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lavagrrrl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tinakay79's review against another edition
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.5
While the plot was good i felt like there was a lot of unnecessary filler that made this a longer r3qd than it should have been. I dont think there was enough wrap up at the end also
wye3's review against another edition
4.0
4.50 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This novel is a mystery crime-thriller, which is typical of this author, and I’ve only read one other title in her collection.
The novel centers around the family and the planning of an anniversary dinner. Yara [Ya-Ya for short] our protagonist, and eldest daughter is planning a this event for her parents (but mainly her mother).
The impression that I get that “B” (short for Barb or Barabara), is a head strong Mom that puts her kids first (sorta). Ya-Ya has a younger sister, Dominque, who is 19 and has just started college.
QUOTE: “Every Summer, they arrived and talked loudly, and never kept private things private, and always spilled those secrets across the woods like cheap wine.”
Ya-Ya has been plagued over the years with several chronic illnesses, such as allergies, asthma, anxiety, and depression. She also used to sleepwalk. Ya-Ya saw this as the main reason to move away from her parent's house because she relates this to her many illnesses. The dryness of Palmdale, and the fact that her mother constantly smokes (as well as her sister) even though Ya-Ya is asthmatic, which bothered me because wouldn’t any parent (family member) curb smoking, if only temporarily because their child (or sibling) had these issues. That was my first flag. (As there were many)
This book seems typical of a Howzell novel because there are family secrets and something that happened in the past, which leads to a murder in the present day, which results in more conflict. “We Lie Here” also has a similar ending to “These Toxic Things”, but with a different sub-plot and I didn’t mind that.
We Lie Here was an audiobook book for me, and although the narrator’s voice was a little unbelievable in conjunction with the story, it’s something you get used to and wasn’t cringe-worthy. It's one of those stories that I thought I had it. But when I put a piece together, the finished line was moved, and I was back to guessing. There was something I figured out right off the bat and something that caught me entirely off guard.
This was a nice break from all my supernatural, paranormal wheelhouse of reading, and I love supporting my African American authors.
This novel is a mystery crime-thriller, which is typical of this author, and I’ve only read one other title in her collection.
The novel centers around the family and the planning of an anniversary dinner. Yara [Ya-Ya for short] our protagonist, and eldest daughter is planning a this event for her parents (but mainly her mother).
The impression that I get that “B” (short for Barb or Barabara), is a head strong Mom that puts her kids first (sorta). Ya-Ya has a younger sister, Dominque, who is 19 and has just started college.
QUOTE: “Every Summer, they arrived and talked loudly, and never kept private things private, and always spilled those secrets across the woods like cheap wine.”
Ya-Ya has been plagued over the years with several chronic illnesses, such as allergies, asthma, anxiety, and depression. She also used to sleepwalk. Ya-Ya saw this as the main reason to move away from her parent's house because she relates this to her many illnesses. The dryness of Palmdale, and the fact that her mother constantly smokes (as well as her sister) even though Ya-Ya is asthmatic, which bothered me because wouldn’t any parent (family member) curb smoking, if only temporarily because their child (or sibling) had these issues. That was my first flag. (As there were many)
This book seems typical of a Howzell novel because there are family secrets and something that happened in the past, which leads to a murder in the present day, which results in more conflict. “We Lie Here” also has a similar ending to “These Toxic Things”, but with a different sub-plot and I didn’t mind that.
We Lie Here was an audiobook book for me, and although the narrator’s voice was a little unbelievable in conjunction with the story, it’s something you get used to and wasn’t cringe-worthy. It's one of those stories that I thought I had it. But when I put a piece together, the finished line was moved, and I was back to guessing. There was something I figured out right off the bat and something that caught me entirely off guard.
This was a nice break from all my supernatural, paranormal wheelhouse of reading, and I love supporting my African American authors.
mandykool's review against another edition
4.0
This one had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Such a fun, well written thriller.
The end was kind of abrupt, but otherwise very good.
The end was kind of abrupt, but otherwise very good.
booksndbeauty30's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the second book I have read by Rachel Howzell Hall. And let me just say I loved this one just as much as the first one! My mouth was on the floor. The twists of the plot and the intensity was everything.
mariah_b's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
alittlebitalexis's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. I contemplated not finishing it a few times, but I was invested enough to see how it ended. It's all - the writing, the plot, the character development - just so so.
chantae's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
meli0706's review against another edition
4.0
I found this to be a fairly interesting thriller. It kept my interest and I was invested in the journey of the main character, even if her actions annoyed me at times (and I also feel that doing things that annoy the reader is a requirement in the mystery/thriller genre). I saw two of the big twists coming from a long way off, but there were smaller twists and turns that kept me invested and, like I said, I was invested in the main character learning what I already suspected. Just one thing, though: cuz is not really a word; it is slang and that is fine if one is showing how a character speaks, but cuz was repeated so much in this book and each time, it was like a little nail running down a chalkboard - just say cause or at least differentiate the slang used between different characters. It's a small thing, but not so small that I didn't keep noticing.
afryans's review against another edition
4.0
Love it
A very good mystery novel. Love the twist. The author does a great job of building up the characters just enough to make the story good.
A very good mystery novel. Love the twist. The author does a great job of building up the characters just enough to make the story good.