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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
If you like mysteries this is a good’un. Super surprising right to the end.
HUGE TRIGGER WARNINGS around basically everything that has to do with infertility including emotional and logistical complications and hardships in the vast world of sperm donation. Honestly there should be a trigger warning ON the book because DAMN YALL it is *all* the meat and potatoes of the story.
Speaking of which, it felt a bit icky and exploitive in the sense that it was building cheap entertainment out of the very real suffering that folks go through regarding infertility, but I felt a lot better to learn that the author went through all of that herself. In the context of writing to heal, this book redeems itself.
The mystery itself was fine, there was no suspense or OH SHIT moments around the killer. There is a surprise twist ending I guess but I saw it a mile away.
Things I loved:
The prologue is perfect poetry. Absolutely stunning. Could stand on its own, really, and in some ways the mediocrity of the rest of the book took away from that.
Despite all the mean (sorrrryyyy!!!!) things I’ve said above, I had no problem flying through the book. It was an easy and entertaining read. I see that this author is prolific and adored in this genre which is admittedly not where I spend most of my book time, so consider that when reading my review!
Speaking of which, it felt a bit icky and exploitive in the sense that it was building cheap entertainment out of the very real suffering that folks go through regarding infertility, but I felt a lot better to learn that the author went through all of that herself. In the context of writing to heal, this book redeems itself.
The mystery itself was fine, there was no suspense or OH SHIT moments around the killer. There is a surprise twist ending I guess but I saw it a mile away.
Things I loved:
The prologue is perfect poetry. Absolutely stunning. Could stand on its own, really, and in some ways the mediocrity of the rest of the book took away from that.
Despite all the mean (sorrrryyyy!!!!) things I’ve said above, I had no problem flying through the book. It was an easy and entertaining read. I see that this author is prolific and adored in this genre which is admittedly not where I spend most of my book time, so consider that when reading my review!
Park, Peyton, Perry - I did get a little lost with the P names but the book was very entertaining!
I feel like I saw it coming and actually expected worse, which I'm glad didn't happen.
Book kept me hooked and I did not feel it was slow, which is usually my problem with thrillers.
The main issue I have, is that the police always get something very important wrong.
Overall a great read!
I feel like I saw it coming and actually expected worse, which I'm glad didn't happen.
Book kept me hooked and I did not feel it was slow, which is usually my problem with thrillers.
The main issue I have, is that the police always get something very important wrong.
Overall a great read!
4.5 stars - this one was a wild ride. I kept thinking I figured out the twists and then would be wrong.
A novel full of suspense from start to finish. Olivia, an interior designer, and Park Bender, an English professor and ghostwriter, are married professionals who are dealing with infertility issues and exploring all options to have children of their own, but to no avail. Secrets begin to surface about what happened in their lives during high school and college - sperm donation, abortion, missing girls, and many others. Will they be able to salvage their marriage as things begin to unravel? Does Park have children from his sperm donation days? A must read that is based on the authors own experiences with infertility.
An interesting premise, an exciting conclusion and whole lot of “meh” in between.
Really enjoyed this one! It was definitely graphic and intense but told a compelling story with characters that made me uneasy and questioning who was telling the truth. There was a lot going on in this book but it all seemed relevant and interesting and there weren't any parts that I felt like were dragging on. In this thriller we primarily follow a husband and wife, and a mother and her two children, as well as a string of murders happening in the Nashville area. This book definitely has some sensitive topics in regards to miscarriages and infertility, but I thought it was executed well. Overall a solid read and definitely makes me want to read more of Ellison's work! Not really sure why this didn't quite hit 5-stars for me, I think I was just missing that wow factor and connection to the characters.
No One Knows is one of my all time favorite books, so I really set myself up to feel disappointed picking this up expecting something as good. I haaaaated so much about this story – the implication the Olivia couldn’t stay pregnant because she had an abortion, the fact that there were *so many* unnecessary “reveals” – it just disappointed me over and over again. Usually, there’s a big twist and that’s the only reason I hung in until the end.