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doodlebeanz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Alice Feeney has done it again. This is the type of mystery/thriller that I've been needing recently. I am so sick of domestic thrillers where it's the same format - husband and wife look perfect, husband is actually sociopathic/narcissistic, she tries to leave him but he ends up dead OR he cheats on her and still ends up dead, etc. I've been desperate for a book that sucks me in and keeps me guessing, and then provides REALISTIC (as realistic as these sorts of books can be, lbr) answers. This book was so confusing at first, trying to figure out the characters and how they are interconnected, but oh my god, it was such a fun ride. I love that feeling of 'wtf is going on right now' when I first start a book, it just makes me want to read more and figure it all out faster. I ate this book! I love Feeney's writing where she leads the reader down one road and then that road twists into a completely different road, where everything you just thought to be true is actually false and she was just leading you astray. I've only read this book and one other from her (Rock, Paper, Scissors) and they've both been like a game of cat and mouse between her writing and the reader, if that makes sense. It just keeps the reader on the edge of the seat and it makes the experience so much more fun and entertaining. I was literally taking notes and making a family tree of the characters, trying to put it all together myself and I still couldn't figure it out đ
Tropes: mother/daughter relationships, short chapters, twists and turns, trust nobody, everyone is lying, lies lies and more lies, betrayals and revenge, unreliable narrators, unreliable characters
Tropes: mother/daughter relationships, short chapters, twists and turns, trust nobody, everyone is lying, lies lies and more lies, betrayals and revenge, unreliable narrators, unreliable characters
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Abortion
moxiereads's review against another edition
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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
uranaishi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, and Abandonment
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
rochlay24's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping and Grief
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
debbilynn42's review
dark
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
4.75
I enjoyed the unfolding plot of the story. Each chapter felt like the peeling back of an onion with a little more information revealed with each layer of narration. It's not quite one I'd reread with the twist in mind (like I did for Daisy Darker) but still an enjoyable brain teaser of a plot to piece together reality.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
shargrave81's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
Book was slow to start out and it took me a while to put the pieces of the puzzle together but as the story and characters developed it drew me in more and I didnât want to put the book down! Ending was a total shocker!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
01melon's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
After finishing the book, my first impression is that it was incredibly enjoyable! This novel contained mystery along with everything. There were twists and turns to it. It had everything I could possibly desire in a mystery-crime book, and I adore the way the author writes. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though the author took an unexpected direction that left me unprepared but had me feeling satisfied at the end of it. You should try it, I thought it was extremely good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
christygsp's review against another edition
2.0
This book felt scattered for 80% so itâs only fitting if my thoughts are just as scattered⌠here we go.
Confusing a reader to the point where they canât pick up even a thread of whatâs going on until the very last 20% of a book is not a good thing. Having mystery and intrigue is great, but making a reader so turned around that they canât even grab hold of the larger plot was so disjointed that I wanted to quit so many times.
The overall story was clever and characters were unreliable and deeply flawed. It was an only okay book, with only okay characters, BUT with an amazing reveal sequence.
Nitpicks:
Truth is OBJECTIVE. Anything else is opinion, perspective and experience. I hate that people dilute the meaning of this very important word.
Faith and fear are OPPOSITES, not interwoven similarities.
The Sea and Sky both follow rules - the tide and atmosphere levels for example.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse and Toxic relationship
burnourhistory's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
gaby_readsss's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is my third book by Alice Feeney, and I have to say this is not my personal favorite of hers, but I still really liked it.
I really enjoyed the mystery and reading all the different points of view. The story begins with the end which I thought was really cool. I was right about a few things, and as the story progressed and more pieces of the puzzle were revealed, I had to reread the first chapter and be like, âOH MY GOD! THE ANSWER WAS THERE ALL ALONG!â. The writing was tricky but once you put the pieces together it is very obvious what Feeney did with the writing. I did not see the ending coming! I literally said âWHAT THE F*CK?!â out loud lol. That was fun.
Overall, this was a good mystery book that kept me entertained and eager to keep reading. I loved the short chapters and engaging plot.
I felt like the crime aspect of it was a bit hard to believe. It was a bit of a reach for the person to be able to get away with it. Like there were so many ways they would have been identified as the murderer in real life, (fingerprints, cameras, audio, eye witnesses⌠that sort of thing) but Iâll pretend none of those things existed lol.
Iâm just a fan of Alice Feeneyâs books, and how she can write a twisted mystery tale while using figures of speech at the same time that make her
writing very unique for the genre.
read this book if you enjoy:
- multiple povâs
- solving murder/disappearance mysteries
- short chapters
- books about strong female connections
I really enjoyed the mystery and reading all the different points of view. The story begins with the end which I thought was really cool. I was right about a few things, and as the story progressed and more pieces of the puzzle were revealed, I had to reread the first chapter and be like, âOH MY GOD! THE ANSWER WAS THERE ALL ALONG!â. The writing was tricky but once you put the pieces together it is very obvious what Feeney did with the writing. I did not see the ending coming! I literally said âWHAT THE F*CK?!â out loud lol. That was fun.
Overall, this was a good mystery book that kept me entertained and eager to keep reading. I loved the short chapters and engaging plot.
I felt like the crime aspect of it was a bit hard to believe. It was a bit of a reach for the person to be able to get away with it. Like there were so many ways they would have been identified as the murderer in real life, (fingerprints, cameras, audio, eye witnesses⌠that sort of thing) but Iâll pretend none of those things existed lol.
Iâm just a fan of Alice Feeneyâs books, and how she can write a twisted mystery tale while using figures of speech at the same time that make her
writing very unique for the genre.
read this book if you enjoy:
- multiple povâs
- solving murder/disappearance mysteries
- short chapters
- books about strong female connections
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Murder