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juliaaa02's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy
okiecozyreader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This is my first Sally Hepworth novel that I read with Friends and Fiction bookclub. Their interview with her is SO GOOD and worth the listen / watch.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/friendsandfictionofficialbookclub/permalink/821425995900472/
In it, she mentions that many of the characters deal with coping mechanisms, and that is how she tied it together. I can tell that the epilogue made a lot of people frustrated. It didn’t really bother me; I felt like what she was trying to accomplish worked for me - and this part of her story is similar to that of one that she knew in real life. (See above video)
I listened to the audio and enjoyed the Australian accents and the book moves quickly - 73 chapters (most less than 10 minutes - so it’s hard to quit reading!)
The first chapter holds a wedding, with a member of the wedding party splattered with blood, then we go back and meet the family. The father, Stephen is a cardiologist marrying a younger woman (between his daughter’s ages), but most appalling to them - while their mother and his current wife, is suffering from dementia and recently moved to a care unit. We learn about each of their struggles (most chapters have the POV of the two daughters and the new bride) in the weeks leading up to the wedding.
This book has lots of triggers: domestic abuse, kleptomania (“strange compulsions”), eating disorders, sexual assault, loss of pregnancy, etc
Quotes
“His eyes were kind. (Another thing Heather had learned growing up was to assess people’s eyes. Kind. Mean. Lecherous. They could change quickly, so you always had to keep an eye on the eyes.)” ch 16
“Upper middle class hired people to help them pack, take away the things they didn’t need, and unpack again at the other end. In addition to paying them handsomely, Stephen had given the movers a slab of premium beer and instructed her to order pizzas for them. That had been particularly eye-opening. Heather had assumed—from movies and the like—that the more money people had, the worse they treated the staff, but she understood now that wasn’t generally the case. She also understood why. When you were comfortable, you could afford to be magnanimous. Poorer people didn’t help the movers unpack because they were tired from working two jobs. If the movers broke something, poorer people were mad, because they couldn’t afford to replace it. They didn’t order pizza or premium beer for the movers, because when was the last time someone did that for them? It was strange, seeing the world from both sides. Strange, and eye-opening. So few people got to see things from her vantage point. It seemed, to Heather, an awful shame.” Ch 19
“I just mean, don’t beat yourself up for single-handedly saving yourself with the tools you had available to you. Where I come from, that’s called survival.” Ch 29
“And yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t all bad. Perhaps the very worst people still had some good in them. And perhaps the very best had some bad.” Ch 66
https://m.facebook.com/groups/friendsandfictionofficialbookclub/permalink/821425995900472/
In it, she mentions that many of the characters deal with coping mechanisms, and that is how she tied it together. I can tell that the epilogue made a lot of people frustrated. It didn’t really bother me; I felt like what she was trying to accomplish worked for me - and this part of her story is similar to that of one that she knew in real life. (See above video)
I listened to the audio and enjoyed the Australian accents and the book moves quickly - 73 chapters (most less than 10 minutes - so it’s hard to quit reading!)
The first chapter holds a wedding, with a member of the wedding party splattered with blood, then we go back and meet the family. The father, Stephen is a cardiologist marrying a younger woman (between his daughter’s ages), but most appalling to them - while their mother and his current wife, is suffering from dementia and recently moved to a care unit. We learn about each of their struggles (most chapters have the POV of the two daughters and the new bride) in the weeks leading up to the wedding.
This book has lots of triggers: domestic abuse, kleptomania (“strange compulsions”), eating disorders, sexual assault, loss of pregnancy, etc
Quotes
“His eyes were kind. (Another thing Heather had learned growing up was to assess people’s eyes. Kind. Mean. Lecherous. They could change quickly, so you always had to keep an eye on the eyes.)” ch 16
“Upper middle class hired people to help them pack, take away the things they didn’t need, and unpack again at the other end. In addition to paying them handsomely, Stephen had given the movers a slab of premium beer and instructed her to order pizzas for them. That had been particularly eye-opening. Heather had assumed—from movies and the like—that the more money people had, the worse they treated the staff, but she understood now that wasn’t generally the case. She also understood why. When you were comfortable, you could afford to be magnanimous. Poorer people didn’t help the movers unpack because they were tired from working two jobs. If the movers broke something, poorer people were mad, because they couldn’t afford to replace it. They didn’t order pizza or premium beer for the movers, because when was the last time someone did that for them? It was strange, seeing the world from both sides. Strange, and eye-opening. So few people got to see things from her vantage point. It seemed, to Heather, an awful shame.” Ch 19
“I just mean, don’t beat yourself up for single-handedly saving yourself with the tools you had available to you. Where I come from, that’s called survival.” Ch 29
“And yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t all bad. Perhaps the very worst people still had some good in them. And perhaps the very best had some bad.” Ch 66
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, and Dementia
Minor: Sexual assault and Pregnancy
quietcoastline's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Infertility, Excrement, and Pregnancy
allyssa_r's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
brookerachel's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
I’ve seen so many mixed reviews on this. And while I agree that I’m over the unreliable female narrator, I enjoyed reading this. It was a quick, gripping read. Predictable and unrealistic (like they’ve all been lying to each other for years, and now are like “eh might as well tell the truth”) with overdone tropes, but I still enjoyed it while I was reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
onmalsshelf's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Thank you St. Martins Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I know Sally sometimes reads one star reviews off of Goodreads on her Instagram so if that happens, well…hi.
This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 after how much I loved her 2021 release, The Good Sister (5 stars from me). Sadly, this was a MESS and hit me with some characterizations that did not sit well with me.
Did she just try to pull a trope out of a bag, but accidentally pulled out several and decided to go with trying to make all of them work because that’s what it seemed like.
I probably should’ve DNFed because I was getting some weird vibes just after chapter one. However, I kept going against my better judgement because I trusted her to being it back around to something I could love.
Mainly, if you: are a survivor of abuse or know of someone who is please take care of yourself while reading. Gaslighting of abuse victims abound in this one.
Second, if you have a loved one who currently has or had dementia or Alzheimer’s - just go ahead and take this one off your TBR because the way that was portrayed and used as a plot device here was disgusting. Pam deserves better than how she was portrayed.
This was predictable from the start. Throughout the book and especially the ending and the following epilogue, the perpetuation of the narrative that the things weren’t real/were being imagined? Disgusting. A slap in the face to the reader and victims.
Other things I’m so done with: the unstable female trope by way of either alcohol or gaslighting to make her seem unstable. To that point, so many plot points with the three POVs (Tully, Rachel, and Heather) were mishandled. Sally really decided to choose the ‘unreliable/crazy female narrator’ with every single female in this one.
I know this is a domestic suspense/mystery/drama, but it really seemed like a mediocre man tried to write women in a way to appease the good ole men’s club.
There are a lot of triggers since she attempted so many different tropes.
Just take care of yourself while reading this one and give your loved one with dementia a hug.
I know Sally sometimes reads one star reviews off of Goodreads on her Instagram so if that happens, well…hi.
This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 after how much I loved her 2021 release, The Good Sister (5 stars from me). Sadly, this was a MESS and hit me with some characterizations that did not sit well with me.
Did she just try to pull a trope out of a bag, but accidentally pulled out several and decided to go with trying to make all of them work because that’s what it seemed like.
I probably should’ve DNFed because I was getting some weird vibes just after chapter one. However, I kept going against my better judgement because I trusted her to being it back around to something I could love.
Mainly, if you: are a survivor of abuse or know of someone who is please take care of yourself while reading. Gaslighting of abuse victims abound in this one.
Second, if you have a loved one who currently has or had dementia or Alzheimer’s - just go ahead and take this one off your TBR because the way that was portrayed and used as a plot device here was disgusting. Pam deserves better than how she was portrayed.
This was predictable from the start. Throughout the book and especially the ending and the following epilogue, the perpetuation of the narrative that the things weren’t real/were being imagined? Disgusting. A slap in the face to the reader and victims.
Other things I’m so done with: the unstable female trope by way of either alcohol or gaslighting to make her seem unstable. To that point, so many plot points with the three POVs (Tully, Rachel, and Heather) were mishandled. Sally really decided to choose the ‘unreliable/crazy female narrator’ with every single female in this one.
I know this is a domestic suspense/mystery/drama, but it really seemed like a mediocre man tried to write women in a way to appease the good ole men’s club.
There are a lot of triggers since she attempted so many different tropes.
Just take care of yourself while reading this one and give your loved one with dementia a hug.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
bookishaddictions's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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 one gives me all of the vibes of playing clue. We know where someone was hurt, but not the “who” or with what. After Stephen Aston decides to marry 34-year-old; this notably comes as a shock to his daughters Tully and Rachel (who are barely older than her). Hepworth will take you for a ride that begins at the first meeting with daddy’s wife-to-be until the post-wedding chaos begins. Rachel and Tully are shockingly relatable despite their unique personalities. Heather, the new fiancée, is charming and just a little bit broken. These women will keep you on your toes, and the plot will leave you guessing. I do warn that the ending is somewhat ambiguous, so this book is not for readers that need a clear cut ending. Overall, I’m glad I had the chance to read this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
deniset's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Dementia, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting