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crustbuckette's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-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
3.0
I found the main character to be really unbelievable as a lawyer. I was extremely frustrated with the main character's choices.
r0b3rta's review
4.0
Read this book for book club. Mixed reviews in our book club. I hadn't finished the book during the discussion. The book was a bit slow at the beginning, and then it grabbed my attention. It was a fun read - mystery, as the title alludes to lies.
astoldby_cece's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
thenycbookwhore69's review
3.5
I didn't really connect with the story as I would have liked. I was interested enough to finish the book, just to see how things ended. Overall okay read.
janagaton's review
4.0
This touched upon a wide variety of topics in the midst of several goings-on throughout Ellice Littlejohn's life as a Black female lawyer in a small Georgia town. Although the plot itself wasn't too compelling as a whole, I think all the moving parts of the book makes for a solid story with important discussions from general racism in various environments to the nitty-gritty of daily life as a person of color, such as code switching, being a product of tokenism, and working twice as hard to get to the same place as a white person. There are several content warnings, so do beware before going into this one. I will say I do recommend the audiobook, as the narrator does a phenomenal job.
andreamarie14's review
emotional
mysterious
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
tatyanavogt's review
3.0
3.5 but I'm rounding down
This was pretty enjoyable for the most part, but I did find the main character to be a little annoying and kinda stupid in a way that wasn't enjoyable which is why i'm rounding down on this one. Basically I thought some of the secretes/lies were stupid. And although I sort of understand why, the book didn't give me enough to really feel like it made sense. Regardless, I was mostly interested in figuring out what was happening, and felt pretty satisfied in the end.
This was pretty enjoyable for the most part, but I did find the main character to be a little annoying and kinda stupid in a way that wasn't enjoyable which is why i'm rounding down on this one. Basically I thought some of the secretes/lies were stupid. And although I sort of understand why, the book didn't give me enough to really feel like it made sense. Regardless, I was mostly interested in figuring out what was happening, and felt pretty satisfied in the end.
thephdivabooks's review
5.0
When you first meet Ellice Littlejohn, here’s what you know about her: 1. She’s an incredibly successful, Ivy-league educated attorney. 2. She’s impeccably put together, always in well-tailored designer clothing. 3. She has a small group of close friends who are supportive and there for her when she needs them. 4. She has been having an affair with her married, white boss, Michael who she has just found dead in his office when she arrives for an early morning meeting.
With composure that only someone who has been through worse can muster, Ellice collects herself and leaves the office, pretending she was never there. When I tell you this was a shocker of an opening chapter, I am not kidding. Even though I knew what would happen from reading the book trailer, I was shocked seeing it play out!
Instantly I knew Ellice was not an average character in any way. She is this woman with a perfect exterior, but behind it she is a mix of flawed, damaged, resilient, strong, and relatable. I really loved Ellice and she is one of those characters I didn’t want to leave behind when the book ended.
The story unfolds in both the past and the present and I want to be cautious not to give away more than the teaser did here so I won’t say too much. But Ellice has a past. And I don’t just mean a nerd-in-high-school past (not that I’m undermining those who go through that)—Ellice has a deep, dark, leave-it-all-behind and never tell anyone where you are from kind of past. She didn’t just grow up poor, she grew up barely able to survive kind of poor. The kind of poor where people take advantage of your family. The kind of poor where no one comes to your aid when you need help. The kind of poor, black life that the rich, white good-ole-boys at work would judge her for.
I really enjoyed the past chapters and learning about the people who shaped Ellice, in good ways and in bad ones. Ellice’s past seems separate from what is happening in the present, but ultimately this is a book about how you never truly leave your past behind.
In present day, Ellice quickly finds herself promoted into her dead boss-slash-ex-boyfriend’s role at her very white company. And while this is the job of her dreams, nothing about this feels ok. Ellice knows that many think she only got this because of the race pressure on the very-white Houghton corporation. She knows that her education and performance only had so much to do with this promotion—she’s the token black board member. And when she quickly learns how the other woman on the board has been able to be successful in her role, Ellice feels even more desolate.
On top of all of this, someone knows about Ellice’s secrets and is threatening to expose them. As Ellice struggles to keep her past hidden, perform her new role, and dig into what really happened to Michael, she soon learns that everything she thought made her life so secure can unravel with the pull of a single thread.
This book is not only an expertly crafted thriller at the top of the genre, it also is an unapologetically black story about a black woman in a white corporate world facing racism, sexism, and corruption at the highest of levels. This book delivers for those who are only looking for a thriller, but you’ll be hard pressed to read it and not learn more empathy for black women in the corporate world. One of the best books I read in the past year—this should be on every thriller-reader’s list.
With composure that only someone who has been through worse can muster, Ellice collects herself and leaves the office, pretending she was never there. When I tell you this was a shocker of an opening chapter, I am not kidding. Even though I knew what would happen from reading the book trailer, I was shocked seeing it play out!
Instantly I knew Ellice was not an average character in any way. She is this woman with a perfect exterior, but behind it she is a mix of flawed, damaged, resilient, strong, and relatable. I really loved Ellice and she is one of those characters I didn’t want to leave behind when the book ended.
The story unfolds in both the past and the present and I want to be cautious not to give away more than the teaser did here so I won’t say too much. But Ellice has a past. And I don’t just mean a nerd-in-high-school past (not that I’m undermining those who go through that)—Ellice has a deep, dark, leave-it-all-behind and never tell anyone where you are from kind of past. She didn’t just grow up poor, she grew up barely able to survive kind of poor. The kind of poor where people take advantage of your family. The kind of poor where no one comes to your aid when you need help. The kind of poor, black life that the rich, white good-ole-boys at work would judge her for.
I really enjoyed the past chapters and learning about the people who shaped Ellice, in good ways and in bad ones. Ellice’s past seems separate from what is happening in the present, but ultimately this is a book about how you never truly leave your past behind.
In present day, Ellice quickly finds herself promoted into her dead boss-slash-ex-boyfriend’s role at her very white company. And while this is the job of her dreams, nothing about this feels ok. Ellice knows that many think she only got this because of the race pressure on the very-white Houghton corporation. She knows that her education and performance only had so much to do with this promotion—she’s the token black board member. And when she quickly learns how the other woman on the board has been able to be successful in her role, Ellice feels even more desolate.
On top of all of this, someone knows about Ellice’s secrets and is threatening to expose them. As Ellice struggles to keep her past hidden, perform her new role, and dig into what really happened to Michael, she soon learns that everything she thought made her life so secure can unravel with the pull of a single thread.
This book is not only an expertly crafted thriller at the top of the genre, it also is an unapologetically black story about a black woman in a white corporate world facing racism, sexism, and corruption at the highest of levels. This book delivers for those who are only looking for a thriller, but you’ll be hard pressed to read it and not learn more empathy for black women in the corporate world. One of the best books I read in the past year—this should be on every thriller-reader’s list.