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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Thank you NetGalley and Atria for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book starts off fast and intriguing, capturing your attention almost immediately. Unfortunately for me, that didn't last throughout the whole book. I found the book just repeating itself over and over, following the exact same steps, repeated again and again.
I'm really not sure how to even write a short synopsis without giving anything away. Fern Douglas catches the news that Astrid Sullivan is missing again, 20 years after she was originally taken. Her dreams start becoming more and more vivid, making her believe there's more to then than just a dream. When Fern has to return home to help her father pack up his house, her dreams turn into memories. Fern's past quickly comes back to haunt her, but who can tell what is real and what is a lie?
None of the characters were likeable for me. Fern was a leaf shaking in the wind, constantly on edge and triple guessing herself and it got old fast. The addition of the underlying part of the story (I won't mention in case it's a spoiler) I felt was so wildly unnecessary and added nothing to the story, but instead make it another annoyance. A lot of the twists weren't that surprising, but the ending totally caught me off guard and I didn't think it was all that great. Unfortunately this wasn't a win for me.
I'm really not sure how to even write a short synopsis without giving anything away. Fern Douglas catches the news that Astrid Sullivan is missing again, 20 years after she was originally taken. Her dreams start becoming more and more vivid, making her believe there's more to then than just a dream. When Fern has to return home to help her father pack up his house, her dreams turn into memories. Fern's past quickly comes back to haunt her, but who can tell what is real and what is a lie?
None of the characters were likeable for me. Fern was a leaf shaking in the wind, constantly on edge and triple guessing herself and it got old fast. The addition of the underlying part of the story (I won't mention in case it's a spoiler) I felt was so wildly unnecessary and added nothing to the story, but instead make it another annoyance. A lot of the twists weren't that surprising, but the ending totally caught me off guard and I didn't think it was all that great. Unfortunately this wasn't a win for me.
BEHIND THE RED DOOR, by Megan Collins, gripped me from the first pages. Throughout this book we follow Fern as she grapples with the idea that as a child, she witnessed an abduction. As she unravels the mystery of how she doesn't recall the details of that particular incident, we get to know her unconventional upbringing with her parents. Literally every person in this book was a suspect in my mind, and I found myself reading into the night to get further entangled in Fern's life. I really loved this book, and I'm looking forward to more by Ms. Collins.
Really great writing and atmosphere, but found this one to be predictable from early on. Full review to come.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
The opening of Behind the Red Door will grab you immediately (I believe I emitted a "holy sh*t" before I finished the first page). It's dark. It covers some traumatizing topics, kidnapping being the least horrific, honestly.
Fern Douglas is a social worker with pretty intense anxiety (not the best mix...). Her past is a bit fuzzy, but we know she has a very strange relationship with her parents (i'll get to that in a second). The story really kicks into gear when we learn that Astrid Sullivan, a woman who was kidnapped as a child but was returned after a brief period of time relatively unharmed, has gone missing again. Did the original kidnapper take Astrid again? Will she be returned this time? Does her disappearance have anything to do with her recently released memoir detailing her kidnapping 20 years ago? And why does Fern think she's met Astrid?
We do get to read a few chapters of Astrid's memoir throughout the course of the book, and we slowly learn what really happened to her.
Fern heads back to her hometown to help Ted (her dad, but she calls her parents by their first names) pack and move to Florida. Oh boy. Ted. Ted is an academic psychologist who can't focus on anything beyond his Experiments (yes, with a capital "E"). We slowly learn that Fern's parents were incredibly neglectful, and downright horrible people. Fern can't see that she's a victim of extreme parental abuse. Ted has often drawn the line between physical (what he considers "real") abuse and other varieties - and they're all so blind to it that it's incredibly frustrating as a reader. But maybe it's rooted deeply in reality. Victims of abuse often block or downplay their experiences because they refuse to see themselves as just that - victims.
Fern decides to investigate Astrid's disappearance and uncovers some incredibly horrific truths. I had an idea of where this book was headed right from the jump, and I was (mostly) right, but the experience of uncovering the mystery of Astrid's disappearance and Fern's history was more than worth the read. I was SO ANGRY for parts of this book - it takes a great writer to elicit that kind of experience.
Content warning: abusive parent/child relationships (one with a religious undertone), abduction of a child.
Thank you Atria Books for the NetGalley ARC of Behind the Red Door!
Fern Douglas is a social worker with pretty intense anxiety (not the best mix...). Her past is a bit fuzzy, but we know she has a very strange relationship with her parents (i'll get to that in a second). The story really kicks into gear when we learn that Astrid Sullivan, a woman who was kidnapped as a child but was returned after a brief period of time relatively unharmed, has gone missing again. Did the original kidnapper take Astrid again? Will she be returned this time? Does her disappearance have anything to do with her recently released memoir detailing her kidnapping 20 years ago? And why does Fern think she's met Astrid?
We do get to read a few chapters of Astrid's memoir throughout the course of the book, and we slowly learn what really happened to her.
Fern heads back to her hometown to help Ted (her dad, but she calls her parents by their first names) pack and move to Florida. Oh boy. Ted. Ted is an academic psychologist who can't focus on anything beyond his Experiments (yes, with a capital "E"). We slowly learn that Fern's parents were incredibly neglectful, and downright horrible people. Fern can't see that she's a victim of extreme parental abuse. Ted has often drawn the line between physical (what he considers "real") abuse and other varieties - and they're all so blind to it that it's incredibly frustrating as a reader. But maybe it's rooted deeply in reality. Victims of abuse often block or downplay their experiences because they refuse to see themselves as just that - victims.
Fern decides to investigate Astrid's disappearance and uncovers some incredibly horrific truths. I had an idea of where this book was headed right from the jump, and I was (mostly) right, but the experience of uncovering the mystery of Astrid's disappearance and Fern's history was more than worth the read. I was SO ANGRY for parts of this book - it takes a great writer to elicit that kind of experience.
Content warning: abusive parent/child relationships (one with a religious undertone), abduction of a child.
Thank you Atria Books for the NetGalley ARC of Behind the Red Door!
3.5 stars!!
Thank you atria books for the gifted copy!
This book had me hooked right from the beginning, which is one of my favorite things in thrillers. Collins has a great way of building the suspense and atmosphere and I love that about their writing! I felt a genuine connection to the main character and felt her confusion and fear right along with her. There were definitely many dark moments that kept me wanting to read to see what happens next.
Unfortunately I felt like this book was very predictable and I had the main twist figured out right from the first few chapters. To me it just felt so obvious and I didn’t get that shock value that I am always looking for in the thrillers I read. I still feel like this was a great book for someone just beginning with thrillers! I will still definitely be picking up Collins next work because I love the writing style and the improvements from The Winter Sister. Can’t wait to see what they put out next!!
Thank you atria books for the gifted copy!
This book had me hooked right from the beginning, which is one of my favorite things in thrillers. Collins has a great way of building the suspense and atmosphere and I love that about their writing! I felt a genuine connection to the main character and felt her confusion and fear right along with her. There were definitely many dark moments that kept me wanting to read to see what happens next.
Unfortunately I felt like this book was very predictable and I had the main twist figured out right from the first few chapters. To me it just felt so obvious and I didn’t get that shock value that I am always looking for in the thrillers I read. I still feel like this was a great book for someone just beginning with thrillers! I will still definitely be picking up Collins next work because I love the writing style and the improvements from The Winter Sister. Can’t wait to see what they put out next!!
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Predictable! Knew the twist by the 3rd chapter. Fern's an idiot
I don't know what it was about this book that compelled me so much. It was predictable, formulaic, and just like most mysteries. However, I could not put it down. Early on I guessed the twist in the story but something about the character development continued to make me read and compulsively so. Everything about this book should not have worked and yet, it was amazing.
I was spellbound by the descriptions of the main character's anxieties, and could not stop reading this book even when it was WAY too late at night.
Collins deftly weaves a story that will keep you up late, and sincerely makes you wonder if you are also lost in the story with Fern.
The plot revolves around Astrid, who was abducted as a child, and is suddenly abducted once again as an adult after the release of her memoir about her kidnapping.
The writing is superb, though the story is somewhat rote. This book will keep you occupied, which is something I think all of us are looking for - a little bit of escapism.
This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was spellbound by the descriptions of the main character's anxieties, and could not stop reading this book even when it was WAY too late at night.
Collins deftly weaves a story that will keep you up late, and sincerely makes you wonder if you are also lost in the story with Fern.
The plot revolves around Astrid, who was abducted as a child, and is suddenly abducted once again as an adult after the release of her memoir about her kidnapping.
The writing is superb, though the story is somewhat rote. This book will keep you occupied, which is something I think all of us are looking for - a little bit of escapism.
This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you @simonschusterca for a copy of Behind The Red Door by Megan Collins for review.
I won’t give too much of Behind The Red Door away because you need to read it to believe it. Content warnings for psychological abuse and severe anxiety and kidnapping.
Fern is considered an unreliable narrator because of her severe anxiety. I found the portrayal of it done well though I have heard others call it annoying. She spirals in her negative thinking a lot but I have to say that when I was reading it, I thought it felt true to what I have experienced as well. Maybe not as much as Fern but when you learn more about her father, you’ll see why she might feel that way
I won’t give too much of Behind The Red Door away because you need to read it to believe it. Content warnings for psychological abuse and severe anxiety and kidnapping.
Fern is considered an unreliable narrator because of her severe anxiety. I found the portrayal of it done well though I have heard others call it annoying. She spirals in her negative thinking a lot but I have to say that when I was reading it, I thought it felt true to what I have experienced as well. Maybe not as much as Fern but when you learn more about her father, you’ll see why she might feel that way
This middling, psychological thriller is well written but never really delivers anything beyond a run of the mill mystery that's so simple to figure out you're left wondering why its taking the protagonist so long. If by say page ten you think you've got it worked out, spoiler alert, you're right.
Collins has written some pretty believable characters and has clearly done her research into both psychiatry and the affects of trauma but the situations she thrusts her heroine into are so outlandishly horrible its just too hard to suspend disbelief.
The concept is interesting, a woman who disappeared as a child for several weeks only to be found drugged and incoherent on the side of the road is kidnapped again on the anniversary of her original disappearance. Our heroine starts to realize that she might have also been a victim of the same kidnapper and the kidnapper is someone she knows very well.
That's really all I can tell you because to reveal anything else would be telling you exactly who is responsible, it really is that easy to work out.
The mystery also just kind of peters out into a little puddle of blah with the emphasis more on the heroine's fears about impending mother hood and improving her marriage to her loving and understanding husband.
Honestly? I'm not sure this really was a thriller. I don't exactly know what it was. It just wasn't very good.
Collins has written some pretty believable characters and has clearly done her research into both psychiatry and the affects of trauma but the situations she thrusts her heroine into are so outlandishly horrible its just too hard to suspend disbelief.
The concept is interesting, a woman who disappeared as a child for several weeks only to be found drugged and incoherent on the side of the road is kidnapped again on the anniversary of her original disappearance. Our heroine starts to realize that she might have also been a victim of the same kidnapper and the kidnapper is someone she knows very well.
That's really all I can tell you because to reveal anything else would be telling you exactly who is responsible, it really is that easy to work out.
The mystery also just kind of peters out into a little puddle of blah with the emphasis more on the heroine's fears about impending mother hood and improving her marriage to her loving and understanding husband.
Honestly? I'm not sure this really was a thriller. I don't exactly know what it was. It just wasn't very good.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book. Another great thriller! Fern goes back to her childhood home to help her dad pack up to move. As shes there, Astrid, a child kidnapped twenty years earlier, goes missing again and Fern is determined to figure why she knows her. Once again my gut feeling was right all along but there were still some great twists and turns.