Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

10 reviews

fanboyriot's review against another edition

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dark 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

1.0

Honestly I didn’t really care for this book.  I couldn’t get into the plot and I just overall didn’t like the characters all that much.

Spice Level: n/a
POV: Multiple, Third Person
Release Date: 07, March 2023
Rep: n/a

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teatunesandtales's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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coyotecasket's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I did enjoy this book, but it was just okay to me. I enjoy books with multiple POVs, but this one fell a little flat for me. The author kept explaining the same events multiple times with different characters and it became very confusing to me. Also, the characters all seemed a little flat to me. We didn't really get what the characters very feeling, only what they were doing. It was very much "this happened, then this happened" instead of "this happened and these are the emotions I'm feeling as this chatacter" Something else that bothered me is that all of these characters are supposed to be from foster care and all of this... yet all of them basically won the lottery of life. We have a billionaire, a pretty successful Rockstar (washed up sure but he was making it big at one point), a producer of a hit show, a rich judge, and an ex assassin who married well. Im not saying this doesn't happen to foster care kids or that they can't be successful, but all 5 of them seems very far-fetched for me. Capitalism ya know. Furthermore, in a lot of the circumstances, it was obvious that the author was speaking from an outsiders perspective and didn't really understand how an addict or someone going through what the characters were going though would act. 

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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4.0

 Finished reading: September 14th 2023


“In the dark, the gentle boy utters the words none of them will ever forget: 'What have we done?'”


I'm a big fan of Alex Finlay's writing, and I've been looking forward to read his newest story. It's true that I was a bit worried when I saw the lowish rating, and I decided to go in with low expectations just in case... I shouldn't have worried though, because once again I ended up having an excellent time with his writing. I do understand why What Have We Done has a lower rating though, because it does have a different feel compared to his previous books. It's a story that won't work for everyone, but if you like your thrillers on the action-packed, dark and exhilarating side this is the book for you. It took me a little while to properly warm up to the plot, but once I did I was completely hooked. This is one of those books where it's just best to sit back and enjoy the ride... Things can be said about the credibility of it all and the plot being over the top, but it sure provides one heck of an entertaining ride. I loved learning more about the past as well as the present, and the multiple POV structure worked really well to add tension to the plot. What Have We Done will get pretty dark and twisted along the way, so make sure to brace yourself for a wild ride... There were also a couple twists I didn't see coming, which is always a bonus. All in all, while not my favorite Alex Finlay, I still had a blast reading this story. 

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motherofbears's review

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Not what I expected but the pacing is pretty great and the mystery worked well. Solid. 

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spaghettii's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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aileron's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5


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bekah1210's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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eemillers15's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

What happens when your past comes back to haunt you?

Jenna, Donnie and Nico are all former foster students from the Savior House who have grown up and gone their own ways. Jenna is a stay at home mom, Donnie is a has-been rock star, and Nico is a reality tv producer. They’re brought back together when each of their lives are threatened because of their past. 

I enjoyed how quick of a read this was! The short chapters were awesome. There were plenty of twists to keep you entertained throughout the book, although some felt unnecessary. I wish the author would have had more distinction between timelines (past and present). I found myself confused a lot, then I would realize it was a flashback, so it would have been helpful to have a “then/now” time frame. 
Parts of the ending felt a little rushed once the actual action started but overall this was a fun thriller that I can’t wait to recommend! 

The biggest thank you to #netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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maureenmccombs's review

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adventurous 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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Not what I was expecting this book to be but still quite good. I could see this being the first in a series- one I would definitely read. Recommend.

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