Reviews

I was riveted by this book! Every aspect of the story is written to keep the reader’s interest, from the “pranks” targeting Emilia to the slow revelations about her book and finally, the revelation of the killer. The pacing was just right and the twists were unexpected and just kept coming!

booksbytheglass's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

2.5

if there’s one thing I gravitate to in thrillers, it’s a dual timeline POV - and this one worked out so perfectly!

when a crime writer starts to notice events happening around her that are straight out of her books, she immediately goes into panic mode (and tbh, who wouldn’t) on who is out for her 😳 as the story escalates, the reader is treated to excerpts of the book within a book, occurring at the same time as the real events!!

in theory, this would be a fantastic twist and fast paced story. in actuality, the sheer amount of characters that were introduced once by a single sentence and promptly had no effect on the plot whatsoever was astonishing. I immediately lost track of every single person as the characterization was bare minimal except for the main character. the writing itself, when there was characterization, was so simple and juvenile it made my heart hurt - a clear example of telling rather than showing.

my brain physically was spinning in circles when I read this one 😵‍💫 like I couldn’t wrap my head around one topic before it bounced to another one… I think with a little more trimming and editing, it could achieve the same purpose without a ton of confusion on the readers’ end

all in all, the bones of the story were excellent and unique, but sadly, it fell victim to too many stories and characters happening at the same time to feel any sort of impact.

thank you to netgalley and harper collins for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 2.5 stars
wine pairing: australia malbec