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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
✨ "That's the thing about a terrible secret, Grace. You think you're keeping it, but really, it's the secret that keeps you."
Brilliant AF and I never saw that twist coming! Loved the gothic vibes. This is a well-written and atmospheric story, proving that you can indeed land a punch in just a few pages. Definitely my favourite in the whole Never Tell collection!
Also, "hashtag-own-voices"?? LOL #best
Brilliant AF and I never saw that twist coming! Loved the gothic vibes. This is a well-written and atmospheric story, proving that you can indeed land a punch in just a few pages. Definitely my favourite in the whole Never Tell collection!
Also, "hashtag-own-voices"?? LOL #best
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a fantastic read! I was bored at first, especially when it seemed like I had read this story before...
1. An old, rich woman lives in a recluse mansion on the top of a cliff, her only company the help that lives there with her.
2. Said woman was accused of murdering several people in her youth.
3. The apparent crimes are so sinister that the kids in town make up a Lizzie-Borden-style nursery rhyme about her.
4. The old rich woman is unable to tell her side of the story... Until now.
5. The employee that our protagonist is replacing went missing under mysterious circumstances.
6. Shady housekeeper.
...Sounds a lot like Riley Sager's The Only One Left, which was released a year prior, doesn't it?!
For this reason alone, it took me an embarrassingly long time to read a 65-page short story. I just couldn't get into it, and I was getting far too much déjà vu. But when the twist was finally revealed, it turned out this Sager lookalike wasn't such a giant waste of time after all. This story has an entirely different ending than The Only One Left, thankfully, and it completely changed my opinion of what I was reading.
1. An old, rich woman lives in a recluse mansion on the top of a cliff, her only company the help that lives there with her.
2. Said woman was accused of murdering several people in her youth.
3. The apparent crimes are so sinister that the kids in town make up a Lizzie-Borden-style nursery rhyme about her.
4. The old rich woman is unable to tell her side of the story... Until now.
5. The employee that our protagonist is replacing went missing under mysterious circumstances.
6. Shady housekeeper.
...Sounds a lot like Riley Sager's The Only One Left, which was released a year prior, doesn't it?!
For this reason alone, it took me an embarrassingly long time to read a 65-page short story. I just couldn't get into it, and I was getting far too much déjà vu. But when the twist was finally revealed, it turned out this Sager lookalike wasn't such a giant waste of time after all. This story has an entirely different ending than The Only One Left, thankfully, and it completely changed my opinion of what I was reading.
I enjoyed the ending and saw it three or four chapters before the end. I don't usually get them right and am usually so surprised. I'm not saying that to say I didn't enjoy the twisty ending because I did.
I have never read any works by Loreth Anne White and she kept me entertained and I thought for a minute about Verity (--another character who is an author being a ghostwriter for a sick or injured woman). There was some good plot points here about life and what or why we envy others. The characters here experience jealous rage and that is never healthy and will always end up poorly. Nonetheless, these are reasons people kill and they sometimes have no remorse at all. Have you been involved with a lunatic or stalker? Recognize the signs and red flags before you become the plot points for a true crime fiction writer.
I give this one a solid 4 stars.
I have never read any works by Loreth Anne White and she kept me entertained and I thought for a minute about Verity (--another character who is an author being a ghostwriter for a sick or injured woman). There was some good plot points here about life and what or why we envy others. The characters here experience jealous rage and that is never healthy and will always end up poorly. Nonetheless, these are reasons people kill and they sometimes have no remorse at all. Have you been involved with a lunatic or stalker? Recognize the signs and red flags before you become the plot points for a true crime fiction writer.
I give this one a solid 4 stars.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A juicy twist!! Too short. I wish this was a full novel.