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copascribe's review against another edition
1.0
Did I read the same book the other reviewers read??
I love Julia Heaberlin's books--Paper Ghosts, and We're All the Same in the Dark were 5-star reads for me. And the premise? A psychic who sees ghosts teams up with police to find a missing child? 100% I'm in.
But I very closely hated this.
First, there are real murder cases referenced in these pages, some by victims' names. It's not to bring awareness of those real-life cases, but to show the reader how hip the characters are when it comes to famous true crime cases. I'm fine when a book mentions a case to bring more awareness to it, but calling a fictional character the "Texas JonBenet" is not okay in my book. Expoliting real families and victims feels gross, and that's what we have here.
Second, the main character. I liked her, at first...but then she likes to think and talk about how smart she is, only second to her sister, who is the smartest in the world. Vivi is also a scientist and hates when people call her a psychic. Okay, that's fair. She's so smart that she can judge everyone, from moms she doesn't know to single mothers of kids with special needs to public figures to people who listen to these figures. She's not part of any of these groups she likes to judge, but is still happy to do so because....science?
Third, the prose. If the first two reasons don't make you nauseous, the purple prose might. Gems like, "I started fading from the public eye like a pastel dream," left me thinking, "What the actual heck?" The book is FILLED with these. Does the author not know what a pastel dream is? Who knows? All I know is if I had a dollar for every time a star was compared to a diamond, I'd have enough to recoup the credit I spent for this book.
If you're still here, you should know the book is also predictable. I'm fine with a predictable story if the writing is strong and the characters are interesting. Spoiler alert: They're not. Another gripe, there's a ton of Texas and conservative bashing here. If that'll upset or bore you, this book isn't for you. Also, if you hate token diverse throw-away characters, pass on this one. I want to read diverse characters in my books. Token characters are easy to identify and forget. Dont include minorities if it's just to check a box, as a minority, I find it insulting. It's very much like the editor said, "You don't have any X characters" and so they inserted one line to check that box off.
Furthermore, this book hasn't aged well. It pokes fun of conspiracies that are, in real life, unfolding to actually having some truth...and it references the Queen of England like she's still alive. It's been almost a year, but they couldn't update that??
**SPOILERS**
THE WORST thing about Vivi is that she's in love with her sister's husband. The relationship she has with her sister is sooo unbelievable (I say this as a sister and understanding every relationship is different). I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling or cringing as Vivi's sister told her how special and wonderful she is, and she should just sleep with her husband. Vivi wants to...even starts making out until she gets caught by a colleague. So gross.
But it gets worse.
Throughout the book, we're told (literally told, no showing here...lots of telling) how dark and possibly evil one character is. Vivi thinks he might be a murderer. A MURDERER. So, of course, she jumps into bed with him when he answers the door in a towel because he's just so...hot? After he leaves his house, she starts to look for evidence that he's a serial killer and thinks she finds it and oh no, not after "making the most perfect love to him." Whaaaat?
It gets even worse after that, but if you're still reading this, I'll let you find out or decide now to save your time and money and skip this one.
Just all around gross.
#bigdisappointment
I love Julia Heaberlin's books--Paper Ghosts, and We're All the Same in the Dark were 5-star reads for me. And the premise? A psychic who sees ghosts teams up with police to find a missing child? 100% I'm in.
But I very closely hated this.
First, there are real murder cases referenced in these pages, some by victims' names. It's not to bring awareness of those real-life cases, but to show the reader how hip the characters are when it comes to famous true crime cases. I'm fine when a book mentions a case to bring more awareness to it, but calling a fictional character the "Texas JonBenet" is not okay in my book. Expoliting real families and victims feels gross, and that's what we have here.
Second, the main character. I liked her, at first...but then she likes to think and talk about how smart she is, only second to her sister, who is the smartest in the world. Vivi is also a scientist and hates when people call her a psychic. Okay, that's fair. She's so smart that she can judge everyone, from moms she doesn't know to single mothers of kids with special needs to public figures to people who listen to these figures. She's not part of any of these groups she likes to judge, but is still happy to do so because....science?
Third, the prose. If the first two reasons don't make you nauseous, the purple prose might. Gems like, "I started fading from the public eye like a pastel dream," left me thinking, "What the actual heck?" The book is FILLED with these. Does the author not know what a pastel dream is? Who knows? All I know is if I had a dollar for every time a star was compared to a diamond, I'd have enough to recoup the credit I spent for this book.
If you're still here, you should know the book is also predictable. I'm fine with a predictable story if the writing is strong and the characters are interesting. Spoiler alert: They're not. Another gripe, there's a ton of Texas and conservative bashing here. If that'll upset or bore you, this book isn't for you. Also, if you hate token diverse throw-away characters, pass on this one. I want to read diverse characters in my books. Token characters are easy to identify and forget. Dont include minorities if it's just to check a box, as a minority, I find it insulting. It's very much like the editor said, "You don't have any X characters" and so they inserted one line to check that box off.
Furthermore, this book hasn't aged well. It pokes fun of conspiracies that are, in real life, unfolding to actually having some truth...and it references the Queen of England like she's still alive. It's been almost a year, but they couldn't update that??
**SPOILERS**
THE WORST thing about Vivi is that she's in love with her sister's husband. The relationship she has with her sister is sooo unbelievable (I say this as a sister and understanding every relationship is different). I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling or cringing as Vivi's sister told her how special and wonderful she is, and she should just sleep with her husband. Vivi wants to...even starts making out until she gets caught by a colleague. So gross.
But it gets worse.
Throughout the book, we're told (literally told, no showing here...lots of telling) how dark and possibly evil one character is. Vivi thinks he might be a murderer. A MURDERER. So, of course, she jumps into bed with him when he answers the door in a towel because he's just so...hot? After he leaves his house, she starts to look for evidence that he's a serial killer and thinks she finds it and oh no, not after "making the most perfect love to him." Whaaaat?
It gets even worse after that, but if you're still reading this, I'll let you find out or decide now to save your time and money and skip this one.
Just all around gross.
#bigdisappointment
justinkhchen's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Bursting at the seams with quality, reading Night Will Find You is a memorable, but overwhelming experience, as Julia Heaberlin seems to have deployed every literary arsenal imaginable into this novel: lyrical writing, flawed characters, haunting atmosphere, pulpy crime thriller, and even an angsty romance. Even though there are moments where the narrative doesn't quite find the balance among its genre-conflicting elements, overall I was still won over by its ambition and craftsmanship.
This is possibly the most 'film noir' story I've read in recent time. The characters are steeped in cynicism and gloom, complimenting the constant sense of dread throughout. The pivotal 'crime solving using ghostly visions' plot has me hooked, although in retrospect the answers to its mysteries are quite basic and underwhelming, and the supernatural element doesn't quite hit the punchline. Additionally, one can argue the romance subplot is an afterthought, not as firmly embedded as the author might've hoped.
I may not name Night Will Find You as my favorite book of the year, however it definitely stands out from the more cookie-cutter entries; I enjoyed its unyielding ferocity, and I was intrigued to see how it tie its array of ideas together (a scientist who can see visions, an unsolved kidnapping, tumultuous family relationships, online mind games with a far-right personality, to name a few).
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
Bursting at the seams with quality, reading Night Will Find You is a memorable, but overwhelming experience, as Julia Heaberlin seems to have deployed every literary arsenal imaginable into this novel: lyrical writing, flawed characters, haunting atmosphere, pulpy crime thriller, and even an angsty romance. Even though there are moments where the narrative doesn't quite find the balance among its genre-conflicting elements, overall I was still won over by its ambition and craftsmanship.
This is possibly the most 'film noir' story I've read in recent time. The characters are steeped in cynicism and gloom, complimenting the constant sense of dread throughout. The pivotal 'crime solving using ghostly visions' plot has me hooked, although in retrospect the answers to its mysteries are quite basic and underwhelming, and the supernatural element doesn't quite hit the punchline. Additionally, one can argue the romance subplot is an afterthought, not as firmly embedded as the author might've hoped.
I may not name Night Will Find You as my favorite book of the year, however it definitely stands out from the more cookie-cutter entries; I enjoyed its unyielding ferocity, and I was intrigued to see how it tie its array of ideas together (a scientist who can see visions, an unsolved kidnapping, tumultuous family relationships, online mind games with a far-right personality, to name a few).
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
kalypsowolf's review against another edition
3.25
Alex Jones??? In MY vaguely paranormal mystery thriller???
All jokes aside, I initially really enjoyed this. The writing can be a bit melodramatic at times (which isn't a negative for me, I ate it up), and the characters aren't the most fleshed out (other than our main character really), but I found the premise interesting and the mystery intriguing enough to keep me invested. The more I think about it though, the more issues I have with it.
First, I don't know if the author is a true crime fan or just looked up a few famous cases so she could name drop them in the pages, but it kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Most of the cases she brought up didn't have anything relevant to do with the plot and felt out of place. Kinda like they were just there as a wink to the true crime girlies who might pick up the book. But these are real victims of terrible crimes and how they were used here felt reductive.
Also there's like...a surprising amount of Elon Musk in this book and it's almost always in like either a neutral or positive light. Mans has been a public dickbag for a good while now so uhh dunno if the author just wanted to avoid the Muskrats (as I not-so-lovingly refer to them) coming for her throat or she really thinks good of him but either way it didn't sit right with me.
That being said, I did for the most part enjoy how the mystery unfolded. I am not someone who tends to try to solve mysteries, so there were some things I was surprised by, but I did pretty much guess the main event, so I can imagine it would be quite predictable for a lot of people.
This is very much primarily a mystery book with minor thriller elements. There's an underlying sinister tone but there's pretty much nothing to justify it for the majority of the book (I guess maybe Sharp and his secrets but also he seemed real obvious to me so idk). I think the most thrilling element of the story is the numerous just absolute messy garbage relationships that are both involving AND around our main character.
Anyway it seems like I was just dogging on this book but I am always better at noting what I don't like than what I do and I still overall had a positive experience with this so I would recommend it if you think you might be interested.
P.S. I do enjoy catfish and I am, in fact, a little gay. Bubba may have had some points.
Also, because they wished it to be known, I did receive this for free via winning a Goodreads giveaway, though that does not affect my final rating.
All jokes aside, I initially really enjoyed this. The writing can be a bit melodramatic at times (which isn't a negative for me, I ate it up), and the characters aren't the most fleshed out (other than our main character really), but I found the premise interesting and the mystery intriguing enough to keep me invested. The more I think about it though, the more issues I have with it.
First, I don't know if the author is a true crime fan or just looked up a few famous cases so she could name drop them in the pages, but it kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Most of the cases she brought up didn't have anything relevant to do with the plot and felt out of place. Kinda like they were just there as a wink to the true crime girlies who might pick up the book. But these are real victims of terrible crimes and how they were used here felt reductive.
Also there's like...a surprising amount of Elon Musk in this book and it's almost always in like either a neutral or positive light. Mans has been a public dickbag for a good while now so uhh dunno if the author just wanted to avoid the Muskrats (as I not-so-lovingly refer to them) coming for her throat or she really thinks good of him but either way it didn't sit right with me.
That being said, I did for the most part enjoy how the mystery unfolded. I am not someone who tends to try to solve mysteries, so there were some things I was surprised by, but I did pretty much guess the main event, so I can imagine it would be quite predictable for a lot of people.
This is very much primarily a mystery book with minor thriller elements. There's an underlying sinister tone but there's pretty much nothing to justify it for the majority of the book (I guess maybe Sharp and his secrets but also he seemed real obvious to me so idk). I think the most thrilling element of the story is the numerous just absolute messy garbage relationships that are both involving AND around our main character.
Anyway it seems like I was just dogging on this book but I am always better at noting what I don't like than what I do and I still overall had a positive experience with this so I would recommend it if you think you might be interested.
P.S. I do enjoy catfish and I am, in fact, a little gay. Bubba may have had some points.
Also, because they wished it to be known, I did receive this for free via winning a Goodreads giveaway, though that does not affect my final rating.
melissaslibraryy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was such a mind fuck. Every time I thought I knew some thing, there would be a twist that had me creating new theories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Cursing, Death of parent, and Stalking
Minor: Sexual content
ordinarypickle's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Eh, this was... Ok. Loose ends were tied up but the ending wasn't great
redvelvetpenguins's review against another edition
4.0
Perhaps a bit winded but I am very invested in a sequel
siobhaing's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.25
karlyo83's review against another edition
4.0
My Rating: 4.5 rounded down to 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ right up there for me, love the author, love the writing and unique story!!!
Vivvy Boucher saved a boys life when she was ten by making an impossible prediction. Now Vivvy is grown up and lives her life in the Texas desert as an astrophysicist, still harbouring the same ‘gift’ she has always had trying to be left well enough alone.
But the boy she saved is a Fort Worth cop and has always believed she is psychic - even though that is not the word Vivvy ever wants to be described as. Called in to assist in a cold case of a kidnapped little girl, Vivvy reluctantly comes in to help the boy she has always secretly loved.
Everything is thrown into disarray when Bubba Guns a loud and brash conspiracy theorist podcaster gets hold of the story and turns Vivvy’s already complicated life further upside down.
Ok straight up I am saying… I wanted this early so bad… but NetGalley denied the sh*t out of me and I find that very unfair… moving on!!! I was so excited that I thought it might let me down… because lets preface this review with… it does have supernatural themes. Vivvy is a little psychic.. Does Karly like supernatural NOOOOO however, does Karly love Julia Heaberlin ABSOLUTELY… so the conundrum was solved just like that - I had to have it!!!
I decided that I was going to give this a go and just hope like crazy that ghosts were not solving cases and flying all over the place… I was super delighted to see that the supernatural stuff is very light touch and done really well. Its a lot of feelings and flashes, and Vivvy has instinct and visions but only little bits and pieces… she doesn’t read palms and predict and see dead people… so that was a really good thing for me… the woo woo was kept to a real minimum and in this stories case was actually a real nice change of pace for me. I enjoyed it and I think anyone who doesn’t usually like supernatural themes would be pleasantly surprised by this one.
That said… It wasn’t five stars (almost)… but that was mainly because of two things… Bubba Guns played a much larger part in this for me than I thought was necessary… I don’t love conspiracy theory stuff… and it was fine in this case but the raging mobs… and podcaster out to get Vivvy grated on me a bit… and the other thing that knocked a half star off for me was that there were some plot holes. I thought that we would go back to some things I thought were fairly important but didn’t or it was super light on that I felt it was overlooked a little bit.
And just one more little thing… there is a diary in interspersed in the book and I really really loved it… it was well written, age appropriate (10 year old Vivvy) and added some real mystery and insight… but it wasn’t carried through to the end or even half way of the book. I would have liked to see more of the diary.
Those are my gripes, now for my loves… the writing was ON POINT I love the way Heaberlin tells a story, she really captures a vibe, a feeling, the fear or sadness of a character. I love the way she can describe stuff and make you feel like you are feeling the oppressive heat of Texas (never been there but I live in Queensland Australia so…. Its humid AF out here) or the cold of the night… she has a way with words lets just say that… I struggled to put this one down. I wanted and needed more and more… and no surprises I was finished it in under 3 days.
I also really appreciate the research that went into this book, Heaberlin has acknowledgments at the back of the book and she tells us how she researched the science and that coupled with the excellent writing left me feeling like I was learning, loving and being entertained all in one!! For example:
I’ve had a touch of misophonia since I was a kid, the scientific label for a hatred of sounds. One more thing in my bag of extreme sensitivities. One more thing Sharp is using against me, whether he knows it or not.
Normal sounds, like someone breathing in bed beside me or chewing across a table, can shriek like a howler monkey under my skin. The tapping of a pencil on a desk.
A fingernail on a dashboard.
It’s not all the time, but often enough. My mother always told me I could hear a toenail growing or a star falling. Which one, she declared depended on the romance of her mood.
Right now, Share might as well be crunching a child’s bone in his teeth.
I slide my seat back, feeling cramped.
I AM RIGHT THERE WITH VIVVY, I did not know the term misophonia and honestly I find tapping, chewing and other sounds like that to be something unbearable sometimes…so I not only learnt something… but after that paragraph I could feel Vivvy’s irritation down to the itching of my skin… great writing!!!
The story is told from Vivvy’s POV but doesn’t come across whiny and self indulgent if anything, I felt for Vivvy, she is doing it tough. With the voices in her head, the feelings, the unrequited love, her mothers death, constant fear and OCD to name a few… she is young and super smart but deeply unhappy… and you can feel it…
My mind flits to the bottle with four pink pills left, and not for the first time today. Soon there will be three. Two. One. What will I do then? The same thing I’ve done or the last three years? Slink into a strange psychiatrist’s office for a forty-five-minute conversation that doesn’t scratch the dirty to get a ninety-day prescription?
Maybe I’m more like Sharp than I want to believe. Stare into the abyss, and the abyss stares back. Thank you, Nietzsche, who believed science killed God. I may search for light in the sky, but on Earth, I follow my darkest instincts like a string of muddy footprints.
Just like Sharp does.
My eyes fall to his boots, caked with dirt. I see a flash of a girl’s lost grave. I just don’t know which one.
Overall: I recommend this to most people… it’s not perfect but it was pretty great. Vivvy is a great character, the research done on the science in the book I thought was really well done, the light touch of the supernatural adding an element that was just spot on. The weird and wonderful characters that showed how people suffer in many ways… the nuances that come with being different or considered an outcast. The affect social media and modern media has one people if used against someone… I just found it all really great. I had a couple of gripes as mentioned above but not enough to not recommend.
Now I just wish there was another new Julia Heaberlin book for me to request and be denied for
Vivvy Boucher saved a boys life when she was ten by making an impossible prediction. Now Vivvy is grown up and lives her life in the Texas desert as an astrophysicist, still harbouring the same ‘gift’ she has always had trying to be left well enough alone.
But the boy she saved is a Fort Worth cop and has always believed she is psychic - even though that is not the word Vivvy ever wants to be described as. Called in to assist in a cold case of a kidnapped little girl, Vivvy reluctantly comes in to help the boy she has always secretly loved.
Everything is thrown into disarray when Bubba Guns a loud and brash conspiracy theorist podcaster gets hold of the story and turns Vivvy’s already complicated life further upside down.
Ok straight up I am saying… I wanted this early so bad… but NetGalley denied the sh*t out of me and I find that very unfair… moving on!!! I was so excited that I thought it might let me down… because lets preface this review with… it does have supernatural themes. Vivvy is a little psychic.. Does Karly like supernatural NOOOOO however, does Karly love Julia Heaberlin ABSOLUTELY… so the conundrum was solved just like that - I had to have it!!!
I decided that I was going to give this a go and just hope like crazy that ghosts were not solving cases and flying all over the place… I was super delighted to see that the supernatural stuff is very light touch and done really well. Its a lot of feelings and flashes, and Vivvy has instinct and visions but only little bits and pieces… she doesn’t read palms and predict and see dead people… so that was a really good thing for me… the woo woo was kept to a real minimum and in this stories case was actually a real nice change of pace for me. I enjoyed it and I think anyone who doesn’t usually like supernatural themes would be pleasantly surprised by this one.
That said… It wasn’t five stars (almost)… but that was mainly because of two things… Bubba Guns played a much larger part in this for me than I thought was necessary… I don’t love conspiracy theory stuff… and it was fine in this case but the raging mobs… and podcaster out to get Vivvy grated on me a bit… and the other thing that knocked a half star off for me was that there were some plot holes. I thought that we would go back to some things I thought were fairly important but didn’t or it was super light on that I felt it was overlooked a little bit.
And just one more little thing… there is a diary in interspersed in the book and I really really loved it… it was well written, age appropriate (10 year old Vivvy) and added some real mystery and insight… but it wasn’t carried through to the end or even half way of the book. I would have liked to see more of the diary.
Those are my gripes, now for my loves… the writing was ON POINT I love the way Heaberlin tells a story, she really captures a vibe, a feeling, the fear or sadness of a character. I love the way she can describe stuff and make you feel like you are feeling the oppressive heat of Texas (never been there but I live in Queensland Australia so…. Its humid AF out here) or the cold of the night… she has a way with words lets just say that… I struggled to put this one down. I wanted and needed more and more… and no surprises I was finished it in under 3 days.
I also really appreciate the research that went into this book, Heaberlin has acknowledgments at the back of the book and she tells us how she researched the science and that coupled with the excellent writing left me feeling like I was learning, loving and being entertained all in one!! For example:
I’ve had a touch of misophonia since I was a kid, the scientific label for a hatred of sounds. One more thing in my bag of extreme sensitivities. One more thing Sharp is using against me, whether he knows it or not.
Normal sounds, like someone breathing in bed beside me or chewing across a table, can shriek like a howler monkey under my skin. The tapping of a pencil on a desk.
A fingernail on a dashboard.
It’s not all the time, but often enough. My mother always told me I could hear a toenail growing or a star falling. Which one, she declared depended on the romance of her mood.
Right now, Share might as well be crunching a child’s bone in his teeth.
I slide my seat back, feeling cramped.
I AM RIGHT THERE WITH VIVVY, I did not know the term misophonia and honestly I find tapping, chewing and other sounds like that to be something unbearable sometimes…so I not only learnt something… but after that paragraph I could feel Vivvy’s irritation down to the itching of my skin… great writing!!!
The story is told from Vivvy’s POV but doesn’t come across whiny and self indulgent if anything, I felt for Vivvy, she is doing it tough. With the voices in her head, the feelings, the unrequited love, her mothers death, constant fear and OCD to name a few… she is young and super smart but deeply unhappy… and you can feel it…
My mind flits to the bottle with four pink pills left, and not for the first time today. Soon there will be three. Two. One. What will I do then? The same thing I’ve done or the last three years? Slink into a strange psychiatrist’s office for a forty-five-minute conversation that doesn’t scratch the dirty to get a ninety-day prescription?
Maybe I’m more like Sharp than I want to believe. Stare into the abyss, and the abyss stares back. Thank you, Nietzsche, who believed science killed God. I may search for light in the sky, but on Earth, I follow my darkest instincts like a string of muddy footprints.
Just like Sharp does.
My eyes fall to his boots, caked with dirt. I see a flash of a girl’s lost grave. I just don’t know which one.
Overall: I recommend this to most people… it’s not perfect but it was pretty great. Vivvy is a great character, the research done on the science in the book I thought was really well done, the light touch of the supernatural adding an element that was just spot on. The weird and wonderful characters that showed how people suffer in many ways… the nuances that come with being different or considered an outcast. The affect social media and modern media has one people if used against someone… I just found it all really great. I had a couple of gripes as mentioned above but not enough to not recommend.
Now I just wish there was another new Julia Heaberlin book for me to request and be denied for
odurant8's review against another edition
4.0
Another story from Heaberlin set in rural Texas, full of unexpected twists. Just when you think the novel is going in a certain direction, she throws in a huge revelation or roadblock. It’s bound to keep readers engaged the entire story. Received from libro.fm in exchange for an honest review.