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theinstabookworm's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the e-ARC of IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME by Alex Finlay in exchange for my review. This novel will be released on May 28, 2024.
I tried to pick this up a few weeks ago, and soft DNFed it when I wasn't in the mood. I wasn't going to come back to it. I DNFed one other book by the author and thought maybe the author just wasn't for me. But, I kept seeing good review after good review pop up on my feed, so I decided to give it another chance.
I thought I had the twist figured out, but I was so wrong in a great way. There are a lot of characters, and I had trouble keeping track of who was who. I wish each character's name was stated at the beginning of their chapter so we could remember whose POV we were in. Also, the epilogue was three chapters long, and it didn't need to be. All of those things slowed the book down for me. Most of the reviews I've been seeing say this is fast-paced, but I found it to be more medium paced. Despite what I've mentioned, I did enjoy this and was intrigued to find out what happened next every time I had to put it down. I'll be going back to the book I DNFed by the author at some point, and I've also added his other books to my list and look forward to picking them up in the future!
I tried to pick this up a few weeks ago, and soft DNFed it when I wasn't in the mood. I wasn't going to come back to it. I DNFed one other book by the author and thought maybe the author just wasn't for me. But, I kept seeing good review after good review pop up on my feed, so I decided to give it another chance.
I thought I had the twist figured out, but I was so wrong in a great way. There are a lot of characters, and I had trouble keeping track of who was who. I wish each character's name was stated at the beginning of their chapter so we could remember whose POV we were in. Also, the epilogue was three chapters long, and it didn't need to be. All of those things slowed the book down for me. Most of the reviews I've been seeing say this is fast-paced, but I found it to be more medium paced. Despite what I've mentioned, I did enjoy this and was intrigued to find out what happened next every time I had to put it down. I'll be going back to the book I DNFed by the author at some point, and I've also added his other books to my list and look forward to picking them up in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Suicide, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Child death, Dementia, Addiction, Cancer, and Bullying
kelly_e's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Title: If Something Happens to Me
Author: Alex Finlay
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: May 28, 2024
I received complimentary eARC and ALC from Minotaur Books, a division of St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Twisty • Complex • Cinematic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open. The crushing blow to the head. The hands yanking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken.
With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Ryan. But with no proof and a good lawyer, he’s never charged, though that doesn’t matter to the podcasters and internet trolls. Now, Ryan has changed his last name, and entered law school. He's put his past behind him.
Until, on a summer trip abroad to Italy with his law-school classmates, Ryan gets a call from his father: Ali's car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his hometown. Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me…
Then, halfway around the world, the unthinkable happens: Ryan sees the man who has haunted his dreams since that night.
As Ryan races from the rolling hills of Tuscany, to a rural village in the UK, to the glittering streets of Paris in search of the truth, he has no idea that his salvation may lie with a young sheriff’s deputy in Kansas working her first case, and a mobster in Philadelphia who’s experienced tragedy of his own.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I cannot recall exactly what prompted me to request Alex Finlay's upcoming release, If Something Happens to Me on NetGalley. Yet, here I am having read my first from this author and not exactly sure how I am feeling.
Told through several distinct voices and spanning continents, I was kept on my toes through short chapters with cliffhanger endings. The pacing was what I'd expect from a popcorn thriller. However, there is a lot going on, and I definitely needed to keep up with the digital copy in order to keep track of people, places and time periods. The cryptic note was a buzz word for me, however, it played a minimal part of the plot. This was disappointing because I felt misled.
The audiobook is very well done. With a multi-cast narration, each voice is distinct enough to differentiate between the various characters. I did have a bit of an issue keeping track of time and place, which I rectified by tandem reading with the ebook.
It is safe to say that thrillers have not been working for me recently and the same can be said for If Something Happens to Me. At times, I was confused and drawn out of the story. I think it was more of a me issue; it was quite possibly a mistake to pick up a thriller when trying to get out of a slump. While it didn't work for me, I could easily see this one being turned into a movie and think it will be a hit with thriller readers this summer.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• fast paced thrillers
• short chapters
• plots spanning multiple continents
⚠️ CW: death, child death, murder, suicide, torture, gun violence, violence, self-harm, bullying, terminal illness, kidnapping, drug use, overdose, cursing
Author: Alex Finlay
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: May 28, 2024
I received complimentary eARC and ALC from Minotaur Books, a division of St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Twisty • Complex • Cinematic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open. The crushing blow to the head. The hands yanking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken.
With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Ryan. But with no proof and a good lawyer, he’s never charged, though that doesn’t matter to the podcasters and internet trolls. Now, Ryan has changed his last name, and entered law school. He's put his past behind him.
Until, on a summer trip abroad to Italy with his law-school classmates, Ryan gets a call from his father: Ali's car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his hometown. Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me…
Then, halfway around the world, the unthinkable happens: Ryan sees the man who has haunted his dreams since that night.
As Ryan races from the rolling hills of Tuscany, to a rural village in the UK, to the glittering streets of Paris in search of the truth, he has no idea that his salvation may lie with a young sheriff’s deputy in Kansas working her first case, and a mobster in Philadelphia who’s experienced tragedy of his own.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I cannot recall exactly what prompted me to request Alex Finlay's upcoming release, If Something Happens to Me on NetGalley. Yet, here I am having read my first from this author and not exactly sure how I am feeling.
Told through several distinct voices and spanning continents, I was kept on my toes through short chapters with cliffhanger endings. The pacing was what I'd expect from a popcorn thriller. However, there is a lot going on, and I definitely needed to keep up with the digital copy in order to keep track of people, places and time periods. The cryptic note was a buzz word for me, however, it played a minimal part of the plot. This was disappointing because I felt misled.
The audiobook is very well done. With a multi-cast narration, each voice is distinct enough to differentiate between the various characters. I did have a bit of an issue keeping track of time and place, which I rectified by tandem reading with the ebook.
It is safe to say that thrillers have not been working for me recently and the same can be said for If Something Happens to Me. At times, I was confused and drawn out of the story. I think it was more of a me issue; it was quite possibly a mistake to pick up a thriller when trying to get out of a slump. While it didn't work for me, I could easily see this one being turned into a movie and think it will be a hit with thriller readers this summer.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• fast paced thrillers
• short chapters
• plots spanning multiple continents
⚠️ CW: death, child death, murder, suicide, torture, gun violence, violence, self-harm, bullying, terminal illness, kidnapping, drug use, overdose, cursing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder, Kidnapping, Torture, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Self harm, Bullying, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Terminal illness and Cursing
overdose
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