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chezzreads's review
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
thegeekybibliophile's review
3.0
This is going to be a another tough review for me, because I don't really have a lot to say about this book. I checked to see if I'd left any comments on Goodreads as I was reading, and found only one:
Quick Recap: Nancy and her family move to Hawaii after her husband cheated on her, hoping for a new start. Ana leads a yoga class, which is how Nancy meets her. Nancy is captivated by her wisdom and approach to life, and before you know it, the two are inseparable. Nancy neglects her family in favor of Ana, and finds herself doing things she would never have done without Ana's influence—good things, as well as bad things.
I didn't dislike this book (if I had, it would have been relegated to the virtual DNF pile), but I didn't love it, either. And I'm pretty sure that's because I had Ana pegged as a manipulator with an agenda from the start, and it flabbergasted me that Nancy was clueless about it for so long.
It's no surprise Nancy fell under Ana's spell... she was feeling vulnerable after her husband's affair, living far from home in a place where she doesn't know anyone, and her teenaged twin sons are becoming juvenile delinquents. What bothered me is how rapidly it happened. It felt unrealistic to me that a woman newly arrived in her new home, determined to work on her marriage and give her sons the guidance they (desperately) needed, would toss all of her responsibilities aside to spend (all) her time with a woman she barely knew.
Not only that, but Ana almost immediately starts telling her sob stories about how incredibly hard her life has been—and Nancy feels more and more sympathy for her with each one, rather than becoming suspicious. Is it just me, or is that odd? Maybe her reaction strikes me as being unrealistic because I've been around that particular block of manipulation before. Regardless, it just didn't ring true for me. If Nancy were a younger woman, perhaps it would have felt reasonable that she did that... but not a middle-aged woman.
This is a novel that struck me as having a lot of potential for a great story, but it didn't quite get there, in the end. The explosive finale I envisioned as I read the last pages never happened, which is such a shame because the way it ended was lackluster compared to what I expected to happen.
Having said all that... I did keep reading all the way to the end, and I thought Huntley's writing was pretty good, even though the story itself didn't enthrall me as I'd hoped. So I'm going to rate this one at three stars (even though I considered changing it to two and a half stars) based on that.
I think this is one of those novels that each individual reader needs to judge for themselves—based on their particular likes and dislikes—whether or not this is a good fit for them as a reader. A quick skim through the ratings on Goodreads shows ratings from low to high, so clearly—while this may not be a book everyone enjoys reading—some people will.
It's your call, readers.
I received an advance review copy of this book courtesy of Doubleday Books via Netgalley.
July 26, 2017 – 51.0% "First half was a slow burn, but hasn't lost my interest. Seems to be picking up the pace a bit at the start of the second half. Curious to see where the story goes from this point on."
Quick Recap: Nancy and her family move to Hawaii after her husband cheated on her, hoping for a new start. Ana leads a yoga class, which is how Nancy meets her. Nancy is captivated by her wisdom and approach to life, and before you know it, the two are inseparable. Nancy neglects her family in favor of Ana, and finds herself doing things she would never have done without Ana's influence—good things, as well as bad things.
I didn't dislike this book (if I had, it would have been relegated to the virtual DNF pile), but I didn't love it, either. And I'm pretty sure that's because I had Ana pegged as a manipulator with an agenda from the start, and it flabbergasted me that Nancy was clueless about it for so long.
It's no surprise Nancy fell under Ana's spell... she was feeling vulnerable after her husband's affair, living far from home in a place where she doesn't know anyone, and her teenaged twin sons are becoming juvenile delinquents. What bothered me is how rapidly it happened. It felt unrealistic to me that a woman newly arrived in her new home, determined to work on her marriage and give her sons the guidance they (desperately) needed, would toss all of her responsibilities aside to spend (all) her time with a woman she barely knew.
Not only that, but Ana almost immediately starts telling her sob stories about how incredibly hard her life has been—and Nancy feels more and more sympathy for her with each one, rather than becoming suspicious. Is it just me, or is that odd? Maybe her reaction strikes me as being unrealistic because I've been around that particular block of manipulation before. Regardless, it just didn't ring true for me. If Nancy were a younger woman, perhaps it would have felt reasonable that she did that... but not a middle-aged woman.
This is a novel that struck me as having a lot of potential for a great story, but it didn't quite get there, in the end. The explosive finale I envisioned as I read the last pages never happened, which is such a shame because the way it ended was lackluster compared to what I expected to happen.
Having said all that... I did keep reading all the way to the end, and I thought Huntley's writing was pretty good, even though the story itself didn't enthrall me as I'd hoped. So I'm going to rate this one at three stars (even though I considered changing it to two and a half stars) based on that.
I think this is one of those novels that each individual reader needs to judge for themselves—based on their particular likes and dislikes—whether or not this is a good fit for them as a reader. A quick skim through the ratings on Goodreads shows ratings from low to high, so clearly—while this may not be a book everyone enjoys reading—some people will.
It's your call, readers.
I received an advance review copy of this book courtesy of Doubleday Books via Netgalley.
shai3d's review against another edition
3.0
I had high hopes for this book as I do really enjoy psychological thrillers however this book never managed to catch and hold my interest. It was well written but I found that the characters themselves lacked the depth needed for me to invest in.
Like I said, this book is well written with no grammar or editing mistakes so others might really enjoy it. It just wasn't for me because I have found that I really need to care what happens to a character for there to be any build up of tension. If any of my readers pick up THE GODDESSES and feel different about the book, drop me a line. I would love to discuss it.
*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.
Like I said, this book is well written with no grammar or editing mistakes so others might really enjoy it. It just wasn't for me because I have found that I really need to care what happens to a character for there to be any build up of tension. If any of my readers pick up THE GODDESSES and feel different about the book, drop me a line. I would love to discuss it.
*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.
elkila's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.75
cservat129's review against another edition
2.0
I wasn’t a fan of the plot and really could not connect with either of the lead female characters. I could not get into this story line and almost didn’t finish this book.
itsmandyj's review against another edition
1.0
The Goddesses was touted as Single White Female and I was really anticipating a good thriller. Instead I got a snooze fest about a family who moves to Hawaii to fix all their problems instead of doing anything about them. I kept reading waiting for it to finally get good and really shock my with this “dangerous friendship” but it never happened.
None of the characters in the book are extremely likeable, and the main character Nancy is awful. I actually hated Nancy more than I hated the “villain” of the book Ana. At least Ana knows who she is and what she’s doing, Nancy is such a follower and has zero personality that I literally wanted to scream at her the entire time I read the book.
If you like thrillers, this is not the book for you. If you want to read a book about your neighbors boring life falling apart then this is the book for you.
None of the characters in the book are extremely likeable, and the main character Nancy is awful. I actually hated Nancy more than I hated the “villain” of the book Ana. At least Ana knows who she is and what she’s doing, Nancy is such a follower and has zero personality that I literally wanted to scream at her the entire time I read the book.
If you like thrillers, this is not the book for you. If you want to read a book about your neighbors boring life falling apart then this is the book for you.
kle105's review against another edition
3.0
This book was promoted as a Single White Female sort of book and while I agree to a degree, I think it fell short.
It should have gone all the way or taken another turn. While there were moments in the book I felt were extreme it didn't overall have the feel of intensity.
I received a free copy from the publisher via netGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It should have gone all the way or taken another turn. While there were moments in the book I felt were extreme it didn't overall have the feel of intensity.
I received a free copy from the publisher via netGalley in exchange for an honest review.
phenixsnow's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 star. Similar to other reviewers I finished this and thought "what on earth did I just read"? I both couldn't put it down and just wanted it to be over. It's like chick-lit meets psychological thriller but it doesn't fit either genre well. Nancy and her husband are having marital problems and their teenage twins are acting out,so when they get a chance to move to Hawaii on a job transfer they take it as a way to start anew. Nancy begins taking a yoga class to get out of her comfort zone and becomes fast friends with her yoga instructor Ana. For me the novel wasn't predictable. I really had no idea what Ana would ask Nancy to help her with or whether the marriage could be saved or what would happen with the twins. I didn't really care for the overall ridiculousness of the plot, I mean what adult becomes ride or die ,I will rob a bank for you best friends that fast?Had their been more crazy, full on psychological thriller i could have overlooked that. The story was just bizarre.