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dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
💜 She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica 💜
MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Single mom and nurse Meghan Michaels treats a comatose teen, Caitlin, after a mysterious fall. When evidence suggests it wasn’t a suicide, Meghan gets too close—and soon realizes she and her daughter may be in danger.
This was a fun read! I liked the premise and was surprised by one detail, thought the other twists were quite predictable. I do feel like a lot was going on and there were multiple different mysteries, but they worked well together and I’d recommend this.
Read this if you like:
- twists
- family drama
- hospital settings
Vibes: 👩⚕️💉🌁✉️
Song that matches the vibe: Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift
Full review including content warnings on my StoryGraph.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The writing was subpar, bordering on sloppy. There was a lot going on plot wise but none of it was convincing or interesting to me. I guessed some plots twists but not others. Ultimately I just didn't care one way or another.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Kidnapping
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Rape, Pandemic/Epidemic
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Death, Violence, Murder
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very slow start but definitely worth it. Full of twists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Rape, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Gun violence, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Violence, Car accident
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A rating 4.5 — very suspenseful. At first, you think that you are being told too many different plot lines — but just hold on. More info below with spoiler alerts:
I was thrown for the twist in the story, I didn’t see that happening! But, the usual reason why I didn’t give it a 5 - believability factor — everything turned out too perfect. She killed someone and didn’t pay any price — well, maybe not with the open-ended way the book ended (another pet peeve of mine). Actually, the plot of the Nat/Caitlin character just fell off. Regardless of the above, it kept my attention!
I was thrown for the twist in the story, I didn’t see that happening! But, the usual reason why I didn’t give it a 5 - believability factor — everything turned out too perfect. She killed someone and didn’t pay any price — well, maybe not with the open-ended way the book ended (another pet peeve of mine). Actually, the plot of the Nat/Caitlin character just fell off. Regardless of the above, it kept my attention!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't have high hopes for this because I didn't enjoy LOCAL WOMAN MISSING or JUST THE NICEST COUPLE from this author. Holy cow, this exceeded all of my expectations!
The plot is wild, the characters can't be trusted, and the twists are whiplash-inducing!
Right from the jump, the prologue threw me off from the synopsis and things escalated so quickly and didn't slow down until the pulse-pounding last page. There's no way I would have been able to see the twists coming, but I also could not flip the pages fast enough. I was thinking about this book even when I wasn't reading it, and that's when you know a book is good! Definitely my favourite read of the month and so glad I squeezed it in at the eleventh hour! If you haven't picked this up yet, I strongly recommend it!
The plot is wild, the characters can't be trusted, and the twists are whiplash-inducing!
Right from the jump, the prologue threw me off from the synopsis and things escalated so quickly and didn't slow down until the pulse-pounding last page. There's no way I would have been able to see the twists coming, but I also could not flip the pages fast enough. I was thinking about this book even when I wasn't reading it, and that's when you know a book is good! Definitely my favourite read of the month and so glad I squeezed it in at the eleventh hour! If you haven't picked this up yet, I strongly recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Suicide, Stalking
Minor: Death, Car accident, Death of parent
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
I really loved this book, especially how the events unfolded and the reveal of what happened and what didn’t. It kept me hooked, peeling back each layer of the story bit by bit. I also loved how it psychologically messed with me, making me question everything and everyone. The twists weren’t predictable at all, which made it even better. It’s a 4/5 for me, though, because the first part was tedious to get through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence
Minor: Suicide
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don't even know where to start. Okay, so this is my third book by the author in the span of a couple of years. I read "Local Woman Missing" in 2022 and LOVED it! Then, probably a few months later, I read "Just the Nicest Couple" and thought it was just alright. I've been wanting to read from this author again for a while, so I decided to bite the bullet and just pick this one up.
I don't know if it's just me, but thrillers have really been letting me down this year. Like 90% of the ones I've been reading have been sitting in the 3-star realm. Like, I can't even say the last time I read an adrenaline-pumping thriller. So, I was really hoping this book would be my saving grace.
Okay, so I'd say that the first 65-68% of this book is just straight build-up. We learn about Meghan, her relationship with her ex-husband, daughter, coworkers, a bit about her past, her job as an ICU nurse, etc. In addition to that, we get an intro of the plot, how she met this woman (Nat) who was her childhood acquaintance from highschool 20 years ago, this patient in her unit she's assigned to as well as her strange family, the murders going on in her state that have her and other women on edge, etc. You'd think that would be enough to excite you, but it isn't. There are a lot of plot threads in this book, and considering how short it is, I feel like some of them didn't have time to marinate as long as they should have to truly feel impactful to the story.
Going back to what I said previously, it's around the 65%-68% where the story started changing pace and getting "good". We finally find out the big twist in the story. I can't decide if the twist was good or not, considering the way it was executed.The part where we find out Caitlin is Nat was good. I kinda thought that at the beginning of the book, but decided against it because of the way the story was told. And this is where the problem begins, because manipulating time as a twist can either be genius or sloppy. Finding out that Nat is the woman in the ICU and that Meghan is the one who pushed her begs a lot of questions on her character's thought process. But I would have to reread the book to see if her actions line up with what she already knows. I understand why people would love it, though. I saw it as it was coming, but like I said before, twists like this can be tricky to execute.
Speaking of the twists, again, lots of things were happening during this part of the story.Luke being the serial killer rapist guy. No shocker there. Again, if you read the number of thrillers I have, you know that you can never trust thriller men. That twist was meh to me, like I saw it coming. He was so unhinged, though. Kidnapping her daughter and holding her at gunpoint. Sheesh! And before that we find out thishow Sienna knew her dad wasn't her dad, so instead of being a reasonable person and just talking to her mother about it, she goes all psycho crazy and locks her mother downstairs in a basement and sends her hate mail notes. Like why?! It just doesn't seem like something a teenager would do. And she's a bit crazy for that. She was so extreme for what?! The author blames it on a teenager simply lashing out, but like I said, she was willing to have her mother die for that. Again, very extreme considering they both agree to not tell the dad anyway.
Lots happening in this bit, but I still feel like certain questions and red herrings are just left in the dirt to be unanswered. Like, what about Caitlin's parents? It was hinted at that they were suspicious and potentially malicious, and that's just dropped.Are they not worried about the fact that were just told their daughter was alive, and then late,r when they come back just find out she's died and it was the ICU nurse's fault. Are we never gonna find out who took Meghan's $10K? In addition,Caitlin's motivations for anything that she's ever done are never explained. Like, she went after Meghan for what? Cuz she was intimidated that her current boyfriend still has the hots for his ex-wife?! Huhhhhhhh?????? Her character was just so flat. I wanted more. And what about the brother, Caitlin's brother? He was a red herring, too. We never heard from him again. And I guess Meghan just gets away with murdering Caitlin. Which is fine, but like still. The way it was done. It was just an afterthought after the whole Luke situation. And probably should've mentioned this before, but why would she tell a stranger her 16-year secret? It makes no sense. Also, last one, but the dad. I hated how that was left open-ended. I don't think he was involved, but I hate open-ended endings like that cuz how I'm left contemplating something that should've been answered. Also, this is pretty minor, but it is mentioned at the beginning of the book that Meghan already knows her husband has a girlfriend (ch. 3), but then later on in the book, she acts surprised when her daughter tells her. (ch. 14). Same timelines, too. I don't know. It was just such a weird discrepancy, considering her knowing or not knowing adds nothing to the book. Overall, this book was fine, but I will say that if it weren't for the latter half, this book would've been a 3-star. I will try her again one more time to see. I hear "The Other Mrs." by her is good, and if that doesn't work out, I fear I might be done with this author and her books. They're not bad, but they're just not spectacular enough for me to continue if my next read from her doesn't pan out.
Spice Rating:🫑/5 (nothing crazy, just brief mentions)
Oh, also, the author wrote "on fleek" in her book. No! No! No!😭
I don't know if it's just me, but thrillers have really been letting me down this year. Like 90% of the ones I've been reading have been sitting in the 3-star realm. Like, I can't even say the last time I read an adrenaline-pumping thriller. So, I was really hoping this book would be my saving grace.
Okay, so I'd say that the first 65-68% of this book is just straight build-up. We learn about Meghan, her relationship with her ex-husband, daughter, coworkers, a bit about her past, her job as an ICU nurse, etc. In addition to that, we get an intro of the plot, how she met this woman (Nat) who was her childhood acquaintance from highschool 20 years ago, this patient in her unit she's assigned to as well as her strange family, the murders going on in her state that have her and other women on edge, etc. You'd think that would be enough to excite you, but it isn't. There are a lot of plot threads in this book, and considering how short it is, I feel like some of them didn't have time to marinate as long as they should have to truly feel impactful to the story.
Going back to what I said previously, it's around the 65%-68% where the story started changing pace and getting "good". We finally find out the big twist in the story. I can't decide if the twist was good or not, considering the way it was executed.
Speaking of the twists, again, lots of things were happening during this part of the story.
Lots happening in this bit, but I still feel like certain questions and red herrings are just left in the dirt to be unanswered. Like, what about Caitlin's parents? It was hinted at that they were suspicious and potentially malicious, and that's just dropped.
Spice Rating:🫑/5 (nothing crazy, just brief mentions)
Oh, also, the author wrote "on fleek" in her book. No! No! No!😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Trigger warning; domestic violence, financial abuse, verbal abuse, death, suicide
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder