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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
Massive eye roll. I’m actually really pissed that I spent so much time and energy reading this book and hoping for it to get better!! It was a massive snooze fest and the plot like was so stupid.
First of all- the fact that Paolo WAS ALIVE was pretty shocking, but then him showing up to save her at the very last second was so annoying especially when he quickly explained his whole life story (during the time the police took to get there which was a lot especially since the ambulance had been there for a while) and then just ran into the bushes and suddenly nobody could even find him? Are you kidding? How did nobody go after him or find him? And he was so emotionless telling her all of this which made no sense considering they were about to be engaged.
That being said CAL ENDING UP BEING THE LOVE INTEREST?? That was plain stupid. He came out of nowhere with his nosy ass daughter and Emily bothers the shit out of him only to end up together afterwards?? Like Paolo was “dead” and you’re searching for his killer to avenge his death but instead you find a lover COME ONNNNN and it’s all just thrown in the end like ok? Another thing that was just thrown in was her father- like ok? It was weird that he caught the disease and she falls for a man who’s making a vaccine for that disease- it was just unnecessary.
I felt like the author used her bipolar disorder as a personality trait- although in the about author - it states that he is a Psychologist and teaches abnormal psych and such but the way he presented bipolar disorder was only when it was convenient. She didn’t take her meds or sleep for like 3 days and she was fine in the end?? When I’m the beginning she said she would feel it if she took her meds an hour too late- like make up your mind.
Overall really slow and stupid book. Paolo is a little bitch and I feel bad that Emily got dragged for being bipolar but was right about the killer being in the lab in the end.
First of all- the fact that Paolo WAS ALIVE was pretty shocking, but then him showing up to save her at the very last second was so annoying especially when he quickly explained his whole life story (during the time the police took to get there which was a lot especially since the ambulance had been there for a while) and then just ran into the bushes and suddenly nobody could even find him? Are you kidding? How did nobody go after him or find him? And he was so emotionless telling her all of this which made no sense considering they were about to be engaged.
That being said CAL ENDING UP BEING THE LOVE INTEREST?? That was plain stupid. He came out of nowhere with his nosy ass daughter and Emily bothers the shit out of him only to end up together afterwards?? Like Paolo was “dead” and you’re searching for his killer to avenge his death but instead you find a lover COME ONNNNN and it’s all just thrown in the end like ok? Another thing that was just thrown in was her father- like ok? It was weird that he caught the disease and she falls for a man who’s making a vaccine for that disease- it was just unnecessary.
I felt like the author used her bipolar disorder as a personality trait- although in the about author - it states that he is a Psychologist and teaches abnormal psych and such but the way he presented bipolar disorder was only when it was convenient. She didn’t take her meds or sleep for like 3 days and she was fine in the end?? When I’m the beginning she said she would feel it if she took her meds an hour too late- like make up your mind.
Overall really slow and stupid book. Paolo is a little bitch and I feel bad that Emily got dragged for being bipolar but was right about the killer being in the lab in the end.
I love this genre of books and this one did not disappoint. I have to say I loved the character of Cal. All the way to the end I was not sure what to think of Emily and her frantic behavior. I was surprised that Cal trusted her, but in the end I am glad he did. The book is full of surprises all the way to the end.
Wow... this was a tough book to put down! I just wanted to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. I could not see how it was going to end at all... and I love that in a book. The main character was far from perfect and the story had me hooked from the very start.
Emily Firestone... her life is finally starting to come good. After years of living with bipolar she has finally learned how to live with it. She has a great job and a fantastic new boyfriend Paolo, who adores her. When Paolo suggests a Sailing weekend away she jumps at the chance. They spend the evening drinking far too much and when Emily wakes in the morning Paolo is missing without a trace. The police believe that he has drowned, but she knows that he is a strong swimmer and refuses to believe it. Before long she becomes a person of interest in the case no she needs to stay well enough to prove her innocence.
A fantastic read and an author to keep an eye out for in the future. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased
Emily Firestone... her life is finally starting to come good. After years of living with bipolar she has finally learned how to live with it. She has a great job and a fantastic new boyfriend Paolo, who adores her. When Paolo suggests a Sailing weekend away she jumps at the chance. They spend the evening drinking far too much and when Emily wakes in the morning Paolo is missing without a trace. The police believe that he has drowned, but she knows that he is a strong swimmer and refuses to believe it. Before long she becomes a person of interest in the case no she needs to stay well enough to prove her innocence.
A fantastic read and an author to keep an eye out for in the future. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased
This was a quick read and it ended up being okay. Not much of a twist ending, but I do have some thoughts on how we got there. The writing felt a little oddly paced at certain times. The beginning felt rushed, barely touching on the relationship between Emily and Paolo. It almost felt as though the year long relationship that Emily was describing was surface level at best as she didn't want him to know that she couldn't swim or her trauma relating to her fear. This is odd to me, because, usually, by the year mark, people would have disclosed on some level, their fears and reasons for them - at least in the type of relationship that Emily describes them as having. Post Paolo's disappearance, Emily goes through some indirectly related legal trouble. This is the start of my next issue. I felt as though the timeline was either not clear or very confusing. It felt as though the proceedings of her legal issues and the ramifications of what happened afterward was kind of rushed through. The way it was written felt as though she was in the hospital longer than it took to wrap up her legal issue - which by the sounds of her injury as well as what she was battling, it shouldn't have worked out that way (but then again, it might just be my knowledge of the legal field being that I currently have a career in it). I know this wasn't a main point in the plot and that it is being used to show that Emily is becoming unhinged, but it just felt a little unnecessary. Continuing on to how Emily is perceived, it feels like an uncomfortable choice. It is a "big" point in the plot that she has bipolar disorder. However, it almost feels like an unnecessary addition that is used to make the reader feel more and more like she is really unhinged and crazy - even going as far to have other characters call her out for being a "pill-popper" and "crazy", which is not the best depiction of those with that neurodivergent disorder. I guess if it was a major plot point, I don't see why her condition wasn't taken more seriously by literally any character, especially the ones close to her. She didn't seem to really care about taking her medication; her mom, her supervisor, nor the judge during her legal battle seemed to think that she should be monitored/in therapy for her condition or to get counseling for what happened to her boyfriend? Overall, it just felt like a lot of things were haphazardly thrown together in order to make things more dramatic without a lot of substance. Without all the unnecessary plot points thrown in, it was a really solid plot. The ending was nicely wrapped up and explained, which was nice (even though the ending-ending seemed a little out of left field? Did not get that vibe at all).
Don’t know what to make of this book, but I guess I was expecting more.
Took me a while to get into the first third of this book: was so slow and really not that interesting. Then as it started getting better and the prices started to unravel and reveal themselves, it just didn’t make me go wow or have me at the edge of my seat.
Overall this was kinda disappointing and then realizing this was written by a man kinda ma me go… eh…. Ok. Honestly I just don’t have much thoughts so that’s it.
Took me a while to get into the first third of this book: was so slow and really not that interesting. Then as it started getting better and the prices started to unravel and reveal themselves, it just didn’t make me go wow or have me at the edge of my seat.
Overall this was kinda disappointing and then realizing this was written by a man kinda ma me go… eh…. Ok. Honestly I just don’t have much thoughts so that’s it.
You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Crooker Lane Books, and the author via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Emily can barely hold together most days, but she's getting better. Paolo helps with that. Yes, he works long hours at his lab, and she spends most of her time waiting for him to finish work so that they can spend time together, but she also spends the rest of her time helping children. She's a child psychologist. Being able to help children gives her a purpose. So when Paolo has declared that they will be taking the weekend and renting a boat, Emily should be over the moon. However, she has reservations. Her Bipolar disorder is under control for the most part, but she still has bad days, and the water makes her incredibly nervous. She hasn't told Paolo directly that she can't swim, and she's hoping that she doesn't have to and they can just spend a relaxing weekend together. After a wonderful first day, Emily wakes up with the regret of drinking wine the day before. Feeling sick and really not enjoying the rocking motion of the boat, she calls for Paolo but he doesn't answer. After slowly pulling herself together Emily wanders up to the deck to find out what Paolo could be so enthralled with, only to find herself completely alone. No Paolo. No nothing. Alone. Panic sets in and it's all she can do to barely hold herself together to get back to shore. What happened to Paolo? Where did he go? Why did he leave a woman who suffers with mental illness and the inability to swim along on a boat in the middle of a lake? A story of secrets, sorrow, and a woman, who completely breaks down while trying to find out the truth of what happened the day that her beloved boyfriend disappeared, who is pulled into the investigation and thought of as a suspect. Emily feels like she is the only one who can discover the truth and finally give herself closure. Can she do it? Can she survive it?
So I've gone on a bit of a psychological thriller jaunt the last few books. I've really taken a shine to this genre. I've always loved a good mystery and these ones give me that plus a little bit extra that I struggle to put into words. I was really looking forward to this book when I requested it, though I felt that it was a little bit lacklustre. The premise was SO interesting. A woman wakes up on a boat alone, with no clue as to what has happened to her boyfriend, while also trying to navigate the stress and anxiety of the whole situation living with Bipolar disorder. But it just didn't grab me the way I'd hope that it would.
First off, Emily was, to me, incredibly unlikable. Yes she suffers with bipolar and yes she's going through a traumatic experience, but I just found myself becoming increasingly annoyed with her throughout the story. I find that some of the terrible choices she made wasn't because of her disorder, but because she's an idiot. It sounds harsh, but that's the only way I can describe it. It felt like every slightly inconvenient thing that she did, or bad decision that she made, she blamed on her disorder. And I feel like that's not very accurate. Yes us people with mental illnesses can make bad choices or say stupid things during episodes, but not every single bad choice or stupid comment can be BLAMED on our mental illness, regardless of what that mental illness is. I feel like Emily didn't take enough responsibility for herself and liked to fob everything off as "oh I have bipolar, I do this kind of thing often." No, I think sometimes she's just a shitty person, and it's not always her bipolar's fault. I do like that her profession was a psychologist. Yes this isn't real life, but I have often wondered about whether people with mental illness can make successful psychologists. Not in the way of 'can they actually help people' because I believe having a mental illness may help connect to patients easier at times, but in the ability to compartmentalise and let go of what your patients are telling you and confiding in you with. I feel like being a psychologist, one takes on SO MUCH from their patients, that it must be hard to just let it roll back off you and not impact you or your daily life in any way.
Emily's bipolar. I've read books that have centred around mental illness before, and I find myself drawn to them, for obvious reasons. I felt like the representation of Emily's disorder in this book was a bit stilted. It felt too clinical. Other books that I've read about mental illness have had a way of dragging you in and letting you experience this for yourself, in a small way anyway. I felt like this book didn't do that. I had no empathy toward Emily and her illness at all, which is very strange for me. The super clinical feel may be because the author is/was a psychologist by trade, I'm not sure. I feel like if this was written by someone who lives with bipolar, the feel of the book might have been different. I'm not sure if the author has bipolar or not, but it just didn't feel authentic to me.
Cal. I hated him at first, but the more that we got to see him and get to know him, I really enjoyed his character. One thing I did like about this book was how real the characters seemed. They all had flaws and issues and that's great. I hate a book that the characters are very one dimensional and there's no depth there. They don't feel real because they're so damn perfect. The characters in this book were incredibly well written.
The story itself was okay. As I said earlier, I was SO intrigued about this story, but I still feel like it fell a bit short for me. To be honest the only thing that kept me reading was the fact that I just really wanted to know what happened to Paolo, I just needed that question answered and I was done. I couldn't really care about the rest of the story that much. I was interested in seeing what happened to Emily in the end, but it was kind of secondary to WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO PAOLO?!?!?! The pacing was a bit slow for me, and it felt like it dragged at times. Most of the time it felt like nothing was really happening, Emily was going through her day to day life, well, trying to at least, with this big cloud of uncertainty hanging over her head, but that was it. The story did pick up again when we started finding things out, but it felt a bit all over the place. After Paolo's disappearance, the story felt like it jumped a fair bit and I found myself having no idea exactly how much time had passed since the disappearance itself.
The mystery side of it was interesting, until I worked out half of it about 60% through. This would have been okay if it was happening the same time as the big reveal, but it didn't, I had worked out the culprit before the characters and that irks me. I still had no idea what had happened to Paolo, but honestly after the half way mark, it felt like Paolo's story took a backseat to other things that were happening. Then we find out what happened to Paolo right near the end. It just didn't feel that greatly constructed to me.
All in all, a pretty mediocre read which was disappointing, I was really hoping I'd love this one. Don't let my review put you off though, these are just things that I found didn't work for me, but you might love the story :) If psychological thrillers are your thing, give it a go, it might surprise you. I think I was focusing so much on the mental health side of it and that's why it didn't quite work for me.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Crooker Lane Books, and the author via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Emily can barely hold together most days, but she's getting better. Paolo helps with that. Yes, he works long hours at his lab, and she spends most of her time waiting for him to finish work so that they can spend time together, but she also spends the rest of her time helping children. She's a child psychologist. Being able to help children gives her a purpose. So when Paolo has declared that they will be taking the weekend and renting a boat, Emily should be over the moon. However, she has reservations. Her Bipolar disorder is under control for the most part, but she still has bad days, and the water makes her incredibly nervous. She hasn't told Paolo directly that she can't swim, and she's hoping that she doesn't have to and they can just spend a relaxing weekend together. After a wonderful first day, Emily wakes up with the regret of drinking wine the day before. Feeling sick and really not enjoying the rocking motion of the boat, she calls for Paolo but he doesn't answer. After slowly pulling herself together Emily wanders up to the deck to find out what Paolo could be so enthralled with, only to find herself completely alone. No Paolo. No nothing. Alone. Panic sets in and it's all she can do to barely hold herself together to get back to shore. What happened to Paolo? Where did he go? Why did he leave a woman who suffers with mental illness and the inability to swim along on a boat in the middle of a lake? A story of secrets, sorrow, and a woman, who completely breaks down while trying to find out the truth of what happened the day that her beloved boyfriend disappeared, who is pulled into the investigation and thought of as a suspect. Emily feels like she is the only one who can discover the truth and finally give herself closure. Can she do it? Can she survive it?
So I've gone on a bit of a psychological thriller jaunt the last few books. I've really taken a shine to this genre. I've always loved a good mystery and these ones give me that plus a little bit extra that I struggle to put into words. I was really looking forward to this book when I requested it, though I felt that it was a little bit lacklustre. The premise was SO interesting. A woman wakes up on a boat alone, with no clue as to what has happened to her boyfriend, while also trying to navigate the stress and anxiety of the whole situation living with Bipolar disorder. But it just didn't grab me the way I'd hope that it would.
First off, Emily was, to me, incredibly unlikable. Yes she suffers with bipolar and yes she's going through a traumatic experience, but I just found myself becoming increasingly annoyed with her throughout the story. I find that some of the terrible choices she made wasn't because of her disorder, but because she's an idiot. It sounds harsh, but that's the only way I can describe it. It felt like every slightly inconvenient thing that she did, or bad decision that she made, she blamed on her disorder. And I feel like that's not very accurate. Yes us people with mental illnesses can make bad choices or say stupid things during episodes, but not every single bad choice or stupid comment can be BLAMED on our mental illness, regardless of what that mental illness is. I feel like Emily didn't take enough responsibility for herself and liked to fob everything off as "oh I have bipolar, I do this kind of thing often." No, I think sometimes she's just a shitty person, and it's not always her bipolar's fault. I do like that her profession was a psychologist. Yes this isn't real life, but I have often wondered about whether people with mental illness can make successful psychologists. Not in the way of 'can they actually help people' because I believe having a mental illness may help connect to patients easier at times, but in the ability to compartmentalise and let go of what your patients are telling you and confiding in you with. I feel like being a psychologist, one takes on SO MUCH from their patients, that it must be hard to just let it roll back off you and not impact you or your daily life in any way.
Emily's bipolar. I've read books that have centred around mental illness before, and I find myself drawn to them, for obvious reasons. I felt like the representation of Emily's disorder in this book was a bit stilted. It felt too clinical. Other books that I've read about mental illness have had a way of dragging you in and letting you experience this for yourself, in a small way anyway. I felt like this book didn't do that. I had no empathy toward Emily and her illness at all, which is very strange for me. The super clinical feel may be because the author is/was a psychologist by trade, I'm not sure. I feel like if this was written by someone who lives with bipolar, the feel of the book might have been different. I'm not sure if the author has bipolar or not, but it just didn't feel authentic to me.
Cal. I hated him at first, but the more that we got to see him and get to know him, I really enjoyed his character. One thing I did like about this book was how real the characters seemed. They all had flaws and issues and that's great. I hate a book that the characters are very one dimensional and there's no depth there. They don't feel real because they're so damn perfect. The characters in this book were incredibly well written.
The story itself was okay. As I said earlier, I was SO intrigued about this story, but I still feel like it fell a bit short for me. To be honest the only thing that kept me reading was the fact that I just really wanted to know what happened to Paolo, I just needed that question answered and I was done. I couldn't really care about the rest of the story that much. I was interested in seeing what happened to Emily in the end, but it was kind of secondary to WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO PAOLO?!?!?! The pacing was a bit slow for me, and it felt like it dragged at times. Most of the time it felt like nothing was really happening, Emily was going through her day to day life, well, trying to at least, with this big cloud of uncertainty hanging over her head, but that was it. The story did pick up again when we started finding things out, but it felt a bit all over the place. After Paolo's disappearance, the story felt like it jumped a fair bit and I found myself having no idea exactly how much time had passed since the disappearance itself.
The mystery side of it was interesting, until I worked out half of it about 60% through. This would have been okay if it was happening the same time as the big reveal, but it didn't, I had worked out the culprit before the characters and that irks me. I still had no idea what had happened to Paolo, but honestly after the half way mark, it felt like Paolo's story took a backseat to other things that were happening. Then we find out what happened to Paolo right near the end. It just didn't feel that greatly constructed to me.
All in all, a pretty mediocre read which was disappointing, I was really hoping I'd love this one. Don't let my review put you off though, these are just things that I found didn't work for me, but you might love the story :) If psychological thrillers are your thing, give it a go, it might surprise you. I think I was focusing so much on the mental health side of it and that's why it didn't quite work for me.
I must apologize in advance to any book that follows a five-star read. We’ve all had the curse of the book hangover. Some of us wallow in it for weeks and some of us have troubles reading anything for quite some time. Often times if we don’t wait long enough it can affect our reading enjoyment.
Its quite clear to me that I would have enjoyed Jacobs book a lot more, had I not just read one of my top books for 2019. So, while I liked this book, I know there are people who really liked or even loved it so be sure to check out their reviews on Goodreads.
Imagine waking up on a boat and your boyfriend is no where to be found. Did he drown? Did he get picked up by another boat? Did he swim away? Where the heck did he go?
As the mystery unfolds, all fingers point to Emily. Has she done something she doesn’t remember and is she at fault for all the people that keep showing up dead? Racing to figure out what has happened she enlists the aid of her lost boyfriends’ coworker, Cal.
I thought Jacobs did an excellent job of portraying a character with bipolar disorder. The manic episodes and mood swings all seemed very real. So, it was no surprise to me that the author is a practicing psychologist.
If you read and enjoyed Blood Orange, then you may enjoy this book.
3.5 stars
Its quite clear to me that I would have enjoyed Jacobs book a lot more, had I not just read one of my top books for 2019. So, while I liked this book, I know there are people who really liked or even loved it so be sure to check out their reviews on Goodreads.
Imagine waking up on a boat and your boyfriend is no where to be found. Did he drown? Did he get picked up by another boat? Did he swim away? Where the heck did he go?
As the mystery unfolds, all fingers point to Emily. Has she done something she doesn’t remember and is she at fault for all the people that keep showing up dead? Racing to figure out what has happened she enlists the aid of her lost boyfriends’ coworker, Cal.
I thought Jacobs did an excellent job of portraying a character with bipolar disorder. The manic episodes and mood swings all seemed very real. So, it was no surprise to me that the author is a practicing psychologist.
If you read and enjoyed Blood Orange, then you may enjoy this book.
3.5 stars
I received this novel from Netgalley in hopes I would leave my honest review.
This nice had great potential and just failed all around. Emily and her boyfriend went on a weekend getaway and she woke up alone, scared and sick.. Started off as a strong beginning and then lacked the rest of the way from jumping from plot to plot with no real story to finally the last 10% of the ebook it took off and completed the circle.
This nice had great potential and just failed all around. Emily and her boyfriend went on a weekend getaway and she woke up alone, scared and sick.. Started off as a strong beginning and then lacked the rest of the way from jumping from plot to plot with no real story to finally the last 10% of the ebook it took off and completed the circle.
interesting concept, i started the book, with no idea what it was about, i knew i chose it so expected a mystery and could see my assumptions. what is he going to do to her? and then later on who is innocent and what can we believe. the first third went a little slowly and felt a bit repetitive, that i couldn't get into it after the very beginning, but then it picked up and i am glad i read it. it was well written, some places very well written