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reading_and_roaming20's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
2.0
I am sad to say that this one did not live up to my expectations, which were admittedly pretty high given the book’s comparison to one of my favorite Netflix shows, Dead to Me.
The concept was intriguing :: guy everyone loves (except for his family 🤔) drives his car through his own garage and dies. Mysterious circumstances, suspicious wife, lots to unravel.
But WOW did it unravel slowly. It was a sloooow build with little nuggets here or there that kept me just invested enough to keep going. I would have really appreciated a faster pace for most of the book.
I also couldn’t really get on board with the majority of the characters. The two bickering best friends really irritated me. I’m pretty sure the whole book could have happened roughly the same way without them constantly being jealous high school mean girls to each other. Please just stop.
When the conclusion finally started to roll around and the first big twist happened, I knew exactly where it was going. I get that it happens and it definitely isn’t a total downfall for a book like this. That said, it was so glaringly obvious that I was all kinds of annoyed that this character couldn’t figure it out before it was all explicitly explained to her.
I will say that the final twist was a surprise that I didn’t see coming. I appreciated not having it all figured out. However, by the time we really picked up speed, I was checked out of the story.
I think it would have been helpful to go in knowing this feels more like domestic suspense than a thriller. Perhaps that would have shifted my perspective. But all-in-all, I just didn’t love it.
IMPORTANT :: It’s extremely important to note a major content//trigger warning for domestic abuse. I would have liked to see this at the start of the book, given the content it contains.
The concept was intriguing :: guy everyone loves (except for his family 🤔) drives his car through his own garage and dies. Mysterious circumstances, suspicious wife, lots to unravel.
But WOW did it unravel slowly. It was a sloooow build with little nuggets here or there that kept me just invested enough to keep going. I would have really appreciated a faster pace for most of the book.
I also couldn’t really get on board with the majority of the characters. The two bickering best friends really irritated me. I’m pretty sure the whole book could have happened roughly the same way without them constantly being jealous high school mean girls to each other. Please just stop.
When the conclusion finally started to roll around and the first big twist happened, I knew exactly where it was going. I get that it happens and it definitely isn’t a total downfall for a book like this. That said, it was so glaringly obvious that I was all kinds of annoyed that this character couldn’t figure it out before it was all explicitly explained to her.
I will say that the final twist was a surprise that I didn’t see coming. I appreciated not having it all figured out. However, by the time we really picked up speed, I was checked out of the story.
I think it would have been helpful to go in knowing this feels more like domestic suspense than a thriller. Perhaps that would have shifted my perspective. But all-in-all, I just didn’t love it.
IMPORTANT :: It’s extremely important to note a major content//trigger warning for domestic abuse. I would have liked to see this at the start of the book, given the content it contains.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Alcoholism
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