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mikkeline's review against another edition
The changing timelines and perspectives were confusing. None of the characters were likeable or interesting. After 20% nothing had happened and the plot was nonexistent.
cransuz's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
vgk's review against another edition
Too slow, and too many characters to keep track of.
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
2.25
Finished reading: February 6th 2024
"Sometimes I wonder if what does the most harm isn’t the incident itself but all the talking about it – all the reactions afterwards."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Orenda Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
WARNING: it's another unpopular opinion review!!
Right... I'm still not sure what happened to be honest. I loved the first two Forbidden Iceland books, so I fully expected to love my time with this prequel as well. Technically I still have to read book three, but since I didn't have a copy yet and You Can't See Me is set before the first two books, I thought reading it first wouldn't be a problem. Sadly, book four didn't hit the mark for me AT ALL, and this had nothing to do with reading the series out of order and everything with the fact that You Can't See Me is nothing like the first two books of the series.
If you are excited to meet up with main character Elma again and/or wonder how she was like before the first two books: no can do, because this prequel is set before her time. It makes you wonder if it's really a prequel if the most prominent character doesn't show up... My main issue lies with the fact that instead of the detective thriller I was expecting after the first two books, You Can't See Me read more like an exposure of a truly messed up, rich and famous Icelandic family. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not what I was expecting nor what I was in the mood for.
One of the things I struggled with most was the fact that there are a kazillion different characters and POVs, basically making my brain hurt as I tried to keep them all apart and remember how they were connected... I'm sure the 38-40°C heatwave wasn't helping either. Add the fact that they are all extremely flawed, unlikeable and seemingly filled to the brim with secrets and unpleasant habits, and I honestly couldn't care less about what happened to any of them. And what's with all the excessive alcohol and drinking? Seriously, it seemed like the guests were basically downing one drink after the other during the whole weekend... I can get one or maybe two being an alcoholic, but this just seemed way too over the top to be credible.
I wasn't a fan of the plot structure either. The story switches between the police POV in the present and a short time in the past with a multiple POV structure. The police chapters are way too short though, and as a result the whole police procedural part of the plot seemed to be buried under a pile of family drama, secrets and horrible characters. The multiple POV structure was considerably confusing, with too many POV switches within the same chapter that made it both hard to keep track and get a proper feel for each character.
I do have to say that I loved the remote hotel setting, and it made for the perfect backdrop for this story. The descriptions are atmospheric and the bleak and unforgiving surroundings give the story that ominous vibe. This was probably the only thing that worked for me this time around though; with the police investigation hardly present and all the focus on the cast of characters, I struggled to find the motivation to keep reading. In fact, I confess that I started skimreading long before the halfway mark... The fact that we know that there is a body, but you don't even find out who it is until the very end only adds to the disappointment. Combine this with despicable behavior after despicable behavior, and I stopped caring about who died LONG before it was finally revealed.
I'm never a fan of more slowburn and character-driven family drama stories, and that is basically what you get with You Can't See Me. It's nothing like the first two books, and in this case not in a good way. I seem to be in the minority though, so this story will probably work better for you if you think the issues I mentioned won't bother you. Just make sure not to expect a proper police procedural!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Self harm, Infertility, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Body shaming, Child death, Infidelity, Classism, Rape, Addiction, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Death, Drug use, and Pregnancy
carlack7's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
You Can't See Me is a great, dark thriller. I kept thinking I had it all figured out, just for another layer to be revealed! I didn't want to put it down. I didn't realize that it was part of a series, but it worked great as a stand alone. I don't feel like I was missing anything by not reading the rest of the series first, but I am definitely going to read the rest of her books now! For fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Stalking
mlj3395's review against another edition
4.0
**Book provided at no cost in return for an honest review**
I truly enjoyed the book, once I settled in and became familiar with the characters. There were many of them, mostly family members in a large group which took me some time to memorize. Attempting to enjoy the story before understanding their relationship to one another was a bit daunting. While I worked on that, I was able to feel transported to Iceland as a result of vivid and well explained descriptions. I could feel the cold chill from memories of snowy winters I've experienced and felt the author was amazing at detailing scenery.
Once I began to feel comfortable with the characters, I became quite engorssed in the story itself and did not want it to end. I also had not guessed at the full story and am always pleasantly surprised when I get to the end without figuring it out ahead of time.
I recommend this book to those who love thrillers and/or stories set where it is SUPER COLD!
I truly enjoyed the book, once I settled in and became familiar with the characters. There were many of them, mostly family members in a large group which took me some time to memorize. Attempting to enjoy the story before understanding their relationship to one another was a bit daunting. While I worked on that, I was able to feel transported to Iceland as a result of vivid and well explained descriptions. I could feel the cold chill from memories of snowy winters I've experienced and felt the author was amazing at detailing scenery.
Once I began to feel comfortable with the characters, I became quite engorssed in the story itself and did not want it to end. I also had not guessed at the full story and am always pleasantly surprised when I get to the end without figuring it out ahead of time.
I recommend this book to those who love thrillers and/or stories set where it is SUPER COLD!
kellyvandamme's review against another edition
5.0
You Can’t See Me is a prequel to the Forbidden Iceland series, which features Chief Investigating Officer Elma. The current story covers a couple of days in 2017, just before Elma joins the Akranes police force, so we don’t get to see Elma, only her colleagues.
That is not the only difference with the previous books. Although a police investigation is at the very core of the story and keeps popping up, in the total scheme of things it's almost rather unimportant. In other words, in comparison to the previous books, You Can't See Me is much less of a police procedural.
Although the blurb clearly states that You Can't See Me is a mystery, I did expect it to be more like the other books in the series, I expected more of a police procedural. What I got, at least at first, read more like contemporary fiction as we explore this rich and well-known family and their relationships, and I will admit that I had to flip a mental switch of sorts. Fortunately, that turned out to be an easy thing to do. It did help that I love reading about big wealthy families and all their issues and secrets. (Maybe because I have a rather small extended family and we are neither disgustingly rich nor famous
That is not the only difference with the previous books. Although a police investigation is at the very core of the story and keeps popping up, in the total scheme of things it's almost rather unimportant. In other words, in comparison to the previous books, You Can't See Me is much less of a police procedural.
Although the blurb clearly states that You Can't See Me is a mystery, I did expect it to be more like the other books in the series, I expected more of a police procedural. What I got, at least at first, read more like contemporary fiction as we explore this rich and well-known family and their relationships, and I will admit that I had to flip a mental switch of sorts. Fortunately, that turned out to be an easy thing to do. It did help that I love reading about big wealthy families and all their issues and secrets. (Maybe because I have a rather small extended family and we are neither disgustingly rich nor famous
sjyudelson's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
balthazarlawson's review against another edition
slow-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
1.0
It didn't take long for this book turned into a soppy, overly dramatic episode of Days of our Lives. I didn't like it. We all knew that someone had been killed, but it wasn't until 90% of the way into the book before the person was identified.
Everything happens at a family reunion at a luxury hotel in the west of Iceland and thus there is a lot of reminiscing going on. An awful lot of reminiscing! We learn about the main players and all their faults. Everyone seems to have some huge secret they are trying to hide, but at the same time agonizing over weather or not they should reveal their secret. It just dragged for me and then in the end the guilty got away.
This book is set before the first book in the Forbidden Iceland series and Detective Elma is only mentions at the end as being a replacement detective joining the team.
Everything happens at a family reunion at a luxury hotel in the west of Iceland and thus there is a lot of reminiscing going on. An awful lot of reminiscing! We learn about the main players and all their faults. Everyone seems to have some huge secret they are trying to hide, but at the same time agonizing over weather or not they should reveal their secret. It just dragged for me and then in the end the guilty got away.
This book is set before the first book in the Forbidden Iceland series and Detective Elma is only mentions at the end as being a replacement detective joining the team.