A review by nix_jinx
Someone to Watch Over Me, by Judith McNaught
4.0
Reading this book in 2022 had far more to do with nostalgia than anything else. I read this book (a quick horrifying calculation later...) seventeen years ago, which also happens to be half my lifetime ago. At seventeen, what I wanted from fiction was a little different to what I want from fiction now. At least some of the time, anyway.
This book stayed with me over the years. There were certain scenes I could remember with crisp clarity and I've been looking to dip back into the context for years now. It's well written. I like how McNaught weaves her stories together. I like the procedural element to this one. I like how the thriller unpacks itself. I did remember the twist about halfway through, but it was still worth getting there via the narrative.
There were a couple of elements of the story that didn't quite hold up to the societal and cultural shifts in perspective, but I like seeing how far we've come in our thinking. The bigger problem was that my more jaded self couldn't quite suspend my belief where some of the emotional threads were concerned. And, I'm sorry to say, but the ending just. kept. on. going. on top of being a little too sentimental for my taste.
But for all that, I'm so glad I managed to track this one down again after so many years. I'd probably bump the rating down half a star if I'd read it for the first time this time, but I'm going to stay true to my younger self on this one.
This book stayed with me over the years. There were certain scenes I could remember with crisp clarity and I've been looking to dip back into the context for years now. It's well written. I like how McNaught weaves her stories together. I like the procedural element to this one. I like how the thriller unpacks itself. I did remember the twist about halfway through, but it was still worth getting there via the narrative.
There were a couple of elements of the story that didn't quite hold up to the societal and cultural shifts in perspective, but I like seeing how far we've come in our thinking. The bigger problem was that my more jaded self couldn't quite suspend my belief where some of the emotional threads were concerned. And, I'm sorry to say, but the ending just. kept. on. going. on top of being a little too sentimental for my taste.
But for all that, I'm so glad I managed to track this one down again after so many years. I'd probably bump the rating down half a star if I'd read it for the first time this time, but I'm going to stay true to my younger self on this one.