Reviews

After devouring Runaway by Coben, I grabbed the first Coben book available at the library without waitlisting. Still had the same suspense, page-turning quality, but I was much less into it by the end. The suspense felt manufactured, and not sure if its just that's his formula, so after seeing it once I am less wow'd, or if this one just didn't come off as well. I'll try one more Coben, but may move on after that if they are just churning out formula thrillers.

I didn't connect with the main character here as much and then the two twists at the end are, well, uncomfortable. And while the Epilouge tries to wrap it up into the "it's all good!" category, it's just weird and messed up.

But understanding that this may just fall into the "not one for me" category, I'll check out another.

klou's review

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dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

4.5

I have seen and loved several of the TV adaptations of Harlan Coben novels, but this is the first book by him that I've read. Fool Me Once was a really excellent, thrilling, page-turner. It was very fast-paced, full of shocks and twists! There was never an opportunity to relax, never a dull moment, which I loved. That's the way a thriller should be! I didn't know what to believe or who to trust throughout this book. It made the journey much more enjoyable.

I would have liked more details on what exactly happened to a certain character in the past, and for how much the story and mystery was built up, the big finale did seem to happen a bit too quickly. Having said that, I still really liked the direction this book went in and the way it ended. By the end, I was in tears, which is rare when it comes to thrillers, but I just couldn't help it; the characters were so well-rounded and so easy to like and connect with. I can't wait to see how these characters and the story are portrayed on screen next year!

Harlan Coben's writing style is so easy to follow. This book was so addictive, so intense, and that's primarily down to how the author told the story. I will definitely read more by him in the future!

pghreader's review

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4.0

This was my first introduction to Harlan Coben and I found this book to be entertaining light reading. After reading other reviews, it is impossible for me to address the question of whether Coben has just overused the same formula. I'll most likely modify this review after reading more of his work.

The ending is, as many have commented, pretty weak considering all of the build up. Yet, I would still recommend this fun read to anyone looking for a quick and easy story.