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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
I can not seem to be able to write a decent review of this book. However, I will include a gist of the main reason why I disliked it. I failed to connect with the main characters of this book. The female protagonists, Karen and Sophie, who I was clearly intended to feel sympathy for, only invoked anger and never ending rants of "Call the police!" All of the characters seemed to be incredibly selfish.
I finished reading the book in hopes of maybe making a connection with the characters but in the end, I only disliked them more. In the end, my only final thought was: call the police and face the consequences.
I finished reading the book in hopes of maybe making a connection with the characters but in the end, I only disliked them more. In the end, my only final thought was: call the police and face the consequences.
Well, this was an intriguing read. There’s a part of that really, really loved it; it’s the first thriller to really catch my attention in a little while (mostly because I think everyone and their mother is writing thrillers these days, as they ride the Gone Girl wave) but a lot of what happened would have actually been avoided if Sophie and Karen weren’t so bloody secretive. Especially since that’s a crime in and of itself. Perverting the course of justice? Obstructing the course of justice? Something to do with justice. There were times I literally wanted to frog-march them to the police station myself, or to gee up the police to actually do some policing.
Despite my issues with Sophie and Karen being too stupid to open their mouths (honestly, WHAT DID THEY THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN? Was it all magically going to disappear?!?!? HUH HUH HUH?!?!), I did really enjoy the story. It kept me gripped, wondering how it was going to go, what new secret was going to creep out next, and you felt like you couldn’t trust anyone, because nobody knew the meaning of the word truth. It was like they all took an oath to keep what happened that Saturday night secret forever, and I kind of liked Karen’s determination to figure it out (and I was massively surprised over who was involved!) It was very much a taut and tight thriller, and I definitely needed my wits about me to put the story together, because there was plenty going on.
What makes this an even more intriguing read is the fact that Karen is actually agoraphobic. Now, I know nothing about agoraphobia other than people don’t leave their house, because they panic and to see that in a main character was both intriguing (because I learnt so much) but also there was a part of me, a really bad part of me, that wanted to yell at Karen to just go outside and I know, I know, I know that that is not what you say to someone who can’t leave the house, but like Mike I just found it so frustrating, but I also understood it’s not as if Karen chose to stay at home, and she probably found it just as frustrating, and I felt bad for her, too, because that’s no life is it? That’s not the way to spend your life. I don’t always understand mental heath issues because I’ve never suffered with my mental health but having a main character who suffers really helps, and Sam really nailed that.
Saving Sophie really was an intriguing read. Yes, I got frustrated at times, but ultimately I could barely put this book down. Although, Sam, why did you do what you did to the dog? I just WHY?!?!?!?! I’m going to do a Hermione and start a protection agency for dogs in thrillers. Any animals in thrillers. THEY DESERVE BETTER, OKAY? I’m very excited for Sam’s second book and even more so that the same police team will be in book two, it’s ALWAYS nice to have a continuation like that. I remember DC Mack, but I am struggling with the lass’s name (sorry DC whatshername). Though in my defence she wasn’t a big part of the novel (I expected bigger) so hopefully she’ll come into her own in the next novel and I’ll remember her name. This is a solid, solid thriller.
Despite my issues with Sophie and Karen being too stupid to open their mouths (honestly, WHAT DID THEY THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN? Was it all magically going to disappear?!?!? HUH HUH HUH?!?!), I did really enjoy the story. It kept me gripped, wondering how it was going to go, what new secret was going to creep out next, and you felt like you couldn’t trust anyone, because nobody knew the meaning of the word truth. It was like they all took an oath to keep what happened that Saturday night secret forever, and I kind of liked Karen’s determination to figure it out (and I was massively surprised over who was involved!) It was very much a taut and tight thriller, and I definitely needed my wits about me to put the story together, because there was plenty going on.
What makes this an even more intriguing read is the fact that Karen is actually agoraphobic. Now, I know nothing about agoraphobia other than people don’t leave their house, because they panic and to see that in a main character was both intriguing (because I learnt so much) but also there was a part of me, a really bad part of me, that wanted to yell at Karen to just go outside and I know, I know, I know that that is not what you say to someone who can’t leave the house, but like Mike I just found it so frustrating, but I also understood it’s not as if Karen chose to stay at home, and she probably found it just as frustrating, and I felt bad for her, too, because that’s no life is it? That’s not the way to spend your life. I don’t always understand mental heath issues because I’ve never suffered with my mental health but having a main character who suffers really helps, and Sam really nailed that.
Saving Sophie really was an intriguing read. Yes, I got frustrated at times, but ultimately I could barely put this book down. Although, Sam, why did you do what you did to the dog? I just WHY?!?!?!?! I’m going to do a Hermione and start a protection agency for dogs in thrillers. Any animals in thrillers. THEY DESERVE BETTER, OKAY? I’m very excited for Sam’s second book and even more so that the same police team will be in book two, it’s ALWAYS nice to have a continuation like that. I remember DC Mack, but I am struggling with the lass’s name (sorry DC whatshername). Though in my defence she wasn’t a big part of the novel (I expected bigger) so hopefully she’ll come into her own in the next novel and I’ll remember her name. This is a solid, solid thriller.
I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks so much to the publisher for granting me the opportunity to read an ARC of this.
Karen Finch’s daughter, Sophie, is delivered to her doorstep by the police at 10:30PM on one seemingly normal Saturday evening. It’s clear that Sophie is drunk, but when she seems to be talking gibberish and can’t remember a thing about the night before in the morning, Karen is certain that something more than alcohol is at play. Sophie’s friend Amy hasn’t turned up after that Saturday night, and Sophie is trying her best to try and remember what took place so she can get her friend back. But Karen is certain that Sophie isn’t telling the police everything she knows; she’s taking it upon herself to fix what’s going on. She was attacked in the past, and now she’s sure her daughter is in danger, but the fact that she has agoraphobia and can’t make it past the front door without having a vicious anxiety attack is something she needs to navigate around if she wants to save her daughter.
I’m a big fan of psychological thrillers. When executed well, they have the potential to evoke such strong responses from readers. Saving Sophie had all the potential to be one of these thrillers. It involves a family-centered relationship between an emotionally vulnerable mother and a daughter who is obviously hiding something, even though her friend is missing. But unfortunately, the book just didn’t grip me. I was mostly aggravated throughout the novel, frustrated that the characters were taking all this responsibility onto their shoulders when they could have easily gone to the police. Realistically speaking, this story wouldn’t have existed had the characters simply told what they knew to the cops- I know that it was important that the authorities were uninvolved from a storytelling perspective. But I’d at least hoped that the characters had a valid motive for not telling them- Sophie didn’t go to the police because she’d look like a “slag,” and Karen didn’t go to the police because, well, I have no idea. I didn’t buy their reluctance, and it made me frustrated more than anything else.
The mystery itself felt overly simplistic. It wasn’t predictable, but perhaps that was because I wasn’t invested enough in the story to start predicting what was going to happen. I was reading just to be reading, rather than reading to know what happens next. The only hurdles in the characters’ way were their strange reluctance to contact the authorities and Karen’s anxiety, which I felt could have definitely been explored more. As it existed now, it felt more like a plot device than an empathetic exploration of agoraphobia, or a way to develop Karen’s character.
Speaking of characters, most of these people fell flat. I suspect that has a lot to do with the inconsistencies in their personalities. I was a little skeptical that Karen’s husband Mike would be completely unsympathetic to her condition one second, and then full of worry immediately after. From the beginning, the reader gets the impression that Karen and Mike’s relationship is strained- their marriage was failing, I can say, but this wasn’t explored at all. It was given so much emphasis initially that I expected it to come into play somewhere along the mystery, but it was completely dropped. Another storyline that was dropped after being emphasized was Karen’s relationship with her best friend. Again, it wasn’t explored and the loose end bothered me. Back to characterization: Sophie would one second be a typical brooding, mean teenager, and the next second she’d be the most empathetic character in the novel. Karen would be on one of two extreme ends: overreacting with worry where anyone else would be relaxed, and completely at ease when the best of us would be concerned. I never felt that I knew these characters and who they were- they were all over the place, which made it extremely difficult to get attached to them.
Carrington’s writing style is entertaining enough to get you to keep reading. I would have preferred if the narrative wasn’t riddled with questions, but I liked her writing enough. I just didn’t think that it paired well with all the other problems in the novel.
Karen Finch’s daughter, Sophie, is delivered to her doorstep by the police at 10:30PM on one seemingly normal Saturday evening. It’s clear that Sophie is drunk, but when she seems to be talking gibberish and can’t remember a thing about the night before in the morning, Karen is certain that something more than alcohol is at play. Sophie’s friend Amy hasn’t turned up after that Saturday night, and Sophie is trying her best to try and remember what took place so she can get her friend back. But Karen is certain that Sophie isn’t telling the police everything she knows; she’s taking it upon herself to fix what’s going on. She was attacked in the past, and now she’s sure her daughter is in danger, but the fact that she has agoraphobia and can’t make it past the front door without having a vicious anxiety attack is something she needs to navigate around if she wants to save her daughter.
I’m a big fan of psychological thrillers. When executed well, they have the potential to evoke such strong responses from readers. Saving Sophie had all the potential to be one of these thrillers. It involves a family-centered relationship between an emotionally vulnerable mother and a daughter who is obviously hiding something, even though her friend is missing. But unfortunately, the book just didn’t grip me. I was mostly aggravated throughout the novel, frustrated that the characters were taking all this responsibility onto their shoulders when they could have easily gone to the police. Realistically speaking, this story wouldn’t have existed had the characters simply told what they knew to the cops- I know that it was important that the authorities were uninvolved from a storytelling perspective. But I’d at least hoped that the characters had a valid motive for not telling them- Sophie didn’t go to the police because she’d look like a “slag,” and Karen didn’t go to the police because, well, I have no idea. I didn’t buy their reluctance, and it made me frustrated more than anything else.
The mystery itself felt overly simplistic. It wasn’t predictable, but perhaps that was because I wasn’t invested enough in the story to start predicting what was going to happen. I was reading just to be reading, rather than reading to know what happens next. The only hurdles in the characters’ way were their strange reluctance to contact the authorities and Karen’s anxiety, which I felt could have definitely been explored more. As it existed now, it felt more like a plot device than an empathetic exploration of agoraphobia, or a way to develop Karen’s character.
Speaking of characters, most of these people fell flat. I suspect that has a lot to do with the inconsistencies in their personalities. I was a little skeptical that Karen’s husband Mike would be completely unsympathetic to her condition one second, and then full of worry immediately after. From the beginning, the reader gets the impression that Karen and Mike’s relationship is strained- their marriage was failing, I can say, but this wasn’t explored at all. It was given so much emphasis initially that I expected it to come into play somewhere along the mystery, but it was completely dropped. Another storyline that was dropped after being emphasized was Karen’s relationship with her best friend. Again, it wasn’t explored and the loose end bothered me. Back to characterization: Sophie would one second be a typical brooding, mean teenager, and the next second she’d be the most empathetic character in the novel. Karen would be on one of two extreme ends: overreacting with worry where anyone else would be relaxed, and completely at ease when the best of us would be concerned. I never felt that I knew these characters and who they were- they were all over the place, which made it extremely difficult to get attached to them.
Carrington’s writing style is entertaining enough to get you to keep reading. I would have preferred if the narrative wasn’t riddled with questions, but I liked her writing enough. I just didn’t think that it paired well with all the other problems in the novel.
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