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dawngerrity's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
parul_ngm's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
agrippinaes's review against another edition
3.0
Four strangers meet in a public library one day, and are drawn together when they hear a woman scream inside the building. The unsettling noise sticks in their heads, especially when they learn the dead body of a woman has been found in the library a few days later. They can’t help but try to learn more about the case, but it isn’t long before they start to wonder if they can even trust each other.
I have really mixed feelings about this book. To start with the positives, the writing in this is very strong. It’s engaging and personable, and I actually think there’s some really clever plotting. The book is told in a format I hadn’t expected, based off the description: you, the reader, is reading excerpts from a woman’s novel, and each chapter is rounded off with letters from her beta reader. Initially, this made for a rather disjointed reading experience: it was a bit confusing and took me a while to get used to. By the end of the book, I actually enjoyed this structure and thought it led to some really dramatic storytelling. There’s also a plot-twist halfway through which genuinely took me by surprise.
The actual mystery involving the woman in the library had some interesting points, but I did find it a bit convoluted and I think there were possibly one too many twists and turns in it for it to work for me. But this wasn’t really my issue with the book. There was a really superficial tone to this that I couldn’t get into. I’m fairly certain this was because of the book-within-a-book concept, but the four main characters felt superficial. I didn’t warm to any of the characters through the book at all.
I think, ultimately, that this was the point, but that was my issue with it. I was reading it feeling like I was reading something that was trying to be clever, that these weren’t meant to be characters I found empathetic. It was a bit of an odd experience. To try and put it into words, I felt a sense of smugness whilst reading it and, whilst I think this was deliberate, it wasn’t my kind of thing. I went into this expecting something quite different - and what I got isn’t a bad book by any means, but it’s certainly not for me. That said, the writing is very good and it is very cleverly plotted, and I think this will probably work really well for readers who enjoy a very twisty mystery. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.
Content Notes:
Warnings:
I have really mixed feelings about this book. To start with the positives, the writing in this is very strong. It’s engaging and personable, and I actually think there’s some really clever plotting. The book is told in a format I hadn’t expected, based off the description: you, the reader, is reading excerpts from a woman’s novel, and each chapter is rounded off with letters from her beta reader. Initially, this made for a rather disjointed reading experience: it was a bit confusing and took me a while to get used to. By the end of the book, I actually enjoyed this structure and thought it led to some really dramatic storytelling. There’s also a plot-twist halfway through which genuinely took me by surprise.
Spoiler
Leo’s letters really annoyed me at first, but as the book went on, they became the part I was more interested in. They were genuinely creepy and unsettling, and I thought this was a very effective way of telling this kind of story.The actual mystery involving the woman in the library had some interesting points, but I did find it a bit convoluted and I think there were possibly one too many twists and turns in it for it to work for me. But this wasn’t really my issue with the book. There was a really superficial tone to this that I couldn’t get into. I’m fairly certain this was because of the book-within-a-book concept, but the four main characters felt superficial. I didn’t warm to any of the characters through the book at all.
I think, ultimately, that this was the point, but that was my issue with it. I was reading it feeling like I was reading something that was trying to be clever, that these weren’t meant to be characters I found empathetic. It was a bit of an odd experience. To try and put it into words, I felt a sense of smugness whilst reading it and, whilst I think this was deliberate, it wasn’t my kind of thing. I went into this expecting something quite different - and what I got isn’t a bad book by any means, but it’s certainly not for me. That said, the writing is very good and it is very cleverly plotted, and I think this will probably work really well for readers who enjoy a very twisty mystery. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.
Content Notes:
Warnings:
Spoiler
Murder, references to torture, knife violence, hospital scenes, attempted rape (in past, described on-page), attempted rape of a child (in past, described on-page), intimate partner violence (in past), gun violence (on-page), racism.bookswithbryleigh's review against another edition
mysterious
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
4.0
cmstrand's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
yummy murder mystery to sink your teeth into. i’m always a sucker for a creative narrative perspective, and the interspersed letters to the other author were a fun break from the main plot that added a little more to the book. i just wish that we got a little more from those exchanges once things started amping up in the sub plot. way to build it up and leave me unsatisfied! i’m always wary of books that mention the pandemic, but i understand that it was to help present leo’s obsessiveness and idiosyncrasies.
overall, it was exactly what i was looking for — fun, captivating, with a dash of reckless romance. a great way to spend a fall evening in boston
overall, it was exactly what i was looking for — fun, captivating, with a dash of reckless romance. a great way to spend a fall evening in boston
colinmcraft's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
morgen44's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
verenejensen's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Would’ve loved to see more closure on Leo and the altercation between him and Hannah. I felt the lead up to the arrest and his background could’ve been shared. Still a good murder mystery thriller novel.
ash2app's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
idek. I had a good time reading it but a less good time finishing it