carpoolbookclub's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, it’s been awhile since I read a really solid thriller and I’d forgotten how satisfying a good one can be.
I enjoy a dark and twisty book, but I love it when a book eclipses the thriller genre by also being “smart.” This one is very close; but, at the end of the day, falls short of “brilliant” and lands solidly in the category of “a really good thriller.”
It’s a haunting and disturbing story that left me feeling slightly bereft. This is a book that makes you doubt yourself and what you think you know to be true. I love it when words wield such power.
It’s a page-turner! The writing style is extremely fluid and the storytelling is enticing and captivating.
I found the setting to be realistically and consistently creepy as our heroine becomes steadily more paranoid, never quite sure that her mind isn’t betraying her. The multi-dimensional manipulation is fabulously shaped.
Let’s chat about the characters: Each of these characters is seriously flawed but feels utterly real. They provide a vivid glimpse at grief and loss without ever becoming preachy (#appreciated). However, I did think more could’ve been done with Crew, the child, to advance the story.
The diary excerpts are deeply disturbing, but very well written. While I certainly couldn't empathise with the person behind them, they are successful in forcing the reader to see through her eyes.
I deducted a half star due to the constant use of sex as a forceful and blunt instrument. It's literally every few pages and it’s raw, repetitive and ultimately boring. I'm not a prude and typically take no issue with sexual content, but here the over-reliance works against the story. There’s an argument sex is how Hoover builds Verity's character, but it did little for me.
Caveat: I’m a tough cookie when it comes to endings. I rarely LOVE an ending. This one was pretty good! It was slightly open ended but that felt very “on brand” for the characters involved.
If you’re looking for a happy or feel-good story, this is not it! But if you like dark and twisty thrillers…Verity checks all the boxes!
I enjoy a dark and twisty book, but I love it when a book eclipses the thriller genre by also being “smart.” This one is very close; but, at the end of the day, falls short of “brilliant” and lands solidly in the category of “a really good thriller.”
It’s a haunting and disturbing story that left me feeling slightly bereft. This is a book that makes you doubt yourself and what you think you know to be true. I love it when words wield such power.
It’s a page-turner! The writing style is extremely fluid and the storytelling is enticing and captivating.
I found the setting to be realistically and consistently creepy as our heroine becomes steadily more paranoid, never quite sure that her mind isn’t betraying her. The multi-dimensional manipulation is fabulously shaped.
Let’s chat about the characters: Each of these characters is seriously flawed but feels utterly real. They provide a vivid glimpse at grief and loss without ever becoming preachy (#appreciated). However, I did think more could’ve been done with Crew, the child, to advance the story.
The diary excerpts are deeply disturbing, but very well written. While I certainly couldn't empathise with the person behind them, they are successful in forcing the reader to see through her eyes.
I deducted a half star due to the constant use of sex as a forceful and blunt instrument. It's literally every few pages and it’s raw, repetitive and ultimately boring. I'm not a prude and typically take no issue with sexual content, but here the over-reliance works against the story. There’s an argument sex is how Hoover builds Verity's character, but it did little for me.
Caveat: I’m a tough cookie when it comes to endings. I rarely LOVE an ending. This one was pretty good! It was slightly open ended but that felt very “on brand” for the characters involved.
If you’re looking for a happy or feel-good story, this is not it! But if you like dark and twisty thrillers…Verity checks all the boxes!
horsazizarev's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
fanni_sultis's review against another edition
5.0
Such a great read. Not like any other Colleen hoover book but great nonetheless. It had me in the edge of my seat the entire time and freaked me out a lot. it had a very hectic but satisfying ending.
becswile's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mirreading's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ghostofurie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
_savvy_xx's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
gjanuszanis's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. I couldn’t put it down, but once I finished it I was disappointed. The characters had no real development or any real substance to them, everything seemed to escalate so quickly at the end with no real climax, all the sex scenes were seemingly just thrown in because there was nothing else to write (it didn’t contribute to the story line in my opinion- just like Lowen’s sleepwalking, I thought it would have a greater contribution to the ending but it didn’t), and the ending was a huge let down for me, it was very flat and seemed 2-dimensional. And the relationship between Lowen and Jeremy escalated so quickly, and then she gets pregnant with his kid and everyone is just fine with that?? Like !??
But all in all, I could still see myself re-reading it in the future, just to put the pieces together further after knowing the ending. It was a brilliant story line with so much potential, I just wish the ending was more of a surprise. Still a fascinating book though!
But all in all, I could still see myself re-reading it in the future, just to put the pieces together further after knowing the ending. It was a brilliant story line with so much potential, I just wish the ending was more of a surprise. Still a fascinating book though!
johnstpl's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-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
3.0