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thelovelylibrarylady's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
While this novel was well written, I found certain plot points to be predictable. One of my biggest reading pet peeves is when I figure out twists before they are meant to be revealed, which happened more than once in this story. If you are a fan of atmospheric thrillers, you will enjoy Leave The Lights On. Andersson’s descriptions of Cape Morgan, Maine were so fantastic that I had to Google to see if it was a real place (it is not) and truly elevated this title.
(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW)
(I received an audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)
jennilathrop's review
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
This was a pretty standard mystery. Andersson is a good story teller and weaves the past and present together really well. The story is fairly standard with a few red herrings that are nicely dealt with. The end was a quieter end than expected and I was surprised by the choice. For future me who forgets how these things end: Grace is Luke's sister and the one kidnapping the kids. In the end, Beatrice fakes her own death and she and Grace escape to take on the identities of two of the women who died at the asylum on the island.
crich320's review against another edition
2.0
I have no clue what happened in this book, but I was entertained
echoingbooks's review against another edition
3.0
*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *
Okay so this will most probably be a short review as I am currently vey annoyed with my very slow laptop. I had some trouble rating this book I mean I keep jumping between ratings but finally I decided on a 3 heart rating. This book was written well but I don't know I needed a bit more.
Now this story is about Beatrice who had plans to turn the abandoned asylum into a nice artist retreat in a small charming town of Cape Morgan, Maine. Her husband, Josh, cheating on her and him not knowing she knows. Sadly both has secrets and slowly there lives start to unravel when the child of his affair with a younger woman is kidnapped.
Now like I said before the writing was well done but there where times that I could figure things out before the main character did. I like mystery books that would keep me guessing until the very end and unfortunately for me this was not the one. Though this was a nice quick read for me to pass the time. Though I hate it when a book ends with a abrupt ending and I am not sure if this is felt by other readers but for me the story ending so abruptly and sadly also an anticlimactic ending.
Okay so this will most probably be a short review as I am currently vey annoyed with my very slow laptop. I had some trouble rating this book I mean I keep jumping between ratings but finally I decided on a 3 heart rating. This book was written well but I don't know I needed a bit more.
Now this story is about Beatrice who had plans to turn the abandoned asylum into a nice artist retreat in a small charming town of Cape Morgan, Maine. Her husband, Josh, cheating on her and him not knowing she knows. Sadly both has secrets and slowly there lives start to unravel when the child of his affair with a younger woman is kidnapped.
Now like I said before the writing was well done but there where times that I could figure things out before the main character did. I like mystery books that would keep me guessing until the very end and unfortunately for me this was not the one. Though this was a nice quick read for me to pass the time. Though I hate it when a book ends with a abrupt ending and I am not sure if this is felt by other readers but for me the story ending so abruptly and sadly also an anticlimactic ending.
rmizerek's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.0
brandon_the_beldam2993's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
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
3.25
Leave the lights on was my introduction to Liv Anderson as a storyteller. Almost immediately the pacing was swift and the story engaging with little to no lull moments.
I have read my fair share of the thriller genre, but anytime a good author can keep twists coming without making it forced surprises me.
There’s a lot of info and occurrences that happen in this book that drives the story forward like a puzzle and each revelation is a piece that fits within.
When the end is reached and it’s revealed who and why this person is doing these things to Beatrice..the reason why is like “oh that makes sense”
I have read my fair share of the thriller genre, but anytime a good author can keep twists coming without making it forced surprises me.
There’s a lot of info and occurrences that happen in this book that drives the story forward like a puzzle and each revelation is a piece that fits within.
When the end is reached and it’s revealed who and why this person is doing these things to Beatrice..the reason why is like “oh that makes sense”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Kidnapping, and Alcoholism
shannonsreading's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
shabanak's review against another edition
3.0
Leave the Lights on by Liv Anderson
Crooked Lane Books
Publication: 17 October 2023
3 stars
Synopsis:
"Cape Morgan, Maine, is the utopian ideal for a charmed life, and Beatrice Wicker knows it. The multi-million-dollar house on the sea coast. The joint bank accounts. The safety and security that go along with being married to an esteemed architect and community leader. The scenic coastline, perfect for her ambitious plan to turn an abandoned asylum into an artists’ retreat. So what if her husband sneaks off to see his second family now and again? Beatrice is willing to look the other way. It’s simply the price she must pay to keep their life together.
Josh doesn’t realize that Beatrice knows about his other life. That’s just one of Beatrice’s secrets. And now, that truth—along with a deadly host of other secrets from the past—is about to upend their false paradise.
When there’s an explosion at the local elementary school playground, and a two-year-old boy is abducted, it doesn’t take Beatrice long to make the connection between the missing boy and her husband. It was the son from Josh’s other life who was kidnapped, and Josh can’t do anything about it without revealing the truth.
Helping Josh find his son would destroy the façade of her perfect marriage and could put more children’s’ lives in danger. But that’s not all. It would reveal her deeper secret: Beatrice Wicker is not who she claims to be."
A secret past, a secret family, kidnapping, and a former asylum. These were some great interest points for the plot throughout the story, but it didn’t help to do much for the story. They kind of fell flat. As if someone was in the middle of explaining something to you or telling you a story and they just stopped in the middle of it, and then jumped into a new topic.
The secret past. One thing I enjoyed about this book are the dual timelines. It is always interesting to see how a character is in their past compared to their present. The book is told from Beatrice's POV both in the present and past. It was interesting to learn about her past, but it had an abrupt ending and then there was nothing after that. The rest of the story remained in the present. While we do learn a bit more of what happened during present time, the information kind of seems like a throw away since she learned it second-hand.
The secret family. Beatrice's husband, Josh, has another family. She has known for years that he was seeing someone else and then had a baby. This plot element fell flat to me. While reading about the moments between Beatrice and Josh, she kept saying in her head that she knows. Knows about the other woman and the baby, but never says anything because it's better for her to be in this façade of a marriage then let her past be known. Yet, when Josh finds out that she knows, that moment is anticlimactic. I feel like that should have been the moment the story takes a turn, but it just didn’t rise to that.
Kidnapping. With the kidnapping included in the synopsis, I thought this would have had a bigger role in the story, but it seemed to be more of a passing thought rather than part of the plot.
Former asylum. Beatrice is working on taking this former asylum/Ross house, and is turning it into an artists' retreat. This wasn’t relevant to the story in any way other than giving the story the creepy vibe it needed or wanted.
If these plot points were more rounded out, it would have been a better story. It also may have given way to a better ending too. The ending itself was abrupt, it seemed unfinished. Overall, this was a great story.
Thank you, Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Crooked Lane Books
Publication: 17 October 2023
3 stars
Synopsis:
"Cape Morgan, Maine, is the utopian ideal for a charmed life, and Beatrice Wicker knows it. The multi-million-dollar house on the sea coast. The joint bank accounts. The safety and security that go along with being married to an esteemed architect and community leader. The scenic coastline, perfect for her ambitious plan to turn an abandoned asylum into an artists’ retreat. So what if her husband sneaks off to see his second family now and again? Beatrice is willing to look the other way. It’s simply the price she must pay to keep their life together.
Josh doesn’t realize that Beatrice knows about his other life. That’s just one of Beatrice’s secrets. And now, that truth—along with a deadly host of other secrets from the past—is about to upend their false paradise.
When there’s an explosion at the local elementary school playground, and a two-year-old boy is abducted, it doesn’t take Beatrice long to make the connection between the missing boy and her husband. It was the son from Josh’s other life who was kidnapped, and Josh can’t do anything about it without revealing the truth.
Helping Josh find his son would destroy the façade of her perfect marriage and could put more children’s’ lives in danger. But that’s not all. It would reveal her deeper secret: Beatrice Wicker is not who she claims to be."
A secret past, a secret family, kidnapping, and a former asylum. These were some great interest points for the plot throughout the story, but it didn’t help to do much for the story. They kind of fell flat. As if someone was in the middle of explaining something to you or telling you a story and they just stopped in the middle of it, and then jumped into a new topic.
The secret past. One thing I enjoyed about this book are the dual timelines. It is always interesting to see how a character is in their past compared to their present. The book is told from Beatrice's POV both in the present and past. It was interesting to learn about her past, but it had an abrupt ending and then there was nothing after that. The rest of the story remained in the present. While we do learn a bit more of what happened during present time, the information kind of seems like a throw away since she learned it second-hand.
The secret family. Beatrice's husband, Josh, has another family. She has known for years that he was seeing someone else and then had a baby. This plot element fell flat to me. While reading about the moments between Beatrice and Josh, she kept saying in her head that she knows. Knows about the other woman and the baby, but never says anything because it's better for her to be in this façade of a marriage then let her past be known. Yet, when Josh finds out that she knows, that moment is anticlimactic. I feel like that should have been the moment the story takes a turn, but it just didn’t rise to that.
Kidnapping. With the kidnapping included in the synopsis, I thought this would have had a bigger role in the story, but it seemed to be more of a passing thought rather than part of the plot.
Former asylum. Beatrice is working on taking this former asylum/Ross house, and is turning it into an artists' retreat. This wasn’t relevant to the story in any way other than giving the story the creepy vibe it needed or wanted.
If these plot points were more rounded out, it would have been a better story. It also may have given way to a better ending too. The ending itself was abrupt, it seemed unfinished. Overall, this was a great story.
Thank you, Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.