Scan barcode
sarasramblings's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
jessetrex's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hmbb99's review against another edition
3.0
All Sara wants to do is go home to her crappy apartment and sleep but instead her boss makes her deal with a sick drunk girl in the bathroom. When Sara meets Sarah, with an 'H', they have a few laughs before heading off in their Ride-shares. Sara wakes up after her ride to find out that she took the other Sarah's car by mistake and walks the long way back to her apartment that is crawling with police. Sara comes to realize that the other Sarah took her ride and was now murdered outside her apartment. She can't help but wonder if she was the intended victim instead.
This is a quick read with a few twists that keep you guessing. The characters weren't my cup of tea as Sara was portrayed as this strong woman but she is shown as being sarcastic, bitchy, and selfish. To me, that is not the definition of a strong women. Sara is also shown to be highly intelligent but at the same time makes bad choices that show her as being naive. So where the characters didn't impress me, the plot was enough to keep me reading and trying to anticipate who had killed Sarah.
Thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow, and the Scene of the Crime Early Reads for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.
This is a quick read with a few twists that keep you guessing. The characters weren't my cup of tea as Sara was portrayed as this strong woman but she is shown as being sarcastic, bitchy, and selfish. To me, that is not the definition of a strong women. Sara is also shown to be highly intelligent but at the same time makes bad choices that show her as being naive. So where the characters didn't impress me, the plot was enough to keep me reading and trying to anticipate who had killed Sarah.
Thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow, and the Scene of the Crime Early Reads for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.
dvanhuysen's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks and Harper Collins Publishers for the advanced readers copy of this book.
While I usually enjoy two different view points this felt flat. Sara was an interesting character and I just didn’t connect with her. She made lots of strange decisions that even after explaining her reasoning made no sense to me. The other Sarah (Ellis) was more intriguing but her story line didn’t go into as much detail as I would have liked.
The premise was good but very vague. At the end I had more questions than answers. The ending felt very rushed. It wasn’t really a thriller as much as a mystery.
There were a few parts I enjoyed but overall I didn’t enjoy it. I really hated 80% of the decisions Sara made and they were so rash and confusing more of a teenagers rather than a 28 yo woman.
While I usually enjoy two different view points this felt flat. Sara was an interesting character and I just didn’t connect with her. She made lots of strange decisions that even after explaining her reasoning made no sense to me. The other Sarah (Ellis) was more intriguing but her story line didn’t go into as much detail as I would have liked.
The premise was good but very vague. At the end I had more questions than answers. The ending felt very rushed. It wasn’t really a thriller as much as a mystery.
There were a few parts I enjoyed but overall I didn’t enjoy it. I really hated 80% of the decisions Sara made and they were so rash and confusing more of a teenagers rather than a 28 yo woman.
morgandemming's review against another edition
5.0
The best friendships are made in the ladies room when women are drunk and friendly. When both of the women are named Sara(h)? Forget it. Kismet. Instant besties. Sarah Ellis, unsure where her life is going drank a bit too much and now Sara(swati) the bartender has come to the rescue of the younger girl.
Both students in the lively but small college town, the girls are fast friends and share a joint before ordering rideshares—and promptly getting in ride-shares to each others houses. Where one Sara gets murdered and the other wants to solve the murder that was wrong place wrong time.
5/5 stars because this book was insanely realistic and had just enough of my real life nightmares to thrill me but didn’t give me any nightmares.
Both students in the lively but small college town, the girls are fast friends and share a joint before ordering rideshares—and promptly getting in ride-shares to each others houses. Where one Sara gets murdered and the other wants to solve the murder that was wrong place wrong time.
5/5 stars because this book was insanely realistic and had just enough of my real life nightmares to thrill me but didn’t give me any nightmares.
asha_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you @williammorrowbooks for the free copy of Are You Sara?
Are You Sara? explores social class, mistaken identity, expectations, and revenge. I liked the premise of this book. Oddly enough, I liked the unlikable characters. Sara “Saraswarti”’s perspective is dangerous and the choices she makes make the reader want to shake her. Sarah Ellis’s perspective surprised me on how YA her side is leading up to her murder (not a spoiler since it literally says in the summary). I kept switching from the physical book and the audiobook. The only thing that annoyed me with the audiobook narrator was that she was mispronouncing some of the Indian names which drove me nuts. Overall, I’d rate this 3.5 but rounded up to 4 stars on GoodReads. I’d recommend picking this one up!
Thank you to the publisher for the free copy in exchange for a review.
Are You Sara? explores social class, mistaken identity, expectations, and revenge. I liked the premise of this book. Oddly enough, I liked the unlikable characters. Sara “Saraswarti”’s perspective is dangerous and the choices she makes make the reader want to shake her. Sarah Ellis’s perspective surprised me on how YA her side is leading up to her murder (not a spoiler since it literally says in the summary). I kept switching from the physical book and the audiobook. The only thing that annoyed me with the audiobook narrator was that she was mispronouncing some of the Indian names which drove me nuts. Overall, I’d rate this 3.5 but rounded up to 4 stars on GoodReads. I’d recommend picking this one up!
Thank you to the publisher for the free copy in exchange for a review.
laurapk's review against another edition
4.0
I see quiet thrillers don't get as much love as they deserve. I really liked this book--the premise, most of the pacing, disliked the main character but liked how authentic she was. I also appreciated the twist.
This is a novel about violence against women, but because it's delivered through the perspective of a very flawed and power-hungry character it doesn't feel preachy. Our surviving Sara is a cut-throat, and there are obvious hints that she is on her way to becoming a villain herself. Still, that doesn't excuse the violence she experiences. The Sarah who is killed is also unlikable--the spoiled daughter of rich white people, she is slowly learning to deal with not getting everything she wanted; she too doesn't deserve what happens to her. I liked that the novel refused to give us a black and white situation. I liked the brief discussion of intersectional discrimination (gender and race). I liked the acknowledgement that power corrupts, regardless of gender and race. There were only a couple of stumbles in the book (). But overall, I believe this novel doesn't get as much love as it deserves.
This is a novel about violence against women, but because it's delivered through the perspective of a very flawed and power-hungry character it doesn't feel preachy. Our surviving Sara is a cut-throat, and there are obvious hints that she is on her way to becoming a villain herself. Still, that doesn't excuse the violence she experiences. The Sarah who is killed is also unlikable--the spoiled daughter of rich white people, she is slowly learning to deal with not getting everything she wanted; she too doesn't deserve what happens to her. I liked that the novel refused to give us a black and white situation. I liked the brief discussion of intersectional discrimination (gender and race). I liked the acknowledgement that power corrupts, regardless of gender and race. There were only a couple of stumbles in the book (
Spoiler
At the end, the way Sara presumably panicked when she saw Jason at her graduation was unnecessary, only to slap us with the reveal that her former nemesis is now her future boss, which she plans to destroy anywaychenita06's review against another edition
4.0
Are you Sara finds 2 ladies leaving a local bar and mistakenly get into the wrong rideshare meant for the other. One a poor college student and the other a rich privileged one. One of the Sara’s winds up murdered at the other’s home and the story quickly unfolds. It is told from the point of view of the Sara who wasn’t murdered and the other’s diary entries leading up to her murder. Sara can’t help but wonder was that murder meant for her or was it a mugging gone wrong? She then decides to try to solve the puzzle as to what happened.
This story also touches on sexism, socioeconomic issues, how women are passed over simply for being women, and poverty. There were some uncomfortable and very realistic topics discussed. These are issues women face while simply going through life.
This was a 4* read. Thank you to William Morrow/Harper Collins and NetGalley for the EArc and the chance to review it!
This story also touches on sexism, socioeconomic issues, how women are passed over simply for being women, and poverty. There were some uncomfortable and very realistic topics discussed. These are issues women face while simply going through life.
This was a 4* read. Thank you to William Morrow/Harper Collins and NetGalley for the EArc and the chance to review it!
sissonne's review against another edition
Writing was a bit clunky and I felt like I'd already figured out where it was going.