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litwithleigh's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you Celadon Books for the gifted ARC. IYKYK, my reviews are ALWAYS honest.
Writing: sure | Plot: had potential | Ending: the most exciting part
SYNOPSIS
Elliot Chase and his rich ass friends decide to spend Easter weekend on a secluded Greek island. And even though Jesus has risen, unfortunately one of their group has fallen. DUN DUN DUN!!!!
MY OPINION
Two quick things before I get into it:
1) If you have not read [b:The Silent Patient|40097951|The Silent Patient|Alex Michaelides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1668782119l/40097951._SY75_.jpg|59752778], there are MAJOR FKING SPOILERS in the epilogue. There's a lowkey spoiler for [b:The Maidens|45300567|The Maidens|Alex Michaelides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1608557750l/45300567._SY75_.jpg|70020242] as well. If you don't want to read both books before this one, you can safely skip the epilogue. It doesn't bring anything extra to the book.
2) DO NOT EXPECT THE SILENT PATIENT 2.0. This is a completely different vibe and cannot be compared with his chart-topping debut.
This was def my most anticipated read for 2024; I considered it the tiebreaker between TPS (5 star banger IMO) and The Maidens (RIP to the trees that lost their lives for that book). Thankfully it was much better than his last.
Elliot Chase = Great Value Nick Caraway. I feel like he's tryna solidify himself as a "serious" author with this one; the book is structured like a play, he's doing thee most with the Greek mythology references, and Elliot breaking the fourth-wall and being an omnipresent narrator, etc. Did he do it? Idk. Do you think people knew Pride & Prejudice went extremely hard when it dropped?
The ending had more twists than a bag of pretzels or Simone Biles' floor routine. Some reviewers didn't like that. Some did. In the context of the characters and their backgrounds, I think it worked. They're actors — and if you've ever been around theatre geeks, you know the vibes — so all the drama seemed on brand. It was the most engaging and entertaining part of the story by-far.
FYI all of the characters are unlikeable. If you need someone to cheer for, turn on ESPN. Oh and the timeline is not linear. You're circling back A LOT.
Ultimately it was a middle of the road for me. If it had been any longer, I think the rating would've been lower. It's a quick read but it drags for 2/3 before chaotically charging to the end.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: better than The Maidens, interesting story structure, final third was more engaging, pop psychological facts about "inner child" were doin their thing
Cons: mid writing as always, Elliot Chase was trying too hard to be Nick Caraway, first 2/3 a little slow and repetitive
___
Check outmy YouTube and my TikTok
Writing: sure | Plot: had potential | Ending: the most exciting part
SYNOPSIS
Elliot Chase and his rich ass friends decide to spend Easter weekend on a secluded Greek island. And even though Jesus has risen, unfortunately one of their group has fallen. DUN DUN DUN!!!!
MY OPINION
Two quick things before I get into it:
1) If you have not read [b:The Silent Patient|40097951|The Silent Patient|Alex Michaelides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1668782119l/40097951._SY75_.jpg|59752778], there are MAJOR FKING SPOILERS in the epilogue. There's a lowkey spoiler for [b:The Maidens|45300567|The Maidens|Alex Michaelides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1608557750l/45300567._SY75_.jpg|70020242] as well. If you don't want to read both books before this one, you can safely skip the epilogue. It doesn't bring anything extra to the book.
2) DO NOT EXPECT THE SILENT PATIENT 2.0. This is a completely different vibe and cannot be compared with his chart-topping debut.
This was def my most anticipated read for 2024; I considered it the tiebreaker between TPS (5 star banger IMO) and The Maidens (RIP to the trees that lost their lives for that book). Thankfully it was much better than his last.
Elliot Chase = Great Value Nick Caraway. I feel like he's tryna solidify himself as a "serious" author with this one; the book is structured like a play, he's doing thee most with the Greek mythology references, and Elliot breaking the fourth-wall and being an omnipresent narrator, etc. Did he do it? Idk. Do you think people knew Pride & Prejudice went extremely hard when it dropped?
The ending had more twists than a bag of pretzels or Simone Biles' floor routine. Some reviewers didn't like that. Some did. In the context of the characters and their backgrounds, I think it worked. They're actors — and if you've ever been around theatre geeks, you know the vibes — so all the drama seemed on brand. It was the most engaging and entertaining part of the story by-far.
FYI all of the characters are unlikeable. If you need someone to cheer for, turn on ESPN. Oh and the timeline is not linear. You're circling back A LOT.
Ultimately it was a middle of the road for me. If it had been any longer, I think the rating would've been lower. It's a quick read but it drags for 2/3 before chaotically charging to the end.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: better than The Maidens, interesting story structure, final third was more engaging, pop psychological facts about "inner child" were doin their thing
Cons: mid writing as always, Elliot Chase was trying too hard to be Nick Caraway, first 2/3 a little slow and repetitive
___
Check outmy YouTube and my TikTok
camryngreabell's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.75
katiesreadss's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
4.0
cmbrown's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A miss for me, unfortunately. Loved Silent Patient and the Maidens, but that one didn’t do it for me.
michellec9's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
gretchlikestoread's review
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
jesslynna8's review against another edition
SLOW. Terribly slow. I couldn’t get into the writing at all.
p_oz1021's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This books wants to be deep and profound, it’s not. It’s entertaining enough, but you’d probably prefer something by Agatha Christie.