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dajenny's review against another edition
3.0
I'm torn on my review of this one. I did get drawn into the story, and stayed up late to finish it, even after a long week in which my sleep was interrupted by kids and sickness. Some of the twists truly took me by surprise, even with clues left throughout. When I first finished, I thought it was a solid 4 stars.
But now, after thinking about the story more - I'm not as sold. Without giving away spoilers: A number of the actions of some of the main characters, actions on which the plot hangs, seem out of character. The climactic scene (and the twist at the end) are rather ... improbable. Once some of the secrets are revealed, past actions/motivations don't make much sense. The two POVs sounded pretty similar to me.
There's a fair amount of profanity, casual sex, and drug use. The inciting incident is an alleged brutal assault, which is disturbing to read. And, while it may be completely justified given recent headlines, the author seems to have a pretty dim view of men.
All of which to say ... I'm not sure how to rate this one, or whether to recommend it.
Side note: I saw the 2017 solar eclipse. We were on the edge of the path, so only got about 20 seconds of totality. While it was an awe-inspiring experience, I don't understand the rapturous tones and words people - and the characters in this book - use to describe it.
But now, after thinking about the story more - I'm not as sold. Without giving away spoilers: A number of the actions of some of the main characters, actions on which the plot hangs, seem out of character. The climactic scene (and the twist at the end) are rather ... improbable. Once some of the secrets are revealed, past actions/motivations don't make much sense. The two POVs sounded pretty similar to me.
There's a fair amount of profanity, casual sex, and drug use. The inciting incident is an alleged brutal assault, which is disturbing to read. And, while it may be completely justified given recent headlines, the author seems to have a pretty dim view of men.
All of which to say ... I'm not sure how to rate this one, or whether to recommend it.
Side note: I saw the 2017 solar eclipse. We were on the edge of the path, so only got about 20 seconds of totality. While it was an awe-inspiring experience, I don't understand the rapturous tones and words people - and the characters in this book - use to describe it.
emma1423's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good thriller read and left me feeling quite pleased with the ending. I liked the chapter switch between the two main characters and the addition of an eclipse theme was interesting too.
kaleenazagrzebski's review against another edition
4.0
Kit has been chasing total eclipses since he was a kid. In the summer of 1999, he takes his girlfriend, Laura to see one together at a festival in Cornwall. What they see will change their lives forever. Laura knows what she saw, but the man denies it. When the victim shows up and befriends Laura and Kit, they begin to wonder who the crazy one really is.
Fifteen years later, they are living under pseudonyms and the past is starting to catch up with them…
I enjoyed this book. I liked the short(ish) chapters, back and forth between characters and back and forth between time periods. I felt like there were a lot of good parts, but it was almost too long for what the book covered. The book really started to hook me within the last few chapters which is why I gave it 3.5 stars instead of 3. Overall, I liked it, but didn’t quite love what I thought was a “slow-burn” novel.
Fifteen years later, they are living under pseudonyms and the past is starting to catch up with them…
I enjoyed this book. I liked the short(ish) chapters, back and forth between characters and back and forth between time periods. I felt like there were a lot of good parts, but it was almost too long for what the book covered. The book really started to hook me within the last few chapters which is why I gave it 3.5 stars instead of 3. Overall, I liked it, but didn’t quite love what I thought was a “slow-burn” novel.
themaritimereader14's review
3.0
This book wasn't *too* bad. Parts of it were definitely intriguing, but a thriller shouldn't take me over a month to finish. :P It wasn't even that it was boring or anything, just that I couldn't really figure out the point until the end. Once I got to about 60%, it picked up significantly and I finished it in a day or so. It was definitely unique and there were a few little twists (particularly near the end) that redeemed it a bit.
beytwice's review against another edition
4.0
A great, well-written thriller! Lots of twists and turns, sufficient to leave me guessing at what would happen next. It was admittedly a bit of a slow burn which I don’t mind at all, but only mention for others who may be more affected by the pacing than I was. I liked the characters (or disliked them intensely as was required of me) and the plot as a whole. The ending was a little weaker for me but nonetheless solid, leaving me with a great impression and desire to read more of Kelly’s work.
sucheck3's review
2.0
This book took me until the last 40 pages to get into it, it was too slow for my taste.
leng1305's review against another edition
3.0
Hard to get into. Not really into books that switch perspective and switch from past to future. Makes it hard to keep up. Also found all the characters unlikeable. Skimmed a few chapters. Found the vivd eclipse descriptions a tad tedious. Only kept reading for the mystery and suspense.
eloisefay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
nannyf's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the premise of this book and was excited to read it. Unfortunately I was just an okay read for me rather than what I had expected.
The story was quite a slow starter if I'm being honest. It was told in two different timelines, one in the present day and the other going over the years since Laura and Kit met. I found myself wanting to skim read a lot of their past life story so that I could get to the more exciting parts of the book. I made my own mind up about what the author was hinting was the issue from the past that they were dealing with. When it was finally revealed I was shocked at the extent of the lies which had been told.
The final part of the book, from the actual reveal, was the best part of the story in my opinion. I forgave the fact that the story had taken a while to get to that point, and found myself totally drawn in to the aftermath.
This was an okay read which picked up pace a little too late for me to give it a higher rating. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.
The story was quite a slow starter if I'm being honest. It was told in two different timelines, one in the present day and the other going over the years since Laura and Kit met. I found myself wanting to skim read a lot of their past life story so that I could get to the more exciting parts of the book. I made my own mind up about what the author was hinting was the issue from the past that they were dealing with. When it was finally revealed I was shocked at the extent of the lies which had been told.
The final part of the book, from the actual reveal, was the best part of the story in my opinion. I forgave the fact that the story had taken a while to get to that point, and found myself totally drawn in to the aftermath.
This was an okay read which picked up pace a little too late for me to give it a higher rating. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.
milkweedfreeze's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Too long, too slow. Decent premise.