Reviews

The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell

maddiesergi's review against another edition

3.0

I lot of people based on the reviews really loved this book and don’t get me wrong it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. 

The book started off fairly slow and took a bit for me to get into. But, after pushing through the slowness of the character and plot building I found the mystery interesting. I liked the various POVs and how well written each character was. At times it felt like Pip was the only person with common sense though. 

I think the ending of the book was really it’s downfall. You get all this build up just for a conclusion where no justice is served and Tyler is actually treated better than before even after almost killing Grace. Also did Adele’s kids help Tyler? I feel like that was left sort of open ended.

In all, I liked the book but the ending really did it dirty.

spitefullysane's review against another edition

4.0

Another fun read!!!

reading_inthe_littlehouse's review against another edition

5.0

Lisa Jewell’s books don’t disappoint. She creates a story so rich and thick that you can’t climb out until the end! Escapism fiction at it’s finest.

delightfullydelaney's review against another edition

2.0

Adele knowing who drugged Grace and choosing to turn a blind eye actually makes me so mad. Get that child some fucking therapy, for the love of Christ. Had a higher expectation for this book, it’s my first Lisa Jewell novel.
2.5 ⭐️

sdecoste's review against another edition

3.0

Clare is the single parent of two girls, Pip, 11, and Grace, just 13. They are in hiding from a husband/father who went stark raving mad and burned down their house. Pip longs to reconcile with her father and is very upset with their move to a new close community that centers around a large central park. Most of the other families have lived there a long time and let their children roam free throughout the park, even though years earlier one girl died under mysterious circumstances. Grace soon discovers a boy she likes, Dylan, and this makes Tyler (a girl) very angry. Meanwhile, the parents form their own liaisons and have their own peculiarities. The story opens with the discovery of Grace unconscious, in a state of undress. And as the story unfolds, there are several red herrings presented as possible suspects. However, as entertaining as the story was, the ending was most unsatisfying.

dreamofbookspines's review against another edition

fast-paced

3.0

Couldn't put it down but I also didn't buy it. Leo was just too

suspicious to NOT have done SOMETHING. That dude creepy af. Same goes for Gordon. Like sure maybe Tyler, having learned bitterness from her mom, wanted revenge, but the men in this book deserved more castigation than they got. Also wtaf Adele. You are a complicit pos.

heidi_checkedout's review against another edition

3.0

This was a bit too slow moving and I kept expecting twists and turns that were not there- so that's probably more a "me" problem and placing an expectation on the story. Overall, it was interesting albeit a bit hard to keep the families straight for the first 30-40% of the book. Audiobook, good narrator. 

mrsc1983's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

jessicaharper's review against another edition

3.0

This felt very anticlimactic and dull to me. I wouldn’t even categorize this as mystery/thriller, it was more like contemporary fiction with a small mystery thrown into the mix. And then the end??? Lackluster for sure

bethanygladhill's review against another edition

3.0

Certainly made me want to be in London.