lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
Talk about a Series of Unfortunate Events! Kate's life seems to be filled with tragedy (parents die on her wedding day, husband killed in a break-in), leading to a very understandable need for security and comfort. For some reason, statistics are what grab her - knowing what the dangers are and what the safest options are make her feel safer. Whatever. Then one day she meets a man who says he can help her get over this... his methods are more than a little bizarre.
At times this reminded me of Into the Darkest Corner, which in many ways is the stronger book. The ending to this felt rushed, and a little forced (and coincidental). Still, there's a definite creepy core for readers to get stuck on, which is never a bad thing.
Copy provided by publisher.
At times this reminded me of Into the Darkest Corner, which in many ways is the stronger book. The ending to this felt rushed, and a little forced (and coincidental). Still, there's a definite creepy core for readers to get stuck on, which is never a bad thing.
Copy provided by publisher.
hannahhc81's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
aaliya87's review
dark
mysterious
tense
- 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
3.5
charisegrace's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 raised to a 3 star because I at least enjoyed the first third. The explanation to it all though was completely unbelievable and contrived and had me ripping out my hair in chunks.
3dotsforme's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to having a sick kid at home, I read this on one day. Well done with regards to keeping you guessing but some flaws in the reveal at the end. Perhaps some might be too caught up in the drama and action to notice but seriously, how did Peter know about Kate's unhealthy reliance on stats. My assumption was creepy man's hacks revealed her net searches but this was not explained. And seriously, how do you force an experienced skydiver to commit suicide jumping out of a plane when she'd land prior to you and be able to alert the authorities that a psycho was about to land and someone had grabbed her child? My two cents!
amymaddess's review against another edition
5.0
I think I kind of loved this...but I don't like that I loved this, if that makes sense. The twist was semi-predictable, but it still had me guessing a little bit. A really nasty revenge plot, almost like a terrible drama movie.
Also the part with the neighbour staying in the sons closet? How it's the backdrop of every chapter but never actually plays out? What the heck
I don't think I would recommend this to anyone or read it again but I'm glad I stuck through it the first time.
Also the part with the neighbour staying in the sons closet? How it's the backdrop of every chapter but never actually plays out? What the heck
I don't think I would recommend this to anyone or read it again but I'm glad I stuck through it the first time.
lostinagoodread's review against another edition
3.0
This and other reviews can be found on Cozy Up With A Good Read
This book was creepy, and very difficult to put down. Kate Parker has had many difficulties in her life, losing her parents and then a few years later her husband is murdered. Anyone going through problems like that so close together would be nervous, and Kate has issues moving away. She wants to keep herself and her son as safe as possible, but it becomes a problem where Kate is not actually living her life anymore.
While reading this book, I felt bad for Jack, seeing what his mother puts him through, it's hard to understand why Kate has gone off the way she does. It's scary to think of someone having their lives revolve around what time is safest to go out, and have so many death statistics running around in their mind all the time.
Kate does realize her problem and she tries to fix it so that she can pull her life together, she tries therapy but she feels that people don't understand her. She eventually meets someone that brings her out of her shell and really helps her begin to change her life. I did feel that some of the things Kate did were a little over the top, I felt that if someone asked me to do some of those things to help change my life that I would be skeptical of them. I felt that with how unsure Kate was of the world, she was very trusting of this person so soon after meeting them.
Honestly though, this book had a great creepy factor to it, Kate has all these things continually happening to her and no one else believes her. And there is an added viewpoint of someone who seems out to get her... who is this person? I did kind of see something coming, but the explanation completely through me for a loop, and it was intriguing.
I did have one issue while reading this, and that was the quick changes in voice from Kate to her son, Jack (there wasn't always a clear definition of who I was following, and the copy I read from did not have anything to distinguish when one voice was over and a new one was starting).
Other than that one small issue (which could have been because it was an advance e-copy), I really enjoyed reading this book and following as Kate tries to pull herself together or risk losing what she has left of her family. And to watch what she does when she finds herself in danger once again.
This book was creepy, and very difficult to put down. Kate Parker has had many difficulties in her life, losing her parents and then a few years later her husband is murdered. Anyone going through problems like that so close together would be nervous, and Kate has issues moving away. She wants to keep herself and her son as safe as possible, but it becomes a problem where Kate is not actually living her life anymore.
While reading this book, I felt bad for Jack, seeing what his mother puts him through, it's hard to understand why Kate has gone off the way she does. It's scary to think of someone having their lives revolve around what time is safest to go out, and have so many death statistics running around in their mind all the time.
Kate does realize her problem and she tries to fix it so that she can pull her life together, she tries therapy but she feels that people don't understand her. She eventually meets someone that brings her out of her shell and really helps her begin to change her life. I did feel that some of the things Kate did were a little over the top, I felt that if someone asked me to do some of those things to help change my life that I would be skeptical of them. I felt that with how unsure Kate was of the world, she was very trusting of this person so soon after meeting them.
Honestly though, this book had a great creepy factor to it, Kate has all these things continually happening to her and no one else believes her. And there is an added viewpoint of someone who seems out to get her... who is this person? I did kind of see something coming, but the explanation completely through me for a loop, and it was intriguing.
I did have one issue while reading this, and that was the quick changes in voice from Kate to her son, Jack (there wasn't always a clear definition of who I was following, and the copy I read from did not have anything to distinguish when one voice was over and a new one was starting).
Other than that one small issue (which could have been because it was an advance e-copy), I really enjoyed reading this book and following as Kate tries to pull herself together or risk losing what she has left of her family. And to watch what she does when she finds herself in danger once again.
emmkayt's review against another edition
3.0
Page-turning light thriller, good fun if a bit ridiculous in terms of plotting. Young widowed heroine thinks she's cursed due to spate of bad luck - dead parents, dead husband - and goes all OCD obsessing over statistical odds of more bad things happening. But...ba dum DUM...is it all really her imagination or is something more sinister in fact going on?
kkm0112's review against another edition
4.0
I had no idea what I expected but it was not this. It hummed along as a thriller, building up the suspense, for about 4/5 of the book before taking a screeching turn into creepytown. I wasn't too fond of how the author just did an "info dump" at the very end (in the sense of "yes, I was the bad guy and here are five pages where I will tell you exactly how I did everything and why!") but it did tie things up nicely. I enjoyed reading it once but don't know if I would do so again. Recommended for those who want a GONE GIRL or THE DINNER lite version.
rubenstein's review against another edition
5.0
http://theprettygoodgatsby.wordpress.com/2013/10/02/accidents-happen-by-louise-millar/
Everyone has their personal brand of comfort read, be it a fluffy romance, realistic fiction, or a beloved childhood favorite. For me it's thrillers. Prior to jumping back into YA (and blogging), 95% of what I read fell into the thriller genre and I love revisiting favorites and discovering new ones. Louise Millar's sophomore title, Accidents Happen, definitely classifies as the latter (spoiler alert?).
After a series of tragedies - the sudden death of her parents on her wedding night, the murder of her husband, and a recent break-in - Kate is more than a little protective of her son. Statistics begin to take charge of her life and her cautiousness quickly delves into paranoia and obsession. The iron gate encompassing the entire second floor is the final straw for Kate's in-laws and they begin to wonder if her son might not be better off living with them. Jack is 10, old enough to walk to the convenience store on his own and not worry about monsters in his closet, but Kate's fear has kept him sheltered.
Five years since the death of her husband and Kate is still not ready to move on. It's only at the thought of losing her son that Kate agrees to seek out a therapist and their first meeting couldn't end fast enough. Now each week Kate lies to her sister-in-law about where she's going - anywhere but that therapist.
One day she stops into a cafe and notices a book lying on a nearby table. Beat the Odds and Change Your Life by Jago Martin, Professor at the University of Edinburgh. Kate wastes no time in flipping through the chapters. Topics on how to improve the chance of avoiding car accidents and selecting the best airline ring loud and clear and when the owner of the book returns to his table, she has to force herself to hand the book back. The two strike up a conversation and she realizes he's the author: Jago Martin. More out of necessity than anything, Kate wants to know where he came up with his numbers, his facts.
Back at Kate's house, Jack's closet door opens. It seems his monsters aren't so imaginary after all.
To say I enjoyed this book would be an understatement. To say I really enjoyed this book would be putting it lightly. For four days I lived and breathed Accidents Happen, fully immersed while reading and when I wasn't I was thinking of nothing but getting back to it. Right from the start you learn Kate's fears are very real, there actually is someone entering their home any time she's gone. A hole cut into the back of Jack's closet is the perfect passageway from the other side of their duplex. Magnus is free to come and go as he pleases and doesn't hesitate to help himself to some of Kate's lotion or whatever is in the fridge. Logic (and her mother-in-law) tells Kate that perhaps she used a little more lotion than she thought or maybe Jack wanted a midnight snack, but the truth is far more frightening. More than once I was so overwhelmed with emotion I had to set the book down. Despite Kate's alarm system and other precautions, Magnus still found a way to enter her home and that terrified me.
As the story progressed I quickly figured out who the Bad Guy was but it didn't dampen my enjoyment at all. Accidents Happen is a little on the longer side, but the pace is so blindingly fast I actually had to slow myself down in an attempt to stay with this wonderful book as long as possible. Whether you're a long-time thriller fan or a YA fan looking for something new, I highly recommend Accidents Happen. This book was intense and riveting with plot twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Everyone has their personal brand of comfort read, be it a fluffy romance, realistic fiction, or a beloved childhood favorite. For me it's thrillers. Prior to jumping back into YA (and blogging), 95% of what I read fell into the thriller genre and I love revisiting favorites and discovering new ones. Louise Millar's sophomore title, Accidents Happen, definitely classifies as the latter (spoiler alert?).
After a series of tragedies - the sudden death of her parents on her wedding night, the murder of her husband, and a recent break-in - Kate is more than a little protective of her son. Statistics begin to take charge of her life and her cautiousness quickly delves into paranoia and obsession. The iron gate encompassing the entire second floor is the final straw for Kate's in-laws and they begin to wonder if her son might not be better off living with them. Jack is 10, old enough to walk to the convenience store on his own and not worry about monsters in his closet, but Kate's fear has kept him sheltered.
Five years since the death of her husband and Kate is still not ready to move on. It's only at the thought of losing her son that Kate agrees to seek out a therapist and their first meeting couldn't end fast enough. Now each week Kate lies to her sister-in-law about where she's going - anywhere but that therapist.
One day she stops into a cafe and notices a book lying on a nearby table. Beat the Odds and Change Your Life by Jago Martin, Professor at the University of Edinburgh. Kate wastes no time in flipping through the chapters. Topics on how to improve the chance of avoiding car accidents and selecting the best airline ring loud and clear and when the owner of the book returns to his table, she has to force herself to hand the book back. The two strike up a conversation and she realizes he's the author: Jago Martin. More out of necessity than anything, Kate wants to know where he came up with his numbers, his facts.
Back at Kate's house, Jack's closet door opens. It seems his monsters aren't so imaginary after all.
To say I enjoyed this book would be an understatement. To say I really enjoyed this book would be putting it lightly. For four days I lived and breathed Accidents Happen, fully immersed while reading and when I wasn't I was thinking of nothing but getting back to it. Right from the start you learn Kate's fears are very real, there actually is someone entering their home any time she's gone. A hole cut into the back of Jack's closet is the perfect passageway from the other side of their duplex. Magnus is free to come and go as he pleases and doesn't hesitate to help himself to some of Kate's lotion or whatever is in the fridge. Logic (and her mother-in-law) tells Kate that perhaps she used a little more lotion than she thought or maybe Jack wanted a midnight snack, but the truth is far more frightening. More than once I was so overwhelmed with emotion I had to set the book down. Despite Kate's alarm system and other precautions, Magnus still found a way to enter her home and that terrified me.
As the story progressed I quickly figured out who the Bad Guy was but it didn't dampen my enjoyment at all. Accidents Happen is a little on the longer side, but the pace is so blindingly fast I actually had to slow myself down in an attempt to stay with this wonderful book as long as possible. Whether you're a long-time thriller fan or a YA fan looking for something new, I highly recommend Accidents Happen. This book was intense and riveting with plot twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.