Reviews

Fool Me Once: "The modern master of the hook and twist" by Harlan Coben

zutsie's review against another edition

3.0

I thought that Fool Me Once was alright, though not a great novel. It flowed well and it was a quick read, but it never really went anywhere, if that makes sense. It carried on meandering in the same circles, nothing really changing, nothing really being added to the story at all, lots of mystery and complaints about civilians using war analogies. The story is a little fantastical and gets a little too complicated for its own good at times, but unlike most novels like this, it ties up quite nicely at the end. The plot is pretty skinny though, complicated, but skinny. There are a lot of characters in here, and none of them are really likable, with the exception of Shane I reckon. I also liked the relationship between Maya and Eddie, it was quite a layered, deep one. The book was nothing really special, but I did enjoy the twist at the end of the book. It worked nicely. I think Maya's parenting skills were incredibly questionable too - she always seems so distant, but loves her, but never considers her daughter in her big, crazy decisions. Does that sound like a good parent? Also, I didn't really like her, which made it super difficult to actually care about her. I don't have too much more to say about this book, when all is said and done. However, all things aside, I will certainly read more of Coben's work.

agrippinaes's review against another edition

3.0

I found it ridiculously readable and engaging. The plot is interesting, full of twists and turns - I’d say a major incident in every single chapter and I would say Coben doesn’t waste any writing space on filler whatsoever. The result, as I’ve said, is really readable.

I thought Maya was a really compelling main character - I wouldn’t say that I liked her, because there was a lot about her personality that didn’t work for me, but she was a strong narrator and I enjoyed reading things from her perspective.

Whilst it was readable, there was something about the writing style that I wasn’t sure that I liked - I can’t put my finger on it. I just found as I read it that I wasn’t sure I was actually enjoying it, I mostly just wanted to know what happened.

I would recommend it if you want a fast-paced, exciting suspense novel with a solid, twisting mystery and an interesting main character.

Content Warnings:

Spoiler

PTSD, panic attacks, violence, mentions of torture, war crimes, murder, suicide mentions, bullying.

dripdrop's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

ladycranstonkc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kessler21's review against another edition

4.0

I love to read Harlan Coben's mysteries. He is a great story teller, weaving a story of suspense and mystery. His book just keep me turning pages and I don't have to do any self reflection or meditating on deeper things. I just read the story.

This is my favorite of his to date. The ending to this one is more original. I love trying to solve the mysteries before hand, and most of the time with Coben, I can only guess a piece of the mystery but am not able to piece it all together. This book didn't fail in that regard either.

Great fast read.

callmejes92's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

humatariq's review against another edition

4.0

This book actually exceeded my expectations from it. It's actually a case of

Spoiler

unreliable narrator here. I like reading books with unreliable narrators and I so want to discover more of such books. But they only prove a good read when your stumble upon them by accident. I don't think I would like an unreliable narrator book that much if I actively knew about it going in.

The character of Maya is a complex one with many layers. Several times Coben tries to stress about the toll a war takes on the soldiers who fight it. Overall, it was a quick and good read. I wouldn't have minded this book being a bit longer and getting to know a bit more about all characters.

evi05's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-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

3.75

liakeller's review against another edition

4.0

I like Coben's writing - nice action, twisty plot and likable characters. As I remembered his plot turns, I kept trying to figure it out, but it had me fooled!

sbbailey's review against another edition

mysterious medium-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

3.75