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Reviews

My Girl by Jack Jordan

gainzbybrownie's review against another edition

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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.

sarahs_bookish_life's review against another edition

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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.

stephaniezikky's review against another edition

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3.0

Good thriller and I was definitely surprised by how the book went. My only complaint, as with a lot of similar books I've read lately, is that the "big reveal" happens and a few chapters later the book ends.

mikaelajane's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

cheryl59's review

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5.0

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. A very good book with a fabulous twist halfway through which makes you question what you have already read, I would highly recommend it.

thesassybookworm's review

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4.0

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

WHOA was this an intense and crazy read! Why haven't I heard about this author before? The writing in this one was AMAZING. I was sucked in from page one and I didn't stop until I turned the last page.

That said, I did have one tiny issue. This book was simply too short. I read it in under two hours. The pacing was good at first, it was a nice build up, some good mystery, then BAM we are off to the races and flying at ninety miles an hour. I loved the first half and I loved the second half. What this book needed to be a perfect 5 star read for me was a better transition between the two halves.

That said, I would definitely recommend this book to Psychological Thriller lovers, and I will for sure be keeping my eye out for more from this author.

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elvang's review

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3.0

Ten years after the disappearance of her daughter and two months after her husband’s suicide, Paige Dawson is reeling through life in a drug and alcohol induced haze. An arm was all the police were ever able to recover from her beloved fourteen year old daughter Chloe. Her family tries to step in to help but Paige is convinced that someone is coming into her home and removing objects she holds dear. She is beginning to trust no one. Not even herself.

The unreliable narrator (Paige) has been done before, most notably by Paula Hawkins in her bestseller The Girl on the Train. It is an effective way to ramp up suspense and makes everyone including the main character a suspect. Is someone intentionally trying to push Paige over the edge or is she herself cutting faces out of family photos? It makes for an intense read. Her family are trying to be supportive but her angry and aggressive accusations are driving even her most loyal supporters away.

Just as you begin to tire from all the self-flagellation, BOOM, major twist you did not see coming and the book morphs into something different again. The second half of the novel reminded me of another best seller and movie treatment which I cannot name without spoiling the twist. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then the author has done his homework. The pace never flags and the protagonists are pushed to extraordinary limits.

I may not agree with what felt like a remake of a couple of other novels but I did enjoy this fast read and was impressed at how effective Jordan is at keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.
3.5 Stars

eARC received with thanks from JJP via NetGalley for review.

dejaalli's review against another edition

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This book was kind of a hot mess, but I couldn't stop reading it. Definitely a quick read with several major twists.

clair_82's review against another edition

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4.0

Wow what a start to the book! As the synopsis preempts, we are plunged into the depressive state that Paige is in following the recent suicide of her husband Ryan, and the murder of her 14 year old daughter, Chloe, 10 years prior.

It is a dark and depressive opening to the story, Paige is haunted by their deaths, particularly Ryan’s as she still have vivid flashbacks to finding him in the bath having slit his wrists. She is also tormented by Chloe’s death because her body was never discovered, just her dismembered arm in a river.

She is addicted to Codeine, which she convinces herself is about pain relief and not drug addition, and also is alcohol dependent to numb the emotional pain. Paige is pushing everyone away including her well meaning mother-in-law, Greta, and driving her father to an early grave through the stress of worrying about her. Paige is definitely on self-destruct mode, until she finds a gun and a mobile phone she does not recognise amongst Ryan’s belongings.

My Girl is a relatively short story (approx 240 pages) and is split into 2 distinct halves. Whilst I enjoyed this book, I was disappointed by it’s short length. The premise of the book was fantastic so I personally would have liked it to have gone into a more depth both with the present story and the main characters to understand why they are as they are – it certainly could have been much longer but would have kept my interest. My Girl actually left me with more questions than answers however I did read it in a couple of hours so that shows just how gripping it was!

My Girl is well written and I would certainly recommend it to those who enjoy psychological thrillers however I would have liked to have read a more chunkier novel with more character depth. This is a great foundation for Jordan’s writing career, I look forward to ready both his first novel, Anything for Her, as well as his future books.

I kindly received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

klbradley's review against another edition

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4.0

I had a hard time deciding if I loved this book, or hated it. this was a quick read, I finished in just a few hours. I was a little disappointed at the lack of character development, but this is a story that cannot be missed! I think this one was a little darker than what I was looking for, but was an unforgettable story to say the least. because the story was so engulfing, I had to give it a good rating, as I know it's one I will never forget.
if you're not bothered by a really REALLY dark read, this is perfect. it has excitement and shocking turns throughout.