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mrsemilym's review against another edition
4.0
Hannah reminisces on her partying college days at Oxford with her friends April, Will, Hugh, Emily and Ryan. She’s also trying to continue her life in the present despite her overwhelming grief and need for proper closure once realizing that she might have made a grave mistake in the investigation of the murder of her best friend April nearly 10 years after the fact! (Idk why she considers April her best friend. To be quite honest I thought she was a sh!t, but I still was curious as to what happened to her for Hannah’s sake. Lol.)
I’ve always loved the format of before and after to tell a story on 2 separate timelines. I appreciate Ruth Ware’s clever mind and her ability to convey multiple possibilities in her books. She really kept the twists coming in this one! When I was convinced someone was the murderer this book said “NOPE” and took me for a ride MULTIPLE times. I really enjoyed this book, but it did take me almost a month to read.
I’ve always loved the format of before and after to tell a story on 2 separate timelines. I appreciate Ruth Ware’s clever mind and her ability to convey multiple possibilities in her books. She really kept the twists coming in this one! When I was convinced someone was the murderer this book said “NOPE” and took me for a ride MULTIPLE times. I really enjoyed this book, but it did take me almost a month to read.
kcoops's review against another edition
5.0
Of all the Ruth Ware books I've read, this one was by far my favorite. The plot twist was one I truly didn't see coming...and I am an avid crime mystery reader so I can usually spot the twist! The character development was perfect, not overly done yet not lacking. The premise of the book was one that hasn't necessarily been overtly done either! Just *chef's kiss* to Ruth, because this was a work of art!
thecaroline_edit's review against another edition
4.0
Kind of a slow start but the end had me shocked!!!
lydsmad's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 - audiobook version on audible
I have very mixed feelings about this one. I got so tired of hearing about April and I felt that this book should have been MUCH shorter as it kept going round and round and round
However I’m a sucker for an Oxford Thriller and the character developments and murder choices were exceptional. I had no idea who the murderer was until the very end! Definitely will read more by this author
I have very mixed feelings about this one. I got so tired of hearing about April and I felt that this book should have been MUCH shorter as it kept going round and round and round
However I’m a sucker for an Oxford Thriller and the character developments and murder choices were exceptional. I had no idea who the murderer was until the very end! Definitely will read more by this author
csmalls's review against another edition
5.0
This book had me thinking I really knew what was going on just to through a curveball at me. I couldn’t put it done. Loved it
the_readingkoala's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
meganclsherry's review against another edition
5.0
A great mystery! I really did think I had it solved, but I was wrong, that’s one of my criteria for a five star rating.
katielovesbooks134's review against another edition
3.0
Libby audio. 2 stars for the book, added star for narration. Someone edit this book and cut out 7 hours! Geez. And stop using and abusing the fetus for emotional content and to move the plot line.
kanncarlson's review against another edition
3.0
This was my least favorite Ruth Ware book in a while. I look forward to Ruth Ware new releases mostly so I can listen to the audio and bask in Imogen Church's voice. Well, even the audio couldn't save this one for me.
We're following a young girl off at Oxford. She's worked really hard to get where she is and finds herself surrounded by a bunch of super privileged young people, the most privileged of which appears to be her new room mate, April. The reader learns pretty quickly that April dies and a creepy guy who works at the college was convicted of her killing. It is also obvious pretty quickly that maybe that was wrong. This book simply felt too long for me. I felt like we spent FOREVER flashing back and forth between present and past and spent A TON of time in the past learning the dynamics in these friendships and I just didn't really enjoy my time doing that. I enjoyed the reveals in the last 15% of the book but I felt like I had to push myself to pick up the book to get to the end instead of feeling compelled to figure out what happened. I can't say I'd recommend this one. If you're looking for other thrillers I think you can find better. If you're looking for a Ware read I'd go for [b:The Turn of the Key|42080142|The Turn of the Key|Ruth Ware|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548204800l/42080142._SY75_.jpg|62793178] and if you're looking for a British audiobook with lovely narration I enjoyed [b:Then She Was Gone|35297426|Then She Was Gone|Lisa Jewell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523891273l/35297426._SY75_.jpg|56020593].
**Came back in to edit because I remembered something I wanted to comment on in this book. I really didn't enjoy how survivors of trauma/crime were portrayed in this book. I felt like there were repeated mentions of the protagonist's feelings that she was responsible, as a witness, for finding and holding the CORRECT killer responsible. I just feel like a lot of victims feel that way and I just don't think it is a message that needs to be further expressed unless there is meaningful discussion later to dispel this feeling of guilt/responsibility. I felt like a TINY bit of that happened later in the book but it wasn't enough for me. Just a portrayal that I wasn't glad to see.
We're following a young girl off at Oxford. She's worked really hard to get where she is and finds herself surrounded by a bunch of super privileged young people, the most privileged of which appears to be her new room mate, April. The reader learns pretty quickly that April dies and a creepy guy who works at the college was convicted of her killing. It is also obvious pretty quickly that maybe that was wrong. This book simply felt too long for me. I felt like we spent FOREVER flashing back and forth between present and past and spent A TON of time in the past learning the dynamics in these friendships and I just didn't really enjoy my time doing that. I enjoyed the reveals in the last 15% of the book but I felt like I had to push myself to pick up the book to get to the end instead of feeling compelled to figure out what happened. I can't say I'd recommend this one. If you're looking for other thrillers I think you can find better. If you're looking for a Ware read I'd go for [b:The Turn of the Key|42080142|The Turn of the Key|Ruth Ware|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548204800l/42080142._SY75_.jpg|62793178] and if you're looking for a British audiobook with lovely narration I enjoyed [b:Then She Was Gone|35297426|Then She Was Gone|Lisa Jewell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523891273l/35297426._SY75_.jpg|56020593].
**Came back in to edit because I remembered something I wanted to comment on in this book. I really didn't enjoy how survivors of trauma/crime were portrayed in this book. I felt like there were repeated mentions of the protagonist's feelings that she was responsible, as a witness, for finding and holding the CORRECT killer responsible. I just feel like a lot of victims feel that way and I just don't think it is a message that needs to be further expressed unless there is meaningful discussion later to dispel this feeling of guilt/responsibility. I felt like a TINY bit of that happened later in the book but it wasn't enough for me. Just a portrayal that I wasn't glad to see.