Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - In a Dark, Dark Wood

After disliking The Woman in Cabin 10 and enjoying The Death of Mrs. Westaway, I gave Ruth Ware one last chance to impress me with her debut novel (although I'm sure I'll end up reading one of her other books in my lifetime). While I liked the premise of a murder at a bachelorette party, the first half of the book was dull and uneventful. It wasn't that interesting to read a bunch of sniping between the attendees in a glass house for 150 pages, and the flashforwards were slow and vague. It was also hard to get past the fact that Nora was hung up on her high school boyfriend of six months for an entire decade, and that she would be willing to attend the bachelorette party of someone she hadn't spoken to in just as long.

Things picked up in a way that was more enthralling (albeit predictable) towards the end but I couldn't forgive and forget the slow beginning. And all the descriptions of Nina made me uncomfortable; stop calling her an "Amazon" because she's tall and brown!

Content Warnings

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

I've read nearly every book by Ruth Ware at this point, and it's only because I've been so stressed and overwhelmed recently that I can't spare the brain space for anything more complicated. I need Ms. Ware's super repetitive writing that reminds me of details several times, so that I can zone out a good bit. I was really surprised how many lists this book was on. I mean, this was fine. I did want to know what happened in the end. I predicted the villain pretty early. I also found the MC extremely annoying. And why is it so hard to get a MC who isn't a precious little size small with size 6 feet like a fourth grader. Like my god, why is a female writer trying to make her protag the smallest that a woman can be? I do appreciate that Imogen Church does her very best with the text though, every time.

Content Warnings

starsnotshadows's review

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dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.0

Not my favorite from Ruth Ware. I think this is her first, so that makes sense. It was definitely a page-turner, but none of the characters were compelling.

This book should be renamed "An extended explanation of Chekov's gun"

Content Warnings