accioemilia's review
3.0
Poor pacing overall. Characters are surface-developed at best. Cool idea though.
ritabook85's review against another edition
4.0
It was easy to get swept away in the plot. I thought I had it figured out but my theory was way off. I like it when a book can still surprise me as I get close to the end.
brittany_tellefsen's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 3.5
I struggle with my rating for this book because though there wasn't anything inherently wrong with it, it is simply a story that I feel rather indifferent towards. It is not one I ever connected to or felt pulled towards even though I did find the story itself rather compelling and intriguing and it ended up being a far more intricately woven story then I originally anticipated.
The best word I can use to describe this book would be "puzzle."
Centered around the discovery of a dead infant that was found in a wooded area near a lake directly off of the town's university campus, the story is told through three different perspectives, each one somehow involved whether directly, or indirectly, with the crime.
Within each perspective, we are also getting glimpses of other story lines and characters within them and this allows us, as readers, to start weaving together this intricate web of relationships, connections, etc., that may just allow us to solve the mystery or lead us in the wrong direction.
As a character-driven reader, I often have difficulty with books that do not provide enough development with their characters. As you might expect, there were quite a lot of characters in this story and, for the most part, they all had some part to play no matter how small or insignificant, so we are tasked with remember each one and their role. That left little room to actually truly know or care about these characters at all since it was entirely plot-focused and the author was simply trying to drive the narrative forward.
Again, I did feel that this ended up being a lot more tangled and complex then I was anticipating, which I give the author praise for. She took what could have been a very straight-forward plot and created a wind, serpentine like path that ensured we were kept on our toes throughout the process. I just know that in a short amount of time, the overall details of this book will escape me and I will not remember much at all. I cannot even attach any type of emotion to it. So while it wasn't a bad book, I don't think it was all that memorable, either.
I struggle with my rating for this book because though there wasn't anything inherently wrong with it, it is simply a story that I feel rather indifferent towards. It is not one I ever connected to or felt pulled towards even though I did find the story itself rather compelling and intriguing and it ended up being a far more intricately woven story then I originally anticipated.
The best word I can use to describe this book would be "puzzle."
Centered around the discovery of a dead infant that was found in a wooded area near a lake directly off of the town's university campus, the story is told through three different perspectives, each one somehow involved whether directly, or indirectly, with the crime.
Within each perspective, we are also getting glimpses of other story lines and characters within them and this allows us, as readers, to start weaving together this intricate web of relationships, connections, etc., that may just allow us to solve the mystery or lead us in the wrong direction.
As a character-driven reader, I often have difficulty with books that do not provide enough development with their characters. As you might expect, there were quite a lot of characters in this story and, for the most part, they all had some part to play no matter how small or insignificant, so we are tasked with remember each one and their role. That left little room to actually truly know or care about these characters at all since it was entirely plot-focused and the author was simply trying to drive the narrative forward.
Again, I did feel that this ended up being a lot more tangled and complex then I was anticipating, which I give the author praise for. She took what could have been a very straight-forward plot and created a wind, serpentine like path that ensured we were kept on our toes throughout the process. I just know that in a short amount of time, the overall details of this book will escape me and I will not remember much at all. I cannot even attach any type of emotion to it. So while it wasn't a bad book, I don't think it was all that memorable, either.
flippingthepages's review against another edition
4.0
Okay I'll be honest, in the beginning I thought it was going to be a normal mystery and I would be able to tell what was going to happen by the middle of the book. But holy moly, I did not see what was coming. It was a little hard to read since there's a mention of a dead infant in the synopsis and I have 2 boys of my own, one that just turned 1 last month. I'm glad I pushed through because this was really good. This story was a big mindf**k in a good way. If you like mysteries, definitely check this one out.
I guess the only reason this wasn't a 5 star was that I had to get past the first like 100 pages to really be hooked into it.
I guess the only reason this wasn't a 5 star was that I had to get past the first like 100 pages to really be hooked into it.
nbolden's review against another edition
3.0
Most of reviews are right. The book was really slow until about the last 100 pages are so. After that, it was fantastic. Twists you didn't see coming.
jraia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Felt slow a lot of the time, but very satisfying when all the pieces start to line up at the end. Some twists predictable, some not.
The narrator who reads Ella's dialogue in the audiobook voices her like she's a cave goblin rather than a human child.
The narrator who reads Ella's dialogue in the audiobook voices her like she's a cave goblin rather than a human child.
pegbw's review against another edition
4.0
Knew where things were headed but I still found it a compelling read.
annacarolinaa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
cheyconic's review against another edition
5.0
A bit of a slow start but the snowballing at the end was incredible.
reyes_sf's review against another edition
2.0
Edited 25/09/16: Yep, 2 stars in the end :(
I don't know how to review this book… I'm going for 2.5 stars for now because I'm trying to focus on the stuff I liked, but I might change it in the future >_<
I was enjoying 'Where They Found Her' a lot, and I mean A LOT. I bought this some time ago without knowing much about it purely because I loved 'Reconstructing Amelia', and for the most part it didn't disappoint: the story is gripping, thrilling and heartbreaking, and I had no idea what was going on in the best possible way. Then I got to the final 20% of the book and everything was being exposed and connected beautifully and it seemed like I was going to get a neat ending, ribbon included, just like I like them. And then in the last 50 pages something happens that ruined the whole book for me, mostly because it didn't make sense and didn't fit with what we had learned about that character at all. And as if one random twist was not enough, in the last 10 pages we get another revelation connected to that twist that put the proverbial last nail in the coffin for me. Seriously, the story was nearly perfect!! I was going to give it 4 stars, but now I can only think about the nonsense at the ending. I hate my brain sometimes >_<
I don't know how to review this book… I'm going for 2.5 stars for now because I'm trying to focus on the stuff I liked, but I might change it in the future >_<
I was enjoying 'Where They Found Her' a lot, and I mean A LOT. I bought this some time ago without knowing much about it purely because I loved 'Reconstructing Amelia', and for the most part it didn't disappoint: the story is gripping, thrilling and heartbreaking, and I had no idea what was going on in the best possible way. Then I got to the final 20% of the book and everything was being exposed and connected beautifully and it seemed like I was going to get a neat ending, ribbon included, just like I like them. And then in the last 50 pages something happens that ruined the whole book for me, mostly because it didn't make sense and didn't fit with what we had learned about that character at all. And as if one random twist was not enough, in the last 10 pages we get another revelation connected to that twist that put the proverbial last nail in the coffin for me. Seriously, the story was nearly perfect!! I was going to give it 4 stars, but now I can only think about the nonsense at the ending. I hate my brain sometimes >_<