marcccb's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
I’ve read The Good Girl and Every Last Lie by Kubica before and I really thought this one would be a little different, but sadly I was wrong.
Kubica knows how to write a story, that’s for sure. She also knows how to hook you in the middle of it and right towards the end. But for me, Kubica fails to end her novels with a great twist. It’s never really shocking, or sometimes the twist isn’t there at all. But I do enjoy reading her novels. The plot is always very intriguing and a lot usually happens through the book. It’s never bland.
I was expecting a lot more from this novel but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love some parts of it. Reading about Jessie’s insomnia and how it drove her to paranoia. It’s very interesting to see what situations she gets herself in and if what she is seeing is real or not. I did like how it shifts from past to present. The story shifts from the early 20th century, Eden is a young woman who is having trouble conceiving a child and it goes back to Jessie, who insomnia is driving her to see things that might or might not be real. Are those two stories connected?
I really wish I enjoyed this one a little more than I did, but it was still a great read!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for providing me with a digital copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
I’ve read The Good Girl and Every Last Lie by Kubica before and I really thought this one would be a little different, but sadly I was wrong.
Kubica knows how to write a story, that’s for sure. She also knows how to hook you in the middle of it and right towards the end. But for me, Kubica fails to end her novels with a great twist. It’s never really shocking, or sometimes the twist isn’t there at all. But I do enjoy reading her novels. The plot is always very intriguing and a lot usually happens through the book. It’s never bland.
I was expecting a lot more from this novel but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love some parts of it. Reading about Jessie’s insomnia and how it drove her to paranoia. It’s very interesting to see what situations she gets herself in and if what she is seeing is real or not. I did like how it shifts from past to present. The story shifts from the early 20th century, Eden is a young woman who is having trouble conceiving a child and it goes back to Jessie, who insomnia is driving her to see things that might or might not be real. Are those two stories connected?
I really wish I enjoyed this one a little more than I did, but it was still a great read!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for providing me with a digital copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
annes_reading_journey's review against another edition
2.0
While this book had a good plot and flowed well. I'm left with so many questions.
1. Why didn't the mention who exactly Jessie's father was?
2. Why didn't Jessie ever find out why she was presumed dead?
3. Why were the names different from dreams and reality?
4. Who was Mrs. Gresyler, and wait roll did she play?
4.5 Was the just someone in Jessie's dream?
As you can see (to whoever reads this) I'm left with so many unanswered questions
1. Why didn't the mention who exactly Jessie's father was?
2. Why didn't Jessie ever find out why she was presumed dead?
3. Why were the names different from dreams and reality?
4. Who was Mrs. Gresyler, and wait roll did she play?
4.5 Was the just someone in Jessie's dream?
As you can see (to whoever reads this) I'm left with so many unanswered questions
illidia316's review against another edition
4.0
I am so very torn about this book. I loved 95% of it. Great suspense, great mystery, great characters. The ending is the other 5% - I just don’t get it at all. Just about anything else could have happened and it would have made more sense. However, everything else about this book is fantastic!
hanmarfre's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I was extremely disappointed in this book. The ending made me want to throw the book across the room and I really felt like I wasted my time.
abbysue3's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Infertility, Kidnapping, Death, and Death of parent
11d's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
nikkid810's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting story. I liked how the plot leads you in one direction and then the story twists and turns to reveal what actually happens. The narrators were perfect for the audiobook. Julia Whelan never disappoints and the narrator for Jessie was great as well with her sleepy voice.
ashtotheley's review against another edition
4.0
This book had me so confused until I realized the ending. It made me super emotional.
bookiesncreme's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Miscarriage, Blood, and Child death
alibi313's review against another edition
1.0
For all of you who love listening to someone recount their lengthy, convoluted dreams, have I got a book for you! I’ve read all Kubica’s previous works, and while I haven’t loved them (primarily because she writes such unlikeable characters), they usually keep me fairly entertained. Listening to this audiobook made me notice for the first time what a truly bad writer she is, and it broke me—this is my last book from her. It’s filled to bursting with strained metaphors and similes (“my heart beats inside me like a cheetah,” “I softened like a stick of butter left on the counter too long,” “her eyes are poker-faced!!!??”), redundancies galore (“I lie awake not sleeping,” “I was followed from behind,” “male sperm!!!??”), and curious word choices that seem selected by throwing darts at a subpar thesaurus (“I lathered blush on my cheeks???”). Add to that two annoying protagonists (one’s painfully obtuse, the other’s pathologically obsessive!) and an endless infertility plot line not even hinted at in the GR synopsis (though it easily takes up a third of the book), and this is one big NO for me.