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skiracechick's review against another edition
3.0
Well, that certainly has some unexpected twists and turns. The ending certainly wasn’t what I expected… several times over. But the main character was kind of annoying. And the best friend and husband were too meh for the story. Intriguing idea, exciting story, meh execution.
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
4.0
3.5*
I've just spent a very enjoyable afternoon reading this wishing I was somewhere like Lisbon, on a girls weekend. I feel so much better I'm not now. The book is twistly good but those two girls and what happens on that weekend! Blimey - you might want to do background checks on each other before you go. Thinking about it, why not interview everyone you meet, however fleetingly as you never know who they are nor what they are....
It's bad enough if you're in a strange country and don't know what to do when something happens. Where's the embassy? What's the number for the police? Will they believe you when you tell them what you're afraid of? Can you trust the taxi driver? Fellow tourists? New friends? Yourself?
However, I was disappointed that Lisbon itself barely got a mention. Good sense of being lost in a foreign country with some very unique problems to try and explain though. I'm going to stick to group holidays or travel alone from now on...
I've just spent a very enjoyable afternoon reading this wishing I was somewhere like Lisbon, on a girls weekend. I feel so much better I'm not now. The book is twistly good but those two girls and what happens on that weekend! Blimey - you might want to do background checks on each other before you go. Thinking about it, why not interview everyone you meet, however fleetingly as you never know who they are nor what they are....
It's bad enough if you're in a strange country and don't know what to do when something happens. Where's the embassy? What's the number for the police? Will they believe you when you tell them what you're afraid of? Can you trust the taxi driver? Fellow tourists? New friends? Yourself?
However, I was disappointed that Lisbon itself barely got a mention. Good sense of being lost in a foreign country with some very unique problems to try and explain though. I'm going to stick to group holidays or travel alone from now on...
sslovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I have not come across this author before and had no idea what this book would be like but I was interested in the description and so signed up with The Pigeonhole to get the opportunity to read this before publication. I enjoyed this book, it was tense and thrilling and left me waiting for the following day to get the next part of the book.
Orla and Kate are best friends and have known each other for years but they are also at different stages of their lives. They head to Lisbon for a weekend together on what used to be yearly trips but they have not happened for a while. On arrival, they both get ready to head out for the night and after a few drinks in their apartment, they make their way to a restaurant. Kate tells Orla that her soon to be ex-husband Toby is paying for the food and after eating they Kate is desperate to go clubbing but Orla who has a 9-month-old baby would prefer to go back to the apartment and get some sleep before they head out to explore the next morning. Kate convinces Orla to go and in the nightclub, Kate heads over to two young good looking men and ignoring Orla's reluctance they take them back to the apartment.
The next morning Orla wakes up and Kate is gone. Orla has little memory of the previous night, she is convinced she has been drugged and she finds that Kate's handbag and phone are also gone. She is unable to make contact with Kate and so tracks down the Uber driver who took them to the club Konstandin who then helps her track down the two men who came back to their apartment. She informs the police that Kate is missing but she is not convinced that they are interested. From there Orla and Konstadin try to piece together what has happened. The story has many twists and turns and I loved the way the author drew the reader to be suspicious of several different characters throughout the book. I do not want to say anymore as I don't want to give away any spoilers.
I gave this book 4 stars. It was a thrilling read with great twists and turns and it would make a great film/tv series. Thanks to the author, the publisher, and The Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read this book. Recommend this as a great read.
Orla and Kate are best friends and have known each other for years but they are also at different stages of their lives. They head to Lisbon for a weekend together on what used to be yearly trips but they have not happened for a while. On arrival, they both get ready to head out for the night and after a few drinks in their apartment, they make their way to a restaurant. Kate tells Orla that her soon to be ex-husband Toby is paying for the food and after eating they Kate is desperate to go clubbing but Orla who has a 9-month-old baby would prefer to go back to the apartment and get some sleep before they head out to explore the next morning. Kate convinces Orla to go and in the nightclub, Kate heads over to two young good looking men and ignoring Orla's reluctance they take them back to the apartment.
The next morning Orla wakes up and Kate is gone. Orla has little memory of the previous night, she is convinced she has been drugged and she finds that Kate's handbag and phone are also gone. She is unable to make contact with Kate and so tracks down the Uber driver who took them to the club Konstandin who then helps her track down the two men who came back to their apartment. She informs the police that Kate is missing but she is not convinced that they are interested. From there Orla and Konstadin try to piece together what has happened. The story has many twists and turns and I loved the way the author drew the reader to be suspicious of several different characters throughout the book. I do not want to say anymore as I don't want to give away any spoilers.
I gave this book 4 stars. It was a thrilling read with great twists and turns and it would make a great film/tv series. Thanks to the author, the publisher, and The Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read this book. Recommend this as a great read.
ijustreadthisbook's review against another edition
4.0
A very long who dunnit in a quick read and a cliffhanger
heidi_checkedout's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
This felt like a traditional grocery store check out thriller. It was very direct and to the point with no real depth or character development. Meant to be quick and page turning- which it was. I enjoyed it but I think it will be pretty forgettable.
mar_racing_fan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
gothgrrrltone's review against another edition
4.0
Bloody hell, this had me stressed out. I could not put it down, I had to know what happens asap! This was a very fast paced, twisty and stressful ride.
I did notice some plot holes/discrepancies/mistakes, that did kinda bug me, hence why not a full 5*. One of the glaringly obvious discrepancy being Orla not being able to remember a name, then in her internal monologue have her say the name, only to then, a few pages after, have her have an eureka moment in remembering the name.
Being in the main character's (Orla) mind, her scattered, anxiety-induced thoughts and worries, really upped the stress levels. Sometimes her thought processes annoyed me, I found myself sometimes wanting to yell at her, but the portrayal of someone who doesn't know what to do and is acting on pure anxiety and whim, was very well done.
The plot had a LOT of twists and turns, but the one at the very end, whilst I still called it and saw it coming (as the previous reveal, to me, felt like we were missing something), still felt like a little lacklustre. As I feel a lot of people would see that coming? I sure as hell did.
But, flaws and all, I still found myself dying to know how it all plays out. I enjoyed my journey reading this and will most definitely have a gander at other books written by this author.
I am very intrigued to see how the movie fairs, even though I've seen a few changes, but I adore Leighton Meester, so I'm definitely gonna give it a watch.
I did notice some plot holes/discrepancies/mistakes, that did kinda bug me, hence why not a full 5*. One of the glaringly obvious discrepancy being Orla not being able to remember a name, then in her internal monologue have her say the name, only to then, a few pages after, have her have an eureka moment in remembering the name.
Being in the main character's (Orla) mind, her scattered, anxiety-induced thoughts and worries, really upped the stress levels. Sometimes her thought processes annoyed me, I found myself sometimes wanting to yell at her, but the portrayal of someone who doesn't know what to do and is acting on pure anxiety and whim, was very well done.
The plot had a LOT of twists and turns, but the one at the very end, whilst I still called it and saw it coming (as the previous reveal, to me, felt like we were missing something), still felt like a little lacklustre. As I feel a lot of people would see that coming? I sure as hell did.
But, flaws and all, I still found myself dying to know how it all plays out. I enjoyed my journey reading this and will most definitely have a gander at other books written by this author.
I am very intrigued to see how the movie fairs, even though I've seen a few changes, but I adore Leighton Meester, so I'm definitely gonna give it a watch.
akona1's review against another edition
3.0
I read this one because I saw it’s coming up for release on Netflix in a few days. I’m a fan of Leighton Meester and thought this was as good an excuse as any to get the book.
With friends like these…
Orla & her best friend Kate are planning to spend three days in Lisbon, on a girls' getaway. Just like they did before Orla had a baby.
Kate wants to go clubbing & have fun, but all Orla can think about is catching up on sleep. Orla gives in & they go to a bar where Kate latches on to the hottest man in the place. Kate invites him & his friend back to their AirBnB. Wasted, Orla only wants to go to bed. The next morning, there's no sign of Kate. Where would she go? What happened, last night? Orla only remembers snippets from the night before. She retraces their steps. But can’t seem to find Kate. Was there foul-play or is it an attention seeking hoax?
Narrated in the first person by trusting Orla, the first chapters reveal that the two women have very different ideas about what they want for the weekend. Orla is hoping for early nights and strolling on the beach. Kate is a wild child with a healthy stash of narcotics on hand to ‘enhance’ the much wilder weekend she has planned.
The extent of Orla's envy for every facet of Kate’s life and physicality was exhausting. The lack of commonality between them led me to wonder why they were friends at all if she disliked her so much. Orla and Kate, being best-friends for decades didn’t ring true for me.
I enjoyed most of the twists and thought the book was a decent mystery. The characters were
Lovers of the campy, betrayal-based type of thrillers will enjoy this one.
I hope the movie turns out better. Rating 3,5⭐️
Marked down.
With friends like these…
Orla & her best friend Kate are planning to spend three days in Lisbon, on a girls' getaway. Just like they did before Orla had a baby.
Kate wants to go clubbing & have fun, but all Orla can think about is catching up on sleep. Orla gives in & they go to a bar where Kate latches on to the hottest man in the place. Kate invites him & his friend back to their AirBnB. Wasted, Orla only wants to go to bed. The next morning, there's no sign of Kate. Where would she go? What happened, last night? Orla only remembers snippets from the night before. She retraces their steps. But can’t seem to find Kate. Was there foul-play or is it an attention seeking hoax?
Narrated in the first person by trusting Orla, the first chapters reveal that the two women have very different ideas about what they want for the weekend. Orla is hoping for early nights and strolling on the beach. Kate is a wild child with a healthy stash of narcotics on hand to ‘enhance’ the much wilder weekend she has planned.
The extent of Orla's envy for every facet of Kate’s life and physicality was exhausting. The lack of commonality between them led me to wonder why they were friends at all if she disliked her so much. Orla and Kate, being best-friends for decades didn’t ring true for me.
I enjoyed most of the twists and thought the book was a decent mystery. The characters were
Lovers of the campy, betrayal-based type of thrillers will enjoy this one.
I hope the movie turns out better. Rating 3,5⭐️
Marked down.
lizaxwin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Oof… the blurb of this book made me so interested in it. But I can‘t quite bring myself to find many positive things about it. I really liked the first third, finding out about Kate and Orla‘d personalities and how their friendship drifted apart. I also liked that there were so many different suspects and just when you were suspicious about someone, they suddenly seemed to be innocent and someone else got into the focus of your suspicions instead.
However, so many story strings got mixed up towards the end of the story and none of them were properly resolved. It felt like the author herself wasn‘t sure who should be the murderer and so she just left it — kind of — open even in the end. Idk, I didn’t like the end at all and a lot of it felt super unrealistic and unnecessary. Plus, Orla was such an idiot, sorry not sorry, and I‘m so sick of the “helpless, dumb woman who needs a man to eventually help and safe her” trope in thrillers. It’s effing 2023, not 1800, guys!
Hence, my verdict: it starts out good but nothing is done with this good start. It‘s definitively not worth the hype, as there are lots of much better thrillers out there.
However, so many story strings got mixed up towards the end of the story and none of them were properly resolved. It felt like the author herself wasn‘t sure who should be the murderer and so she just left it — kind of — open even in the end. Idk, I didn’t like the end at all and a lot of it felt super unrealistic and unnecessary. Plus, Orla was such an idiot, sorry not sorry, and I‘m so sick of the “helpless, dumb woman who needs a man to eventually help and safe her” trope in thrillers. It’s effing 2023, not 1800, guys!
Hence, my verdict: it starts out good but nothing is done with this good start. It‘s definitively not worth the hype, as there are lots of much better thrillers out there.