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cc_shelflove's review
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, it was love at first chapter for me. 🥰 Our main character was such a bad bitch! After a crooked detective saves her from being arrested, “Evie” finds herself entangled in a life of cons, long and short. The writing was exceptional in that every time I had a question, I received an answer in the next flashback I encountered. Powerful men being blackmailed—we love to see it. 😈 I’ve had numerous recommendations to check out this author’s YA books, and I am certainly going to have to move them up on my list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Sexual content
kimveach's review
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'd wanted to read an excellent thriller, and this is the one. This book had an interesting protagonist, excellent pacing, helpful flashbacks, and a terrific ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this, even if it kept me up late.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Outing, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, Alcohol, Grief, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, and Bullying
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
This was an intriguing con artist, small town thriller that pleasantly surprised me! Thank you for PRH Audio for the advanced listening copy <3 I am providing my review on my own accord after listening.
I thought the narrator Saskia Maarleveld did a fantastic job; I always marvel a bit at narrators' abilities to use totally different inflections and tones of voice when switching characters, and Saskia did an excellent job of this!
The rotating chapters between the past and present piqued my interest; I was wondering what the tie-ins would be, and when it finally came together, it did not disappoint! I find that thrillers can delve into the exploitation and harmful fetishization of "mental health" struggles way too predictably and frustratingly, but this book steered clear of that and I appreciate it. It proves that a mystery or heist/con artist thriller can stand on its own, with morally grey characters, rather than villainizing those who are neurodivergent or have schizophrenia etc.
Despite the fact that you know that our main character is deceiving folks from the start, you're still rooting for her. It's so easy to, because she's so clever and takes no shit. Her whirlwind romance with Ryan has all of his close friends guessing, and I found it so delectable that she had them wound up so tightly.
The mystery of the elusive Mr. Smith was a very captivating game of cat and mouse, and while it frustrated me for Evie, I just wanted to know his real identity already and what his endgame was! Let it be known I will never be cut out for heist/con artist/secret identity work hahaha.
Anyway, as thrillers do, a lot of the big action and reveals happen in the last 10% of the book, but it overall felt like a satisfying conclusion and I think others will have lots of fun with this one.
see content warnings below!
This was an intriguing con artist, small town thriller that pleasantly surprised me! Thank you for PRH Audio for the advanced listening copy <3 I am providing my review on my own accord after listening.
I thought the narrator Saskia Maarleveld did a fantastic job; I always marvel a bit at narrators' abilities to use totally different inflections and tones of voice when switching characters, and Saskia did an excellent job of this!
The rotating chapters between the past and present piqued my interest; I was wondering what the tie-ins would be, and when it finally came together, it did not disappoint! I find that thrillers can delve into the exploitation and harmful fetishization of "mental health" struggles way too predictably and frustratingly, but this book steered clear of that and I appreciate it. It proves that a mystery or heist/con artist thriller can stand on its own, with morally grey characters, rather than villainizing those who are neurodivergent or have schizophrenia etc.
Despite the fact that you know that our main character is deceiving folks from the start, you're still rooting for her. It's so easy to, because she's so clever and takes no shit. Her whirlwind romance with Ryan has all of his close friends guessing, and I found it so delectable that she had them wound up so tightly.
The mystery of the elusive Mr. Smith was a very captivating game of cat and mouse, and while it frustrated me for Evie, I just wanted to know his real identity already and what his endgame was! Let it be known I will never be cut out for heist/con artist/secret identity work hahaha.
Anyway, as thrillers do, a lot of the big action and reveals happen in the last 10% of the book, but it overall felt like a satisfying conclusion and I think others will have lots of fun with this one.
see content warnings below!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, Violence, Death of parent, Cursing, Gaslighting, Car accident, and Death
Minor: Terminal illness and Cancer
redefiningrachel's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Gaslighting, Violence, Alcoholism, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use
aharper's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Stalking, and Cancer
Moderate: Murder and Car accident
avidreader8725's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Cancer
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Infidelity
readingwithmeredith's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Characters: 3
Connection to the book/Enjoyment: 2
Setting:2
Plot/Overall Story: 3
Writing: 3
Every point= 0.25 stars, max per category 4 points
Not bad but not great. Honestly was pretty bored for from about 20%-75%. It felt slow at times. I did appreciate that it was fairy clean of a book, but did have some language at times. I would put this more into the mystery category than thriller. It was mild for a thriller in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Murder, and Stalking
aliciavalenski's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Cancer, Death, Car accident, and Stalking
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
When the mysterious Mr. Smith asks Evie to do a job, she has to do it. But what is he up to on this particular job? And who is Mr. Smith?
I enjoyed this book quite a bit and didn't guess who Mr. Smith was. I thought it was one person, but thankfully the author went in another direction.
I do wish we had more of her friends and colleagues. I liked them more than Evie, to be honest. I liked the dual timeline as it kept me engaged with the book and interested in the storyline.
I did figure out what was going on with the death before it was revealed, though not why she did it, so that part was a bit predictable, along with predicting the final "twist".
Narrator Rating: 4.5 stars
The narrator did an excellent job with the book. With the tonal shifts for emotions and characters especially.
Extra ratings: Fluff - NA Heartfelt -2/5 Helpful-3/5 Horror -NA Inspiration -NA Love aka Romance- 2/5 Mystery -3/5 Predictability -2.5/5 Spice -0.5/5 Suspense -2/5 Tear- 1/5 Thrill -4/5 Humor-0.5/5
I enjoyed this book quite a bit and didn't guess who Mr. Smith was. I thought it was one person, but thankfully the author went in another direction.
I do wish we had more of her friends and colleagues. I liked them more than Evie, to be honest. I liked the dual timeline as it kept me engaged with the book and interested in the storyline.
I did figure out what was going on with the death before it was revealed, though not why she did it, so that part was a bit predictable, along with predicting the final "twist".
Narrator Rating: 4.5 stars
The narrator did an excellent job with the book. With the tonal shifts for emotions and characters especially.
Extra ratings: Fluff - NA Heartfelt -2/5 Helpful-3/5 Horror -NA Inspiration -NA Love aka Romance- 2/5 Mystery -3/5 Predictability -2.5/5 Spice -0.5/5 Suspense -2/5 Tear- 1/5 Thrill -4/5 Humor-0.5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Cancer, and Death
Minor: Murder, Terminal illness, Stalking, and Death of parent
amandafitz's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
5.0
I was hooked on this book from the first chapter. All the twists and turns had me flying through the pages.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Stalking, Car accident, Death, Murder, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
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