Reviews tagging 'Murder'

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

32 reviews

kirstym25's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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dblue236's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Getting a copy of Ruth Ware's newest book is always one of the things I look forward to most, and this one was well worth the wait. With the exception of The Turn of the Key, which remains one of my favorite books of all time, this one may be my favorite of hers to date. It wasn't as much of a challenge to figure out where things were going, but the ride more than made up for that and even though I wasn't all that shocked by the ending, it was still really entertaining. The story played out like a movie in my mind as I was reading, and that's a gift that not a lot of authors possess. I cannot recommend this author highly enough and if you're looking to read one of her books for the first time, this one is a great place to start!
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enzopudge's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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pambo's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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minimicropup's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Although survival thrillers are rarely for me, I found this one sooo tense and stressful. I hated how it made me feel, but I was captivated!
 
Energy: Hostile. Distressing. Ruthless. 
Scene: 🇮🇩  Set on a small, deserted island outfitted for a new reality tv show off the coast of Jakarta, Indonesia. 
Perspective: We follow a virologist post-doc (30s) asked by their actor-wannabe partner to audition for a new reality show meant to test the strength of a couple’s bond. We also get snippets from the diary of a 22-year old contestant on the show. Leading up to the disaster, emergency radio calls foreshadow what’s to come. 
 
🐕 Howls: The reality tv intrigue  too quickly overshadowed by survival horrors (but that may be a plus for others). The overall book felt a little too long for me.  
🐩 Tail Wags: The characters and how they’re written. The hint of extreme horror energy in certain scenes. Slow and steady pacing. Overall writing style and attention to detail. Atmosphere. 
 
🤔 Random Thoughts:
There are a lot of unlikeable characters. They’ll make you angry; it was tense, pettiness, bickering, chest-puffing stuff especially when things were already high-stakes.  
 
If you want fast-paced action-adventure the ethical cerebral moments may feel like interruptions, but they saved me from being exhausted by all the terrible visceral moments. 
 
The characters and atmosphere formed around me as I was listening. Imogen Church is my fav audio narrator when paired with Ruth Ware’s storytelling style. Expressive but not melodramatic.
 
Prepare for extreme survival horror elements. The injuries and consequences of actions play out much like they would in nature. We get an immersive description of the  smells, sounds, and sights and all the emotional aftermaths. 
 
I got a sense for how many days were passing on the island because it felt like I’d been reading for that long!
 
🤓 Reader Role: Tagging along with Lila who is telling us the story from her perspective. Sometimes we are in her mind and other times watching from afar. Also a bit of a time jumper as we get glimpses into the future. 
🗺️ World-Building: Immersive, layered, and atmospheric. 
🔥 Fuel: What is the real story behind this reality show? What will the other couples be like? Will Nico and Lila’s relationship survive the show? Will the anyone survive?
📖 Cred: Not impossible + hyper-realistic moments
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Crystal blue. Warm waves. Soft sand. Tropical summer breeze. Palm forests. Wood oil and fresh paint. Blood. Flies. Salt water. Stale pastry. Decomposition. Body odour. Terror. 
  • Reality TV gone Fyre Festival level wrong
  • Descriptive human vs nature & human vs human survival thriller on a tropical island
  • Ethical exploration and commentary around survival, murder, society, death, relationship abuse, and grief. 
 
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Content Heads-Up: Relationship breakdown. Verbal abuse. Body gore (graphic; blood, injury, wounds, fatalities). Corpse (discovery of, handling). Loss of romantic partner. Tropical storm (waves, destruction, high winds). Violence (physical). Murder. Psychopathy. Adult/minor relationship. Suicide (mention). Abusive partner (controlling, violent). Medical (diabetic shock). 
 
Rep: French. British. Olive, tan, pale skin tones. Gay. Heterosexual. Cisgender. Diabetes. Diverse body sizes. 
 
📚 Format: Library Audio
 
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶
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chiantechick's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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meridith_bex's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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gabbyreadstoomuch's review against another edition

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4.0

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juanat77's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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hrcobb's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

Exactly what I want from a Ruth Ware mystery! The beginning was a bit slow but once the plot started to take off, I was hooked. I think there could have been a bit more closure at the end, but this was definitely one of her more satisfying novels, imo. 
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