Reviews

Crossing the Lines by Sulari Gentill

zoylicious's review against another edition

adventurous challenging lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

lehine's review against another edition

2.0

I looked forward to this one for so long, and it had so much potential as an idea, but it was very disappointing. A self-indulgent story about two writers writing each other’s story and becoming increasingly obsessed with each other. The back cover questions which is real- something which is NEVER ANSWERED.
The ending was just. Terrible. Unforgivably bad. The woman is gaslighted into mental care and is just okay with it? Really? The crime is never resolved in a satisfying way either. Just bad.

kayla_jade's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

littleread's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

katehyde's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bigsister's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

rubyt150's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

fourwhitetrees's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

bonniereads777's review against another edition

3.0

I received an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. After She Wrote Him is about a writer who begins writing a new novel, and the main character of the novel is also a writer. The line between real and fictional characters becomes blurred, but the blurring appears to be intentional. There was some brilliance in this book. The plot was slow at first, but the sheer poetry of the writing kept me reading. Aspiring writers will also appreciate this book, because the protagonists are also writers and speak a lot about why writers do what they do. There are a lot of writing tips. When the book eventually became a murder mystery, I was hooked. Both the writer and protagonist were engulfed in mysteries in their lives which caught my attention.

However, the ending was disappointing. Neither mystery is completely solved, and you are left to try and decide what really happened. You are never sure who is the writer and who is the protagonist, and both them are are rendered incapable of finishing the story. The ending in my opinion was unfinished and was a betrayal to the reader. Maybe it was a warning as to what can happen when a writer gets too involved with their main character, but it wasn't enough for me. I wanted a completed story.

honeybee02's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I like the idea of this book. As an avid reader I sometimes get involved with the characters and want to know more about them. But I never think of how a writer could be mentally attached to their characters. 
I wish there was a little more character development and plot development. The twist was weak. It was hard to determine if the MC was actually crazy or if everyone was gaslighting. A little more plot development would have helped this confused. All in all the writing was good and the concept was one I hadn't read before.