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danicam's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
lou_o_donnell's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
3.0
Disclaimer: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this title in exchange for a review.
Imperfect Women was, in many ways, a deeply frustrating book. I enjoyed much of it, but it ultimately left me feeling disappointed.
The writing was lovely. Part best-selling, snappy, crime thriller, part self-conscious literary fiction. I enjoyed many turns of phrase, the reflections they contained and the cinematic use of language. That said, it sometimes felt that the morality lessons from the author lacked any subtlety; they were often shoved down your throat.
I loved the grey morals and the nuance, the complexity of the relationships and the preciousness of friendship. While I found some points of view tedious, I understood that this was an intentional drawing out by the author to illustrate the argument that women are often tangled in webs in their own minds.
The biggest disappointment by far, however, was the predicted outcome. I guessed both twists genuinely less than a fifth of the way through the book. And while I liked the layered build-up of the storytelling through the three perspectives, the red herrings were poor and I found myself annoyed with the predictability. I’m also not delighted with the tied-up-with-a-bow ending, enjoying more ambiguous conclusions myself.
I still recommend this book as a beach read, just not a world shattering one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Forced institutionalization
effy's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Trigger warning for this book: rape
This book just wasn't for me.
It is billed as a thriller but it doesn't really fit what you would usually expect from a thriller. The killer is obvious very early into the book which is disappointing. What really sets this book apart from others in the genre is the fact that the book is told from each of the three women's perspectives focusing on just one perspective at a time. What this means for the book is that it feels as though you are reading / listening to the same book three times back-to-back. Each women does have a different perspective and new elements are unfolded in each portion but it also makes each section feel very long.
The book reads more like a romance / "women's fiction" than a mystery or a thriller. There are a lot of detailed sex scenes in this book.
There are some nice feminist messages running through the book as what it means to be a woman is in the 21st century is explored. It does come across as a little trite at times though and it is really pessimistic. I do not say this lightly but this book had me feeling really depressed.
A final note, and this is very much a personal preference thing... One of the characters is from Birmingham and has a very strong Brummy accent so beware of this if you are picking up the audiobook.
Edit: mild spoiler warning... I actually can't believe that I had forgotten about one section of the story that was particularly uncomfortable. One of the characters is in a very controlling relationship which essentially results in her being forced to have sex with the partner for a month. This was horrible in itself but then just a short period of time later in the book another character describes almost being raped and seemed to be okay with it? It was incredibly bizarre and left me feeling disgusted.
This book just wasn't for me.
It is billed as a thriller but it doesn't really fit what you would usually expect from a thriller. The killer is obvious very early into the book which is disappointing. What really sets this book apart from others in the genre is the fact that the book is told from each of the three women's perspectives focusing on just one perspective at a time. What this means for the book is that it feels as though you are reading / listening to the same book three times back-to-back. Each women does have a different perspective and new elements are unfolded in each portion but it also makes each section feel very long.
The book reads more like a romance / "women's fiction" than a mystery or a thriller. There are a lot of detailed sex scenes in this book.
There are some nice feminist messages running through the book as what it means to be a woman is in the 21st century is explored. It does come across as a little trite at times though and it is really pessimistic. I do not say this lightly but this book had me feeling really depressed.
A final note, and this is very much a personal preference thing... One of the characters is from Birmingham and has a very strong Brummy accent so beware of this if you are picking up the audiobook.
Edit: mild spoiler warning... I actually can't believe that I had forgotten about one section of the story that was particularly uncomfortable. One of the characters is in a very controlling relationship which essentially results in her being forced to have sex with the partner for a month. This was horrible in itself but then just a short period of time later in the book another character describes almost being raped and seemed to be okay with it? It was incredibly bizarre and left me feeling disgusted.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape