A review by lisacanteven
Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book starts out very innocent and slow. The first 75 pages are back story, although I am not sure all of it was necessary. There were chapters at the beginning that I thought could have totally been omitted, but I'm sure they were there to meet a page quota.  I knew from Peter Swanson's past books that he tends to pack a big punch after a pretty slow build-up. However, it felt like a lot of his "build-up" was uncalled for. Not unenjoyable - but just not necessary. 

Once the story kicked off, things moved pretty quickly. Most of the twists and turns were totally unexpected. The last 75 pages were the exact opposite of the first 75. I could not put the book down, and my heart was racing the whole time. I haven't had a book do that to me in a long time. Surprisingly this was my first thriller of 2021 (yes, it's the end of March), and I was not disappointed in it. I won't be rushing out to read Swanson's other books, but I would like to read more by him eventually.

There was some talk about rape for a consensual sexual act. I felt like the mislabel of rape could be a triggering for some.


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