Scan barcode
crownjules1's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tiffanyylizz's review
5.0
I was gifted a copy of The Understudy by Serial Box in order to read and give an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Classic case of who-done-it, right here ladies and gentlemen. The best part though is you literally don't know. There are so many options, so many people you mind takes you to, and none are correct.
The book is set in London at a performing art school and is told from the view point of the mothers, Carolyn, Bronnie, Kendall, and Elise, of four of the students. Ruby, Bel, Sadie, and Jess are going into their second year when things begin to go awry. With the introduction of a fifth girl into the mix, the bullying begins. With the unveiling of new information around every corner, who is the aggressor, and more importantly, why?
I thoroughly enjoyed The Uprising. When I saw B.A. Paris, I jumped on it. This book had me questioning if I was the bully?? What had I done to set the chain of events in motion?? It did start out a little slow for me, but easy enough to push through. Also, it is set like a ten episode series? So, I thought that was weird but it did not affect my reading at all.
I only gave it four stars because it was not a book that I literally could not put down. I read it over about two weeks in between reading other books. It was definitely an easy, thought provoking read.
Classic case of who-done-it, right here ladies and gentlemen. The best part though is you literally don't know. There are so many options, so many people you mind takes you to, and none are correct.
The book is set in London at a performing art school and is told from the view point of the mothers, Carolyn, Bronnie, Kendall, and Elise, of four of the students. Ruby, Bel, Sadie, and Jess are going into their second year when things begin to go awry. With the introduction of a fifth girl into the mix, the bullying begins. With the unveiling of new information around every corner, who is the aggressor, and more importantly, why?
I thoroughly enjoyed The Uprising. When I saw B.A. Paris, I jumped on it. This book had me questioning if I was the bully?? What had I done to set the chain of events in motion??
I only gave it four stars because it was not a book that I literally could not put down. I read it over about two weeks in between reading other books. It was definitely an easy, thought provoking read.
amishi's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I’ve loved books by Sophie Hannah (though NOT her Poirot series), B A Paris and Clare Mackintosh, I haven’t read any by Holly Brown yet. So I was expecting a thrill packed read with these stalwarts of crime and psychological thrillers working together. What I got was a convoluted overworked plot and average writing. A very disappointing read.
helloitslauren_'s review
3.0
The book reminded me of a thriller fiction version of Dance Moms due to the bitchiness of the mums. The plot was okay, not the greatest plot ever written. It got a bit boring at times as I felt it dragged towards the end. Rather predictable too.
mrsbookburnee's review
4.0
I loved the idea of a book being written by some of my favourite authors and this did not disappoint!
Considering the amount of contributors, it just flowed effortlessly, I read this in one sitting in a few hours.
The characters were so well written, I loved and hated them all at some point, I also enjoyed that it was written from the POV of the mums.
There were so many cleverly written twists, a follow up with the real Imogen is needed!!
Considering the amount of contributors, it just flowed effortlessly, I read this in one sitting in a few hours.
The characters were so well written, I loved and hated them all at some point, I also enjoyed that it was written from the POV of the mums.
There were so many cleverly written twists, a follow up with the real Imogen is needed!!
emhromp's review
1.0
Slechter kan gewoon niet. Twintig jaar geleden was dit misschien nog oké, het niveau voor thrillers is sindsdien gelukkig wat omhoog gegaan.
De passages door Clare Mackintosh waren overigens het best geschreven.
De passages door Clare Mackintosh waren overigens het best geschreven.
zupa_czyta's review against another edition
2.0
Uprzejmie pytam, co to było i po co to było czterem uznanym autorkom thrillerów?
W tym roku tak się jeszcze podczas lektury nie wynudziłam, a nic tego nie zapowiadało, bo przecież fabuła wydaje się niezwykle interesująca: cztery przyjaciółki walczące "o życie" i ich matki, które zachowują się tak, jakby nie wiedziały co to godność i rozum człowieka, a do tego wszystkiego nowa dziewczyna, która jątrzy i spiskuje. To się nie może nie udać i zwiastuje świetną zabawę, prawda? Nie tym razem, niestety.
Ta historia strasznie się wlecze, przez kilka rozdziałów nie dzieje się kompletnie nic, co więcej - książka jest tak napisana, że ma się wrażenie, jakby w szkole artystycznej uczyło się tylko pięć dziewcząt, a ich mamusie zarządzały tym całym kramem. Gdzie pozostali uczniowie? Tego nie wie nikt.
Podczas lektury kilka razy zwróciłam uwagę na to, że pewna autorka w swoim rozdziale pisała jedno, tylko po to, by zostało to zanegowane w kolejnym fragmencie, który wyszedł spod pióra innej pisarki. Trochę takie pomieszanie z poplątaniem. Jest więc niefajnie, niespójnie i nieciekawie. Po prostu nie.
Na pewno warto się jednak tej powieści przyjrzeć. Przynajmniej po to, by móc sprawdzić, jak poradziły sobie autorki z wyzwaniem stworzenia wciągającego thrillera. Moim zdaniem kiepsko, ale dobrze wyrobić sobie własne ;)
W tym roku tak się jeszcze podczas lektury nie wynudziłam, a nic tego nie zapowiadało, bo przecież fabuła wydaje się niezwykle interesująca: cztery przyjaciółki walczące "o życie" i ich matki, które zachowują się tak, jakby nie wiedziały co to godność i rozum człowieka, a do tego wszystkiego nowa dziewczyna, która jątrzy i spiskuje. To się nie może nie udać i zwiastuje świetną zabawę, prawda? Nie tym razem, niestety.
Ta historia strasznie się wlecze, przez kilka rozdziałów nie dzieje się kompletnie nic, co więcej - książka jest tak napisana, że ma się wrażenie, jakby w szkole artystycznej uczyło się tylko pięć dziewcząt, a ich mamusie zarządzały tym całym kramem. Gdzie pozostali uczniowie? Tego nie wie nikt.
Podczas lektury kilka razy zwróciłam uwagę na to, że pewna autorka w swoim rozdziale pisała jedno, tylko po to, by zostało to zanegowane w kolejnym fragmencie, który wyszedł spod pióra innej pisarki. Trochę takie pomieszanie z poplątaniem. Jest więc niefajnie, niespójnie i nieciekawie. Po prostu nie.
Na pewno warto się jednak tej powieści przyjrzeć. Przynajmniej po to, by móc sprawdzić, jak poradziły sobie autorki z wyzwaniem stworzenia wciągającego thrillera. Moim zdaniem kiepsko, ale dobrze wyrobić sobie własne ;)
boekensteeg's review against another edition
5.0
The understudy is the first collaboration between Sophie Hannah, B.A. Paris, Holly Brown and Clare Mackintosh. This psychological thriller is full of betrayal and four mothers who go all out to protect their own daughters.
A new school year has arrived. A fresh start for all students at Orla Flynn Acedemy, a famous drama school in London. The good start to the school year is soon interrupted abruptly. Jess, arguably the best student at OFA, finds a music box with a mutilated ballerina dancing to her favorite song in her safe. Who put these in the locker?
After this find, the atmosphere between the girls quickly changes and the mothers also start to get involved in this incident. Carolynn, Jess's mother, immediately targets Ruby, a friend of Jess, as she was also the one who bullied Jess last year. However, Kendall, Ruby's mother, does not think this is possible. Ruby was insecure as she was always Jess's understudy, so she decided to taunt her. Elise and Bronnie, the mothers of two other friends, are also involved in the discussion. Their daughters are in the same group of friends, so they can be victims just as well. Do the mothers even know what's really going on between the girls?
To calm things down a bit, the director proposes to include a new girl named Imogen in the group of friends. Peace between the girls themselves returns for a short time, until more and more new incidents occur. The harassment seems to get worse every time, almost leading to the death of one of the friends. After the latest incident, the mothers do everything they can to find out who is behind these events. How far would they go to protect their daughter?
In The understudy each author has taken on the role of one of the mothers. For example, B.A. Paris tells the story of Bronnie, Bel's mother and the costume lady on the Orla Flynn Acedemy. Clare Mackintosh has taken on the role of Elise, Sadie's mother and the CEO of a large company. Kendall, Ruby's mother and a troubled woman, is written by Holly Brown and finally Sophie Hannah. She has played Carolynn, the mother of Jess who is passionate about the truth.
The story is told from the perspectives of the mothers, so the incidents are seen from the outside, as it were, when you are actually in the middle of all the drama.
Because De understudy has no fewer than four authors, you also have to deal with four different writing styles. However, these fit together perfectly, causing the tension to build up more and more throughout the book. The chapters are all very long, so it sometimes takes some time to think from which mother the chapter was written. I personally don't have a favorite author as all mom are worked out so well in detail.
The understudy has a closed yet open ending, so I secretly hope that a sequel will be written. I very much enjoyed The understudy and give it 5 stars.
A new school year has arrived. A fresh start for all students at Orla Flynn Acedemy, a famous drama school in London. The good start to the school year is soon interrupted abruptly. Jess, arguably the best student at OFA, finds a music box with a mutilated ballerina dancing to her favorite song in her safe. Who put these in the locker?
After this find, the atmosphere between the girls quickly changes and the mothers also start to get involved in this incident. Carolynn, Jess's mother, immediately targets Ruby, a friend of Jess, as she was also the one who bullied Jess last year. However, Kendall, Ruby's mother, does not think this is possible. Ruby was insecure as she was always Jess's understudy, so she decided to taunt her. Elise and Bronnie, the mothers of two other friends, are also involved in the discussion. Their daughters are in the same group of friends, so they can be victims just as well. Do the mothers even know what's really going on between the girls?
To calm things down a bit, the director proposes to include a new girl named Imogen in the group of friends. Peace between the girls themselves returns for a short time, until more and more new incidents occur. The harassment seems to get worse every time, almost leading to the death of one of the friends. After the latest incident, the mothers do everything they can to find out who is behind these events. How far would they go to protect their daughter?
In The understudy each author has taken on the role of one of the mothers. For example, B.A. Paris tells the story of Bronnie, Bel's mother and the costume lady on the Orla Flynn Acedemy. Clare Mackintosh has taken on the role of Elise, Sadie's mother and the CEO of a large company. Kendall, Ruby's mother and a troubled woman, is written by Holly Brown and finally Sophie Hannah. She has played Carolynn, the mother of Jess who is passionate about the truth.
The story is told from the perspectives of the mothers, so the incidents are seen from the outside, as it were, when you are actually in the middle of all the drama.
Because De understudy has no fewer than four authors, you also have to deal with four different writing styles. However, these fit together perfectly, causing the tension to build up more and more throughout the book. The chapters are all very long, so it sometimes takes some time to think from which mother the chapter was written. I personally don't have a favorite author as all mom are worked out so well in detail.
The understudy has a closed yet open ending, so I secretly hope that a sequel will be written. I very much enjoyed The understudy and give it 5 stars.
zbookami's review against another edition
3.0
3.75*
Całkiem fajne. Zupełnie inny thriller nich dotychczas czytałam, ale czegoś mi brakowalo. Chociaż nie ukrywam kilka rzeczy mnie zaskoczyło.
Całkiem fajne. Zupełnie inny thriller nich dotychczas czytałam, ale czegoś mi brakowalo. Chociaż nie ukrywam kilka rzeczy mnie zaskoczyło.