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matthew_p's review against another edition
2.0
Probably worthy of three stars, but I hated that the structure of the story is a series of emails to the narrator’s former squad leader. It fits the story, but I found it distracting the entire time I was reading.
ijustincross's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, so this was a fun book but wasn’t as thrilling as I would’ve hoped. The first third felt very much like Tell-Tale Heart by Poe. Russell was so guilty and pained by what he did, but there didn’t seem to be an actual threat to him or his family. By the second third, everything seemed to be kicking off, there was a threat and Russell had things at stake. Finally, the last third was just underwhelming. After the exciting second third I expected the end to be equally as exhilarating but it wasn’t. The resolution came far to easily for Russell and Pops. Obviously it took some man power on their parts but they did it with such ease that it wasn’t exciting. My initial feeling when the book was over was, “Oh. That’s it?” Russell didn’t have any major repercussions for his actions, he got away with everything. His grandpa was the only one who knew. And that doesn’t excite me.
It wasn’t bad book. The writing was great and I enjoyed the characters quite a bit but the pacing just wasn’t the best.
It wasn’t bad book. The writing was great and I enjoyed the characters quite a bit but the pacing just wasn’t the best.
meganjuracek's review against another edition
2.0
This was a Kindle First read, so I got the book for free. I almost wrote this review when I was about 1/3 of the way through because all the character was doing was writing about how worried he was, which is warranted I guess, but dang. Page after page of how scared he is... I wanted to stop reading, but it bothers me to not finish a book. The ending turned out to be alright, got the book a second star, but I was happy I didn't pay for this...
sarah_'s review
3.0
*Used for PopSugar 2018 Reading Challenge prompt "A book with a weather element in the title."
deearr's review
5.0
Even as I clicked the purchase button, I wondered if I had made an error. My cursor hovered over the “Cancel Order” link as I pondered if I really wanted to take a chance on another thriller that would probably turn out to be just another washed clean, milquetoast, unbelievable story that would never make sense in the real world.
Fortunately, I never canceled the order and “Only the Rain” was a thriller on every level.
Author Randall Silvis allows the main character Russell to tell the story of what happened through a written one-sided conversation with his ex-service buddy, Spence. This phases the retelling into what might normally be relayed over the course of an evening of beers beers, and brings a natural flow to the book. It also enables readers to easily place themselves emotionally into the action.
There are so many things I liked about this book. The plot was entirely believable, right down to the unexpected ending. The author continued to ratchet up the intensity throughout the entire book, building slowly until the climax. The story moved quickly, and I never found myself bored with what was going on. The main characters are fleshed out, allowing us to understand their motivations. Most importantly, this book definitely qualifies as a thriller.
All of us have gotten tangled in unfortunate situations at one time or another, and when we think back, the first consideration is why did we ever get involved in the first place. This makes it easy to understand Russell’s thinking, including his subsequent decisions as he attempts to make his way through life’s minefield in order to achieve safety for himself and his family. I’m happy my last decision was not to hit the cancel button. Five stars.
Fortunately, I never canceled the order and “Only the Rain” was a thriller on every level.
Author Randall Silvis allows the main character Russell to tell the story of what happened through a written one-sided conversation with his ex-service buddy, Spence. This phases the retelling into what might normally be relayed over the course of an evening of beers beers, and brings a natural flow to the book. It also enables readers to easily place themselves emotionally into the action.
There are so many things I liked about this book. The plot was entirely believable, right down to the unexpected ending. The author continued to ratchet up the intensity throughout the entire book, building slowly until the climax. The story moved quickly, and I never found myself bored with what was going on. The main characters are fleshed out, allowing us to understand their motivations. Most importantly, this book definitely qualifies as a thriller.
All of us have gotten tangled in unfortunate situations at one time or another, and when we think back, the first consideration is why did we ever get involved in the first place. This makes it easy to understand Russell’s thinking, including his subsequent decisions as he attempts to make his way through life’s minefield in order to achieve safety for himself and his family. I’m happy my last decision was not to hit the cancel button. Five stars.
avoraciousreader68's review
3.0
Book source ~ Kindle First
Russell works in a quarry, is a veteran, husband, and father to 2.5 kids. He and his wife are living the American Dream. They’ve got decent jobs, just bought a home, and are waiting for their 3rd child. Then everything goes sideways. One decision, one mistake, one out-of-his-control event, and now everything he’s ever wanted is all in jeopardy.
The storytelling in this book is a bit different. Russell is writing to an Army buddy through emails, reflecting on the events that led him to what happened, how he screwed up, and how he managed to make things right again. But are things right? Will things ever be right again? No. They can’t after what’s happened. But hopefully they can move on. I’ll be honest, this isn’t the greatest story out there. But it is compelling enough to keep a person reading, to see how Russell is going to get through this terrible fuck up. I have to admit I didn’t see that ending coming. I envisioned something else, but I’m satisfied with how it played out. My favorite character is Russell’s grandpa, Pops. What a cool guy! All-in-all a decent read.
Russell works in a quarry, is a veteran, husband, and father to 2.5 kids. He and his wife are living the American Dream. They’ve got decent jobs, just bought a home, and are waiting for their 3rd child. Then everything goes sideways. One decision, one mistake, one out-of-his-control event, and now everything he’s ever wanted is all in jeopardy.
The storytelling in this book is a bit different. Russell is writing to an Army buddy through emails, reflecting on the events that led him to what happened, how he screwed up, and how he managed to make things right again. But are things right? Will things ever be right again? No. They can’t after what’s happened. But hopefully they can move on. I’ll be honest, this isn’t the greatest story out there. But it is compelling enough to keep a person reading, to see how Russell is going to get through this terrible fuck up. I have to admit I didn’t see that ending coming. I envisioned something else, but I’m satisfied with how it played out. My favorite character is Russell’s grandpa, Pops. What a cool guy! All-in-all a decent read.
christie's review
3.0
This book successfully gets you into the main character's head and gets you invested in finding out how things end up for him. It drags a bit at times, though, and loses momentum at some point.
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