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ellieb_reads's Reviews (186)
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I think I’m just too pessimistic for all these storylines where people fall madly in love in less than 60 seconds, even in books like this one where the setting is firmly not reality. It was just a little too cheesy for me. And yes, I understand that this was *the entire point* because she’s literally in a romance novel. I did really enjoy that conceptually - it was creative and new and very cozy. I liked most of the characters, and the love interest is basically that “hot dudes reading” instagram account, so like yes sign me up. But something about the pacing just didn’t work for me. I suppose I wanted a little more novel and a little less love story. Still a pretty fun read, and Seven Year Slip remains a favorite for me so I’ll be picking up any of Poston’s future work for sure.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
A really creative pair of stories! It’s verrrrry romance, often bordering on cheesy, but you kind of can’t help but root for the main couple. The “surprises” were pretty obvious - I guessed both of the big ones long before they were revealed - but I still found them compelling. I did want a little more of Hannah’s story than we got. It was more interesting than Mallory’s story, but it felt rushed in many ways. I really enjoyed the alternating timelines and perspectives, and I thought the author tied them together well. Overall a solid love story (stories?), with an ending that made me smile.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This was just not good. It was basically plotless and meandering for the first two-thirds of the book, then even when things picked up, it was an underwhelming reveal. One plot twist was pretty satisfying, but by the time it was explained, there was so little left of the book that it went mostly unexplored. The main antagonist was a hilarious caricature (think Goop/supplements/crystals✨energy✨), and I did enjoy her as a villain. But overall this was just boring and strange. And wtf was with the birds?! Nope.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This is only my third Riley Sager, but it’s definitely my least favorite of the bunch. Where the other two eventually verged into the paranormal, Middle of the Night is immediately and firmly in that category, and that is NOT my thing. I actually considering DNFing right away, but decided to give it a try. Safe to say it’s still not for me. But if that is your thing, you’ll probably like this! I thought it read more horror than thriller, and the narrative felt more on focused on the spooky themes than the search for the killer. I did like the alternating timelines, and I found each of the neighborhood’s families unique and interesting. But some of the twists were a bit obvious, and the ending was just too out there for me.
