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aliciap's review
4.0
Initially this was a slow burn but I found I couldn’t put it down in the end. Part mystery, part family saga, The River Child’s plot line is nothing like my childhood but feels so nostalgic.
The Montrell family own and run a guesthouse on a small Australian island. They are a very proud family outwardly but have their secrets.
The family’s lives are shattered forever when toddler, and family friend Elise Boatman disappears and is tragically found dead.
The protagonist and narrator Siobhan discovers more about herself than she could have imagined, with the help of her aunt Esther.
The book jumps between current times and 1971, where most of the story takes place.
The books explores dysfunctional families and the notion that appearances are not always what they seem.
There were parts where I felt the story did drag a little but I also understand why, and it wrapped up nicely
Many thanks to @odysseybooks for the electronic copy in exchange for an honest review
⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Montrell family own and run a guesthouse on a small Australian island. They are a very proud family outwardly but have their secrets.
The family’s lives are shattered forever when toddler, and family friend Elise Boatman disappears and is tragically found dead.
The protagonist and narrator Siobhan discovers more about herself than she could have imagined, with the help of her aunt Esther.
The book jumps between current times and 1971, where most of the story takes place.
The books explores dysfunctional families and the notion that appearances are not always what they seem.
There were parts where I felt the story did drag a little but I also understand why, and it wrapped up nicely
Many thanks to @odysseybooks for the electronic copy in exchange for an honest review
⭐️⭐️⭐️
sreddous's review
4.0
(Content warning: some racist language, not-too-graphic child neglect)
This is a really engaging, suspenseful story! A few times I got confused about which timeline/which time period we were in -- I think the first half of this hops around maybe a bit too much, and that unfortunately dampened some of the reveals that should have been way more shocking and suspenseful. But it's not too hard to get back into the flow of things, and once that flow continues the suspenseful reveals are truly suspenseful, I got through this book pretty fast because I was so desperate to find out what roles the main character played in what happened.
Other than that minor timeline-hopping that could be cleaned up a little, this is well-paced and well-built-up. Without spoiling too much, the morally-questionable choices the main character makes as a young person make a ton of sense because we saw the interactions she had with others that would make her say the things she said and behave the ways she did. This book is pretty long, but it really works for this story.
Overall, this is great -- a painfully realistic story that's uncomfortable in a good way, in ways that are really challenging.
This is a really engaging, suspenseful story! A few times I got confused about which timeline/which time period we were in -- I think the first half of this hops around maybe a bit too much, and that unfortunately dampened some of the reveals that should have been way more shocking and suspenseful. But it's not too hard to get back into the flow of things, and once that flow continues the suspenseful reveals are truly suspenseful, I got through this book pretty fast because I was so desperate to find out what roles the main character played in what happened.
Other than that minor timeline-hopping that could be cleaned up a little, this is well-paced and well-built-up. Without spoiling too much, the morally-questionable choices the main character makes as a young person make a ton of sense because we saw the interactions she had with others that would make her say the things she said and behave the ways she did. This book is pretty long, but it really works for this story.
Overall, this is great -- a painfully realistic story that's uncomfortable in a good way, in ways that are really challenging.
booknallnight's review
3.0
3.5 Rounded to 3
I had a hard time deciding how to rate this one. While it starts off strong, it quickly became hard for me to stay invested in. The formatting and writing style threw a wrench in the flow.
I love a good dual timeline, as we get to see both past and present while the secrets and mysteries are unraveled. Too often with this one, however, I was confused as it jumped around so much and without any cohesion from one point to the next. I had to stop and reread a few different places to understand where I was in the story...past or present.
The writing style was often hard for me as well. I love descriptive writing, when the story calls for it. There were a few times where, for me, the writing was overly descriptive and wordy. This also made it hard to stay focused.
That being said, I enjoyed parts of this one and it made for a quick and easy read. The characters are well-written and the struggle the MC goes through as she deals with her past is interesting in itself.
Even though this wasn't a complete love for me, I would still say give it a shot. Readers are different, and what doesn't work for one may work for another.
I sincerely appreciate Odyssey Books for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.
I had a hard time deciding how to rate this one. While it starts off strong, it quickly became hard for me to stay invested in. The formatting and writing style threw a wrench in the flow.
I love a good dual timeline, as we get to see both past and present while the secrets and mysteries are unraveled. Too often with this one, however, I was confused as it jumped around so much and without any cohesion from one point to the next. I had to stop and reread a few different places to understand where I was in the story...past or present.
The writing style was often hard for me as well. I love descriptive writing, when the story calls for it. There were a few times where, for me, the writing was overly descriptive and wordy. This also made it hard to stay focused.
That being said, I enjoyed parts of this one and it made for a quick and easy read. The characters are well-written and the struggle the MC goes through as she deals with her past is interesting in itself.
Even though this wasn't a complete love for me, I would still say give it a shot. Readers are different, and what doesn't work for one may work for another.
I sincerely appreciate Odyssey Books for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.
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