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mandycantsleep's review
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book has some great moments, and also some really bad ones. Starting with the bad: Meredith, one of the main characters and the second woman who goes missing, is SO annoying. This book is told from multiple perspectives, and every time it got to a Meredith chapter, I was dreading reading it. Meredith is a doula, and most of her chapters are EXTREMELY preachy. She talks over actual medical doctors, yelling at them for decisions, acting high and mighty. And while the doctors portrayed in this book are definitely in the wrong, it's hard to side with Meredith because of the way she acts about it. She is also really, really dumb. You know that one girl in the horror movies who always makes stupid decisions and has you yelling at the TV screen? Yep, that's Meredith. I wasn't even upset by what happened to her character because she was so unbearable. That being said, here is the good: the book started out really intense, and it completely drew me in. There are a couple of red herrings, making you feel pretty convinced about who did what, until the final chapters of the book. I'll admit, I did not see those twists coming. And I love a good plot twist. So while one of these characters was annoying as hell, the plot kept me reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Child abuse, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Blood and Vomit
Minor: Alcohol
krosebee's review
dark
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? N/A
4.5
This book was an awesome read! It details how, unbeknownst to an upper-middle class woman, her home is being shared by another woman who is experiencing homelessness.
Juno, the woman experiencing homelessness, is living in a park across the street from Winnie and her small family. Juno is accidentally trapped in Winnie’s house and before she can escape, she overhears a conversation between Winnie and her husband that exposes Winnie’s deepest secret. Juno is terminally ill and has made it her final mission to expose Winnie’s sin before she succumbs to Lupus.
Juno, the woman experiencing homelessness, is living in a park across the street from Winnie and her small family. Juno is accidentally trapped in Winnie’s house and before she can escape, she overhears a conversation between Winnie and her husband that exposes Winnie’s deepest secret. Juno is terminally ill and has made it her final mission to expose Winnie’s sin before she succumbs to Lupus.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, Cursing, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Gun violence, Chronic illness, Car accident, Violence, Alcoholism, Death, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Grief, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Murder, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Mental illness, and Infertility
blueskyvibes1point0's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
"Local Woman Missing" by Mary Kubica is a psychological thriller that revolves around the mysterious disappearance of three women from a small town: Meredith, her daughter Delilah, and a young woman named Shelby. As the investigation unfolds, dark secrets about the town and its residents are revealed. The story explores themes of betrayal, deception, and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets.
1. **Plot and Storytelling:** 2/5 The pacing of the plot was sluggish, to say the least. While the initial chapter captured my interest, I found myself disengaged until I reached the 79% mark. It's a wonder I didn't abandon the book altogether.
2. **Characterization:** 3/5 The characters were adequately developed, although their actions weren't always entirely believable. Nevertheless, they did fit within the context of the story to some extent.
3. **Writing Style:** 4/5 Mary Kubica demonstrates solid writing skills. Despite my issues with the pacing, her prose is well-crafted and vivid, effectively painting a picture of the narrative.
4. **Originality:** 2/5 Unfortunately, the story felt somewhat recycled, lacking in originality. It felt eerily familiar, as if I'd encountered similar plotlines elsewhere before.
5. **Emotional Impact and Resolution:** 2/5 While the story failed to evoke strong emotional responses from me, it did succeed in creating moments of discomfort. I appreciated the tidy resolution with most loose ends accounted for, although I found the ending somewhat far-fetched.
Overall score: 2.6/5
If you’re looking for a good psychological thriller I recommend "The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides. It has a captivating plot with a steady pace that keeps readers hooked from the beginning. The characters are intriguing and well-developed, and the writing style is compelling, making it hard to put the book down. It offers a fresh and original storyline that delivers both suspense and emotional depth, providing a satisfying reading experience overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, and Kidnapping
coco78337's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Violence, Bullying, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, and Suicide
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Car accident, Miscarriage, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
opplecopter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Murder, Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Blood, Medical content, Death, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Suicide
Moderate: Infidelity and Bullying
Minor: Cursing, Body shaming, and Alcohol
chandlerkl's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Suicide, Bullying, Death, Medical trauma, and Self harm
bek_p87's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
This was nuts, but I couldn't stop reading. Every twist and turn came as a shock, and the conclusion blew my mind. Dark and messy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Murder, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infidelity
doodlebeanz's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? No
2.5
I was SO excited for this book and I am SO sad that it was such a let down. I try to go into every thriller I read with optimism and hope that one will reach the level of The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, and every time I am let down. This book was no exception.
First off, I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. Lots of dialogue followed up by internal dialogue which was then also followed up with 'I said this to her/him/them.' Like... just have the characters have external dialogue and a conversation instead of writing about what someone is thinking in their heads and also saying? I don't know, the writing style was weird. It was good writing, but just oddly set up.
Second, there were WAY TOO MANY CHARACTERS. Too many characters who shared too many similarities; living on the same street, having children, being slightly suspicious, being dead. There were so many times I had to be like 'wait, who?'. I even had to start writing in the journal entries here on Storygraph to keep up with the characters.
Third, I am usually a huge fan of books that deal with the past and the present, but similarly to the mass amounts of characters becoming confusing, the back and forth between present and future became confusing in the end.Why were Leo's chapters like he was writing in a journal, or a letter written to Delilah? There was too much skipping around and too many POVs where it just became jumbled in my mind.
Fourth, and the worst of them all, this book fell victim to my biggest thriller book irk... I read 340+ pages of tension and build up just for it to be wrapped up in 2 pages... approximately 5-6 paragraphs, maybe.You find out that Bea is a sociopath apparently and Delilah had been living in her 'studio' in the backyard, 20 feet away from her family for 11 years, and Bea goes to jail and Shelby's daughter is living with her real father and Jason was let out of his wrongful imprisonment and the people who took Carly were copycat criminals and they stupidly went back to the house where they held Carly captive and were captured... all in 2 pages. Like why did I even read the entire story then?! Also, what the hell was the point of the entire OBGYN Dr. Fiengold? Just seemed like a little plot point to throw everyone off the scent of what really happened but by then the reader, at least I didn't, realize anything was amiss with Bea so... just unnecessary characters and mini suspenseful plot twists that turn into nothing.
The story had so many characters and twists and turns and so much suspense that it just couldn't keep up with it all. The first half the book was good, but it was also SLOW PACED... like glacially slow. Like painfully slow. It didn't hold my attention much past the half way point, if I'm being honest. So disappointing. :(
First off, I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. Lots of dialogue followed up by internal dialogue which was then also followed up with 'I said this to her/him/them.' Like... just have the characters have external dialogue and a conversation instead of writing about what someone is thinking in their heads and also saying? I don't know, the writing style was weird. It was good writing, but just oddly set up.
Second, there were WAY TOO MANY CHARACTERS. Too many characters who shared too many similarities; living on the same street, having children, being slightly suspicious, being dead. There were so many times I had to be like 'wait, who?'. I even had to start writing in the journal entries here on Storygraph to keep up with the characters.
Third, I am usually a huge fan of books that deal with the past and the present, but similarly to the mass amounts of characters becoming confusing, the back and forth between present and future became confusing in the end.
Fourth, and the worst of them all, this book fell victim to my biggest thriller book irk... I read 340+ pages of tension and build up just for it to be wrapped up in 2 pages... approximately 5-6 paragraphs, maybe.
The story had so many characters and twists and turns and so much suspense that it just couldn't keep up with it all. The first half the book was good, but it was also SLOW PACED... like glacially slow. Like painfully slow. It didn't hold my attention much past the half way point, if I'm being honest. So disappointing. :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Self harm, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Bullying, Car accident, and Emotional abuse
o_holynight's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Child abuse
crazyherblady's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Murder, and Child abuse