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3.13 AVERAGE
3.13 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
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:
No
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
so wanted to love this as I was a HUGE fan of her previous book, Our House. (Seriously, it is brilliant! read that one for sure!)
So, there was nothing necessarily wrong with this one… it just wasn’t for me. It lacked the pace and excitement of the previous one and the ending kind of… fizzled out like the end of a sparkler being plunged into damp sand. It has a similar narrative style to the TV show of Big Little Lies which was well done but seemed to me to be cheating. It did build up the tension but I was confused as the climax came halfway through the book. There are then other crimes committed and a lot of he said, she said, who could have done what… but I admit I just didn’t really care. Without giving too much away, I think the first victim would have needed to be a main character to have kept my interest.
However, don’t let me put you off as it is really well written. There’s a fairly large cast of characters that are extremely well thought out, with enough flaws and nuances to seem like real people. It’s just a shame I didn’t like or relate to any of them. Candlish is an expert at capturing the little moments in daily life that, taken out of context seem mundane and of little consequence, but in reality can make or break a friendship or marriage.
It was a slow burn and to be honest I needed it to be a lot more. Sticking with the sparkler analogy… I was looking for fireworks at New Year but it was more like the cheap, safe, garden fireworks that never give what the box promises. Sorry.
So, there was nothing necessarily wrong with this one… it just wasn’t for me. It lacked the pace and excitement of the previous one and the ending kind of… fizzled out like the end of a sparkler being plunged into damp sand. It has a similar narrative style to the TV show of Big Little Lies which was well done but seemed to me to be cheating. It did build up the tension but I was confused as the climax came halfway through the book. There are then other crimes committed and a lot of he said, she said, who could have done what… but I admit I just didn’t really care. Without giving too much away, I think the first victim would have needed to be a main character to have kept my interest.
However, don’t let me put you off as it is really well written. There’s a fairly large cast of characters that are extremely well thought out, with enough flaws and nuances to seem like real people. It’s just a shame I didn’t like or relate to any of them. Candlish is an expert at capturing the little moments in daily life that, taken out of context seem mundane and of little consequence, but in reality can make or break a friendship or marriage.
It was a slow burn and to be honest I needed it to be a lot more. Sticking with the sparkler analogy… I was looking for fireworks at New Year but it was more like the cheap, safe, garden fireworks that never give what the box promises. Sorry.
A good mystery and thriller that kept me guessing all the way through. I loved the multiple points of view, the police interrogation transcripts, etc. It kept the story fresh in a genre that can produce the same ideas and twists.
I wasn’t expecting the first death. I was shocked! I expected one thing and got something completely different. That was a nice surprise for once. And then it came down to who did it. Who sabotaged the property to cause it?
I think every neighbor was likable in their own way. We definitely got to know some of the characters better than others. And again, whenever I had a suspect in mind, something was flip-turned and I was back at square one. There’s so much plotting. And secrets. It becomes convoluted, in the best way.
My only complaint would be the ending. A little abrupt and not fully closed, in my opinion. We got the whodunnits, but I think I needed a little more from Em...because I felt her role was definitely bigger than what we even know.
I wasn’t expecting the first death. I was shocked! I expected one thing and got something completely different. That was a nice surprise for once. And then it came down to who did it. Who sabotaged the property to cause it?
I think every neighbor was likable in their own way. We definitely got to know some of the characters better than others. And again, whenever I had a suspect in mind, something was flip-turned and I was back at square one. There’s so much plotting. And secrets. It becomes convoluted, in the best way.
My only complaint would be the ending. A little abrupt and not fully closed, in my opinion. We got the whodunnits, but I think I needed a little more from Em...because I felt her role was definitely bigger than what we even know.
This book was a bit hard to get through. I stopped reading it several times in favor of other titles. It moved very slowly, but by the middle, it had picked up and I breezed right through it. I thought there were far too many characters thrown in. It was difficult to keep track of who was who. Darren and Jodie are new neighbors who immediately do not get along with the current residents. Loud music at all hours of the night, cars parked in the road, etc. Tragedy happens, and everyone is a suspect. I thought that by the time it picked up, the "whodunit" aspect was quite interesting. Overall, though, the story took way too long to get to the point.
I'd like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.
I'd like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.
Excellent book on all fronts from all views
I began to read this as a Book and decided it was not worth reading so I returned it to our Library. I had it as ebook on my Nook and I decided to continue reading it. I made this mistake of returning the borrowed ebook altho it was not due and I forgot I had not finished it. So I dont know what happened to Ant or to Em or to any of the neighbors in this upscale home area in UK.
It took some time for me to get back the book from library and read the end. Wow!
Louise Candlish is a superb writer of her type of fiction probably one of the best.
This story is complex and on one level it is a "thriller" a drama about the danger of a bad neighbor. You have to wonder when you have done with this read if he Booth and his lady Julie or Jodie are the only bad neighbors
A lot is unearthed in this book and it is about a full range of humanity and each of the neighbors who are all Those People is different and not quite right in their own way even the most innocent Sissy.
There is a message to this book and I am beginning to grasp it...
Judy
I began to read this as a Book and decided it was not worth reading so I returned it to our Library. I had it as ebook on my Nook and I decided to continue reading it. I made this mistake of returning the borrowed ebook altho it was not due and I forgot I had not finished it. So I dont know what happened to Ant or to Em or to any of the neighbors in this upscale home area in UK.
It took some time for me to get back the book from library and read the end. Wow!
Louise Candlish is a superb writer of her type of fiction probably one of the best.
This story is complex and on one level it is a "thriller" a drama about the danger of a bad neighbor. You have to wonder when you have done with this read if he Booth and his lady Julie or Jodie are the only bad neighbors
A lot is unearthed in this book and it is about a full range of humanity and each of the neighbors who are all Those People is different and not quite right in their own way even the most innocent Sissy.
There is a message to this book and I am beginning to grasp it...
Judy
A decent read. Interesting how good people can be driven to be bad people and taking matters into your own hands can certainly backfire. I wasn’t as thrilled about the ending.