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fallonwilloughby's review against another edition
5.0
Book Review to Come - First Reviewing for BG Daily News
scmaley's review against another edition
3.0
As I read the novel, I thought it was a great start for a first novel. I thought that the author had a really good shot at going somewhere with his writing, if he kept on writing. I was shocked when I reached the end and read at the bottom of his biography that he was the author of several other novels. To be honest, his writing wasn't what I expect from a seasoned author.
Characters, like the main character's college friend, come and go with little explanation. There is little to no character development of anyone other than the main character. And finally, while the ending makes sense logically, it doesn't make sense realistically. The motives assigned to the perpetrators were a bit far-fetched in my opinion, which is why I thought the author was new and would tighten his plotlines in the future.
While I don't regret reading this novel, I don't recommend rushing out to read it immediately.
Characters, like the main character's college friend, come and go with little explanation. There is little to no character development of anyone other than the main character. And finally, while the ending makes sense logically, it doesn't make sense realistically. The motives assigned to the perpetrators were a bit far-fetched in my opinion, which is why I thought the author was new and would tighten his plotlines in the future.
While I don't regret reading this novel, I don't recommend rushing out to read it immediately.
ljohnson130's review against another edition
4.0
I'd give this book a 3.75 - I found the beginning/middle to be a little bit slow but the end of the book had lots of plot twists that I really enjoyed. I also appreciated the fact that a lot of small details and characters that were mentioned throughout the book led to something bigger at the end.
rainnbooks's review against another edition
4.0
A very steady and fascinating thriller without too much drama. The story is not out of the world, a guy hung upon his lost love for twenty years but the writing is compelling and underneath it all is the pain of a family having lost their son and the extreme measures people go to for vengeance. Nick's character was brilliantly done as he is an average common guy you meet everyday.
krystala's review against another edition
4.0
The first thing I liked about this book was the way each chapter was pretty short. It allowed me to not get overwhelmed with information and it made it quicker to read, despite it having 60+ chapters. This mystery had enough little twists that each time I thought I knew something, it turned out to be a bit different than what I thought. I did guess correctly that Emily was Jade's daughter, and I figured Mar was still alive, but I did not see the car accident and the mother of the deceased little boy being the one that killed Emily. I enjoyed the main character because he had flaws and good points about him. I also did not see Heather being the one that started the fire!! She killed 4 people, by accident, but still. I don't know how she lived with herself all those years, as well as Jade and Mar, considering they killed a 9 year old boy, by accident. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and appreciated it not going into crazy amounts of 'mystery' and events and such. It had a solid beginning, middle, and end point without going all over the place.
cuppadecafplease's review against another edition
4.0
Great pacing although the end felt a bit rushed. Good story though. I enjoyed it.
amy1107's review against another edition
4.0
Well written and full of twists. A book I didn't want to put down; kept me turning pages until the very end.
engpunk77's review against another edition
3.0
A real page-turner! I usually require a lot more out of a novel than a mystery where the plot constantly thickens, but it was a refreshing change from my usual fare. A very typical mystery that would be on many summer-read shelves along with other pulp fiction bestsellers that I will completely forget in a month but will vaguely remember, "I think that was a book I once read."
petra_reads's review against another edition
5.0
'Somebody I used to know' is an engaging suspense mystery about loss, deceit, justice and revenge that raises the question how far would you be willing to go to protect your children and loved ones. Being an excellently paced story with authentic characters, it was hard to put down, and I finished it within a couple of days. While some aspects of the plot were somewhat far fetched, the author still managed to create a believable and captivating tale that was written very well. I really liked the main character Nick and thought the inclusion of his relationship with his dog was a nice touch. The book should appeal to fans of Harlan Coben's mystery thrillers. It was the first book by David Bell that I have read but I intend to check out his other works now. I received a complimentary copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.