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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
This story started off very slow and I wasn't sure whether I would finish it at first. But when it hit about 100-150 pages, it really picked up the pace and got very interesting. Lots of twists and turns, and a very surprising ending! I really enjoyed it and I'm glad I stuck with it.
This story has some great twists and while at times I found it slow I did enjoy it. It makes you think a lot, a lot of situations they are in you will be wondering how you would react and what you would do. I think people will be mixed on this book, as I don't think the story will please everyone.
* I received this book from netGalley in exchange for an honest review
* I received this book from netGalley in exchange for an honest review
Won as a goodreads giveaway. Couldn't put it down. Highly recommend it
I love a book with twists and turns in the plot and He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly almost made me nauseous with them! I’m usually good at predicting what will happen, but there were so many turns that I did not see coming in this one. He Said/She Said has a trial at its core, the usual he said/She Said landscape. However, as you read, the he and the she gets all twisted. And I loved it! If you are looking for a page turner, I highly recommend this one!
Hm... I really wanted to love this the way most readers here seem to, but something about it fell flat for me. I listened to the audiobook, and though the narrators were fine, maybe that had something to do with my disconnect to the story. Or maybe it simply wasn't for me. That being said, it was not bad, and the writing was genuinely good. Still, while I could feel sympathy for their troubles, the characters felt whiny and not very likable. For me, it also felt fairly slow-paced, which I was not expecting.
This year there have been a number of books that received a lot of hype, which just did not click with me and some that have flown totally under the radar, which I ended up loving. Undeterred, I think I will launch into the new Ruth Ware next, so fingers crossed it will be more satisfying!
Final words - He Said/She Said is not bad or boring, just not as special or engaging as I was hoping it would be.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
This year there have been a number of books that received a lot of hype, which just did not click with me and some that have flown totally under the radar, which I ended up loving. Undeterred, I think I will launch into the new Ruth Ware next, so fingers crossed it will be more satisfying!
Final words - He Said/She Said is not bad or boring, just not as special or engaging as I was hoping it would be.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
3.5 stars. The publisher accepted my netgalley request to read this only 3 days before the archive/release date, and at first I was doubtful I’d get it read and reviewed before then. (My review is slightly rushed because of that, as well as being on holiday without a stable wi-fi connection, so apologies for that!) Fortunately, reading this quickly didn’t turn out to be problem, as this book turned out to be the absorbing experience the ‘thriller’ genre promises. Indeed, I was completely captivated by the first 3 quarters.
The novel uses the now-familiar technique of dual/parallel plotlines, past and present, to uncover the aftermath of husband and wife, Kit and Laura, becoming witnesses of a rape trial 15 years ago. The consequences of what they witnessed still haunts both of them, particularly Laura who now battles with anxiety and panic attacks, not just the victim of the attack. The past storyline was fantastic. It starts of as a thoughtful portrayal on the injustices of rape trials in a court of law, views of consent or lack thereof, and how the media portrays both the victim, attacker and the subjective views of others touched by the event. The highlight of the novel was the middle portion, which I found absolutely terrifying. The tension was lessened slightly by Kit’s 2015 chapters. don’t think they were necessary or added anything at all, but the rest was fantastic and thrilling.
Unfortunately, I personally think the book lost its way a little by the ending, in a way sadly fairly frequent in mystery thrillers: too many completely OTT narrative twists. I’d say Kelly is another author who needs to learn that, sometimes, less is more. The ending simply pushed the limit of believably and plausibility. I was also disappointed that.
Still, I recommend this highly for lovers of twisty thrillers. Many will probably enjoy the ending much more than I did, and I can’t deny it was well written and enjoyable.
The novel uses the now-familiar technique of dual/parallel plotlines, past and present, to uncover the aftermath of husband and wife, Kit and Laura, becoming witnesses of a rape trial 15 years ago. The consequences of what they witnessed still haunts both of them, particularly Laura who now battles with anxiety and panic attacks, not just the victim of the attack. The past storyline was fantastic. It starts of as a thoughtful portrayal on the injustices of rape trials in a court of law, views of consent or lack thereof, and how the media portrays both the victim, attacker and the subjective views of others touched by the event. The highlight of the novel was the middle portion,
Spoiler
dealing with Beth’s character as a stalker, who becomes increasingly obsessive and creepy, even threatening towards the married couple,Unfortunately, I personally think the book lost its way a little by the ending, in a way sadly fairly frequent in mystery thrillers: too many completely OTT narrative twists. I’d say Kelly is another author who needs to learn that, sometimes, less is more. The ending simply pushed the limit of believably and plausibility. I was also disappointed that
Spoiler
the ending destroyed the Laura and Kit’s relationship. I was enjoying so much the portrayal of a married couple as a united front for once, something so rare in a books of this genre. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that this couldn’t last, but the idea of them a solid pairing seemed much more believable than a lot of the later twists and the downfall of their marriage, which in contrast felt rather forcedStill, I recommend this highly for lovers of twisty thrillers. Many will probably enjoy the ending much more than I did, and I can’t deny it was well written and enjoyable.
With an alternating point of view, a timeline that jumps all over the place, and characters that I don't care about, I finally put this book down after reading the first 175 pages. And I have absolutely no interest in how this "psychological thriller" turns out. I just wish I had stopped reading it sooner.
3.5 stars. I usually read 60 pages before I decide whether I will give up on a book or not. I was at page 56 before I finally decided I could keep going. This book was really slow at the beginning, but it got better ... mostly. I found that it sometimes ground to a halt at the start of a new chapter - there tended to be long descriptions, or we would be taken to a mundane point of time before steadily building again - only to rip us into another timeline and/or POV and start the description/mundanity again. Still. There was substance here, and an intriguing plot line that kept me reading. I didn’t know who to trust or believe, and that kept it exciting. Mixed feelings on this one!
Let's twist again...
Laura and Kit are newly in love. Kit is an eclipse-chaser, travelling the world to experience full solar eclipses as often as he can. So they've gone together to a festival at Lizard's Point in Cornwall to witness the 1999 eclipse – Laura's first. Still on a high following this semi-mystical experience, as they make their way back to the festival site Laura comes across two people who at first she thinks are making love. But then she sees the girl's face, frozen in shock, and reassesses what it is she's actually seeing. Now she's going to be the major witness in a rape trial. Fifteen years later, Laura and Kit are still together, awaiting the birth of their twins, but hiding from the world. The book tells the story of how the events after the eclipse have led them to this...
The beginning of the book is excellent, with a very realistic portrayal of an attack and subsequent trial where the whole thing hinges on the matter of consent. Jamie, the man accused of raping Beth, comes from a wealthy, respectable family who can afford the best lawyers. He said she gave consent/she said she didn't. It's up to the jury to decide, and Laura is the only witness who can give them an independent account of what she saw.
Kelly writes very well, even when she's using my pet hate first person, present tense for the parts of the book relating to the present day. Laura tells most of the story, both of what happened back in 1999 and now, while we also hear Kit's point of view on the present day events. Kelly shows how difficult these cases are by letting us see everything Laura saw and yet leaving some small area of doubt as to whether Laura has interpreted it correctly. She shows not only that we bring our own beliefs and prejudices to things we witness, but also how a good lawyer can chip away at a witness until doubt creeps into even the witness's own mind, much less the jury's.
Unfortunately, the book also follows many of the on-going identikit features of the domestic thriller that drive me crazy: skipping between past and present, multiple points of view, the aforesaid present tense – the full ticklist. Worse, it's another one of those where the narrators know all kind of stuff which they carefully conceal from the reader in an attempt to build false suspense. Some dreadful incident or incidents have happened in the intervening years, changing the course of Laura's life and leaving her suffering from extreme anxiety. But we don't learn what until nearly two-thirds of the way through, by which time I was so annoyed I didn't care any more. It's a pity, because there is a suspenseful element as to how the story is going to play out which would have been sufficient, so it really wasn't necessary to clumsily withhold stuff that had already happened.
Having said that, when the book finally reaches the point of beginning to reveal all, it becomes progressively less credible with each passing twist. And my, there are a lot of them! Too many. And the final couple are so silly and pointless they take away the last shreds of realism, leaving me sad that a book that began as something thoughtful and well-written ended up like every other trashy domestic thriller of the last five years. Oh well, no doubt this trend will end one day - can't come soon enough for my liking. I'd like to see writers of the undoubted quality of Erin Kelly produce something with a little more heft and originality, and less reliance on false suspense and incredible twists. As these things go, though, this is as good as most and better than many, which I'm afraid is as much praise as I can give it. 2½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Laura and Kit are newly in love. Kit is an eclipse-chaser, travelling the world to experience full solar eclipses as often as he can. So they've gone together to a festival at Lizard's Point in Cornwall to witness the 1999 eclipse – Laura's first. Still on a high following this semi-mystical experience, as they make their way back to the festival site Laura comes across two people who at first she thinks are making love. But then she sees the girl's face, frozen in shock, and reassesses what it is she's actually seeing. Now she's going to be the major witness in a rape trial. Fifteen years later, Laura and Kit are still together, awaiting the birth of their twins, but hiding from the world. The book tells the story of how the events after the eclipse have led them to this...
The beginning of the book is excellent, with a very realistic portrayal of an attack and subsequent trial where the whole thing hinges on the matter of consent. Jamie, the man accused of raping Beth, comes from a wealthy, respectable family who can afford the best lawyers. He said she gave consent/she said she didn't. It's up to the jury to decide, and Laura is the only witness who can give them an independent account of what she saw.
Kelly writes very well, even when she's using my pet hate first person, present tense for the parts of the book relating to the present day. Laura tells most of the story, both of what happened back in 1999 and now, while we also hear Kit's point of view on the present day events. Kelly shows how difficult these cases are by letting us see everything Laura saw and yet leaving some small area of doubt as to whether Laura has interpreted it correctly. She shows not only that we bring our own beliefs and prejudices to things we witness, but also how a good lawyer can chip away at a witness until doubt creeps into even the witness's own mind, much less the jury's.
Unfortunately, the book also follows many of the on-going identikit features of the domestic thriller that drive me crazy: skipping between past and present, multiple points of view, the aforesaid present tense – the full ticklist. Worse, it's another one of those where the narrators know all kind of stuff which they carefully conceal from the reader in an attempt to build false suspense. Some dreadful incident or incidents have happened in the intervening years, changing the course of Laura's life and leaving her suffering from extreme anxiety. But we don't learn what until nearly two-thirds of the way through, by which time I was so annoyed I didn't care any more. It's a pity, because there is a suspenseful element as to how the story is going to play out which would have been sufficient, so it really wasn't necessary to clumsily withhold stuff that had already happened.
Having said that, when the book finally reaches the point of beginning to reveal all, it becomes progressively less credible with each passing twist. And my, there are a lot of them! Too many. And the final couple are so silly and pointless they take away the last shreds of realism, leaving me sad that a book that began as something thoughtful and well-written ended up like every other trashy domestic thriller of the last five years. Oh well, no doubt this trend will end one day - can't come soon enough for my liking. I'd like to see writers of the undoubted quality of Erin Kelly produce something with a little more heft and originality, and less reliance on false suspense and incredible twists. As these things go, though, this is as good as most and better than many, which I'm afraid is as much praise as I can give it. 2½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
An unexpected mystery right up until the last page. A fascinating look at eclipse trackers, and a crime that happens during an eclipse. Dark; atmospheric and very enjoyable.