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mila_nights's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.5
"I had such high hopes for this book! The concept was great, the setting was unique, but the execution was unsatisfying"
This review offers my personal thoughts on '56 days' and it appears my perspective might differ from the popular opinion. While I recognise that this book has well-received by many, I found myself having a more nuanced experience. My intention in sharing my perspective is not to undermine anyone's enjoyment or discredit the author but rather to contribute to a well-rounded conversation. I believe that every reader's interpretation adds value, and I'm eager to engage with those who have differing opinions.
Review
While the premise held promise to start with, the execution fell flat in several critical aspects, ultimately leading to a disappointing read.
The pacing of the book was a major issue, I struggled to stay committed to it. The narrative drags on for much of the story, struggling to maintain a consistent level of tension. Instead of building suspense, the plot continuously meanders, which left me often feeling impatient whilst waiting for something substantial to happen. Due to the lack of momentum, it made it difficult to stay engaged and invested in the characters.
Speaking of characters, their development felt quite uninspired. Despite the major potential for intricate psychological exploration, the characters felt artificial, and their interactions felt forced, which made it challenging to connect with their experiences. As a result, the emotional investment to the characters and interest in their fate was diminished.
The narrative structure, which alternates between past and present, contributes to the disjointed feeling of the book. While dual timelines can usually enhance suspense and interest, in '56 Days', it only added to the confusion and hindered the flow of the plot.
Furthermore, the major plot twist was disappointing. Rather than surprising revelations that adds depth to the story, the twist was absurd, requiring a suspension of disbelief that strained credibility.
In conclusion, for me it failed to live up to its potential as a psychological thriller. The slow pacing, underdeveloped characters, and implausible plot twist make for a frustrating and unsatisfying reading experience. While there may be moments of intrigue, they are unfortunately overshadowed by the book's overall execution.
The pacing of the book was a major issue, I struggled to stay committed to it. The narrative drags on for much of the story, struggling to maintain a consistent level of tension. Instead of building suspense, the plot continuously meanders, which left me often feeling impatient whilst waiting for something substantial to happen. Due to the lack of momentum, it made it difficult to stay engaged and invested in the characters.
Speaking of characters, their development felt quite uninspired. Despite the major potential for intricate psychological exploration, the characters felt artificial, and their interactions felt forced, which made it challenging to connect with their experiences. As a result, the emotional investment to the characters and interest in their fate was diminished.
The narrative structure, which alternates between past and present, contributes to the disjointed feeling of the book. While dual timelines can usually enhance suspense and interest, in '56 Days', it only added to the confusion and hindered the flow of the plot.
Furthermore, the major plot twist was disappointing. Rather than surprising revelations that adds depth to the story, the twist was absurd, requiring a suspension of disbelief that strained credibility.
In conclusion, for me it failed to live up to its potential as a psychological thriller. The slow pacing, underdeveloped characters, and implausible plot twist make for a frustrating and unsatisfying reading experience. While there may be moments of intrigue, they are unfortunately overshadowed by the book's overall execution.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Murder, Violence, Bullying, Stalking, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Suicide and Pandemic/Epidemic
vj_thompson's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Just when you think you know what’s going on, it just got better and better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Bullying, Murder, and Child death
Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
blackcatkai's review
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
CW: child death/murder, violence, blood, bullying, toxic relationship, suicide mentioned, murder, alcohol use, drug use, some fatphobia, casual ableism, stalking
this was an absolutely wild ride of a book. it had a lot of cute moments of romance that i was totally rooting for the MCs to make it through and then the twists kept coming and i could not stop reading. usually i dont care for detective/cop POVs, but even those aspects here were delightful. it might be Howard's writing, or it could be because Irish law enforcement read differently than US law enforcement, but whatever. i liked it, i had the best time, i will absolutely be picking up more from this author!!
this was an absolutely wild ride of a book. it had a lot of cute moments of romance that i was totally rooting for the MCs to make it through and then the twists kept coming and i could not stop reading. usually i dont care for detective/cop POVs, but even those aspects here were delightful. it might be Howard's writing, or it could be because Irish law enforcement read differently than US law enforcement, but whatever. i liked it, i had the best time, i will absolutely be picking up more from this author!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Stalking, Drug use, Fatphobia, Suicide, and Ableism
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
reflective
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
3.0
an Irish novel written during covid lockdown about covid lockdown and murder 🕵♀️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Murder, Child death, Gore, Blood, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide
anneshamitha's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I thought this would annoy me because of the COVID stuff but it was a fun thriller romp (as in, very depressing). The first half was super slow, the second half was thrilling
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death, Bullying, and Alcohol
anna_mayes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3 on Goodreads)
“None of us know what we’re capable of if the circumstances were right. Or wrong.”
Okay, let me start this review by saying that I loved the concept and really enjoyed the story. However, I had some major issues with the structure. There are too many timeline jumps. I usually enjoy timeline jumps, but I feel like they are not used properly in 56 Days. For example, you get Ciara’s perspective of a specific day in one chapter and the following chapter will take place “Today” in the Detective’s perspective. A few chapters will go by and then all of a sudden you get Oliver’s perspective of a day that we read about 4 chapters earlier. Ciara could be on Day 32 while Oliver is still on Day 50…if that makes sense. This book could have easily been a 4.5 star book if the structure was just a little bit different. That being said, I thought that the twist in 56 Days was great and it actually was surprising. Howard kept the twists coming with this one.
If you enjoy time jumps and don’t mind reading about COVID, then you’ll probably enjoy 56 Days!
CW: Murder, Stalking, Bullying
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Bullying and Stalking
holthmsn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
56 Days is a captivating thriller which uses the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown as plot, whilst also having a dual timeline. None of the characters are likeable which makes the book more interesting as you can sense the tension from the secrecy. I throughly enjoyed this thriller as all the pieces came together, however it was a little repetitive and redundant at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Bullying, Physical abuse, and Murder
jskeldum's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Bullying
deezy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
bookswithchaipai's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
56 DAYS - CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD
Genre - Covid Thriller, Mystery
Publish Date - 19 August 2021
Cast your mind back to the day you found out about the first case of Covid-19. The flippant glance you gave to the news thinking this too shall pass. And then, the shocking news that it has reached a global pandemic level with the need for a lockdown in place and a set of rigid rules. This book took me back to those first few days, and it was kind of cathartic reading about it.
Oliver and Ciara seemingly bump into each other at a supermarket which leads to a budding romance 56 days ago. As the countdown moves to the current day we get a sense of how they decided to move in together to brave the stringent quarantine as a lockdown buddy. But soon we realize each of them has a hidden agenda that consequently leads to a dead body, which made for a page-turning story.
I sped through this book wanting to know more about what was left unsaid. The narration style - jumping between the current day and 56 days before the current day counting down - made the suspense come to a crescendo. I knew what to expect - but whose body was it, what happened, how did they get there - were the questions running through my mind.
The lockdown scenes - quiet streets with just birdsong as background noise, empty parks, toilet paper rampages, beer supply emergency, banana bread - felt like everything I experienced with their thoughts matching what I felt then. The murder mystery and the background flashbacks are one-of-a-kind, which I read with a deepening sense of dread at what a 12-year old can get up to.
One con I found was the overlapping narration from Oliver's and Ciara's POV of the same scenes that had nothing new to add. Other than that, this book was worth every minute I spent reading it.
I loved the author's note which explained how this book came to be, and also how author's collectively decided not to write about the lockdown phase so as to not memorialize it in history. But it is sad we are still living through it, and it is a way of life now.
I thank Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for giving me a chance to review this book in exchange for an honest review.
Genre - Covid Thriller, Mystery
Publish Date - 19 August 2021
Cast your mind back to the day you found out about the first case of Covid-19. The flippant glance you gave to the news thinking this too shall pass. And then, the shocking news that it has reached a global pandemic level with the need for a lockdown in place and a set of rigid rules. This book took me back to those first few days, and it was kind of cathartic reading about it.
Oliver and Ciara seemingly bump into each other at a supermarket which leads to a budding romance 56 days ago. As the countdown moves to the current day we get a sense of how they decided to move in together to brave the stringent quarantine as a lockdown buddy. But soon we realize each of them has a hidden agenda that consequently leads to a dead body, which made for a page-turning story.
I sped through this book wanting to know more about what was left unsaid. The narration style - jumping between the current day and 56 days before the current day counting down - made the suspense come to a crescendo. I knew what to expect - but whose body was it, what happened, how did they get there - were the questions running through my mind.
The lockdown scenes - quiet streets with just birdsong as background noise, empty parks, toilet paper rampages, beer supply emergency, banana bread - felt like everything I experienced with their thoughts matching what I felt then. The murder mystery and the background flashbacks are one-of-a-kind, which I read with a deepening sense of dread at what a 12-year old can get up to.
One con I found was the overlapping narration from Oliver's and Ciara's POV of the same scenes that had nothing new to add. Other than that, this book was worth every minute I spent reading it.
I loved the author's note which explained how this book came to be, and also how author's collectively decided not to write about the lockdown phase so as to not memorialize it in history. But it is sad we are still living through it, and it is a way of life now.
I thank Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for giving me a chance to review this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Murder, and Death
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