Reviews

When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica

joey1914's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

kellerko's review against another edition

3.0

This book kept me on the edge of my seat and excitedly reading each page. There were two narrator’s which sometimes bounced back-and-forth and time which I’m not overly fond of. It was substantially really easier to read once I realize the relationship between the two. Suspenseful and unexpected.

mgreene23's review

emotional sad tense slow-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

2.5

angelabecker's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

4.25

hannahbellz's review

1.0

Spoiler

Imagine someone is telling you a really convoluted, tedious story, but you're vaguely curious what happened, and then after wasting hours on it you find out you're only listening to a senseless dream. That's pretty much what reading this book was like.

alexurrss's review

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.5

symrn's review against another edition

2.0

I have questions, Mary.

I'm mad, frustrated, and disappointed because I was so invested in the story (the original one), I had made up scenarios in my head already and to end all that with it being a dream???? HELLO??

So much potential wasted.

cooperca's review against another edition

1.0

I don't think I've ever been so disappointed by a novel that could have been something riveting. First, my thanks to those reviewers who provided the "spoiler" so I didn't have to endure more than 160 pages of this painfully glacially paced story.

The books description of a young girl, who upon her mothers death, decides to go back to college but is told her social security number is that of a child who had died years ago. Unable to locate her birth certificate, it seems she is a person with no identity. Wow, sounds great!

Here's what the story really is. The book is told from two view points and time frames. Eden's story takes place during the late 60s, early 70s. Eden tells us, repeatedly, she wants a baby. Like, really really wants a baby. All she can think about is having a baby. She wants a baby. Yes, she desperately wants a baby. Yes, Eden's story is all about her quest to have a baby. From her scheduled sex life with her husband to all the medical methods she and her husband endure. She wants that baby. More than anything, she wants a baby. That's all we hear from Eden....argh! So she can't get pregnant so now she's thinking of stealing a baby. I don't want to hear anything more about Eden's story. There's no depth to her and her desperation in how she views herself is just pathetic.

So in-between Eden's pathetic story, we hear from Jessie, whose story takes place 2017/2018. Yeah, it doesn't take long before we realize that she's Eden's daughter. I don't know if that was supposed to be a twist, but it wasn't. Jessie, Jessie can't sleep. She really wants to sleep but she can't sleep. She's been awake for days. She really wants to sleep but can't sleep. Did I tell you, Jessie has a bad case of insomnia and she can't sleep. Yep, she can't sleep. ARGH!

So we have these two pathetic bland characters. And the storyline, we're told over and over and over is Eden's desire for a child and Jessie's inability to sleep. Jessie should have read this book, it would have cured her insomnia immediately!

Here's the spoiler. At the beginning Jessie is in the hospital with her dying mother. The doctors have told her that her mother's battle with cancer is coming to a fatal end. Telling Jessie she needs to get some sleep, the doctor provides her with medication to help her sleep. She lies down in the bed next to her mother and goes to sleep. THE WHOLE FREAKING STORY IS A DREAM! What the.... At the end, the nurse wakes Jessie up. As a reader, I felt that the author was trying to be more gimmicky than writing a solid story. And as a reader, I felt insulted.

Will not be reading anything more from this author.

ihateprozac's review against another edition

3.0

I wish Mary Kubica had written this as two separate books, because I was reeeeeeeeally digging Eden's story as a deranged mother who would go to any length to have a child! Jessie's storyline had some potential too, as I typically like a narrator who has cause to question their own sanity.

Unfortunately the twist in Jessie's POV absolutely fucking ruined the interest I had built up in Eden's story! I got to the end and thought "well that was entirely fucking pointless, wasn't it?"
-___-

(Also I know I said in my review of [b:Pretty Baby|23638955|Pretty Baby|Mary Kubica|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1438274437l/23638955._SY75_.jpg|43243536] that I don't typically like stories about women who are desperate for kids, but honestly Eden's downward spiral here was *chef kiss*)

annie_1330's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

Excellent  audio book, fro  about 20 pages on was trying to figure it out a very gooad book to the end. Author pulled me along