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verumsolum's review
2.0
I'm disappointed in this book. It seemed to start out with such promise and really enjoyable. And then… it turned. About the halfway point, I considered leaving it unfinished. But I hate doing that and, given how strong the book started, I hoped that it would have a strong ending.
By the end of the book, I could find no redeeming qualities in Emma, her husband, nor in pretty much anybody else. Despite seeing things through Emma's point of view, I found no reason to sympathize with her whatsoever.
I see that there is a second book in this series. I have a difficult time understanding why. I usually love series, but I have no desire to spend my time, attention, and emotions on Emma Fern ever again. (If it had been any longer, I may have succumbed to the temptation to leave my reading of the book unfinished.)
By the end of the book, I could find no redeeming qualities in Emma, her husband, nor in pretty much anybody else. Despite seeing things through Emma's point of view, I found no reason to sympathize with her whatsoever.
I see that there is a second book in this series. I have a difficult time understanding why. I usually love series, but I have no desire to spend my time, attention, and emotions on Emma Fern ever again. (If it had been any longer, I may have succumbed to the temptation to leave my reading of the book unfinished.)
constantine2020's review
5.0
Rating: 5.0/5.0
Genre:
Mystery Thriller
Wow, what a good surprise. I honestly did not expect to like this one that much. This is not your normal thriller which is full of twists and turns, nope. The story is more like a drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Emma Fern meets a famous crime author Beatrice Johnson. A friendship develops between them and one day Beatrice asks Emma a favor. The favor is to publish a book in a different genre than what she usually writes under Emma's name! You don't need to know more.
I doubt any reader will like any of the characters in this novel. There is lots of backstabbing, lots of deceit and lies. And I feel this is what made this story like a dangerous hilarious ride full of bumps. Natalie Barellí's writing style and storytelling way are so engaging. I can't believe this was her debut book because it is so fantastic for a first book. I am definitely going to read more from her work.
Though there is a second book for this story there is no cliffhanger in this book. So if one wants to read it as a standalone it is still valid to be read and considered that way. But of course, since I enjoyed this very much I am going to read the sequel soon.
Available on Kindle Unlimited
yetanothersusan's review
3.0
Emma isn't sure if she is living a happy life. She has a husband who seems to be getting distant and her ownership of a little interior decorating shop isn't very exciting but keeps her busy day to day. That is until one of her favorite authors walks in the door. Upon meeting Beatrice, Emma's world becomes a whirlwind of social events and intimate get togethers with her new BFF. So when Beatrice plays on Emma's insecurities, Emma finds it hard to resist the request to play Christian to Beatrice's Cyrano and becomes the "author" of Beatrice's next book. It gets weirder from there and a bit more unbelievable. At points this was a good suspense thriller but at other times the writing and story line felt scattered and unpolished. I am not sure where the author plans to take the series next as this book seemed very self-contained and didn't leave much room for the future. This book would be nice for a quick beach read where you don't spend much time really thinking about the intricacies of the plot.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review.
goldenbeebookshop's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 Stars rounded up
Kate Rudd was a spectacular narrator, and the way she brought Emma’s voice to life makes me think I might have enjoyed the book less reading it on my own, rather than hearing those moments when a clearly unhinged person is doing a very good job of pretending to be something sweet, or the way Emma’s cunning becomes evident as the story progresses.
There’s not much to like about many of the characters in this book, and Emma’s husband is the kind of patronizing chauvinistic throw-back that always makes me grit my teeth, and yet, it’s so easy to get swept away with the story, eager to know exactly what will happen next with Emma steering this delusional ship. I’m excited to move on The the next book and swim in the waters of Emma’s troubled mind once more.
Kate Rudd was a spectacular narrator, and the way she brought Emma’s voice to life makes me think I might have enjoyed the book less reading it on my own, rather than hearing those moments when a clearly unhinged person is doing a very good job of pretending to be something sweet, or the way Emma’s cunning becomes evident as the story progresses.
There’s not much to like about many of the characters in this book, and Emma’s husband is the kind of patronizing chauvinistic throw-back that always makes me grit my teeth, and yet, it’s so easy to get swept away with the story, eager to know exactly what will happen next with Emma steering this delusional ship. I’m excited to move on The the next book and swim in the waters of Emma’s troubled mind once more.
ireniam's review
3.0
3.5/5
Un thriller bastante entretenido y con muchos giros. El concepto de la fan que conoce a su autora favorita, se hacen amigas y luego todo se sale de control, me gusta (quizás no sea nuevo pero es diferente a lo que abunda en ese género por estos días).
Las faltas que le encuentro a está historia es que le faltó desarrollo al personaje de la protagonista, hay cierta evolución que se siente apresurada y de película, pero si ya el lector está montado en el vagón de la trama no le afecta tanto.
Este libro tiene una segunda parte que no se si lea, porque se por dónde va y creo que el final está bien así como quedó.
Un thriller bastante entretenido y con muchos giros. El concepto de la fan que conoce a su autora favorita, se hacen amigas y luego todo se sale de control, me gusta (quizás no sea nuevo pero es diferente a lo que abunda en ese género por estos días).
Las faltas que le encuentro a está historia es que le faltó desarrollo al personaje de la protagonista, hay cierta evolución que se siente apresurada y de película, pero si ya el lector está montado en el vagón de la trama no le afecta tanto.
Este libro tiene una segunda parte que no se si lea, porque se por dónde va y creo que el final está bien así como quedó.
ranababan's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
heyimsara's review
4.0
Wow! I finished this book in literally one sitting. I picked this up on a whim through my Amazon Kindle app because it was free with prime, and I am SO happy I did. This was nothing like I have read before. Not only was it such an easy read (as in it was very easy to get engrossed in the story), but it also was so entertaining. I was enthralled by the progression of Emma’s character. As someone who was once so naive and reserved, I was very shocked to see just how much “power” had completely changed her.
The character progression in this book was incredible and the plot line was just as great-I did not feel like I was being bombarded by any of the characters or overwhelmed by the twists and turns. Overall, this was a quick, fun, and engaging thriller that I am so glad I had the chance to read!
The character progression in this book was incredible and the plot line was just as great-I did not feel like I was being bombarded by any of the characters or overwhelmed by the twists and turns. Overall, this was a quick, fun, and engaging thriller that I am so glad I had the chance to read!
lm_lostinabook's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about Until I Met Her. This book intrigued me with the opening pages taking place at Beatrice Johnson Greene's funeral, but shortly after the initial interest faded, I was filled with annoyance and hatred for the characters. Emma truly was a "puppy" and her lack of confidence and self-worth in her relationships made my blood boil. I hated Beatrice's pompous attitude and disregard for other human's emotions. Jim Fern was just a textbook shitty husband. My intense feelings of the characters aside, the plot was somewhat unpredictable and a little underwhelming. This could be a quick read for someone seeking an easy thriller.
captwinghead's review against another edition
5.0
** Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **
I adored this book!
I regret that it took me so long to get into it but it’s really a phenomenal story.
This novel follows Emma Fern, a shopkeep that’s in love with the works of successful crime novelist, Beatrice Johnson Greene. One day, Beatrice walks into Emma’s shop and befriends her with the intent of using her for her latest novel. Beatrice is burned out from writing crime novels, her last two weren’t very good, and she’s written a manuscript for a literary fiction novel. After her last attempt at switching genres bombed, she came up with a scheme to use someone as her decoy to sell the book and she thinks Emma is the perfect person.
I don’t know where to begin!
This book was such a pleasant surprise for me. I haven’t read a ton of crime fiction novels but I’ve seen quite a few movies so pretty much no plot can surprise me at this point. This is your typical jealous/rage murder plot with the adoring fan as the culprit. The gradual transition from shy, eager to please Emma to delusional, jealous, and paranoid Emma was beautifully done. It was paced perfectly and at no point did I feel like she’d simply flipped a switch into crazy town.
I knew what kind of demanding, parasitic person Beatrice was from the get go. (I love that the presumptuous demand of a fan’s time is called back later with Emma and Nicole, by the way). We’ve all seen this character before and it was still amazing to me that Emma couldn’t see it. The description of Emma’s tension and nerves around Beatrice meeting Jim was really well done, as well!
Jim. Ugh, I hated Jim. I wanted to feel some measure of sympathy for him in the end but I just couldn’t. He was a terrible husband and that was made more annoying by the fact that he seemed utterly realistic. You wanted to believe Beatrice’s remarks about him just being jealous of Emma’s success was part of Beatrice trying to worm her way into Emma’s life but I really don’t think they were. Jim was just a bad person. The fact that he used Emma’s money all the while knowing he was planning to divorce her was just despicable.
The only minor complaint I had was the obvious foreshadowing of the fated piece of carpet above the stairs. There was a little too much emphasis placed on it so it was obvious what would come later. Compared to the scene where Emma and Hannah switched shoes, it’s especially noticeable. I had no clue how the shoe size thing would come back and I found that call back to be very clever.
I just really loved this book! I can’t recommend it enough!
5 stars!
“Surely murder is a lot like having children, or getting a pet: it’s the first one that changes your life. After that, well, it’s just incremental.”
I adored this book!
I regret that it took me so long to get into it but it’s really a phenomenal story.
This novel follows Emma Fern, a shopkeep that’s in love with the works of successful crime novelist, Beatrice Johnson Greene. One day, Beatrice walks into Emma’s shop and befriends her with the intent of using her for her latest novel. Beatrice is burned out from writing crime novels, her last two weren’t very good, and she’s written a manuscript for a literary fiction novel. After her last attempt at switching genres bombed, she came up with a scheme to use someone as her decoy to sell the book and she thinks Emma is the perfect person.
I don’t know where to begin!
This book was such a pleasant surprise for me. I haven’t read a ton of crime fiction novels but I’ve seen quite a few movies so pretty much no plot can surprise me at this point. This is your typical jealous/rage murder plot with the adoring fan as the culprit. The gradual transition from shy, eager to please Emma to delusional, jealous, and paranoid Emma was beautifully done. It was paced perfectly and at no point did I feel like she’d simply flipped a switch into crazy town.
I knew what kind of demanding, parasitic person Beatrice was from the get go. (I love that the presumptuous demand of a fan’s time is called back later with Emma and Nicole, by the way). We’ve all seen this character before and it was still amazing to me that Emma couldn’t see it. The description of Emma’s tension and nerves around Beatrice meeting Jim was really well done, as well!
Jim. Ugh, I hated Jim. I wanted to feel some measure of sympathy for him in the end but I just couldn’t. He was a terrible husband and that was made more annoying by the fact that he seemed utterly realistic. You wanted to believe Beatrice’s remarks about him just being jealous of Emma’s success was part of Beatrice trying to worm her way into Emma’s life but I really don’t think they were. Jim was just a bad person. The fact that he used Emma’s money all the while knowing he was planning to divorce her was just despicable.
The only minor complaint I had was the obvious foreshadowing of the fated piece of carpet above the stairs. There was a little too much emphasis placed on it so it was obvious what would come later. Compared to the scene where Emma and Hannah switched shoes, it’s especially noticeable. I had no clue how the shoe size thing would come back and I found that call back to be very clever.
I just really loved this book! I can’t recommend it enough!
5 stars!