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spearly's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook for review!
This is my first audiobook. Ever. I wish I had a ebook so I could look back on it while I write this review, but since I don't, I apologize for any vague references or misrememberings.
First, the audiobook itself. I'll be frank: It was awful. It sounds like it was put together from a library of recorded syllables rather than an actual person reading, and the reader was so slow that I had to listen to it in 1.5x speed just to get through it.
After that, though, I flew through this. The story was compelling, the mystery was enchanting, and the writing was as lyrical as Korelitz has Jake describe Evan's writing in the beginning. I do wish the voices had been a little more distinct, however, from the story of Jake and The Plot, to the story within the story, of Jake's novel, Crib, to even the first few pages we get to read of Evan's version of the novel in the beginning. The style was incredibly similar, and if it hadn't been for the chapter titles where readers are literally TOLD these are pages from Jake's novel within the book, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.
The story is as unique as any mystery/thriller I've ever read. The meta-factor definitely helped with the originality, and it was a refreshing take on the genre. Do I think the plot (the actual story that starts all the drama, not this book, The Plot) is the best thing since sliced bread; as remarkable as Jake seems to think when Evan describes it to him in his office, guaranteed bestseller and sure to be picked up by Hollywood? No. Did I see the big bad coming from about 50% in? Yes. Was the ending pretty expositional and slightly eye-roll worthy? Yes. Can I think of better way to have ended the book instead? Well, no. So.
All in all, a quick thriller that, while it didn't really keep me guessing, definitely kept me engaged, if for no other reason than I enjoyed Korelitz writing and Jake's character. I will definitely be checking out some of Jean Hanff Korelitz other books, and am grateful to have received this eARC!
This is my first audiobook. Ever. I wish I had a ebook so I could look back on it while I write this review, but since I don't, I apologize for any vague references or misrememberings.
First, the audiobook itself. I'll be frank: It was awful. It sounds like it was put together from a library of recorded syllables rather than an actual person reading, and the reader was so slow that I had to listen to it in 1.5x speed just to get through it.
After that, though, I flew through this. The story was compelling, the mystery was enchanting, and the writing was as lyrical as Korelitz has Jake describe Evan's writing in the beginning. I do wish the voices had been a little more distinct, however, from the story of Jake and The Plot, to the story within the story, of Jake's novel, Crib, to even the first few pages we get to read of Evan's version of the novel in the beginning. The style was incredibly similar, and if it hadn't been for the chapter titles where readers are literally TOLD these are pages from Jake's novel within the book, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.
The story is as unique as any mystery/thriller I've ever read. The meta-factor definitely helped with the originality, and it was a refreshing take on the genre. Do I think the plot (the actual story that starts all the drama, not this book, The Plot) is the best thing since sliced bread; as remarkable as Jake seems to think when Evan describes it to him in his office, guaranteed bestseller and sure to be picked up by Hollywood? No. Did I see the big bad coming from about 50% in? Yes. Was the ending pretty expositional and slightly eye-roll worthy? Yes. Can I think of better way to have ended the book instead? Well, no. So.
All in all, a quick thriller that, while it didn't really keep me guessing, definitely kept me engaged, if for no other reason than I enjoyed Korelitz writing and Jake's character. I will definitely be checking out some of Jean Hanff Korelitz other books, and am grateful to have received this eARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Death
Moderate: Addiction and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide, and Rape
leahsbooks's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. I am offering my honest opinion voluntarily.
The premise of this story intrigued me, and I’m glad that I got the opportunity to read it. There were some things that I enjoyed, and a few things that I didn’t, but overall, it was a good read that held my attention as I flew through it.
The premise of this story intrigued me, and I’m glad that I got the opportunity to read it. There were some things that I enjoyed, and a few things that I didn’t, but overall, it was a good read that held my attention as I flew through it.
The things I liked: It didn’t glamorize writing as an occupation. Jacob had his ups and downs (mostly downs), and I could empathize with the pressure that he was facing internally and externally. He was a complex character, and extremely flawed, which made him feel more real to me. I was hooked early on, even though the story developed rather slowly over the first half of the book. There’s an exploration into the ethics and morality of taking a plot idea from someone who isn’t using it (since they’re deceased), and the way guilt affected Jake even before he received the first message. Once the messages come in, the tension ratchets up until the conclusion. There were multiple storylines involved, which kept my attention held. In addition to Jake’s professional and personal arc, there were excerpts from Jake’s book itself, as well as the background of where the story idea came from. The way the story unfolded was interesting, even though this felt like more of a literary mystery than a thriller.
The things I didn’t like as much: I’m just going to say it — I knew who was sending the messages well in advance, so I wasn’t surprised by the big plot twist at all. It felt kind of disappointing after reading this whole book and knowing the reveal so early on. The ending wasn’t my favorite part of the book, and it felt so anti-climactic to me. It was also difficult to really get too attached to the characters, since they weren’t generally likable people. Evan was probably the biggest jerk I’ve read in a book recently, and if I met him in real life, he’s the kind of guy you’d just want to punch right in the face on principle alone. But Jake wasn’t a great guy either. I totally understand feeling down when you’re at the lowest point in your career and life, but he never seemed to feel positive at any point, and ended up dwelling on the negative at all times. It felt like this tendency to perseverate kept him from seeing things that were right in front of him. Finally, at times the writing style felt a little clunky, with run-on sentences that I’d have to reread once or twice to make sense of.
Even though the “like” paragraph is shorter than the “didn’t like” paragraph, I did enjoy the book. It was a good story, even if I don’t think that the worst writing can’t ruin an amazing plot. The phrase “anyone can be a writer” is repeated multiple times throughout the book, but I think it needs to be amended. Yes, anyone can be a writer, but not anyone can be a good writer, which I think is truly the key to success. This one is definitely worth the read, and clearly written by a good writer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Suicide, Abortion, Cancer, Drug use, and Addiction
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