theresabraun's review
2.0
I was going to give this book 3 stars but as I started thinking about what to write, I realized I just didn't really like it. I didn't find the characters like-able, nothing felt fully fleshed out, and I just felt like I was trudging through. I felt like I kept waiting for something big to happen and while there obviously were major moments in the book, I still didn't find them to be that well executed (no pun intended). I am left felling ill at ease after finishing it but I just was not a fan.
jlabounty001's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
toris_reads's review
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was nervous going into this that it would be scary, but the writing wouldn’t be good. I found the book both unnerving and the writing wasn’t as immature as I expected from a “Blumhouse book.” Overall, an unexpectedly dark and creepy read!
usbsticky's review
2.0
I didn't really like this book. I found the writing awkward and difficult to read. I especially didn't like the alternating narratives. Some of these narratives covered the same ground. So you would read 1 event covered by Mark, then the same event covered by Steph. Why? The writing didn't flow well. This is another one of those books that I felt I needed to finish rather than I wanted to finish.
I got this book as a free ARC.
I got this book as a free ARC.
michebookies's review
3.0
I think this would have served better as a story about dealing with trauma rather than adding a supernatural element. It didn’t really feel like the author was super onboard with the ghosts anyway.
nat1577's review
3.0
I had mixed feelings about this book. I was really excited about it when I read the blurb; I LOVE horror, and haunted house stories are always great in my opinion, so I was really looking forward to reading this.
It wasn't exactly what I expected though. I definitely loved the start of the book, and my favourite parts had to be their time in Paris - I thought it was creepy, and did a great job of building up suspense. The apartment, and the building the apartment was in, was like something straight out of a horror movie, and the author did a great job of setting up the atmosphere.
However, I feel like the story, once the main characters had arrived back home, just wasn't as good. It lost that creepy atmosphere that the Paris sections had had. I think maybe if they'd spent more time in the apartment itself, it would have improved the overall story.
This wouldn't have been a huge issue for me if the story hadn't left me with so many questions. The author did a great job of setting up heaps of mini-mysteries within the story, that had me desperate to know what they all meant, and how they connected to each other. One of my favourite out of these was the mystery of the Petits; and while this was somewhat dealt with by the end, there were still heaps of plot holes, and things that left you wondering, "well why was that even in there, and how does it connect to the rest of the story?"
I think that's what annoyed me the most, because I wanted to know the answer to these questions. I don't know if the author thought they'd been dealt with already, or that they weren't as important, but I didn't like the feeling that the story was unfinished once I had read the entirety of the novel.
Overall, I did enjoy this. Despite the issues I experienced with the story, it is a book worth reading, if only to enjoy it's creepier moments.
It wasn't exactly what I expected though. I definitely loved the start of the book, and my favourite parts had to be their time in Paris - I thought it was creepy, and did a great job of building up suspense. The apartment, and the building the apartment was in, was like something straight out of a horror movie, and the author did a great job of setting up the atmosphere.
However, I feel like the story, once the main characters had arrived back home, just wasn't as good. It lost that creepy atmosphere that the Paris sections had had. I think maybe if they'd spent more time in the apartment itself, it would have improved the overall story.
This wouldn't have been a huge issue for me if the story hadn't left me with so many questions. The author did a great job of setting up heaps of mini-mysteries within the story, that had me desperate to know what they all meant, and how they connected to each other. One of my favourite out of these was the mystery of the Petits; and while this was somewhat dealt with by the end, there were still heaps of plot holes, and things that left you wondering, "well why was that even in there, and how does it connect to the rest of the story?"
I think that's what annoyed me the most, because I wanted to know the answer to these questions. I don't know if the author thought they'd been dealt with already, or that they weren't as important, but I didn't like the feeling that the story was unfinished once I had read the entirety of the novel.
Overall, I did enjoy this. Despite the issues I experienced with the story, it is a book worth reading, if only to enjoy it's creepier moments.
bt83's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
karlyloar's review
1.0
This book was not scary. It was nothing that it was advertised to be. I so badly want to read a book that truly does unsettle me, but this was not it. "The dread will stick with you for days." Um, no it won't. The disappointment of wasting time reading it on the other hand....
zuulish's review
2.0
i have mixed thoughts on this. it was easy to read, the story was sometimes satisfying, but mostly disappointing. things that needed no explanation were overexplained, and confusing parts were left with no explanation at all. i dont know its a miss from me