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oxfordcommas91's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.5
To get the “bad” out of the way with first: I wasn’t really bought in/ hooked until about 25% in and I wish that the “twist” would have been bigger. When it finally came I was like “oh… okay, was that it?” I sort of kept waiting for some more shocking reveal as I kept reading.
The good was that this was a fairly compelling story about family and uncovering the truth, no matter the cost.
The concept is interesting - a woman witnesses a crime committed by a member of her family and gets stuck in a time loop, traveling back in time to understand why it happened in hopes of preventing it in the future. The plot being unique kept me intrigued and the last 50% sped by. It was a fast and fun read.
Not a super scary “keep you up at night” thriller, but a bit more of a psychological suspense.
The good was that this was a fairly compelling story about family and uncovering the truth, no matter the cost.
The concept is interesting - a woman witnesses a crime committed by a member of her family and gets stuck in a time loop, traveling back in time to understand why it happened in hopes of preventing it in the future. The plot being unique kept me intrigued and the last 50% sped by. It was a fast and fun read.
Not a super scary “keep you up at night” thriller, but a bit more of a psychological suspense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
angorarabbit's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Written from Jen’s POV. Characters are in depth and realistic, particularly Jen and Kelly. The plot is intriguing and well told. I did twig part of the plot twist in the first few chapters. Whether this was Ms McAllister tipping her hand or a bit of specialised knowledge on my part I’m not sure. I didn’t catch on to the whole twist until the very satisfying ending.
You do have to suspend disbelief as far as hysterical strength causing a time warp. To read Jen’s journey is worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Drug trafficking.sheebsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Grief
Minor: Cursing, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
jaemeappel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Suicide
kelly_e's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Title: Wrong Place Wrong Time
Author: Gillian McAllister
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: August 2, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Intriguing • Creative • Anticlimactic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Can you stop a murder after it’s already happened?
Late October. After midnight. You’re waiting up for your seventeen-year-old son. He’s late. As you watch from the window, he emerges, and you realize he isn’t alone: he’s walking toward a man, and he’s armed.
You can’t believe it when you see him do it: your funny, happy teenage son, he kills a stranger, right there on the street outside your house. You don’t know who. You don’t know why. You only know your son is now in custody. His future shattered.
That night you fall asleep in despair. All is lost. Until you wake...
... and it is yesterday.
And then you wake again...
... and it is the day before yesterday.
Every morning you wake up a day earlier, another day before the murder. With another chance to stop it. Somewhere in the past lies an answer. The trigger for this crime—and you don’t have a choice but to find it...
💭 T H O U G H T S
Wrong Place Wrong Time is a book I probably wouldn't have picked on my own, but when it was selected as the February book for my in-person book club I knew I would give it a shot. I was interested in the time travel aspect, but was definitely hesitant about the rest of the premise.
I was deeply invested in the unique narrative at the start and could not put it down. The time travel aspect was intriguing, but the middle was an absolute slog and I found myself just wanting it to end. Eventually the pace would pick back up, but it was too late, my interest had already waned. In fact, the ending was a little anticlimactic for me. I understand the slow pacing is due to the way in which it is written - backwards through time - yet there wasn't the tension I carved.
There were several themes I appreciated. Firstly, I liked how this novel explore how what may seem like small choices and actions at the time, can have huge impacts on our future lives. And how if you change one thing, it can change everything. It's an interesting concept that leads to a lot of contemplation. Second, I thought it was a very realistic depiction of motherhood and the impact of mom guilt.
Gillian McAllister gets my praise simply for the creativity of the plot, and for all of the planning I imagine went into putting it into words. It's certainly unlike any thriller I've read and that deserves credit. I just wish it could have been executed a little more smoothly with more tension and quicker pace.
Overall, Wrong Place Wrong Time didn't do it for me. I know I am in the minority, as this is beloved by so many, but the pace didn't pick up until the final 25% and by then it was too late. I did really like the concept, but the execution faltered and I had to push myself to get through. I don't think I will be reading anything else by this author in the future, but I can understand why she's a favourite author of many readers.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• time-travel enthusiasts
• readers looking for unique thriller
⚠️ CW: murder, gun violence, blood, injury/injury detail, death, death of parent, grief, stalking, kidnapping, cursing, mental illness, suicide, addiction, drug use, drug abuse, fatphobia, sexual content, pregnancy, gaslighting
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"But knowing the future is worse than not knowing."
Author: Gillian McAllister
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: August 2, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Intriguing • Creative • Anticlimactic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Can you stop a murder after it’s already happened?
Late October. After midnight. You’re waiting up for your seventeen-year-old son. He’s late. As you watch from the window, he emerges, and you realize he isn’t alone: he’s walking toward a man, and he’s armed.
You can’t believe it when you see him do it: your funny, happy teenage son, he kills a stranger, right there on the street outside your house. You don’t know who. You don’t know why. You only know your son is now in custody. His future shattered.
That night you fall asleep in despair. All is lost. Until you wake...
... and it is yesterday.
And then you wake again...
... and it is the day before yesterday.
Every morning you wake up a day earlier, another day before the murder. With another chance to stop it. Somewhere in the past lies an answer. The trigger for this crime—and you don’t have a choice but to find it...
💭 T H O U G H T S
Wrong Place Wrong Time is a book I probably wouldn't have picked on my own, but when it was selected as the February book for my in-person book club I knew I would give it a shot. I was interested in the time travel aspect, but was definitely hesitant about the rest of the premise.
I was deeply invested in the unique narrative at the start and could not put it down. The time travel aspect was intriguing, but the middle was an absolute slog and I found myself just wanting it to end. Eventually the pace would pick back up, but it was too late, my interest had already waned. In fact, the ending was a little anticlimactic for me. I understand the slow pacing is due to the way in which it is written - backwards through time - yet there wasn't the tension I carved.
There were several themes I appreciated. Firstly, I liked how this novel explore how what may seem like small choices and actions at the time, can have huge impacts on our future lives. And how if you change one thing, it can change everything. It's an interesting concept that leads to a lot of contemplation. Second, I thought it was a very realistic depiction of motherhood and the impact of mom guilt.
Gillian McAllister gets my praise simply for the creativity of the plot, and for all of the planning I imagine went into putting it into words. It's certainly unlike any thriller I've read and that deserves credit. I just wish it could have been executed a little more smoothly with more tension and quicker pace.
Overall, Wrong Place Wrong Time didn't do it for me. I know I am in the minority, as this is beloved by so many, but the pace didn't pick up until the final 25% and by then it was too late. I did really like the concept, but the execution faltered and I had to push myself to get through. I don't think I will be reading anything else by this author in the future, but I can understand why she's a favourite author of many readers.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• time-travel enthusiasts
• readers looking for unique thriller
⚠️ CW: murder, gun violence, blood, injury/injury detail, death, death of parent, grief, stalking, kidnapping, cursing, mental illness, suicide, addiction, drug use, drug abuse, fatphobia, sexual content, pregnancy, gaslighting
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"But knowing the future is worse than not knowing."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
beccaand's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Suicide
erinoconnor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I really enjoyed the premise of this book. The twists and turns were all at once surprising and satisfying. I hoped she was going in one direction, but then she’d go in a completely different one before ending at the same conclusion I wanted. It was a rollercoaster, equal parts enjoyable, frustrating, and inventive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Suicide
purplenoodlepie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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? No
4.5
This book made my jaw drop! You've never read a story like it! Go in blind like I did and buckle in for the ride.
This is low key a romance story ha ha
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
heather667's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse and Pandemic/Epidemic
frogggirl2's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is a fast-paced, compelling, unique thriller that I could not put down. I like the speculative elements and what they teach this main character about the mystery, but more importantly what they teach her about herself and her family. There's a lot of insightful rumination on motherhood here; being in the moment, guilt, the impact of a mother on a child, work balance, etc. I like the multi-layered mysteries and how discovering the solution to one crime just uncovers more lies and more crimes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Suicide, Kidnapping, and Death of parent