Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
I will say I sat down and forced myself to finish this book— it wasn’t one of those reads where you cannot put the book down. Once the story was introduced and I became familiar with Fi and Bram; things got incredibly repetitive. Sometimes it felt as if the author needed to reach a certain word count and some of the chapters did not push the story forward at all. Also I didn’t really like any of the characters, but maybe you aren’t supposed to. The premise is really interesting and I think Louise is a really talented writer. There were also several surprises and I literally slapped my forehead on the last page because it was just so ironic how Bram’s final action on earth to try and help Fi will actually provide evidence that will land in her jail with a murder charge— it’s as if every action Bram takes is destined to ruin Fi, no matter his intention.
Parts of the book got confusing and was not crazy about how the book ended. Kept me interested enough throughout tho to finish.
This was a well-written, twisty, suspenseful book with a lot of surprises. The ending was basically perfect—after I finished it, I knew no other ending would have been right. But that doesn't mean it didn't make me excruciatingly angry! The whole book is the story of a selfish, narcissistic man ruining dozens of lives through lazy self-indulgence, and I think the book may have actually wanted me to feel bad for him?!
Somewhere in my travels I saw the term “property porn” for the genre of thriller whose crime occurs in connection with a house or home. Our House by Louise Cavendish is just such a book, and the story set-up is the homeowner’s worst nightmare: one half of a couple, recently separated, returns from a trip to discover people moving into her affluent London home—people who can prove they have actually purchased her house, albeit without her knowledge. The story takes off from there, toggling back and forth between the viewpoints of the estranged husband and wife detailing the collapse of their marriage and taking some twists and turns along the way. Lots of other characters and betrayals populate the plot, as well; friends, lovers, neighbors, a blackmailer. Cavendish was inspired by a real-life case of property fraud, and what she’s created here is a light reading page-turner with a suspenseful plot that keeps you guessing and a satisfying climax.
I really enjoyed this and absolutely loved the ending.. I’m sitting here with my mouth wide open thinking “WTF
Fiona Lawson comes home from a romantic getaway with her new boyfriend to find a moving van in her driveway. Her belongings are nowhere to be found and strangers are moving into HER house.
I initially snagged this audiobook from the library because the premise sounded interesting, but I kept listening because of the way the story was told. I love a creative format and I LOVE alternating timelines and points of view, so this book really delivered. The story is told through three perspectives (1) the third person present-tense narrator who follows Fi through her confusion at finding strangers moving into her house (2) Fi herself, retrospectively telling her story from the beginning on a true crime podcast and (3) Fi's ex-husband Bram, telling his version of the story in a Word document from a hotel room in Geneva. These three perspectives allow the story to unfold bit by bit, the reader slowly piecing together the whole story.
Overall, I thought the story itself was good, but the storytelling was what made this book stand out.
**read as an audiobook**
I initially snagged this audiobook from the library because the premise sounded interesting, but I kept listening because of the way the story was told. I love a creative format and I LOVE alternating timelines and points of view, so this book really delivered. The story is told through three perspectives (1) the third person present-tense narrator who follows Fi through her confusion at finding strangers moving into her house (2) Fi herself, retrospectively telling her story from the beginning on a true crime podcast and (3) Fi's ex-husband Bram, telling his version of the story in a Word document from a hotel room in Geneva. These three perspectives allow the story to unfold bit by bit, the reader slowly piecing together the whole story.
Overall, I thought the story itself was good, but the storytelling was what made this book stand out.
**read as an audiobook**
got 100 pages in, but just could not care about the characters or situation, and the weird format made it worse.
Really 3.5. I loved her writing style and had such high hopes, but it fell flat at the end.