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oneoflifeslollopers's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
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? No
5.0
dungareece's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.25
I’m so sad I’ve finished this book because I need more time with these girls, I need to know what happens to them after the war
worldsunlikeourown's review against another edition
4.0
Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
Thank you to the publisher and TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The year is 1943, and Arlington Hall in Virginia, once a girls’ college, now serves as a center for codebreaking during the war. Former student Kit Sutherland is recruited to help in the war effort and joins the group of female codebreakers. When a series of murders take place in Washington DC, all government girls, Kit and her friends are determined to find the killer after they stumble onto the latest crime scene. With the police ignoring obvious connections between the murders, the girls begin to piece things together, but the murderer is closer than they know.
I’ve read many WWII historical fiction novels related to codebreaking, but only one so far that is also a thriller – The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, which was one of my favorites from last year – so this premise really stood out to me and I knew I had to try it. A fast-paced read right from page one, there wasn’t a dull moment in this book and I was glued to the pages throughout. Of course, the codebreaking angle was one part of it that I absolutely loved and it was so interesting seeing how it all worked through Kit’s eyes. It was also nice that this book focused not only only on the work surrounding codebreaking but also took the time to explore what the day to day lives would have been like for these girls. Hunting a killer aside, Kit’s secret past added another layer to the story, since it’s revealed to the reader very early on, and wondering if someone was going to find out the truth or if she would be able to keep her new life made it an even more thrilling read. The strong friendship between the four girls was wonderfully depicted and despite all of them not having POVs, each character was well developed and distinct with their own arc.
The romance between Kit and Moya was a little too insta-lovey for my taste and to be honest, there was just so much already going on in the story that there wasn’t enough time for their arc to be properly developed without getting in the way of the plot. I also didn’t see the point of Moya having a POV, because not only were her chapters so few in comparison to Kit’s that they didn’t add much to the story, but also because it was very hard to identify when the POV switched. There was no indication and since the narration was third person, it made it rather confusing for me. The dual perspective was not a bad idea and it could have worked quite nicely for this type of story, but I felt that it wasn’t executed well.
I did find the ending and how Kit figured out who the killer was to be a little rushed, especially given the organized manner in which the rest of the plot unfolded, but the final showdown was well written and everything was wrapped up satisfactorily. Overall, this was a great read and definitely one I would recommend for fans of both historical fiction and thrillers!
Thank you to the publisher and TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The year is 1943, and Arlington Hall in Virginia, once a girls’ college, now serves as a center for codebreaking during the war. Former student Kit Sutherland is recruited to help in the war effort and joins the group of female codebreakers. When a series of murders take place in Washington DC, all government girls, Kit and her friends are determined to find the killer after they stumble onto the latest crime scene. With the police ignoring obvious connections between the murders, the girls begin to piece things together, but the murderer is closer than they know.
I’ve read many WWII historical fiction novels related to codebreaking, but only one so far that is also a thriller – The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, which was one of my favorites from last year – so this premise really stood out to me and I knew I had to try it. A fast-paced read right from page one, there wasn’t a dull moment in this book and I was glued to the pages throughout. Of course, the codebreaking angle was one part of it that I absolutely loved and it was so interesting seeing how it all worked through Kit’s eyes. It was also nice that this book focused not only only on the work surrounding codebreaking but also took the time to explore what the day to day lives would have been like for these girls. Hunting a killer aside, Kit’s secret past added another layer to the story, since it’s revealed to the reader very early on, and wondering if someone was going to find out the truth or if she would be able to keep her new life made it an even more thrilling read. The strong friendship between the four girls was wonderfully depicted and despite all of them not having POVs, each character was well developed and distinct with their own arc.
The romance between Kit and Moya was a little too insta-lovey for my taste and to be honest, there was just so much already going on in the story that there wasn’t enough time for their arc to be properly developed without getting in the way of the plot. I also didn’t see the point of Moya having a POV, because not only were her chapters so few in comparison to Kit’s that they didn’t add much to the story, but also because it was very hard to identify when the POV switched. There was no indication and since the narration was third person, it made it rather confusing for me. The dual perspective was not a bad idea and it could have worked quite nicely for this type of story, but I felt that it wasn’t executed well.
I did find the ending and how Kit figured out who the killer was to be a little rushed, especially given the organized manner in which the rest of the plot unfolded, but the final showdown was well written and everything was wrapped up satisfactorily. Overall, this was a great read and definitely one I would recommend for fans of both historical fiction and thrillers!
messyjessi's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to like this more than I did. The connections between the women breaking codes for the war, and finding the killer are forced and clunky.
lilac_moon125's review against another edition
4.0
Good, but not great. But! But. I am so happy that this is a queer historical romance. Even if it kind of skated over the fact that, well, most people would probably not have been so accepting (hopefully your friends would accept you, but you never know) and that the happy ending being presented at the end didn't really talk about the fact that, um, lots of people were homophobes in the 1940s. I am all for casual representation, but casual represention usually doesn't mean completely ignoring society's views on queer people, or internalised homophobia, especially in the 1940s. The romance was still quite sweet though even if it was a bit too fast-paced for me.
Ugh, I kind of forgot all the other things I was going to say about this book, and I also didn't get to mark anything because I borrowed the book from a library. But I guess it was a pretty good historical thriller, so, yeah.
Ugh, I kind of forgot all the other things I was going to say about this book, and I also didn't get to mark anything because I borrowed the book from a library. But I guess it was a pretty good historical thriller, so, yeah.
marzapanreadsalot's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lyd122's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.0
finley_marie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
3.0
I do like this authors writing but I struggled to get an interest in this book. It feels repetitive with the other stories I have read from her and feels really similar to shows I have watched. I will definitely pick up her next book, but this one made me change my perspective on her and her writing…
yaveiska's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book a lot! I love a murder mystery and a group of girls coming together to solve it because the powers that be can’t or won’t!
— spoilers below —
I really appreciate how the author tackled segregation at the this time period and how the characters addressed it, but were so loud about how wrong it is. I also loved that there was a lesbian plot line. I think we pretend that being gay is such a modern idea when that simply isn’t the case. Gay people exist and have existed for a very long time.
My only gripe is how quickly the girls dismissed the murderer. Maybe I’m not as trusting as the average person, but if someone even vaguely fits 3 of my major character traits, I’m not ruling them out unless they have a solid alibi. As I read “it couldn’t be him” my immediate response was “yall please. It probably is him??? What evidence do we have that it isn’t him?? Vibes?? Be so for real”.
Overall, I enjoyed this book! Even if I guessed the murderer early on, the characters were well written and badass females!
In the words of Linda Belcher “alright girls! Go girls!”
— spoilers below —
I really appreciate how the author tackled segregation at the this time period and how the characters addressed it, but were so loud about how wrong it is. I also loved that there was a lesbian plot line. I think we pretend that being gay is such a modern idea when that simply isn’t the case. Gay people exist and have existed for a very long time.
My only gripe is how quickly the girls dismissed the murderer. Maybe I’m not as trusting as the average person, but if someone even vaguely fits 3 of my major character traits, I’m not ruling them out unless they have a solid alibi. As I read “it couldn’t be him” my immediate response was “yall please. It probably is him??? What evidence do we have that it isn’t him?? Vibes?? Be so for real”.
Overall, I enjoyed this book! Even if I guessed the murderer early on, the characters were well written and badass females!
In the words of Linda Belcher “alright girls! Go girls!”
leahanderson28's review against another edition
4.0
So good!! Elie Marney does it again! Such a great read, quick, interesting, and all around well written.
TW: mentions and attempted SA
TW: mentions and attempted SA