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julia091's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Miscarriage
cassiebartelme's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I thought this was going to be more of a thriller but really it is a dramatic novel about a woman who leads two lives and young journalist eager to make her name by telling her story. I liked it well enough but it is a slow moving story and I found my interest waning as listened to the audiobook. In addition to following the two relationships of Lore, you also are in the head of the journalist with dual timelines for both women. I think if I knew it was going to be a drama I would have been in a different headspace to enjoy it more but since I had picked it as a thriller/mystery it fell kind of flat for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Gun violence, and Infidelity
lcg527's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Murder, and Sexual content
onmalsshelf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I got this one for my shelves right after it came out because it seemed right up my alley and finding out the my favorite bookish podcast, Sarah's Bookshelves Live, was going to have the author on as a guest pushed me to pick it up.
Overall, I'm so confused. I waited to write my review until after I listened to the interview because I was hoping for some clarity on how this was marketed. However, it didn't help. The author said she and the publishers team talked about how this is not a mystery or a thriller, but more of a literary suspense (as noted on the cover). However, it's marked as a mystery and thriller on both Goodreads and StoryGraph, which of course makes zero sense. It's also not suspenseful at all.
This is literary drama plain and simple. I'd even say at times this reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo just because it's a reporter interviewing a woman with some sort of significance and digging into details of the women's past while the reporter has questionable intentions.
Moving on, this dragged. A lot. I think this was a victim of the 2022 release curse that I've talked about in a lot of reviews - not enough editing. If this had been cleaned up just a little bit more, I think this would've been more successful for me. (Note a successful rating is 3.5 stars for me.)
I think the overall idea of the plot was genius. What leads a woman with twin sons, a successful career, and a loving husband to fall in love with and marry another man?
We all know there are many men that chose to lead secret lives with secret wives and there's maybe only one woman we know of at least in the United States that has done the same. After reading some 1-2 star reviews, it seems that many women are judging Lore has a horrible mother and wife, and I can't help but wonder if those women have judged men for doing the same thing just as harsh?
For me, Lore's story should've had more space to grow in here. What happened to her right after the murder? The time between the murder and Cassie coming to interview her? Cassie's story really didn't add that much besides showing that women can have secrets and pasts of many kinds. Plus Cassie's story did get Lore to divulge more information, but at what cost to Cassie?
I also enjoyed that this addressed the problems behind true crime writing - that it can glamorize the murderer and hurt the victim's family all over again.
The ending was probably the most suspenseful part of this one and it really shows how far family will go to keep one another safe. I loved the ending.
Overall, I'm giving this a 3.25 stars. The entire time I read this one, I was on the verge of DNFing it and that does make me feel conflicted on my rating.
Additionally, apparently the author does read reviews even if she's not tagged in them so reviewer beware.
Reviews are for readers.
Overall, I'm so confused. I waited to write my review until after I listened to the interview because I was hoping for some clarity on how this was marketed. However, it didn't help. The author said she and the publishers team talked about how this is not a mystery or a thriller, but more of a literary suspense (as noted on the cover). However, it's marked as a mystery and thriller on both Goodreads and StoryGraph, which of course makes zero sense. It's also not suspenseful at all.
This is literary drama plain and simple. I'd even say at times this reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo just because it's a reporter interviewing a woman with some sort of significance and digging into details of the women's past while the reporter has questionable intentions.
Moving on, this dragged. A lot. I think this was a victim of the 2022 release curse that I've talked about in a lot of reviews - not enough editing. If this had been cleaned up just a little bit more, I think this would've been more successful for me. (Note a successful rating is 3.5 stars for me.)
I think the overall idea of the plot was genius. What leads a woman with twin sons, a successful career, and a loving husband to fall in love with and marry another man?
We all know there are many men that chose to lead secret lives with secret wives and there's maybe only one woman we know of at least in the United States that has done the same. After reading some 1-2 star reviews, it seems that many women are judging Lore has a horrible mother and wife, and I can't help but wonder if those women have judged men for doing the same thing just as harsh?
For me, Lore's story should've had more space to grow in here. What happened to her right after the murder? The time between the murder and Cassie coming to interview her? Cassie's story really didn't add that much besides showing that women can have secrets and pasts of many kinds. Plus Cassie's story did get Lore to divulge more information, but at what cost to Cassie?
I also enjoyed that this addressed the problems behind true crime writing - that it can glamorize the murderer and hurt the victim's family all over again.
The ending was probably the most suspenseful part of this one and it really shows how far family will go to keep one another safe. I loved the ending.
Overall, I'm giving this a 3.25 stars. The entire time I read this one, I was on the verge of DNFing it and that does make me feel conflicted on my rating.
Additionally, apparently the author does read reviews even if she's not tagged in them so reviewer beware.
Reviews are for readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Miscarriage
madibacon's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
Read for B&N 2023 Reading Challenge, prompt: about a murder.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Minor: Murder
100_pages_hr's review
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
An absolutely amazing debut
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Infidelity, Blood, Death, Murder, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Sexual content
reneelb's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Miscarriage, Abortion, and Alcoholism
inkdrinkermal's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It was a compelling read but very, very slow. I guessed the twist about halfway through the book and it took for ever for it to actually pay off. Because I'd guessed it so early and still had hours to go, it just took forever and felt anticlimactic. I think with some editing to make the story more concise this book could have been amazing. The whole side story with Duke was completely unnecessary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
cwittekind's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Death, Infidelity, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Murder, and Physical abuse
ta2dlibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Fans of true crime will enjoy this story of a journalist, moonlighting as a true crime enthusiast, as she attempts to get the truth from a woman who, after trying to maintain two families in two separate countries, ends up with one husband murdered and the other in jail.
Gutierrez takes great pains with writing about Laredo as authentically as she can, and her work has paid off. If you've been to Laredo you will recognize all the places Cassie and Lore go to.
Typical of modern true crime entertainment Gutierrez leaves the real victims out of the story: the children of the murdered husband. They don't get any catharsis, or money, from Cassie's book profits. Carlos even admitted to being suicidal to Cassie during one interview.
I'm glad Gutierrez explores, and validates, the idea of a woman being more than a mother and care giver, but we have to do better by the true victims of crime by getting their permission to explore these stories and then by centering them in these narratives, instead of trying to profit from their pain by creating the next hot Netflix series.
Gutierrez takes great pains with writing about Laredo as authentically as she can, and her work has paid off. If you've been to Laredo you will recognize all the places Cassie and Lore go to.
Typical of modern true crime entertainment Gutierrez leaves the real victims out of the story: the children of the murdered husband. They don't get any catharsis, or money, from Cassie's book profits. Carlos even admitted to being suicidal to Cassie during one interview.
I'm glad Gutierrez explores, and validates, the idea of a woman being more than a mother and care giver, but we have to do better by the true victims of crime by getting their permission to explore these stories and then by centering them in these narratives, instead of trying to profit from their pain by creating the next hot Netflix series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
Minor: Miscarriage and Death