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sarah_lamendola's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Rape and Domestic abuse
sean67's review against another edition
3.0
First book in apparently a series, although not in the traditional sense, as they are all stand alone stories, but have similarities in setting. This one was fairly average and never set my world on fire. After the first novel of Unger's I have more than struggled with the rest, anyway I keep persisting. Not the greatest, there is something there, but it just doesn't seem to come together for me.
laurennmiller's review against another edition
4.0
Read much like a Jodi Picoult novel - alternated between times and different people's perspectives - but with a little more intrigue and a much more wrapped-up ending. A good read!
amy1980's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was fine. Not brilliant but ok
jaec11's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A decent thriller mystery that explores the cases of missing girls, and how they're connected
The story didn't bore me, surprisingly (most mysteries do) as it was fairly engaging with time jumps and multiple perspectives. Piecing together past and present mysteries was super interesting, and I liked the way characters echoed each other in both timelines
However, the characters were mostly unlikable, and were forgiven way too easily after doing really awful things. Some characters were also mostly useless and kind of annoyed me by existing the exterminator was literally so useless like why
The story didn't bore me, surprisingly (most mysteries do) as it was fairly engaging with time jumps and multiple perspectives. Piecing together past and present mysteries was super interesting, and I liked the way characters echoed each other in both timelines
However, the characters were mostly unlikable, and were forgiven way too easily after doing really awful things. Some characters were also mostly useless and kind of annoyed me by existing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Kidnapping
happy_hiker's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this book was well-written and an interesting-enough listen, but I did not feel the "mounting tension" stated in one review. I didn't feel there were any real surprises about who took Charlene, nor about the events 20 years prior. I listened to this book about 2.5 years ago, and don't remember much, what little I have written here is the review I saved on my computer at the time. I have listened to/read this authors Ridley Jones books, and I liked the first two of that series better than this book. I would have given this 2.5 stars if I could; I rounded up because I liked this better than some of the books I rated at 2 stars.
joyannell's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
fat_girl_fiction's review against another edition
3.0
It took me ages to find an author beginning with U for my A-Z of authors, but eventually I settled on Lisa Unger, the author of Fragile.
I have found similar themes and characters in a lot of American books, particularly those by Harlan Coben. The main characters are always childhood sweethearts and still know everyone they went to school with, which I find a bit unrealistic. I'm twenty and already I've lost contact with a lot of my school friends.
The story of the missing in both present day and in the past is interesting. As the reader I was never entirely sure what had happened, although I could guess who was involved. I found the case from the past much more interesting and didn't really care for Charlene, who seemed to be destined to find herself in that situation.
The characters we meet are interesting and flawed, which is a massive tick for Unger. They all have histories and insecurities, but it's hard to find a character that is happy with their life. Everybody seems to be depressed and wishing they were somewhere else, which makes me wonder why everyone comes back to The Hollows?
Overall, the mystery side kept me going, and the characters were interesting, but this was quite an unhappy book. There were also some characters that were a bit unnecessary, i.e. Charlie and Wanda.
I have found similar themes and characters in a lot of American books, particularly those by Harlan Coben. The main characters are always childhood sweethearts and still know everyone they went to school with, which I find a bit unrealistic. I'm twenty and already I've lost contact with a lot of my school friends.
The story of the missing in both present day and in the past is interesting. As the reader I was never entirely sure what had happened, although I could guess who was involved. I found the case from the past much more interesting and didn't really care for Charlene, who seemed to be destined to find herself in that situation.
The characters we meet are interesting and flawed, which is a massive tick for Unger. They all have histories and insecurities, but it's hard to find a character that is happy with their life. Everybody seems to be depressed and wishing they were somewhere else, which makes me wonder why everyone comes back to The Hollows?
Overall, the mystery side kept me going, and the characters were interesting, but this was quite an unhappy book. There were also some characters that were a bit unnecessary, i.e. Charlie and Wanda.
sarah11's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it, reminds me of early Jodi Picoult, but not as "edge of your seat". I felt like the story ended before the book did,though. It kind of dragged along after the mystery was solved.