ann40's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and Murder
Minor: Suicide
pagebypaigebks's review against another edition
4.0
“I’m worse than the devil because I exist.”
I was sent an ARC copy of this book by HarperCollins Canada in exchange for an honest review.
I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.
Instagram Post
Blog Post
Content Warnings: death, murder, death of parent, (mention of cancer, suicide, physical abuse)
While this book started off a bit slow-paced, it gradually ramped up the action and left me on the edge of my seat! The mystery was intricately plotted and featured many twists and turns I couldn't see coming. In terms of the writing style, it matched perfectly with the overall vibe of the plot and grabbed my attention right away. We also follow a wide range of characters that we get to see grow and contribute to the story. It was exciting to learn the many secrets of each character and depending on what section you were reading, you could easily switch from rooting for them to hoping they'd be caught based on what was revealed. All of the characters felt lifelike and could have been based on real people. I really enjoyed trying to piece together the murder and the many other mysteries within this book, I couldn't get enough! I also listened to the audiobook and definitely recommend giving it a listen. The narrator did a fantastic job of giving personality and life to the story!
I was sent an ARC copy of this book by HarperCollins Canada in exchange for an honest review.
I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.
Instagram Post
Blog Post
Content Warnings: death, murder, death of parent, (mention of cancer, suicide, physical abuse)
While this book started off a bit slow-paced, it gradually ramped up the action and left me on the edge of my seat! The mystery was intricately plotted and featured many twists and turns I couldn't see coming. In terms of the writing style, it matched perfectly with the overall vibe of the plot and grabbed my attention right away. We also follow a wide range of characters that we get to see grow and contribute to the story. It was exciting to learn the many secrets of each character and depending on what section you were reading, you could easily switch from rooting for them to hoping they'd be caught based on what was revealed. All of the characters felt lifelike and could have been based on real people. I really enjoyed trying to piece together the murder and the many other mysteries within this book, I couldn't get enough! I also listened to the audiobook and definitely recommend giving it a listen. The narrator did a fantastic job of giving personality and life to the story!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Death
Minor: Suicide, Physical abuse, and Cancer
raitherabbit's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As a first foray into the mystery, whodunnit genre, it’s such a good place to start. So much love is put into each character and how they’re written. While I don’t agree with how all the characters acted or ended up becoming, they were still well written and added to the story (and there was A LOT of them).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
internationalreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The crime aspect of this book was fantastic. However, it took far too long to develop. The pace was all off. The meta autofiction aspect was not needed at all. If this book had just been written as the crime plot, without the author in the present day investigating, it would be a 4 or 5 star thriller for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Xenophobia
meganrae047's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death, Death of parent, and Cancer
Minor: Domestic abuse
jkpiowa's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and Murder
Minor: Terminal illness and Suicide
mtnest's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Vomit, and Infidelity
danaaliyalevinson's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.5
Okay, so this is a bit of a f*ck it 4.5 that is probably not earned by the actual writing, and is definitely influenced by the fact that I've been reading so much dark and deep literary fiction and I just needed something fun. And that was definitely this. A breezy madcap whodunnit about a murder in a hotel during a Swiss bank's annual retreat. Intrigue abounds. If you love "Knives Out" you'll love it. It's also a book within a book within a book, which sounds wild, but it really works and it injects some unexpectedness into what would otherwise be a bit of a routine genre mystery. Do I think it's a genius book? No. But I had a lot of fun reading it. Also *as a Jewish person* there was a really smart send up and implicit critique of the crafty Jewish banker' antisemitic trope that I won't spoil, but I quite enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Murder, and Death
bookshelf_al's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Gaslighting
Moderate: Murder
atamano's review against another edition
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? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Suicide