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andrethegiant3000's review against another edition
3.0
While I couldn't stand the privileged protagonist, I really wanted to find out what happened at the end of this book. However, I could not relate to Catherine West because of her privilege. I think the author did a nice job crafting a character who "has everything" yet still feels like she has to prove herself because she doesn't have it all. I think it was a little over the top even though I was compelled to read more.
ahayes's review
5.0
A wild and crazy story about a very wealthy family with a twisted and disfunctional history. Slowly the depth of the messed up stuff about this family comes to light and it only makes you wonder about what else could possible be going on. I listened to this on audio, even though I have the book, and I really enjoyed it. Swan Huntley is definitely an author to watch!
bwluvs2read's review
5.0
This may not be a thriller in the traditional sense, but throughout the second half of this novel, I could not shake the feeling that something was "off" and that was enough to keep me turning page after page. At first glance, the novel's protagonist, Catherine, seems shallow and too good to be true, but she quickly redeemed herself. Catherine thinks she's found the love of her life, and at a good time too, her mother's health is waning, her sister seems to be on the verge of a breakdown, and her business is only tentatively staying afloat. I had suspicions of William, her fate-found lover, from the start of the relationship, and Catherine does an excellent job keeping pace with the readers guesses and insecurity concerning the relationship she has with William. Also, Huntley did well creating an abusive relationship that is more subversive than what most may define an "abusive relationship" as. Huntley didn't write about violent beatings or nail-biting rape scenes; instead, she questions the concept of sexual consent, commitment, manipulation, and respect for privacy. This book also had an incredibly satisfying ending that wasn't cliche. All in all, a fantastic read.
fabmom52's review
2.0
It was readable and probably between 2.5 and 3.0 stars.
Main character, Catherine is extremely rich, pretentious and wants to get married at 44 Meets Mr. chariming and finds out he is not perfect. Enter the mother with Azheimers's and the sister.
Just and okay book-it just didn't really wow me at any point or surprise me or make me think about much.
Maybe a beach read for the summer. Some interesting scenes here and there.
Main character, Catherine is extremely rich, pretentious and wants to get married at 44 Meets Mr. chariming and finds out he is not perfect. Enter the mother with Azheimers's and the sister.
Just and okay book-it just didn't really wow me at any point or surprise me or make me think about much.
Maybe a beach read for the summer. Some interesting scenes here and there.
its_hay's review
1.0
Swan Huntley has a pacing problem.
Maybe it's because I read her latest work before the debut, but trust me, it's apparent all-around. I don't know if it's a stylistic thing she thinks is cool or what, but it's happened twice and it does a disservice to the reader.
In WCBB, we follow Catherine West in her luxurious life - the massages, the hobby "job", the shopping - an effective way to promote that our narrator is aloof and out of touch with reality beyond her 1% realm, but when you really want some action to break up the monotony, you get the ~insert mysterious guy here~ schtick. OF COURSE, he's everything West wanted as a lonely, rich woman in her mid-40's, it's so by the book that it's really disappointing.
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
Other than some outbursts from her mother (that reveal nothing), the reader spends most of their time reading about West being wooed, moving in with her stranger lover quickly, and planning a wedding. When a ~reveal~ appears in regards to West's finances, the impact is muffled because of how obvious it was because of the mention of her throwing out her bank mail at every turn.
Things get juicy - but only for a moment - when it's revealed there's a connection between Lover Boy and Mommy Dearest, but our narrator is too dumb to even be cautious at this halfway point in WCBB. It's a chore to read her make defense after defense of her fiancee when even she continues to ask herself: who IS this guy? I feel like this is something where some true detective work could blossom and not wait to be hastily added in (like it was after more than half of the books was done). I was more interested in seeing what West was up to looking in her family's storage unit for clues with her BFF and pursuing the nanny than I was on all the time spent going over dialogue with her wedding planner.
I'm not saying there's a lack of detective work, but it's too much too late. We get the moment when she finds her mother's journal, then suddenly we get the nanny hunt, then it takes forever for the meeting between West and the nanny, then the reveal from the nanny feels rushed, and then we're in this weird limbo where ONLY NOW does West wonder where her fiancee has run off to.
Then it's back to more action items that seem added in just to check off some boxes: little boy fiancee tutors is scared of the guy more so implying he's a creep rather than a guy that hates kids, suddenly fiancee grabs West a little too roughly for the FIRST TIME and leaves a giant bruise on her arm OUT OF NOWHERE. These are cast off because of the fact that the threat doesn't have a solid foundation. Did West's fiancee do something creepy or violent to her mom? No? Um????
Then we're here at the last bit of action where it's like: boom, your fiancee slept with your drunk mom (but we're going to ignore the fact that this is like a double rape since he was only 17 and she was drunk) and then suddenly you learn your sister is your fiancee's daughter with your mother?
The way WCBB was slapped together in the end and the cheesy "I just needed love after all" ending is so...tacky and messy. If you need to have a 400-page book and have the most important actions and info be present when you're in the 300-page mark, then you need to cut down the clutter in that's weighing down the beginning of your story. Jesus.
Maybe it's because I read her latest work before the debut, but trust me, it's apparent all-around. I don't know if it's a stylistic thing she thinks is cool or what, but it's happened twice and it does a disservice to the reader.
In WCBB, we follow Catherine West in her luxurious life - the massages, the hobby "job", the shopping - an effective way to promote that our narrator is aloof and out of touch with reality beyond her 1% realm, but when you really want some action to break up the monotony, you get the ~insert mysterious guy here~ schtick. OF COURSE, he's everything West wanted as a lonely, rich woman in her mid-40's, it's so by the book that it's really disappointing.
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
Other than some outbursts from her mother (that reveal nothing), the reader spends most of their time reading about West being wooed, moving in with her stranger lover quickly, and planning a wedding. When a ~reveal~ appears in regards to West's finances, the impact is muffled because of how obvious it was because of the mention of her throwing out her bank mail at every turn.
Things get juicy - but only for a moment - when it's revealed there's a connection between Lover Boy and Mommy Dearest, but our narrator is too dumb to even be cautious at this halfway point in WCBB. It's a chore to read her make defense after defense of her fiancee when even she continues to ask herself: who IS this guy? I feel like this is something where some true detective work could blossom and not wait to be hastily added in (like it was after more than half of the books was done). I was more interested in seeing what West was up to looking in her family's storage unit for clues with her BFF and pursuing the nanny than I was on all the time spent going over dialogue with her wedding planner.
I'm not saying there's a lack of detective work, but it's too much too late. We get the moment when she finds her mother's journal, then suddenly we get the nanny hunt, then it takes forever for the meeting between West and the nanny, then the reveal from the nanny feels rushed, and then we're in this weird limbo where ONLY NOW does West wonder where her fiancee has run off to.
Then it's back to more action items that seem added in just to check off some boxes: little boy fiancee tutors is scared of the guy more so implying he's a creep rather than a guy that hates kids, suddenly fiancee grabs West a little too roughly for the FIRST TIME and leaves a giant bruise on her arm OUT OF NOWHERE. These are cast off because of the fact that the threat doesn't have a solid foundation. Did West's fiancee do something creepy or violent to her mom? No? Um????
Then we're here at the last bit of action where it's like: boom, your fiancee slept with your drunk mom (but we're going to ignore the fact that this is like a double rape since he was only 17 and she was drunk) and then suddenly you learn your sister is your fiancee's daughter with your mother?
The way WCBB was slapped together in the end and the cheesy "I just needed love after all" ending is so...tacky and messy. If you need to have a 400-page book and have the most important actions and info be present when you're in the 300-page mark, then you need to cut down the clutter in that's weighing down the beginning of your story. Jesus.
kate_elizabeth's review
2.0
Eh. The *shocking twist* was predictable, though Huntley's satire of dumb rich people is fairly spot on.
jenni_schaub's review
1.0
Im shocked I actually stuck with us through the end... I've never hated a protagonist in a book so much. She was awful, her friends were vapid and I was not able to relate to a single thing that happened. Awful.
hkgoldst's review
2.0
If you thought Amazing Amy was unlikable, wait until you meet Catherine. Poor little rich girl and, more unfortunately, just boring. The ending was too unlikely.
emilycc's review
3.0
Catherine, an extremely rich woman living in the West Village, falls in love, finally, with the right kind of man. As they begin to build their life together - get engaged, try to start a family - hints start to pile up that he's not exactly the right kind of man after all. Meanwhile, Catherine's family life starts to fall apart as her mother's Alzheimer's gets worse.
I was kind of excited to read about some over-the-top rich people problems, but this is so, so slow to develop. I saw the big reveal coming from about 2 hours in, and the middle section just dragged. The denouement is actually kind of lovely, but it takes so long to get there, and Catherine is so horrible and selfish on the way. Her character evolution feels too abrupt, and it gets to the point where it's really hard to root for her.
Audio notes: I like Cassandra Campbell and she's in fine form, with excellent use of text cues and subtle vocal variations that clearly depict the cast of ridiculously privileged characters.
I was kind of excited to read about some over-the-top rich people problems, but this is so, so slow to develop. I saw the big reveal coming from about 2 hours in, and the middle section just dragged. The denouement is actually kind of lovely, but it takes so long to get there, and Catherine is so horrible and selfish on the way. Her character evolution feels too abrupt, and it gets to the point where it's really hard to root for her.
Audio notes: I like Cassandra Campbell and she's in fine form, with excellent use of text cues and subtle vocal variations that clearly depict the cast of ridiculously privileged characters.
mackenzierm's review
4.0
First line: "I wanted a family."
I thought that this a good novel...I began it thinking what could come of this novel? The main character seems quite selfish and materialistic with little attachment to the world around her, but then it all changes! I found myself reading more at a time to find out what was going to happen. I discovered the twist to the story a good 20-30 pages before it was unveiled, so I was definitely expecting the outcome that occurred, but nonetheless I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading any new novels that this author will publish in future!
I thought that this a good novel...I began it thinking what could come of this novel? The main character seems quite selfish and materialistic with little attachment to the world around her, but then it all changes! I found myself reading more at a time to find out what was going to happen. I discovered the twist to the story a good 20-30 pages before it was unveiled, so I was definitely expecting the outcome that occurred, but nonetheless I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading any new novels that this author will publish in future!