Reviews

Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell

crlopez2013's review against another edition

5.0

Lisa Jewell is one of my favorite and most reliable thriller authors. She never disappoints, and this one is no exception! I devoured this book in just a few sittings. As per usual, the plot development is laid out well, the twists are never cliche, and there are surprises until the very last page. Additionally, Jewell quite impressively writes from the perspective of a 30-something year-old virgin man who gets drawn to the 'incel' community. Reading from that perspective was a bit hard to read since there are men out there who truly feel that way. Overall, though, another win and thriller fav.

chapters_and_pages's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I really thought this was going to be a five star read for me, but unfortunately it just fell a little short.

Invisible Girl follows three perspectives. Owen, a man who has just been accused of sexual misconduct by his female students and stumbles into the dark world of incel forums. Cate, a physiotherapist who lives across from Owen with her psychologist husband, Roan, and their two teenage children. And Saffyre, a teenage and former patient of Roan’s, who suddenly goes missing on Owen and Cate’s street. 

I really enjoy Lisa Jewell’s books, they are fast paced, and I often find myself unable to put them down. I wasn’t a fan of how Saffyre’s first chapter was written, it felt a little too much like something a child would do to begin a story, however after this chapter, I didn’t have any more problems with the writing. 

In terms of characters, I think I probably found Owen the most interesting. Cate and Saffyre were fairly similar to characters I’ve read a hundred times over, however Owen’s incel storyline isn’t anything I’ve seen in books before and I found that it really added a unique element to a story that may have otherwise been told plenty of times before. 

The main thing that really brought this book down to four stars for me was the ending. It felt very rushed, underwhelming and unrealistic. Between Saffyre’s whereabouts, the revelation of the identity of the man attacking women and Owen’s rehabilitation, it just didn’t seem the most realistic ending, and left me feeling a little disappointed. 

I did, however, like Owen’s ending, despite the fact that it was fairly unrealistic. After being wrongly charged with the kidnapping of a teenage girl, to see Owen realise the path he was going down and take the necessary steps to better himself and his attitude towards women, getting his job back, and entering a new relationship was a really nice ending for him, especially as rehabilitation for incels is fairly uncommon in media. 

Also, the identity of the attacker fell a little flat for me. I won’t say anything specific but I think it would’ve had a bigger impact if it had been someone else. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading my next Lisa Jewell book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Self harm, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Stalking, Rape, and Sexual violence

jess_mango's review against another edition

4.0

Owen is a 30-something virgin, living with his aunt. He is let go from his job teaching computer programming after accusations of inappropriate touching and behavior, which he denies. While online looking for jobs, he stumbles upon an incel blog and forum. He feels like he has a connection with these men who also have trouble meeting women.

The Fours family lives across the street from Owen. This family of 4 features a mom, dad, and 2 teens. There is some marital unrest in the family since the wife, Kate, suspects that her husband Rowen, a child therapist, has had an affair.

Meanwhile, there is also 17 year old Saffyre, who is a former patient of Rowen's. She is haunted by something that was done to her in the past, that Rowen never quite uncovered all the way. Saffyre can't find comfort in her life. She lives with her uncle and does well in school, but she feels the need to roam about and sleep outdoors rather than at home in her own bed. She spends a lot of time in Rowen's neighborhood lurking about.

The novel alternates perspective between Owen, Kate, and Saffyre. Owen feels misunderstood and perhaps IS misunderstood as he is constantly referred to as creepy and weird. Kate is insecure but hopeful about her family life. And Saffyre is troubled, but searching for redemption. When Saffyre suddenly goes missing, it becomes a big news story and Owen winds up as a person of interest. Through the alternating perspectives, we see how the story unfurls. There is a touch of unreliable narration going on her and some definite messages about toxic masculinity and Incel culture.

I am between 3.5 and 4 stars on this one.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

linzbooktok's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Not my fave Lisa Jewell but I still enjoyed it! I read this on audio and I think that’s why the rating is low! I can’t seem to get to grips with them. I did like that there were multiple narrators which made it easier to understand.

jansbookcorner's review against another edition

4.0

I have read several Lisa Jewell books and they seem to mostly fall at 4 stars. This book followed true to that. It is a book that will make you think a little deeper about societal judgments we make. The story is told in a dual timeline that works well. Most of the story is present day but it is interspersed with Saffyre, a missing girl, telling the background of her life leading up to when she disappeared one night. It was a good balance that flowed well. I was kept guessing as to what happened and who was responsible as there were several suspicious characters. It kept me engaged throughout and the ending left me satisfied.

thriller_mh's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

_jaidene's review against another edition

mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

musingsbynitika's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Another brilliant thriller from one of my favourite authors! What a chilling ending! I really love how Lisa Jewell crafts these interesting and intricate characters with seeds of mystery and realistic flaws, making us question almost every one of something. As always, this was fast-paced read and exactly what I needed.

victoria_chiakmakis's review against another edition

4.0

An easy read with a good mystery. Kept my interest!

kristin_thereader's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No

3.5