Reviews

Exit, by Belinda Bauer

harra's review

funny hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

I enjoyed the plot and the characters as much as any book I've read in a while. Plot twists, interesting characters, thoughtful ending.  My favorite author (particularly of British police procedurals) has been Reginald Hill.  I've read them all. This is just as good, only missing his awesome vocabulary!

rebecca_ayers's review

funny mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

lucyjayne93's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

joanna27's review against another edition

funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

oatylime's review against another edition

dark emotional funny relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

As much as a murder mystery can be relaxing… I love this book

devonbookworm's review against another edition

funny medium-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

4.5

binniie's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

mandylovestoread's review against another edition

2.0

Really disappointed. I loved Snap by this author and was excited for another fantastic sounding story.

Exit was not for me. It jumped around so much between characters, the story was way over the top and it just didn’t feel anything like her other books. The premise sounds like my kind of book but it did not deliver.

I can see that I am in the minority here but if we all liked the same things life would be boring.

Thanks for o Netgalley and Bantam Press for my advanced copy of this book to read

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

5.0

Finished reading: January 18th 2021

"Feeding somebody's cat was like trying to plan a mini-break in Brigadoon."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Grove Atlantic in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

Spoiler

I simply couldn’t resist requesting a copy of Exit after reading Nicki’s review, and I'm so glad I did as I ended up having an excellent time with this story! I have a weak spot for stories with older main characters and having crime and humor combined sounded absolutely brilliant. A comparison to Jonas Jonasson's dark humor sealed the deal for me, and now I have read Exit I definitely stand by this comparison. This kind of dark humor might not be for everyone, but for me personally it was a perfect match and I loved every single minute of my time with Exit. Such an unique and well executed crime thriller!

I'm going to keep this review short as this is one of those books were it's best to go in blind to fully enjoy the experience. What I can say is that I loved the plot itself and the development of both the plot and plot twists is very clever indeed. I loved slowly discovering how everything and everyone fitted in, and I definitely didn't guess the full truth until the very end... The hints and clues just hidden enough to keep you on your toes while also having fun along the way.

The story is told mainly switching between main character Felix Pink and Calvin, a police officer investigating the case. This way, we get a better grip on what is exactly happening on both sides of the story, and the characters are both intriguing, flawed and well developed. Felix especially makes for a brilliant main character, and I loved the fact that his dog Mabel keeps popping up throughout the story as well. The rest of the cast is likewise intriguing and each adds their own two cents to the plot.

The Exiteer angle is fascinating and thought provoking at the same time, making you stand still by assisted suicide and terminally ill people lacking the option of a peaceful death... But also about what could go wrong. Death plays a big role in this story, and other serious topics as addiction and gambling likewise make their appearance. These heavier moments are well balanced with a healthy dose of humor and there were multiple moments I couldn't stop myself from snickering.

In short, Exit turned out to be such a unique mix of crime thriller and contemporary with a healthy dose of dark humor to lighten up the mood and easy to like characters you cannot help but start rooting for immediately. It's a story that will stay with me for quite some time, and I definitely can't wait to try more of her books now!

P.S. Find more of my reviews here.

bookstashan's review against another edition

5.0

I started reading this and thought the plot was giving everything away too early but BOY WAS I WRONG. I didn't expect to give this 5 stars, I was sure it was going to be 4 when I reached part 2 but the ending completely got me.

There was smiles, tears and shock page after page after page. I didn't see any of it coming and it was just fantastic. Like nothing I've read before, if there's any book you should add to your list, it's this one!