Second person! Yes!
Never before has a book not only made me think about moral quandaries, but outright ask me to like this one has. But the problem with that is that I was much too busy trying to really figure out my answers to these moral quandaries because I was reading so fast. This thriller gives me what I like in a thriller: a mysterious story that does not fall apart at the twist, with a main character that isn’t an ass.
Jess is a makeup artist working for a company that connects clients to artists who come right to their door to do their makeup in New York City. While she is doing a client’s makeup at NYU, she sees that the client was going to go to a psych study that would pay $500, but she was going to skip because it was too early in the morning. On impulse, and on hearing of the $500, Jess decides to secretly go in her place.
Jess joins Dr. Shields’ study as Subject 52. She is asked moral questions, on a computer in an empty classroom. But soon, Dr. Shields grows more interested in her, and Jess gets in deep with the doctor. Soon, she doesn’t know who to trust, what to trust, or how far Dr. Shields will go.
This book captured me from the first line. It starts in second person, which I think is a wonderful, underused tool that authors have. There is nothing more immersive than the second person. The use of “you” pulls the reader into the story, and I kept thinking what I would do if I were Jessica (which is honestly none of it!).
The characters in this story are wonderful. Jess is a well rounded character with very believable flaws. Her life is complicated by her sister Becky, who had an accident that affected her mental ability. This brings Jess guilt, responsibility, and anxiety, all which spills into the rest of her relationships. But it never feels forced. Dr. Shields takes a long time to unravel, but her character is very interesting as well, especially in how she uses her field to assess her own life.
The twists in this book spin the reader around. They are all well executed and make sense. There is no need for forced shock value because it is more figuring out why things are the way they are without the whole book feeling like a lie. This thriller is tight and well executed on all levels. I am not going to have a spoiler section in this review because all I have is praise, and I am begging you to read it for yourself.
If you want some chills and some thrills, I highly recommend this book. It was a fun thriller to read, and it made me more confident in selecting books in the genre in the future.
Never before has a book not only made me think about moral quandaries, but outright ask me to like this one has. But the problem with that is that I was much too busy trying to really figure out my answers to these moral quandaries because I was reading so fast. This thriller gives me what I like in a thriller: a mysterious story that does not fall apart at the twist, with a main character that isn’t an ass.
Jess is a makeup artist working for a company that connects clients to artists who come right to their door to do their makeup in New York City. While she is doing a client’s makeup at NYU, she sees that the client was going to go to a psych study that would pay $500, but she was going to skip because it was too early in the morning. On impulse, and on hearing of the $500, Jess decides to secretly go in her place.
Jess joins Dr. Shields’ study as Subject 52. She is asked moral questions, on a computer in an empty classroom. But soon, Dr. Shields grows more interested in her, and Jess gets in deep with the doctor. Soon, she doesn’t know who to trust, what to trust, or how far Dr. Shields will go.
This book captured me from the first line. It starts in second person, which I think is a wonderful, underused tool that authors have. There is nothing more immersive than the second person. The use of “you” pulls the reader into the story, and I kept thinking what I would do if I were Jessica (which is honestly none of it!).
The characters in this story are wonderful. Jess is a well rounded character with very believable flaws. Her life is complicated by her sister Becky, who had an accident that affected her mental ability. This brings Jess guilt, responsibility, and anxiety, all which spills into the rest of her relationships. But it never feels forced. Dr. Shields takes a long time to unravel, but her character is very interesting as well, especially in how she uses her field to assess her own life.
The twists in this book spin the reader around. They are all well executed and make sense. There is no need for forced shock value because it is more figuring out why things are the way they are without the whole book feeling like a lie. This thriller is tight and well executed on all levels. I am not going to have a spoiler section in this review because all I have is praise, and I am begging you to read it for yourself.
If you want some chills and some thrills, I highly recommend this book. It was a fun thriller to read, and it made me more confident in selecting books in the genre in the future.