Scan barcode
abbycanread_'s review against another edition
3.0
*ARC REVIEW!!*
meh. this book fell really really flat for me. after reading this description, i was very intrigued, and definitely think this book had some promise. unfortunately, it was just wayyyy too predictable and slow, with really shitty characters. i knew the overall premise of the plot and most of the twists a few chapters in, but had to get through 30 more just to see the ending / see if anything changed. i didn’t hate this one, but not sure if i would recommend it!
thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing this ARC for me to read and review!!
meh. this book fell really really flat for me. after reading this description, i was very intrigued, and definitely think this book had some promise. unfortunately, it was just wayyyy too predictable and slow, with really shitty characters. i knew the overall premise of the plot and most of the twists a few chapters in, but had to get through 30 more just to see the ending / see if anything changed. i didn’t hate this one, but not sure if i would recommend it!
thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing this ARC for me to read and review!!
danythebookworm1's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I’ll definitely read more by the author. The perfect whodunnit.
suzydemric's review against another edition
3.0
The main premise is a woman sees a photo on her colleague's phone from the colleague's honeymoon. She recognizes one half of a couple in a random photo the bride took. The problem, the guy in the photo is a good friend and married to her best friend. What can be going on?
This was a decent thriller. Main character makes some decisions that make me question her judgement, and not sure why she and another character were teachers, as nothing about their career was really realistic or important to the story.
I also think it was way too obvious who was doing the alternative narratives in italics, and who killed Juliet. The why not so much, but even then yes, that was obvious too. The rest was a bit too convoluted to be realistic.
Having said all of that, the narrative was propulsive, and I was compelled to read it to the end.
I received this as an ARC from NetGalley. It will be published in December, 2023
This was a decent thriller. Main character makes some decisions that make me question her judgement, and not sure why she and another character were teachers, as nothing about their career was really realistic or important to the story.
I also think it was way too obvious who was doing the alternative narratives in italics, and who killed Juliet. The why not so much, but even then yes, that was obvious too. The rest was a bit too convoluted to be realistic.
Having said all of that, the narrative was propulsive, and I was compelled to read it to the end.
I received this as an ARC from NetGalley. It will be published in December, 2023
mhpatterson's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jackiesreadingjourney's review against another edition
4.0
This smart and suspenseful story unfolds as a woman discovers her best friend's husband with another woman in a photo, coincidentally revealed by her coworker while sharing honeymoon pictures.
Lucy has always been a big fan of pictures, always shoving a camera in everyone’s faces to document every experience (much to their dismay). One day her coworker Ruth is showing honeymoon photos and she sees a picture of another couple who they spent time with named Jason and Anna, but that’s her best friend Cora’s husband Scott, and Anna is not Cora.
Lucy’s husband Adam has been best friends with Scott and Cora ever since university, so the three of them have a deep rooted past, and that past seems to be full of secrets.
With only Lucy’s POV, we follow her as she tries to put the pieces together and figure out if Scott is cheating, or if she’s just being paranoid. If this mystery isn’t already distressing enough, Lucy ends up seeing the woman in the photo on the news because she is missing.
This book will have you questioning Lucy’s reliability, and not trusting anyone. Is her husband in on this? Is Scott guilty of more than just cheating? Does Cora know what’s going on?
I found this story to be unpredictable and it kept me intrigued from the first page. I love the way the author played with something most of us do, take photos to capture memories, but she made it sinister.
This was twisty, cloaked in mystery, and the ending absolutely surprised me. Some aspects were predictable, but as a whole I really enjoyed this suspenseful story and I definitely recommend it!
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC! Pub day is 12/5/23!
Lucy has always been a big fan of pictures, always shoving a camera in everyone’s faces to document every experience (much to their dismay). One day her coworker Ruth is showing honeymoon photos and she sees a picture of another couple who they spent time with named Jason and Anna, but that’s her best friend Cora’s husband Scott, and Anna is not Cora.
Lucy’s husband Adam has been best friends with Scott and Cora ever since university, so the three of them have a deep rooted past, and that past seems to be full of secrets.
With only Lucy’s POV, we follow her as she tries to put the pieces together and figure out if Scott is cheating, or if she’s just being paranoid. If this mystery isn’t already distressing enough, Lucy ends up seeing the woman in the photo on the news because she is missing.
This book will have you questioning Lucy’s reliability, and not trusting anyone. Is her husband in on this? Is Scott guilty of more than just cheating? Does Cora know what’s going on?
I found this story to be unpredictable and it kept me intrigued from the first page. I love the way the author played with something most of us do, take photos to capture memories, but she made it sinister.
This was twisty, cloaked in mystery, and the ending absolutely surprised me. Some aspects were predictable, but as a whole I really enjoyed this suspenseful story and I definitely recommend it!
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC! Pub day is 12/5/23!
heatheradoresbooks's review against another edition
3.0
3.25⭐
Genre ~ mystery
Setting ~ England
Publication date ~ December 5, 2023
Est page Count ~ 367 (35 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 10 hours 45 minutes
Narrator ~ Naomi Frederick
POV ~ single 3rd
Featuring ~ secrets, lies, murder, infidelity
4 best friends, Lucy & Adam & Cora & Scott, do everything together. 3 went to uni together and 1 married into this tight knit group, which is who our main narrator is, Lucy.
Once Lucy sees an incriminating photo she becomes obsessed with trying to figure out what's going on. And then the person in the photo turns up missing and she really amps up her obsession. I could totally see my nosy self trying to figure out what was going on my own, too, but I'm not sure I would make all the same decisions as Lucy. I was quite curious how it would play out, but it turned out to be a bit predictable to me. It did move along at a quick pace, so that was a good thing. The extra POV from an unknown adds some intrigue, but unfortunately that's easy to guess who it is. There were some heart pounding moments, especially in the car at the end, but Lucy's actions is the final scenes were just too implausible in my opinion.
Overall, I think it was well written and would appeal to unseasoned mystery reads.
Narration notes:
I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference.
*Thanks to the author, Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
Genre ~ mystery
Setting ~ England
Publication date ~ December 5, 2023
Est page Count ~ 367 (35 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 10 hours 45 minutes
Narrator ~ Naomi Frederick
POV ~ single 3rd
Featuring ~ secrets, lies, murder, infidelity
4 best friends, Lucy & Adam & Cora & Scott, do everything together. 3 went to uni together and 1 married into this tight knit group, which is who our main narrator is, Lucy.
Once Lucy sees an incriminating photo she becomes obsessed with trying to figure out what's going on. And then the person in the photo turns up missing and she really amps up her obsession. I could totally see my nosy self trying to figure out what was going on my own, too, but I'm not sure I would make all the same decisions as Lucy. I was quite curious how it would play out, but it turned out to be a bit predictable to me. It did move along at a quick pace, so that was a good thing. The extra POV from an unknown adds some intrigue, but unfortunately that's easy to guess who it is. There were some heart pounding moments, especially in the car at the end, but Lucy's actions is the final scenes were just too implausible in my opinion.
Overall, I think it was well written and would appeal to unseasoned mystery reads.
Narration notes:
I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference.
*Thanks to the author, Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
katemc7's review against another edition
3.0
This was an overall enjoyable read. There were a few twists I didn’t see coming, but I had a few issues with the story itself.
Have you ever seen a picture that you can’t let go of? It drives you crazy. You go down all the rabbit holes of what it could mean and if you saw it correctly. That is how this book starts.
Lucy is talking with her coworker who just got back from her honeymoon. She shows Lucy a picture and Lucy knows her whole life is about to change. In the picture is her best friend’s husband Scott but now with his wife Cora but with another woman. Lucy cannot let this go. She tries to talk herself down and rationalize what she sees, but then the women in the picture is reported as missing on the news. Things go from bad to much much worse.
Lucy’s life gets unraveled. There is distance between her and her husband and then their best friends and their kids best friends. They have purchased a cottage together. They have built a life around each other. Was any of it true?
I can’t pinpoint what it is yet that made me not give this book 4 stars, but as I said it was an overall easy read once I got into it. I can say there was something about it that didn’t make me want to sit and read it all in one setting like I have experienced with other thrillers. I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Have you ever seen a picture that you can’t let go of? It drives you crazy. You go down all the rabbit holes of what it could mean and if you saw it correctly. That is how this book starts.
Lucy is talking with her coworker who just got back from her honeymoon. She shows Lucy a picture and Lucy knows her whole life is about to change. In the picture is her best friend’s husband Scott but now with his wife Cora but with another woman. Lucy cannot let this go. She tries to talk herself down and rationalize what she sees, but then the women in the picture is reported as missing on the news. Things go from bad to much much worse.
Lucy’s life gets unraveled. There is distance between her and her husband and then their best friends and their kids best friends. They have purchased a cottage together. They have built a life around each other. Was any of it true?
I can’t pinpoint what it is yet that made me not give this book 4 stars, but as I said it was an overall easy read once I got into it. I can say there was something about it that didn’t make me want to sit and read it all in one setting like I have experienced with other thrillers. I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
sarahannkateri's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
Quick-paced but predictable English mystery about a woman who learns that her best friends of 15 years have been keeping big secrets. Audiobook was well done.
Thanks to LibroFM for the review copy.
Quick-paced but predictable English mystery about a woman who learns that her best friends of 15 years have been keeping big secrets. Audiobook was well done.
Thanks to LibroFM for the review copy.
kellyj1028's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Determined to learn the truth, Lucy begins to dig for answers. The more she learns, though, the less she seems to know those that she's always trusted the most —Cora, Scott, and even her husband, Adam. After all, the secrets she suspects they've been keeping from her aren't just little white lies.
I loved the character of Lucy, she was so relatable.
Wow! This is a disturbing story of friendship, secrets, and lies. This book was so twisty & I loved it. Every time I thought I had it figured out, another twist would surface & I was wrong. The ending was epic!!!! You don’t wanna miss this one.