endlessmidnight's review
1.0
DNF
Well, something about this just didn’t work. Apart from the fact that I cared almost nothing about Victoria or Sam but I found dreadfully boring.
Even when Victoria was getting kidnapped. And well, she didn’t seem to be thinking too hard as to how to get out at all. Although I get that she panicked, but why don’t you use your brains a little to sort it out. It doesn’t make any sense at all. Even more when her father is creating something that can change humanity.
As for Sam, I don’t understand why he is an important part when he has zero motivations. An unlucky chap to be roped in, yes but that doesn’t make him interesting. It just makes me wonder where his brain cells went to agree to kidnapping a girl. Just to get back at her father or something like that. The girl here is blameless.
And well, after all the chapters which were sort and did nothing to advance the plot. Other than Victoria telling her life, getting kidnapped and Sam telling his life and how it was like being her kidnapper.
And well, if it doesn’t try to make itself seem meaningful I’m out. It reads like stream of consciousness with zero focus on the actual plot, or even anything for that matter. I just didn’t feel the need to finish a book when it is like this.
Well, something about this just didn’t work. Apart from the fact that I cared almost nothing about Victoria or Sam but I found dreadfully boring.
Even when Victoria was getting kidnapped. And well, she didn’t seem to be thinking too hard as to how to get out at all. Although I get that she panicked, but why don’t you use your brains a little to sort it out. It doesn’t make any sense at all. Even more when her father is creating something that can change humanity.
As for Sam, I don’t understand why he is an important part when he has zero motivations. An unlucky chap to be roped in, yes but that doesn’t make him interesting. It just makes me wonder where his brain cells went to agree to kidnapping a girl. Just to get back at her father or something like that. The girl here is blameless.
And well, after all the chapters which were sort and did nothing to advance the plot. Other than Victoria telling her life, getting kidnapped and Sam telling his life and how it was like being her kidnapper.
And well, if it doesn’t try to make itself seem meaningful I’m out. It reads like stream of consciousness with zero focus on the actual plot, or even anything for that matter. I just didn’t feel the need to finish a book when it is like this.
janiceperry13's review against another edition
4.0
I read an ARC copy of this book voluntarily. I really enjoyed this book, lots of suspense and adventure. The story was great and the characters were well written.
bookishly_faith's review against another edition
2.0
I received a ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (Thanks!)
Please imagine a YA book about a kidnapping involving teenagers. Did you wince like I did? Because it's just as bad as it sounds. I've read a book about a teenager being captured and it was freaking amazing ([b:Stolen: A Letter to My Captor|6408862|Stolen A Letter to My Captor|Lucy Christopher|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1311064295s/6408862.jpg|6597789]). This book sucks in comparison. (Well, you can't actually compare them, but you get what I'm saying)
This book features 2 main characters: Victoria is a college student, who is the daughter of one of the wealthiest men on the planet. She is still struggling with the abduction she had when she was young. When she goes home to see her family, she is kidnapped by a bunch of kids who have been screwed over by her dad. One of these kids is Sam, a poor guy who is trying to keep his family together after his father left. His cousin got him involved in this kidnapping and made Sam the scapegoat. Victoria and Sam have to work together to get out of this situation alive.
The only thing this book has going for it is the world and its implications. This book is set in the future, where Victoria's father has made it so that robots have taken most of the jobs. It was interesting to see this world because it is definitely a dystopia that could come true. I liked that the author tied the plot to ethical questions. As much as I liked this element of the book, the fact that it ended up being a cliched thriller about kidnapping and romance kinda ruined the experience for me.
I requested this book from NetGalley because I got excited about the MC being in college (I want to read more about people in college because I want to relate! I'm struggling to find good books with that!). Unfortunately, this book got really Stockholm-y really fast. I think the characters even realized this at some point! I found the ending really surprising because I didn't realize that the italicized chapters were from someone else's point of view.
Please imagine a YA book about a kidnapping involving teenagers. Did you wince like I did? Because it's just as bad as it sounds. I've read a book about a teenager being captured and it was freaking amazing ([b:Stolen: A Letter to My Captor|6408862|Stolen A Letter to My Captor|Lucy Christopher|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1311064295s/6408862.jpg|6597789]). This book sucks in comparison. (Well, you can't actually compare them, but you get what I'm saying)
This book features 2 main characters: Victoria is a college student, who is the daughter of one of the wealthiest men on the planet. She is still struggling with the abduction she had when she was young. When she goes home to see her family, she is kidnapped by a bunch of kids who have been screwed over by her dad. One of these kids is Sam, a poor guy who is trying to keep his family together after his father left. His cousin got him involved in this kidnapping and made Sam the scapegoat. Victoria and Sam have to work together to get out of this situation alive.
The only thing this book has going for it is the world and its implications. This book is set in the future, where Victoria's father has made it so that robots have taken most of the jobs. It was interesting to see this world because it is definitely a dystopia that could come true. I liked that the author tied the plot to ethical questions. As much as I liked this element of the book, the fact that it ended up being a cliched thriller about kidnapping and romance kinda ruined the experience for me.
I requested this book from NetGalley because I got excited about the MC being in college (I want to read more about people in college because I want to relate! I'm struggling to find good books with that!). Unfortunately, this book got really Stockholm-y really fast. I think the characters even realized this at some point! I found the ending really surprising because I didn't realize that the italicized chapters were from someone else's point of view.
jennlrichardson's review against another edition
2.0
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really loved the first 80% of this book. I love the futuristic aspects and the mystery and I loved that I really couldn't get a handle on what the bad guys were doing and why. What I really didn't like was the "love story" part of it, which came more towards the end of the book. It was extremely sudden but also basically nonexistent. It was weird. However, I did really like the twist at the end, I totally did not see that coming! I wish this book were a bit longer and that some of the themes were explored a bit more, it has a lot of potential. If you can get past the super weird romance part of the story and you like a bit of a mystery, I think this book is worth reading.
I really loved the first 80% of this book. I love the futuristic aspects and the mystery and I loved that I really couldn't get a handle on what the bad guys were doing and why. What I really didn't like was the "love story" part of it, which came more towards the end of the book. It was extremely sudden but also basically nonexistent. It was weird. However, I did really like the twist at the end, I totally did not see that coming! I wish this book were a bit longer and that some of the themes were explored a bit more, it has a lot of potential. If you can get past the super weird romance part of the story and you like a bit of a mystery, I think this book is worth reading.
lindsayl's review
3.0
Rhee is a college freshman trying to move on with her life after a traumatic experience in which she almost died four years prior. On top of pretending to be okay, she just discovered a secret about her prestigious father that leaves her unsettled. Sam is the opposite of Rhee. His grandmother raised him and his sister and now he barely makes enough money to pay the bills, take care of his grandmother, and spare some change for his sister. In desperate need of money, he decides to assist his shady cousin and his friends with a job, not knowing that this would be the most extreme one yet—to kidnap Rhee and hold her for ransom.
I read this in one sitting. The beginning was slow to start off, but once Rhee started the journey home to confront her father, things picked up paced and remained that way until the very end. This is a dystopian novel set in a town in Tennessee where robots are mainly used in place of humans to complete jobs and tasks. I don’t like dystopian stories, but the main focus wasn’t wrapped around the society; it was about Rhee and Sam’s survival once Rhee is kidnapped.
Rhee and Sam were likeable characters, especially Rhee since she was a fighter. I enjoyed the shifting viewpoints between chapters since I got to understand both characters in depth. The only thing I didn’t condone was the instant attraction and love between Rhee and Sam. I’ve studied up on Stockholm Syndrome over the years and knew that these two characters were going to be in a position where it resulted. Sam brings it up to Rhee towards the end of the novel, but she brushes it aside and claims to have real feelings for him. I’m not a fan of instant love so that was the only downside to the novel.
A few grammatical errors and differences in the spelling of names were scattered amongst the pages, but not to the point where I was confused on what was happening. I wasn’t satisfied with the ending since it kind of just ended before the characters made it out of the woods—literally. Many of the questions were answered, but I wanted to see what would happen afterwards once the revelations were revealed.
I was provided an ARC of All Her Secrets by NetGalley in exchange for a review.
I read this in one sitting. The beginning was slow to start off, but once Rhee started the journey home to confront her father, things picked up paced and remained that way until the very end. This is a dystopian novel set in a town in Tennessee where robots are mainly used in place of humans to complete jobs and tasks. I don’t like dystopian stories, but the main focus wasn’t wrapped around the society; it was about Rhee and Sam’s survival once Rhee is kidnapped.
Rhee and Sam were likeable characters, especially Rhee since she was a fighter. I enjoyed the shifting viewpoints between chapters since I got to understand both characters in depth. The only thing I didn’t condone was the instant attraction and love between Rhee and Sam. I’ve studied up on Stockholm Syndrome over the years and knew that these two characters were going to be in a position where it resulted. Sam brings it up to Rhee towards the end of the novel, but she brushes it aside and claims to have real feelings for him. I’m not a fan of instant love so that was the only downside to the novel.
A few grammatical errors and differences in the spelling of names were scattered amongst the pages, but not to the point where I was confused on what was happening. I wasn’t satisfied with the ending since it kind of just ended before the characters made it out of the woods—literally. Many of the questions were answered, but I wanted to see what would happen afterwards once the revelations were revealed.
I was provided an ARC of All Her Secrets by NetGalley in exchange for a review.
thecalicobooks's review
4.0
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. A huge thank you to Barclay Publicity and Netgalley.*
This was a really good book! I read it in the beginning of October, and I thought it was the perfect book to get me into that Halloween mood.
The setting in All Her Secrets was very immersive for me. It takes place in October, and since I actually read this book in October, it felt very autumnal and atmospheric. It is a dystopian novel, but unlike most dystopian novels, it doesn't have that distinctly futuristic feel. I loved that! The world in this story felt like it was still our own, and that really helped me to relate to the story and the characters.
All Her Secrets actually gets pretty thought-provoking at times. It raised a lot of good questions about machines and ethics. It really made me think about where the line should be drawn when it comes to machines and robots.
I really loved the alternating points of views, as well as the short chapters. I, personally, love books with short chapters because they always give me the perfect excuse to read "just one more!" I also felt like the different points of views really helped me to get know Sam and Victoria. I liked being able to see what was going on in each of their heads. Also, while I love the cover of this book, I feel like it gives the appearance of a much more romantic book. The romance is very slow growing; it is nicely paced and doesn't take over the whole plot.
One other thing I loved was that this book was filled with twists! While reading, I was for sure the story was going to go one way, and then it ended up going in a direction I totally did not see coming. I love when that happens.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable, fast-paced read. It is a great mystery/thriller book without being as gritty and intense as books such as Gone Girl. I would recommend it to anybody looking for a unique thriller. After reading All Her Secrets, I really want to read Kate Avery Ellison's other novels!
http://wp.me/p7dvyA-17G
This was a really good book! I read it in the beginning of October, and I thought it was the perfect book to get me into that Halloween mood.
The setting in All Her Secrets was very immersive for me. It takes place in October, and since I actually read this book in October, it felt very autumnal and atmospheric. It is a dystopian novel, but unlike most dystopian novels, it doesn't have that distinctly futuristic feel. I loved that! The world in this story felt like it was still our own, and that really helped me to relate to the story and the characters.
All Her Secrets actually gets pretty thought-provoking at times. It raised a lot of good questions about machines and ethics. It really made me think about where the line should be drawn when it comes to machines and robots.
I really loved the alternating points of views, as well as the short chapters. I, personally, love books with short chapters because they always give me the perfect excuse to read "just one more!" I also felt like the different points of views really helped me to get know Sam and Victoria. I liked being able to see what was going on in each of their heads. Also, while I love the cover of this book, I feel like it gives the appearance of a much more romantic book. The romance is very slow growing; it is nicely paced and doesn't take over the whole plot.
One other thing I loved was that this book was filled with twists! While reading, I was for sure the story was going to go one way, and then it ended up going in a direction I totally did not see coming. I love when that happens.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable, fast-paced read. It is a great mystery/thriller book without being as gritty and intense as books such as Gone Girl. I would recommend it to anybody looking for a unique thriller. After reading All Her Secrets, I really want to read Kate Avery Ellison's other novels!
http://wp.me/p7dvyA-17G
ohthebooksyoucanread's review
4.0
(I received an advanced copy of this book for free. Thanks to Barclay Publicity and NetGalley.)
Victoria has been kidnapped for ransom because her father is a rich maker of robots. Sam is the other main character in the story who has been dragged into this kidnapping by his cousin, Craig. Craig handcuffs Sam to the truck while the kidnapping happens and Sam is also chained by his ankle in the hiding place. Victoria is put by herself in the cellar. Sam is upstairs and Victoria is upstairs. To calm each other down, they start talking to each other and become close.
I could picture both characters and relate to them slightly. Even though nothing this extreme has happened to me. There is great world building. I could picture many of the scenes.
The twist at the end I was not expecting! Also, I want to know what happens to Victoria and Sam.
Victoria has been kidnapped for ransom because her father is a rich maker of robots. Sam is the other main character in the story who has been dragged into this kidnapping by his cousin, Craig. Craig handcuffs Sam to the truck while the kidnapping happens and Sam is also chained by his ankle in the hiding place. Victoria is put by herself in the cellar. Sam is upstairs and Victoria is upstairs. To calm each other down, they start talking to each other and become close.
I could picture both characters and relate to them slightly. Even though nothing this extreme has happened to me. There is great world building. I could picture many of the scenes.
The twist at the end I was not expecting! Also, I want to know what happens to Victoria and Sam.
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