3.21 AVERAGE

prettyoddpages's review

3.0
emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
loribreereads's profile picture

loribreereads's review

2.0

Did not like the main character, Tara, AT ALL. Just couldn't connect with the book. :(

I was mildly disappointed with this book. The synopsis led me to believe that much more would happen - but it never did. The whole novel built suspense for what I assumed would be an amazing ending, but it fell short. The ending really ruined the book for me - I expected more...

Tara has lived a life pretty much all alone. Estranged from her crazy mother, and four divorces later Tara finds herself in a ski accident with her sister only to meet the main of her dreams. Cavin is the man any woman is looking for, he’s thoughtful, says all the right things, but could he be hiding something? Could Tara be hiding things? This is Hopkins first attempt at an actual novel; her poetry is still embedded into the story, but this is all prose. It’s well written, if not for the repetition of certain words, and the circles the reader goes through. She tries to make the reader think one thing, while really meaning another, which leaves the reader a little confused at times as to what is really going on. Even as the novel ends it feels eerily unfinished, and its attempt for a major plot twist kind of just flop when it doesn’t seem like it’s over. Hopkins’ definitely tried to make the novel intriguing and as chapter ended, the need to read more was there, it was just the plot that would get muddy. Her characters were good, and like all her previous novels flawed to the max. This was a good novel with some thriller-esque theme, but lacked in execution.

Interesting story but for the most part it was pretty uneventful. I found the ending to be quite abrupt and unsatisfying too.

Tara is a lovely forty-year who is once widowed, twice divorced. She's independent, both financially and in her relationships. She had a tough childhood with an unpredictable and volatile mother. Then, while skiing with her sister, Tara injuries her knee. As such, she meets Cavin, a handsome orthopedic surgeon. Tara quickly finds herself falling for Cavin, who is charismatic and wealthy. After her surgery, she moves in with Cavin and is dependent on him while she heals. She also meets his awkward teenage son, Eli, who doesn't seem too happy to have Tara in his life. Tara starts receiving odd threats and other strange things begin happening. Is Tara safe--and who is responsible for these bizarre occurrences?

This was one of those strange books that I didn't really enjoy, yet I couldn't stop reading. It takes a very long time to build up to its description--and I'd argue that it never really delivers on what it promised. Yes, there's a lot of simmering, ominous things that occur in the background (threats, texts), but I was expecting more outright terror and abuse. Honestly, not much really happens, you know? The big twist comes on literally the last two pages. Now, it's a good twist, and it's probably enough that I'll eventually track down and read the second book, but sheesh. I would have liked a little more excitement during the rest of the book, instead of it all jammed into the last few pages.

Still, the book was interesting enough that I felt drawn to Tara. The book revolves very much around her and her perspective. The background events keep you confused and wondering if more is going to occur (it doesn't, really). I'll be intrigued to see what happens in book #2. 2.5 stars.

Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Google+ ~ Instagram

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review was originally posted on Books and Ladders

I am a huge fan of Ellen Hopkins, so of course I jumped at the chance to read and review her newest adult fiction novel! I wasn't too sure about the idea of prose over poetry, but I do think that it was still laid out in a good, Hopkins style.

But this wasn't great, it was good. I was expecting a thriller with a lot of who to trust, who not to trust, and being on the edge of my seat the entire time. But that isn't what I got. It fell kind of flat some times and the ending was a little unsatisfying. I thought there were some loose ends and unanswered questions, but since this is a series I am sure there is more to come that will explain this.

Eli, though, he was my favorite character. I loved not knowing whether to trust him or not, let alone his intentions. He was probably the best character overall. I am thinking that maybe this will be like Triangle and Tilt with one book from the parent's perspective and then one from the child's.

The ending was unfulfilling. I thought there was too much build up for what the result was.

Overall: 3.5/5 stars for this one. I hope the rest of the series has more to it than this one did!

This wasn't that great. For me, I was expecting a huge thriller with tons of twists. Who to trust, who not to trust. But, that was the last thing I got. On the roller coaster I expected, all it had were some flat lines and a few hills. All the things described in the description happened about 70% in. It was definitely more women's fiction than anything. Tara's, our main character, journey through finding her fourth husband and choosing to stay with him despite her distrust of him and his son paralleled her sister's, Mel, journey with hiw she just stayed with her husband.

Don't get me wrong, this was a good book. I didn't like Tara at first, but she grew on me as the time went on. At the end, I didn't like her much for her choice, but I could understand why she did it. Cavin was another interesting character. I don't have much to say on him really.

Eli, though, he was my favorite character. I loved not knowing whether to trust him or not, let alone his intentions. Maybe I'm biased from Hopkin's YA novels, but I wanted the story told my him. Perhaps Hopkins will make this a story like Triangle and Tilt; one book from the parent's perspective and then one from the kid's.

I also wish this was in poetry, not prose. She wrote a mean story, but poetry would have just slimmed it down more to the point of this whole thing. Again, I might be biased from the YA side of things.

The ending was lackluster. I finished it and I paused for a moment, then side. So much build up for completely nothing. And literally, it really was nothing to get excited about.

This review is also posted on my blog The Little Book Affair.

I’ve read all of Ellen Hopkins’ young adult books that are currently published. I don’t normally read her adult books but there was just something about this book that interested me. So I bought it. And I didn’t love it.

I’m not sure why but the story just didn’t flow for me like her other books usually do. Maybe it was because I was reading from a 40 year old woman’s point of view, but I just couldn’t really connect to the main character, Tara, very much. I enjoyed the main character though, if that makes sense. I thought she was a very interesting character, and I never felt bored with her. There were certain things the character said or did that I didn’t like, but overall I thought the main character was okay. I really liked the sexy doctor love interest, and Tara’s sister. I actually enjoyed most of the characters in the book.

The writing of the story is what really made me bored with the book. I usually drool over Ellen Hopkins writing, but she usually writes her YA novels in free verse so maybe that’s why. I’m not used to reading an Ellen Hopkins novel like a regularly written novel. I also just found the writing to be very slow. For a 300-something page book the story feels like it drags. While I was reading it I felt like I had been reading forever but the story was going nowhere. Sometimes when I put the book down and I had little to no desire to pick it back up again; which is probably why it took me a few months to read it. The sexy scenes in the book were pretty sexy, though, and I enjoyed them. I never felt like they were over the top.

Love Lies Beneath wasn’t totally terrible; I have it 3 stars because it has it’s redeemable qualities. I’m still a die hard Ellen Hopkins fan, but I think I’ll just stick to her YA books.

Tara is an affluent, savvy businesswoman living in a luxurious home in the expanse of San Francisco. While dealing with her sister’s troubled family and marriage, Tara reflects on her own weary past and severed relationship with her mother. After two divorces and a widowing, she is assured that she’ll never know what it means to have true love. That is, until a chance accident while skiing in the Nevada hills brings her into the arms of Dr. Cavin Lattimore, a hunky orthopedic surgeon with no shortage of charm, wit, and good looks to match her own. Their romance takes flame quickly, while he helps Tara nurse a severely wounded ACL. Though, she can’t help but start to doubt his intentions when his angst-filled son, Eli, keeps summoning up some questionable secrets. As Tara begins to receive threatening messages, she realizes she may have a dangerous stalker in her midst, and when Cavin can’t assuage her suspicions, she wonders if her budding fourth marriage is as true as it once felt.

Ellen Hopkins is an undisputed queen of familial trauma and darkness. If anyone else devoured her YA books as a youth, then you know, as I do, that she is a master of crafting tension, secrets, and consequences of her characters’ decisions. I’ve gotten my hands on a few of her adult-oriented novels, including Collateral and Triangles, and I’ve anticipated this new addition since it was released, pre-ordered with a signed book-plate, and promptly stored on my shelf in 2015. Procrastination, am I right?

Love Lies Beneath drew me in with its promise of romantic suspense. After a literary era that spawned the likes of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, and The Child, the thriller genre has become my main squeeze. Hopkins delivers to us a novel bound up in passionate sex scenes, masterful manipulators, and the deep-seated lies of self-preservation that so often accompany wealthy characters. The book is ripe with entertaining, strong character voices, such as Tara’s sister, Melody, her three nieces, including the strong-willed, problematic Kayla, and her distant, bitter husband Graham, as well as Cavin’s conniving, creepy son Eli. Tara’s family life and deeply dark back-story are gracefully intertwined into her present, clearly and thoughtfully explaining her motives and development throughout her forty years. Tara, despite proving to somewhat unrelatable with all her riches and snobby tendencies, is fully thought-out and intentional protagonist, revealing once again that Hopkins is a pro at creating characters. Tara is quick to abandon her backstory, and understandably so, but I could easily read a prequel that delves even deeper into the dark times she spent with a mentally ill mother and her revolving door of abusive boyfriends, as well as her count of three loveless marriages that she endured.

Where Love Lies Beneath falls short is in its plot. Tara, despite her incredible stock of professional and personal acumen, allows herself to be swept up into Cavin’s arms. Frequently, she comes across his secrets of loves past, his enraged reactions to his son, and lies of omission that he is quick to brush aside. A reader might think that since Tara is clearly a powerful woman who, in all other areas, takes no bull from anyone and often takes solace in vengeful acts, would immediately dismiss any man who dares to lie to her. However, this is far from the case. When Tara finds out that he has been doing background checks on her from way too early on in their relationship, and that he has an up-to-date file stored away detailing her life history, she is furious, and rightly so. Literally half a page later, he professes his love to her down on one knee, and she, almost absent-mindedly, accepts. “‘Yes.’ The word swims out of some thick, boozy sea, only to become mired in doubt.” What a romantic proposal! No, you don’t think so? Yeah, me either.

After almost 300 pages of the entirety of the book, I almost thought we would be left with no climax. Only in the final chapter, do a few huge revelations come through, only to leave us with a rushed and underwhelming resolution. Tara’s stalker is brushed aside as an ex-husband, predictably who we thought it would be all along, and Cavin’s secrecy and lies are actually only a long-seated gambling problem. These reveals just didn’t feel worth the concern or suspense that they were built up with throughout the book. While the rest of the novel is in the present-tense, these ends are tied up during their honeymoon in past-tense. The hindsight perspective almost feels like a cheat, showing us that the answers we’ve all been waiting for have been explained and accepted by Tara quickly, instead of any riveting action that usually cements the end of a thriller. We also rapidly learn a conveniently hidden secret about Tara: she is the murdering culprit responsible for her first husbands death, and she is not afraid to break out the old tactics if Cavin proves disloyal ever again.

Hopkins has provided us a solid set-up, but fails to deliver us the “Wow!” of a second half. The description of the book prepares us for a complex family drama, but offers up a somewhat superficial execution. While she crafts an admirable romance and thorough character development, the pace just doesn’t always match the promise. Keeping in mind that there is a sequel in the works, I am hopeful that Tara’s continued journey will be as dark and twisted as it felt like it was supposed to be the first time around.