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minimicropup's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I enjoyed this, I liked how the story was told.
Energy: Bewildered. Feisty. Insistent.
Scene: 🇺🇸 The Sycamores, a roadside motel turned low-rent apartments in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Perspective: We follow two main characters. One is a superintendent trying to get on their feet after an unexpected break-up. The other is going through their recently deceased spouse’s apartment/painting studio trying to get a sense of what happened.
🐩 Tail Wags: The characters. Dramedy elements. The Sycamores. Story-telling style.
🤔 Random Thoughts:
You can try to solve the mysteries or just tag along for the ride since it’s more on the contemporary fiction side. If you like the characters or at least find them interesting, there's enough substance to keep it interesting.
I like that it didn’t drag on. Things are constantly happening, some impactful and others less of a big deal. The dual character perspectives also keep things interesting.
It’s got plot, but also character driven. There are some comedic type situations, alongside darker uneasy ones. It flowed well without feeling too quirky while also not taking itself too seriously.
Some of the suspense relied on withholding from the reader, either because we are in the other characters perspective or a character reacts but doesn’t share with us what they’re reacting to. This usually bugs me but bc it was used sporadically I was okay with it. Sometimes we know a little more than the characters or a little bit less.
Although…”I let out the breath I’d been holding” appears a few times lol. It’s forgiven.
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🤓 Reader Role: Observer. Immersed in the apartment complex, getting to know the tenants, tagging along on their adventures.
🗺️ World-Building: Easy to imagine the settings, characters, and their dynamics. Like watching a mini-series in my mind.
🔥 Fuel: Why did Anna’s husband die by suicide (or did he)? Why did someone anonymously tell his wife to get out? The rest of the fuel would be a spoiler. It’s not all sleuthing around Anna’s husband. Cass, the superintendent, has some incidents and serious life drama to navigate, and there are vibes around the other tenants that lead to ever increasing mysteries.
📖 Cred: Plausible, maybe a sprinkling of suspended disbelief.
Mood Reading Match-Up:
- Sizzling sun. Hot pavement. Body odour. Rain on a car roof. Crickets. BBQs and curries. Dinner plates. Distant arguing. AC. Cicadas. Pool splashing and laughter. Cigarette smoke.
- Touch of Good for Them revenge
- Dramedy conundrums and mysteries
- Life falling apart and found family
Content Heads-Up: Loss of a spouse. Cancer (brief recall). Depression. Homophobia (character comments). Domestic abuse (father/husband). Misogyny. Blood. Death. Murder. Suicide. Extortion. Sexual assault. Drugging. Alcohol use (self-medicating, intoxication). Financial insecurity, lay-offs. Poverty, child neglect/hardships. Infidelity. Break-up. Miscarriage (brief recalls). Disposal of corpse. Kidnapping. Violence (attack, threats, gun).
Rep: Diverse body sizes. Latina, Latino, and ambiguously described Americans. Cisgender. Heterosexual.
📚 Format: Library Audio
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Infidelity, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Suicide
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, and Cancer
bettinab's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I'm so sorry. I wanted to love it. "On a Quiet Street" was one of my fave books last year and I was so excited about the author's next one that I even pre-ordered it. But I'm disappointed. Unfortunately, this did not work as a thriller/mystery for me at all - I was pretty bored, there's no real twists and the suspense never builds. I tried to analyze why but can't quite figure it out. For me, the pacing was off and far too slow, the story was pretty underwhelming and I didn't particularly like any of the characters - even though there's nothing really wrong with them either. A miss for me - by I'm not giving up on the Seraphina yet and will pick up her next one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Cancer
kar2005's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death
Moderate: Miscarriage
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