasannya selalu karena panic attacknya serta kurang tidur. Udah tahu kurang tidur, butuh minum obat anti depressant, Lo malah MABUK - MABUKAN. Gini mau simpatik gimana coba, hahaha.

The Woman in Cabin 10 sebenarnya menggambarkan dengan baik idiom "no good deeds goes unpunished". Apa yang terjadi sama Lo, dengan penyelidikan amatirannya adalah karena dia ngerasa kalau wanita yang jatuh ke laut dari Kabin 10, pas di sebelah kabin tempat Lo, sama nasibnya kayak Lo. Ga berdaya karena tindakan kejahatan orang lain, sama seperti Lo yang ga berdaya abis kemalingan (wicis, gue ga ngerti kenapa Lo tetep bersikeras naik ke kapal Aurora abis kemalingan mengingat dia punya riwayat serangan panik dan juga kurang tidur. Segitu ngejar karir deh si Lo ini). Masalahnya semuanya jadi kacau karena Lo yang sering mabuk dan inisiatifnya buat menyelidiki kasus pembunuhan malah membuatnya jadi incaran si pelaku yang sebenarnya. Dua pertiga novel ini gue jabanin dengan sangat sabar membaca tingkah laku Lo yang bikin gregetan (nuduh sana sini, sinis ke banyak orang) dan baru mencapai momentum setelah twist terungkap. Bagi gue, twistnya emang rada - rada outlandish walau mungkin banget kejadian. Lucunya walau Lo ini tokoh utama tapi bagi gue

justru Carrie, wanita di Kabin 10 yang dianggap awalnya tewas oleh Lo, yang lebih pantas jadi tokoh utama. Walau sama - sama unlikable character kayak Lo, tapi Carrie lebih punya alasan yang kuat untuk apa yang dia lakukan selama ini. Dan bahkan menurut gue endingnya ditulis dengan cukup oke

. Ruth Ware mungkin ingin menulis kisah seorang cewek yang ga dipercaya karena histeris dan histerisnya tuh karena dia punya anxiety dan kurang tidur. Sayangnya eksekusinya kurang bagus, meskipun mendekati akhir cerita emang ada perkembangan karakter pada Lo yang cukup signifikan. Tapi gimana lagi, udah kadung kesel sama tingkah laku Lo.

Ga bakal gue baca ulang tapi kalau nyari mystery dan thriller suspense (dan sedikit unsur survival) dengan unreliable narrator, menurut gue, The Woman in Cabin 10 masih sedikit lebih baik dibandingkan dengan The Silent Patient.

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franticfreya's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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