poenaestante's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I hate this book. I hate the characters. I hate the story. If this review persuades even one person not to read it then I feel like my sacrifice was not in vain.
kjellouise's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
mamasin's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. A young married couple, Gina and Duncan, traveling through Europe in 1996. Both have many skeletons in their closet that come up in the past and present. Gina suffers a head injury and is not as sharp as she was but what she remembers is very scary and causes many repercussions.
wizardowl's review against another edition
1.0
Incredibly boring. Flat characters, dull lifeless prose. Total waste of time.
mtnofbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway.
It's 1996, a time without cell phones and constant connections to others. It is not abnormal to go days or even weeks without talking to friends or family members. People still sent handwritten letters and postcards while on vacation. In The End of Getting Lost, Gina and Duncan are on a European vacation-slash-delayed honeymoon. Gina's memory is a little wobbly due to a recent head injury, but they are making the most of their trip by moving from city to city and staying in hole-in-the-wall inns. However, she starts to notice some odd behavior from Duncan, including whispered phone calls and stories about broken relationships with her dad and her best friend. Something doesn't add up and a late night of snooping through Duncan's briefcase reveals more than she was expecting.
I believe this is meant to be a psychological thriller but I wanted more. Certainly, there was some mystery and suspense in trying to learn what Duncan was hiding, and by the end, wondering how much Gina knew. I think the secrets could have been more complex and twisty. As a love story, it's a hard no for me. If a man in real life did such things for, or rather to, their wife, everyone around her would have major concerns. It's not love, Gina... get out of there! Now, as historical fiction, I enjoyed this. I mean, 1996 was 26 years ago. I love the reminder of how blissfully disconnected we were, and how one could go away for a week or more and not talk to people they would communicate with on a regular basis. But combining that with the premises of this book helps to build the wedge Duncan has manufactured between Gina and her loved ones. Overall, decent story.
It's 1996, a time without cell phones and constant connections to others. It is not abnormal to go days or even weeks without talking to friends or family members. People still sent handwritten letters and postcards while on vacation. In The End of Getting Lost, Gina and Duncan are on a European vacation-slash-delayed honeymoon. Gina's memory is a little wobbly due to a recent head injury, but they are making the most of their trip by moving from city to city and staying in hole-in-the-wall inns. However, she starts to notice some odd behavior from Duncan, including whispered phone calls and stories about broken relationships with her dad and her best friend. Something doesn't add up and a late night of snooping through Duncan's briefcase reveals more than she was expecting.
I believe this is meant to be a psychological thriller but I wanted more. Certainly, there was some mystery and suspense in trying to learn what Duncan was hiding, and by the end, wondering how much Gina knew. I think the secrets could have been more complex and twisty. As a love story, it's a hard no for me. If a man in real life did such things for, or rather to, their wife, everyone around her would have major concerns. It's not love, Gina... get out of there! Now, as historical fiction, I enjoyed this. I mean, 1996 was 26 years ago. I love the reminder of how blissfully disconnected we were, and how one could go away for a week or more and not talk to people they would communicate with on a regular basis. But combining that with the premises of this book helps to build the wedge Duncan has manufactured between Gina and her loved ones. Overall, decent story.
pemma6's review
4.0
Thank you to S&S and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Try as I might, I really don't like domestic thrillers. And so the plot of this book -- a young couple on a honeymoon after the wife has an accident and can't remember everything -- made me a bit unsure if it would work for me. But something about it made me dive in and I am glad I did!
The main reason this works for me as a literary thriller that manages to be a romance (kind of?) is the alternating POV. I think it's really cleverly written in that the narrators might be unreliable people who lie to each other and often to themselves, but we get into Gina AND Duncan's minds through the flashbacks as the plot progresses. This is key to me -- the narrative quickly moved from "lost wife" to "oh, it's complicated."
One of my other favorite parts of this book was the setting -- the late 90s, flipping between New York and Europe. It made me long for summer, for days when I would just go somewhere, anywhere. Anyway, beautiful language and description.
It was quick, snappy, and felt Gone Girl clever at times. 4 stars.
Try as I might, I really don't like domestic thrillers. And so the plot of this book -- a young couple on a honeymoon after the wife has an accident and can't remember everything -- made me a bit unsure if it would work for me. But something about it made me dive in and I am glad I did!
The main reason this works for me as a literary thriller that manages to be a romance (kind of?) is the alternating POV. I think it's really cleverly written in that the narrators might be unreliable people who lie to each other and often to themselves, but we get into Gina AND Duncan's minds through the flashbacks as the plot progresses. This is key to me -- the narrative quickly moved from "lost wife" to "oh, it's complicated."
One of my other favorite parts of this book was the setting -- the late 90s, flipping between New York and Europe. It made me long for summer, for days when I would just go somewhere, anywhere. Anyway, beautiful language and description.
It was quick, snappy, and felt Gone Girl clever at times. 4 stars.
mehva's review against another edition
3.0
A fast read about an obsessive love affair, not really much of a thriller and written in a somewhat detached style that made it hard to care about either of the main characters. It was set in various European cities and that made it more interesting
louisekf's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tessa_talks_books's review against another edition
4.0
What’s it about (in a nutshell):
In The End of Getting Lost by Robin Kirman, Gina Reinhold and Duncan Lowy, an artistic couple spends an extended honeymoon traveling around Europe, visiting old and new sites. But it is quickly apparent that something is amiss, and Duncan is holding something back. Does true love require escaping from reality?
What I Enjoyed:
I loved the period the book takes place in - 1996—a time before cell phones and social media when a couple could travel to a remote corner of the world and disappear. Today, that’s barely possible unless you were to disconnect, but then that would send up red flags.
I also enjoyed the exploration of the complexities of marriage and how the layers are peeled back one at a time in Gina and Duncan’s relationship. In real life, marriage is not a “they met, fell in love, and lived happily ever after” story. Instead, it is full of struggles brought on by a combination of personalities, emotions, and scars from the past. Marriages, even the best, are messy at times, and that is explored in such an eye-opening manner in this story.
The suspense is seeded through the story starting very early, which held my attention firmly in the book. It is told through both Gina’s and Duncan’s perspectives in alternating chapters and goes back and forth in time from their childhoods, through their courtship, and ending with the present (1996). These stops provide the pieces the reader needs to understand what is happening and why.
Characters:
I can’t say that I liked the characters. You get to know Gina and Duncan pretty well, but I never reached that level where I could fully sympathize or relate. And the support characters do not have enough to their development to provide that kind of connection.
Gina is a dancer that performs internationally. She hit her head in an accident and can’t remember the last six months.
Duncan is a composer trying to make a name for himself in the music world.
They met at Yale and enjoy collaborating on dance productions more than anything else as a couple.
What I Wish:
I wish that there was more story leading up to the conclusion that is directly related to the end. I loved the ending, and I saw it coming from about halfway, but I was looking forward to the details being revealed. But they never were. The story just flew to the end, and I went back, sure that I missed those pieces that I was looking forward to reading.
To Read or Not to Read:
If you are looking for a suspenseful read that will envelop you with its atmospheric world and hold you in its grip with its thrilling plot, The End of Getting Lost is just what you are looking for.
In The End of Getting Lost by Robin Kirman, Gina Reinhold and Duncan Lowy, an artistic couple spends an extended honeymoon traveling around Europe, visiting old and new sites. But it is quickly apparent that something is amiss, and Duncan is holding something back. Does true love require escaping from reality?
What I Enjoyed:
I loved the period the book takes place in - 1996—a time before cell phones and social media when a couple could travel to a remote corner of the world and disappear. Today, that’s barely possible unless you were to disconnect, but then that would send up red flags.
I also enjoyed the exploration of the complexities of marriage and how the layers are peeled back one at a time in Gina and Duncan’s relationship. In real life, marriage is not a “they met, fell in love, and lived happily ever after” story. Instead, it is full of struggles brought on by a combination of personalities, emotions, and scars from the past. Marriages, even the best, are messy at times, and that is explored in such an eye-opening manner in this story.
The suspense is seeded through the story starting very early, which held my attention firmly in the book. It is told through both Gina’s and Duncan’s perspectives in alternating chapters and goes back and forth in time from their childhoods, through their courtship, and ending with the present (1996). These stops provide the pieces the reader needs to understand what is happening and why.
Characters:
I can’t say that I liked the characters. You get to know Gina and Duncan pretty well, but I never reached that level where I could fully sympathize or relate. And the support characters do not have enough to their development to provide that kind of connection.
Gina is a dancer that performs internationally. She hit her head in an accident and can’t remember the last six months.
Duncan is a composer trying to make a name for himself in the music world.
They met at Yale and enjoy collaborating on dance productions more than anything else as a couple.
What I Wish:
I wish that there was more story leading up to the conclusion that is directly related to the end. I loved the ending, and I saw it coming from about halfway, but I was looking forward to the details being revealed. But they never were. The story just flew to the end, and I went back, sure that I missed those pieces that I was looking forward to reading.
To Read or Not to Read:
If you are looking for a suspenseful read that will envelop you with its atmospheric world and hold you in its grip with its thrilling plot, The End of Getting Lost is just what you are looking for.