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mandkips's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
helena_chris's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Amazing book and super cleverly written. It's almost like one of those murder mystery game boxes. However: there are some major content warnings beyond the murder mystery part, including suicide, chronic illness, child death, and sexual assault.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Vomit
booksandtea997's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Drug use, and Medical content
dannilmp's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Do you like to combine your love for reading with cluedo? Well then this is certainly a book you'll be interested in. A typical whodunit type of story where the stakes are making sure an innocent is released from prison while the guilty pay the price for murder.
I really enjoyed getting involved with this book and taking the time between sections to review the facts and try to deduce the case. Taking breaks is made a little easier as the whole book is told through texts, emails, phone records and the like. I must admit I hadn't gotten the murderer right so I was still suprised when all the case wrapped up and I had been completely lead astray by red herrings!
While both the book and the experience were highly enjoyable, my reasoning for the lower star rating is the fact that I cannot see myself reading the book again now that I know the answers to the questions. Maybe if I re-read it I could see where I had gotten my facts wrong the previous time or maybe retrospectively I could put more clues together. I may re-read it one day but it certainly won't be any time soon.
I really enjoyed getting involved with this book and taking the time between sections to review the facts and try to deduce the case. Taking breaks is made a little easier as the whole book is told through texts, emails, phone records and the like. I must admit I hadn't gotten the murderer right so I was still suprised when all the case wrapped up and I had been completely lead astray by red herrings!
While both the book and the experience were highly enjoyable, my reasoning for the lower star rating is the fact that I cannot see myself reading the book again now that I know the answers to the questions. Maybe if I re-read it I could see where I had gotten my facts wrong the previous time or maybe retrospectively I could put more clues together. I may re-read it one day but it certainly won't be any time soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse and Child death
marillenbaum's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.0
Epistolary novels aren’t usually my jam, and this one was a bit overstuffed and tough to get through at times, but I still enjoyed it. Sam Greenwood is a fascinating character, revealed only through the side glances of people she encountered. And I loved the side talk between Charlotte and Femi about this close-knit, weird little community.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Sexual assault
kellyeweber's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
Minor: Chronic illness
vkitoria's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this was so much fun! i like an epistolary novel once in a while and this one was pretty well done.
i figured out some of the big aspects of the mystery, but missed a few key details. one of them i’m totally kicking myself over because it’s so obvious in hindsight:whenever a mystery involves a sick little kid, i should immediately suspect munchausens by proxy.
i figured out some of the big aspects of the mystery, but missed a few key details. one of them i’m totally kicking myself over because it’s so obvious in hindsight:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Death
Minor: Child death and Sexual assault
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Terminal illness
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide
jennshelfishlife's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Appeal is about a small, close-knit community involved in a murder. The story is told in epistolary format, where readers will read email exchanges (note: read the funny end notes on the emails), text messages, interviews, and litigation paperwork.
There are numerous characters in the story; fortunately, it was easy to follow each of their accounts since the characters are outlined in the Fairway Players theatre group's role sheet.
Martin Haywood's family, the alpha family, is undergoing a tragedy in their family as the young granddaughter is diagnosed with rare brain cancer. The family needs a life-saving therapy, still undergoing testing, in America, which leads to a crowdsource event led by the Fairway Players. However, the story is not as simple as that, and readers will delve into the Haywood family's discourse with Dr. Tish Bhatoa and the latter's history. Sam, a nurse, and new Fairway Player, begin to dig to uncover her suspicions of Dr. Bhatoa and finds more than she expected, leading to her untimely death.
A lot can be said about the story and the multiple storylines and how they intersect, but I will leave that to the readers. This reader would also like to note that the irony of the play being rehearsed is not lost on this reader.
The Appeal is a page-turning novel that left this reader appalled and amazed at how the story and the mysteries were unveiled.
The story has triggers (e.g., fraud, cancer, murder, rape), but they are mild, except for the fraud.
I recommend this novel to fans of mysteries and epistolary storytelling.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
There are numerous characters in the story; fortunately, it was easy to follow each of their accounts since the characters are outlined in the Fairway Players theatre group's role sheet.
Martin Haywood's family, the alpha family, is undergoing a tragedy in their family as the young granddaughter is diagnosed with rare brain cancer. The family needs a life-saving therapy, still undergoing testing, in America, which leads to a crowdsource event led by the Fairway Players. However, the story is not as simple as that, and readers will delve into the Haywood family's discourse with Dr. Tish Bhatoa and the latter's history. Sam, a nurse, and new Fairway Player, begin to dig to uncover her suspicions of Dr. Bhatoa and finds more than she expected, leading to her untimely death.
A lot can be said about the story and the multiple storylines and how they intersect, but I will leave that to the readers. This reader would also like to note that the irony of the play being rehearsed is not lost on this reader.
The Appeal is a page-turning novel that left this reader appalled and amazed at how the story and the mysteries were unveiled.
The story has triggers (e.g., fraud, cancer, murder, rape), but they are mild, except for the fraud.
I recommend this novel to fans of mysteries and epistolary storytelling.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
hevs_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, and Sexual assault