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A review by jelkebooks
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
dark
mysterious
medium-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? No
2.0
I was quite excited to read this one because I had heard many great things about this book, and the premise sounds right up my alley. However, this book just didn't work for me. If I'm being honest I thought this book was a massive bore. I'm sorry. Not a whole lot happened in this book, and the characters were also just lackluster.
Now, I get that in a mystery/thriller characters are often not much more than a plot device, but at least the main character will have some semblance of a personality. This was NOT the case for Hal. She was just such a bland main character, and I found it really difficult to care about her or root for her. I just felt extremely meh. On top of that the side characters were truly interchangeable. I had a terrible time keeping them apart, and there weren't even that many characters.
I also just predicted the big reveal quite early on in the book. I was 100% correct, all details were accounted for. I absolutely couldn't believe that that was it. It was just so obvious from the start, and it truly felt like a massive whomp whomp once it happened. Especially because there wasn't really much more to the book for me.
I didn't absolutely hate this book. There were some small parts I did like, and I absolutely flew through this book as well. There were just so many things I wish could have been delved into a bit more, or just overall executed better.
Now, I get that in a mystery/thriller characters are often not much more than a plot device, but at least the main character will have some semblance of a personality. This was NOT the case for Hal. She was just such a bland main character, and I found it really difficult to care about her or root for her. I just felt extremely meh. On top of that the side characters were truly interchangeable. I had a terrible time keeping them apart, and there weren't even that many characters.
I also just predicted the big reveal quite early on in the book. I was 100% correct, all details were accounted for. I absolutely couldn't believe that that was it. It was just so obvious from the start, and it truly felt like a massive whomp whomp once it happened. Especially because there wasn't really much more to the book for me.
I didn't absolutely hate this book. There were some small parts I did like, and I absolutely flew through this book as well. There were just so many things I wish could have been delved into a bit more, or just overall executed better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Homophobia