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A review by ppchili93
Closer Than You Think by Karen Rose
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
What is it with Karen Rose and MMCs with goatees? I need to Google "hot man with a goatee" so I'm not just picturing a weird random man at a gas station with a dirty baseball cap and ill-fitting jeans.
This book drew me in much quicker than Say You're Sorry and I enjoyed the misjudging aspect that is so much apart of the first 25% or so. Faith was a really admirable heroine and I like how Rose crafts the attraction and tension between her romantic leads. It was also interesting how she incorporated both Waardenburg's syndrome and an autoimmune disorder into her characters while emphasizing these characters' resilience, beauty, and strength.
The villain of this particular book was difficult to nail down. In part, this was because so much of the plot was a red herring and because the killer's motivations were never really clear. So much of the driving force behind her uncle's desire to kill was kept a secret until too late or previous statements and beliefs were completely contradicted/twisted to fit the new narrative. Everything ended up coming out in about 100 pages or less so the story wraps up really quickly when the rest of the plot was so drawn out and detailed. Also, he killed like 20 people in this book (which only covers like three days). At a certain point (maybe when he was shooting people left and right to steal their vehicle) it became very unrealistic, especially as we are supposed to believe he has been successfully and secretly operating as a serial killer for over two decades. We're supposed to believe that in the space of a single month this experienced killer fails to murder a single woman six times? And then proceeds to allow one of his captives to escape? I mean hooray for Justice but not very believable.
I liked Deacon and Faith together. Poor Faith had really been put through the wringer her entire life (her mother was murdered, her father was an alcoholic, her husband cheated on her and left her for a younger woman when she got pregnant, she was attacked by a sexual predator she wanted to put behind bars, the cops failed to protect her from a stalker, her boss was murdered in front of her, she was almost killed six times, like 20 people died because her uncle was trying to kill her, her family home and legacy were used to house a serial killer, etc., etc., etc.). Will she ever be okay??? In Karen Rose's world she will be because Deacon Novack will be there in his Matrix-esque leather coat and wraparound sunglasses to protect her.
This book drew me in much quicker than Say You're Sorry and I enjoyed the misjudging aspect that is so much apart of the first 25% or so. Faith was a really admirable heroine and I like how Rose crafts the attraction and tension between her romantic leads. It was also interesting how she incorporated both Waardenburg's syndrome and an autoimmune disorder into her characters while emphasizing these characters' resilience, beauty, and strength.
The villain of this particular book was difficult to nail down. In part, this was because so much of the plot was a red herring and because the killer's motivations were never really clear. So much of the driving force behind her uncle's desire to kill was kept a secret until too late or previous statements and beliefs were completely contradicted/twisted to fit the new narrative. Everything ended up coming out in about 100 pages or less so the story wraps up really quickly when the rest of the plot was so drawn out and detailed. Also, he killed like 20 people in this book (which only covers like three days). At a certain point (maybe when he was shooting people left and right to steal their vehicle) it became very unrealistic, especially as we are supposed to believe he has been successfully and secretly operating as a serial killer for over two decades. We're supposed to believe that in the space of a single month this experienced killer fails to murder a single woman six times? And then proceeds to allow one of his captives to escape? I mean hooray for Justice but not very believable.
I liked Deacon and Faith together. Poor Faith had really been put through the wringer her entire life (her mother was murdered, her father was an alcoholic, her husband cheated on her and left her for a younger woman when she got pregnant, she was attacked by a sexual predator she wanted to put behind bars, the cops failed to protect her from a stalker, her boss was murdered in front of her, she was almost killed six times, like 20 people died because her uncle was trying to kill her, her family home and legacy were used to house a serial killer, etc., etc., etc.). Will she ever be okay??? In Karen Rose's world she will be because Deacon Novack will be there in his Matrix-esque leather coat and wraparound sunglasses to protect her.