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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Being under 300 pages I knew for this book to be successful, it had to be fast paced from start to finish. That is what this was.
We follow Rose a journalist who just found out her best friend was missing and what she will do to find her.
I love it when I think the twist is easy and I think I guess it. Then the twist just comes out a left field. I love being on the edge of my seat through out the book.
Shanora’s writing pulls you in and doesn’t let you go as you are trying to piece together Eve’s movements. We not only get Rose’s POVs but a snippet of Eve’s from her diary.
✨Available on KU✨
Genre: Thriller
APK: Ebook
Pages: 270
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone
We follow Rose a journalist who just found out her best friend was missing and what she will do to find her.
I love it when I think the twist is easy and I think I guess it. Then the twist just comes out a left field. I love being on the edge of my seat through out the book.
Shanora’s writing pulls you in and doesn’t let you go as you are trying to piece together Eve’s movements. We not only get Rose’s POVs but a snippet of Eve’s from her diary.
✨Available on KU✨
Genre: Thriller
APK: Ebook
Pages: 270
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone
medium-paced
Thank you Dafina for the free book.
What I Liked:
Quick chapters
Steady pacing
I was completely caught off guard with the killer reveal. Legit didn’t see that coming at all.
Issues I Had:
Even though this book is billed as a thriller,
I felt it was more of mystery to me.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to RBmedia, NetGalley & Shanora Williams for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 1 star.
Genre(s): mystery/thriller.
Overall impression: unfortunately, the characters were so unlikeable and unrealistic that I didn't care what happened to any of them by the end of the book. It was supposed to be a mystery/thriller following the disappearance of the FMC's ex-friend but it read more like a soap opera with so much unnecessary drama. They would make terrible decisions and take no accountability for their actions, which annoyed me so much. If the book had been any longer, I would have dnfed it.
Tropes:
➵ Cheating husband with best friend
➵ Ex-best friend goes missing
➵ Diary entries
➵ Investigative journalist
➵ Everyone is a suspect
➵ Flawed characters
➵ Corrupt police
➵ Isolated lake house
➵ No phone reception
➵ Chased through the woods
➵ Set in small town
⤷ Plot:
The blurb sounded really good but unfortunately the execution was frustrating. Eve went missing after booking an AirBNB in a tiny town on the lake. For some unknown reason, Rose - who had caught Eve sleeping with Rose's husband - decided to upend her life and go search for clues on where she went. We were given diary entries from Eve throughout the book, which showed how shit her life was and to try garner sympathy towards her. But all it did was show us just how manipulative and awful she really was. She spoke about wanting to 'fix her life' but would do drugs, invite a bunch of guys over to have sex with her and then blackmail a man. So that's at least two instances where she was knowingly the 'other woman' and had no remorse. Now I obviously don't believe that's a reason for bad things to happen to her character - the married men were just as shitty if not more shitty than her and should face the consequences of their actions. But it didn't make me want to read any more about her or find out why she went missing. I just stopped caring.
⤷ Characters:
I've already explained how much I disliked Eve as a character in the 'Plot' section. But I didn't particularly like our other FMC Rose either. She didn't feel like a real person and made a lot of stupid decisions - like not leaving her AirBNB the second she saw someone lurking in the window, or sneaking into a suspect's house even though the police have warned her against taking the risk. Her reactions just didn't feel very real and it was impossible to relate to her at all.
All of the characters were flawed to some extent but it was frustrating that none of them went through any sort of growth or development. They felt very 2-dimensional and lacked complexity because of this.
⤷ World-building:
Most of the story was set in Sage Hills. It was a small town that felt a bit 'off', even from Rose's first encounter with the locals. The people were secretive - and racism and abuse was rife. It definitely wasn't a place I'd ever want to visit in real life.
⤷ Writing:
There was a lot of 'telling' and not a lot of 'showing', especially when introducing characters. It also felt like a 'plot of convenience' with random 'clues' being given with no real effort whenever the story slowed down and needed propelling forwards again. It felt like a rough draft and could have used a lot more fleshing out to feel more complete.
⤷ Everything else:
Whilst I didn't enjoy the story, the RBmedia audiobook version was engaging enough that I didn't dnf the book. The narrator's voice fit what I thought the character would sound like irl - and she adjusted her accent and tone to differentiate between the other characters in the story. Her voice was clear and portrayed emotion quite well. Unfortunately, it hasn't convinced me to try any of the author's other books - but I managed to get through this book at least.
Statistics:
➵ Date read: 28/06/2025-29/06/2025 (2 days).
➵ Page count: 6 hrs 48 mins, 270.
➵ Type: audiobook.
➵ Volume: standalone.
➵ Special: NetGalley ARC.
Social Media Links:
Instagram | TikTok | Threads
Follow for reviews, unboxings and book aesthetic videos.
Rating: 1 star.
Genre(s): mystery/thriller.
Overall impression: unfortunately, the characters were so unlikeable and unrealistic that I didn't care what happened to any of them by the end of the book. It was supposed to be a mystery/thriller following the disappearance of the FMC's ex-friend but it read more like a soap opera with so much unnecessary drama. They would make terrible decisions and take no accountability for their actions, which annoyed me so much. If the book had been any longer, I would have dnfed it.
Tropes:
➵ Cheating husband with best friend
➵ Ex-best friend goes missing
➵ Diary entries
➵ Investigative journalist
➵ Everyone is a suspect
➵ Flawed characters
➵ Corrupt police
➵ Isolated lake house
➵ No phone reception
➵ Chased through the woods
➵ Set in small town
⤷ Plot:
The blurb sounded really good but unfortunately the execution was frustrating. Eve went missing after booking an AirBNB in a tiny town on the lake. For some unknown reason, Rose - who had caught Eve sleeping with Rose's husband - decided to upend her life and go search for clues on where she went. We were given diary entries from Eve throughout the book, which showed how shit her life was and to try garner sympathy towards her. But all it did was show us just how manipulative and awful she really was. She spoke about wanting to 'fix her life' but would do drugs, invite a bunch of guys over to have sex with her and then blackmail a man. So that's at least two instances where she was knowingly the 'other woman' and had no remorse. Now I obviously don't believe that's a reason for bad things to happen to her character - the married men were just as shitty if not more shitty than her and should face the consequences of their actions. But it didn't make me want to read any more about her or find out why she went missing. I just stopped caring.
⤷ Characters:
I've already explained how much I disliked Eve as a character in the 'Plot' section. But I didn't particularly like our other FMC Rose either. She didn't feel like a real person and made a lot of stupid decisions - like not leaving her AirBNB the second she saw someone lurking in the window, or sneaking into a suspect's house even though the police have warned her against taking the risk. Her reactions just didn't feel very real and it was impossible to relate to her at all.
All of the characters were flawed to some extent but it was frustrating that none of them went through any sort of growth or development. They felt very 2-dimensional and lacked complexity because of this.
⤷ World-building:
Most of the story was set in Sage Hills. It was a small town that felt a bit 'off', even from Rose's first encounter with the locals. The people were secretive - and racism and abuse was rife. It definitely wasn't a place I'd ever want to visit in real life.
⤷ Writing:
There was a lot of 'telling' and not a lot of 'showing', especially when introducing characters. It also felt like a 'plot of convenience' with random 'clues' being given with no real effort whenever the story slowed down and needed propelling forwards again. It felt like a rough draft and could have used a lot more fleshing out to feel more complete.
⤷ Everything else:
Whilst I didn't enjoy the story, the RBmedia audiobook version was engaging enough that I didn't dnf the book. The narrator's voice fit what I thought the character would sound like irl - and she adjusted her accent and tone to differentiate between the other characters in the story. Her voice was clear and portrayed emotion quite well. Unfortunately, it hasn't convinced me to try any of the author's other books - but I managed to get through this book at least.
Statistics:
➵ Date read: 28/06/2025-29/06/2025 (2 days).
➵ Page count: 6 hrs 48 mins, 270.
➵ Type: audiobook.
➵ Volume: standalone.
➵ Special: NetGalley ARC.
Social Media Links:
Instagram | TikTok | Threads
Follow for reviews, unboxings and book aesthetic videos.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes