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A review by paperbacksandsketchbooks
One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
This review will contain spoilers!
DNF @ 25%, I may pick this up after it's been published depending on post-release reviews.
This one started off boring and then got slightly better but it wasn't enough for me to care about anything that is happening.
I do appreciate the the author included backstory for Charley. However, it seemed to me that Charley was dwelling too much on the past and needed to get out of her own head. Also, I don't vibe with the whole stealing money from guests thing.
I have a theory about Bree even though I DNF'd this book. She was the most interesting character, but I just couldn't suffer through everything else to find out who she is.
I don't care for the writing style. It repeats events too much. A lot of telling instead of showing.
The jokes are way too corny for my taste. The creepy kid trope (Oliver) is not something I vibe with. Definitely don't like that he only speaks in rhymes. Charley seems way too trusting and naive. Rodrigo may be the only sane character. Olga the chef just conveniently quits, leaving the family plus Charley, Rodrigo, and Bree vulnerable to what's about to happen.
This is just not the book for me. I don't mind a stormy locked room type of psychologlical thriller, but the execution is not working. It's not exciting or holding my interest 25% in. Charley's backstory isn't enough to make me care about her. It just seems like any other character sob story we get in every other book. It was also lacking suspense. If it felt more suspenseful - like it was building up to something big happening - I may have felt more incentive to continue on.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.
DNF @ 25%, I may pick this up after it's been published depending on post-release reviews.
This one started off boring and then got slightly better but it wasn't enough for me to care about anything that is happening.
I do appreciate the the author included backstory for Charley. However, it seemed to me that Charley was dwelling too much on the past and needed to get out of her own head. Also, I don't vibe with the whole stealing money from guests thing.
I have a theory about Bree even though I DNF'd this book. She was the most interesting character, but I just couldn't suffer through everything else to find out who she is.
I don't care for the writing style. It repeats events too much. A lot of telling instead of showing.
The jokes are way too corny for my taste. The creepy kid trope (Oliver) is not something I vibe with. Definitely don't like that he only speaks in rhymes. Charley seems way too trusting and naive. Rodrigo may be the only sane character. Olga the chef just conveniently quits, leaving the family plus Charley, Rodrigo, and Bree vulnerable to what's about to happen.
This is just not the book for me. I don't mind a stormy locked room type of psychologlical thriller, but the execution is not working. It's not exciting or holding my interest 25% in. Charley's backstory isn't enough to make me care about her. It just seems like any other character sob story we get in every other book. It was also lacking suspense. If it felt more suspenseful - like it was building up to something big happening - I may have felt more incentive to continue on.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.