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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
I contributed this review to Really Into This
Check out all of our reviews at https://reallyintothis.com
Happy Reading, friends!
Special thanks to Harlan Coben, Grand Central Publishing & NetGalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.
Well, my binge of all things Harlan Coben continues. This is my fourth book of his in the last few months. I think I'm starting to get a feel for his writing style, his tricks & how he creates such a suspenseful read. All I can say is...
I recognize Hester from Run Away, but my buddy Amy at Novelgossip tells me Hester is in a lot of Harlan books. I love her!
From the get-go, The Boy From The Woods starts off so strong. Also, can I get a visual on Wilde?!? The boy (now a man) raised in the woods sounds like my kind of guy -tough, smart, mysterious & helpful. He sounds hot as hell too.
There's a lot going on here. Harlan introduces us to a lot of characters, a lot of subplots & sometimes it's a bit much for me. Yes, I'm invested in the story & racing to the finish line. Yet, there's a part about 60% through where I'm wanting to give up. But, I have enough trust in Harlan that he's going to wrap things up & blow my mind. Guess what? He does just that.
I have a feeling that fans of Harlan will love this title. Also, if you're feeling burnt out on thrillers & suspense novels, The Boy in the Woods is a sure win.
Check out all of our reviews at https://reallyintothis.com
Happy Reading, friends!
Special thanks to Harlan Coben, Grand Central Publishing & NetGalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.
Well, my binge of all things Harlan Coben continues. This is my fourth book of his in the last few months. I think I'm starting to get a feel for his writing style, his tricks & how he creates such a suspenseful read. All I can say is...
I recognize Hester from Run Away, but my buddy Amy at Novelgossip tells me Hester is in a lot of Harlan books. I love her!
From the get-go, The Boy From The Woods starts off so strong. Also, can I get a visual on Wilde?!? The boy (now a man) raised in the woods sounds like my kind of guy -tough, smart, mysterious & helpful. He sounds hot as hell too.
There's a lot going on here. Harlan introduces us to a lot of characters, a lot of subplots & sometimes it's a bit much for me. Yes, I'm invested in the story & racing to the finish line. Yet, there's a part about 60% through where I'm wanting to give up. But, I have enough trust in Harlan that he's going to wrap things up & blow my mind. Guess what? He does just that.
I have a feeling that fans of Harlan will love this title. Also, if you're feeling burnt out on thrillers & suspense novels, The Boy in the Woods is a sure win.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Absolutely Hated it!! The only thing more confusing to me than the whole storyline of this book, is how people can give it 4 and 5 stars. This book was so ridiculous and poorly thought out and completely unbelievable. The ending fell right into place with the rest of the book. What did a boy living in the woods have to do with ANYTHING in the rest of the book. Or the challenge game. Or Matthew. Or anything. The characters were so poorly developed. The connections were implausible and the storyline was all over the place. Really? A outcast girl with poor attendance misses a few days of school, so you announce her as a missing child on your legal show because your dead son’s friend was told by your grandson that he was worried about her??? WHAT?!?
4.5 stars rounded up. Harlan Coben does it again! His books are always witty, fast paced and full of colorful characters and this one is no exception. His plots/mysteries are a bit over-the-top but in the best way possible. He also brought back Steven Weber as narrator & he always does a fantastic job with Coben’s work. Highly recommend!
DNF. Annoyed I even spent the money on this one
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ending was super rushed
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Harlan Coben is famous for his edge-of-your-seat thrillers, usually in a domestic setting, where old secrets threaten to tear a family apart. This story is slightly different. I think it is now my favourite of all his books but please don't make me choose!
Hester Crimstein is a seventy-year-old defence attorney who is also famous for her own television show (something like Judge Judy). Her grandson, Matthew, is worried about a girl who has gone missing at school - a girl that nobody likes and whom everyone picks on. Hester asks Wilde (a family friend who is also a private investigator) to look into the case for her. Wilde is a very interesting character: a man who was found living 'feral' in the woods as a child. Although incredibly smart, he's not been able to adjust to 'normal' life and still lives in a self-contained 'pod' in the forest. As he investigates the girl's disappearance, another teenager goes missing - and a human finger is posted to the parents...
My favourite character was the ass-kicking Hester but I did love Wilde and his intriguing backstory, and was rooting for him to have his own happy ending. Harlan Coben is a master at writing fast-paced thrillers so I was chomping down on my nails for a large chunk of the book, and his twists are always second-to-none. I read a lot of crime fiction, so it's a big deal for me when I can't guess the ending. I shall definitely be re-reading to see how he fooled me. Utterly brilliant and thoroughly recommended for all Harlan's fans, and readers of authors such as Linwood Barclay and Lee Child.
Thank you to Harlan Coben and Cornerstone (Century) for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.
Hester Crimstein is a seventy-year-old defence attorney who is also famous for her own television show (something like Judge Judy). Her grandson, Matthew, is worried about a girl who has gone missing at school - a girl that nobody likes and whom everyone picks on. Hester asks Wilde (a family friend who is also a private investigator) to look into the case for her. Wilde is a very interesting character: a man who was found living 'feral' in the woods as a child. Although incredibly smart, he's not been able to adjust to 'normal' life and still lives in a self-contained 'pod' in the forest. As he investigates the girl's disappearance, another teenager goes missing - and a human finger is posted to the parents...
My favourite character was the ass-kicking Hester but I did love Wilde and his intriguing backstory, and was rooting for him to have his own happy ending. Harlan Coben is a master at writing fast-paced thrillers so I was chomping down on my nails for a large chunk of the book, and his twists are always second-to-none. I read a lot of crime fiction, so it's a big deal for me when I can't guess the ending. I shall definitely be re-reading to see how he fooled me. Utterly brilliant and thoroughly recommended for all Harlan's fans, and readers of authors such as Linwood Barclay and Lee Child.
Thank you to Harlan Coben and Cornerstone (Century) for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.
Fun formulaic popcorn reading. Characters are a little one-dimensional, but the story is good and the formula keeps you turning the pages.