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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.
laurenbnerd's review against another edition
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
allee_waters's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars - I liked it. This was a quick easy and engaging read. I don’t think the writing is anything spectacular, but the plot easily looped me in as the mystery unfolded. I felt like the author did a good job helping you learn these characters as the story went.
As long as you don’t get too hung up on some of the unrealistic and ridiculous things that happen, are said, and done, it’s still an enjoyable read.
I’d skip the movie though. It was far from my favorite.
As long as you don’t get too hung up on some of the unrealistic and ridiculous things that happen, are said, and done, it’s still an enjoyable read.
I’d skip the movie though. It was far from my favorite.
stephanie6082's review against another edition
5.0
Finished on the plane to Hawaii; couldn’t put it down!
So many twists and turns! I kept going from person to person and wasn’t sure who did it. Super frustrating at times, but definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.
The last line makes me wonder if they’ll make a sequel…
So many twists and turns! I kept going from person to person and wasn’t sure who did it. Super frustrating at times, but definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.
The last line makes me wonder if they’ll make a sequel…
lowalker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
vhaalentine's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
jbrooks124's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
3.0
Nothing new, and for some reason this really reminded me of <i>We Were Never Here</i>? I can't quite put my finger on it.
Orla visits Portugal with Kate, her best friend for decades. But after an unfortunate night out, Orla wakes up to find Kate missing. Has she popped out, or has something more sinister happened?
There's a low-lying tension throughout the story, but I felt like that was more due to the fact that Orla didn't speak the language and struggled to understand most everyone throughout the story. It was like the "typical American traveling" moment, except Orla is Irish.
All in all, I liked the writing but none of it felt surprising.
Orla visits Portugal with Kate, her best friend for decades. But after an unfortunate night out, Orla wakes up to find Kate missing. Has she popped out, or has something more sinister happened?
There's a low-lying tension throughout the story, but I felt like that was more due to the fact that Orla didn't speak the language and struggled to understand most everyone throughout the story. It was like the "typical American traveling" moment, except Orla is Irish.
All in all, I liked the writing but none of it felt surprising.
minimicropup's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-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
catelp's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0