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intoner1's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
2.0
The tale of a woman that still manages to be male-centric (warning: spoiler heavy)
The promise of mystery and intrigue is what brought me to this story. Christine Lucas is a woman who wakes up every day with no memory. Daily, she wakes up to a man she doesn't know in a body that is foreign in a bed that she doesn't seem to know. Her "husband" takes the time to explain to her that she got into an accident and that is why her memory fades. Quickly Christine finds out that is not the case.
After meeting with her doctor, Christine is given a journal that she'd been writing in daily. That's where she finds the truth and sees that everything is not what it seems.
The premise is probably the best part of the book. Save yourself the time and money and just read the back of the book and then go to read something else. Unfortunately, Christine has caught a case of "men writing women"-syndrome. The way she describes her body feels so...foreign. Things that could easily be communicated as she notices that her body has changed with age come off as awkward and make it obvious it was written by a man.
In the beginning of the novel, when Christine is meeting her doctor at a café, she notices a man and is slightly disappointed that the man barely glances at her. I understand that the author was attempting to portray Christine as still seeing herself as s 28 year old woman who wants to be attractive but here's the thing--most women don't want to be checked out/ogled by random men. Christine's disappointment from not being checked out came off as unrealistic to me.
As the story continues Christine doesn't really meet anyone which is fair, she only has her doctor and her husband. But I couldn't help but notice that the side characters that were named, no matter how minor were all men. I thought it was odd that Christine remembered her mother but never asked "Ben" about her, it seems like it would only be natural for a daughter to ask about her mother.
About halfway through the tale I rejoiced when we were finally introduced to another woman--Claire. Christine's best friend. That happiness quickly waned when the conversation between the two women divulged into a conversation about Ben and how Claire slept with him. That's when it became obvious that the author is incapable of writing women who aren't in some way attached to a man.
This all came to a head in the final scenes, where Christine called Claire and told her that "Ben" had hit her. Claire's response? Well it was to ask her what she did to cause it. I'm sorry but what? Most women would be by their friend's side if something like that happened. Claire has supposedly been Christine's best friend for over 20 years, and that's the question she asks when she finds out her best friend is the victim of domestic assault? Then they talk more and it comes out that "Ben" is actually a man named Mike--Christine had had an affair with him and because of plot armor he was able to check her out of the facility she was staying in and pretend to be her husband.
And after all of that is revealed, Claire still decides to wait until the next day to get Christine. You know, the friend who is very vulnerable and can't remember anything the next day, and is being abused, she'll just check up on her then. This isn't even men writing women anymore, this is author writing stupid people.
I wouldn't suggest reading the book, it's frustrating and quite frankly not that well written. The mystery of the story can't justify the offensive way the author writes women and I'm disappointed that I wasted my time and money reading this.
The promise of mystery and intrigue is what brought me to this story. Christine Lucas is a woman who wakes up every day with no memory. Daily, she wakes up to a man she doesn't know in a body that is foreign in a bed that she doesn't seem to know. Her "husband" takes the time to explain to her that she got into an accident and that is why her memory fades. Quickly Christine finds out that is not the case.
After meeting with her doctor, Christine is given a journal that she'd been writing in daily. That's where she finds the truth and sees that everything is not what it seems.
The premise is probably the best part of the book. Save yourself the time and money and just read the back of the book and then go to read something else. Unfortunately, Christine has caught a case of "men writing women"-syndrome. The way she describes her body feels so...foreign. Things that could easily be communicated as she notices that her body has changed with age come off as awkward and make it obvious it was written by a man.
In the beginning of the novel, when Christine is meeting her doctor at a café, she notices a man and is slightly disappointed that the man barely glances at her. I understand that the author was attempting to portray Christine as still seeing herself as s 28 year old woman who wants to be attractive but here's the thing--most women don't want to be checked out/ogled by random men. Christine's disappointment from not being checked out came off as unrealistic to me.
As the story continues Christine doesn't really meet anyone which is fair, she only has her doctor and her husband. But I couldn't help but notice that the side characters that were named, no matter how minor were all men. I thought it was odd that Christine remembered her mother but never asked "Ben" about her, it seems like it would only be natural for a daughter to ask about her mother.
About halfway through the tale I rejoiced when we were finally introduced to another woman--Claire. Christine's best friend. That happiness quickly waned when the conversation between the two women divulged into a conversation about Ben and how Claire slept with him. That's when it became obvious that the author is incapable of writing women who aren't in some way attached to a man.
This all came to a head in the final scenes, where Christine called Claire and told her that "Ben" had hit her. Claire's response? Well it was to ask her what she did to cause it. I'm sorry but what? Most women would be by their friend's side if something like that happened. Claire has supposedly been Christine's best friend for over 20 years, and that's the question she asks when she finds out her best friend is the victim of domestic assault? Then they talk more and it comes out that "Ben" is actually a man named Mike--Christine had had an affair with him and because of plot armor he was able to check her out of the facility she was staying in and pretend to be her husband.
And after all of that is revealed, Claire still decides to wait until the next day to get Christine. You know, the friend who is very vulnerable and can't remember anything the next day, and is being abused, she'll just check up on her then. This isn't even men writing women anymore, this is author writing stupid people.
I wouldn't suggest reading the book, it's frustrating and quite frankly not that well written. The mystery of the story can't justify the offensive way the author writes women and I'm disappointed that I wasted my time and money reading this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Ableism
dinosaurari's review against another edition
medium-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
1.5
This book is clearly written by a male author who doesn't understand women. It fits all the stereotypes about men writing women and it's awful. I thought about not finishing the book at all because of it. The last chapter of the book is the only interesting part.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
akshade's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child death, and Dementia
Minor: Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Domestic abuse
joshoonet's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
- Sort of a diary format, but not really? Makes you empathise with the protagonist, since the reader is in the same position as her
- Very interesting concept for sure! And pretty well done from a layman's perspective
- Mostly slow burn except for the last ~30 pages, maybe a smoother transition would have been cool
- Didn't even CONSIDER the ending until pretty late
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Dementia, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Blood, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Death, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
kim_ng's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The book had a great premise.
Unfortunately, it was very repetitive, as the main character has to recall her memories every day again and again. I understand that this is exactly what the book is about, but for me personally, it could have been a bit more fast-paced.
Also, I had wished for the thriller aspect earlier on in the story - it wasn't until about 70 pages before the end that the book felt like a thriller to me.
Furthermore, I figured out the plot twist quite early on, which did not necessarily mean that the book was bad, but unfortunately the story somehow lacked that certain something.
-----
Die Story klang sehr interessant.
Leider war die Handlung sehr repetitiv, da Christine jeden Tag aufs Neue ihre Erinnerungen wiederfinden muss. Ich weiß, dass genau das der Sinn des ganzen Buchs ist, trotzdem hätte sich die Geschichte meiner Meinung nach schneller gestalten können.
Außerdem fühlte sich das Buch erst auf den letzten 70 Seiten wie ein Thriller an - und dann war es auch schon vorbei.
Den Plottwist habe ich bereits recht früh erraten, was überhaupt nicht schlimm und ist und nicht automatisch dafür sorgt, dass ein Buch schlecht ist - leider fehlte mir bei dem Buch aber irgendwie das gewisse Etwas.
Unfortunately, it was very repetitive, as the main character has to recall her memories every day again and again. I understand that this is exactly what the book is about, but for me personally, it could have been a bit more fast-paced.
Also, I had wished for the thriller aspect earlier on in the story - it wasn't until about 70 pages before the end that the book felt like a thriller to me.
Furthermore, I figured out the plot twist quite early on, which did not necessarily mean that the book was bad, but unfortunately the story somehow lacked that certain something.
-----
Die Story klang sehr interessant.
Leider war die Handlung sehr repetitiv, da Christine jeden Tag aufs Neue ihre Erinnerungen wiederfinden muss. Ich weiß, dass genau das der Sinn des ganzen Buchs ist, trotzdem hätte sich die Geschichte meiner Meinung nach schneller gestalten können.
Außerdem fühlte sich das Buch erst auf den letzten 70 Seiten wie ein Thriller an - und dann war es auch schon vorbei.
Den Plottwist habe ich bereits recht früh erraten, was überhaupt nicht schlimm und ist und nicht automatisch dafür sorgt, dass ein Buch schlecht ist - leider fehlte mir bei dem Buch aber irgendwie das gewisse Etwas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Medical trauma and Sexual assault
Minor: Miscarriage
hellokatya's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
2.75
i really wanted to like this book more than i did, but it was such a chore to get through.
the writing is immaculate; watson’s ability to put emotions into words is truly incredible, but it just took a lot to push through the entirety.
from the very moment it was revealed she was attacked, not hit by a car, i knew immediately that’s who she was staying with, and that the man with the scar was her actual husband. granted - i dont always think it’s a bad thing to have a well crafted story with good hints, it just felt very obvious.
it was extremely difficult to get past the constant descriptions of her waking up confused - could’ve been spared more times.
overall, if you’re interested in a slower burn and wanting to have a lighter read, this book would be perfect; i however won’t be recommending this to anyone
the writing is immaculate; watson’s ability to put emotions into words is truly incredible, but it just took a lot to push through the entirety.
it was extremely difficult to get past the constant descriptions of her waking up confused - could’ve been spared more times.
overall, if you’re interested in a slower burn and wanting to have a lighter read, this book would be perfect; i however won’t be recommending this to anyone
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Grief, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Vomit, Death, Rape, Body horror, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Car accident
gunnaraj's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book started out mysterious and engaging. I really got caught up in the story. The amnesia angle is cleverly used, although you have to accept that some things may seem improbable or just strange.
It is not hard to see that there will be a twist coming, but its exact form actually took me off guard, and kept me glued to the pages throughout some of the later chapters.
Unfortunately the ending felt weak and dragged down the experience. Things seemed rushed, happening too fast, and it suffered from a need to make the ending excessively good for the protagonist.
The very last sentence was good tho, even if it was a little predictable
It is not hard to see that there will be a twist coming, but its exact form actually took me off guard, and kept me glued to the pages throughout some of the later chapters.
Unfortunately the ending felt weak and dragged down the experience. Things seemed rushed, happening too fast, and it suffered from a need to make the ending excessively good for the protagonist.
The very last sentence was good tho, even if it was a little predictable
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Violence
book_turtle's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
libt11's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Child death