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mecfcosta's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
eyrinreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
judeinthestars's review
5.0
[Edit October 27th 2019: I've realized this story had made more of an impression on me than I thought when I wrote this review, so I'm upgrading it from 4 to 5*.]
I needed something to get me out of my head. Not sure a dystopian novel was the right choice! I have no regrets though, it was fantastic. Terrifying and thrilling.
Dani and her two best friends Alice and Joy are getting ready for their first real trip as young adults and Dani plans to come out to them some time during those ten days in New York. When Alice’s parents make them take Alice’s seventeen-year-old sister Paige with them, Alice is mad, Dani not so much. She’s got a huge crush on young Paige but when Paige kisses her, Dani does the adult thing: Paige is underage, Dani won’t act on their mutual crush before she’s eighteen. The next day, Paige disappears while the four women are walking in a crowded New York Street. For thirteen years, Dani, ridden with guilt, can’t stop looking for her, going so far as becoming a police detective instead of going to business school as planned. Suddenly a new case brings her closer to finding out what happened.
There’s a lot happening in the world right now that makes this gripping story seem absolutely believable and sooo scary. What Dani discovers before and after she gets reunited with Paige is horrifying. The writing is excellent, as is the narration by T.J. Richards. As awful as the story being told by Barbara Winkes is, this book left me full of energy from all this excitement.
I needed something to get me out of my head. Not sure a dystopian novel was the right choice! I have no regrets though, it was fantastic. Terrifying and thrilling.
Dani and her two best friends Alice and Joy are getting ready for their first real trip as young adults and Dani plans to come out to them some time during those ten days in New York. When Alice’s parents make them take Alice’s seventeen-year-old sister Paige with them, Alice is mad, Dani not so much. She’s got a huge crush on young Paige but when Paige kisses her, Dani does the adult thing: Paige is underage, Dani won’t act on their mutual crush before she’s eighteen. The next day, Paige disappears while the four women are walking in a crowded New York Street. For thirteen years, Dani, ridden with guilt, can’t stop looking for her, going so far as becoming a police detective instead of going to business school as planned. Suddenly a new case brings her closer to finding out what happened.
There’s a lot happening in the world right now that makes this gripping story seem absolutely believable and sooo scary. What Dani discovers before and after she gets reunited with Paige is horrifying. The writing is excellent, as is the narration by T.J. Richards. As awful as the story being told by Barbara Winkes is, this book left me full of energy from all this excitement.
elvang's review
3.0
A real page turner. You can guess what is going on before Dani sorts it all out herself but it was a fun ride. Would have been a four star read if the ending wasn’t quite so melodramatic.
vixdag's review
4.0
The Amnesia Project by Barbara Winkes is a very timely mystery. Dani, Alice and Joy have just finished college and they have decided to go on a trip to New York to celebrate and bond before they each go their separate ways. Unfortunately for the three friends, Alice’s parents force her younger sister, Paige off on them at the last minute. They decide to make the best of it and head off to the Big Apple. One night while Alice and Joy are out bar hopping and Dani is left to “babysit” the under age Paige, Paige reveals that she has had a crush on Dani for some time. They share one kiss, but Dani puts a stop to it. Not only is Paige under age, but Dani is not out to her two friends , yet. The next day the foursome is out sightseeing and Paige simply disappears.
The book follows Dani’s pursuit to find out what became of Paige. She secretly feels responsible for her disappearance and goes so far as to become a police detective. The suicide of a prominent surgeon leads to a break in Page’s missing person case. And that point, anything else would be a spoiler.
The book is told in the first person, present tense, but the author skips back and forth between Dani’s life and Paige’s. The entire case is filled with roadblocks and becomes more and more ominous as it becomes evident that it isn’t just a missing persons case.
The dialogue is tight. Dani is consumed by her guilt at the detriment of any personal relationship she may attempt. Paige is lost and confused. The two things I liked most about this book was that feeling of “Oh no, oh no!” you get when you can’t stop turning the pages when the plot grabs hold of you. I also liked how the story highlights the real threats facing women, minorities and the LGBTQ community.
Towards the end, one of the villains lays out the grand plan when Dani is captured. I thought this took away from highlighting her skills as a detective. I know that it was important for her to be captured, but I would have preferred to see her connect all those dots on her own.
All in all, this was a good read. It gave me the chills because its make believe plot could easily be put into practice in our current political climate.
I was given an ARC of this book by the author in return for a fair and honest review.
The book follows Dani’s pursuit to find out what became of Paige. She secretly feels responsible for her disappearance and goes so far as to become a police detective. The suicide of a prominent surgeon leads to a break in Page’s missing person case. And that point, anything else would be a spoiler.
The book is told in the first person, present tense, but the author skips back and forth between Dani’s life and Paige’s. The entire case is filled with roadblocks and becomes more and more ominous as it becomes evident that it isn’t just a missing persons case.
The dialogue is tight. Dani is consumed by her guilt at the detriment of any personal relationship she may attempt. Paige is lost and confused. The two things I liked most about this book was that feeling of “Oh no, oh no!” you get when you can’t stop turning the pages when the plot grabs hold of you. I also liked how the story highlights the real threats facing women, minorities and the LGBTQ community.
Towards the end, one of the villains lays out the grand plan when Dani is captured. I thought this took away from highlighting her skills as a detective. I know that it was important for her to be captured, but I would have preferred to see her connect all those dots on her own.
All in all, this was a good read. It gave me the chills because its make believe plot could easily be put into practice in our current political climate.
I was given an ARC of this book by the author in return for a fair and honest review.
lezreviewbooks's review
4.0
In 2003, three young women Dani, Joy, and Alice, and a teenage girl take a trip to New York City. Paige, the teenager, reveals her crush to Dani and disappears without a trace a few hours after. Dani decides to leave no stone unturned and soon enrolls in the police academy to continue searching for Paige. Thirteen years later, Dani finally discovers what happened.
This is my first book by Barbara Winkes and decided to give it a go thanks to the recommendation of Jude from Judeinthestars' blog. This year I’ve decided to try new authors and as I like TJ Richards’s narrating style, it was an easy decision. I’m glad I did as this is a very good lesbian dystopian mystery audiobook that deals with very contentious issues that resonated in me both as a lesbian and a woman.
‘The Amnesia Project’ is mainly a dystopian sci-fi mystery with a romance on the back seat. I understand that the romance wasn’t the most relevant part of the plot, but it was a very important justification for the actions of the main characters. For this reason, I felt that the chemistry between the mains should have been stronger to move the story forward.
The mystery part of the plot is what really makes this book worth a read or listen. It’s a page-turner that will keep you most of the time on the edge of your seat. However, it’s not perfect and I felt that some parts were a bit far-fetched even for the universe that the author built. Having said that, there is a good critique of the role assigned to women in our contemporary society and the constant willingness of certain parts of humankind to control others. It’s scary to see some similarities with our real world.
The audiobook was narrated by TJ Richards who did a very good job with this demanding novel. Her narrative tone adapted well to both the fast-paced and the more contemplative parts and her performance of the myriad of feelings was spot-on. My only critique is that even though her female voices were distinctive, the male ones felt a bit confusing. Despite this, the audiobook is entertaining and thought-provoking. 4 stars for both the story and the narration.
Duration: 7 hours, 50 minutes.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first book by Barbara Winkes and decided to give it a go thanks to the recommendation of Jude from Judeinthestars' blog. This year I’ve decided to try new authors and as I like TJ Richards’s narrating style, it was an easy decision. I’m glad I did as this is a very good lesbian dystopian mystery audiobook that deals with very contentious issues that resonated in me both as a lesbian and a woman.
‘The Amnesia Project’ is mainly a dystopian sci-fi mystery with a romance on the back seat. I understand that the romance wasn’t the most relevant part of the plot, but it was a very important justification for the actions of the main characters. For this reason, I felt that the chemistry between the mains should have been stronger to move the story forward.
The mystery part of the plot is what really makes this book worth a read or listen. It’s a page-turner that will keep you most of the time on the edge of your seat. However, it’s not perfect and I felt that some parts were a bit far-fetched even for the universe that the author built. Having said that, there is a good critique of the role assigned to women in our contemporary society and the constant willingness of certain parts of humankind to control others. It’s scary to see some similarities with our real world.
The audiobook was narrated by TJ Richards who did a very good job with this demanding novel. Her narrative tone adapted well to both the fast-paced and the more contemplative parts and her performance of the myriad of feelings was spot-on. My only critique is that even though her female voices were distinctive, the male ones felt a bit confusing. Despite this, the audiobook is entertaining and thought-provoking. 4 stars for both the story and the narration.
Duration: 7 hours, 50 minutes.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
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