Scan barcode
asreadbyakhila's review
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Minor: Incest
juci's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Normally I’m a slow reader, but I finished this book in a day and a half. Although, I’d say it’s medium-paced - at times slower while sometimes (especially towards the end) much more fast-paced.
The story is complex enough that it kept me engaged and interested in trying to figure out the mysteries and find the missing pieces by myself. Without giving any spoilers, I just want to say I appreciated that while some parts of the puzzle were easy to put together, there were a few twists throughout the book, even towards the very end, which caught me by surprise. In the end, I felt satisfied when everything finally clicked.
Most of the characters are quite unlikable in my opinion, but that feels intentional - they’re raw, imperfect, and complex. There aren’t clear “good” or “bad” characters, which I appreciate. It gives more depth and realness to the story.
I also like Hawkins’ writing style and found the nonlinear timeline (constantly jumping back and forth in time to tell the story) fitting for this novel. It’s funny that at one point one of the characters is reading another character’s book and criticizes this exact style of writing, saying
“Like the last one, that awful crime thing. Just start at the beginning, for God’s sake. Why couldn’t people just tell a story any longer, from start to finish?”
Then Hawkins proceeds to do that exact thing again, jumping back in time to give us another piece of the puzzle. This is just a small thing that stuck with me, but there are lots of small lines like that in the book, which I found pretty clever, and I thought they gave another layer to the novel.
All in all, an enjoyable read, and I’d definitely recommend it.
The story is complex enough that it kept me engaged and interested in trying to figure out the mysteries and find the missing pieces by myself. Without giving any spoilers, I just want to say I appreciated that while some parts of the puzzle were easy to put together, there were a few twists throughout the book, even towards the very end, which caught me by surprise. In the end, I felt satisfied when everything finally clicked.
Most of the characters are quite unlikable in my opinion, but that feels intentional - they’re raw, imperfect, and complex. There aren’t clear “good” or “bad” characters, which I appreciate. It gives more depth and realness to the story.
I also like Hawkins’ writing style and found the nonlinear timeline (constantly jumping back and forth in time to tell the story) fitting for this novel. It’s funny that at one point one of the characters is reading another character’s book and criticizes this exact style of writing, saying
“Like the last one, that awful crime thing. Just start at the beginning, for God’s sake. Why couldn’t people just tell a story any longer, from start to finish?”
Then Hawkins proceeds to do that exact thing again, jumping back in time to give us another piece of the puzzle. This is just a small thing that stuck with me, but there are lots of small lines like that in the book, which I found pretty clever, and I thought they gave another layer to the novel.
All in all, an enjoyable read, and I’d definitely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Murder, Child death, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, and Cursing
Minor: Incest
inespires's review
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Incest, Murder, Rape, and Suicide attempt
katemae's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Incest
haxannah's review
dark
mysterious
fast-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
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, and Car accident
Minor: Incest, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape
lookingmuchimproved's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
There is a skillful interweaving of the lives and circumstances of many characters. Most of those lives and circumstances are quite tragic which for me meant that even though I disliked many of the characters I couldn't help but feel sad for them and regret for the chaos they caused in their lives now rooted in those tragedies.
I feel like the author also utilizes different ways in which a writer can deliver a plot twist to their reader. One way is the slow revelation of information, feeding the reader incomplete information that makes them think they understand, or misleading the reader with the POV of a certain character. Until, finally, there is clarity of how things really fit together and it's not what the reader expected. I found this very reminiscent of her previous works.
The other kind of twist being the one that the reading just really doesn't see coming. An out of nowhere shock to the system that you can only piece together by looking back and realizing that the hints were dropped along the way but you were too busy with other aspects of the book. This is the kind of twist that sometimes makes me need to set my book down for a minute to process it.
Overall, this was a much better read for me than The Girl on the Train. I think Paula Hawkins is growing as a writer and I look forward to seeing what comes next.
I feel like the author also utilizes different ways in which a writer can deliver a plot twist to their reader. One way is the slow revelation of information, feeding the reader incomplete information that makes them think they understand, or misleading the reader with the POV of a certain character. Until, finally, there is clarity of how things really fit together and it's not what the reader expected. I found this very reminiscent of her previous works.
The other kind of twist being the one that the reading just really doesn't see coming. An out of nowhere shock to the system that you can only piece together by looking back and realizing that the hints were dropped along the way but you were too busy with other aspects of the book. This is the kind of twist that sometimes makes me need to set my book down for a minute to process it.
Overall, this was a much better read for me than The Girl on the Train. I think Paula Hawkins is growing as a writer and I look forward to seeing what comes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Ableism, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Incest
jessgrace88's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death
mydearwatsonbooks's review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Infertility, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Xenophobia, Car accident, Death, Miscarriage, Murder, Violence, Rape, and Kidnapping
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Incest, Vomit, Fatphobia, Dementia, and Death of parent
amanderz58's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Kidnapping
Minor: Incest