maggieaduol's reviews
57 reviews

The Girlfriend, by Michelle Frances

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A compelling read and highly entertaining. I loved it.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

"The truth, however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to the seeker after it".

"Always bear in mind that the person who speaks may be lying".

Splendid. One of Christie's best.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Strangers on a Train, by Patricia Highsmith

dark mysterious tense 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

4.5

"He didn't look like a murderer, he supposed,  in his clean white shirtsleeves and his silk tie and his dark blue trousers, and maybe even his strained face didn't look like a murderer to anybody else. "That's the mistake ,"Guy said aloud, " That nobody knows what a murderer looks like. A murderer looks like anybody!" 

Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train. 

Pretty Things, by Janelle Brown

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"New money, suit and tie
 I can read you like a magazine 
Ain't it funny, rumours fly
And I know you heard about me
So hey, let's be friends
I'm dying to see how this one ends
Grab your passport and my hand
I can make the bad guys good for a weekend "  - Taylor Swift 


Nothing is ever as pure as it seems at first glance, there is always something more complicated to be found if you peel back the unmarred surface of pretty things.

A slow burn which turned the tables fast and became quite intriguing. Very well written and well done. Unexpected and unexpectedly believable!

Can't wait for Nicole Kidman to star and produce this books adaptation into streaming Amazon series.

Unsettled Ground, by Claire Fuller

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A sad but important story about repercussions of life changing events; rural poverty; isolated and marginalised communities; and families who live of the grid.

Claire Fuller depicts their lives with such excellent and vivid writing, you can see and hear and smell everything through her words. A unique and engaging story and one that will stay with me for a long time.

An Anonymous Girl, by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen

mysterious slow-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

3.5

I enjoyed the chapters from Jessica's perspective, but I didn't connect at all with chapters from Dr. Shields perspective. But it definitely kept my attention.

Two-Way Murder, by E.C.R. Lorac

mysterious slow-paced

4.5

Thoroughly enjoyable, very clever and well put together. Pulled me in from the very beginning.

The Push, by Ashley Audrain

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

They say history repeats itself, right? Does nature or nurture play a larger role in childhood development? The Push captures the complexity of mother- daughter relationships  with sociopathic tendencies thrown in, generational trauma and loss. 

Well thought out, carefully crafted, vividly realised and gripping, this is a clever concept novel that manipulates exploits the fears and insecurities almost every mother has, however happy her own childhood. It shows how the memories of childhood, forgotten or buried, return at the moment of one's own maternal crisis.

What makes this novel outstanding is Audrain's nuanced understanding of how women's voices are discounted , how a thousand little slights can cuddle a solid marriage and - in defiance of maternal taboos- how mothers really feel sometimes towards difficult children.

The Push in the sum of its parts speaks to the burdens we all carry, whether we are mothers or simply children of women who did the best they could.

A very sad story that is hard to read and not uplifting at all but one that will stick with me for a long time.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

The Stalker, by Sarah Alderson

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I was hooked right from the start. You could think that having only two characters at play during most of the novel could turn a bit tedious, but not at all! The island is incredible, atmospheric and it contributes in creating a climate of unease that keeps building throughout the story until the big reveal. And what a reveal! 

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 

Valentine, by Tom Savage

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

An amazing book with a great twist that I thoroughly enjoyed. The novel is well thought out, well written and the characters are well developed. Far much better than the 2001 movie which had little in common with this book.

How I wish there can be a remake of the movie based entirely on this book. I think it could make a wonderful Netflix movie.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5