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gemee99's review against another edition
4.0
A really fast-paced, intriguing read. There were no filler chapters, everything was straight to the point and every chapter was action packed. I loved the plot twists that came with it. A really good read.
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.0
Finished reading: July 5th 2016
“Her memory was awful after she'd been drinking, like a broken film reel. Whole segments of time were missing, fuzzy, unsalvageable. In fact, her recollection of most her life seemed to be full of taunting gaps, so that she only had a handful of memories to look back on.”
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and JJP in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
Spoiler
Wow! My Girl left me lost for words... This book is probably one of the most twisted and disturbing thrillers I've read so far this year. I literally finished this book written by Jack Jordan in one sitting, which hasn't happened to me in a while. The fast pace, well written prose and many plot twists had me literally flying through the pages and on the edge of my seat the whole time. My Girl starts out as a 'simple' plot where we see a mother being completely destroyed by the disappearance and violent murder of her daughter and her husband's suicide. And there is no doubt that Paige has a very messed up life and is basically your typical unreliable character. Paige cannot deal with the real world and uses alcohol and prescription drugs to numb her pain; losing her grip on reality and making you wonder if the things that happen to her are just the consequence of her addictions or something more. And then... BAM! A mayor (and very disturbing) plot twist happens that will make you see the whole story in a whole new light. I can't go into details without ruining the story, but let's just say the second part makes My Girl into a truly disturbing and intense pageturner. If you enjoy reading these kind of thrillers, make sure you try out this book!
Ten years ago, Paige Dawson's daughter disappeared... They never found her body, but there is no doubt her daughter is dead after they discovered her mutilated arm. Both Paige and her husband Ryan never recovered from her violent death, up to the point that Ryan decided to end his life two months ago. Her husband's suicide destroyed Paige, and she feels she has nothing left to live for... Falling further and further down the negative spiral of addiction. But then she finds a hidden handgun in a drawer of Ryan's office. Why did he need a gun? And did he know something about their daughter's death? Paige decides to try and find out what her husband was hiding, but that won't be easy with all the alcohol and prescription drugs fogging up her brain. Will she finally find out the truth about her daughter?
My Girl is without doubt a very intense, disturbing and well written thriller with a plot twist that will most likely blow you away. The first part of this book is already interesting when we follow the main character Paige as she falls deeper and deeper into the downwards spiral towards destruction, but I can promise you that the plot twist and the second part will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you like dark and twisted thrillers, make sure to add My Girl to your wishlist!
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
liisp_cvr2cvr's review against another edition
4.0
This book definitely took me by surprise. Delivered in 3 parts, no stone will be left unturned. Part 1 gets us all up and close comfy with Paige’s character and her status quo and ends with the reveal of the story’s Twisted Fuck (see below). Part 2 is an important filler to the story handling some past events up until present! And Part 3… well, it’s a part full of conclusions, more revelations and an ending fit to the story.
My Girl delivers dark and creepy from start to finish. Paige’s character is one dealing with tons of suffering and even though at times I wanted to just shake her and tell her to snap out of it, it’s not really how things work. I could say, she is a character that managed to make feel feel equally as much compassion for her as well as disgust at times. In the end though, when all was said and done… and explained… I have nothing but sympathy!
If there ever is a rock bottom that an author can write a character into, My Girl gives an example of the rockiest of rock bottoms. If there ever is a book that can mix together so much yuk and ‘oh come come, really?’, it’s My Girl. If you’re a squeamish reader and can’t stand violence- yeah, I’d pass on this one.
As for our Twisted Fuck of the story… well… Just before ‘the big revelation’ I figured it out. I had this creepy-crawly feeling of who’s behind it all… It was actually a small comment made by them that rubbed me the wrong way. Having said that… figuring out the culprit doesn’t always mean the story has nowhere else to progress and in the case of My Girl, when I thought it couldn’t get anymore worse, it went and got worse.
Reflecting back on the book, what gives me most enjoyment is the fact I am still having those “Ah!” moments… the clues and teasers peppered throughout the story from early on are now falling into place when during reading they seemed interesting and kind of relevant but irrelevant at the same time. Sign of good thought process behind writing, I think. (I’m just imagining this big board with newspaper clippings and photos and facts that have pins in them and then string drawn in between them to connect the puzzle together.) Perhaps a weathered and experienced crime/thriller reader would know to keep all kinds of small details in their mind, but I must say I rather enjoy aftereffects!
Overall: 4 stars. I felt there were some things that caused a lot of questions in my mind. A lot of why’s, but’s and why not’s. Then again… knowing the ‘situation’ the questions could be easily put to sleep. Not sure how a more analytical, questioning mind would receive the book, but for me? I was fully blown away by the level of suspense, the twists were balanced ranging from ‘holy shit’ to ‘oh my!” and even though this was a dark and twisted tale, it offered a satisfying ending with a silver lining!
My Girl delivers dark and creepy from start to finish. Paige’s character is one dealing with tons of suffering and even though at times I wanted to just shake her and tell her to snap out of it, it’s not really how things work. I could say, she is a character that managed to make feel feel equally as much compassion for her as well as disgust at times. In the end though, when all was said and done… and explained… I have nothing but sympathy!
If there ever is a rock bottom that an author can write a character into, My Girl gives an example of the rockiest of rock bottoms. If there ever is a book that can mix together so much yuk and ‘oh come come, really?’, it’s My Girl. If you’re a squeamish reader and can’t stand violence- yeah, I’d pass on this one.
As for our Twisted Fuck of the story… well… Just before ‘the big revelation’ I figured it out. I had this creepy-crawly feeling of who’s behind it all… It was actually a small comment made by them that rubbed me the wrong way. Having said that… figuring out the culprit doesn’t always mean the story has nowhere else to progress and in the case of My Girl, when I thought it couldn’t get anymore worse, it went and got worse.
Reflecting back on the book, what gives me most enjoyment is the fact I am still having those “Ah!” moments… the clues and teasers peppered throughout the story from early on are now falling into place when during reading they seemed interesting and kind of relevant but irrelevant at the same time. Sign of good thought process behind writing, I think. (I’m just imagining this big board with newspaper clippings and photos and facts that have pins in them and then string drawn in between them to connect the puzzle together.) Perhaps a weathered and experienced crime/thriller reader would know to keep all kinds of small details in their mind, but I must say I rather enjoy aftereffects!
Overall: 4 stars. I felt there were some things that caused a lot of questions in my mind. A lot of why’s, but’s and why not’s. Then again… knowing the ‘situation’ the questions could be easily put to sleep. Not sure how a more analytical, questioning mind would receive the book, but for me? I was fully blown away by the level of suspense, the twists were balanced ranging from ‘holy shit’ to ‘oh my!” and even though this was a dark and twisted tale, it offered a satisfying ending with a silver lining!
zedoeee's review against another edition
4.0
WOAH, WOW. Paige, who lost her daughter and husband is going off the rails with alcohol and drugs. The beginning of the book is filled with Paiges problems, which would normally annoy me but I felt for Paige and could certainly sympathize. This book gets very intense around the halfway point...you'll know when you read it. From this point on the book pulls you in and you can't put it down. I have nothing bad to say about this one! If you're looking for a dark thriller which is fairly short, this is for you.
bobbimarquez's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable…..did think it ended a little abruptly though???
I am definitely now a Jack Jordan Fan!
I am definitely now a Jack Jordan Fan!
sciyuri's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gainzbybrownie's review against another edition
3.0
It was almost a 5 stars book before the twist, it felt rushed a bit I guess and kinda unbelievable. I wanted more, i needed to see the whole picture to believe the twist.
All in all, it was a good book.
All in all, it was a good book.
sarahs_bookish_life's review against another edition
5.0
I read and enjoyed Anything For Her, which is the authors debut novel, last year and really enjoyed it. I knew that the author was going to be one to watch out for and was very excited about reading his new novel, My Girl.
Anyone getting visions of the wonderful film with the same title staring Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin, get that out of your head right now, as believe me there is nothing sweet and innocent about this book, at all!
The story had me right from the off and I ended up reading it in one sitting as I was well and truly hooked. This is one novel that demands your full attention and believe me it is so good that you can’t but help give it your all. It’s like that tempting packet of biscuits or family size bag of sweets that you know that once started you shouldn’t eat all at once but you can’t help but devour the lot in one go. Well this book was exactly like that. I really wanted to take my time and savour it as I was enjoying it so much but it was just to damn good to put down and before I knew it I was at the end.
With a strong beginning, I was worried the rest of the story may struggle slightly to keep up with the high standard that had been set, but it gets even better! There are some brilliant shocks and surprises in store for the reader and it really makes the adrenalin start pumping. I actually feel like an over eager child that has been told to keep something secret as it’s a surprise and I am bursting to tell everyone about it as it has got me so excited.
This is without a doubt an absolute must read for 2016. Jack Jordan is one seriously talented writer that, after reading this may also be one twisted one also. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Anyone getting visions of the wonderful film with the same title staring Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin, get that out of your head right now, as believe me there is nothing sweet and innocent about this book, at all!
The story had me right from the off and I ended up reading it in one sitting as I was well and truly hooked. This is one novel that demands your full attention and believe me it is so good that you can’t but help give it your all. It’s like that tempting packet of biscuits or family size bag of sweets that you know that once started you shouldn’t eat all at once but you can’t help but devour the lot in one go. Well this book was exactly like that. I really wanted to take my time and savour it as I was enjoying it so much but it was just to damn good to put down and before I knew it I was at the end.
With a strong beginning, I was worried the rest of the story may struggle slightly to keep up with the high standard that had been set, but it gets even better! There are some brilliant shocks and surprises in store for the reader and it really makes the adrenalin start pumping. I actually feel like an over eager child that has been told to keep something secret as it’s a surprise and I am bursting to tell everyone about it as it has got me so excited.
This is without a doubt an absolute must read for 2016. Jack Jordan is one seriously talented writer that, after reading this may also be one twisted one also. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.