A review by bobinsbooknook
The Guilty Couple by C.L. Taylor

mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

 
This was an incredibly frustrating read and I should have DNF’d it rather than forcing through it.

 I was really looking forward to this read as it had been on my TBR for a while and was so disappointing. Apart from the pacing of the book which was steady throughout there really isn't much I can praise in this book. 

The 3 main characters which provide the main POVs felt so one note and bored me. None of the characters were enjoyable for so many reasons - a big one being that both the FMC and MMC were both cheaters, though it was never explained why they moved to cheating in the first place. 

The MFC is also seems incredible naive despite spending 5 years in prison as she proceeds to tell almost any friend willing to listen about the various petty crimes she is committing while on parole!

The plot line and writing just relied so heavily on this sense of coincidence beyond the point of belief! One or two coincidences I could understand but with so many the book felt unbelievable and just an overall lazy plot. Not to mention just the lack of sense in some of the decisions made by the characters. 

Overall, I found this book to be too predictable and unrealistic to enjoy ...would not recommend. 

These are just some of the MANY issues I had with the plot:

  • Dom has filed a restraining order against his Ex wife, knows she has been released from prison and has changed the lock to the front door...but somehow keep the security alarm code exactly the same as before?

  • Olivia just so happens to get employed as a cleaner - and it just so happens this cleaning business also cleans the office in which her Ex-husband works in? Even if you could get over that ... There is no way realistically they would allow her to work there (even if covering a shift last minute) considering she was charged with conspiring to commit the murder of said Ex-husband AND he has a restraining order!

  • How are we as readers suppose to believe that a woman who was out of breath running from a house after a break in - can run down 5 floors of stairs, run into someone’s office, search for a safe and then run back up 5 floors in less than 5 minutes. 

  • The plan the MFC outlines to get into the safe was awful - to bluff that she has gotten into the safe so that the ex-husband will come to the safe to check it and then try and get him to leave in such a rush that he keeps it unlocked. If that wasn't ridiculous enough - it actually worked even though it makes no logical sense that someone would not close the safe door before leaving a building even in a fire drill if you knew what it contained could send you to prison for murder!

  • This book is meant to be set in the UK and is written by a british author, and yet a key part of this book is that one FC needs £30k to pay for rehab for her sister? I had to look into it myself and with free NHS services and even private residentials that just seemed like a nonsense number. Especially when you also factor in that the drug addict in question had committed theft crimes and her sister is a police officer...you'd have thought just arresting her sister would of been on her mind to help keep her away from drugs?

  • When providing a question to verify an ex-lovers call who hasn’t spoken to you in 5 years with a question that some of your other friends would know the answer to. That entirely negates the point!

  • Nancy leaving the crowbar in the locked unit after smacking Liv around the head with it - and then Liv magically finding a hole in the roof she can prise open with the crowbar that seemed to appear out of no where. If that wasn't lucky enough, within minutes of breaking out she happens upon a stranger immediately. 

  • With only 20 minutes till check in closes and Olivia is turned away from security in a busy Heathrow airport - she just happens to then bump into her daughter and ex/husband - I mean what are the realistic chance of bumping into people you're looking for in a busy Heathrow airport - especially when one of those individuals are trying very hard not to get caught out or raise suspicions.