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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this twisty thriller. The beginning was slow, but it picked up midway through and the ride continued until the end. I liked the main character, Afton, and the characters were well developed. Afton was an unreliable narrator, and I enjoy books like that. The storyline was compelling, and I enjoyed the dual timelines. Overall, this was a good and enjoyable read.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.
This book started off MESSY (in more ways than one) 1.) a homicide and 2.) one of the FMCs; Afton covered in š©øwith a šŖ and soon becomes the main suspect 3.) The ā ļøšµšŖ¦ is the highly regarded Head Coach of the Varsity Football team (aka a local celebrity), Dad of her best friend, her Momās boyfriend, but also the husband of her best friendās Mom (who also happens to be her Momās lifelong bff AND 2nd cousin)!!!!! THE DRAMAš¤š¤š¤
I was fully invested in every second of the story as it was fast paced, very well written and ultra descriptive, and full of small town secrets, jealousy and lies. The dual POV of the two main FMCs was perfect and added some background and extra messiness to the plot which I love!
This 100% reminded me of a compulsory, canāt turn away from Lifetime Movie with all the twists and turns and the drama!!
āļøTHIS BOOK IS OUT TODAY (NOV 14TH) ON KU AND FOR SALE, SO HAPPY READINGāļø
4.0āļø
Special thanks to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for the review copy!
I was fully invested in every second of the story as it was fast paced, very well written and ultra descriptive, and full of small town secrets, jealousy and lies. The dual POV of the two main FMCs was perfect and added some background and extra messiness to the plot which I love!
This 100% reminded me of a compulsory, canāt turn away from Lifetime Movie with all the twists and turns and the drama!!
āļøTHIS BOOK IS OUT TODAY (NOV 14TH) ON KU AND FOR SALE, SO HAPPY READINGāļø
4.0āļø
Special thanks to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for the review copy!
Finished reading: November 8th 2023
"If she loves you, she'll move Heaven and earth with her own two bare hands. And if she doesn't? I hope I never find out."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I've been meaning to try one of Minka Kent's books for quite some time now, and there was just something about the blurb of After Dark that made it impossible for me to resist adding it to my shelves. It probably has something to do with the main character being accused of murdering someone during a blackout fit of rage, and somehow living in the same town twenty years after... Even if she did it, why didn't she move somewhere else afterwards?! Anyhow, I was SO curious about this story, and I have to say that it turned out to be an extremely quick and surprisingly addictive read.
This is one of those stories where it's best to go in blind, because the plot and in particular the plot twists will have so much more impact this way. Nothing is as it seems in After Dark, and this will only make you want to turn those pages even faster. The only reason I didn't finish this story in one sitting was because I started reading it late at night... Although I confess that was seriously tempted to pull an all-nighter. I don't want to give away too much and spoil things, but what I can say is that this story is unreliable narrator at its best and there was more than one plot twist I didn't see coming at all.
After Dark uses a dual timeline as well as two different POVs. We switch back and forth between 2003 when the murder happened and the present, and the story is told alternating between Afton and Sydney. To say that their relationship is complicated is an understatement, and I enjoyed learning more about their dynamics. I preferred Afton over Sydney, but that was probably mostly because Afton's flawed character was so much more intriguing to spend time with. Again, I don't want to give away too much, but let's just say that your opinion about both characters will change drastically as you start to get the full picture.
There is a lot of focus on mental health issues as well as topics including (domestic) abuse, addiction, gaslighting and cheating. I'm never a fan of the whole cheating element in stories and Drew is particularly despicable, but I do get why it was introduced in the plot and how it contributed to the ending. The gaslighting and toxic relationship element is very well incorporated into the plot, and the same goes for Afton's condition. I was dying to find out both what happened in the past and what was happening in the present... And while certain aspects of the plot might not be completely credible, I personally didn't mind because it made for such a great twist.
If you like your psychological thrillers on the dark, engaging and fast side with a healthy dose of unreliable narrator and big twists, After Dark is your book. I can't wait to read more books by this author now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Afton has been a outcast in her small town for 20 years ever since she was accused of murdering her mother's lover in a blackout fit of rage. She now lives with her grandmother and works night shift in a hotel. But now she won 33 million dollars at the lottery. With that money she wants to help her only friend, Sidney, get rid of her toxic husband, Drew, but her best intentions soon spin out of control.
This is a psychological thriller mystery told in dual timelime, now and then, and dual POVs, Sidney and Afton. I really don't understand why Afton took so long to claim her lottery willings. You have to be ready to suspend disbelief with this one. Afton is a very unreliable character, which are not my favorite, and I liked none of the other characters either. The ending was predictable and unsatisfying. All in all, it was not my favorite book by this author (I absolutely loved The Silent Woman!), but it was a very quick read.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is a psychological thriller mystery told in dual timelime, now and then, and dual POVs, Sidney and Afton. I really don't understand why Afton took so long to claim her lottery willings. You have to be ready to suspend disbelief with this one. Afton is a very unreliable character, which are not my favorite, and I liked none of the other characters either. The ending was predictable and unsatisfying. All in all, it was not my favorite book by this author (I absolutely loved The Silent Woman!), but it was a very quick read.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
I really loved the premise here and the prologue dives into the day that changed Aftonās life forever. It was chilling and puzzling because it lays the groundwork for a very solid mystery but it also leaves so many questions unanswered. This flips back and forth between Afton and Syndey each chapter and it also has a few chapters from the past that slowly provides insight into both womenās lives. The pacing here was fast and furious and I truly couldnāt put this down, I read it all in a day because I was desperate to know what was really going on. I found myself really sympathetic towards Afton but it was weird because I was never sure if she was trustworthy either. I liked that though because it kept me on my toes and is a main part of the reason why I finished so quickly. I donāt want to say much more but if you like friendship dramas, super fast paced and addictive stories and tricky plots try this.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!! I'm very recently getting into thrillers and have heard awesome things about Minka Kent so I was very excited to get to read her new release. This book is dual POV/dual timeline following our girl Afton who, as a teen, was pinned for the murder of her life long friend Sydney's father. In present time, Afton's subpar life takes an unexpected positive turn, Sydney's perfect cookie cutter life starts to crumble, and we find out the sinister reason why. It was extremely fast paced and an easy read, not many crazy twists and turns. The plot was a little outlandish and unbelievable however, that's why we read, right? All in all, this book was entertaining and great for an end of year reading goal boost!!
So this suspense read leaves you with a lot more questions. It opens with a murder having just happened and the lead character is found with the weapon in hand. It then skipped to some twenty years later, after having served her sentence and for the most part, everyone involved having moved on in their lives. While she may have served her sentence, she doesn't even know if she was guilty or not, having blacked out. So a part of the story is her dealing with the lack of knowledge she has, while trying to keep a low profile in the town whom most residents think she got away with murder. Trying to make amends with her childhood best friend (whose mother was the one saving grace in her life during that time, and whose father was the one killed that fateful night.) There are several other incidents that happen that change her motivations. There is a lot of talk about mental health issues, and some mention of drug use/abuse. The book is written in a way that you can't really predict the outcome. With the murder or the other incidents, you just never know which way it will go. Was she guilty of that crime, or did she take the fall for someone else. It could go either way. I do wish there was maybe an extended epilogue that answered some of those questions we are left with. It had as somewhat open ending. But then again, this is a thriller/suspense novel, so it didn't disappoint in that perspective. There is no sexual content, and no violence in the pages. I'd say this is ok for teens and up (as long as they are mature enough to understand the whole mental health aspect of it.) It alternates POVs.
*I received an copy of this book from Netgalley.
*I received an copy of this book from Netgalley.