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ksilvio's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia
kelly_e's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Title: Wrong Place Wrong Time
Author: Gillian McAllister
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: August 2, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Intriguing • Creative • Anticlimactic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Can you stop a murder after it’s already happened?
Late October. After midnight. You’re waiting up for your seventeen-year-old son. He’s late. As you watch from the window, he emerges, and you realize he isn’t alone: he’s walking toward a man, and he’s armed.
You can’t believe it when you see him do it: your funny, happy teenage son, he kills a stranger, right there on the street outside your house. You don’t know who. You don’t know why. You only know your son is now in custody. His future shattered.
That night you fall asleep in despair. All is lost. Until you wake...
... and it is yesterday.
And then you wake again...
... and it is the day before yesterday.
Every morning you wake up a day earlier, another day before the murder. With another chance to stop it. Somewhere in the past lies an answer. The trigger for this crime—and you don’t have a choice but to find it...
💭 T H O U G H T S
Wrong Place Wrong Time is a book I probably wouldn't have picked on my own, but when it was selected as the February book for my in-person book club I knew I would give it a shot. I was interested in the time travel aspect, but was definitely hesitant about the rest of the premise.
I was deeply invested in the unique narrative at the start and could not put it down. The time travel aspect was intriguing, but the middle was an absolute slog and I found myself just wanting it to end. Eventually the pace would pick back up, but it was too late, my interest had already waned. In fact, the ending was a little anticlimactic for me. I understand the slow pacing is due to the way in which it is written - backwards through time - yet there wasn't the tension I carved.
There were several themes I appreciated. Firstly, I liked how this novel explore how what may seem like small choices and actions at the time, can have huge impacts on our future lives. And how if you change one thing, it can change everything. It's an interesting concept that leads to a lot of contemplation. Second, I thought it was a very realistic depiction of motherhood and the impact of mom guilt.
Gillian McAllister gets my praise simply for the creativity of the plot, and for all of the planning I imagine went into putting it into words. It's certainly unlike any thriller I've read and that deserves credit. I just wish it could have been executed a little more smoothly with more tension and quicker pace.
Overall, Wrong Place Wrong Time didn't do it for me. I know I am in the minority, as this is beloved by so many, but the pace didn't pick up until the final 25% and by then it was too late. I did really like the concept, but the execution faltered and I had to push myself to get through. I don't think I will be reading anything else by this author in the future, but I can understand why she's a favourite author of many readers.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• time-travel enthusiasts
• readers looking for unique thriller
⚠️ CW: murder, gun violence, blood, injury/injury detail, death, death of parent, grief, stalking, kidnapping, cursing, mental illness, suicide, addiction, drug use, drug abuse, fatphobia, sexual content, pregnancy, gaslighting
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"But knowing the future is worse than not knowing."
Author: Gillian McAllister
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: August 2, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Intriguing • Creative • Anticlimactic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Can you stop a murder after it’s already happened?
Late October. After midnight. You’re waiting up for your seventeen-year-old son. He’s late. As you watch from the window, he emerges, and you realize he isn’t alone: he’s walking toward a man, and he’s armed.
You can’t believe it when you see him do it: your funny, happy teenage son, he kills a stranger, right there on the street outside your house. You don’t know who. You don’t know why. You only know your son is now in custody. His future shattered.
That night you fall asleep in despair. All is lost. Until you wake...
... and it is yesterday.
And then you wake again...
... and it is the day before yesterday.
Every morning you wake up a day earlier, another day before the murder. With another chance to stop it. Somewhere in the past lies an answer. The trigger for this crime—and you don’t have a choice but to find it...
💭 T H O U G H T S
Wrong Place Wrong Time is a book I probably wouldn't have picked on my own, but when it was selected as the February book for my in-person book club I knew I would give it a shot. I was interested in the time travel aspect, but was definitely hesitant about the rest of the premise.
I was deeply invested in the unique narrative at the start and could not put it down. The time travel aspect was intriguing, but the middle was an absolute slog and I found myself just wanting it to end. Eventually the pace would pick back up, but it was too late, my interest had already waned. In fact, the ending was a little anticlimactic for me. I understand the slow pacing is due to the way in which it is written - backwards through time - yet there wasn't the tension I carved.
There were several themes I appreciated. Firstly, I liked how this novel explore how what may seem like small choices and actions at the time, can have huge impacts on our future lives. And how if you change one thing, it can change everything. It's an interesting concept that leads to a lot of contemplation. Second, I thought it was a very realistic depiction of motherhood and the impact of mom guilt.
Gillian McAllister gets my praise simply for the creativity of the plot, and for all of the planning I imagine went into putting it into words. It's certainly unlike any thriller I've read and that deserves credit. I just wish it could have been executed a little more smoothly with more tension and quicker pace.
Overall, Wrong Place Wrong Time didn't do it for me. I know I am in the minority, as this is beloved by so many, but the pace didn't pick up until the final 25% and by then it was too late. I did really like the concept, but the execution faltered and I had to push myself to get through. I don't think I will be reading anything else by this author in the future, but I can understand why she's a favourite author of many readers.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• time-travel enthusiasts
• readers looking for unique thriller
⚠️ CW: murder, gun violence, blood, injury/injury detail, death, death of parent, grief, stalking, kidnapping, cursing, mental illness, suicide, addiction, drug use, drug abuse, fatphobia, sexual content, pregnancy, gaslighting
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"But knowing the future is worse than not knowing."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Stalking, Blood, Gun violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Minor: Grief, Cursing, Suicide, Drug use, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Addiction
nisquah's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Fatphobia and Kidnapping
Minor: Violence
mariannelwnicholson's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Perfectly enjoyable but didn't wow me. Too long. Liked the reveals (but I'm such a sucker for a mystery). Some of the explanations for the characters actions were a bit wishy-washy and unbelievable. An acceptable beach read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
arthur_ant18's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy, Fatphobia, Drug abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Violence and Suicide
katharina90's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I tend to get annoyed quickly with time travel plots but this one wasn't half bad. It was refreshing to see the mystery unraveled in reverse chronology as the main character traveled backwards in time day by day. I didn't feel connected to the characters though and the writing was just ok.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping and Fatphobia
Minor: Death of parent
blackcoffeedaydreams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and devoured it in a day and a half. I enjoyed the mystery and I am a sucker for time travel plots. As a mother, I found the overly blaming herself for what happens a bit hard to take but did feel the description of early days of motherhood relatable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Kidnapping, Fatphobia, Mental illness, and Violence
ejsullivan's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Suicide
chapterobsessed's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Started slow. Wasn’t my favorite, but it ended strong.
The twists were shocking!! They definitely helped me enjoy the last 20%. 👌🏼
If you want a quick suspense that has a decent plot with multiple twists that will leave you shook, check it out.
If you’re not a fan of time travel or repetitive situations, you can skip this one.
The twists were shocking!! They definitely helped me enjoy the last 20%. 👌🏼
If you want a quick suspense that has a decent plot with multiple twists that will leave you shook, check it out.
If you’re not a fan of time travel or repetitive situations, you can skip this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Fatphobia, and Kidnapping
Minor: Violence and Suicide
jasmine256's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The book started fine, but then I lost interest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping, Drug abuse, and Fatphobia
Minor: Violence and Suicide