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A review by lovelymisanthrope
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received this book as a gift.
"Behind Closed Doors" follows Grace, and her seemingly perfect husband, Jack. Grace and Jack seem to have it all and they live a very luxurious lifestyle. Their friends are all envious of them and their perfect marriage. Jack is a high-profile lawyer who never loses a case, and Grace is the picturesque homemaker. Unfortunately, things are never as good as they seem on the outside, and Grace and Jack are far from the perfect couple.
This story took me awhile to get into. I knew from the beginning that something was off, and I was very weary of Jack as a character, but it took a long time to finally piece together what was really going on, and what Jack's true motivations were. While I enjoyed the thrill of not truly knowing what was going on, once I did know, I was no longer invested in the story. Jack's behavior and actions towards Grace seemed plausible enough, but his true motivation for what he wanted and why he wanted it felt a little too unhinged to be believable.
Jack is absolutely insane, and the fact that he was able to hide that fact from everyone in his life is kind of impressive. I feel like someone who exhibits these types of behaviors for that long would have slipped up somewhere and had someone asking questions.
I was slightly disappointed in Grace as a character. I felt like she was broken too easily, and with so much at stake, she could have continued to fight harder. I empathize that she was in a difficult situation, but I kept yelling "come on" through the pages.
Overall, this book did not feel 100% believable in any aspect. There were too many plot points that relied on characters accepting what they were told without question. A thriller does not need to be believable to be good, but for me it definitely helps to make it more thrilling.
Overall, this story was fine. I had an okay time reading it, and I probably will not think about it much in the future.
"Behind Closed Doors" follows Grace, and her seemingly perfect husband, Jack. Grace and Jack seem to have it all and they live a very luxurious lifestyle. Their friends are all envious of them and their perfect marriage. Jack is a high-profile lawyer who never loses a case, and Grace is the picturesque homemaker. Unfortunately, things are never as good as they seem on the outside, and Grace and Jack are far from the perfect couple.
This story took me awhile to get into. I knew from the beginning that something was off, and I was very weary of Jack as a character, but it took a long time to finally piece together what was really going on, and what Jack's true motivations were. While I enjoyed the thrill of not truly knowing what was going on, once I did know, I was no longer invested in the story. Jack's behavior and actions towards Grace seemed plausible enough, but his true motivation for what he wanted and why he wanted it felt a little too unhinged to be believable.
Jack is absolutely insane, and the fact that he was able to hide that fact from everyone in his life is kind of impressive. I feel like someone who exhibits these types of behaviors for that long would have slipped up somewhere and had someone asking questions.
I was slightly disappointed in Grace as a character. I felt like she was broken too easily, and with so much at stake, she could have continued to fight harder. I empathize that she was in a difficult situation, but I kept yelling "come on" through the pages.
Overall, this book did not feel 100% believable in any aspect. There were too many plot points that relied on characters accepting what they were told without question. A thriller does not need to be believable to be good, but for me it definitely helps to make it more thrilling.
Overall, this story was fine. I had an okay time reading it, and I probably will not think about it much in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Grief, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty