Feels like a cozy mystery (narrator contributes to this), except with less zaniness and more serious, though not graphic, crimes.
My first Brennan. WaFeels like a cozy mystery (narrator contributes to this), except with less zaniness and more serious, though not graphic, crimes.
My first Brennan. Was pleasantly surprised by the PI’s persuasive skills as she investigates, though I didn’t really understand the need for the shifting 1st to third person POVs. But enjoyed it well enough to try another one.
Clever little twist about halfway through, but lost some steam towards the end.
I do enjoy this author’s books, though, this is the third boo3.5 stars
Clever little twist about halfway through, but lost some steam towards the end.
I do enjoy this author’s books, though, this is the third book of hers I’ve read and they’ve all been very entertaining. Sort of Freida McFadden-ish, but better character work and less sensationalist....more
Bored at 44%, so I skimmed reviews to see if I should keep going. At first, a bunch of reviews excited about the twists made me think I would, but theBored at 44%, so I skimmed reviews to see if I should keep going. At first, a bunch of reviews excited about the twists made me think I would, but then this one https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... confirmed a few of my predictions and made me laugh at the rest.
So many subplots stuffed into one book and pedestrian writing on top of that. See ya.
Audio Notes: I listened to Andi Arndt read a previous book and wished she’d read it with a little more emotion, but that book was well-written and engaging so I mostly looked past it. With this one, however, I really noticed how perfunctory her performance was....more
Some entertaining twists and turns, and treats its central subject with respect. (It's annoying to me when thrillers treat serious crimes with no regaSome entertaining twists and turns, and treats its central subject with respect. (It's annoying to me when thrillers treat serious crimes with no regard for the pscyhological impact. You don't have to spend a lot of time on it, but glossing over stuff tv movie-style sticks in my craw when it comes to books. This one includes the right amount for the type of book it is.) It’s all far-fetched if you think about it too hard, but enjoyable all the same. An eminently optionable miniseries or streaming movie project.
3.5 stars
Audio Notes: Despite a bunch of narrators and switching between different time periods, it wasn't hard to follow the story or characters at all. Well done....more
A couple of the subplots annoyed me so much. Aside from that, this is pretty standard fare, and it's prompted me to add a shelf indicating I think booA couple of the subplots annoyed me so much. Aside from that, this is pretty standard fare, and it's prompted me to add a shelf indicating I think books that would be better suited as a mass market paperback you'd buy at an airport spinny rack rather than a $28 hardcover. I don't know when this trend of overpriced hulky hardback --> to trade paper --> to mass market for just about every book began, but I'm really over it.
Audio Notes:
And Brittany Pressley really needs to watch that some of her secondary voices don't veer into caricature territory. I have mixed feelings about her anyway (and unfortunately she seems to be a popular choice with thriller novels); as I keep saying, she has a nice voice and does a variety of voices well, but she chooses the exact same slightly oddball way of interpreting every single main character she narrates, which gets old, especially as the level of her engagement with what the characters are going through doesn't vary much. The offbeat ways she reads often also feels like an affectation, as sometimes it also doesn't mesh with what's going on.
I would love to see other talented voice actors get the chance to read some of these books. Some narrators can really elevate the audiobook experience....more
So very, very predictable and so very simple, and occasionally veering into cringey metaphors and descriptive phrases.
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AudiSo very, very predictable and so very simple, and occasionally veering into cringey metaphors and descriptive phrases.
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Audio Notes: I don’t really understand the point of having different voices for every character unless it’s like a full cast performance. I find it a lot more confusing that January LaVoy, who primarily voices Beth, also reads Nicole’s and other people’s dialogues, but then Brittany Pressley does the chapters from Nicole’s POV in (obviously) a different voice; this is fine with two narrators, it is more difficult to follow (and more annoying) with four. Honestly, January LaVoy could’ve read the full book doing all the characters and it would have been much better.
Same opinion of BP as I do Karissa Vacker, she has pleasant voice, but the same old-same old way of reading every book. I didn’t like Michael’s narrator much, and you really could have lost Laura’s POV entirely.
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In fact, I probably would’ve liked this better if it was solely from Beth’s POV. The others don’t add much to the story, and the inclusion of one of POVs tips off the culprit right from the very beginning....more
Strong start, but loses steam and becomes too predictable/neat. Leaning further into horror/supernatural elements/suspense would have helped.
Audio NotStrong start, but loses steam and becomes too predictable/neat. Leaning further into horror/supernatural elements/suspense would have helped.
Audio Notes: Brittany Pressly--again, pleasant enough voice, but skews really young/YA. If you've heard her read one book, you've kind of heard them all. ...more
Would have enjoyed this more if it weren’t so blatantly referential (just the brief mention in the beginning of the Highsmith novel would have been enough), if there was less exposition, and the psychology of the crimes wasn’t so shaky.
Liked it as a fast-paced, airport-type read, though, and I appreciate a male author who takes time with the way his characters think, especially female ones. I just wish one of those wasn’t quite so out there, or had a more convincing foundation. But I'd check out another book by this author.
Audio Notes: Stephanie Cannon’s narration is well done overall, and I like the way her diction is often counter to the speech patterns you’d expect. With so many characters, however, that habit/quirk becomes a little more obvious and a little less special. Characters don’t stand out as much if multiple voices are doing the same/similar unusual ways of speaking....more
If this had been horror instead of a regular thriller, this premise would have been so much more convincing. There’s good reason why The Bad Seed/The If this had been horror instead of a regular thriller, this premise would have been so much more convincing. There’s good reason why The Bad Seed/The Good Son, The Dark Half, and other stories with some of the same elements are so much better.
Even so, two of the three POVs could still be ditched, there doesn’t need to be so many deaths, and it still needs several rewrites to amp up character development, plot, and motivation. I’m fine with ambiguous endings, but you gotta do a lot more work to lay the foundations and write it in a way that excites readers and gets them thinking.
As is, it’s a baffling miss on pretty much all counts.
Also, in this day and age, not even a mention of the trans experience and how it does/does not relate to the story? I kept waiting for it to happen and it never did. ...more
It's fine. But incredibly predictable, without characters interesting enough to make it worthwhile.
Audio Notes: I liked the narrator Gail Shalan, but It's fine. But incredibly predictable, without characters interesting enough to make it worthwhile.
Audio Notes: I liked the narrator Gail Shalan, but man oh man, is the chirpy author's note at the end (narrated by the author, I think) annoying....more
DNF a little less than halfway through. There's just not enough here to hold my interest and the narrator's strident voice and pronounced/borderline hDNF a little less than halfway through. There's just not enough here to hold my interest and the narrator's strident voice and pronounced/borderline harsh way of interpreting the text makes me wince.
Leaving it unrated because I still don't feel like I have enough of a sense of the book to form an opinion one way or another, aside from being indifferent....more
Intriguing premise (I had never heard of motion blindness before) and start, but fast loses its grip. Main character believes everything she is told, Intriguing premise (I had never heard of motion blindness before) and start, but fast loses its grip. Main character believes everything she is told, character work is woefully lacking, and it is so so so so predictable.
Also contains 100,000 mentions of "bergamot." ugh....more
So predictable and often illogical, from beginning to end.
And thriller writers these days really need to take a page from Coco Chanel and look at theSo predictable and often illogical, from beginning to end.
And thriller writers these days really need to take a page from Coco Chanel and look at their manuscripts and take one (or two or three) meaningless gotcha-plot-twists off their final draft. ...more
Liked the writing, but way too many subplots (and fairly predictable)--logistically, it all sounds a bit exhausting.
I did very much like the way the cLiked the writing, but way too many subplots (and fairly predictable)--logistically, it all sounds a bit exhausting.
I did very much like the way the children and Lucy's motherhood was portrayed, as well as the way the narrator Naomi Frederick voiced the kids. She somehow manages a kind of petulant innocence that endears them to you instead of being annoying, which is something not a lot of audiobook readers seem to be able to manage....more
Unremarkable, meandering, hard to muster up enough interest to care what happens to anyone. Structure feels arbitrary, characters barely explored, mysUnremarkable, meandering, hard to muster up enough interest to care what happens to anyone. Structure feels arbitrary, characters barely explored, mystery not very suspenseful, felt far longer than it was, and very very YA despite half of it taking place 10 years later. Why not 1 year later? No one has grown up or apparently done much of anything in the 10. Also, the amount of sisters interfering in their brothers' business feels really weird.
Snorting at the "recommended for fans of Celeste Ng," the "literary suspense" description, and the blurb by the author of The Push in the synopsis. Suuuuure....more
Cleverly plotted, well-paced, and very fun! It'll no doubt be a fun miniseries someday.
I know people like to give Reese Witherspoon shit for her bookCleverly plotted, well-paced, and very fun! It'll no doubt be a fun miniseries someday.
I know people like to give Reese Witherspoon shit for her book club, and I absolutely acknowledge that in recent years the recs have been less reliable than they initially were. But I can say that in each book I've tried, I recognize what drove her/her team to highlight it in the first place, even if it's not necessarily one I liked overall, and there have been quite a few that have been very, very good--and this is one of them. I'm also never going to fault anyone for sincerely championing quality stories about women.
I find the title (and its use within the story) a little clunky, tbh, but have very few quibbles with this one. It has some similar DNA to the author's excellent YA book The Rules for Disappearing, but this transition to adult thrillers is seamlessly done. Since I read very little YA these days, I'm excited to see what she produces next.
Audio Notes: Saskia Maarleveld is one of my favorite audiobook narrators, and here she gives us the entertaining bonus of a distorted, robotic male using a voice disguiser. This kind of thing can be annoying in the wrong hands, but her performance is perfectly rendered....more
Wendy Darling
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Books:
airport-mass-market-type-thriller
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