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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
This book was atrocious…
The premise of this book was promising but it was just way too disturbing for my liking. I understand books that mention violence, abuse, racism and homophobia, but thats all this book seemed to talk about. I felt like I couldn’t read a single sentence without the mention of one. There also wasn’t a single character (besides maybe Jude) that I actually liked and cared for. Overall, just a vile book and I did not enjoy it.
The premise of this book was promising but it was just way too disturbing for my liking. I understand books that mention violence, abuse, racism and homophobia, but thats all this book seemed to talk about. I felt like I couldn’t read a single sentence without the mention of one. There also wasn’t a single character (besides maybe Jude) that I actually liked and cared for. Overall, just a vile book and I did not enjoy it.
The characters were all so horrible in their own way it made the book not enjoyable… the Christian small-town supremacy storyline was very triggering. This story includes very heavy topics (murder, racism, homophobia, rape, etc.) but with how horrible the people were in this book it made it really hard to get into.
decidedly eh
not particularly thrilling and at a certain point you can predict some of the reveals. it changes POV many times but the narration of the main character (emma) came off as very inauthentic and honestly I don’t think that she or her investigative efforts add anything to the actual plot of the book at all.
not particularly thrilling and at a certain point you can predict some of the reveals. it changes POV many times but the narration of the main character (emma) came off as very inauthentic and honestly I don’t think that she or her investigative efforts add anything to the actual plot of the book at all.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this book is HEAVY and there were times i had to put it down and walk away because it got dark. but this is one of the best books i’ve read. most of the characters were terrible people and not a single character was perfect and that’s one of the reasons i loved this book so much. i loved the varying third person perspectives, which gave the story so much more depth opposed to the story being told just from emma or noah or dolly’s perspective. i loved that i wrote off samuel as the suspect because he didn’t beat her (or so we thought) and we knew he was a horrible father and a horrible husband and a horrible person but at the end he still managed to become even more of a peace of shit. when dolly shot him i said, out loud, “what a queen”. i loved noah and rat’s relationship. if rat had died in the fire i’m not sure if i would’ve been able to finish the book. i became so connected to their relationship and how real it was. i loved how it was left up to interpretation whether or not abigail was alive. i think you’re supposed to believe she’s alive but i like that it’s never truly proven. as much as i wanted them all to the abi again, i’m glad it didn’t happen. i was slow starting this book and it’s definitely one that’s takes a good chunk of it to really get into but once i hit about page 100 i was transfixed on it. truly an amazing read. thank you anna bailey for writing this incredible novel. i wouldn’t change one word of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault
This was an impressive debut novel by Anna Bailey, but it just wasn’t for me. The switching from THEN and NOW got to be a little confusing for me. There were too many heavy topics that it got to be overwhelming. I was hoping to feel a connection with at least one character, but that was missing. Even though it fell flat for me in some ways, there were plenty of dark, shocking moments that kept me reading — and I loved the setting.
Heavy content and a little confusing with multiple narrators and timelines but overall good read
This story was all over the place. I had a hard time keeping track of characters, their myriad of issues, and who knew what. Overall it maintained a great, creepy small-town vibe, but the plot went in too many different directions, and had a hard time closing out all the storylines effectively.
If clichés and metaphors are your jam, then this book is for you.
Two words for anyone considering this one: hard pass.
Two stars because I felt compelled to find out whodunit.
Two words for anyone considering this one: hard pass.
Two stars because I felt compelled to find out whodunit.
Where the Truth Lies is a mystery that takes place in a small town full of despicable people. I’m not sure I’ve read a book where I literally disliked everyone, including the victim. When Abi goes missing we get to see how this small town turns against one another as their secrets are slowly revealed.
The mystery part was good, I certainly suspected everyone along the way. But what I didn’t love was the writing. The descriptions of things were too flowery and weird at times with passages like, “The whole house feels like a slab of old butter that has formed a rind around the edges,” or “Her breakfast tastes vaguely yellow, and the shower has such lousy water pressure it feels as though she’s being gently peed on.” If you like descriptions like that then this is the book for you, if you’re like me, it’s distracting.
Lots of triggers in this one as well, so many characters have horrible things happen to them for who they are, who they love or what they believe. I stuck with it because I wanted to know what happened to Abi but it’s not one of my favorite mysteries of the year.
Thanks to Netgalley for access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.
The mystery part was good, I certainly suspected everyone along the way. But what I didn’t love was the writing. The descriptions of things were too flowery and weird at times with passages like, “The whole house feels like a slab of old butter that has formed a rind around the edges,” or “Her breakfast tastes vaguely yellow, and the shower has such lousy water pressure it feels as though she’s being gently peed on.” If you like descriptions like that then this is the book for you, if you’re like me, it’s distracting.
Lots of triggers in this one as well, so many characters have horrible things happen to them for who they are, who they love or what they believe. I stuck with it because I wanted to know what happened to Abi but it’s not one of my favorite mysteries of the year.
Thanks to Netgalley for access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.
This book is haunting, compulsive, and very dark. It deserves every trigger warning and I don't know who I could recommend it to, but I'm glad I read it. I could not put it down.