A review by vmontori
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

The concept of the book itself was interesting, the book being written by Hannah versus the emails written to Hannah, but the latter actually made the book rather weak. I know the emails were heavily worded so that the reader could infer what Hannah was saying in response to Leo, but I would have preferred to see Hannah’s correspondence alongside Leo’s. Leo was so annoying in the beginning with his excessive detailing of everything that I as the reader didn’t care about. And as communication with Hannah progressed he was just so transparent in his murderous inclinations that rolled my eyes. I think Leo’s last message was actually perfect because I couldn’t help but laugh at how oblivious he was.

In regards to Freddie’s side of things, I didn’t find any of the characters really likable, which made it hard to become invested in any of them. I hate when a group meets and is established as close, with the excuse that was just meant to be. Freddie herself was kind of boring and her romance was empty and shadowed her common sense. Cain’s personality was so blank in spite of his crazy past. Marigold was a stalker and never really got criticized for it. Whit, while being so integral to the plot, was also absent for a majority of the book.

Overall, the best part of the book was how fast it was to read.
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