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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I found this book while searching for a “thriller” to read. I don’t know that this falls into the correct genre, but even though this book was not as expected, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. This story is about how several
Characters lives are forever changed after a horrific tragedy. You get a glimpse of before and after the event and how they cope. This story is also about finding friendship in the unlikeliest of places.
Characters lives are forever changed after a horrific tragedy. You get a glimpse of before and after the event and how they cope. This story is also about finding friendship in the unlikeliest of places.
HOLY COW , does this book grab you by the hair and drag you down the hall. By chapter 3, you’re so dialed up , your eyes are burning just trying to take it in and read it as fast as you can. But you can’t really skim this book
Read each chapter slow
Take it in
So I must say if you’ve in anyway , had a terrorist attack effect your life. How sorry I am. And maybe this book may help or Hurt you....
This is book is anyone’s worst nightmare. A terrorist attack and losing someone in one. But it’s told from every point view.
It skips back and forth between:
Two days before
The day I died
5 months before
2 days after
5 days before
And each character getting their own chapter. And damn , for me. I kept wanting to hear from Sandrine. Each chapter is a diff time and a diff point of view
It’s brilliantly written. I loved it , the writing was real. I felt what I read. It also broke my heart in two. So much emotion from one book evoking all of this deserves ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ➕ stars.
Read each chapter slow
Take it in
So I must say if you’ve in anyway , had a terrorist attack effect your life. How sorry I am. And maybe this book may help or Hurt you....
This is book is anyone’s worst nightmare. A terrorist attack and losing someone in one. But it’s told from every point view.
It skips back and forth between:
Two days before
The day I died
5 months before
2 days after
5 days before
And each character getting their own chapter. And damn , for me. I kept wanting to hear from Sandrine. Each chapter is a diff time and a diff point of view
It’s brilliantly written. I loved it , the writing was real. I felt what I read. It also broke my heart in two. So much emotion from one book evoking all of this deserves ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ➕ stars.
The Silent friend is gripping, drawing you into this world of tragedy. We've all seen the headlines of terrorism, shootings, people doing the worst humanity can imagine. In this book one family lives that, from a group of friends to a family that suffers devastation on so many levels it's hard to process.
The feelings invoked in this book are real, and they're terrifying and make you want to believe, to have hope only to find out what you already knew in your heart.
Fast paced, surprising and wonderfully written, the visualizations put you right into the story, the good places and the bad, the fear the characters felt at different points was palpable, parents, friends, all waiting for word from their loved ones, it broke my heart and then at the end gave insight I never would have had without reading this.
Laura is an fascinating main character, she had a feeling from the beginning telling her not to go on that trip, what she didn't know was just how much it would change her life and how hard it would be to get back to normal, if normal is something she can even achieve after the events of that night and how many people wouldn't make it home.
There's so much more I'd love to say about this book but I just can't without revealing major spoilers so I'll just say, know your family, know their friends, memorize your families phone numbers, you never know when you'll need that information, I can say I couldn't tell you my mothers phone number without looking at my phone, but after reading this one, well I'm going to be able to from now on.
The feelings invoked in this book are real, and they're terrifying and make you want to believe, to have hope only to find out what you already knew in your heart.
Fast paced, surprising and wonderfully written, the visualizations put you right into the story, the good places and the bad, the fear the characters felt at different points was palpable, parents, friends, all waiting for word from their loved ones, it broke my heart and then at the end gave insight I never would have had without reading this.
Laura is an fascinating main character, she had a feeling from the beginning telling her not to go on that trip, what she didn't know was just how much it would change her life and how hard it would be to get back to normal, if normal is something she can even achieve after the events of that night and how many people wouldn't make it home.
There's so much more I'd love to say about this book but I just can't without revealing major spoilers so I'll just say, know your family, know their friends, memorize your families phone numbers, you never know when you'll need that information, I can say I couldn't tell you my mothers phone number without looking at my phone, but after reading this one, well I'm going to be able to from now on.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.
A trip with friends turns into Laura's worst nightmare when the concert they are at is attacked by terrorists. The night haunts Laura and she joins a message board to help cope with the trauma. She connects with Sandy, whose son died that night. Sandy, however, has secrets.
I thought this book was well thought out and dealt with tough subject matter fairly well. The characters were relatable and fleshed out. I liked the timeline and how even though it jumped around, the way it did so always made sense within the narrative and it was easy to stay focused.
A trip with friends turns into Laura's worst nightmare when the concert they are at is attacked by terrorists. The night haunts Laura and she joins a message board to help cope with the trauma. She connects with Sandy, whose son died that night. Sandy, however, has secrets.
I thought this book was well thought out and dealt with tough subject matter fairly well. The characters were relatable and fleshed out. I liked the timeline and how even though it jumped around, the way it did so always made sense within the narrative and it was easy to stay focused.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I first saw the description do this book on Net Galley, I mentioned to a friend that this seemed like the European version of the Netflix show Dead to Me. I soon realized that I was right, but this book takes the concept to a new level. The story hurts my heart to read, from both sides, but it also shows perspectives people may not think about in the unfortunately growing number of similar situations today.
The story was very well written, but the early chapters jump around in a way that makes the story harder to get hooked on until you understand the situation Laura has been in.
I like the journey the author takes Laura on to her healing, and on the flip side, the journey Sandrine must take as the mother of someone who has done something unthinkable.
The book was very well written and I stayed engaged with the story until the very last chapter. I understand the desire for the author to wrap the book up in a pretty bow and give it the happiest ending possible, but I think it took away from the story. I wish the book had ended differently because it feels to me like it just skips forward a year and all of a sudden everything is forgiven. It just didn’t seem realistic.
The story was very well written, but the early chapters jump around in a way that makes the story harder to get hooked on until you understand the situation Laura has been in.
I like the journey the author takes Laura on to her healing, and on the flip side, the journey Sandrine must take as the mother of someone who has done something unthinkable.
The book was very well written and I stayed engaged with the story until the very last chapter. I understand the desire for the author to wrap the book up in a pretty bow and give it the happiest ending possible, but I think it took away from the story. I wish the book had ended differently because it feels to me like it just skips forward a year and all of a sudden everything is forgiven. It just didn’t seem realistic.
It’s supposed to be Laura’s dream holiday: a trip to France with a group of friends to see their favourite band play live. But the holiday quickly turns to disaster, and Laura is left haunted by terrifying images from the worst night of her life.
Upon finishing this books I have mixed views. I enjoyed reading the book - it was an interesting and turbulent story that is easy to sink your teeth into, but there are also aspects that didn’t sit right with me.
First and foremost this is a book about terrorism - which I did not expect from reading the blurb. It is thrilling, but the story itself is more of a coming-of-age emotional rollercoaster of someone coming to terms with being apart of a horrific night and learning to manage the trauma from that event. It’s about two women communicating (one being less than honest) and being a support network for each other. It was really interesting reading the two different perspectives - one from someone who was right in the middle of this attack, and one from the mother of the boy who led it. I found this interesting because you don’t often hear from the perspective of the family, who often have no idea their children are apart of the extremist world.
The things that just didn’t sit right with me, though, drag the book down (hence the 3 star rating). First and foremost, it makes me sad that it took more than half of the book to even talk about this being an extremist view of the Islamic faith. While Jeffrey kind of tip toes around the whole religious aspect, it is mentioned early on that the terrorists were Islamic. But they are extremists and we need to stop painting all Islamic people as terrorists and I am sad that Jeffery had the opportunity to do this and didn’t. Don’t tip toe, just say it.
The other thing that didn’t make sense to me was the title and the cover - It definitely paints the book as this thriller, which it’s not. The title also confused me because no one is really silent. Sandy lies to (or deceives) Laura, but she’s not silent. While it’s important not to judge a book by it’s cover (or title), this one led me expecting a VERY different story to the one that I read.
This is my long winded way of saying - it’s a good book, but some aspects let me down and left me feeling somewhat confused...
Upon finishing this books I have mixed views. I enjoyed reading the book - it was an interesting and turbulent story that is easy to sink your teeth into, but there are also aspects that didn’t sit right with me.
First and foremost this is a book about terrorism - which I did not expect from reading the blurb. It is thrilling, but the story itself is more of a coming-of-age emotional rollercoaster of someone coming to terms with being apart of a horrific night and learning to manage the trauma from that event. It’s about two women communicating (one being less than honest) and being a support network for each other. It was really interesting reading the two different perspectives - one from someone who was right in the middle of this attack, and one from the mother of the boy who led it. I found this interesting because you don’t often hear from the perspective of the family, who often have no idea their children are apart of the extremist world.
The things that just didn’t sit right with me, though, drag the book down (hence the 3 star rating). First and foremost, it makes me sad that it took more than half of the book to even talk about this being an extremist view of the Islamic faith. While Jeffrey kind of tip toes around the whole religious aspect, it is mentioned early on that the terrorists were Islamic. But they are extremists and we need to stop painting all Islamic people as terrorists and I am sad that Jeffery had the opportunity to do this and didn’t. Don’t tip toe, just say it.
The other thing that didn’t make sense to me was the title and the cover - It definitely paints the book as this thriller, which it’s not. The title also confused me because no one is really silent. Sandy lies to (or deceives) Laura, but she’s not silent. While it’s important not to judge a book by it’s cover (or title), this one led me expecting a VERY different story to the one that I read.
This is my long winded way of saying - it’s a good book, but some aspects let me down and left me feeling somewhat confused...
Wow. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one but after seeing it recommended on social media I decided to request on NetGalley, and then saw the audiobook available at my library. I am finding the audiobooks more engaging these days as I have been struggling with my concentration.
Did this book engage me! Wow, the narrator was superb. I love the Irish accent anyway, and Michele Moran did a spectacular job of showing the trauma and devastation of the incident. I listened to it in 2 days which tells you something!
The characters were absolutely fascinating and really showed the reader different sides to every story. The perspectives and time frames were so effective and I loved it.
Highly recommend.
Did this book engage me! Wow, the narrator was superb. I love the Irish accent anyway, and Michele Moran did a spectacular job of showing the trauma and devastation of the incident. I listened to it in 2 days which tells you something!
The characters were absolutely fascinating and really showed the reader different sides to every story. The perspectives and time frames were so effective and I loved it.
Highly recommend.
This is the first book I have read by this author and it certainly won't be my last. What I have just read is an emotional read which is more of a drama than a psychological thriller. The story of two women whose lives are ripped apart following a dreadful incident one night. This isn't an edge of your seat thriller but a slow burner that however you will want to keep turning those pages to discover what the outcome will be. The characters are written about so well and the descriptions are so good you will feel you are experiencing what is going on. An outstanding 5⭐ read for me.