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cassandraroz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
3.5
What a wild ride
carlycampbell93's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
meowwlllory's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
eam006's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
3.5
lenny_c's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The premise and podcast-like aspect of this book - being written from the POV of someone recording a podcast on someone else - was really cool, and neatly done for the most part.
Is it worth the read? Yes! But some might find the plot holes/some choices of direction regarding plot and characters frustrating, rather than giving that good old satisfying ending crime novels usually bring.
What's Good:
- I adore the author's description of everyday life;
- The alternate POVs are well-written and around 60% of the book makes you question and notice where the main narrator might be inconsistent;
- It's a fast read, fast-paced, and gripping! I finished it in two days
What's Less Good (and lowered the overall note):
- The end felt slower and kind of dragging, as if the wrap-up of the main twist arrived too early or maybe too late? It felt very "here's the "twist" we've been expecting, now here's a good 30% of consequences and wrap-ups";
- On characterisation of the secondary characters... It's a Big No.
Spoiler ahead underneath, mostly tied around the end of the book and the justifications given to make characters more nuanced when really, they should have been questioned and held accountable.
- The Dad of the allegedly psychotic/liar female protagonist (Josie) being presented as this innocent, sweet old man who wanted to protect and spend time with his daughter, when he was an abuser and did groom his wife as a teenage girl, did nothing to help his 1st daughter and was overall Bad?
- The mother of Josie, who did nothing to stop said grooming, and also had a relationship with the Dad mentioned above, and it's all... Thrown out there like it's ok and she's a victim of her daughter who was 14 at the time? Like? What? You should have taken care of your daughter, Lady. She needed a mental health check-up, not to be allowed to be with a 45 years old.
- Even the husband of the podcaster (Alix) and the justification of "he got drunk and did drugs and abandoned his family regularly but actually it was Trauma uwu and he just did it to protect his wife! No. He was an arse. Maybe not a complete one, but he still was an arse.
- Alix's grief felt disingenuous and sort of weird, even if everyone does grieve differently. I would have preferred the guilt of wanting to keep the podcast going post Nate's disappearance to be stronger, a sort of punishing obsession/urge that others (her mother, her family, her kids) could have pointed out;
- The whole Katherine thing. The whole Katherine scheme, her last podcast entry/interview and her never questioning anything, and also saying to Alix how sorry she was she got her husband killed. It was so... Flippant???
I didn't like the end. I didn't like the cheap "actually maybe the murderer/Bad Person was justified and wasn't responsible for one of the Thing and it's supposed to make you rethink everything you've been told in the last 30% or so!"
It felt like a cheap trick.
Again, spoiler:
I would have much preferred an ending where Alix finds the letter explaining what Josie is implying on her doorstep, clearly unposted/unstamped, making us believe Josie is much closer than we think and also still fully delusional, but making Alix question what Roxy and Erin told her as well. I
Is it worth the read? Yes! But some might find the plot holes/some choices of direction regarding plot and characters frustrating, rather than giving that good old satisfying ending crime novels usually bring.
What's Good:
- I adore the author's description of everyday life;
- The alternate POVs are well-written and around 60% of the book makes you question and notice where the main narrator might be inconsistent;
- It's a fast read, fast-paced, and gripping! I finished it in two days
What's Less Good (and lowered the overall note):
- The end felt slower and kind of dragging, as if the wrap-up of the main twist arrived too early or maybe too late? It felt very "here's the "twist" we've been expecting, now here's a good 30% of consequences and wrap-ups";
- On characterisation of the secondary characters... It's a Big No.
Spoiler ahead underneath, mostly tied around the end of the book and the justifications given to make characters more nuanced when really, they should have been questioned and held accountable.
- The Dad of the allegedly psychotic/liar female protagonist (Josie) being presented as this innocent, sweet old man who wanted to protect and spend time with his daughter, when he was an abuser and did groom his wife as a teenage girl, did nothing to help his 1st daughter and was overall Bad?
- The mother of Josie, who did nothing to stop said grooming, and also had a relationship with the Dad mentioned above, and it's all... Thrown out there like it's ok and she's a victim of her daughter who was 14 at the time? Like? What? You should have taken care of your daughter, Lady. She needed a mental health check-up, not to be allowed to be with a 45 years old.
- Even the husband of the podcaster (Alix) and the justification of "he got drunk and did drugs and abandoned his family regularly but actually it was Trauma uwu and he just did it to protect his wife! No. He was an arse. Maybe not a complete one, but he still was an arse.
- Alix's grief felt disingenuous and sort of weird, even if everyone does grieve differently. I would have preferred the guilt of wanting to keep the podcast going post Nate's disappearance to be stronger, a sort of punishing obsession/urge that others (her mother, her family, her kids) could have pointed out;
- The whole Katherine thing. The whole Katherine scheme, her last podcast entry/interview and her never questioning anything, and also saying to Alix how sorry she was she got her husband killed. It was so... Flippant???
I didn't like the end. I didn't like the cheap "actually maybe the murderer/Bad Person was justified and wasn't responsible for one of the Thing and it's supposed to make you rethink everything you've been told in the last 30% or so!"
It felt like a cheap trick.
Again, spoiler:
fiendec's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
helenreak1's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bdunks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
meggladon3000'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
irbchristine's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
the beginning was quite strong for me. i was intrigued from the get go, definitely a bit slow but like i want very enticed! i really really enjoyed the documentary/interview style parts of this book too!!! those are always so fun when incorporated into a book. but! once things started being revealed that’s where it went down hill. as someone who finds that they aren’t too good at guessing what’s going to happen, i was able to guess quite a few things but i also think that comes from how some of it was basically laid out for you. this book and the characters were quite creepy and disturbing and it was very eerie and it really had so much potential but the execution just was not it. i think the ending was left to interpretation which is one thing i really hate in books because if feels like a cop out on the authors part. idk i honestly expected to be so shocked by this from seeing so many people rave about it, but this just didn’t do it for me unfortunately. though i really enjoyed lisa jewells writing style so im definitely opening to reading more of her books!