A review by booksbytheglass
The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell

adventurous dark mysterious sad 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

this one was such a bingeable and quick read!! although the ending was a bit disappointing and flat to me, I still had a great time zooming through this one! 

lisa jewell has such a capability of drawing the reader in from the first chapter and keeping them there throughout the twists and turns. her characterization in this one revolves around a group of teenagers in a communal park, and their mothers who are always ten steps behind - and boy was it captivating!!!

by starting out the first chapter with a big event, it allowed the reader to try and figure out what happened in the days leading up to it - however, the conclusion was a bit of a letdown for me. by allowing the reader to form their own conclusion about what really happened, it took away from the depth and justice of the entire book (which was kind of the point) …

for me, I’m a clean cut ending type of reader, so I hope that others will love how lisa jewell did this one! that being said, I felt there was no satisfaction or justice at the end - and gave me the feeling that the entire story was for nothing. 

I will continue to read lisa jewell’s books until the day I die, but this one falls on the short list for me! 🥴

rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: spanish albariño 

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