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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Liv’s family have started their life in LA, the unexpected success of her fathers novel and the subsequent optioning of it as a film put their life on a new trajectory. That is until the night of the party.
Liv swears she had 2 drinks, but she can’t remember anything. Her parents are mad at her, and there’s a padlock on her bedroom door. What happened that night, and why can’t she remember?
At its essence, this story is about how far a parent will go to protect their child, even if the relationship with that child is more strained that it has been. Will they cover up a crime? Will their actions damage the relationship between the parents, the children, their friends?
Going into this, I thought I knew how it would play out, but man was I wrong. And I’m not sure if I was wrong in a way that I enjoyed? Occasionally reading something like this when the twist differs from my expectation you get that feeling of shock, of being blindsided. I didn’t get that here. Sure I didn’t see a lot of it coming, and that’s part of the problem, there were just a few too many reveals to make it all pay off.
At the end of the day, I made it to the end with a few more questions than I’d have preferred, and some moments of “was that really necessary for the story?”
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC.
This was my first book by this author, and the intriguing premise of a padlocked door and family secrets hooked me. The pacing allowed for character development, and while I predicted some twists, I enjoyed them. Although the sporadic pacing created tension, it felt jarring at times.
I appreciated the different perspectives of each character, both those that were sympathetic and those that were not, as this contributed to a more authentic portrayal. The meta narrative exploring the writing process, particularly through the father character who perhaps serves as a parallel to the author, was engaging.
Although the plot's dependence on communication breakdowns occasionally appeared contrived, the domestic thriller successfully established tension about characters I was mostly invested in. Overall, I enjoyed the read.
The ending, though a bit rushed, was satisfying, especially the final line. I recommend "The Ones We Love" and look forward to exploring more of Anna Snoekstra's work.
This was my first book by this author, and the intriguing premise of a padlocked door and family secrets hooked me. The pacing allowed for character development, and while I predicted some twists, I enjoyed them. Although the sporadic pacing created tension, it felt jarring at times.
I appreciated the different perspectives of each character, both those that were sympathetic and those that were not, as this contributed to a more authentic portrayal. The meta narrative exploring the writing process, particularly through the father character who perhaps serves as a parallel to the author, was engaging.
Although the plot's dependence on communication breakdowns occasionally appeared contrived, the domestic thriller successfully established tension about characters I was mostly invested in. Overall, I enjoyed the read.
The ending, though a bit rushed, was satisfying, especially the final line. I recommend "The Ones We Love" and look forward to exploring more of Anna Snoekstra's work.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
The mystery surrounding the sleepwalking was what really pulled me in. There was something unsettling about it, and the way it unfolded kept me hooked. The atmosphere was tense in all the right ways, and the narration added so much depth, making every scene feel vivid and immersive. It had the kind of suspense that makes you question everything, which I really enjoyed.
But the ending didn’t work for me. I wasn’t expecting it to be so emotionally heavy, and while I usually appreciate a good twist, there were too many. Instead of making the story more gripping, they started to feel excessive, almost as if they were there just to shock the reader. For me, it took away from the impact rather than adding to it.
That said, I can see why a lot of readers would love this book. It’s well-written, full of tension, and packed with surprises. While it wasn’t entirely my style, I’d still recommend it to anyone who enjoys psychological twists and a story that keeps you guessing.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A dysfunctional family with a big secret 🤫
Thank you, Dutton Books, for the gifted copy of The Ones We Love {partner}
Genre: Mystery
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 5.6.2025
Pages: 336
Star Rating: ☆☆☆
The Ones We Love is one of those stories that needs to be read by the right reader at the right time. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the right reader at the right time. It was still a good story that I did finish; it just wasn’t what I had hoped it would be.
I did think the story started strong - those first few chapters were addicting. A daughter wakes up covered in bruises without any memory of what happened, and her parents are obviously hiding something. But what?
Each chapter slowly peeled back a layer of truth—one misguided decision after the other, one dysfunctional family member failing to communicate the truth. The feeling of slowly revealing the truth was enticing and kept me reading, but unfortunately, I figured out the direction of the story fairly quickly and wasn’t blown away by the path the author took to get there.
Maybe if the characters had been more likable? It’s one of those things that the characters weren’t likable because of what they were doing, making the story more exciting, but it was also hard to find redeeming qualities to cheer for. The only character I did love was Casper, the younger brother/son (and I rarely ever like POVs from a child narrator).
Read if you enjoy:
😬 Dysfunctional family
🗣️ Multiple POV
👏🏼 Character development
📖 Multi-layered
I recommend reading The Ones We Love if you enjoyed reading Everyone Here is Lying.
_____
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