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another_fine_reader's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma and Violence
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
daniellepaige86's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Violence
Moderate: Rape
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
zara89's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Violence, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Rape
Minor: Car accident, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
booksjessreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.75
This book is about a woman named Christine who had anteriograde amnesia. She is encouraged to write a diary to help her remember things but she starts finding out intriguing things about her past. The writing was good and kept me interested throughout. One thing I did find a little hard to get through in the beginning was reading the same beginnings to her diary entries. I know her memory loss couldn't be helped, but until the story picked up in the middle I certainly found it hard to keep my concentration there.
However, I did really like the book and particularly towards the end I was hooked to see what was going to happen. This has definitely sparked a curiosity within me to start reading the other S. J. Watson works!
However, I did really like the book and particularly towards the end I was hooked to see what was going to happen. This has definitely sparked a curiosity within me to start reading the other S. J. Watson works!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Rape
Minor: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, and Miscarriage
vintagerecords's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, and Physical abuse
gracefulbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
In this book, we follow Christine a middle-aged woman who when she falls asleep each night her memories of that day and multiple ones before are forgotten and lost and she wakes up in a confused state. She wakes up to a husband she doesn't remember, seeing a face in the mirror she doesn't recognize and having no idea how she got to this point, to begin with, other than she had an accident years ago that messed up her memory.
So I saw multiple people rating this book super-low because it's unrealistic but because I saw those reviews I was able to suspend my belief in this book just a bit. But even with that I genuinely don't think this book is entirely unbelievable (I know that TWO parts, in particular, could be like ok...that doesn't make sense) and maybe the disbelief comes from Christine's condition-I don't know enough about the brain and memory to refute anything though so I will say I enjoyed this book for what it was.
I listened to this on audiobook and I think the narrator did a fantastic job portraying a lot of the confusion and worry that comes along with the main character's condition. Also not to mention I was really wanting to know what happened to Christine all those years ago. I found myself on the edge of my seat, super excited, and also beyond nervous for her.
I can't imagine how terrifying it must be to wake up every day and have no recollection of anything other than the earlier parts of your life-maybe. It was so interesting and suspenseful and I had a great time getting to enjoy it.
Also, the way the audiobook worked made the flash-forwards and flashbacks kind of fuse together but rather than ruining my experience it intensified it because I wound up feeling as confused as Christine did and I think it genuinely put me in her shoes.
I will say the only reason this isn't a 5 or a 4.5 stars is simply that I can see where there were some issues with the entire story. Also because near the end my interest did kind of wane just a tiny bit-but besides that it was a super enjoyable reading experience for me.
So I saw multiple people rating this book super-low because it's unrealistic but because I saw those reviews I was able to suspend my belief in this book just a bit. But even with that I genuinely don't think this book is entirely unbelievable (I know that TWO parts, in particular, could be like ok...that doesn't make sense) and maybe the disbelief comes from Christine's condition-I don't know enough about the brain and memory to refute anything though so I will say I enjoyed this book for what it was.
I listened to this on audiobook and I think the narrator did a fantastic job portraying a lot of the confusion and worry that comes along with the main character's condition. Also not to mention I was really wanting to know what happened to Christine all those years ago. I found myself on the edge of my seat, super excited, and also beyond nervous for her.
I can't imagine how terrifying it must be to wake up every day and have no recollection of anything other than the earlier parts of your life-maybe. It was so interesting and suspenseful and I had a great time getting to enjoy it.
Also, the way the audiobook worked made the flash-forwards and flashbacks kind of fuse together but rather than ruining my experience it intensified it because I wound up feeling as confused as Christine did and I think it genuinely put me in her shoes.
I will say the only reason this isn't a 5 or a 4.5 stars is simply that I can see where there were some issues with the entire story. Also because near the end my interest did kind of wane just a tiny bit-but besides that it was a super enjoyable reading experience for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Stalking
Moderate: Child death and Infidelity
novi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I read this in one sitting. It's so fast paced and I kept wanting to know what actually happened because right from the first page until the end, the suspense is always there. As we read more, we know that we can't trust any character in this book, not even the narrator (it uses first person pov from the main character). This book scared me a lot of the times and I didn't see the twist coming, even though it's not something very extra ordinary. But it's still good. I was scared that the ending of this book will haunt me, but thank god it didn't lol so this is not that disturbing. Even though if it did, it means it's really really good. But I still like it nevertheless.
Half of this book, we're reading the main character's journal, but it's not written in journal style, more in the novel style. Which is a bit weird since she has to write it in secret and she basically didn't have a lot of time to barely write before she sleeps and forget everything all over again, yet she wrote in novel style. I am used to writing journal entries for hours and I don't think I can do that lol. I understand why the author decides to do this, though, because if we readers read a journal version of it, we wouldn't grasp the entire situation
Half of this book, we're reading the main character's journal, but it's not written in journal style, more in the novel style. Which is a bit weird since she has to write it in secret and she basically didn't have a lot of time to barely write before she sleeps and forget everything all over again, yet she wrote in novel style. I am used to writing journal entries for hours and I don't think I can do that lol. I understand why the author decides to do this, though, because if we readers read a journal version of it, we wouldn't grasp the entire situation
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Stalking, Rape, and Infidelity
Minor: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Pregnancy
whatellieread's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.0
I was a little bit disappointed with this one. I found that I was able to guess almost all - if not all - of the "plot twists" a good 50+ pages before the reveals happened. That being said, it was a good story for the most part and I liked the concept.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence