The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
kelsimarirobb's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Sexual harassment
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was quite creepy, and I appreciated all of the tension and mystery that Ms. Ware built up over the course of the book. But I didn't feel like the resolution was fully satisfying. It was like a friend telling you how incredibly delicious a restaurant is for lots of hours, and then you show up there and all they have is toast. Like, does this technically fulfill the need? Yeah, but you feel disappointed that the build-up didn't lead to a huge ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Abandonment, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Confinement, and Infidelity
Minor: Murder and Death of parent
oliviapincin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Sexual harassment
seforana's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Sexual harassment, Blood, Child death, Cursing, and Grief
taliatalksbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
3.25
The Turn Of The Key by Ruth Ware didn’t live up to her other books, but was still suspenseful and thrilling throughout. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I love Ware’s books, and though this one isn’t necessarily an exception, it certainly wasn’t my favorite of hers. This was mainly to do with the format and conclusion of the novel. While I liked the twisty turns this took, I definitely would have liked a more robust conclusion. The last few letters felt a little lacking in detail when compared to the rest of the story, and I think that some of the emotion that (having read the end) should have been present, didn’t come through in the format of the letters as it might have in a more first hand (rather than reflexive) narration. While I did like the story, and the way it unfolded, this felt like it fell more into the “withholding information to surprise the reader”category than it did into the “skillfully placed clues until the big reveal” category. Usually I find Ware’s books to fall into the second category, and while there were a few breadcrumbs, I didn’t feel like the clues were obvious enough throughout to help have the ah-ha moment at the twist. All that being said, Ware is still one of my favorite suspense writers, and I’m looking forward to my next Ruth Ware read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Child death, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Infidelity
thetrue__og's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual harassment
graysongbax's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
minimicropup's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
Unsettling, pragmatic, well-rounded.
We are following our MC who works in childcare. They find the opportunity of their lifetime in a posting for a live-in nanny for three young girls. But why has this seemingly normal family had such a revolving door of past nannies...🤔
🏴 Set in an isolated Scottish Victorian house renovated into a smart house by architects.
🎧 Ruth Ware + Imogen Church = Perfection. The intonation, expressiveness, and emotion is conveyed so well, it's like actually being read a story. Imogen Church manages such on point voicing of males, females, teens, and children. 👌
Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐺🐕:
-👌 I have enjoyed all of Ruth Ware's books to date, but they do tend to be on the long side with too much thought-monolog sometimes. THIS one was justified in length. It felt fast-paced once it got going and I didn't want to put it down.
-🤷♀️ There are no chapter numbers, so it's hard to sync audio to text if you are reading both
-👍 There are no chapter numbers because the entire novel is technically a letter to a lawyer written by our MC. I didn't mind because if someone has that much time on their hands, I can imagine writing a letter that evolves into an entire novel!
-👌🤯 Did not predict the double-twists! Lots of realistic red herrings but not annoyingly so, and the clues are all there for the reader to piece together if especially astute.
-👌😰 I am not a kid person so the suspense was especially relatable to me. To be trapped alone with kids...having to always keep mental space for their needs, the unpredictability and uncontrollability of every thing they do and say...shudder. Like, even though the intentions may be different, most kids behave exactly like little sociopaths. These kids are creepy in that way all kids are, with the roller coaster of heartwarming and aggravating moments to go with it.
-👌😅I love tech and have a "smart" home ...if you have ever had to sleep with your lights on because "computer says no"....very relatable struggles here!
Mood Reading Match Up:
-Creepy, isolated, Victorian settings
-Realistic locked-room mysteries with red herrings consisting of people, tech, and the paranormal
-Realistic annoying "creepy" kids and suspense from being responsible for three of them + one teenager (nope nope nope)
-Settings as characters: both the house and the tech are relatable characters in the story
Content Heads-Up: Parental rejection. Child death. Infidelity. Sexual harassment.
Format: Paperback and Audible
We are following our MC who works in childcare. They find the opportunity of their lifetime in a posting for a live-in nanny for three young girls. But why has this seemingly normal family had such a revolving door of past nannies...🤔
🏴 Set in an isolated Scottish Victorian house renovated into a smart house by architects.
🎧 Ruth Ware + Imogen Church = Perfection. The intonation, expressiveness, and emotion is conveyed so well, it's like actually being read a story. Imogen Church manages such on point voicing of males, females, teens, and children. 👌
Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐺🐕:
-👌 I have enjoyed all of Ruth Ware's books to date, but they do tend to be on the long side with too much thought-monolog sometimes. THIS one was justified in length. It felt fast-paced once it got going and I didn't want to put it down.
-🤷♀️ There are no chapter numbers, so it's hard to sync audio to text if you are reading both
-👍 There are no chapter numbers because the entire novel is technically a letter to a lawyer written by our MC. I didn't mind because if someone has that much time on their hands, I can imagine writing a letter that evolves into an entire novel!
-👌🤯 Did not predict the double-twists! Lots of realistic red herrings but not annoyingly so, and the clues are all there for the reader to piece together if especially astute.
-👌😰 I am not a kid person so the suspense was especially relatable to me. To be trapped alone with kids...having to always keep mental space for their needs, the unpredictability and uncontrollability of every thing they do and say...shudder. Like, even though the intentions may be different, most kids behave exactly like little sociopaths. These kids are creepy in that way all kids are, with the roller coaster of heartwarming and aggravating moments to go with it.
-👌😅I love tech and have a "smart" home ...if you have ever had to sleep with your lights on because "computer says no"....very relatable struggles here!
Mood Reading Match Up:
-Creepy, isolated, Victorian settings
-Realistic locked-room mysteries with red herrings consisting of people, tech, and the paranormal
-Realistic annoying "creepy" kids and suspense from being responsible for three of them + one teenager (nope nope nope)
-Settings as characters: both the house and the tech are relatable characters in the story
Content Heads-Up: Parental rejection. Child death. Infidelity. Sexual harassment.
Format: Paperback and Audible
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Child death
Minor: Sexual content
clare_dv's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Minor: Child abuse and Sexual harassment
sylvestra's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Child death and Infidelity