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bookishwithlaura's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was my first thriller/mystery read and it was a really good one. It drew me in right away with questions and curiosities. I really liked how it went back in time to the beginning on the relationship of Owen and Hannah and then to the present moment.
In the book, Hannah Hall’s husband Owen Michaels goes missing after the FBI begins investigating and arresting his boss. He leaves her with his daughter Bailey Michaels. After a US Marshall shows up to their home in Sausalito, Hannah figures out that Owen isn’t who she thought he was. Hannah and Bailey both set out to figure out who Owen really is and why he has done and said the things he has. What they find out and how this brings their relationship closer isn’t something either of them expected.
If you’re trying to get into mystery books this is a great first read. Its engaging and mysterious and i couldn’t have predicted what the end results were.
In the book, Hannah Hall’s husband Owen Michaels goes missing after the FBI begins investigating and arresting his boss. He leaves her with his daughter Bailey Michaels. After a US Marshall shows up to their home in Sausalito, Hannah figures out that Owen isn’t who she thought he was. Hannah and Bailey both set out to figure out who Owen really is and why he has done and said the things he has. What they find out and how this brings their relationship closer isn’t something either of them expected.
If you’re trying to get into mystery books this is a great first read. Its engaging and mysterious and i couldn’t have predicted what the end results were.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
yoursam's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.0
a good read, the does what it says on the tin kind.
i like it when a book doesn't waste time to get to the plot. i know a nice, slow start has its time and place but for stories like this one the hit the ground running approach fits so much better.
there's a bit of a quirk to dave's writing that sometimes works, and sometimes doesn't. a sort of repetition that i don't mind overall but that seems slightly overused in this particular book, it didn't take away my enjoyment but it does get old in some spots, i won't lie. that being said, in general i did like her writing style! i think it lends itself well to the story she has chosen to tell here
i do think maybe there could have been a couple less scenes of hannah getting a lightbulb moment all on her own, where you're sort of left being dragged along by her because she's got something or someone figured out and you don't seem to have all the elements she does to make the connection with her BUT honestly everything flows well enough in terms of plot points and i would consider this almost nitpicky, i'm only including it because it's my review and i do what i want.
as a last thought: wouldn't have minded more bailey!
i like it when a book doesn't waste time to get to the plot. i know a nice, slow start has its time and place but for stories like this one the hit the ground running approach fits so much better.
there's a bit of a quirk to dave's writing that sometimes works, and sometimes doesn't. a sort of repetition that i don't mind overall but that seems slightly overused in this particular book, it didn't take away my enjoyment but it does get old in some spots, i won't lie. that being said, in general i did like her writing style! i think it lends itself well to the story she has chosen to tell here
i do think maybe there could have been a couple less scenes of hannah getting a lightbulb moment all on her own, where you're sort of left being dragged along by her because she's got something or someone figured out and you don't seem to have all the elements she does to make the connection with her BUT honestly everything flows well enough in terms of plot points and i would consider this almost nitpicky, i'm only including it because it's my review and i do what i want.
as a last thought: wouldn't have minded more bailey!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent and Murder
jessthemess8112's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a fun weekend read. The pivots and twists were unexpected and fun to read. I found the ending to have a high self importance of self for the main character that wasn’t justified by the characters past.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, and Murder
leenzreadz's review against another edition
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Murder
kelsey1995we's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment
cassidy_rain's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is one my favorite books I’ve read this year! It’s fast paced, caught my attention from the very beginning and kept it the entire time. I did not want to put it down. I really liked and was invested in the characters. There’s some parts that are a bit far fetched and some of the mysteries are resolved a little too easily, but overall I loved it. Definitely pick this if you’re in the mood for a good and easy mystery/adventure.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment
bookaddictlt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent
viertelvorvier's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
3.5
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Hannah begins to investigate when her husband of one year goes missing, leaving behind only his sixteen-year-old daughter and a cryptic note.
This was my first time listening to a thriller on audio (I’ve always avoided it out of worry about my ability to follow the story) and the good news is the audio format worked really well. The bad news is it was probably because this book isn’t a thriller. I’m not usually a stickler for genre labels (I think they should be really broad and fluid!) but I don’t think this one qualified as a thriller almost any definition. It was, at best, a mystery, and really read to me as “vaguely mysterious contemporary fiction.” That’s a valid genre and even one I read, but I truly think the inaccurate marketing for this one affected my reading experience/perspective in a big way.
That said, there were a lot of positives about the book—I thought the writing itself was really good, the characters were likable and I enjoyed the relationship between Hannah and her step-daughter Bailey, and I thought the audio narration was very well done. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the ending and ultimately had more frustration with this book than I did enjoyment.
All of this with a giant caveat, though: I read this as a buddy read and at least one of my fellow readers LOVED this book and gave it five stars. So it definitely is for some people, even though it largely was not for me.
Recommended if you like: contemporary fiction with a dark edge, reflections on parenthood, missing person stories
CW: Loss of parent; abandonment
Hannah begins to investigate when her husband of one year goes missing, leaving behind only his sixteen-year-old daughter and a cryptic note.
This was my first time listening to a thriller on audio (I’ve always avoided it out of worry about my ability to follow the story) and the good news is the audio format worked really well. The bad news is it was probably because this book isn’t a thriller. I’m not usually a stickler for genre labels (I think they should be really broad and fluid!) but I don’t think this one qualified as a thriller almost any definition. It was, at best, a mystery, and really read to me as “vaguely mysterious contemporary fiction.” That’s a valid genre and even one I read, but I truly think the inaccurate marketing for this one affected my reading experience/perspective in a big way.
That said, there were a lot of positives about the book—I thought the writing itself was really good, the characters were likable and I enjoyed the relationship between Hannah and her step-daughter Bailey, and I thought the audio narration was very well done. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the ending and ultimately had more frustration with this book than I did enjoyment.
All of this with a giant caveat, though: I read this as a buddy read and at least one of my fellow readers LOVED this book and gave it five stars. So it definitely is for some people, even though it largely was not for me.
Recommended if you like: contemporary fiction with a dark edge, reflections on parenthood, missing person stories
CW: Loss of parent; abandonment
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
uranaishi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Classism