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A review by cozylifewithabby
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book is a mystery/thriller with two stories being interwoven.
Story 1: There is a mystery writer and a beta reader. The beta reader seems to have his own idea of how one should write a murder mystery and gets overly attached.
Story 2: (The story the Beta Reader is reading) A writer meets two other writers and a psychology student when they all hear a woman scream at the Boston Public Library. They bond over this experience and become friends, but do they really know anything about each other.
Personally, I would have preferred not having the beta reader story. I think that it caused both stories to feel underdeveloped. I think the woman murdered in the library story with it's twists would have been interesting enough on its own and the beta reader story seems like an updated Misery and would have made a good short story.
The writing was strong though, the author kept me guessing, and I will definitely be reading more by Sulari Gentill.
Also, the narrator of the audiobook did a fantastic job.
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Story 1: There is a mystery writer and a beta reader. The beta reader seems to have his own idea of how one should write a murder mystery and gets overly attached.
Story 2: (The story the Beta Reader is reading) A writer meets two other writers and a psychology student when they all hear a woman scream at the Boston Public Library. They bond over this experience and become friends, but do they really know anything about each other.
Personally, I would have preferred not having the beta reader story. I think that it caused both stories to feel underdeveloped. I think the woman murdered in the library story with it's twists would have been interesting enough on its own and the beta reader story seems like an updated Misery and would have made a good short story.
The writing was strong though, the author kept me guessing, and I will definitely be reading more by Sulari Gentill.
Also, the narrator of the audiobook did a fantastic job.
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Murder, and Sexual assault