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mnboyer's review against another edition
3.0
I find that the following summary wraps up how the women in this novel treat one another:
Obviously, there is a lot more to it than this, but I did feel as if this was a ton of adult women acting like snobby little children. And one of the protagonists just keeps falling for silly 'traps' that are set for her. So as much as I wanted to love this it was 'middle of the road' for me. Some of the concepts (child adoptions, racism, etc.) were the start of something great but were weighed down by the story.
Obviously, there is a lot more to it than this, but I did feel as if this was a ton of adult women acting like snobby little children. And one of the protagonists just keeps falling for silly 'traps' that are set for her. So as much as I wanted to love this it was 'middle of the road' for me. Some of the concepts (child adoptions, racism, etc.) were the start of something great but were weighed down by the story.
justjoel's review against another edition
1.0
I've had a couple of back-to-back stinkers, but this one really reeked.
The last book I finished just plagued me with general disinterest. This one had me actively loathing everyone involved, including myself for entering the giveaway that brought me my copy.
First off: there was zero suspense. While adoptive mother Emma seems to doubt her own sanity and has problems making friends due to an incident in her past, you do not have to wonder where the big bad villain is, because there are chapters told from their point of view, in which they describe at length, to a 10-year-old, how they are going to take her away from her adoptive parents. All that was missing was dramatic organ music and an evil BWAHAHA! laugh every time italicized text appeared. We get it. You're bad. And possibly/probably insane.
There was no twist until over halfway through the book. It was a decent one, but by this point, I was already hating the book, the publisher, the editor, the author, the imagined birds in the imagined tree outside the author's imagined window, so I didn't fully appreciate it until I went back and reread certain parts of the text.
Even with the twists, there was too much to overcome for this story.
I think this is the third time I've written, "This is the worst book I've read this year," but this is the first time I've been confident that not only will I remember the book long after I've put it down, I'll go on actively loathing all involved with it.
Even those fucking imaginary birds.
1 out of 5 stars.
The last book I finished just plagued me with general disinterest. This one had me actively loathing everyone involved, including myself for entering the giveaway that brought me my copy.
First off: there was zero suspense. While adoptive mother Emma seems to doubt her own sanity and has problems making friends due to an incident in her past, you do not have to wonder where the big bad villain is, because there are chapters told from their point of view, in which they describe at length, to a 10-year-old, how they are going to take her away from her adoptive parents. All that was missing was dramatic organ music and an evil BWAHAHA! laugh every time italicized text appeared. We get it. You're bad. And possibly/probably insane.
There was no twist until over halfway through the book. It was a decent one, but by this point, I was already hating the book, the publisher, the editor, the author, the imagined birds in the imagined tree outside the author's imagined window, so I didn't fully appreciate it until I went back and reread certain parts of the text.
Even with the twists, there was too much to overcome for this story.
Spoiler
At one point, the villain revealed their identity to Emma by mentioning a crow when she had only said a bird was involved, and she didn't catch it. Also, at the Halloween party, while they are dealing with a supposed racist incident, she mentions her Daenerys Targaryen wig is a brilliant disguise because no one is noticing her. Umm, you're a white woman, married to a black man, with an adopted black child, and you're wearing a cheap knock-off costume of the same character as the hostess. And none of the hundred-plus people at the party notice you? Also, the photo of Jade's father that Tatjana supposedly had hidden away was never explained.I think this is the third time I've written, "This is the worst book I've read this year," but this is the first time I've been confident that not only will I remember the book long after I've put it down, I'll go on actively loathing all involved with it.
Even those fucking imaginary birds.
1 out of 5 stars.
kirstie2130's review against another edition
1.0
Completely patronising, pacey trash. The white smugness is painful.
curiouskatreads's review against another edition
4.0
Set in the fictional town of Forest Grove, the story centers on Dele and Emma Okoru, the adoptive parents of ten-year old daughter, Isla. As Emma struggles with insecurities about her personality and mothering abilities, especially as the white mother of a mixed race daughter, these are intensified when the rich, glamorous new couple, architect Lawrence and fashion designer Tatjana Belafonte, move to the village. Emma is quick to notice that Tatjana, who is black, looks like a matured version of Jade Dixon, the seventeen year old, heroin-addicted girl who gave birth to Isla. When Tatjana takes a particularly keen interest in Isla and mysterious events start happening that call into question Emma’s character and mothering skills, Emma is firmly convinced that Tatjana is actually Jade returned to take Isla away from her.
The story is told in a dual narrative. In one there’s the unreliable narrator Emma, who is sharing the daily unfolding of events, as she struggles to fit into the mean girl, catty mom culture of Forest Grove, where her every action is handled by the judge and jury panel of ladies who are members of the Mums of Forest Grove Facebook Group, which Emma doesn’t belong to. We also find out she has a hidden, mysterious past that she fears could threaten her custody of Isla, were it to come to light. In the other narrative, we have a series of inner monologue style “letters” to Isla, where someone clearly intent on getting Isla back unfolds their plan, while disparaging Isla’s “fake” parents. Each effort to undermine Emma is explained in a birds-eye view by this person, creating the unsettling feeling of how far they might go to get what they want, as the story shows them upping the ante with each new action against her.
The story does an excellent job of creating the dynamic tension between characters and displaying the fickle allegiances of various members of the community, especially the ladies. Those women are simultaneously awful and awesome. It was well-paced, suspenseful, and the main characters, at least, felt fully formed. The plot was intriguing, and the story did a great job of showing Emma’s isolation in her increasing desperation to prove her theory to her loving, but skeptical husband and others, that Tatjana really is Jade and that she really is plotting against her. There were two fantastic twists that I didn’t see coming at all - and both really elevated the story for me.
One minor issue that was mildly irritating is Buchanan’s borderline comical overuse of exclamation points. Really - the majority of them weren’t necessary and gave the writing a more amateurish feel than it should have had. Oh … and this particular gem of writing:
“The large window looking towards the garden was smashed, glass shattered on the carpet, the blinds covering the window tangled and broken. Lying among the glass was a boulder from the rockery outside.
Somebody must have thrown it through the window!”
Barring a rock sprouting wings, I’m fairly certain that could have been deduced without need of telling me, but hey … to each their own.
All in all, I had a lot of fun with this one and enjoyed it thoroughly!
★★★★
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. #CircleofDoubt #NetGalley
The story is told in a dual narrative. In one there’s the unreliable narrator Emma, who is sharing the daily unfolding of events, as she struggles to fit into the mean girl, catty mom culture of Forest Grove, where her every action is handled by the judge and jury panel of ladies who are members of the Mums of Forest Grove Facebook Group, which Emma doesn’t belong to. We also find out she has a hidden, mysterious past that she fears could threaten her custody of Isla, were it to come to light. In the other narrative, we have a series of inner monologue style “letters” to Isla, where someone clearly intent on getting Isla back unfolds their plan, while disparaging Isla’s “fake” parents. Each effort to undermine Emma is explained in a birds-eye view by this person, creating the unsettling feeling of how far they might go to get what they want, as the story shows them upping the ante with each new action against her.
The story does an excellent job of creating the dynamic tension between characters and displaying the fickle allegiances of various members of the community, especially the ladies. Those women are simultaneously awful and awesome. It was well-paced, suspenseful, and the main characters, at least, felt fully formed. The plot was intriguing, and the story did a great job of showing Emma’s isolation in her increasing desperation to prove her theory to her loving, but skeptical husband and others, that Tatjana really is Jade and that she really is plotting against her. There were two fantastic twists that I didn’t see coming at all - and both really elevated the story for me.
One minor issue that was mildly irritating is Buchanan’s borderline comical overuse of exclamation points. Really - the majority of them weren’t necessary and gave the writing a more amateurish feel than it should have had. Oh … and this particular gem of writing:
“The large window looking towards the garden was smashed, glass shattered on the carpet, the blinds covering the window tangled and broken. Lying among the glass was a boulder from the rockery outside.
Somebody must have thrown it through the window!”
Barring a rock sprouting wings, I’m fairly certain that could have been deduced without need of telling me, but hey … to each their own.
All in all, I had a lot of fun with this one and enjoyed it thoroughly!
★★★★
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. #CircleofDoubt #NetGalley
kirsty147's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
This really would have been a 4 star read had the writing not really irritated me at the beginning. Maybe this is just my reading quirk but I really loathe the info dumps that you now tend to get at the beginning of these kinds of domestic noir thrillers. I don't need this whole scene-setting, info-dumpy, clumsy way of introducing characters and their backstory. I didn't need to know what Emma did for a job so early on, etc.
There were a couple of clangers in the novel, in my opinion. Why would the parents put an 18-month-old in a cot when they first adopted her? They'd surely buy a toddler bed. Also, Isla was apparently adopted at 18 months, but then that later became two years old. There was a scene where Isla was talking with her mouth full and this was described, for Emma to then say "don't eat with your mouth full." I presume this is a mistake?
And, to end the negatives, why, in these domestic noir thrillers, do people call each other darling all the damn time? I loathe the word. I never hear it in real life, it makes me cringe.
And for the positives ... I got into the novel after a few chapters. I liked the undercurrent of Emma having previously done something terrible, and was fairly surprised when that event was revealed (although I didn't like Harriet's inclusion **no spoilers**)
The Facebook exchanges felt true to life of a small, isolated village with parents all competing for the popular crown at the school gates.
Overall, I liked the suspense and the plot was an interesting one. I will seek out more by this author.
I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This really would have been a 4 star read had the writing not really irritated me at the beginning. Maybe this is just my reading quirk but I really loathe the info dumps that you now tend to get at the beginning of these kinds of domestic noir thrillers. I don't need this whole scene-setting, info-dumpy, clumsy way of introducing characters and their backstory. I didn't need to know what Emma did for a job so early on, etc.
There were a couple of clangers in the novel, in my opinion. Why would the parents put an 18-month-old in a cot when they first adopted her? They'd surely buy a toddler bed. Also, Isla was apparently adopted at 18 months, but then that later became two years old. There was a scene where Isla was talking with her mouth full and this was described, for Emma to then say "don't eat with your mouth full." I presume this is a mistake?
And, to end the negatives, why, in these domestic noir thrillers, do people call each other darling all the damn time? I loathe the word. I never hear it in real life, it makes me cringe.
And for the positives ... I got into the novel after a few chapters. I liked the undercurrent of Emma having previously done something terrible, and was fairly surprised when that event was revealed (although I didn't like Harriet's inclusion **no spoilers**)
The Facebook exchanges felt true to life of a small, isolated village with parents all competing for the popular crown at the school gates.
Overall, I liked the suspense and the plot was an interesting one. I will seek out more by this author.
I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
glammed's review against another edition
5.0
This is my second book by Tracy Buchanan and I loved it even more than Wall of Silence and I really enjoyed that one!
I hope there will be more Forest Grove novels to come
I hope there will be more Forest Grove novels to come
sambooka23's review against another edition
4.0
This gave me chills, I can't imagine how Emma must be feeling knowing that Tatjana could be the birth mother of their adopted daughter. The fear and uncertainty would be devastating and playing mind games with Emma. The book was thrilling and had me on the edge of my seat. Tatjana definitely did have ulterior motives and it just shows you that you never truly know someone no matter what. Emma second guessing herself had my heart breaking for her - she was put in a truly awful position.
This was an excellent read! Absolutely adored it and would highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley and Tracy for allowing me to read this wonderful book.
This was an excellent read! Absolutely adored it and would highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley and Tracy for allowing me to read this wonderful book.
k_lupin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.75
nik530's review against another edition
4.0
What a great book. The kind that sucks you in and keeps you interested from page one! Despite thinking I knew who was behind it I did not see the ending coming! Multiple twists that caught me by surprise. Read it in 24 hours because I just needed to know what happened. An interesting, new storyline from the usual psychological thrillers.
eunicequay's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really good read!! A real page turner and I immensely appreciated the underlying sentiments (women for women