kwsydney's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
designergirl9's review against another edition
3.0
The writing is good I flew through the book but about 75% in it seemed too long. It kind of fell flat at that point for me.
hasinashah's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Stalking, Alcoholism, Grief, Medical content, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence
heather_n's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
southernbellebooks's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't totally love this book. I thought the storyline itself was very interesting and I enjoyed Eliza's story but I couldn't get into THE DOTS. I had a hard time comprehending a lot of what was happening with the story inside the story so I was kind of lost until you figure out why Eliza is the way she is and who Dorothy was. Interesting but definitely not my cup of tea.
screamking's review against another edition
1.0
I've read past Sara Shepard books before so I was interested to see what she does with adult fiction, given most of her other novels are teen fiction. I wasn't too intrigued.
The main character, Eliza, is an unreliable narrator with no recollection of most of the past. She's an up and coming author who is figuring out who tried to kill her at the hotel she was staying at. She has a splash of romance along the way, who of course, tries helping her solve the case. Eliza wasn't likable, as the author tried way too hard to make her dark and edgy but I feel as though Shepard doesn't know how to write characters like that. She even compared her to Wednesday Addams throughout the story and, just... no. It wasn't working. And the way that Eliza is described doesn't match with her actions or her dialogue. Desmond, the love interest, was written to be very kooky-- but his character was also unrealistic and I feel like the two of them had zero chemistry whatsoever and that Sara had a hard time writing them as a pair. The other characters in the story weren't realistic, either, so if you like books that you can relate to certain characters in, I'm not sure how many people would relate to the ones in here.
The mystery itself wasn't poor, but it was very very obvious in what happened. Sara tried throwing a few twists in there but they're the kinds of twists that feel forced just to throw the reader off and prove them wrong. When Eliza's "shover" was revealed, it literally made no sense on why this character would do what they did and Sara failed at explaining it thoroughly. The culprit and background is pretty easy to explain, even from the second chapter. I wouldn't say this is a "whodunit" book, because you're pretty much just waiting for the main character herself to figure it out because you know what happened from the start. Perhaps I read too much Sara Shepard books in the past to understand them from the beginning but judging by this one, I don't think I will be picking up any more of hers.
Loved Pretty Little Liars, though
The main character, Eliza, is an unreliable narrator with no recollection of most of the past. She's an up and coming author who is figuring out who tried to kill her at the hotel she was staying at. She has a splash of romance along the way, who of course, tries helping her solve the case. Eliza wasn't likable, as the author tried way too hard to make her dark and edgy but I feel as though Shepard doesn't know how to write characters like that. She even compared her to Wednesday Addams throughout the story and, just... no. It wasn't working. And the way that Eliza is described doesn't match with her actions or her dialogue. Desmond, the love interest, was written to be very kooky-- but his character was also unrealistic and I feel like the two of them had zero chemistry whatsoever and that Sara had a hard time writing them as a pair. The other characters in the story weren't realistic, either, so if you like books that you can relate to certain characters in, I'm not sure how many people would relate to the ones in here.
The mystery itself wasn't poor, but it was very very obvious in what happened. Sara tried throwing a few twists in there but they're the kinds of twists that feel forced just to throw the reader off and prove them wrong. When Eliza's "shover" was revealed, it literally made no sense on why this character would do what they did and Sara failed at explaining it thoroughly. The culprit and background is pretty easy to explain, even from the second chapter. I wouldn't say this is a "whodunit" book, because you're pretty much just waiting for the main character herself to figure it out because you know what happened from the start. Perhaps I read too much Sara Shepard books in the past to understand them from the beginning but judging by this one, I don't think I will be picking up any more of hers.
Loved Pretty Little Liars, though
scknitter's review against another edition
5.0
The Elizas starts with Eliza Fontaine waking up in the hospital after supposedly jumping into a hotel pool to try and commit suicide (she can’t swim). This is apparently not the only time this has happened, only this time Eliza is sure she didn’t jump – she was pushed. All of this occurs about a week before her first novel, The Dots, is about to be released. A book she wrote in weeks following surgery for a non-malignant brain tumor. A book her family knows nothing about. The Elizas is a book within a book where fact and fiction are hard to separate. Eliza’s family just wants to help her but are they doing more harm than good when they keep things from her. Eliza is so sure that she didn’t jump, this time at least, that she is determined to find out what has really been happening in her life. She enlists the help of the quirky young man who pulled her out of the pool, one of the few people she thinks she can trust, and they embark on a roller coaster ride that uncovers mental illness, cover ups, betrayals and lots and lots of lies.
nzlisam's review against another edition
5.0
Had me hooked from the get-go!
I was really looking forward to this release and am happy to report that I absolutely loved it! I spent the majority of the novel trying to puzzle out, and make sense of what was going on. I had my suspicions – some were correct, most were not. The protagonist, Eliza, was a fascinating, yet pretty screwed-up character. While reading, I had so many questions regarding her. Were there really gaps in her memory, or was she just an accomplished liar? Was someone actually stalking/trying to hurt her, or was it another brain tumour? Did she have a doppelganger/twin? And how did her unpublished manuscript (that is supposed to be a work of fiction but is eerily reminiscent of events in her life) fit in? Every chapter started with Eliza’s POV, ending with an excerpt from her upcoming novel ‘The Dots’. This format worked well at revealing a bit at a time, and kept the tension high. I was very satisfied with the ending – original and clever – and thankfully all my questions were answered, and the loose ends were tied up nicely.
This is Sara Shepard’s first suspense novel aimed at adults, but content wise I didn’t find any parts inappropriate for a teen audience, and Eliza was only in her early twenties. It’s a standalone novel – not part of a series like much of Shepard’s work. As advertised it does have a Hitchcockian vibe to it, which I enjoyed. Read it! Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
I was really looking forward to this release and am happy to report that I absolutely loved it! I spent the majority of the novel trying to puzzle out, and make sense of what was going on. I had my suspicions – some were correct, most were not. The protagonist, Eliza, was a fascinating, yet pretty screwed-up character. While reading, I had so many questions regarding her. Were there really gaps in her memory, or was she just an accomplished liar? Was someone actually stalking/trying to hurt her, or was it another brain tumour? Did she have a doppelganger/twin? And how did her unpublished manuscript (that is supposed to be a work of fiction but is eerily reminiscent of events in her life) fit in? Every chapter started with Eliza’s POV, ending with an excerpt from her upcoming novel ‘The Dots’. This format worked well at revealing a bit at a time, and kept the tension high. I was very satisfied with the ending – original and clever – and thankfully all my questions were answered, and the loose ends were tied up nicely.
This is Sara Shepard’s first suspense novel aimed at adults, but content wise I didn’t find any parts inappropriate for a teen audience, and Eliza was only in her early twenties. It’s a standalone novel – not part of a series like much of Shepard’s work. As advertised it does have a Hitchcockian vibe to it, which I enjoyed. Read it! Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
phdee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
2.75
rosexgold's review
3.0
A little weird reading this right after "Sometimes I Lie." A very similar start and they both have mentions of being "peas in a pod." This was way better though. I am still not over how awful SIL was. It was just pure garbage.
Aaannnywaayyyy, this story was pure, classic Sara Shepard. The concept of lookalikes always has to make an appearance. It's hilarious to me that I could stay ahead of the game and correctly guess what the next reveal would or wouldn't be depending on how far along I was in the book, since I knew it was a stand alone novel and not a series. If it was a series there would have been a few different twists that she laid the groundwork for, but decided to wrap up differently because there just wasn't enough time!
Aaannnywaayyyy, this story was pure, classic Sara Shepard. The concept of lookalikes always has to make an appearance. It's hilarious to me that I could stay ahead of the game and correctly guess what the next reveal would or wouldn't be depending on how far along I was in the book, since I knew it was a stand alone novel and not a series. If it was a series there would have been a few different twists that she laid the groundwork for, but decided to wrap up differently because there just wasn't enough time!