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savvyrosereads 's review for:

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier
3.5
dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Paris Peralta wakes up covered in blood next to her husband’s dead body, but her arrest threatens to reveal the secrets she has spent years trying to hide.

I read this as part of Love Struck Thrills Book Club and found it to be enjoyable overall. It wasn’t particularly “thrilling” (shoutout to Britni (@bitty_gets_litty on Insta) for characterizing it as a “crime drama” which I think is the best descriptor) but I was generally entertained for the entire book and that does go a long way. The characters were well-written and I thought the writing style was pretty engaging—I’ll definitely be checking out other Hillier novels.

That said, the plot was ultimately pretty predictable and I felt a bit “meh” about this one as a whole—I didn’t actively dislike it, but I wouldn’t quite say I actively liked it, either. Still, if you want a quick (and pretty dark) mystery read, this is probably worth a shot!

Recommended if you like: nonlinear stories with lots of flashbacks; slow burn mysteries; detailed character portraits

CW: Child abuse, including sexual abuse; murder/blood/gore; some discussion of depression/suicide/substance abuse; fire/fire injury.

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