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A review by lediamond4
Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was excellent. The plot grabbed me right away. I’ve read a lot of thrillers but nothing anything like this one. Jen is a mother who witnesses her teenage son brutally murder someone and is left helpless and frightened by her inability to do anything for him. Or is she? Jen wakes up to find that it’s the day before her son commits murder. Then she wakes up the day before the day before. And so on and so forth. Each day Jen wakes up with more time in between her and her son’s horrific crime. Each day she struggles to piece together the reason why and how her son could do such a thing. Each day she gains an answer but also more than questions.
Jen is a good protagonist. She’s realistic, likable, flawed, and familiar. She’s someone you might know in real life. Her. . . unique predicament makes her story utterly captivating. She doesn’t let her bewilderment and frustration stop her from trying to figure out why she’s stuck moving backwards in time. I loved how she explained her problem to other people. She was smart, never panicked, and so completely rational that they had to (at least somewhat) believe her. And that made me love this book all the more. It avoided falling into the age old, tired trope of “Woman in Upsetting Situation Also Getting Gaslit by Everyone Around Her Simply Because She’s “Hysterical” and No One Will Believe Her.” You know the type. No, Gillian McAllister allows the impossible to be possible and she lets her characters believe that it could be possible.
The time stuff isn’t fully explained but it doesn’t have to be. It’s a truly thrilling, compelling read. It goes on for maybe just a bit too long and the ending may also be a little rushed after all the build up, but overall I loved this. I loved how the pieces slowly but surely came together. I enjoyed this so much.
Jen is a good protagonist. She’s realistic, likable, flawed, and familiar. She’s someone you might know in real life. Her. . . unique predicament makes her story utterly captivating. She doesn’t let her bewilderment and frustration stop her from trying to figure out why she’s stuck moving backwards in time. I loved how she explained her problem to other people. She was smart, never panicked, and so completely rational that they had to (at least somewhat) believe her. And that made me love this book all the more. It avoided falling into the age old, tired trope of “Woman in Upsetting Situation Also Getting Gaslit by Everyone Around Her Simply Because She’s “Hysterical” and No One Will Believe Her.” You know the type. No, Gillian McAllister allows the impossible to be possible and she lets her characters believe that it could be possible.
The time stuff isn’t fully explained but it doesn’t have to be. It’s a truly thrilling, compelling read. It goes on for maybe just a bit too long and the ending may also be a little rushed after all the build up, but overall I loved this. I loved how the pieces slowly but surely came together. I enjoyed this so much.