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bwunitulips's review
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
1.75
i should have just DNF'd this book . it goes on for so long , and at times it can get confusing . not only that , but it can be very confusing when the point of view suddenly changes and it takes you a couple minutes to figure it out .
i don't like being lied to throughout a whole book , either . there were NO hints towards the plot twists . were the twists good ? sure . but were they enjoyable ? no . all i did was laugh and laugh once i found out what actually happened . we also don't even find out what happened to the characters past the plot twist . what happened to maddy ? any case put up against sebastian ? what was done with the information the detective had dumped on him at the end ? how did nicky even feel about what she found out ? sure , we get told , but it's not just something we can be told once and just accept .
over all : confusing , slow , and not well written . the plot twist isn't really even worth it .
if you're like me and just want to know the twist without having to read the book , i'll put it below .
SPOILER AHEAD DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE PLOT TWIST !
Nicky turns out to be Cole . Cole at fourteen years of age told their mother that they were born in the wrong body . their trips together every few months are actually them going to a psychologist and getting treatment .
Sebastian didn't actually kill Hope . Maddy did . Cole and Hope had planned to run away together . Maddy saw her mom sneaking away and was pissed off at her for choosing Cole over the family , and pushed her ( which killed her ) .
how did the cops not notice Cole ( Nicky ) leaving home ? she had actually gotten a wig , and outfit from her mother , which they put on when they left . this is why no one recognized her at the train station . they were looking for a little boy . not a little girl .
Sebastian DID kill Diana , though . Maddy , for some reason , had kept her mothers necklace that Nicky had given her many many years before . Simone had borrowed it from Maddy on the night of the party , not recognizing it , and not having really asked Maddy to borrow it . Simone gave it to Diana by the end of the night . Diana confronted Sebastian . they both recognized the truth . Diana wanted to go to the cops . to protect Maddy , Sebastian killed her .
crazy as these plot twists might be , it's not worth suffering through 400+ pages of a book to find them out .
i don't like being lied to throughout a whole book , either . there were NO hints towards the plot twists . were the twists good ? sure . but were they enjoyable ? no . all i did was laugh and laugh once i found out what actually happened . we also don't even find out what happened to the characters past the plot twist . what happened to maddy ? any case put up against sebastian ? what was done with the information the detective had dumped on him at the end ? how did nicky even feel about what she found out ? sure , we get told , but it's not just something we can be told once and just accept .
over all : confusing , slow , and not well written . the plot twist isn't really even worth it .
if you're like me and just want to know the twist without having to read the book , i'll put it below .
SPOILER AHEAD DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE PLOT TWIST !
Nicky turns out to be Cole . Cole at fourteen years of age told their mother that they were born in the wrong body . their trips together every few months are actually them going to a psychologist and getting treatment .
Sebastian didn't actually kill Hope . Maddy did . Cole and Hope had planned to run away together . Maddy saw her mom sneaking away and was pissed off at her for choosing Cole over the family , and pushed her ( which killed her ) .
how did the cops not notice Cole ( Nicky ) leaving home ? she had actually gotten a wig , and outfit from her mother , which they put on when they left . this is why no one recognized her at the train station . they were looking for a little boy . not a little girl .
Sebastian DID kill Diana , though . Maddy , for some reason , had kept her mothers necklace that Nicky had given her many many years before . Simone had borrowed it from Maddy on the night of the party , not recognizing it , and not having really asked Maddy to borrow it . Simone gave it to Diana by the end of the night . Diana confronted Sebastian . they both recognized the truth . Diana wanted to go to the cops . to protect Maddy , Sebastian killed her .
crazy as these plot twists might be , it's not worth suffering through 400+ pages of a book to find them out .
jjp_reads's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
growmealibrary's review
fast-paced
4.0
This was a really good book and solidified my love for AJ Finn. The twist at the end totally got me. I wasn’t expecting it at all and loved it so much. Awesome thriller!!
vacantbones's review against another edition
4.0
Perhaps my most controversial take of 2024 but I liked this book, LMAO. I really don't have anything to say re: the author's (for a lack of a better word) "interesting" personal life, but I loved The Woman in the Window so I had to come back and give this one a shot.
Admittedly, the writing is weird at times and Finn makes some odd choices throughout the book. But the story itself had me hooked, and the last few chapters actually, unexpectedly, touched my heart. Can't explain it, man.
Admittedly, the writing is weird at times and Finn makes some odd choices throughout the book. But the story itself had me hooked, and the last few chapters actually, unexpectedly, touched my heart. Can't explain it, man.
sambalam's review
4.0
Well dang, I guess that’s wasn’t expecting the ending. I had a hunch, but the way it turned after my hunch was incorrect was quite interesting. They certainly tried to solve a mystery or two.