Scan barcode
bringmybooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
3.0
Review: Worth borrowing if you're looking for a quick thriller, but honestly there's probably better ones out there. This was my first from Gilly Macmillan, and I have a couple others by her that I will be reading so it's not like this book turned me off the author for good - but I don't think this is one I would wildly recommend.
(No, really, this is a big spoiler)
Overall Rating: ★★★ / 3.00
Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★
Atmosphere ★★★
Writing ★★★
Plot ★★
Intrigue ★★★
Logic ★★
Enjoyment ★★
Pacing ★★★
Dialogue ★★★
★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Emotional abuse, Death, Gaslighting, and Child death
minimicropup's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Bewildered, deceitful, resigned.
We follow the POV of our MC, a best selling author of a detective crime fiction series evolving from their hobby of writing to process feelings. Their partner and personal assistant aspired to be a full time author, but has been unsuccessful. After an unexpected move to an old mansion in the woods with a traumatic past, their relationship begins to unravel.
🇬🇧 Set in Bristol, UK in a wooded area with older mansions
🐺🐕Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags:
🤗 Lucy's writing was a hit, eventually becoming a series. Her experience seemed insightful and I just want to give all the authors out there a big hug. There is direct commentary about genre-shaming, fan/reader obsession, capitalizing on stories, and the gradual loss of creative control and ownership of authors' work.
🫤👍 Lucy has a mind that runs away with her; she still sees and talks to her childhood imaginary friend (who kind of serves as her voice of reason). She's meek, conflict-avoidant, loses track of time, goes-with-the-flow. It was sometimes frustrating because she would do ridiculous things (like starve because she got distracted getting groceries). As I spent more time with her character it started to make sense, especially as we get hints to her past as a 9 year old when her brother when missing and how she was kind of instigative in his disappearance. She's simultaneously paranoid and overly trusting, but it made sense so the frustration went away over time.
🤷♀️ We get a part of the plot that seems straightforward, but later we find out what we read wasn't as it seemed.
🫤👍 Lucy has a mind that runs away with her; she still sees and talks to her childhood imaginary friend (who kind of serves as her voice of reason). She's meek, conflict-avoidant, loses track of time, goes-with-the-flow. It was sometimes frustrating because she would do ridiculous things (like starve because she got distracted getting groceries). As I spent more time with her character it started to make sense, especially as we get hints to her past as a 9 year old when her brother when missing and how she was kind of instigative in his disappearance. She's simultaneously paranoid and overly trusting, but it made sense so the frustration went away over time.
🤷♀️ We get a part of the plot that seems straightforward, but later we find out what we read wasn't as it seemed.
🥱 Although the ending does wrap up somewhat, there are open-to-interpretation elements. The later part (~last 25%) started to feel contrived to meet that ending.
Mood Reading Match Up:
- Imaginary friend creepiness
- Psychological thriller involving being a suspect in spousal disappearance and potential unreliable narrator (burnt-out/over-worked/mental breakdown)
- Subtle themes/commentary on traditional male-female roles, creativity, and our inner voices
- Book excerpts within a book
- Missing sibling mystery with "stay out of the woods" vibes
Content Heads-Up: Emotional abuse, gaslighting (relationship). Death of a spouse. Potential false accusation. Betrayal (stealing IP, snooping, lying).
Format: Paperback
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Emotional abuse
xlivinglikejen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
lindsaysofia_25's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I LOVED this book, it combined murder mystery with psychological thriller in the best way possible. The different POVs and narrative styles really added to it (there was 'normal' writing but there was also interview transcripts and excerpts from an unspecified text) and the author did an excellent job making sure the ending was not predictable, in fact every guess I made at who the killer was and what circumstances surrounded the murder was totally wrong. The main character is morally grey which I really like, but is very common in adult books so it's not a huge drawing point. the reveal that the text was the husband's attempt at a novel was such a surprise, I was sure it was her own journal or novel
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
I put the content warnings in minor because the main character experiences this but only early in the book and she thinks it's normal so she doesn't go into much detail in the text. It could be argued though that at least for gaslighting that actually makes it more realistic and thus more triggering.
More...