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_cozyreadercorner's review
4.0
Alternating between two timelines and narratives initially confused me, but once the reason why it’s written this way is revealed, the parallels start to make sense and the pacing of the story picks up. Then, it became a matching game of the characters between the two stories — interesting setup that keeps you on your toes, wondering who is who and what happened to Mina?
As Alex, her husband, tries to find her with the clues she unintentionally left behind, he uncovers the past she never shared with him. And through his interactions with the people in her life, especially her parents and the community she grew up in, it became clearer why she chose to hide that side from him. Her mom Rose is all about saving face — almost always at the cost of Mina’s happiness and mental health — and her father is always quietly following and obeying Rose to a fault (don’t know if it’s apathy or deliberate naivety).
Just imagining being in that household — not being able to freely express your feelings to the ones who are supposed to love you unconditionally because you have to play along in this false image of being the prim, proper, and perfect family — was frustrating and suffocating. Really displays the fascinating ways the brain works, with the ability of selective memory and distorting our realities. Just everyone ignoring clear red flags all for the sake of protecting their egos.
While Alex slowly finds out Mina’s secrets, he pretty much made the same assumptions that I made early on, but there was one clear turning point where I started to know where the end was going. The ending didn’t address much of what happened in the aftermath in terms of the legal aspect so I felt empty and unsatisfied with the lack of closure and the fact that there was no clear justice served.
BIG CRIT: Definitely needed many trigger warnings for sexual assault, child abuse, and pedophilia.
As Alex, her husband, tries to find her with the clues she unintentionally left behind, he uncovers the past she never shared with him. And through his interactions with the people in her life, especially her parents and the community she grew up in, it became clearer why she chose to hide that side from him. Her mom Rose is all about saving face — almost always at the cost of Mina’s happiness and mental health — and her father is always quietly following and obeying Rose to a fault (don’t know if it’s apathy or deliberate naivety).
Just imagining being in that household — not being able to freely express your feelings to the ones who are supposed to love you unconditionally because you have to play along in this false image of being the prim, proper, and perfect family — was frustrating and suffocating. Really displays the fascinating ways the brain works, with the ability of selective memory and distorting our realities. Just everyone ignoring clear red flags all for the sake of protecting their egos.
While Alex slowly finds out Mina’s secrets, he pretty much made the same assumptions that I made early on, but there was one clear turning point where I started to know where the end was going. The ending didn’t address much of what happened in the aftermath in terms of the legal aspect so I felt empty and unsatisfied with the lack of closure and the fact that there was no clear justice served.
BIG CRIT: Definitely needed many trigger warnings for sexual assault, child abuse, and pedophilia.
stacyc16's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
tiffanyd98's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
whoisshelby's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this story. I went into it without knowing anything but the genre, and I’m glad I did. It definitely keeps you reading. At first you really don’t know what’s going on, and I personally loved that aspect, as it kept me guessing, but if you need to fully understand every aspect as it happens you may want to skip this book. Some twists were a tad predictable but other than that, this was a wonderful read.
knelson3502's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
andrea_loves_books_and_cats's review
mysterious
medium-paced
2.0
This book was mid. Even though it was a mystery with a few twists it was not very thrilling. Also, Alex is not the brightest tool in the shed and Mina was typical.
shawnainher30s's review
dark
emotional
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? Yes
3.5
annalg0514's review
5.0
That ending… woah!
I was a bit bored at first but then it picked up and started running. I wanted to do nothing but read this book to find out more.
I am sitting here mourning over this character because I feel her pain and suffering.
I was a bit bored at first but then it picked up and started running. I wanted to do nothing but read this book to find out more.
I am sitting here mourning over this character because I feel her pain and suffering.
corrine16's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0