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cassiealexandra's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
This was definitely what I’d call a slow burn thriller. The pieces came together so gradually that, at first, it almost read like a family drama. I kept waiting for something to happen. I’ll blame my own recent television habits with crime procedural shows. Not all thrillers are the same as a “whodunnit.” This was more of a, “what is happening?” kind of book. Avery says there are “invisible threads” tying herself to the Bishop family that she is slowly unraveling; I felt the same as a reader.
I appreciated the interesting characters about whom I was constantly wondering. Which person is unstable here? Is anyone a reliable narrator or source of information? It had plot points that were hinted at just enough to keep me in suspense, hoping that I’d figure it out just before the characters did.
I also loved the points of view choices here with Avery being in the first-person perspective and Marissa’s chapters being third-person. This is the first I’ve read by Hendricks and Pekkanen and I wonder how their writing process goes and if this unique POV thing has to do with their team dynamic.
The narration on this was also excellent. I’d never listened to Marin Ireland on audio before, but I see why she’s popular.
My two slight issues were that after the slow opening, it sometimes felt like too much was going on by the end and that the wrap up was convenient by my gut feeling. But, after reflecting for a while, I realized the ending and loose ends made sense and weren’t as coincidental as I’d originally felt.
The bottom line: A solid slow thriller with lots of moving pieces to puzzle out, strong characters, and great audio narration.
— NOTES —
Genres: slow burn thriller
POV: dual—first-person, Avery; third-person, Marissa
Content: infidelity, murder, cannabis use, death, vague memories of romance
— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Pace: 4
Enjoyment: 4.5
Craft: 4.5
My Gut Feeling: 4
Total Stars: 4.25
I appreciated the interesting characters about whom I was constantly wondering. Which person is unstable here? Is anyone a reliable narrator or source of information? It had plot points that were hinted at just enough to keep me in suspense, hoping that I’d figure it out just before the characters did.
I also loved the points of view choices here with Avery being in the first-person perspective and Marissa’s chapters being third-person. This is the first I’ve read by Hendricks and Pekkanen and I wonder how their writing process goes and if this unique POV thing has to do with their team dynamic.
The narration on this was also excellent. I’d never listened to Marin Ireland on audio before, but I see why she’s popular.
My two slight issues were that after the slow opening, it sometimes felt like too much was going on by the end and that the wrap up was convenient by my gut feeling. But, after reflecting for a while, I realized the ending and loose ends made sense and weren’t as coincidental as I’d originally felt.
The bottom line: A solid slow thriller with lots of moving pieces to puzzle out, strong characters, and great audio narration.
— NOTES —
Genres: slow burn thriller
POV: dual—first-person, Avery; third-person, Marissa
Content: infidelity, murder, cannabis use, death, vague memories of romance
— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Pace: 4
Enjoyment: 4.5
Craft: 4.5
My Gut Feeling: 4
Total Stars: 4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Drug use, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content
zc2's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Literally buy it. Kept me on my toes. I thought I knew what was happening and then I was hit with a brick. I feel lied to. Currently questioning everything. Jaw dropping.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Murder, Pregnancy, Violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Death of parent, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Stalking, Medical content, and Toxic relationship
thatswhatshanread's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is my first Hendricks/Pekkanen book and it was a pretty solid domestic thriller!
The writing was gripping and the short chapters helped moved the story along, even when I found some parts of the plot dragging a little. I did like the dual POVs switching between the two main female characters of the novel, the unorthodox therapist and the unfaithful wife. Overall, the web of lies and deception played out well, bringing in several minor characters to make you second guess things.
Still, the final moments and twists of the book kinda threw me off of the intrigue. It didn’t quite add up, perhaps feeling a little rushed and tired, in terms of the genre. I guess I was disappointed in the end results, but I wouldn’t say that made it a bad book. I just hoped for something else to happen.
This one was definitely all about perfect appearances, and people not being who they seem to be on the surface. Perfection often precedes secrecy.
The writing was gripping and the short chapters helped moved the story along, even when I found some parts of the plot dragging a little. I did like the dual POVs switching between the two main female characters of the novel, the unorthodox therapist and the unfaithful wife. Overall, the web of lies and deception played out well, bringing in several minor characters to make you second guess things.
Still, the final moments and twists of the book kinda threw me off of the intrigue. It didn’t quite add up, perhaps feeling a little rushed and tired, in terms of the genre. I guess I was disappointed in the end results, but I wouldn’t say that made it a bad book. I just hoped for something else to happen.
This one was definitely all about perfect appearances, and people not being who they seem to be on the surface. Perfection often precedes secrecy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, and Stalking
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
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