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samalvarez823's review against another edition
5.0
Having been a huge fan of Alafair Burke’s already, I knew this book would live up to her reputation and guess what….it did!!
Mystery, suspense, even a bit of thriller mixed in; I completely devoured the story and really couldn’t put it down.
Two sisters, a husband and a son with domestic abuse and murder mixed in…what could possibly be the reasoning and who comes out of it alive without a prison term?
Five Stars all the way!!!
A huge thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the advanced readers copy, I’m not sure i could have waited till the release date!!
Mystery, suspense, even a bit of thriller mixed in; I completely devoured the story and really couldn’t put it down.
Two sisters, a husband and a son with domestic abuse and murder mixed in…what could possibly be the reasoning and who comes out of it alive without a prison term?
Five Stars all the way!!!
A huge thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the advanced readers copy, I’m not sure i could have waited till the release date!!
1classena's review against another edition
4.0
rating a 3.5. this book was actually very intriguing and i read it in a day. two sisters, the same husband. its a true who dunnit. the story was put together really well and you truly don;t find out who did it until the end of the book. there are a few twists but nothing completely shocking. this story was very believable and not cheesy like some other mysteries.
alayna_bryant1's review against another edition
4.0
Such a good thriller! I was in suspense the whole book and never knew what was going to happen next.
zoehop's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
julielb's review against another edition
4.0
This was a wonderful book and I wish Alafair Burke was writing more of her own mysteries again rather than co authoring with Mary Higgins Clark (in the past) or trying to carry on others' series. She's a wonderful writer!
In this story, a woman, Chloe, is a champion of MeToo stories, of those who aren't necessarily the celebrities but every day women working everyday jobs yet experiencing the same kind of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. She writes a series of articles for a magazine that champions these kinds of stories and women, and she serves as editor of that magazine. It wins an award, and prompts offers for her to write a book about it and a memoir of her life.
She is married to Adam, who we learn had been married to her older sister. They had a son together, Ethan, and after Nicky (her sister) went off the rails, Adam successfully petitioned for full custody of Ethan, then started dating Chloe and eventually they married with Chloe functioning primarily as Ethan's mom.
From the outside looking in, they seem to have the perfect family, the perfect life, surrounded my kudos and wealth. But then Adam is murdered at their E. Hampton beach house and the police soon zero in on Chloe at first, until her alibi is found to be solid, and then Ethan. Through the trial, we learn that Adam may not be the perfect man he portrayed to the public.
This was so well written, with characters that felt so real and genuine. You could feel their distress throughout the trial and their desperation to try to save Ethan.
The reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because imo there is a huge plot hole in the middle of the story:
*Spoiler Alert**
*
*
*
*
Nicky had been living in Cleveland and the reason she was never considered a suspect is because her cell phone was shown never to have left Cleveland the night of the murder. Um, hello, anyone intending to travel and perhaps cause harm to someone else would know to leave their cell phone at home! The police never ever checked her alibi, witnesses for where she was, etc. This seemed sloppy and lazy and not at all consistent with a smart police force. I understand why the author write it this way, so she could present the twist at the end. But it was always in the back of my head so I knew what was coming.
*
*
*
End spoiler
But otherwise, this was a really good book and I highly recommend it!
In this story, a woman, Chloe, is a champion of MeToo stories, of those who aren't necessarily the celebrities but every day women working everyday jobs yet experiencing the same kind of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. She writes a series of articles for a magazine that champions these kinds of stories and women, and she serves as editor of that magazine. It wins an award, and prompts offers for her to write a book about it and a memoir of her life.
She is married to Adam, who we learn had been married to her older sister. They had a son together, Ethan, and after Nicky (her sister) went off the rails, Adam successfully petitioned for full custody of Ethan, then started dating Chloe and eventually they married with Chloe functioning primarily as Ethan's mom.
From the outside looking in, they seem to have the perfect family, the perfect life, surrounded my kudos and wealth. But then Adam is murdered at their E. Hampton beach house and the police soon zero in on Chloe at first, until her alibi is found to be solid, and then Ethan. Through the trial, we learn that Adam may not be the perfect man he portrayed to the public.
This was so well written, with characters that felt so real and genuine. You could feel their distress throughout the trial and their desperation to try to save Ethan.
The reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because imo there is a huge plot hole in the middle of the story:
*Spoiler Alert**
*
*
*
*
Nicky had been living in Cleveland and the reason she was never considered a suspect is because her cell phone was shown never to have left Cleveland the night of the murder. Um, hello, anyone intending to travel and perhaps cause harm to someone else would know to leave their cell phone at home! The police never ever checked her alibi, witnesses for where she was, etc. This seemed sloppy and lazy and not at all consistent with a smart police force. I understand why the author write it this way, so she could present the twist at the end. But it was always in the back of my head so I knew what was coming.
*
*
*
End spoiler
But otherwise, this was a really good book and I highly recommend it!
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
RATING: 3.5 STARS
2019; Harper/HarperCollins Canada
Please note that a secondary character, Olivia Randall, is from a prior standalone novel [b:The Ex|25817395|The Ex|Alafair Burke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440168296s/25817395.jpg|45264431]. There isn't anything in this novel that would be a spoiler for The Ex. It's just a fun thing for fans.
I enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and I was intrigued to see where the case would go. I also wanted to confirm if I had the right killer picked out. At first, I thought this might be one of those romantic triangle books where we have two smart women fighting over a bland-ish guy. It moved into a story about an insecure woman who seemed to be on the edge of a breakdown. Chloe was a bit bland. It seemed like she was a composite of many characters in one without getting a sense of who and what she really felt. Even the #themtoo movement in this book lacked the passion. Chloe, a journalist/writer, seems to have made the #themtoo movement come to the forefront but it doesn't really sound like she cares about it beyond her own career. I wasn't a fan of her but I still was invested to see where the story would go, especially with Ethan, her son. When Adam, her husband, is murdered the secrets come out like it always does.
As the title suggests this is a book about two sisters - Chloe and Nicole, and how they battle one another to be the better daughter/sister. Yet, this story line isn't very prominent until later. It gets mentioned in the beginning and does get sprinkled throughout the book but very inconsistently.. I think this one is good for the beach as it is enjoyable read, as long as you don't think too much about the story. It was only when I was sitting down to write the review that some issues came up for me, lol. I lowered my rating to 3.5 from 4 to reflect some of these issues.
***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
My Novelesque Blog
2019; Harper/HarperCollins Canada
Please note that a secondary character, Olivia Randall, is from a prior standalone novel [b:The Ex|25817395|The Ex|Alafair Burke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440168296s/25817395.jpg|45264431]. There isn't anything in this novel that would be a spoiler for The Ex. It's just a fun thing for fans.
I enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and I was intrigued to see where the case would go. I also wanted to confirm if I had the right killer picked out. At first, I thought this might be one of those romantic triangle books where we have two smart women fighting over a bland-ish guy. It moved into a story about an insecure woman who seemed to be on the edge of a breakdown. Chloe was a bit bland. It seemed like she was a composite of many characters in one without getting a sense of who and what she really felt. Even the #themtoo movement in this book lacked the passion. Chloe, a journalist/writer, seems to have made the #themtoo movement come to the forefront but it doesn't really sound like she cares about it beyond her own career. I wasn't a fan of her but I still was invested to see where the story would go, especially with Ethan, her son. When Adam, her husband, is murdered the secrets come out like it always does.
As the title suggests this is a book about two sisters - Chloe and Nicole, and how they battle one another to be the better daughter/sister. Yet, this story line isn't very prominent until later. It gets mentioned in the beginning and does get sprinkled throughout the book but very inconsistently.
Spoiler
This and the title kind of gives away who the killer is, and I wanted to see if my guess was correct***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
My Novelesque Blog
zaracolley's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed this! I liked the writing but the story read as more of a family drama to me rather than a true thriller. it was pretty steady throughout and even a little predictable (I was always team nicky). the discussions around family dynamics & sisterhood were interesting to explore and I thought the ending felt abrupt but still satisfying
catreader18's review against another edition
4.0
Chloe Taylor is a successful editor of a women’s magazine. She gained much of her fame from starting #ThemToo, which is the non-celebrity women’s #MeToo movement. She is married to a successful lawyer and has a wonderful son. At least that is her public image and things are not always what they appear to be. Her husband, Adam, is actually her sister, Nicky’s ex-husband and her son, Ethan, is her nephew. Chloe is estranged from her sister. She constantly receives threats on social media from those who do not believe in #ThenToo. Then she finds Adam murdered in their house and Ethan becomes the main suspect in the murder. Chloe tries to find out who murdered Adam and save Ethan.
This is the first book I have read by Alafair Burke written by only her. I have read all of her books written with Mary Higgins Clark and love them. I was not disappointed in this stand alone book! The story line was very intriguing. I loved the characters and was consistently trying to guess who the killer was. The only downside was the book became a little complicated at the end. It was not enough to take away the enjoyment of the book. I loved this book and is a great choice for a weekend read!
This is the first book I have read by Alafair Burke written by only her. I have read all of her books written with Mary Higgins Clark and love them. I was not disappointed in this stand alone book! The story line was very intriguing. I loved the characters and was consistently trying to guess who the killer was. The only downside was the book became a little complicated at the end. It was not enough to take away the enjoyment of the book. I loved this book and is a great choice for a weekend read!