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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
I gave this book 3 stars because I feel like a lot of it was drawn out to make it longer. Some of the main characters just disappeared throughout the book. Angela or LJ wasn't very likable. Her Mother was mean, critical, and very controlling. Her parent's relationship really bothered me, it was like they weren't even married, just roommates that fought. The ending was again drawn out, but a good twist I honestly didn't see coming.
Love her writing style and will definitely be reading more of her work. This was a solid debut but it left me wanting more
The story pulled me in. The device for the story is Angela being interviewed by the police as being involved in another woman Saskia’s disappearance.
Angela recounts her story, starting with how she moved to The Cove and met HP. It takes off from there at a good pace, and Angela is an excellent narrator, so much so that I enjoyed the story without feeling compelled to get to the disappearance.
Another advantage of the story is that there aren’t that many characters.
Angela recounts her story, starting with how she moved to The Cove and met HP. It takes off from there at a good pace, and Angela is an excellent narrator, so much so that I enjoyed the story without feeling compelled to get to the disappearance.
Another advantage of the story is that there aren’t that many characters.
Our Little Secret by Roz Nay was not a hard book to completely become absorbed in. The narrative style, the content, the pace and the general menacing tone had me completely captivated from the first pages. I loved this novel. And, at 228 pages, it made the perfect binge read!
The novel opens with a woman, Angela, sitting in an interrogation room. She is the suspect in a disappearance. Her ex-boyfriend’s wife has gone missing and all signs point to Angela. As Angela is interrogated she begins to weave a story of a distorted love triangle and a tangled web of betrayals.
I found this one to be a nice breather from the typical flash forward/flashback type of narration that is so common in psychological thrillers lately. We do move back and forth through time in Angela’s story telling but this character is so manipulative, calculating and so intent on wasting the police time, it does not come off as overdone. Instead, Nay brilliantly captures an unreliable narrator as she plays her game of cat and mouse; she gives a little, takes a little and leaves the reader wanting more. The character development of Angela was my favourite part of the plot; the juxtaposition of scorned lover meets insecure woman made me unsure of who or what to believe. This one kept me guessing until the end.
In terms of psychological thrillers, this is one of the best that I have read lately. If you like psychological thrillers, this is a must read. 5/5 sta
The novel opens with a woman, Angela, sitting in an interrogation room. She is the suspect in a disappearance. Her ex-boyfriend’s wife has gone missing and all signs point to Angela. As Angela is interrogated she begins to weave a story of a distorted love triangle and a tangled web of betrayals.
I found this one to be a nice breather from the typical flash forward/flashback type of narration that is so common in psychological thrillers lately. We do move back and forth through time in Angela’s story telling but this character is so manipulative, calculating and so intent on wasting the police time, it does not come off as overdone. Instead, Nay brilliantly captures an unreliable narrator as she plays her game of cat and mouse; she gives a little, takes a little and leaves the reader wanting more. The character development of Angela was my favourite part of the plot; the juxtaposition of scorned lover meets insecure woman made me unsure of who or what to believe. This one kept me guessing until the end.
In terms of psychological thrillers, this is one of the best that I have read lately. If you like psychological thrillers, this is a must read. 5/5 sta
This did not grab me at all - I didn't find the characters interesting, nor the story or writing style. Disappointing, as the blurb sounded really interesting.
3,5
Oh, such a great debut for Roz Nay.
Unreliable narrators are dime a dozen, especially in thriller novels nowadays, and the way Nay set up this story reminded me a bit of [b:Dolores Claiborne|7278752|Dolores Claiborne|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1275665144s/7278752.jpg|6560478]- a woman is accused of crime and she is basically telling the story to a police officer. It's a good narrative device and one you can attach on lot of personality and quirks to make a character really come alive. It was exactly what made this novel so immersive.
One theme going through the book is sweet wonder of first love. And Nay did an excellent job describing it (it was like I was reading one of those ya/na romance novels where a girl meets a boy on a summer vacation- she nailed the voice and the atmosphere).
Mostly, Nay used the narrative device in a good way- One of the first things I noticed was how Angela PetitJean told that first part of the story to detective Novak, about how she met and fell in love with HP, her soul mate, compared to the rest of it. She was very detailed and almost lyrical in her retelling, and she lingered on those scenes, giving Novak everything, from description to her emotional state and background. In contrast, the rest of it, how HP got together with Saskia, their wedding, their child was delivered in such a monotone, emotionless way, like telling the facts and she rushed through those whereas she took her sweet time telling the story before Saskia. It was actually a noticeable clue that Angela is still living in that period of her life when she and HP were young and in love.
But, and while I'm comparing it to Dolores Claiborne, author's inexperience was obvious because she didn't completely master the skill of manipulating the reader using this narrative device in order to deliver the suspense and the twist and all the answers at the end. In fact, she rather gave away some of them.
-first, there were minor plot holes. And I was really annoyed with one of them because it clued me in what was actually going on. Having in mind the nature of the crime she was accused of, I wondered why didn't Freddy, with all his money and connections, who was so generous to her, provide her a lawyer immediately? And once I started asking myself why... it led me to possible answer.
-Also, I think it was a bit telling how every female character in her story was painted with a negative brush. Every one of them. So, when you notice that, you start to wonder where the problem really lies and turn the lens back at her... In fact, and I actually laughed at myself because of this: I am so used to unpredictable twists and turns in psychological thrillers I actually had this weird idea that the culprit is :P Glad she didn't went there.
- in additional content of the book I read this was originally short story author expanded into novel. This may explain why it seemed so uneven in parts.
I'll keep an eye on Roz Nay, I expect she will only improve with every new book under her belt.
Oh, such a great debut for Roz Nay.
Unreliable narrators are dime a dozen, especially in thriller novels nowadays, and the way Nay set up this story reminded me a bit of [b:Dolores Claiborne|7278752|Dolores Claiborne|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1275665144s/7278752.jpg|6560478]- a woman is accused of crime and she is basically telling the story to a police officer. It's a good narrative device and one you can attach on lot of personality and quirks to make a character really come alive. It was exactly what made this novel so immersive.
One theme going through the book is sweet wonder of first love. And Nay did an excellent job describing it (it was like I was reading one of those ya/na romance novels where a girl meets a boy on a summer vacation- she nailed the voice and the atmosphere).
Mostly, Nay used the narrative device in a good way- One of the first things I noticed was how Angela PetitJean told that first part of the story to detective Novak, about how she met and fell in love with HP, her soul mate, compared to the rest of it. She was very detailed and almost lyrical in her retelling, and she lingered on those scenes, giving Novak everything, from description to her emotional state and background. In contrast, the rest of it, how HP got together with Saskia, their wedding, their child was delivered in such a monotone, emotionless way, like telling the facts and she rushed through those whereas she took her sweet time telling the story before Saskia. It was actually a noticeable clue that Angela is still living in that period of her life when she and HP were young and in love.
But, and while I'm comparing it to Dolores Claiborne, author's inexperience was obvious because she didn't completely master the skill of manipulating the reader using this narrative device in order to deliver the suspense and the twist and all the answers at the end. In fact, she rather gave away some of them.
-first, there were minor plot holes. And I was really annoyed with one of them because it clued me in what was actually going on. Having in mind the nature of the crime she was accused of, I wondered why didn't Freddy, with all his money and connections, who was so generous to her, provide her a lawyer immediately? And once I started asking myself why... it led me to possible answer.
-Also, I think it was a bit telling how every female character in her story was painted with a negative brush. Every one of them. So, when you notice that, you start to wonder where the problem really lies and turn the lens back at her...
Spoiler
you are kind of getting Saskia is not really a witch Angela is making her to be.Spoiler
Lacey only because author mentioned she was sticking around and moping after HP after some party. I mean, it would really make that ominous "... first love won't forget you" blurb line clever, no?- in additional content of the book I read this was originally short story author expanded into novel. This may explain why it seemed so uneven in parts.
Spoiler
For example, the explanation and the whole thing of how and why HP and Angela broke up and how Saskia ended up in his life was rather messy. And I don't mean in a way Angela is telling it, it just seems rather bizarre turn of events. I really think it would seem more organic is she just went home and Saskia was already there, spending a lot of time with HP. Let the time and the distance do their damage to fragile feelings of young people.I'll keep an eye on Roz Nay, I expect she will only improve with every new book under her belt.
What a well written horribly not nice story.
Well written, couldn't put it down. Opened it one night, then got distracted on the first page. Next time I picked up the book I couldn't stop until the end.
If you like thriller slash mystery novels, you'll like this.
I think I'm just in a place where I don't need more evil in my world.
That said, 4 1/2 stars. Ha.
Well written, couldn't put it down. Opened it one night, then got distracted on the first page. Next time I picked up the book I couldn't stop until the end.
If you like thriller slash mystery novels, you'll like this.
I think I'm just in a place where I don't need more evil in my world.
That said, 4 1/2 stars. Ha.
The plot was kind of boring and drawn out, while the ending was predictable. I found the characters unlikable, and not in a quirky or charming way.