kshertz's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
It’s an interesting concept! I love an unreliable narrator. The author is going through withdrawal and has a problem with alcohol. Is she the problem or is Frank a killer? I liked following the ups and downs . The ending was just okay. I did not guess what would happen.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Drug use, Gaslighting, Murder, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Child death
beardedbarista's review against another edition
2.0
What happened!?!
Thanks to PRHAudio for this complimentary audiobook but hey... What is the end?!
This book had me gripped early on. Then confused. I had to roll back on the audiobook cuz I couldn't believe it was over. Two girls die from no apparent cause and the only thing linking them is this haunting character named Frank. A seemingly normal guy who is more than meets the eye... In a deadly way?
I don't want to go to much into it but this book was a book club book at my friend's coffee shop and I am bummed it didn't get to talk with them and find out their reactions to this book!
Thanks to PRHAudio for this complimentary audiobook but hey... What is the end?!
This book had me gripped early on. Then confused. I had to roll back on the audiobook cuz I couldn't believe it was over. Two girls die from no apparent cause and the only thing linking them is this haunting character named Frank. A seemingly normal guy who is more than meets the eye... In a deadly way?
I don't want to go to much into it but this book was a book club book at my friend's coffee shop and I am bummed it didn't get to talk with them and find out their reactions to this book!
joei's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this because of Reese’s Book Club but it was a slow and dragging read. It was almost a “DNF” for me but I thought the concluding chapter would be its redemption and stuck through it til the end. Unfortunately, nada. The jumping time periods didn’t help either.
3 stars.
3 stars.
hlwilkins's review against another edition
4.0
Rounded up from 3.5
The first 2 thirds was really good and then fell completely flat at the end. Was a bit of rushed job and whilst I guessed where it was going, it still wasn’t very well explained.
We have an unreliable narrator in Maya who is addicted to anxiety medicine (and alcohol but this seems to be ok). She sees a video of a girl dropping dead in front of her ex boyfriend Frank. She reveals to her boyfriend that the same thing happened to her best friend Aubrey when they were younger and she thinks Frank is to blame.
The story flits between timelines as we learn about Maya and Aubrey’s friendship, how she met Frank and events leading up to her death. Meanwhile in present day she goes back to her home town to hunt down Frank and see if he is killing these people.
In the past storyline, Frank tells her that he built a cabin in the woods. Maya goes to see it but she realizes she has gaps in her memory when she spends time with him. He starts flirting with Aubrey. She splits up with him after a memory gap visiting his cabin, he comes round when she is with Aubrey and whilst he is speaking with her she drops down dead.
Present day, she finds a manuscript her Dad was writing before he died (he is Guatemalan and was killed before she was born) it’s about a kid who loses his memory when his parents send him away and he goes to live with a new family. But certain things remind the boy of his previous life (I honestly don’t know why this was part of the story, it didn’t need to be there)
The reveal is that Frank has learned a special type of hypnosis when his father used to test it on him. This hypnosis technique gets into people’s subconscious and makes them see things that aren’t there. This wasn’t really explained more than that. The cabin was not real and he hypothesized her into thinking it was.
I enjoyed reading it and was interested to see how it ended which is why I marked it higher but the ending could have been a lot tighter. But at least it wasn’t a weird supernatural ending which is where I was worried it was going.
The first 2 thirds was really good and then fell completely flat at the end. Was a bit of rushed job and whilst I guessed where it was going, it still wasn’t very well explained.
We have an unreliable narrator in Maya who is addicted to anxiety medicine (and alcohol but this seems to be ok). She sees a video of a girl dropping dead in front of her ex boyfriend Frank. She reveals to her boyfriend that the same thing happened to her best friend Aubrey when they were younger and she thinks Frank is to blame.
The story flits between timelines as we learn about Maya and Aubrey’s friendship, how she met Frank and events leading up to her death. Meanwhile in present day she goes back to her home town to hunt down Frank and see if he is killing these people.
In the past storyline, Frank tells her that he built a cabin in the woods. Maya goes to see it but she realizes she has gaps in her memory when she spends time with him. He starts flirting with Aubrey. She splits up with him after a memory gap visiting his cabin, he comes round when she is with Aubrey and whilst he is speaking with her she drops down dead.
Present day, she finds a manuscript her Dad was writing before he died (he is Guatemalan and was killed before she was born) it’s about a kid who loses his memory when his parents send him away and he goes to live with a new family. But certain things remind the boy of his previous life (I honestly don’t know why this was part of the story, it didn’t need to be there)
The reveal is that Frank has learned a special type of hypnosis when his father used to test it on him. This hypnosis technique gets into people’s subconscious and makes them see things that aren’t there. This wasn’t really explained more than that. The cabin was not real and he hypothesized her into thinking it was.
I enjoyed reading it and was interested to see how it ended which is why I marked it higher but the ending could have been a lot tighter. But at least it wasn’t a weird supernatural ending which is where I was worried it was going.
ellainalisa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction and Drug abuse
Minor: Alcoholism and Murder
mladd28's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.0
candyswirl87's review against another edition
2.0
I felt like it was really simple. Could have been written a little differently to really grab the reader’s attention.