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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed reading this. I was expecting girly fluff for some reason, but it was very real and very readble except for the ending which felt out of character with the rest of the book and a bit silly. There's also a cute cat, Victor, in it, which is always a plus point.
It's mostly set on the Isle of Wight, a place I've not been to (yet). I wonder what it would have been like reading this book and knowing the island, because it was incredibly detailed. It has encouraged me that I do want to go there some day. But I do have a thing for islands so I am easily persuaded on this score.
If you like your books fast and exciting with every chapter ending on a cliffhanger, and you can't cope with any other style of book, then this thriller really isn't for you. It is very slow moving, and just soaking up the atmosphere of the island and real time. I loved it but I realise it might not be for everyone. There is always a creeping undertone throughout the book, for a good long while not being sure what is wrong, other than that there is something wrong, and then just wondering how (or even if ever - they could have been empty threats) it's all going to fall apart. There is a modern gothic quality in that there is a rather passive woman being dominated by a strong male lead. Ok, Kate, our leading lady, isn't as passive as a lot of female characters I've read in books, but throughout the story there was one question screaming over and over in my head that was never answered. Why didn't she call the police? And I don't mean right at the end with things getting nasty such as the animal abuse (moment of Wuthering Heights unpleasantness there?), but even much earlier on. Domestic abuse anyone? But it never so much as crosses her mind at any point in the book. I don't get why not. Although perhaps I do. Although she ended up terrified of him, I think at the same time on some subconscious level she loved the attention and knowing there was someone out there obsessing about her. A bit of that, and I suppose a bit of embarassment that she could have ended up in such a vulnerable position. And the fact that she did love him once. It's the bed she made, by getting involved with him, so does she consider it her punishment to take what's coming? Aside from the fact that she never even considers the police, there are all those emails that torment her. Just block his damned email address and be done with it!
She's a translator, so she doesn't have to keep office hours or live in any particular place. The story is set on the island, with regular flashblacks to her relationship with London property developer Richard Brookwood. Everything's wonderful and intense for a few months, but as the book progresses slowly (island time, you know) we start to discover that there's more to the story and the man, and we eventually find out why the relationship broke down and why she fled to the Isle of Wight.
I just wish the ending could have been different.
It's mostly set on the Isle of Wight, a place I've not been to (yet). I wonder what it would have been like reading this book and knowing the island, because it was incredibly detailed. It has encouraged me that I do want to go there some day. But I do have a thing for islands so I am easily persuaded on this score.
If you like your books fast and exciting with every chapter ending on a cliffhanger, and you can't cope with any other style of book, then this thriller really isn't for you. It is very slow moving, and just soaking up the atmosphere of the island and real time. I loved it but I realise it might not be for everyone. There is always a creeping undertone throughout the book, for a good long while not being sure what is wrong, other than that there is something wrong, and then just wondering how (or even if ever - they could have been empty threats) it's all going to fall apart. There is a modern gothic quality in that there is a rather passive woman being dominated by a strong male lead. Ok, Kate, our leading lady, isn't as passive as a lot of female characters I've read in books, but throughout the story there was one question screaming over and over in my head that was never answered. Why didn't she call the police? And I don't mean right at the end with things getting nasty such as the animal abuse (moment of Wuthering Heights unpleasantness there?), but even much earlier on. Domestic abuse anyone? But it never so much as crosses her mind at any point in the book. I don't get why not. Although perhaps I do. Although she ended up terrified of him, I think at the same time on some subconscious level she loved the attention and knowing there was someone out there obsessing about her. A bit of that, and I suppose a bit of embarassment that she could have ended up in such a vulnerable position. And the fact that she did love him once. It's the bed she made, by getting involved with him, so does she consider it her punishment to take what's coming? Aside from the fact that she never even considers the police, there are all those emails that torment her. Just block his damned email address and be done with it!
She's a translator, so she doesn't have to keep office hours or live in any particular place. The story is set on the island, with regular flashblacks to her relationship with London property developer Richard Brookwood. Everything's wonderful and intense for a few months, but as the book progresses slowly (island time, you know) we start to discover that there's more to the story and the man, and we eventually find out why the relationship broke down and why she fled to the Isle of Wight.
I just wish the ending could have been different.
3.5 stars.
I wanted to like this more. But the lengthy descriptions and character thoughts on audiobook felt twice as long as on the page. I did enjoy the structure and the long build-up to a climax, but there did seem to be unnecessary description, especially as the situation unravels and you realise the danger our heroine is in.
Our heroine - Kate. Someone I couldn't quite root for. She's made the mistake of staying involved with a married man. Fine - she made a bad decision. It's when she refuses to seek help after she discovers her lover, Richard, is actually a violent psychopath. Talk about wallowing in 'the bed made'.
Kate runs from Richard and starts a new life on the Isle of Wight, finding a job, friends, happiness of sorts, even developing feelings for a local man. Yet she's hiding the fact that Richard keeps phoning and emailing her, threatening, searching. Does she call the police? Keep the evidence? Take precautions? None of the above.
Eventually of course, her choices are going to catch up with her.
The tension created through the book is quite taut, but there are so many diversions into Kate's introspection that it ebbs and flows. The denouement itself, long expected is over in minutes/pages. A shame.
The audiobook is read by someone quite well-spoken and cold-sounding, which didn't increase the protagonist's likability for me.
A decent read but slightly flawed.
I wanted to like this more. But the lengthy descriptions and character thoughts on audiobook felt twice as long as on the page. I did enjoy the structure and the long build-up to a climax, but there did seem to be unnecessary description, especially as the situation unravels and you realise the danger our heroine is in.
Our heroine - Kate. Someone I couldn't quite root for. She's made the mistake of staying involved with a married man. Fine - she made a bad decision. It's when she refuses to seek help after she discovers her lover, Richard, is actually a violent psychopath. Talk about wallowing in 'the bed made'.
Kate runs from Richard and starts a new life on the Isle of Wight, finding a job, friends, happiness of sorts, even developing feelings for a local man. Yet she's hiding the fact that Richard keeps phoning and emailing her, threatening, searching. Does she call the police? Keep the evidence? Take precautions? None of the above.
Eventually of course, her choices are going to catch up with her.
The tension created through the book is quite taut, but there are so many diversions into Kate's introspection that it ebbs and flows. The denouement itself, long expected is over in minutes/pages. A shame.
The audiobook is read by someone quite well-spoken and cold-sounding, which didn't increase the protagonist's likability for me.
A decent read but slightly flawed.
Easy read and enjoyable. However, lacked unpredictable twists and found myself scanning through sections to get to the best more interesting bits. Also, should have a trigger warning for assault.
Kate has fled to the Isle of Wight to escape London and a relationship that went sour. It quickly becomes apparent that her relationship with Richard was not straightforward and that she has reason to be afraid of him. Kate is lonely in Cowes, but gradually gets to know people and befriends Peter, whose wife has gone missing in a boating accident. However Richard continues to send her increasingly threatening emails and it's clear that he will not be happy to let her move on with her life.
The book starts slowly and after a couple of chapters I wondered if it was for me, but it quickly finds its momentum and then ratchets up the tension gradually over the course of the book until you can hardly put it down at the end. You really get inside Kate's head and feel her loneliness and fear. I read this quickly and even now that it's finished, I'm finding it hard to stop thinking about it. A terrific psychological thriller.
The book starts slowly and after a couple of chapters I wondered if it was for me, but it quickly finds its momentum and then ratchets up the tension gradually over the course of the book until you can hardly put it down at the end. You really get inside Kate's head and feel her loneliness and fear. I read this quickly and even now that it's finished, I'm finding it hard to stop thinking about it. A terrific psychological thriller.
By the time Kate realizes she has to get away from Richard, things have gone too far. Isolated from her friends, scared he'll come after her, she flees to the Isle Wight in the winter, hoping the remoteness will keep him from finding her. But an insular place outside of tourist season isn't the friendliest of places and Kate is both scared and lonely. When she realizes that the woman she spoke with briefly is the same woman who disappeared while sailing, she becomes fascinated with her, to the point of listening in on conversations and watching the husband.
This book has all the elements of a solid thriller, but ends up being, well, not very thrilling. Whitehouse takes so much time setting up the story that it never really takes off, with the evil boyfriend not really posing much of a threat until the final pages. But the descriptions of island life in winter were lovely and and the story of a lonely woman finding a few friends was well-told. If you're looking for something with pacing and excitement, give this one a pass, but if you're open to vivid descriptions of life on an English island as well as an unconvincing love story, you might enjoy this one. I liked it well enough.
This book has all the elements of a solid thriller, but ends up being, well, not very thrilling. Whitehouse takes so much time setting up the story that it never really takes off, with the evil boyfriend not really posing much of a threat until the final pages. But the descriptions of island life in winter were lovely and and the story of a lonely woman finding a few friends was well-told. If you're looking for something with pacing and excitement, give this one a pass, but if you're open to vivid descriptions of life on an English island as well as an unconvincing love story, you might enjoy this one. I liked it well enough.
It could have been great, the blurb looked amazing but I waited for the best part of 250 pages for anything really gritty to happen. The last 50+ pages were exciting but that was over quickly. Won't read it again!
This was a very slow build up and for most of the book nothing really happened although large amounts of alcohol seemed to pervade most meetings between the characters! It reminded me a lot of the film 'sleeping with the enemy'.
I really enjoyed the first half this book, the setting of the scenes around the Isle of Wight and the drip feeding of the story line and how Kate met Richard. It was obvious he was married, but the way his character was revealed had me hooked. About half way through the first email arrived and I expected the book to have a massive pick up of pace which just doesn't quite take off. I enjoyed the book overall but felt so much more could have been done to create more tension and the ending felt a little rushed. Would definitely searching out more by. This author though.
Eerie, unnerving and a bit too close to the bone but a great tale about a young woman escaping a destructive relationship. A bit predictable at the end but nonetheless worth a read.
The creepiest thing about this book is the shitty legal system that didn't even consider domestic abuse and were like "nah, he only tried to kill her with a gun, that's not so bad" without considering that the asshole tried to rape her and sent his wife to the hospital. Sadly, too real.