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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
Check out my spoiler free review at https://youtu.be/wRiuL-ASUeo
This is probably the creepiest book I’ve ever read and I couldn’t put it down. There are so many twists and turns that you really don’t know what is going to happen. I kept being surprised.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another great twisty book from J.P. Delaney. Although it wasn't my favourite, it has a strong cast of characters and a good amount of twists. I liked the unreliable nature of Claire's narration and how I couldn't trust anyone.
I honestly didn't know what and who to believe. This book had so many twists and turns. I like the pace of the first half a lot, the end felt a bit rushed through.
Dark and twisted but I’m utterly unable to look away. Claire, a U.K. undocumented immigrant, is used to doing whatever it takes to survive, especially while living in expensive New York City, while attending acting school. She ends up with a job seducing married men on camera, then selling the tapes to the heartbroken and angry wives. She meets Patrick Folger, a professor specializing in the poems of Baudelaire, who rejects her advances but ends up being implicated in the murder of his wife. The money dries up, Claire starts getting desperate and she’s recruited to become Folger’s perfect match because Folger is not only suspected of his wife’s murder but of being a prolific serial killer. Honestly, the description above is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s a book that follows depravity, the edge of one’s limits and all of the horrors that exist in mankind.
Here is what I thought…
I've been in a MAJOR reading slump! As in nothing was working for me and unfortunately, it is books like this one that put me into this slump. I read the premise and think “this sounds like a great thriller” and then…blech!
This book starts out dark and twisty, which usually does not bother me, but it got to the point where it just didn’t make sense to me anymore and I loathed all of the characters. I enjoy an unreliable narrator but only when done well and this was not. I skimmed through until the end just to see how this was all pulled together but honestly, I did not really care and just wanted it over with. 1/5 stars
I miss a good old fashioned thriller that I just cannot put down. If you have any suggestions for me comment below! PLEASE!
I've been in a MAJOR reading slump! As in nothing was working for me and unfortunately, it is books like this one that put me into this slump. I read the premise and think “this sounds like a great thriller” and then…blech!
This book starts out dark and twisty, which usually does not bother me, but it got to the point where it just didn’t make sense to me anymore and I loathed all of the characters. I enjoy an unreliable narrator but only when done well and this was not. I skimmed through until the end just to see how this was all pulled together but honestly, I did not really care and just wanted it over with. 1/5 stars
I miss a good old fashioned thriller that I just cannot put down. If you have any suggestions for me comment below! PLEASE!
Think 50 Shades of Gray meets Silence of the Lambs. Not my cup of tea.
This is one of those mind fucking books that make you question your existence at the end
If you’re looking for a book that’ll take you on an absolute trip and mess with your head, then this is it.
It’s Claire’s story to tell but several things combine to make her an unreliable narrator. Claire’s desperate to be an actor and is in New York taking classes, sometimes being asked to go out onto the streets for some acting exercises. Which made me question how much of everything else she does is real and how much is role-playing.
She’s had to leave the UK behind her, for reasons which rankle but also influenced how much I trust her version of events, while also making me wonder how mentally robust she is for the biggest role of her life. I have to confess that the lawyer in me worried her way through the honey trap scenes but they’re crucial. They show us the lengths to which Claire will go to stay in New York, how good an actress she is but also how draining these performances are for her.
Besides the conundrum of whether Patrick Fogler is a killer, being set up or simply the obvious suspect, there’s so much I relished about this book. From the exercises Claire does as part of her acting classes, creating a fascinating insight into acting tricks and techniques, and how actors go about getting themselves into character to the psychological profiling she endures, to what people do for kicks and the games lovers play, and the way in which art and literature can inform and inspire both beauty and something altogether darker and uglier.
Believe Me is a real novel for our times, continually making me question how much is acting, what’s misdirection and lies, who to trust and just what is real here. It’s an immersive read, vicariously dangerous and thrilling in its twists and turns. Set aside a chunk of time and let the mind games commence.
It’s Claire’s story to tell but several things combine to make her an unreliable narrator. Claire’s desperate to be an actor and is in New York taking classes, sometimes being asked to go out onto the streets for some acting exercises. Which made me question how much of everything else she does is real and how much is role-playing.
She’s had to leave the UK behind her, for reasons which rankle but also influenced how much I trust her version of events, while also making me wonder how mentally robust she is for the biggest role of her life. I have to confess that the lawyer in me worried her way through the honey trap scenes but they’re crucial. They show us the lengths to which Claire will go to stay in New York, how good an actress she is but also how draining these performances are for her.
Besides the conundrum of whether Patrick Fogler is a killer, being set up or simply the obvious suspect, there’s so much I relished about this book. From the exercises Claire does as part of her acting classes, creating a fascinating insight into acting tricks and techniques, and how actors go about getting themselves into character to the psychological profiling she endures, to what people do for kicks and the games lovers play, and the way in which art and literature can inform and inspire both beauty and something altogether darker and uglier.
Believe Me is a real novel for our times, continually making me question how much is acting, what’s misdirection and lies, who to trust and just what is real here. It’s an immersive read, vicariously dangerous and thrilling in its twists and turns. Set aside a chunk of time and let the mind games commence.
Oooooof, this book made my head spin! For me it was unputdownable as few books are, and when I wasn't reading it I found myself turning over all the questions and theories I had in my head. I can't even count the number of twists as new information came to light, and the ending had my heart beating fast and I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough. I think I'm going to be thinking about it and the still-a-mystery main character for a long time.