Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews

11 reviews

orlagal's review

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dark mysterious fast-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

3.75

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elmermel's review against another edition

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dark 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

2.5

Oof this book wasn’t what I expected. I guess I didn’t realize how dark and  thoroughly unlikeable the characters would be. 

It wasn’t clear where things were heading in the middle of the book. I thought the major twists at the end that the other reviewers had promised would make it worth it but the first one wasn’t really that surprising and the second one  made me a little sick to my stomach to learn how ruthless she was.

I gave it 3 stars because it was still an interesting read that held my attention and the writing was solid.  
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jasmine256's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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

2.75

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mfrisk's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense 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

4.0

Some of the twists were a bit predictable, some ideas could have had a bit more backing to them, and the characters were purposely unlikeable but overall this was a great read with stunning layers to it and ultimately showing the reader how far people will go to achieve what they feel is owed to them.  
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erinblue's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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summerb's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense 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? Yes

3.0

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colleensreadingadventures's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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

Wow..this book took me on quite ride! A wild, intriguing, no idea where you are headed kind of ride, over bumpy, curvy and dangerous roads without a seatbelt and all. And I loved every minute of it! 

Florence fled Florida after college to move to New York and one day become a writer. For now she is an assistant editor at a publishing house, that is until she gets herself fired. But Florence is fine with it because she knows she is destined for something bigger and better. And somehow she lands on her feet in an even better job as the assistant to the famous author Maud Dixon. Maud Dixon is Helen Wilcox’s pseudonym and only 3 people know who she really is. Helen herself, Greta her agent and now Florence. 

Helen can be difficult to work with, she’s brusque, demanding and very intimidating. But she is also a brilliant writer and pretty knowledgeable in life so Florence is more than happy to work with her. 
Several weeks on the job Helen decides she needs to do research for her next novel in Morocco and she’s taking Florence with her. Florence had never been out of the country and everything is new and exciting. After a night of heavy drinking and a bad car accident Florence wakes up in a hospital bed with the police interrogated her as Madame Wilcock because she was found with Helen’s passport and credit cards. Florence realizes Helen must have died in the crash when they went over the bridge and her body must not have been recovered and still in the water. She knows with utmost certainty that she has been given the gift of a new famous identity and she’s going to take it. But Helen’s life is not what Florence expected and she’s now in a life altering possibly endangering dilemma. 

The first part of the story was about laying the ground work and getting to know Florence and Helen, so it was a little slow but when the scenery changed to Morocco it picked up nicely. 
The characters were well formed and definitely unlikable but that was perfect for this story. 
In regards to Florence I had a hard time figuring out my feelings for her. I was in awe with her tenacity and how she was so sure she deserved the best in life but I was also horrified by how she went about getting what she wanted. She was a complex character for sure. 
It would have been a 5 star read for me had it not been for the ending. I didn’t think that it was wrapped up the way it should have been exactly and felt like it was a bit sloppy.

This really was an excellent book that kept me on my toes letting me see glimpses but not totally sure what was going to happen. 
I’m shocked this is a debut novel and can’t wait to see what else Alexandra Andrews comes out with. 
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busy_izzi's review

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tense 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? Yes

1.0

Read this for book club — otherwise I would have DNF’d this early on. While it does pick up after its very slow start, with many highly telegraphed “twists,” it doesn’t get any better.
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echoingtales's review

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dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

2.5

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bookscoffeehayley's review

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challenging funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This book is a wild ride. I don’t typically categorize books as ‘beach reads’ but I think this is the perfect beach read for people that like to read about murders and scheming on the beach!

Overall I enjoyed Who Is Maud Dixon but I can’t say I liked the characters. This was the first book I’ve read recently where there were characters I didn’t like yet it was fueling me to keep reading. I was so invested in finding out what was going in this book.

My biggest critique was the synopsis revealing a fairly big twist. This made me struggle with the pacing of this book. I was waiting for some big dramatic thing to happen and that really messed with the pacing for me.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced page-turner, definitely pick this one up! I think it was a great debut for Alexandra Andrews and I’m excited to see what she releases next!
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