Reviews

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

catreader18's review against another edition

5.0

WOW!!! That’s all I can say about this book. I had expected it to be a typical murder mystery but it was anything but. Rowan answers an ad for a live in nanny in a remote area of Scotland. At first it sounds too good to be true. Very good salary, live in smart home, handsome handyman, and working with kids. Luckily she is not scared easily because the last few nannies did not stay long claiming the house was haunted. Rowan is so excited for the job she does not pay too much attention to the stories. She arrives for work in her first day and finds out the parents are leaving the next day for one week and she is in charge of the kids. Not the ideal way to start your job, but she can handle it. Then she starts hearing noises and things go downhill from there.

I had a very hard time putting down this book. It is written from Rowan’s view in letters to a new lawyer while she is in jail. She claims she did not murder the child. However the last section of the book was completely unexpected. I was blown away. This is a definite 5 star read!

alcinamac's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.25

alexabookish's review against another edition

2.0

there is definitely nothing wrong with this book, the only reasons i didn’t rate it higher is personal preferences.
first, it’s absolutely a very slow build. and it’s definitely not a thriller, it’s more of a mystery, but i also hesitate categorizing it as that. it’s very slow, and that’s just not what i look for in mysteries. but if you like that, i would absolutely recommend this.
i really really enjoyed the big reveals at the end. one of them i did kind of see coming, but the others i thought were really well done.
overall, i’d still recommend this to anyone who enjoys slow, ominous books.

kyleigh_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.25

idkemmaaa's review against another edition

2.0

2.5
boring and anti climactic :/ the audiobook was done really well tho, if it weren’t for that i probably wouldn’t have been able to finish this

mhkennadixon's review against another edition

5.0

Ruth Ware's books are always very hit-or-miss for me, but THIS one was fantastic! At first, I hated the main character/narrator (found her whiny and annoying), but over the course of the book, I learned to look past that, and overall REALLY enjoyed it! Highly recommend - this one's worth it!

quietkidsimreading's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoyed the premise of the book, and the final twist, but I just couldn't stand the main character, even in hindsight. Don't regret reading, though!

kerryppayne's review against another edition

4.0

3.5, rounded up!
Maybe I'm just in the mood for some spooky stuff that turns out isn't actually ghosts after all

emmabjorn's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

cicidrums's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-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