xena_p's review against another edition
2.0
We have all heard the saying do not judge a book by its cover. I hate to admit it but I often do judge a book by its cover or title. As soon as I read the title I wanted to read it. I had high hopes for it, but spoiler alert it did not live up to my expectations.
We have our two leads, Alice and Nellie, in two different time periods living two different but somewhat similar lives. Alice moves into Nellie's house almost 60 years after Nellie's stories took place there. Even though Alice does not want to leave the city, she follows her husband's plan as she does not work anymore and thinks this is the "least" she could do.
Nellie grew up poor, fell in love and married a rich man who had inherited a gum factory. Seemed like a fairytale until it doesn't.
Both of them are stuck in a life that does not entirely feel like their own.
All four characters are terrible in their own way but that's not something I hate in a book after all characters are supposed to be people like us. These characters although well-written have this half-baked feeling to them.
Yet my biggest disappointment with the book was the detonating plot as the story progressed. The beginning was promising and building up well. As the book progressed it seemed like much of the plot building was unnecessary or could have been conveyed through a better incident, phrasing, or anything that did not feel like the book was being dragged.
The plot was somewhat predictable, that's fine though I attribute that more to myself than the author. Even so, the book failed to deliver the plot twists, it simply seemed they had bad timing or did not fall with an impact heavy enough.
It was easy to read and somewhat fun, but I would not suggest it. I learned a few new phrases and words, and what I do not like in a book. Mostly it felt like a waste of time.
Overall 2.5/ 5 stars
We have our two leads, Alice and Nellie, in two different time periods living two different but somewhat similar lives. Alice moves into Nellie's house almost 60 years after Nellie's stories took place there. Even though Alice does not want to leave the city, she follows her husband's plan as she does not work anymore and thinks this is the "least" she could do.
Nellie grew up poor, fell in love and married a rich man who had inherited a gum factory. Seemed like a fairytale until it doesn't.
Both of them are stuck in a life that does not entirely feel like their own.
All four characters are terrible in their own way but that's not something I hate in a book after all characters are supposed to be people like us. These characters although well-written have this half-baked feeling to them.
Yet my biggest disappointment with the book was the detonating plot as the story progressed. The beginning was promising and building up well. As the book progressed it seemed like much of the plot building was unnecessary or could have been conveyed through a better incident, phrasing, or anything that did not feel like the book was being dragged.
The plot was somewhat predictable, that's fine though I attribute that more to myself than the author. Even so, the book failed to deliver the plot twists, it simply seemed they had bad timing or did not fall with an impact heavy enough.
It was easy to read and somewhat fun, but I would not suggest it. I learned a few new phrases and words, and what I do not like in a book. Mostly it felt like a waste of time.
Overall 2.5/ 5 stars
rebbemcc's review against another edition
2.0
A little heavy-handed and I figured out the twist early on, which I never do.
_ifwewerevillains's review against another edition
3.0
i see what they were going for but it just fell flat
anna_reads_too_much's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
3.0
I was expecting to enjoy this one a lot more than I did. I really, really enjoyed Nellie's storyline from the 1950s. If found myself wanting to keep reading just so I could get to another one of her chapters. I really, really did not enjoy Alice's timeline in the present. I felt like I couldn't understand her and why she was making the decisions she was making. I also felt like it all wrapped up too fast and the conflict was never really sorted out.
plants_pages_poultry's review against another edition
2.0
Dual story lines meant to show parallels between 1950s house wife, Nellie, and modern day Alice. But comparing the actual abuse of Nellie to Alice’s self imposed misery is pretty insulting. Also strange moments where the house may be haunted but was never addressed?? Huh?
wonder_madeleine's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ajregush's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
ra042312's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
carleyc's review against another edition
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
lehine's review against another edition
3.0
HATED the ending. I was so mad at Alice and her husband I got a rage headache. Just… settling? The four main characters are all extremely manipulative and toxic. Nellie at least initially has an explanation- self preservation- but the rest are just dicks. There was less intrigue than advertised. It ended up being a very typical men-were-assholes-in-the-50’s story. Also Alice’s fat shaming in the beginning was a perfect chance to show character development, but instead is never mentioned again, leaving her just a shitty person. Big miss with a clever title.