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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
"All love stories are crime stories and all crime stories, love. If you say that's not true, you're not looking properly. Perhaps when two people join, it's inevitable, the things they'll damage in each other." ~Angela to Novak*
Angela is being held for interrogation at the police station. Detective Novak wants only thing from her--to know where Saskia is. But Angela cannot comply; instead, she tells Detective Novak a story, one starting with her senior year, when she fell in love with a boy named HP. As she tells her tale, it becomes clear it is one of love, sadness, betrayal, and anger. Does Angela know where Saskia is? And can we trust her?
This was a really fascinating and different book, and it was so refreshing to read something that felt original and unlike so many of the suspense novels I've read lately. I will say upfront: Nay is an excellent storyteller, and I found this novel to be wonderfully written. Parts of this story actually hurt me to read, because it was so vividly told. I could so clearly picture the events unfolding and visualize this tale of teen love gone wrong.
I loved the idea that our entire book is Angela, trapped at the police station, telling the story of the last several years of her life to Detective Novak. It seems unconventional, and it is, but it worked well for me. It took the unreliable narrator trope to a different level, and it was so much better than the drunken, rambling, angry unreliable narrator that we see so often. Angela tells her tale of woe and bitterness to the Detective, with only minor interruptions as he provides some pieces of new evidence that occasionally cast doubt upon her viewpoints. As such, we are left to guess how truthful she is being with all of us. Every statement she makes is charged with double meaning. I found the entire thing to be incredibly compelling and oddly fascinating. I was completely hooked, madly flipping the pages to find out what happened next. Even more, I was amazed at how Nay created sympathy toward a character who wasn't all that likeable at times. I was rooting for her, even when I knew I probably shouldn't.
I felt this faltered only a little near the end, where I wasn't quite sure I was on board with everything, but it certainly wasn't enough to diminish my love of the novel. And the actual ending is excellent and basically redeemed it all. Overall, this was an excellent, well-written, suspenseful novel. Angela is a dynamic and complicated character who immediately draws you in with her narration. I was constantly second-guessing her as I read and found the entire novel to be incredibly powerful and satisfying. Apparently this is Nay's first book, which is even more impressive. Can't wait for the next one. Definitely worth a read! 4+ stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
*all quotes from an advanced reader copy and subject to change
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Angela is being held for interrogation at the police station. Detective Novak wants only thing from her--to know where Saskia is. But Angela cannot comply; instead, she tells Detective Novak a story, one starting with her senior year, when she fell in love with a boy named HP. As she tells her tale, it becomes clear it is one of love, sadness, betrayal, and anger. Does Angela know where Saskia is? And can we trust her?
This was a really fascinating and different book, and it was so refreshing to read something that felt original and unlike so many of the suspense novels I've read lately. I will say upfront: Nay is an excellent storyteller, and I found this novel to be wonderfully written. Parts of this story actually hurt me to read, because it was so vividly told. I could so clearly picture the events unfolding and visualize this tale of teen love gone wrong.
I loved the idea that our entire book is Angela, trapped at the police station, telling the story of the last several years of her life to Detective Novak. It seems unconventional, and it is, but it worked well for me. It took the unreliable narrator trope to a different level, and it was so much better than the drunken, rambling, angry unreliable narrator that we see so often. Angela tells her tale of woe and bitterness to the Detective, with only minor interruptions as he provides some pieces of new evidence that occasionally cast doubt upon her viewpoints. As such, we are left to guess how truthful she is being with all of us. Every statement she makes is charged with double meaning. I found the entire thing to be incredibly compelling and oddly fascinating. I was completely hooked, madly flipping the pages to find out what happened next. Even more, I was amazed at how Nay created sympathy toward a character who wasn't all that likeable at times. I was rooting for her, even when I knew I probably shouldn't.
I felt this faltered only a little near the end, where I wasn't quite sure I was on board with everything, but it certainly wasn't enough to diminish my love of the novel. And the actual ending is excellent and basically redeemed it all. Overall, this was an excellent, well-written, suspenseful novel. Angela is a dynamic and complicated character who immediately draws you in with her narration. I was constantly second-guessing her as I read and found the entire novel to be incredibly powerful and satisfying. Apparently this is Nay's first book, which is even more impressive. Can't wait for the next one. Definitely worth a read! 4+ stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
*all quotes from an advanced reader copy and subject to change
3.5/5
Clever, dark, and well plotted. This is one of those books where the ending is going to be loved by some and hated by others. Better than average psychological suspense drama. This is somewhere between and 3- and 4-star rating for me, but I'm really torn on whether it should be rounded up from 3 or down from 4.
Clever, dark, and well plotted. This is one of those books where the ending is going to be loved by some and hated by others. Better than average psychological suspense drama. This is somewhere between and 3- and 4-star rating for me, but I'm really torn on whether it should be rounded up from 3 or down from 4.
I was so happy to receive this ARC in the mail and I couldn’t wait to get started. Wow, what a great debut book. I finished this book in less than 24 hours because I did not want to put it down. I really enjoyed the style and setting of the story. The twists were tame in my opinion, but the story was so wonderfully written that it doesn’t matter. The character development was great and I was left not knowing how to feel about the characters and I like that. This book is worth the read. Great debut novel. Definitely in my top 3 favorite psychological thrillers I’ve ever read.
This thriller opens with a woman in a police station being questioned about a missing woman in her town. The book unfolds with her telling the detective the story of how she knows this woman. It is creepy, twisted, and dark.
I was rapt the entire time, trying to figure out what was happening and how her story could be connected to that of the missing woman. Very interesting plot involving love triangles and past history. It kept me guessing until the very end.
I was rapt the entire time, trying to figure out what was happening and how her story could be connected to that of the missing woman. Very interesting plot involving love triangles and past history. It kept me guessing until the very end.
There are a lot of positive reviews on GoodReads; almost everyone has given this book a 4 or 5 star rating. After reading this novel, I'm confused: did I read a completely different book from everyone else? After seeing the positive reviews, I even read this book again and I still didn't get it. Anyways, here are my thoughts on this book:
Angela's character and personality really did not work for me. I understand that not all characters are likeable; I've read many Gillian Flynn novels and hated the characters but loved the books so I don't really consider likeability to be an issue. The problem was that I really didn't understand or connect with Angela. The novel was told completely from her perspective but I had a hard time making sense of her voice and personality; for some reason, it just didn't seem believable and I couldn't accept it. Angela is a very entitled character and it bugged me so much. Just like the Detective, I had no patience or sympathy for her because she literally has everything but still is dissatisfied. I'm sure that was the author's intent but it just made me hate Angela so much.
The story itself was quite interesting and I quickly became engrossed in watching how the relationships unfolded. However, I found there were loads of things that made me roll my eyes. I'm not going to say any of them because I don't want to ruin the story but there were things that were so far-fetched; they made no sense but were there for the sole purpose of making the facts all work out.
The ending was supposed to be a twist. There was no twist. I'm pretty sure that I had predicted things before the halfway point of the novel. When I am being told that I am reading a psychological thriller, I expect it to really change my perspective and be completely unexpected. That didn't happen here so I was quite disappointed.
Overall, this thriller did not work for me. The main character was not likeable or easy to connect with, the plot had elements to it that didn't really make sense, and the ending was a disappointment. Obviously, many people thought otherwise so maybe I'm just that one person for whom this novel didn't work so if you like thrillers, consider giving it a shot!
I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews, visit: www.veereading.wordpress.com
Angela's character and personality really did not work for me. I understand that not all characters are likeable; I've read many Gillian Flynn novels and hated the characters but loved the books so I don't really consider likeability to be an issue. The problem was that I really didn't understand or connect with Angela. The novel was told completely from her perspective but I had a hard time making sense of her voice and personality; for some reason, it just didn't seem believable and I couldn't accept it. Angela is a very entitled character and it bugged me so much. Just like the Detective, I had no patience or sympathy for her because she literally has everything but still is dissatisfied. I'm sure that was the author's intent but it just made me hate Angela so much.
The story itself was quite interesting and I quickly became engrossed in watching how the relationships unfolded. However, I found there were loads of things that made me roll my eyes. I'm not going to say any of them because I don't want to ruin the story but there were things that were so far-fetched; they made no sense but were there for the sole purpose of making the facts all work out.
The ending was supposed to be a twist. There was no twist. I'm pretty sure that I had predicted things before the halfway point of the novel. When I am being told that I am reading a psychological thriller, I expect it to really change my perspective and be completely unexpected. That didn't happen here so I was quite disappointed.
Overall, this thriller did not work for me. The main character was not likeable or easy to connect with, the plot had elements to it that didn't really make sense, and the ending was a disappointment. Obviously, many people thought otherwise so maybe I'm just that one person for whom this novel didn't work so if you like thrillers, consider giving it a shot!
I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews, visit: www.veereading.wordpress.com
What a clever novel!
Out Little Secret was a book I gobbled up in a few sittings. Life got in the way, but this is definitely a one sitting type of book! It's a slow-burn but it is definitely worth the wait.
I can honestly say I was surprised as to where this novel was going. It kept me on the edge of my seat, all the way through. One thing I loved about Our Little Secret is the narrative style. It was so clever and unique. Angela's narration in the interrogation room was spectacular. I haven't read anything like it before.
The little secret keeps the story fueled and it compelled me to keep reading. It's about a tangled love triangle, secrets, and every word keeps you engaged in the story.
I can't even tell you how brilliant this book is. You will just have to read it and find out. Our Litte Secret toys with your perception of the truth and just how well lies can be hidden.
Out Little Secret was a book I gobbled up in a few sittings. Life got in the way, but this is definitely a one sitting type of book! It's a slow-burn but it is definitely worth the wait.
I can honestly say I was surprised as to where this novel was going. It kept me on the edge of my seat, all the way through. One thing I loved about Our Little Secret is the narrative style. It was so clever and unique. Angela's narration in the interrogation room was spectacular. I haven't read anything like it before.
The little secret keeps the story fueled and it compelled me to keep reading. It's about a tangled love triangle, secrets, and every word keeps you engaged in the story.
I can't even tell you how brilliant this book is. You will just have to read it and find out. Our Litte Secret toys with your perception of the truth and just how well lies can be hidden.
This story of a missing woman, told from an interrogation room of a police station, does not disappoint. This story is like that old cliche... you know, can't look away from the train crash. The main character is a little bit crazy. I never found her to be likable, but she held my attention all the same. You know, now that I think about it, I don't think I actually found ANY of the characters to be likable or sympathetic. Somehow that really works for this book.
My only complaint is that I was expecting it it be a bit more action packed, particularly at the end. I had formed a pretty good idea of how the book was going to end, and was not at all disappointed when I was completely wrong.
My only complaint is that I was expecting it it be a bit more action packed, particularly at the end. I had formed a pretty good idea of how the book was going to end, and was not at all disappointed when I was completely wrong.
Compelling, and really hard to put down. Letting go is really hard to do, especially of a first, perfect love.
A really great thriller! I was rooting for the main character and was so invested in her story although I was expecting something a little more regarding the ending.
