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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
3.5 stars -- Interesting book, but it moved fairly slow for me, for a mystery. It did keep me engaged and moving forward in the book, but the pace of the writing itself did seem to drag and not a lot of action. I guessed who the real killer was fairly early in the book, so then it was obvious to me throughout the rest of the book everything else that person did and why, so I didn't feel the few twists that came up were very surprising. The chapters are fairly short, with also breaks in the chapters themselves, so that I could read a bit here and there when I had just a few minutes. For some reason, books with smaller sections seem to move quicker for me. Also, the book is less than 300 pages.
I enjoyed the weaving of the astronomy, stars, and science of Sarah's job throughout the book and how she would relate that to different things she was going through. I also enjoyed the Santas and the Christmas tree that were a part of Ben and Sarah's relationship.
I did get frustrated with Sarah when she missed out on the obvious clues of who had framed Ben and where Ben was and how it took her so long to go there to find him, as well as other stupid things she did when she would find different evidence and things left behind and what she did (or didn't) do with them.
There are a lot of details and characters and people throughout the book, helping Sarah through Ben's disappearance, so a lot of relationships that are present in the story -- friends, family, co-workers. The descriptions, narration, and dialogue were really well done, but I felt that the underlying mystery wasn't as intriguing to me, very obvious from very early on. Still, it was an entertaining read and kept me moving through the book to the end.
This is my first book by this author; and until I read up on her two previous books, I didn't realize that her main character from those books plays a continual (though minor) role throughout this book - the reporter Kate Bradley. So, for return readers, I'm sure they'll be thrilled with that tie-in, though readers don't need to have read the previous books (as far as I can tell) before reading this one.
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***Spoilers for Once Upon a Book Club Box -- Don't read further if you receive this subscription book and haven't read the book and opened your gifts yet!!!***
I received this book as part of my subscription to Once Upon a Book Club, which includes gifts to be opened as you come upon certain spots throughout the book. For this book, the gifts were as follows:
p. 95 - A framed photo of the night sky, as described in the book as Sarah sees it in Ben's office, framed with a white frame printed with black stars, with the quote "I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."- Sarah Williams
p. 129 - A "Namibia meteorite" necklace (noted on the card as made from "natural stone"), as found by Sarah in the box under the Christmas tree, with the code on the back of it from Ben
p. 152 - A flash drive, made to look like an 80s/90s cassette tape, with 256 MB of storage, including a video clip, like the one mentioned in the book that Aaron recovers for Sarah of Ben and Zach erasing the security camera footage
p. 247 - A water bottle, with a fruit infuser, with the quote "A certain darkness is needed to see the stars" printed on the outside, representing the water bottle Sarah drops when she sees Ben. (The length of the water bottle is fairly standard; however, because of the fruit infuser on the bottom, it looks like the bottle actually only holds about 8 ounces of water.)
Printed Quote: "We need darkness in order to experience the light of the stars." - Dete Meserve
I enjoyed the weaving of the astronomy, stars, and science of Sarah's job throughout the book and how she would relate that to different things she was going through. I also enjoyed the Santas and the Christmas tree that were a part of Ben and Sarah's relationship.
I did get frustrated with Sarah when she missed out on the obvious clues of who had framed Ben and where Ben was and how it took her so long to go there to find him, as well as other stupid things she did when she would find different evidence and things left behind and what she did (or didn't) do with them.
There are a lot of details and characters and people throughout the book, helping Sarah through Ben's disappearance, so a lot of relationships that are present in the story -- friends, family, co-workers. The descriptions, narration, and dialogue were really well done, but I felt that the underlying mystery wasn't as intriguing to me, very obvious from very early on. Still, it was an entertaining read and kept me moving through the book to the end.
This is my first book by this author; and until I read up on her two previous books, I didn't realize that her main character from those books plays a continual (though minor) role throughout this book - the reporter Kate Bradley. So, for return readers, I'm sure they'll be thrilled with that tie-in, though readers don't need to have read the previous books (as far as I can tell) before reading this one.
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***Spoilers for Once Upon a Book Club Box -- Don't read further if you receive this subscription book and haven't read the book and opened your gifts yet!!!***
I received this book as part of my subscription to Once Upon a Book Club, which includes gifts to be opened as you come upon certain spots throughout the book. For this book, the gifts were as follows:
p. 95 - A framed photo of the night sky, as described in the book as Sarah sees it in Ben's office, framed with a white frame printed with black stars, with the quote "I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."- Sarah Williams
p. 129 - A "Namibia meteorite" necklace (noted on the card as made from "natural stone"), as found by Sarah in the box under the Christmas tree, with the code on the back of it from Ben
p. 152 - A flash drive, made to look like an 80s/90s cassette tape, with 256 MB of storage, including a video clip, like the one mentioned in the book that Aaron recovers for Sarah of Ben and Zach erasing the security camera footage
p. 247 - A water bottle, with a fruit infuser, with the quote "A certain darkness is needed to see the stars" printed on the outside, representing the water bottle Sarah drops when she sees Ben. (The length of the water bottle is fairly standard; however, because of the fruit infuser on the bottom, it looks like the bottle actually only holds about 8 ounces of water.)
Printed Quote: "We need darkness in order to experience the light of the stars." - Dete Meserve
This book was a disappointment. It had so much going for it, but throughout the book there was one aspect of the main character that just didn't ring true: again and again, she . And while there are some characters for whom that action would make sense, it never felt like it matched her character. I could forgive it initially, because . But even after that type of decision came back to bite her, she persisted. And, that strained believability for me; I could imagine characters who would behave that way, but what we knew of her didn't make her seem like those characters.
That said, I would probably read another of this author's books, if the description interested me. Other than that one glaring flaw, most of her characters felt quite believable and authentic and the plot was an interesting one. But… this one aspect of the main character really spoiled this book for me.
Spoiler
withheld information from the policeSpoiler
she was in shock after her husband's disappearance and his being named suspect in a murderThat said, I would probably read another of this author's books, if the description interested me. Other than that one glaring flaw, most of her characters felt quite believable and authentic and the plot was an interesting one. But… this one aspect of the main character really spoiled this book for me.
I couldn't get into this book, I felt the writing style was choppy and incomplete and the characters actions and reactions were so out of the realm of plausibility, it just completely took me out of the story that wasn't actually that bad.
The character development was not... great, I felt there was really only Sarah who had any sort of development and that her son, sister and the best friend, even the bodyguard, and Matt for that matter were just there for plot reasons or so Sarah had someone to interact with occasionally when the majority of the book was in her head.
I also didn't like how her marriage suddenly had a happily ever after with no real effort and how Sarah hid certain things she did.
Don't kid yourself, this book isn't any sort of sci-fi, stargazing, multi-layered story, it's a romance, plain and simple and not a very good one.
2.5 stars, would not recommend.
The character development was not... great, I felt there was really only Sarah who had any sort of development and that her son, sister and the best friend, even the bodyguard, and Matt for that matter were just there for plot reasons or so Sarah had someone to interact with occasionally when the majority of the book was in her head.
I also didn't like how her marriage suddenly had a happily ever after with no real effort and how Sarah hid certain things she did.
Don't kid yourself, this book isn't any sort of sci-fi, stargazing, multi-layered story, it's a romance, plain and simple and not a very good one.
2.5 stars, would not recommend.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The mystery, suspense, and beauty of the desert sky make for a compelling and stunning read. Meserve’s passion for astronomy and discovering the overlooked permeate the novel. It’s a stark and timely reminder for us all to look past our initial impressions, past the obvious answers, and past the words that people tell us to what really exists in the space between.
Read my full review here.
The mystery, suspense, and beauty of the desert sky make for a compelling and stunning read. Meserve’s passion for astronomy and discovering the overlooked permeate the novel. It’s a stark and timely reminder for us all to look past our initial impressions, past the obvious answers, and past the words that people tell us to what really exists in the space between.
Read my full review here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
[b:The Space Between|38093953|The Space Between|Dete Meserve|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1523046012s/38093953.jpg|59764663] by [a:Dete Meserve|8151862|Dete Meserve|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1397781971p2/8151862.jpg] grabbed my attention immediately and held it throughout the entire book all the way to the {somewhat} shocking ending.
The Space Between focuses on the story of Sarah Mayfield who works for the Carnegie Institute of Technology and lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband Ben and son Zack. She has just returned home from DC after a 3 day presentation to NASA only to find out that Ben has mysteriously disappeared. The rest of the novel is a continuous amount of startling discoveries and a police investigation on where Ben, a successful restaurant owner, has disappeared to.
That is just the bare bones of the story, but I think it is enough to get you going. I went into the book blind not really knowing what was going on and I'm glad I did. I didn't consider Sarah an unreliable narrator even though there is suspicion cast on her from the police. However, sometimes I did wonder a little at her choices (especially considering how smart she must be). The chapters moved at a quick pace, and they continued to get shorter as the book went on, especially toward the end. It ended up being a very quick read, and I thought the pacing was fast enough to make it hard to put down.
The book is a bit repetitive in a few spots, but nothing that really bothered me too much. I was a little shocked at the ending, but not overly. I did have my suspicions and most of them were right. Even though that was the case, the pace and excitement of the book kept me reading anyway.
There is also a tiny dose of romance in The Space Between but nothing crazy. This is not a book with love scenes, just some affection that didn't bother me in the slightest.
I loved the astronomy aspect to this book, it was something different from what I have read in other novels. I love when the female characters have an actual career, and reading about space was very interesting for me. I love that the author applied something she knows about to the novel, I really enjoy when an author does that. And of course, I thought the cover fit into the story beautifully - such a gorgeous cover! I would probably buy this book just based on the cover alone because that is the type of person I am.
Final Thought: This book might not amaze anyone, but I think it was a super fun, fast-paced read. I also consider it to be on the lighter side, even though the subject matters are a bit on the heavier side. Meserve's writing just made everything come together nicely and in a way I think was fitting for the book. No big surprises, but if you don't think too much about it you might just be surprised. ;)
[b:The Space Between|38093953|The Space Between|Dete Meserve|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1523046012s/38093953.jpg|59764663] by [a:Dete Meserve|8151862|Dete Meserve|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1397781971p2/8151862.jpg] grabbed my attention immediately and held it throughout the entire book all the way to the {somewhat} shocking ending.
The Space Between focuses on the story of Sarah Mayfield who works for the Carnegie Institute of Technology and lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband Ben and son Zack. She has just returned home from DC after a 3 day presentation to NASA only to find out that Ben has mysteriously disappeared. The rest of the novel is a continuous amount of startling discoveries and a police investigation on where Ben, a successful restaurant owner, has disappeared to.
That is just the bare bones of the story, but I think it is enough to get you going. I went into the book blind not really knowing what was going on and I'm glad I did. I didn't consider Sarah an unreliable narrator even though there is suspicion cast on her from the police. However, sometimes I did wonder a little at her choices (especially considering how smart she must be). The chapters moved at a quick pace, and they continued to get shorter as the book went on, especially toward the end. It ended up being a very quick read, and I thought the pacing was fast enough to make it hard to put down.
The book is a bit repetitive in a few spots, but nothing that really bothered me too much. I was a little shocked at the ending, but not overly. I did have my suspicions and most of them were right. Even though that was the case, the pace and excitement of the book kept me reading anyway.
There is also a tiny dose of romance in The Space Between but nothing crazy. This is not a book with love scenes, just some affection that didn't bother me in the slightest.
I loved the astronomy aspect to this book, it was something different from what I have read in other novels. I love when the female characters have an actual career, and reading about space was very interesting for me. I love that the author applied something she knows about to the novel, I really enjoy when an author does that. And of course, I thought the cover fit into the story beautifully - such a gorgeous cover! I would probably buy this book just based on the cover alone because that is the type of person I am.
Final Thought: This book might not amaze anyone, but I think it was a super fun, fast-paced read. I also consider it to be on the lighter side, even though the subject matters are a bit on the heavier side. Meserve's writing just made everything come together nicely and in a way I think was fitting for the book. No big surprises, but if you don't think too much about it you might just be surprised. ;)
3.5 Twinkling Stars for The Space Between
"There's a lot more going on out there than what our eyes see."
Renowned astronomer Sarah Mayfield comes home from a NASA presentation to find her husband Ben missing. Initially Sarah is under suspicion as she was seen in a compromising position during the time Ben went missing. The Mayfield's marriage was going through a "rough patch" and upon her husband's death Sarah stands to inherit millions from his well off family's fortune.
Things escalate quickly when a potential business associate of Ben's is found murdered and he is now their prime suspect. The cameras in their home have been wiped, Ben's business partners are alleging that he was actually the one that stole money from them and not the other way around as he initially alleged, a gun shows up in their dresser drawer and suddenly a million dollars have been mysteriously wired into a relatively unused account. What is going on? Sarah has no idea and she has so many unanswered questions. None of the potential answers look good for Ben's innocence. Sarah's world is turned upside down - is her husband in danger or is he the dangerous one? How well does she really know the man she has been married to for the last 15 years.
Sometimes we really can't know the people we love."
While I was honestly engaged in this web of deceit, turning page after page. I was also troubled by a big aspect of it that I simply couldn't move past as the reader. I know this premise has been done before - unsuspecting women who live with a monster and are unknowingly deceived. I've read books where that was the premise & absolutely loved it (like Stillhouse Lake - I bought everything about it). Yet, I honestly never believed Ben was a monster in this book. Sarah's flashbacks were of a genuinely good guy and one that honestly loved her. The moments she thought about were touching and heartfelt. There was even mention from the reporter that everyone she interviewed loved Ben and spoke well of him. Why then was Sarah so quick to believe he could be possible of something so heinous as murder? Since I could never justifiably make that leap the whole premise of the book weighed on me.
I understand that Sarah was insecure in their relationship because Ben was supposed to be handsome and came from family money. Apparently, we were supposed to think he was therefore "out of her league". It was brought up quite a few times within the story to remind us (too many times if you ask me). I just found her insecurities to be whiny and unwarranted. Ben never gave her any actual reason to feel insecure. Her sister was quick to "villainize" him because he had money and was handsome. Therefore, he couldn't be suitable for Sarah. Why the heck not? I just couldn't make that leap. That aspect of the story bothered me quite a bit and it remained, persistently nagging the back of my mind as I read.
Honestly, Ben was actually my favorite character & he wasn't even in the book that much. I don't think this was the author's intention at all. Alas, we can't control our feelings on these types of things can we? As for the actual mystery - I had it figured out early on. I was actually unimpressed with how long it took Sarah to figure it out! She spent 75% of the book too "blinded" by supposed facts being thrown at her to actually figure out what was going on with Ben. She was supposed to be an intelligent scientist after all. I just felt like their relationship deserved a little more trust from her, despite the farfetched circumstances.
"I wonder if I've been accepting the facts of Ben's disappearance but ignoring what might be beyond them. I've failed to search for answers my eyes cannot see. The facts, like the stars we can see, command our attention with their bright lights. They also blind us to what else might be there."
Overall, this was an entertaining read. I really enjoyed the astronomy aspects that were woven in which surprised me. I learned a few new terms - win! The story started out strong but the middle definitely dragged for me. Unfortunately, I also found the plot to be a bit too predictable. Maybe I just couldn't throw myself wholeheartedly into it with the nagging thoughts in the back of my mind?
Thank you to Dete Meserve, Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Space Between
"There's a lot more going on out there than what our eyes see."
Renowned astronomer Sarah Mayfield comes home from a NASA presentation to find her husband Ben missing. Initially Sarah is under suspicion as she was seen in a compromising position during the time Ben went missing. The Mayfield's marriage was going through a "rough patch" and upon her husband's death Sarah stands to inherit millions from his well off family's fortune.
Things escalate quickly when a potential business associate of Ben's is found murdered and he is now their prime suspect. The cameras in their home have been wiped, Ben's business partners are alleging that he was actually the one that stole money from them and not the other way around as he initially alleged, a gun shows up in their dresser drawer and suddenly a million dollars have been mysteriously wired into a relatively unused account. What is going on? Sarah has no idea and she has so many unanswered questions. None of the potential answers look good for Ben's innocence. Sarah's world is turned upside down - is her husband in danger or is he the dangerous one? How well does she really know the man she has been married to for the last 15 years.
Sometimes we really can't know the people we love."
While I was honestly engaged in this web of deceit, turning page after page. I was also troubled by a big aspect of it that I simply couldn't move past as the reader. I know this premise has been done before - unsuspecting women who live with a monster and are unknowingly deceived. I've read books where that was the premise & absolutely loved it (like Stillhouse Lake - I bought everything about it). Yet, I honestly never believed Ben was a monster in this book. Sarah's flashbacks were of a genuinely good guy and one that honestly loved her. The moments she thought about were touching and heartfelt. There was even mention from the reporter that everyone she interviewed loved Ben and spoke well of him. Why then was Sarah so quick to believe he could be possible of something so heinous as murder? Since I could never justifiably make that leap the whole premise of the book weighed on me.
I understand that Sarah was insecure in their relationship because Ben was supposed to be handsome and came from family money. Apparently, we were supposed to think he was therefore "out of her league". It was brought up quite a few times within the story to remind us (too many times if you ask me). I just found her insecurities to be whiny and unwarranted. Ben never gave her any actual reason to feel insecure. Her sister was quick to "villainize" him because he had money and was handsome. Therefore, he couldn't be suitable for Sarah. Why the heck not? I just couldn't make that leap. That aspect of the story bothered me quite a bit and it remained, persistently nagging the back of my mind as I read.
Honestly, Ben was actually my favorite character & he wasn't even in the book that much. I don't think this was the author's intention at all. Alas, we can't control our feelings on these types of things can we? As for the actual mystery - I had it figured out early on. I was actually unimpressed with how long it took Sarah to figure it out! She spent 75% of the book too "blinded" by supposed facts being thrown at her to actually figure out what was going on with Ben. She was supposed to be an intelligent scientist after all. I just felt like their relationship deserved a little more trust from her, despite the farfetched circumstances.
"I wonder if I've been accepting the facts of Ben's disappearance but ignoring what might be beyond them. I've failed to search for answers my eyes cannot see. The facts, like the stars we can see, command our attention with their bright lights. They also blind us to what else might be there."
Overall, this was an entertaining read. I really enjoyed the astronomy aspects that were woven in which surprised me. I learned a few new terms - win! The story started out strong but the middle definitely dragged for me. Unfortunately, I also found the plot to be a bit too predictable. Maybe I just couldn't throw myself wholeheartedly into it with the nagging thoughts in the back of my mind?
Thank you to Dete Meserve, Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Space Between
I am a long-time lover of domestic thrillers, as evidenced by the fact that my blog consists of either middle grade/YA book reviews, or overly complicated, twisted thrillers about husbands and wives gone horribly wrong. So when I saw the adult offering for August's Once Upon a Book Club box, I jumped on it - who doesn't love a good ol' yarn about a missing husband? And what's even better, the wife who's trying to puzzle it all out is a freakin' astronomer!
Rating:
Our main character, Sarah, returns home from a business trip where she has unveiled an amazing scientific discovery only to find that her husband, Ben, isn't home yet. Their teenage son, Zack, has shrugged it off and gone about his business, so Sarah follows suit and goes to bed. But when she wakes up and Ben is still not home, that's when things start to get a little hairy ...
It turns out that when Zack saw his dad leave home last, he told him to lock the doors and turn on the alarm system - something Ben never told Zack to do. Things get even more problematic when Sarah discovers a loaded handgun in her bedside table, and a small loan of a million dollars in a remote bank account she set up for her son and rarely touched.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"]
This is basically what happened.[/caption]
All Hell begins to break loose as Sarah's powerful restaurateur husband doesn't return home yet another night, the police are called, and the house of cards slowly starts to fall down around them all. Where is Ben? And why is all of the security footage of the house suddenly wiped clean when Sarah needs it now more than ever?
What kept me from giving this book a higher rating was all of the names. There were so many men in this book, and they all had names that came up just often enough that you'd forget who the guy was, but not that you'd seen his name before. It made it difficult to know how to react when Sarah would gasp and say "Oh, that's XYZ on the recovered DVR footage!" - who? Which one was the husband's college BFF, again? The ending was also a little "meh" - schmaltzy and unrealistic, but if you like a happy ending with no loose ends to tie up when you finish your domestic thrillers, this is the book for you. I prefer a more genuine ending, where everyone is not perfectly happy, but you know it will eventually come around full circle.
On the other foot, Meserve's writing is chock full of loving, beautiful prose about the night sky and its occupants. I learned a lot about skies and constellations from reading this book, and I could tell how much her own personal gentle adoration of the subject was coming out as she wrote - it shows.
Overall, if you enjoy the subject of astronomy and you like a Lifetime movie-temperature domestic thriller, check out The Space Between. It's not perfect, but it's a fun romp anyway.
Rating:
How I'd Describe This Book to a Friend
Our main character, Sarah, returns home from a business trip where she has unveiled an amazing scientific discovery only to find that her husband, Ben, isn't home yet. Their teenage son, Zack, has shrugged it off and gone about his business, so Sarah follows suit and goes to bed. But when she wakes up and Ben is still not home, that's when things start to get a little hairy ...
It turns out that when Zack saw his dad leave home last, he told him to lock the doors and turn on the alarm system - something Ben never told Zack to do. Things get even more problematic when Sarah discovers a loaded handgun in her bedside table, and a small loan of a million dollars in a remote bank account she set up for her son and rarely touched.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"]
This is basically what happened.[/caption]All Hell begins to break loose as Sarah's powerful restaurateur husband doesn't return home yet another night, the police are called, and the house of cards slowly starts to fall down around them all. Where is Ben? And why is all of the security footage of the house suddenly wiped clean when Sarah needs it now more than ever?
The Bottom Line
What kept me from giving this book a higher rating was all of the names. There were so many men in this book, and they all had names that came up just often enough that you'd forget who the guy was, but not that you'd seen his name before. It made it difficult to know how to react when Sarah would gasp and say "Oh, that's XYZ on the recovered DVR footage!" - who? Which one was the husband's college BFF, again? The ending was also a little "meh" - schmaltzy and unrealistic, but if you like a happy ending with no loose ends to tie up when you finish your domestic thrillers, this is the book for you. I prefer a more genuine ending, where everyone is not perfectly happy, but you know it will eventually come around full circle.
On the other foot, Meserve's writing is chock full of loving, beautiful prose about the night sky and its occupants. I learned a lot about skies and constellations from reading this book, and I could tell how much her own personal gentle adoration of the subject was coming out as she wrote - it shows.
Overall, if you enjoy the subject of astronomy and you like a Lifetime movie-temperature domestic thriller, check out The Space Between. It's not perfect, but it's a fun romp anyway.
A rare 5 star rating for a thriller/mystery. This one completely engrossed me though. There were so many clues to throw you off the trail but enough there to get glimmers of what really happened. I just loved it. I absolutely could not put it down. I loved the characters and their depth. I loved the astronomy thrown in. Delightful way to spend a rainy Sunday.
This book was the perfect thing to get me out of a reading slump and I am so excited that Once Upon a Book Club selected this for their August box. The mystery was very well placed with enough clues to try and mislead the reader without anything feeling forced or obvious. The science element was not so heavy that someone who wasn't well-versed in astronomy would be confused or overwhelmed with the technical aspects of the book. The ending felt satisfying and surprising enough be a successful mystery as well. Highly recommend picking this up if you're looking for a page turner - I finished this in about four hours today and loved every minute of it!