After my last Riley Sager (The House Across the Lake), I said I was done. But then this one came out and it was a male protagonist and it was getting After my last Riley Sager (The House Across the Lake), I said I was done. But then this one came out and it was a male protagonist and it was getting pretty good reviews. So I decided to give it a go.
And now, I can finally say with certainty that I'm done with Riley Sager. This book wasn't bad, per se. It was just boring and predictable. I think if you're a fan of his already or if you're new to thrillers and want to dip your toes in, this is a perfectly fine book to read. But for me, there was nothing super special about it....more
I totally understand the early hype this book has. Liz Moore's ability to write a compelling literary mystery feels unmatched. I was hooked on this frI totally understand the early hype this book has. Liz Moore's ability to write a compelling literary mystery feels unmatched. I was hooked on this from the very beginning and really wanted to know everything was going to play out. I think her use of multiple timelines and multiple POVs was very smart. Knowing just the perfect time to switch to a new POV and add the right amount of context was excellent.
My one complaint with this book is the same complaint I have with all of Liz Moore's books. While I find them incredibly engaging in the moment and often feel tempted towards a 5 star rating, I don't feel like her books have a lot of staying power for me. Even now, I'm already thinking this may not be a book that sticks with me for the remainder of the year. For that reason, I'm going to only give this 4 stars. And, if in a few months, I found myself unable to forget about this one, I'll up my rating.
I do think this is a book everyone could enjoy though. And now is the perfect time to read it as it takes place in the summer and really exudes a perfect summer read....more
while this started out with so much potential, it went in a really strange direction that i wasn't fully prepared for. the writing is fantastic and i while this started out with so much potential, it went in a really strange direction that i wasn't fully prepared for. the writing is fantastic and i was really hooked into the story for the most part. but i was surprised (not in a good way) by the decisions the author made at the end.
however, this is the first book i've finished since march so that's saying something....more
given all the hype this book has had over the last year, i really expected a lot more from it. it definitely kept me engaged. but i predicted pretty egiven all the hype this book has had over the last year, i really expected a lot more from it. it definitely kept me engaged. but i predicted pretty early on what was happening and i hate when that happens with thrillers....more
I read Celeste Ng's debut novel Everything I Never Told You a few years ago and was, sadly, incredibly underwhelmed by it. And unfortunately, I feel mI read Celeste Ng's debut novel Everything I Never Told You a few years ago and was, sadly, incredibly underwhelmed by it. And unfortunately, I feel much the same about this book. I think she has some really interesting concepts and ideas. But the execution of those ideas always just leaves a bit to be desired for me.
First off, I will say that I absolutely love Celeste Ng's writing. She paints an incredibly vivid picture and her prose is beautiful. And the characters in this book are so compelling! Like I said, I really loved the idea of this book. But everything felt a little underdeveloped. There was a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. The pacing was off. And I think the end just fizzles out instead of being the much grander spectacle is sort of set itself up to be.
I'm unsure if I'll keep reading Celeste Ng. I want to like her books. But I'm nervous to keep trying them because I don't want to continue to be disappointed....more
the idea of this book is so intriguing! in theory, i really should have loved it. however, the pacing was all over the place. the first 50% was so slothe idea of this book is so intriguing! in theory, i really should have loved it. however, the pacing was all over the place. the first 50% was so slow and then the last 50% moved too fast. at the end of the book, i still had a lot of unanswered questions. i think the message is important and i appreciate what the author was trying to do. however, i don't know that it was 100% successful in terms of a thriller....more
This was incredibly atmospheric but felt so under-developed. The mystery was obviously the most compelling aspect of the story. But it took almost 75%This was incredibly atmospheric but felt so under-developed. The mystery was obviously the most compelling aspect of the story. But it took almost 75% of the book for something to finally happen. I finished because I was definitely intrigued by what was happening. But the entire time I was reading, I just wanted more.
Will definitely read more from Adrienne Young in the future though because I really did enjoy her writing style. I understand this was her first adult novel after writing exclusively YA and I think that shows. But I can definitely see potential so I will definitely try her again!...more
Initially, I decided to read this because the cover is intriguing and it sounded really good. Also, I've seen it come up in the conversation DNF @ 23%
Initially, I decided to read this because the cover is intriguing and it sounded really good. Also, I've seen it come up in the conversation as a potential Women's Prize longlist book. So in an effort to try to get ahead of that list, I decided to go ahead and read it now. I'm so bummed because this is actually my first DNF of 2024.
I don't think there's anything egregiously bad about this book. The writing is fine and the characters are okay. It's just reminding me a little too much of Really Good, Actually which is easily one of my least favorite books I've ever read, if not my absolute least favorite. I'm having a hard time getting behind reading from the perspective of a man, especially when it seems clear that we aren't getting the whole story because the situation is so subjective.
After I decided to DNF, I did look up some spoiler reviews because I wanted to know what other people had to say about it and I feel justified in my decision to DNF. I'm putting it on my 'on pause' shelf because that's what I do just in case there's a chance I come back to the books I DNF. But I can guarantee you right now that that won't be the case with this book....more
I never even got around to marking this as currently reading before I decided to DNF. I really am not sure if this is a me issue or a book isDNF @ 16%
I never even got around to marking this as currently reading before I decided to DNF. I really am not sure if this is a me issue or a book issue. I am having the hardest time with audiobooks right now and I did not care for the narrator of this one. So maybe it's a combination. I've seen some fairly mixed reviews for this book so maybe I'm not an outlier here. I wanted to like it because it sounds interesting but it just wasn't working for me. Who knows, maybe I'll come back to it at some point but that's not incredibly likely to be honest....more
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