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avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
When Sam's uncle dies, she finds long-buried secrets unearthed as a new witness, and a new investigator are involved in her family's long-cold murder case.
It's another great Kara Thomas thriller that kept me guessing and almost made me cry. This was my first of her adult thrillers and it was just as good as her YA ones. I think it was a bit darker and grittier but that's to be expected with the different age category I think.
The narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life and giving the characters different voices without being over-the-top and comical. Which wouldn't be appropriate for this subject matter.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. I guessed part of the mystery but not all of it and not in quite the right direction either.
Extra Ratings:
Thrill: 4/5; Predictability: 1.5/5; Mystery: 4.5/5; Love: 0.5/5; Tear: 3.5/5; Heartfelt: 4/5; Spice: 0.5/5; Suspense: 4.5/5; Humor: 0.5/5; Horror: 0/5
It's another great Kara Thomas thriller that kept me guessing and almost made me cry. This was my first of her adult thrillers and it was just as good as her YA ones. I think it was a bit darker and grittier but that's to be expected with the different age category I think.
The narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life and giving the characters different voices without being over-the-top and comical. Which wouldn't be appropriate for this subject matter.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. I guessed part of the mystery but not all of it and not in quite the right direction either.
Extra Ratings:
Thrill: 4/5; Predictability: 1.5/5; Mystery: 4.5/5; Love: 0.5/5; Tear: 3.5/5; Heartfelt: 4/5; Spice: 0.5/5; Suspense: 4.5/5; Humor: 0.5/5; Horror: 0/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Cursing, Alcohol, Sexual content, Drug use, and Police brutality
Moderate: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Addiction
Minor: Child death and Cancer
jessreadreceipts's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, and Alcoholism
Minor: Infidelity, Abandonment, and Vomit
ariel790's review against another edition
mysterious
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? No
2.25
I did not really like the main character, Samantha. I found her to be self absorbed and kinda narcissistic. That made it hard to care for her plight. Particularly when she would get distracted from finding her sister. Lack of communication on Samantha's part with the lead investigator only led to a lot of unnecessary drama that gave the book a disjointed feel that was difficult for me to read through.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Death of parent, Classism, Cancer, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug abuse
Minor: Child death, Suicide, Rape, and Abortion
rainbowbean's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
I received this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley as well as Thomas & Mercer for this fantastic 5 Star read! NO spoilers ahead.
Kara Thomas can we be best friends?! I just loved this book! If you're a "crime junkie" this has a very "ripped from the headlines" feel. The past crime/ current investigation storytelling reminded me of the real life storytelling on the Counter Clock podcast. This was fast paced from the start and I did not want to put it down.
+1⭐: Excellent relatable writing style. It wasn't forced and didn't try too hard to be flowery with language. Which is great because the main character was not a flowery person (for good reason).
Main Character (no spoilers):
Sam is clearly intelligent and she endured so much trauma she seems stuck in triggered mode and acts accordingly with good reason. She is intensely perceptive as an adult of others and it's clearly a trauma response, but it's also what's driving her to put the pieces together about what really happened to her family. Sam is every Millennial who has seen some shit. She is perfectly flawed and her questionable behavior matches her character's life.
+1⭐: Plot:
If there were any plot holes I didn't notice because I was just enjoying the story and main character so much. Fast paced, quick read that I didn't want to end though I was desperate to know the answer.
+1⭐: The Perp & Ending. No spoilers here. It's too good to ruin. There were so many directions this could have gone. This was a masterpiece of a story.
Trope Talk:
The MC returning to a small hometown full of people with a complicated history trope was executed with perfection. I was there with Sam in Carney.
+1⭐: World Building:
The author's ability to sew so many nuances of literally everything in current political/social/pop culture into this story to make me feel and relate to the environment was beautifully done.
I so much appreciated the attention the mc (a nurse) brought to how the opioid crisis and chronic pain affect people. Specifically an explanation of a character's rheumatoid arthritis and the conversation between two characters about chronic pain was so well written. Anyone who has chronic pain or has in any way been impacted by what that can lead to will feel seen and understood.
A++ for accurate modern world building.
+1⭐: The Unexpected:
I did not expect this book to be funny but certain lines had me crying from laughing so hard. I AM the target audience for this book for sure. I cackled when Sam was working a shift and the author describes "a Mary Kay scented hand" touching her. Something about this nurse who is into MLM products was just hilarious, there's at least one on every hospital floor so this just perfectly set the scene and is probably the most funny way I have ever heard a character described. Another line about over-priced stitch fix clothes sent me. The adoration of cinnasticks. 🤣 Little quips about Millennial behavior were spot on. The political jabs and calling out the "Thin Blue Line" bullshit were 🤌 *chef's kiss*.
Miniscule Gripe:
Every person with a scar/tattoo was described the same: "a crescent shaped scar/shape from XYZ". It was just repetitive enough to slightly irritate me by the 3rd+ time.
Trigger Warnings:
Heavy on the topic of parental/sibling loss and death by fire. Also for OD'ing/drug use disorder and sexual assault. All are absolutely necessary topics for the story and handled with no judgment and great care and by the author.
Overall: I would recommend reading this and when it comes out I will be purchasing for my shelf and a re-read. I will be adding Kara's other titles to my "To Read" pile.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Suicide, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Medical content, Infidelity, Rape, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Child death, and Cancer
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