Nina and Zac believe they found the perfect home by the sea. They meet the couple from the upstairs flat, Chris and Vanessa, who welcome them with a cNina and Zac believe they found the perfect home by the sea. They meet the couple from the upstairs flat, Chris and Vanessa, who welcome them with a chocolate cake. Predictively, they become sick. Oh, but wait! Maybe it’s the stomach bug going around. Obviously things only go downhill from here with lots of ambiguous things happening around and to Nina. She begins to suspect that someone around her is sabotaging her life, business, and relationship with Zac. She just needs to figure out who before it’s too late.
Sounds intriguing enough but even the book synopsis is misleading, luring you to think something sinister will happen at their housewarming party. Nope! The frustration with this book continues to the very end. And yeah, the book title here gives everything away. Therefore, the story had to be told in such a different way to make this work, like if there was tangible history between the villain and Nina. Instead, Boland gives us overkill of the “villain's� past, focusing on the father’s death for sympathy? This is not character development at all. Now if Nina had something to do with his death, we’d have crackling tension in every scene.
I wouldn’t call this a thriller at all. Only lukewarm suspense. They were so many inconsistencies with characters motives and behaviors that this book makes little sense. Nina just comes across as paranoid and ungrateful all the time. If Nina was honestly worried about the husband upstairs fighting with his pregnant wife, wouldn’t she call the police instead of her boyfriend who couldn’t do anything about the situation. And wouldn’t her boyfriend of five years believe her over a stranger making baseless cheating accusations? And lastly, but most importantly, the entire story comes down to a grudge. A really insignificant silly grudge. The insane behaviors do not match up with the motives. Total miss here.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Merged review:
Nina and Zac believe they found the perfect home by the sea. They meet the couple from the upstairs flat, Chris and Vanessa, who welcome them with a chocolate cake. Predictively, they become sick. Oh, but wait! Maybe it’s the stomach bug going around. Obviously things only go downhill from here with lots of ambiguous things happening around and to Nina. She begins to suspect that someone around her is sabotaging her life, business, and relationship with Zac. She just needs to figure out who before it’s too late.
Sounds intriguing enough but even the book synopsis is misleading, luring you to think something sinister will happen at their housewarming party. Nope! The frustration with this book continues to the very end. And yeah, the book title here gives everything away. Therefore, the story had to be told in such a different way to make this work, like if there was tangible history between the villain and Nina. Instead, Boland gives us overkill of the “villain's� past, focusing on the father’s death for sympathy? This is not character development at all. Now if Nina had something to do with his death, we’d have crackling tension in every scene.
I wouldn’t call this a thriller at all. Only lukewarm suspense. They were so many inconsistencies with characters motives and behaviors that this book makes little sense. Nina just comes across as paranoid and ungrateful all the time. If Nina was honestly worried about the husband upstairs fighting with his pregnant wife, wouldn’t she call the police instead of her boyfriend who couldn’t do anything about the situation. And wouldn’t her boyfriend of five years believe her over a stranger making baseless cheating accusations? And lastly, but most importantly, the entire story comes down to a grudge. A really insignificant silly grudge. The insane behaviors do not match up with the motives. Total miss here.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for my honest review....more
I'm currently reading my backlog and this book has been on my list since its release. This book sounded like a fantastic dive into the 90s, following I'm currently reading my backlog and this book has been on my list since its release. This book sounded like a fantastic dive into the 90s, following a misfit book club of Southern ladies, lots of bottles of wine, and promises of vampire slaying! Yet, around chapter 12-13, this book takes a nose dive and NOT in the right direction. You can find me in the sunshine, shaking this doozy of a letdown off....more
The new show based on this book looks interesting, so I dived in and read the book. Oh, boy! I'm taking the hiHave you ever felt gross reading a book?
The new show based on this book looks interesting, so I dived in and read the book. Oh, boy! I'm taking the hit here, so you don't have to if you missed this when it was first published. I'll cover all the bases for you with my sassy review! Something good must come from this. ;)
This book doles out plenty of opportunities to feel gross throughout with renters Emma, Jane, and house owner Edward. Edward is an award-winning architect who lands the women in this book into his rental house and his bed. While Edward plays out his psychotic male fantasies, the female characters are rendered down to female vessels of trauma (remember this is coming from a male author POV, which is infinitely worse).
There's the rape victim Emma, and the pregnancy loss vessel Jane. That's all the reader gets for the main female character development while the story is told in the past with Emma and present with Jane. Emma and Jane quickly become interchangeable and hard to tell apart without any clear voice as the EXACT story (yawn!) while Edward from the past mirrors the present.
The Girl Before dangles a magnificent architectural Smart House rental as a worthy hook, but the unreal and too good to be true house also comes with an asinine set of 200 "rules" the tenants of One Folgate Street must follow. Sounds super fun, right? Renters can't add any personal touches and must live as minimalists. They must agree to random searches of the house, and the housekeeper will tattle if any items are left laying around. They must wear a bracelet that tracks their movements like cattle while the "smart" house tells them what to eat, wear, and censors the Internet so that they can reach a new level of perfection.
Hmm, totally agreeing to live their lives in a rental (of all places), exactly as the strange owner sees fit. That sounds all warm and cozy, right? The ideal place to relax and start anew just as these two troubled women are desperately seeking. The deeply flawed craters of this thinly-drawn psychological thriller show in the first chapter.
During the interview process, both women are immediately attracted to Edward. In any other book this would be an interesting turn that creates tension, especially with Emma's story because she's planning to move in with her boyfriend, Simon. However, the lack of character development shift the "girls" into sexists props. This just feels disgusting, and even worse when Edward takes his sexual props to bed. There's no buildup, no sexy banter, or even light flirting. Edwards says it's to bed we go and the women jump.
Then out of the complete blue, the story dives into an awkward, erotic, and cringe-worthy (not sexy in the least bit!) turn with Edward as the hero. Seems the author is a proud fist pumping Fifty Shades Bro and just had to spin out his own classy yarn. (Umm, that's what fanfic is for).
I won't get into the racism, which is another whopping dose of vile grossness. (How did this book get published again?). Or the multiple stereotypes and sexism so lazily applied to this story. (How is this author mainstream?). This dazzling sexist snippet gives you a clue: Monkford Partnership, a well-bred female voice says. "Well-bred female" is a major nauseating book theme here. Jane learns how Edward also chooses his female tenants for their similar looks and proper postures, which matches his dead wife. (The one that's buried on the property with his child. Say what?). Yeah, the greasy layers just keep piling up.
Obviously, you can quickly sense where the gutter story goes from here as authoritative Edward takes the helm, trapping the helpless "girls" within his complete control. When they don't follow the rules, the Smart House predictably becomes disabled. And wait for it, of course spanking commences! (Commence gross male fantasy!) This is not what the book blurb portrays at all! Not even a hint of the disgusting sexist male controlling goodies hidden here. But can this book get any worse? You betcha, and in too many ways to count!
The "girl" before is Emma, the rape vessel who died in the house under mysterious circumstances. That leaves the new renter Jane, the pregnancy loss vessel, to figure out what happened. After reading disturbing news about Emma's death, what's the first thing Jane does? She sleeps with the horny hero Edward, of course! He runs off when she rightfully asks questions. (OMG, she has a brain!) While storing her baby's clothes, Jane finds terrifying evidence that Emma CAMPED in the attic just as Edward calls. Hmm, terrifying evidence of Emma hiding, spooky foreshadowing, and a coincidence of Edward's controlling interruption. Yet, Jane doesn't think so and jumps into bed with Edward again. (I spoke too soon! No brain, just cattle as Edward likes his women). Umm, what am I reading again?
Later, it's revealed to Jane that Edward also had a "relationship" with Emma. Emma's relationship with Edward devolves into a new level of grossness as he becomes "Daddy." Edward conveys to both women there's no expectations of emotions because apparently with minimalism, none are needed. Insert furious head scratching here. "No strings sex" just doesn't exist with their landlord, who controls their entire lives with his Smart House. Therefore, this ridiculous "no string sex" turns into disgusting male fantasy gone wrong.
What's the point of either women sleeping with Edward again? There's zero buildup of any type of relationship besides their interview, so this wacky erotic turn is just BIZARRE. Edward holds complete power over their lives and they happily jump into his bed. WHAT? Oh, silly me, I forgot that Emma and Jane are just sexual props for the dashing hero Edward (LOL), so none of this has to make sense!
But wait, this is supposed to be a thriller, remember? HA HA HA! So, what's an author to do? Obviously, burn down the nonsensical plot. When Emma tries to become intimate with Simon again after her assault, he flips out because Emma "let" her rapist do the same thing to him! Yup, now we've reached vomit-inducing grossness. There's lots of mind-blowing and poorly written moments surrounding her rape: blaming Emma for loss of evidence, lying, the police trying to pass the rape off as consensual, etc.
Dear Author, what a way to turn off your female readers forever! Seriously, peak level behavior here!
The rapist had a knife and FORCED Emma against her will. Again, the female is simply rendered down to her trauma while this sick plot device is used to get rid of Simon, leaving Emma alone in the house and eagerly welcoming Edward to her bed (insert deep eye roll here because that's exactly what a woman dealing with deep sexual trauma wants).
The rest of the comically nightmarish story, unfortunately, boils down to a cat-and-mouse game of Edward playing with his trapped vessels, or cattle, or blow up dolls. I lost track, honestly. This story just keeps nosediving as the author keeps digging for sewer lines, failing to deliver anything that resembles a thriller, or any type of psychological terror.
Amazingly, this story is fantastic at CREATING female trauma. I may have a concussion from shaking my head so many times at this silly, nonsensical book.
I need to highlight another fatal misstep (there's a ton in this book!) the author made by not adding the conversational quotation marks with Emma's PoV. While reading, the brain has to go into overdrive with a red pen, trying to figure out what is shared aloud in conversations and Emma's internal thoughts, which are only shared with the reader. These layers are important in a psychological thriller, and this is NOT an experimental piece of Literature!
And this gem: "Goes" should never be used as a speech tag. Obviously, this is a gross misuse of the innocent little verb "go." No matter how many times this ridiculous speech tag is forced in this story, it still doesn't work. That's what this story comes down to: a contrived and deluded narrative with the female trauma, sexist props, male entitlement, the racism, the misplaced eroticism, the poor writing execution and experimentation. None of this is passable on any level....more
The book is difficult to rate for many reasons. Unfortunately, the opportunity is not given to the reader to emotionally invest in the characters at aThe book is difficult to rate for many reasons. Unfortunately, the opportunity is not given to the reader to emotionally invest in the characters at any time. This book entirely consist of characters physically moving through choppy scenes and time jumps with little dialogue or growth.
Given the emotional vacuum, readers will fill the void with their own shock and dismay at Olivia's odd behaviors as a mother. It takes a long time for Olivia to even scream. Panic and shock could easily explain her behavior, but she's rational, making the choice to believe she still has three living sons after one has drowned in a tragic accident. Olivia's behavior is not explored at all, just how she gets from physical point A to B over and over, which frankly, readers don’t care about. We just want to know what she's thinking and how she's feeling. Olivia repeating the same things in her head doesn't work after the first few scenes.
The inciting incident—the drowning of the child—happens far too early and way before the reader is given enough time to emotionally invest in any of the characters. Remember, there's a tragic drowning and readers want to root for the grieving family members to pull through the trauma while finding peace.
The characters names are given on the first page, and then the second page jumps to backstory about an important investment painting Olivia's mother gives her, hoping her marriage fails. The drowning and then Olivia leaving unfold so quickly, the story reads like a speeding freight train. The drowning child receives the only character development at the beginning with a whopping two paragraphs before he dies.
Therefore, the lack of character development leaves the reader with no impression at all when the child dies and Olivia deserts her family. The characters just exist in odd short scenes throughout the book. The time leaps only offer glimpses into their lives, which lacks even more character growth. Then the book jumps to annoying half-page scenes, magnifying the already snowballing whiplash, leaving the reader only with characters physically moving through the scenes with few emotions, thoughts, or growth. Only on the last page does the mother and one of her sons lock eyes after many years. There's nothing even for the reader to emotionally explore because the book ends just when it gets to the meaty part. I'm not sure what this book was supposed to convey.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review....more
Murder is a handy tool for Ruby to keep in her toolbox, given she’s killed three people and she’s only 30. After her husband is murdered, which is theMurder is a handy tool for Ruby to keep in her toolbox, given she’s killed three people and she’s only 30. After her husband is murdered, which is the one murder she honestly didn’t commit, she must convince the Miami PD she’s innocent. They want to lock her up and throw away the key as Ruby’s questionable past lands her in a serious bind.
Blood Sugar offers a delightful sugar rush as Ruby’s intriguing character is fully fleshed out, sharing her reasonable opinions on why she’s behaved like a serial killer since she was a young child. She certainly doesn’t fit the definition of a psychopath or even a sociopath because she feels sympathy, has long-lasting relationships, cares for animals, and works as a therapist. Though, has Ruby truly stopped her murderous ways or is she just fooling everyone?
Blood Sugar is a dazzling debut, surprising the reader with a raw and honest look at a woman who just happens to be a murderer as well. This book delivers an abundance of witty dry humor, a murderous main character you root for, and the one murder you hope she didn’t commit all wrapped up in a candy coating of snappy writing you’ll devour.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing Group for the digital review copy in exchange for my honest review....more
The Night of the Party drops the reader into an unfolding dinner party at Evie and Tom’s place. Evie begs her talented seventeen-year-old daughter LibThe Night of the Party drops the reader into an unfolding dinner party at Evie and Tom’s place. Evie begs her talented seventeen-year-old daughter Libby to play piano for their guests Una and Jim before she rushes off to a concert with a friend.
Libby’s night out doesn’t go as planned. Evie knows something is amiss when Libby doesn’t text or return when she’s supposed to. The story spirals into a murder mystery while exposing a very different side of Libby.
Often with mysteries authors use several writing devices to cleverly hide and reveal twists and turns. In this book, a certain character was pointed out over and over as being creepy. The heavy-handiness here didn’t leave any room for surprises. So all along, you knew what was right around the corner.
However, what happens when the detective discovered the real killer just isn’t reasonable at all. If someone is capable of that much violence then that person should be handled according. Therefore, the detective—and half of the story—instantly loses all credibility, trying to deliver a fulfilling and just ending to a wild story.
With the protective nod the author gives to the killer, I wish this book took a hard turn towards Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. The building blocks were all there and it would’ve been a much richer story. The story provides the head trauma motive for a character’s shocking narcissistic and sociopathic behavior, yet the story wraps up just when the meaty plot point is introduced. The actual killer’s motive was completely expected, making the book fall flat.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange of my honest review....more
Tom has a crush on a girl and has no idea how to talk to her, so he checks out romance books at his local library. Maggie is an older lady who spends Tom has a crush on a girl and has no idea how to talk to her, so he checks out romance books at his local library. Maggie is an older lady who spends her free time at the library as a way to shed her loneliness. One evening, Maggie is robbed and Tom comes to her aid. An unexpected friendship forms between the two lonely souls as they find comfort, spending time together.
When their beloved library is threatened with closure, they band together. While trying to save the library, they just may save each other in the process.
“Friends are the ones you connect with and who last a lifetime.�
At the core, this warm and cozy novel celebrates deep and lasting friendship, transforming the characters� lives for the better. The sweetness of this book, along with Tom and Maggie, will stick with you for a long time.
Thank you NetGalley and Aria and Aries for the ARC in exchange of my honest review....more
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