Reviews

The Split by Kit Frick

1kelsey_jw's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.25

Split is a sliding doors concept, one where Jane picks up her sister Esme and one where she does not. This is a hard concept to me to pull off- not only do you have to make one riveting thriller that keeps the page turning but a whole separate story that does the same. Cool concept but the story just doesn’t work to pull off the concept. If this idea intrigues you but you need a more thrilling plot, try Before She Finds Me by Heather Chavez. Not quite the same as a split timeline but has two narrators feeling like they’re telling two separate stories that still co exist. 

There are some unexpected twists but you have to get about 70% of the way in before the captivating parts hit.  Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for an early ARC release

novelgossip's review against another edition

4.0

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of one seemingly minor decision changing the course of someone’s life and that’s the concept explored here. Jane gets a call from her sister, Esme begging for ride home but it’s stormy and it brings back awful memories for Jane. In one timeline she picks Esme up and in the other she doesn’t and I really liked both timelines equally. In both home and gone sections there were some good twists and reveals and despite me assuming things could get a little confusing, they really weren’t, I followed along easily. I alternated between print and audio and was drawn more to the audio version as it’s narrated by Kelsey Navarro Foster and she gave such a great performance. Overall a pretty gripping family drama/thriller that I liked.

lilibetbombshell's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Despite loving the movie “Sliding Doors”, I haven’t read many books employing the same plot device before now. I loved the butterfly effect feeling of it: One mundane action leading to a split sequence of events and we get to read as they play out for better or for worse. 

For all that I love split sequence novels (some call them sliding door novels), this one just didn’t enthrall me all that much. The inciting event is compelling, the story is interesting enough, but the execution of that story is lacking in both skill and originality. 

We’ve got two self-absorbed siblings, a philandering father, and a sick mother. It’s one screwed up family I sure wouldn’t want to be a part of. I found it hard to identify with Jane, our protagonist, which meant I spent most of the time reading this novel sighing and rolling my eyes at her. 

I didn’t enjoy Frick’s writing style much, which also affected my enjoyment of the novel. I suspect if you’re already a Frick fan, then you’ll likely enjoy this novel more than I did. 

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

kfrawrylion's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

basicbsguide's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

Love a sliding doors type of story and throw in sisters and I’m intrigued.  Basically like getting two mysteries in one and at times it’s hard to keep things straight as they were distinct enough.  It honestly lost my attention near the end and I found the sisters beyond frustrating- just communicate! I had an mis communication trope.  

This was just fine.

hmkirkpat's review

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? No

4.0

booksandbedtime's review

3.0

Short Synopsis:
Jane’s younger sister calls her one night. She left her husband and needs a ride. But it in the middle of a thunderstorm. Jane hates driving in storms. This Sliding Door Thriller follows the two choices Jane could make - if she picks up her sister, and if she doesn’t.

My Thoughts:
Sliding Door books are hard in the sense that enough needs to change that the plot feels new and fresh, while still being feasible in both timelines. I felt like there was just too much repetition in this one and the two timelines didn’t feel unique.

It was a bingey read though and a solid psychological thriller that has you questioning everyone.

Read if You Like:
⛈️ Sliding Doors
⛈️ Psychological Thrillers
⛈️ Rich people behaving badly
⛈️ Family Drama

jclynch's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

2.0

michelle_can_read's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

kalypsowolf's review

tense

2.75

2.75

Props to Frick for how they decided to tell this story. I really liked going back and forth between the branching timelines and found that I enjoyed following them both at the same time. It wasn't as confusing as I thought it was going to be.

Where this book fails for me is that it just wasn't very compelling. None of the characters were particularly interesting and though I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened, the process was kind of a slog for me. Some of the twists were good, but most just made me eye roll. There were a lot of obvious red herrings, and while I didn't guess the ending, I also didn't really like it at all.