Reviews with content warning for Violence - Wrong Place Wrong Time

I was surprised how much I liked this book as a random thriller pick-up. The concept of the time-travel was interesting and served to draw the pace of the plot along really well. I also liked the that Jen was not your typical female thriller protagonist (i.e. she did not drink too much wine and forget what she saw/question her reality. She made smart, informed decisions throughout). Some of the twists were predictable but there were so many I didn't see them all coming (though they all made sense and none seemed to come out of the blue for no reason) and that was great.

Content Warnings

kelly_e's review against another edition

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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."

Content Warnings

bookishchaos's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I liked it! It was very different from other thrillers I've read. I enjoyed the time travel aspect and the switching narratives. This book was like a puzzle and it was quite fun to read, but it started to drag in the middle, which is why I didn't rate it five stars.

Content Warnings