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livres_de_bloss's review against another edition
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Ah, Ruth Ware, I think we’ve reached the end of our time together. <i>One By One</i> underwhelmed me, <i>The It Girl</i> annoyed me, and then there was whatever the heck this was…
I am so disappointed in this book:
- We spend far, far, FAR too much time in Jack’s headspace replaying the same thoughts over and over again. She was the most naïve and blundering security “expert” imaginable and we don’t see any character development at all: her boneheaded decisions abound.
- I was expecting this to be a technical thriller but the technology components were so surface level, and some of the leaps at the beginning especially were questionable at best. When I read the author’s note, it really struck me that Ruth Ware said this wasn’t a subject she knew a lot about when she started the book… and it shows. When a writer is passionate and knowledgeable about their subject, it shines through. This book had none of that. It really makes me wonder why she was told by publishers/decided to write this; it could’ve been an awesome story if it had knowledge, passion, or oomph behind it! As a technical enthusiast (who worked in security before) married to a developer, I wanted so much more than this gave me from the tech theme. The surface level technobabble was underwhelming and I got frustrated by the lack of technical understanding of both building and cyber security. Example: we’re told Gabe was a “hacker” and spent time in a correctional facility. “Hacker” is just lazy: you can “hack” a toaster. What did the guy do to get sent to prison? Presumably something pretty shady but we never find out! Second example: Dropping USB sticks in corridors to unleash ransomware? I don’t think I’ve ever worked somewhere where USB ports aren’t locked down on employer-owned hardware. Unless it had been configured to have the computer read it as a keyboard or something while it runs an executable, that’s a non-starter. But, we don’t know because THE AUTHOR DOESN’T TELL US. I’m a cynical reader when it comes to certain themes and the author’s reticence to dive deeper illustrates a fundamental lack of understanding that rendered a lot of the technical side inauthentic and unconvincing. Last example: how were they using a Raspberry Pi to haxx0r a Windows environment? I’m assuming, like most large enterprises, Arden Alliance is using Windows (they claim they hid exploits in Word documents after all) but don’t Raspberry Pis run Linux which wouldn’t run in a Windows environment? How are all these Raspberry Pis that Jack is chucking around like confetti even online? Is she tethering them to 5G transmitters that she’s also just leaving behind?
- The characters were so one dimensional: the villains were evil, the “good” guys were altruistic. There was no depth, and each “characterization” felt relegated to “good” or “bad”. No one had much personality!
- The only part of this that felt authentic was the grief Jack felt over Gabe’s murder. Reading about her finding him and her inner processing of her loss was excruciatingly painful. The grief felt so real and was so upsetting to read.
- The overall pacing was dire. The beginning was so dull! But then it became hyper-formulaic in the typical “I’m innocent but running from the corrupt cops” trope which, frankly, is boring.
- The motive made zero sense to me.
- You seriously expect me to believe that a cybersecurity expert would be all over social media? And that Jack used her deceased’s husband’s array of social media to POST THE ZERO DAYS EXPLOIT ONLINE?! 🙃
- Speaking of, I don’t know much about UK criminal law but we just gloss over the fact that almost all of Jack’s evidence and actions were illegal. Again, not a British criminal law expert but some jurisdictions elsewhere have what’s called the “poison tree effect” where all evidence secured by illegal means must be disregarded. Surely the defence would have a field day with this and get a lot of the evidence dismissed? Let’s not rule out Jack getting charged with all manner of offences as well. Don’t even get me started on the fact that she’s purportedly a pen tester and doesn’t have a lawyer on retainer and refuses a lawyer in a police interview TWICE. It seems nuts to me that someone with a complicated relationship with the law wouldn’t understand the importance of shutting her trap until she’s represented.
- The abusive ex-boyfriend thread felt tickboxy. It wasn’t fleshed out nearly enough and felt like an uncomfortable sideshow that was largely forgotten about for most of the book. It felt thrown in and I didn’t like that nor how it was used as part of the “feel good” ending . Handling stories from survivors of abuse is so important, even in fiction, and this just wasn’t.
- I almost threw the book across the room because of the tireda baby fixes everything and gives me a reason to live trope. What a weak and feeble ending!
I only finished this because I was waiting for my nail polish to dry. If I wasn’t a captive audience, I may not have bothered. I remember really enjoying Ruth Ware’s earlier books but I think she’s lost me now.
I am so disappointed in this book:
- We spend far, far, FAR too much time in Jack’s headspace replaying the same thoughts over and over again. She was the most naïve and blundering security “expert” imaginable and we don’t see any character development at all: her boneheaded decisions abound.
- I was expecting this to be a technical thriller but the technology components were so surface level, and some of the leaps at the beginning especially were questionable at best. When I read the author’s note, it really struck me that Ruth Ware said this wasn’t a subject she knew a lot about when she started the book… and it shows. When a writer is passionate and knowledgeable about their subject, it shines through. This book had none of that. It really makes me wonder why she was told by publishers/decided to write this; it could’ve been an awesome story if it had knowledge, passion, or oomph behind it! As a technical enthusiast (who worked in security before) married to a developer, I wanted so much more than this gave me from the tech theme. The surface level technobabble was underwhelming and I got frustrated by the lack of technical understanding of both building and cyber security. Example: we’re told Gabe was a “hacker” and spent time in a correctional facility. “Hacker” is just lazy: you can “hack” a toaster. What did the guy do to get sent to prison? Presumably something pretty shady but we never find out! Second example: Dropping USB sticks in corridors to unleash ransomware? I don’t think I’ve ever worked somewhere where USB ports aren’t locked down on employer-owned hardware. Unless it had been configured to have the computer read it as a keyboard or something while it runs an executable, that’s a non-starter. But, we don’t know because THE AUTHOR DOESN’T TELL US. I’m a cynical reader when it comes to certain themes and the author’s reticence to dive deeper illustrates a fundamental lack of understanding that rendered a lot of the technical side inauthentic and unconvincing. Last example: how were they using a Raspberry Pi to haxx0r a Windows environment? I’m assuming, like most large enterprises, Arden Alliance is using Windows (they claim they hid exploits in Word documents after all) but don’t Raspberry Pis run Linux which wouldn’t run in a Windows environment? How are all these Raspberry Pis that Jack is chucking around like confetti even online? Is she tethering them to 5G transmitters that she’s also just leaving behind?
- The characters were so one dimensional: the villains were evil, the “good” guys were altruistic. There was no depth, and each “characterization” felt relegated to “good” or “bad”. No one had much personality!
- The only part of this that felt authentic was the grief Jack felt over Gabe’s murder. Reading about her finding him and her inner processing of her loss was excruciatingly painful. The grief felt so real and was so upsetting to read.
- The overall pacing was dire. The beginning was so dull! But then it became hyper-formulaic in the typical “I’m innocent but running from the corrupt cops” trope which, frankly, is boring.
- The motive made zero sense to me.
- You seriously expect me to believe that a cybersecurity expert would be all over social media? And that Jack used her deceased’s husband’s array of social media to POST THE ZERO DAYS EXPLOIT ONLINE?! 🙃
- Speaking of, I don’t know much about UK criminal law but we just gloss over the fact that almost all of Jack’s evidence and actions were illegal. Again, not a British criminal law expert but some jurisdictions elsewhere have what’s called the “poison tree effect” where all evidence secured by illegal means must be disregarded. Surely the defence would have a field day with this and get a lot of the evidence dismissed? Let’s not rule out Jack getting charged with all manner of offences as well. Don’t even get me started on the fact that she’s purportedly a pen tester and doesn’t have a lawyer on retainer and refuses a lawyer in a police interview TWICE. It seems nuts to me that someone with a complicated relationship with the law wouldn’t understand the importance of shutting her trap until she’s represented.
- The abusive ex-boyfriend thread felt tickboxy. It wasn’t fleshed out nearly enough and felt like an uncomfortable sideshow that was largely forgotten about for most of the book. It felt thrown in and I didn’t like that nor how it was used as part of the
- I almost threw the book across the room because of the tired
I only finished this because I was waiting for my nail polish to dry. If I wasn’t a captive audience, I may not have bothered. I remember really enjoying Ruth Ware’s earlier books but I think she’s lost me now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
clacksee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This one sucked me right in. Utterly compelling.
Having said that, though… There's a point where it kind of jumps the shark. Jack has uncovered the truth (or most of it at least). At that point, she's deeply unwell and in need of sleep, food, and medical care. She *could* turn everything over to a lawyer and instruct them to get her out of this mess. Instead, she continues to pursue things beyond all reasonableness. Basically, this book would have been even better if it were 80k words instead of 111k.
Still … this one packs a punch. I'd love to read the continuing adventures of Jack.
Having said that, though… There's a point where it kind of jumps the shark. Jack has uncovered the truth (or most of it at least). At that point, she's deeply unwell and in need of sleep, food, and medical care. She *could* turn everything over to a lawyer and instruct them to get her out of this mess. Instead, she continues to pursue things beyond all reasonableness. Basically, this book would have been even better if it were 80k words instead of 111k.
Still … this one packs a punch. I'd love to read the continuing adventures of Jack.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Medical trauma
Minor: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
tamara_joy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, Medical content, Vomit, and Death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, and Police brutality
Minor: Alcohol, Gun violence, and Death of parent
relf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
3.0
Jacintha (Jack) and her husband Gabe do corporate security testing, with Gabe working to hack the computers and Jack trying to physically invade the company's building and network. One night, Jack returns from a job to find Gabe murdered, and of course she's the police's first suspect, but instead of allowing herself to be arrested, she tries to solve the murder while she's on the run. I enjoyed examples of Jack's break-in and escape skills, but her motivation for staying on the run, even after she's injured, seemed contrived, and her cat-and-mouse game with the police got repetitive. And the culprit was pretty clear earlier than the author probably intended. Nonetheless, it was a story that kept me reading and was an entertaining diversion on a train trip.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood
snoopyfanclub's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It was fine, not my fav Ruth ware book but not my least fav either. Definitely unique!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Grief, Violence, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy
kdaniels's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide
lpdx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, Blood, Grief, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, and Body horror
Moderate: Medical content, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy, Car accident, Alcohol, and Vomit
sarafrancesreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
🌟 REVIEW 🌟
#ZeroDays by Ruth Ware
⭐️ Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Synopsis: An adrenaline-fueled thriller that combines Mr. and Mrs. Smith with The Fugitive about a woman in a race against time to clear her name and find her husband’s murderer.
Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect—her.
Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer.
My thoughts: This was my first Ruth Ware read, and I can definitely say I’ll be reading more in the future! I loved this story from the main character Jack’s point of view, as she races to find her husbands killer before she is framed for his murder. Her skills as a “penetration tester” serve her well in this daunting task. At times, this story really got my heart racing!
I did listen to this read as an audiobook, and would definitely recommend this version.
#ZeroDays by Ruth Ware
⭐️ Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Synopsis: An adrenaline-fueled thriller that combines Mr. and Mrs. Smith with The Fugitive about a woman in a race against time to clear her name and find her husband’s murderer.
Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect—her.
Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer.
My thoughts: This was my first Ruth Ware read, and I can definitely say I’ll be reading more in the future! I loved this story from the main character Jack’s point of view, as she races to find her husbands killer before she is framed for his murder. Her skills as a “penetration tester” serve her well in this daunting task. At times, this story really got my heart racing!
I did listen to this read as an audiobook, and would definitely recommend this version.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Pregnancy
stephs_cozycorner's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to love this book and it started off with so much promise. It is not your typical Ruth Ware, and is an action based race against the clock type of thriller.
I was intrigued right from the beginning but once I hit the half way mark, this book fell very flat for me.
I think one of the misses for me was I really couldn’t stand the MC Jacinta “Jack” Cross. I get that she was in fight or flight mode and in complete shock, but every decision she made was, in my opinion, cringe worthy.
And I figured out the twist fairly early on, which was a bit of a letdown.
This was a unique premise that could have been so much more. It moves at a fairly fast pace, so if you enjoyed her previous work and like a good cat and mouse game, then I would still suggest picking it up and giving your own opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Grief, and Death
passionatereader78's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
This book hit the ground running! It was action pact from the beginning. I enjoyed this thriller! It was fast pace. No big surprises or twist. Lots of tension. Perfect for a tv movie. Jack and Gabe run a security company. Jack breaks in and Gabe runs the cyber systems. When Jack is arrested during a mission. She can't reach Gabe or the client. She gets the client to finally straighten everything out and is released. When she gets home she finds Gabe with his throat cut. Even worse the police think she did it. Jack goes on the run to find Gabe's killer and clear her name.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Medical trauma, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Confinement, Police brutality, and Pregnancy