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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Book club as compelled me to finish this nightmare of a book. I wish I hadn't. I wish I'd given up when the first alarm went off, but here we are, a few wasted hours of my Christmas vacation behind me.
Behold, the Good Millenial. She doesn't squander her savings away on avocado toast- a point the author felt the need to drive home in both the text and her 'Word from the Author'. She doesn't like fatties or tattoos. She's perfectly happy in her low-paying job and her itty-bitty flat. If she has a personality beyond this, it escaped me entirely. But, hey, she's certainly fresh and unique in that anti-avocado sort of way.
Enter her...love interest? This part of the plot is reduced to a sentence or two here or there. Just as our first protagonist (Libby, if I'm not mistaken) had a defining characteristic, so does he. He's chunky. He likes to eat. If he can be eating in a scene, he is. But it's okay, he was fit at one point and he has a half-sentence tragic back story to excuse his fatness. He also has an obsession with Libby that stretches quite literally to her infancy and destroyed his first marriage, but hey, what could be better as the basis of a relationship?
Not sold yet? Don't worry, we have multiple perspectives. We could always switch over to the mother painted as utterly irresponsible for leaving her abusive husband. She has a tragic backstory that includes every other character brushing over being sexually abused at 14 by a 40+ year old man. It was okay, really, because she was having sex with someone her age too, and that middle aged guy, he was just so charming. Totally consensual. Nothing to see here. Another sentence or two implying it might not be okay. A single person disgusted by the situation, but let's not forget, he's evil.
And that brings us to the best perspective of all. The Evil Gay. Again, we are left to one trait- asking for more would probably make me an entitled millenial- and this one is just too good not to bite into. What could be better, more realistic and harmless, than the sinister homo harboring a dangerous obsession with a Poor Innocent Straight?
It's hard to say whether his little Merricat moment was meant to be a twist. I have to hope not, but these 'thrillers' have to have one now, don't they?
Characters aside, the author seems to have forgotten about introducing any tension and foregone stakes entirely. All the action- and I hesitate to use that word- happens in the past, and we get everything wrapped up with a nice family-sized bow. Oh, but don't forget, the evil gay is still obsessed and evil. This is incredibly important. This is our stinger.
This is a mess.
Behold, the Good Millenial. She doesn't squander her savings away on avocado toast- a point the author felt the need to drive home in both the text and her 'Word from the Author'. She doesn't like fatties or tattoos. She's perfectly happy in her low-paying job and her itty-bitty flat. If she has a personality beyond this, it escaped me entirely. But, hey, she's certainly fresh and unique in that anti-avocado sort of way.
Enter her...love interest? This part of the plot is reduced to a sentence or two here or there. Just as our first protagonist (Libby, if I'm not mistaken) had a defining characteristic, so does he. He's chunky. He likes to eat. If he can be eating in a scene, he is. But it's okay, he was fit at one point and he has a half-sentence tragic back story to excuse his fatness. He also has an obsession with Libby that stretches quite literally to her infancy and destroyed his first marriage, but hey, what could be better as the basis of a relationship?
Not sold yet? Don't worry, we have multiple perspectives. We could always switch over to the mother painted as utterly irresponsible for leaving her abusive husband. She has a tragic backstory that includes every other character brushing over being sexually abused at 14 by a 40+ year old man. It was okay, really, because she was having sex with someone her age too, and that middle aged guy, he was just so charming. Totally consensual. Nothing to see here. Another sentence or two implying it might not be okay. A single person disgusted by the situation, but let's not forget, he's evil.
And that brings us to the best perspective of all. The Evil Gay. Again, we are left to one trait- asking for more would probably make me an entitled millenial- and this one is just too good not to bite into. What could be better, more realistic and harmless, than the sinister homo harboring a dangerous obsession with a Poor Innocent Straight?
It's hard to say whether his little Merricat moment was meant to be a twist. I have to hope not, but these 'thrillers' have to have one now, don't they?
Characters aside, the author seems to have forgotten about introducing any tension and foregone stakes entirely. All the action- and I hesitate to use that word- happens in the past, and we get everything wrapped up with a nice family-sized bow. Oh, but don't forget, the evil gay is still obsessed and evil. This is incredibly important. This is our stinger.
This is a mess.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I would have rated this higher, but I had some issues with it at the end. Still, I liked the way this book was written, the multiple perspectives and the slow unraveling of the mystery. There were plenty of twists and turns, some which I expected, some which took my by surprise. The writing was good, certainly better than many of the mystery/thrillers that are currently a dime a dozen and that sound like they were someone's creative writing project. This author at least has a strong voice, can switch voices to fit her characters, and knows how to use words to build atmosphere and suspense. The unreliable first person narrator was also a good choice.
And now, for the reason this book doesn't have four or even five stars - the ending seems a bit too neat - the resolution too forced. Everybody seems happy with each other (I know there is supposed to be a sequel, so maybe things change there). I'm also not happy with the romance between two of the main characters. They barely know each other, the circumstances in which they meet aren't really ideal for romance, and I personally did not feel it at all.
And now, for the reason this book doesn't have four or even five stars - the ending seems a bit too neat - the resolution too forced. Everybody seems happy with each other (I know there is supposed to be a sequel, so maybe things change there). I'm also not happy with the romance between two of the main characters. They barely know each other, the circumstances in which they meet aren't really ideal for romance, and I personally did not feel it at all.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I’ve always found it hard to mesh well with thrillers—this one was alright, I enjoyed the characters and the various timelines. It was well paced and interesting, but for some reason I felt like I was missing something. The ending also felt a bit lacklustre, even though there were hints in the main story.
Would probably pick up another by this author, but doubt I’ll read this one again.
Would probably pick up another by this author, but doubt I’ll read this one again.
Amazing book that kept me interested, cult plot was very interesting.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated