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dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, it was love at first chapter for me. 🥰 Our main character was such a bad bitch! After a crooked detective saves her from being arrested, “Evie” finds herself entangled in a life of cons, long and short. The writing was exceptional in that every time I had a question, I received an answer in the next flashback I encountered. Powerful men being blackmailed—we love to see it. 😈 I’ve had numerous recommendations to check out this author’s YA books, and I am certainly going to have to move them up on my list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'd wanted to read an excellent thriller, and this is the one. This book had an interesting protagonist, excellent pacing, helpful flashbacks, and a terrific ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this, even if it kept me up late.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
genuinely loved this - read it in a day
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Blood
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
This was an intriguing con artist, small town thriller that pleasantly surprised me! Thank you for PRH Audio for the advanced listening copy <3 I am providing my review on my own accord after listening.
I thought the narrator Saskia Maarleveld did a fantastic job; I always marvel a bit at narrators' abilities to use totally different inflections and tones of voice when switching characters, and Saskia did an excellent job of this!
The rotating chapters between the past and present piqued my interest; I was wondering what the tie-ins would be, and when it finally came together, it did not disappoint! I find that thrillers can delve into the exploitation and harmful fetishization of "mental health" struggles way too predictably and frustratingly, but this book steered clear of that and I appreciate it. It proves that a mystery or heist/con artist thriller can stand on its own, with morally grey characters, rather than villainizing those who are neurodivergent or have schizophrenia etc.
Despite the fact that you know that our main character is deceiving folks from the start, you're still rooting for her. It's so easy to, because she's so clever and takes no shit. Her whirlwind romance with Ryan has all of his close friends guessing, and I found it so delectable that she had them wound up so tightly.
The mystery of the elusive Mr. Smith was a very captivating game of cat and mouse, and while it frustrated me for Evie, I just wanted to know his real identity already and what his endgame was! Let it be known I will never be cut out for heist/con artist/secret identity work hahaha.
Anyway, as thrillers do, a lot of the big action and reveals happen in the last 10% of the book, but it overall felt like a satisfying conclusion and I think others will have lots of fun with this one.
see content warnings below!
This was an intriguing con artist, small town thriller that pleasantly surprised me! Thank you for PRH Audio for the advanced listening copy <3 I am providing my review on my own accord after listening.
I thought the narrator Saskia Maarleveld did a fantastic job; I always marvel a bit at narrators' abilities to use totally different inflections and tones of voice when switching characters, and Saskia did an excellent job of this!
The rotating chapters between the past and present piqued my interest; I was wondering what the tie-ins would be, and when it finally came together, it did not disappoint! I find that thrillers can delve into the exploitation and harmful fetishization of "mental health" struggles way too predictably and frustratingly, but this book steered clear of that and I appreciate it. It proves that a mystery or heist/con artist thriller can stand on its own, with morally grey characters, rather than villainizing those who are neurodivergent or have schizophrenia etc.
Despite the fact that you know that our main character is deceiving folks from the start, you're still rooting for her. It's so easy to, because she's so clever and takes no shit. Her whirlwind romance with Ryan has all of his close friends guessing, and I found it so delectable that she had them wound up so tightly.
The mystery of the elusive Mr. Smith was a very captivating game of cat and mouse, and while it frustrated me for Evie, I just wanted to know his real identity already and what his endgame was! Let it be known I will never be cut out for heist/con artist/secret identity work hahaha.
Anyway, as thrillers do, a lot of the big action and reveals happen in the last 10% of the book, but it overall felt like a satisfying conclusion and I think others will have lots of fun with this one.
see content warnings below!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting
Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent