quietblue's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
karisbirchett's review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-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
3.0
It has a lot of language in it and some things that are inappropriate for younger people.
katoo7's review against another edition
3.0
I felt the book had potential but left me high and dry. As other reviewers have mentioned, there is no opportunity to connect with any of the characters. I don't get to know them and as a result, I felt ultimately disconnected from the story.
The story itself was oddly paced and I had some trouble with pushing through many of the parts. I found myself just wanting to get it over with and move on to the next snippet. Parts of it were interesting but those parts felt almost like a different story.
Part of me wonders if this wasn't done purposefully by the author to convey the dueling personalities of narcissistic personality disorder. If so, it was a noble attempt but fell flat.
Overall, the book was decent. I wouldn't recommend it though and probably won't read the author's other novel.
The story itself was oddly paced and I had some trouble with pushing through many of the parts. I found myself just wanting to get it over with and move on to the next snippet. Parts of it were interesting but those parts felt almost like a different story.
Part of me wonders if this wasn't done purposefully by the author to convey the dueling personalities of narcissistic personality disorder. If so, it was a noble attempt but fell flat.
Overall, the book was decent. I wouldn't recommend it though and probably won't read the author's other novel.
thegeekybibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
Two sisters disappeared one night. Three years later, only one of them came back. Where happened to the other one? Will she be found?
Emma in the Night is a fascinating story centering around the disappearance of the Tanner sisters—Emma and Cass—and the investigation that takes place after Cass returns alone. Cass tells the police Emma arranged to run away from home—and their abusive mother— to live on a secluded island with a couple who promised to help her. Unbeknownst to Emma, Cass followed her the night she left, and was brought to the island along with her sister when she was discovered. Rather than a sanctuary, the island became a prison, and it took three years for Cass to make her escape. Having gained her freedom at last, Cass asks the police to help save Emma before it's too late. But forensic psychiatrist Dr. Abby Winter felt Cass wasn't being completely truthful with them, and her investigation leads to a shocking revelation.
I loved this novel! Cass was often an unreliable narrator, and I spent a lot of time trying to read between the lines of what she was saying or doing at the moment. I'm not sure what I expected, but when the big reveal finally came, it knocked me off my feet. That was a twist I definitely didn't see coming. Highly recommended!
I received an advance review copy of this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press via Netgalley.
Emma in the Night is a fascinating story centering around the disappearance of the Tanner sisters—Emma and Cass—and the investigation that takes place after Cass returns alone. Cass tells the police Emma arranged to run away from home—and their abusive mother— to live on a secluded island with a couple who promised to help her. Unbeknownst to Emma, Cass followed her the night she left, and was brought to the island along with her sister when she was discovered. Rather than a sanctuary, the island became a prison, and it took three years for Cass to make her escape. Having gained her freedom at last, Cass asks the police to help save Emma before it's too late. But forensic psychiatrist Dr. Abby Winter felt Cass wasn't being completely truthful with them, and her investigation leads to a shocking revelation.
I loved this novel! Cass was often an unreliable narrator, and I spent a lot of time trying to read between the lines of what she was saying or doing at the moment. I'm not sure what I expected, but when the big reveal finally came, it knocked me off my feet. That was a twist I definitely didn't see coming. Highly recommended!
I received an advance review copy of this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press via Netgalley.
abartley73's review against another edition
2.0
This book left me irritated. Like truly irritated. I took a bit to collect my thoughts and checked out some other reviews. I wanted to see what other people liked and what they didn’t.
Let me start off by saying that my reading is so scattered. I’ll go through times when I do nothing but read or go for months not reading a single book. It’s been a while since I had read so I wanted a good, keep you on the edge of your seat, thriller. I’ve heard good things about this book so I chose it.
When I first started this book, the writing was interesting. The story is being told to you versus actually living through it with them. It spent a lot of time explaining characters and talking about past events. It really had me intrigued and I wanted to read more because it seemed well thought out and was leading up to a really great story with characters the reader could really understand.
But then I hit around the 100 page mark and I was bored. I think really filling out characters is great, but it just started telling the same stories and defining characters TOO much. I mean, this is considered a thriller right? Where’s the action? Where’s that moment that pulls the reader in to where they can’t stop reading? I never found it.
I have plenty of time to read with the job I have, so I figured I’d finish this rather quickly. It took me TWO weeks because I didn’t have the motivation to sit down and push through this.
I finally get to around the 70% mark and I’m so ready tonight to finish this. I wanted to get to the twist and hopefully make it all worth it. Isn’t that why we all read thrillers? That shocking moment that can turn the worst book into something amazing because of how good the twist is? Bleh. I didn’t find it shocking at all. I had a decent idea of what would happen because I felt like the book was secretly telling you something wasn’t right.
I won’t put any spoilers in this review because I just don’t care enough about this book to explain exactly what the problem was for me. I’ll just say this. I didn’t hate this book which is why it got 2 stars from me. But if you’re looking for action or that moment where your jaw drops from a thriller or even being on the edge of your seat while reading, this isn’t the book to pick.
Let me start off by saying that my reading is so scattered. I’ll go through times when I do nothing but read or go for months not reading a single book. It’s been a while since I had read so I wanted a good, keep you on the edge of your seat, thriller. I’ve heard good things about this book so I chose it.
When I first started this book, the writing was interesting. The story is being told to you versus actually living through it with them. It spent a lot of time explaining characters and talking about past events. It really had me intrigued and I wanted to read more because it seemed well thought out and was leading up to a really great story with characters the reader could really understand.
But then I hit around the 100 page mark and I was bored. I think really filling out characters is great, but it just started telling the same stories and defining characters TOO much. I mean, this is considered a thriller right? Where’s the action? Where’s that moment that pulls the reader in to where they can’t stop reading? I never found it.
I have plenty of time to read with the job I have, so I figured I’d finish this rather quickly. It took me TWO weeks because I didn’t have the motivation to sit down and push through this.
I finally get to around the 70% mark and I’m so ready tonight to finish this. I wanted to get to the twist and hopefully make it all worth it. Isn’t that why we all read thrillers? That shocking moment that can turn the worst book into something amazing because of how good the twist is? Bleh. I didn’t find it shocking at all. I had a decent idea of what would happen because I felt like the book was secretly telling you something wasn’t right.
I won’t put any spoilers in this review because I just don’t care enough about this book to explain exactly what the problem was for me. I’ll just say this. I didn’t hate this book which is why it got 2 stars from me. But if you’re looking for action or that moment where your jaw drops from a thriller or even being on the edge of your seat while reading, this isn’t the book to pick.
jessareader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
dclovie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
pamseven's review against another edition
4.0
It took awhile for this book to draw me in. The shifting voices and time periods threw me for the first few chapters. And it took me an even longer time to understand the "Mom"/"Mrs. Martin" thing. I stayed with it because I had heard good things about the book and I wanted to be there when the puzzle pieces were put into place. The ending was pretty good although I had inklings of the answers way prior to the ending. Perhaps it is because I am a mother and have been a stepmother but I'm not very happy when either of those is portrayed as evil. I also have a very difficult time with stories involving children being harmed physically, mentally or emotionally. That being said, I did find the book interesting although I would not recommend this to someone without many warnings. I will be seeking out Walker's earlier book "All is Not Forgotten".
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
In Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker, fifteen year old Cass and seventeen year old Emma disappear from their dysfunctional home and three years later, only one of them returns. What happened that fateful night? Where have the Tanner sisters been for the past three years? And perhaps, most importantly of all, where is Emma?
Upon her return, Cass is more than willing to talk to FBI forensic psychologist Dr. Abby Winter and Special Agent Leo Strauss but only if her mother Judy Martin is present. Her explanation of the circumstances surrounding their disappearance is enthralling but she cannot provide more than a vague description of where they were held. She is quite desperate for the FBI to begin searching for Emma but is there more to the story than Cass is revealing?
When the girls first went missing, Abby is the only person who recognized the truth about Judy Martin. After the original investigation stalled, Abby must undergo therapy to put the case into perspective but she never doubts she was on the right track. With Cass's unexpected return she and Leo are quickly reassigned to the case. While Cass's account of their disappearance and the years they were gone is quite detailed and much of her explanation rings true, Abby is not certain they are getting the whole truth. Abby's personal history raises questions about her impartiality in the case but these experiences also make her more sensitive to the subtle nuances in Cass's behavior and the dynamics of the various relationships in the Tanner/Martin household.
Cass's first-person narration offers a chilling and heartrending peek into the extremely unhealthy and toxic environment with their manipulative and self-absorbed mother. Her parents' divorce and the ensuing custody battle resulted in a horrific rift between Cass and Judy and led to a breakdown in her relationship with Emma. Judy's quick marriage to a divorced man with a teenage son whose troubling relationship with his new stepsisters also contributes to the increasingly tense atmosphere in the household. Over the years, the various relationships continue to deteriorate to a shocking degree.
Emma in the Night is a slow burner of a story that alternates between Cass and Abby's points of view. Wendy Walker's portrayal of Judy's narcissistic behavior is a realistic depiction of a rare psychiatric disorder that results in incredibly dysfunctional and psychologically abusive relationships. The truth about what happened in the years leading up to Cass and Emma's disappearance is extremely heartbreaking and given the circumstances, very easy to believe. With plenty of unexpected twists and turns, the novel wends its way to a fairly shocking yet completely satisfying conclusion.
Upon her return, Cass is more than willing to talk to FBI forensic psychologist Dr. Abby Winter and Special Agent Leo Strauss but only if her mother Judy Martin is present. Her explanation of the circumstances surrounding their disappearance is enthralling but she cannot provide more than a vague description of where they were held. She is quite desperate for the FBI to begin searching for Emma but is there more to the story than Cass is revealing?
When the girls first went missing, Abby is the only person who recognized the truth about Judy Martin. After the original investigation stalled, Abby must undergo therapy to put the case into perspective but she never doubts she was on the right track. With Cass's unexpected return she and Leo are quickly reassigned to the case. While Cass's account of their disappearance and the years they were gone is quite detailed and much of her explanation rings true, Abby is not certain they are getting the whole truth. Abby's personal history raises questions about her impartiality in the case but these experiences also make her more sensitive to the subtle nuances in Cass's behavior and the dynamics of the various relationships in the Tanner/Martin household.
Cass's first-person narration offers a chilling and heartrending peek into the extremely unhealthy and toxic environment with their manipulative and self-absorbed mother. Her parents' divorce and the ensuing custody battle resulted in a horrific rift between Cass and Judy and led to a breakdown in her relationship with Emma. Judy's quick marriage to a divorced man with a teenage son whose troubling relationship with his new stepsisters also contributes to the increasingly tense atmosphere in the household. Over the years, the various relationships continue to deteriorate to a shocking degree.
Emma in the Night is a slow burner of a story that alternates between Cass and Abby's points of view. Wendy Walker's portrayal of Judy's narcissistic behavior is a realistic depiction of a rare psychiatric disorder that results in incredibly dysfunctional and psychologically abusive relationships. The truth about what happened in the years leading up to Cass and Emma's disappearance is extremely heartbreaking and given the circumstances, very easy to believe. With plenty of unexpected twists and turns, the novel wends its way to a fairly shocking yet completely satisfying conclusion.