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tlanereads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Honestly, I regret wasting my time on this book, and I regret losing sleep to finish it.
I was following along and tracking it. I was getting through it without hating it.
But then it got to the ending.
What a waste of time.
There are very few instances when I think that these endings work.
This was not one of them.
Follows is essentially my rant.
Because my major issue with the novel has to deal with the ending of the novel/the "big reveal," most of this will be blacked out for spoilers.
Another user, "mrsoz", brought this up as well. When you write a story from a first-person, present tense perspective, you cannot successfully have the twist that the author attempted.For the entirety of the book, we follow one version of the protagonist. We get to experience the emotions and reactions of the character from an internal perspective. There are scenes where the MC reacts to something internally that do not match up with this grand final reveal. If we are meant to believe that the MC plotted this murder, knew about the cheating, knew about the "betrayal" of Anne, why would the MC react internally the way that she did? At one point, she imagines herself tackling and beating Anne, spinning her around (??) and slamming her into the desk.
Again, there are some narratives that can successfully pull off the whole "the narrator is the bad guy all along" twist, but in these cases, you still need to remain true to the character you have introduced. If all of the emotions and reactions are external, played up for an audience, then they can make sense, but our MC does not express this reaction to Anne externally. This is entirely internal, performed for no audience except herself (and the reader). Knowing what she knows, it doesn't make sense.
In this novel, our MC makes a sudden and drastic shift that contradicts all of her feelings and reactions from earlier.
If she truly did the crime, after the reveal, it should make sense (in hindsight) that she was acting the emotions, not actually feeling them.
Instead, now it feels like the entire story was a waste. I wasted my time reading about evidence and conversations, about an MC whose feelings and commentary weren't real (Why would she privately wonder if maybe he did kill the victim/was capable if she knew the answer?).
I understand misdirection--leaving clues that are meant to make the "big reveal" big. All of the leads and misdirections in this book are flimsy. They are introduced briefly and loosely, brought up and then dropped. Nothing feels substantial or important. It doesn't feel like you are solving things alongside the protagonists.
The characters themselves are also flimsy and unbelievable. They all seem like caricatures, the extremes of who they are meant to portray. Outside of the female MC, no one has depth of any kind. You can get away with this for some characters (the overbearing MIL), but not all.
Some characters are introduced and feel purposeless and forced, only meant to help a later (underdeveloped) scene.
Adam, the male MC, spirals at an unrealistic speed, a matter made worse by the fact that the passage of time is difficult to track. A character that we are supposed to recognize as competent and (at least relatively) intelligent becomes the most thoughtless character, acting irrationally without natural (or believable) progression.Almost immediately after returning from his plea in court, he meets a "journalist" whom he instantly trusts with no reason to. He relies on her for everything and eventually even tries to kiss her. Mind you, their relationship is never developed. She's a PI for Scott Summers, you say? Then she sucks at her job. She rarely interacts with Adam one-on-one. Adam has no reason to immediately rely on Rebecca this way other than feeling alone. If the author had built up his paranoia and descent into "madness" prior to their meeting, it could have worked. If she had build up the relationship between them, it could have made sense. But she doesn't, so it flops.
The decisions that Adam makes relies on the reader believing that he is a man that is at the end of his rope and acting impulsively in a panic, but the author never convinces us of this, meaning the rest of his scenes feel absurd.
Beyond that, some of them really are that: absurd.
Adam escapes the jail and no one notices. Weird but okay, I can suspend belief for that.
Then he walks all night and sleeps in the woods? No one is coming after him yet? He makes it to a truck stop and steals clothes? He rambles about the bugs? Most of all, he just HAPPENS to have the phone number to a journalist he has met a handful of times memorized. He knows exactly where she lives despite never having seen her away from the lake house?
It doesn't make sense. Hence, "absurd."
TLDR: I regret reading this and left feeling like I wasted my time.
I was following along and tracking it. I was getting through it without hating it.
But then it got to the ending.
What a waste of time.
There are very few instances when I think that these endings work.
This was not one of them.
Follows is essentially my rant.
Because my major issue with the novel has to deal with the ending of the novel/the "big reveal," most of this will be blacked out for spoilers.
Another user, "mrsoz", brought this up as well. When you write a story from a first-person, present tense perspective, you cannot successfully have the twist that the author attempted.
Again, there are some narratives that can successfully pull off the whole "the narrator is the bad guy all along" twist, but in these cases, you still need to remain true to the character you have introduced. If all of the emotions and reactions are external, played up for an audience, then they can make sense, but our MC does not express this reaction to Anne externally. This is entirely internal, performed for no audience except herself (and the reader). Knowing what she knows, it doesn't make sense.
In this novel, our MC makes a sudden and drastic shift that contradicts all of her feelings and reactions from earlier.
If she truly did the crime, after the reveal, it should make sense (in hindsight) that she was acting the emotions, not actually feeling them.
Instead, now it feels like the entire story was a waste. I wasted my time reading about evidence and conversations, about an MC whose feelings and commentary weren't real (Why would she privately wonder if maybe he did kill the victim/was capable if she knew the answer?).
I understand misdirection--leaving clues that are meant to make the "big reveal" big. All of the leads and misdirections in this book are flimsy. They are introduced briefly and loosely, brought up and then dropped. Nothing feels substantial or important. It doesn't feel like you are solving things alongside the protagonists.
The characters themselves are also flimsy and unbelievable. They all seem like caricatures, the extremes of who they are meant to portray. Outside of the female MC, no one has depth of any kind. You can get away with this for some characters (the overbearing MIL), but not all.
Some characters are introduced and feel purposeless and forced, only meant to help a later (underdeveloped) scene.
Adam, the male MC, spirals at an unrealistic speed, a matter made worse by the fact that the passage of time is difficult to track. A character that we are supposed to recognize as competent and (at least relatively) intelligent becomes the most thoughtless character, acting irrationally without natural (or believable) progression.
The decisions that Adam makes relies on the reader believing that he is a man that is at the end of his rope and acting impulsively in a panic, but the author never convinces us of this, meaning the rest of his scenes feel absurd.
Beyond that, some of them really are that: absurd.
Adam escapes the jail and no one notices. Weird but okay, I can suspend belief for that.
Then he walks all night and sleeps in the woods? No one is coming after him yet? He makes it to a truck stop and steals clothes? He rambles about the bugs? Most of all, he just HAPPENS to have the phone number to a journalist he has met a handful of times memorized. He knows exactly where she lives despite never having seen her away from the lake house?
It doesn't make sense. Hence, "absurd."
TLDR: I regret reading this and left feeling like I wasted my time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, and Murder
Minor: Rape and Sexual violence
Discussion of possible sexual violence due to the nature of the crimemckenziecreads's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
This genuinely may be the worst book I’ve ever read. The writing, ending, character development, and story are just bad. It was the kind of bad that may be cringe and sigh with disappointment more than once. I unfortunately cannot recommend this book to anyone I want a cordial relationship with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Vomit, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Bullying, Child death, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Stalking, Abortion, and Alcohol
So many plot holes that never get filled.rchulin1's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Okay so I knew who the killer was because of a Facebook post and I really was looking for hints of that character being the killer but there weren’t any just so many plot holes I also wish there were more court scenes all that being said the basis of the book was very interesting
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
mcmao's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So glad I found this author via her witty TikTok’s. Scott was wrong - this book is amazing, especially the unexpected ending!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicide, Blood, Stalking, and Pregnancy
kbrantmeier24's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really liked this one! It was fast and entertaining. I kept updating my husband on my new theories as to whodunnit, so I was quite invested. However, after the ending was finally revealed, I found that several thoughts and actions characters took earlier in the story didn't align, and it seemed like the inner monologue was meant to keep the reader guessing instead of being the character's actual suspicions. Still a fun read, though! 7.5/10
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
ashlynmanley's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This book was just not it. First of all, the sexual nature was just way too much and I found myself skimming all the time because I didn’t want to be appalled by what I was reading. It was just way to explicit in how it was written and there was no need. The first page alone had me questioning whether or not I was going to try to read it. So I don’t appreciate that.
Then, the book was soooo unrealistic. The amount of things that happened which didn’t make sense is mind boggling for a book that has sold so many copies. I could go on about all of these different mistakes but I won’t bore with details. Instead I’ll just mention one of my favorite mishaps. The Sheriff, though stupid as mentioned in the book, kept giving names to people he was questioning. He starts questioning someone and then tells them who put them under suspicion. What? That would NEVER happen. Oh, and how about the prison door just casually not being shut? I’m sorry… stupidity is what I call this. Pure stupidity.
The characters were also so annoying. One minute the Sheriff is flirting with Sarah, the next he hates her. The mom…. Oh my gosh. I wanted her to die the whole time. People of dramatic parents but I don’t see anyone acting like that women. Delusional and stupid. Not remotely realistic. Though I guess it may clue into how incredibly dislike-able and explosive Adam was. Couldn’t stand him either.
As far as positives, I was surprised by the end. I was convinced the entire time that it was Scott’s deputy friend. So the only reason that this is not a one star is because the end was pretty striking.
However, why did I just have to endure the incredibly boring contents of that book only to find out that the entire case was a sham. I don’t know. Felt like a waste of time.
But, again, the ending was intriguing soooo if anything I have plot ideas for future projects.
Then, the book was soooo unrealistic. The amount of things that happened which didn’t make sense is mind boggling for a book that has sold so many copies. I could go on about all of these different mistakes but I won’t bore with details. Instead I’ll just mention one of my favorite mishaps. The Sheriff, though stupid as mentioned in the book, kept giving names to people he was questioning. He starts questioning someone and then tells them who put them under suspicion. What? That would NEVER happen. Oh, and how about the prison door just casually not being shut? I’m sorry… stupidity is what I call this. Pure stupidity.
The characters were also so annoying. One minute the Sheriff is flirting with Sarah, the next he hates her. The mom…. Oh my gosh. I wanted her to die the whole time. People of dramatic parents but I don’t see anyone acting like that women. Delusional and stupid. Not remotely realistic. Though I guess it may clue into how incredibly dislike-able and explosive Adam was. Couldn’t stand him either.
As far as positives, I was surprised by the end. I was convinced the entire time that it was Scott’s deputy friend. So the only reason that this is not a one star is because the end was pretty striking.
But, again, the ending was intriguing soooo if anything I have plot ideas for future projects.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, and Murder
music_girl93's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting
febooking's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Poorly executed trope that cheats the reader.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Murder, and Gaslighting
anamustacho's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
3.0
This is an easy, quick read.
The ending was rushed.
It's basically a sort of mind fucking plot. But it isn't because a lot of it was predictable. I also found the setting wasn't clear and strange, as well as the plot having too many holes.
The cheating husband was an asshole. But he didn't deserve this ending.
Normal people would just divorce.
But I get it. I do.
Yet, it is just psychopathic.
The wife killed the misstress and framed her husband for it.
Her partner, who she ends up having a kid with and marrying a day after her husband's execution, also crazy
Up until the last hour everything felt rushed and chaotic. But that last hours in the story with the "plot"twist was rushed and just sick.
Lastly this felt like a low budget bad murder mysterie show.
The ending was rushed.
It's basically a sort of mind fucking plot. But it isn't because a lot of it was predictable. I also found the setting wasn't clear and strange, as well as the plot having too many holes.
The cheating husband was an asshole. But he didn't deserve this ending.
Normal people would just divorce.
But I get it. I do.
The wife killed the misstress and framed her husband for it.
Her partner, who she ends up having a kid with and marrying a day after her husband's execution, also crazy
Up until the last hour everything felt rushed and chaotic. But that last hours in the story with the "plot"twist was rushed and just sick.
Lastly this felt like a low budget bad murder mysterie show.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
gygyreadsgygysips's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
HOLY MOTHER OF PLOT TWISTS!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail