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dig_the_plot's Reviews (98)
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was everything I was looking for in a thriller. Up until now this author has been a solid 3 star read for me. She tells this story from several points of view. Kira is looking for her daughter Brooke whose gone missing. Aden’s dad has gone missing and he must return to Rock Harbor to help find him. Grace is running a small inn and tries her best to stay to herself. The synopsis of this book only talks about Grace as the main focus but I never felt that way. To me Kira was the dominant and stronger character and you’re going to love her! She is everything and more in a mother looking for her daughter. She is tough and goes full force not letting anyone stand in her way of finding her daughter including her husband Matt. I really felt like this book has a little bit of everything - mystery, suspense, murder and plenty of twists. I read several reviews that said it was predictable but I didn’t feel that way. There were several people who could have been responsible and the author did a good job of keeping you guessing.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is way way way out of my norm. I seen this in the Library and picked it up because I had seen it everywhere on Instagram and it was a Good Morning America Book Club pick. It was pretty good. It was told from alternating POV’s and was easy to keep up with. I can’t say I related to the characters because I’m not rich and I don’t have an inheritance. That said I did care about the characters and enjoyed reading about their life. I can’t say I understand what the point is the book really was.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Meh. It’s not that great but it’s not the worst either. It’s a very quick and easy read. Easily can be finished in one sitting. I didn’t love the way she switched between POV’s at all. It switched within the same chapter and could easily be confused. There is no character development and I’m guessing there are suppose to be underlying issues since it’s called stepfamily. But honestly there really wasn’t. Laura and Peter didn’t seem to have a close marriage at all. It almost felt like they were strangers who had just met. The e-mail was not menacing at all “I know what you did. I won’t tell anyone.” I would have just emailed back and said thanks! Smiley face. The dialogue is terrible and robotic. It felt like she was throwing darts at a board and seeing what would stick as far as twists. This book just wasn’t for me. I seen where this book is Silicon Valley Series #1. I’m not sure why or how this will be a series but it needs to move in another direction with book #2.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an excellent book! It was a fast paced book which I liked and I had no clue what kind of secrets Ruth was hiding and they didn’t disappoint. I’m not going to lie I was afraid it was going to be something stupid. I enjoyed Ruth’s character and reading what she wrote in her journals about her past life and what led her to this point. The author did a great job of propelling the story forward and creating an urgency. Every secret Ruth is trying hard to hide Catherine is working twice as hard to uncover it. I did get frustrated with Catherine. I yelled at her to just ask her mother!! The ending was great and again I was so afraid it wasn’t going to be good. I loved the questions your left with about Catherine.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Finlay is a mess and I love her. The way the author works out the murder and seamlessly ties it all together is great. This book was hilarious and a lot of fun. If you are looking for a light hearted book about murder then this for you. And what about Vero! Everyone needs a Vero! If one of my friends walk in with me over a dead body then they better ask how they can help and get to work. I’m not a fan of series books but I will continue reading these when I need a break from my usual mystery/thriller books. And the ending was perfect. I did only give it 3 stars which for me is just a solid middle of the road read. The story behind how Finlay came to life is just like the book. The author was setting with her critique partners in a crowded Panera in 2017 talking about a bloody storyline. All of the other patrons overhearing their conversation began giving them dirty looks. Later they laughed about how it all looked and in that moment they found inspiration for Finlay.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Owen and Luna are two of a kind with a whole bunch of differences. I read this in one sitting and it was very easy fast read. I absolutely loved everything about this book! The humor between Luna and Owen in the first chapter hooked me. I feel like each person’s character was fully developed. I gave this book 5 stars because I had no clue what was going on or even could guess how it was going to end! There were so many secrets. I take notes as I read so I won’t forget and all of my notes were questions. One question you will have that I had is how in the world did Owen not know? And I’ll leave it at that. This book is hard to talk about because the action starts as soon you start reading. I feel like everything I want to say is a spoiler.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was excited to get this book. I have enjoyed several books by Gilly Macmillan but this was not the book for me. First of all there are no chapters. I had a hard time getting past that. I need breaks. There was way too much going on in this book. The issues with the women plus the issues with the people who owned the barn made for way too many issues. It needed to be narrowed down to one issue. I didn’t like any of the characters and the book was way too long.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The following pretty much sums up my thoughts…..please let it end. It felt like a YA book with a bunch of whining teenagers that turned into whining adults. And I’m sure you’ve noticed I gave it two stars and I did that because it had a strong story line. There were some good aspects of this book but it was just wasn’t developed. I can’t stand to read a book that never ends and this never ended. And ironically the line I wrote down when I started reading to use from the book was “Today, something starts that will never end.” Did the author mean to do that? I skimmed the last handful of chapters and it didn’t take anything away from the story. The story was told from alternating timelines which wasn’t bad.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The deceit in this book happens in the first chapter and it doesn’t slow down from there. You learn in the first chapter that Lucy sees her friend Scott with another woman in the Maldives. She sees the photo on her colleagues phone. From that second I was perplexed as to how Ruth didn’t recognize Scott. But don’t worry it all come out in the wash. The author does an excellent job at creating an air of secrecy. You know and feel that you’re one step behind and you feel just as crazy as Lucy feels. You feel the unease that Lucy feels with everyone around her. And what the heck Lucy! This has no bearing on anything but Adam and Cora are having an intimate conversation and Lucy just slinks away. Ummm heck no Sis….I would have marched right up to them! The ending was a perfect fit and I was scared it was going to end too neatly but thankfully the author did was what necessary.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a GREAT book and a fast read! It takes your attention and doesn’t let go. All I wanted to do was read until I finished the book. You will love it from beginning to end and won’t be able to put it down. It’s a very different haunted house story. While Sarah is not an honest person I loved her and I somehow rooted for her despite all the lies. She was addicted to social media and the attention. At one point she says, “the more likes I get the less I bleed.” (We all know that person.) The plot was very believable and the characters were likable despite their flaws. I never know how to express this other than to say the dialogue was real. It sounded like me talking. Some books just sound fake when it comes to conversation but this was a normal with someone sarcastic, witty and a dark sense of humor. My kind of person. I don’t even like cats yet I was invested in Reaper as much as Sarah was. The twists and the way the story came to life was genius. She has a great way of building tension and pulling you chapter to chapter. The author done a wonderful job making you feel just as scared as Sarah was inside that house. I was screaming don’t go into the attic! It definitely keeps you guessing until the end and the end was perfect! Not one disappointment with this read. This is author Lisa Marlin’s debut book and she definitely set the standard high for her next book. Bravo!