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A review by okiecozyreader
His & Hers by Alice Feeney
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a nominee for the Gloss bookclub last summer and I bought it on kindle then and wanted to read it and the selection that won. However, we were traveling and I ran out of time. I was so glad that this year it won (in the category of “almost winners”) this year, so I would finally get around to reading it.
Wow. I ended up reading the paperback, but lots of people mention the audiobook, so I just sampled it, and it is amazing, when the narrator starts out (very clever using a voice you learn about later in the book).
Anna Andrews is a tv reporter who finally gets her big break, then doesn’t. Her ex-husband is an investigator, and their paths cross, of course creating all kinds of conflict and love / hate relationship moments. Back and forth the story goes (his and hers) with the added voice of the killer in italics. Anna’s high school experience was the mean girls on steroids (or something else), and I have to say, when I learned how mean they really were, it was shocking. When a series of deaths rocks this Blackdown neighborhood, all paths collide.
Besides a twisty plot, that I never figured out (I thought I had a couple ideas but both were wrong), this one keeps you guessing. But looking back there were some good hints, and some lines I wondered about. Speaking of lines, one reviewer mentioned them as pithy, and I agree. I could have marked so many more pages than I did. For a thriller, this is probably my favorite collection of quotes.
Another reviewer listed this book as “traumetizing,” and I felt that way at the end, for sure. Lots of triggers as well: sexual assault, violent rape, domestic violence, loss of an infant, and the mean girl situation is extreme.
Quotes:
She had a reputation for looking good but being bad; beautiful people so tend to get away with far more than the rest of us. P30
Some people build invisible walls around themselves in the name of self-preservation. Hers were always tall, solid and impenetrable. P52
What I lack in forgiveness I make up for in patience. And I pay attention to the little things, because they are often the biggest clues to who a person really is. P113
Some people use a filter on life as well as photos, which allows them to only see what they want to. P143
Memories are shapeshifters. Some bend, some twist, and some shrivel and die over time. But our worst ones never leave us. P68
In my experience, there are two kinds of women: those who spend a lifetime trying not to turn into their mothers, and those who literally seem to want nothing more.” P79
Sometimes we hold on too tight to the wrong people, until it hurts so much we have to let go. P 92
I didn’t know who I was when I was younger, or if I did, I pretended not to. People often see what they want, rather than what is really there. P166
The stories we tell ourselves are the most dangerous… we are a species of liars and sometimes we deliberately connect the dots in the wrong order, and pretend to make sense of what we see. We stretch the stories of our lives to fit our own desired narratives, presenting a prettier picture of those around us. P283
Wow. I ended up reading the paperback, but lots of people mention the audiobook, so I just sampled it, and it is amazing, when the narrator starts out (very clever using a voice you learn about later in the book).
Anna Andrews is a tv reporter who finally gets her big break, then doesn’t. Her ex-husband is an investigator, and their paths cross, of course creating all kinds of conflict and love / hate relationship moments. Back and forth the story goes (his and hers) with the added voice of the killer in italics. Anna’s high school experience was the mean girls on steroids (or something else), and I have to say, when I learned how mean they really were, it was shocking. When a series of deaths rocks this Blackdown neighborhood, all paths collide.
Besides a twisty plot, that I never figured out (I thought I had a couple ideas but both were wrong), this one keeps you guessing. But looking back there were some good hints, and some lines I wondered about. Speaking of lines, one reviewer mentioned them as pithy, and I agree. I could have marked so many more pages than I did. For a thriller, this is probably my favorite collection of quotes.
Another reviewer listed this book as “traumetizing,” and I felt that way at the end, for sure. Lots of triggers as well: sexual assault, violent rape, domestic violence, loss of an infant, and the mean girl situation is extreme.
Quotes:
She had a reputation for looking good but being bad; beautiful people so tend to get away with far more than the rest of us. P30
Some people build invisible walls around themselves in the name of self-preservation. Hers were always tall, solid and impenetrable. P52
What I lack in forgiveness I make up for in patience. And I pay attention to the little things, because they are often the biggest clues to who a person really is. P113
Some people use a filter on life as well as photos, which allows them to only see what they want to. P143
Memories are shapeshifters. Some bend, some twist, and some shrivel and die over time. But our worst ones never leave us. P68
In my experience, there are two kinds of women: those who spend a lifetime trying not to turn into their mothers, and those who literally seem to want nothing more.” P79
Sometimes we hold on too tight to the wrong people, until it hurts so much we have to let go. P 92
I didn’t know who I was when I was younger, or if I did, I pretended not to. People often see what they want, rather than what is really there. P166
The stories we tell ourselves are the most dangerous… we are a species of liars and sometimes we deliberately connect the dots in the wrong order, and pretend to make sense of what we see. We stretch the stories of our lives to fit our own desired narratives, presenting a prettier picture of those around us. P283
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Child death, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Murder, Rape, and Drug abuse