Satisfying conclusion elevates an average book
The tense and emotionally evocative climax of Takes One to Know One -- after a first half that was difficult to get excited about -- was like running down a steep hill, with the thrill of speed and the danger of falling combining in a rush of relief when you reach the bottom in one piece, feeling satisfied enough that you don't really remember how you got to the top of the hill.
The protagonist, Corie, is not really someone I would want to be friends with. It wasn't until the last several chapters of the book that I felt there was any emotional depth to her character. I was curious enough about the mystery that I wanted to continue with the story. Why does this guy ping Corie's "hiding something" radar? Is something going on, or is the tedium of her privileged, comfortable life causing her to hallucinate danger? I imagined a few different ways the story could go.
I enjoyed Corie's interaction with her parents, especially that her dad was ready to help her immediately when she came to him with her concerns. That said, some of the things Corie and her dad did were definitely unethical and at least edging into illegal. I don't believe the ends justify the means here.
Technically speaking, I was put off by the amount of expository dumpage in the middle of some of the dialogue sections. In the space between two consecutive sentences of conversation, there would be three or four paragraphs of background information that sometimes didn't even contribute to character or plot development.
On a similar note, I felt like the amount of detail provided was unbalanced between things that aren't important (eg, the color scheme of Corie's friend's client's home) and things that are important (eg, I would like to know more about what made Corie fall for her husband in the first place, not just what was dissatisfying to her now).
Proofreading is needed for lots of typos/grammar and a few minor continuity errors, as well as clearer section breaks within chapters. Since the copy I read is an ARC, I hope much of that will be cleaned up before the official release.
Overall, I'm satisfied with having read the book, although I wouldn't highly recommend it *as is*.
The protagonist, Corie, is not really someone I would want to be friends with. It wasn't until the last several chapters of the book that I felt there was any emotional depth to her character. I was curious enough about the mystery that I wanted to continue with the story. Why does this guy ping Corie's "hiding something" radar? Is something going on, or is the tedium of her privileged, comfortable life causing her to hallucinate danger? I imagined a few different ways the story could go.
I enjoyed Corie's interaction with her parents, especially that her dad was ready to help her immediately when she came to him with her concerns. That said, some of the things Corie and her dad did were definitely unethical and at least edging into illegal. I don't believe the ends justify the means here.
Technically speaking, I was put off by the amount of expository dumpage in the middle of some of the dialogue sections. In the space between two consecutive sentences of conversation, there would be three or four paragraphs of background information that sometimes didn't even contribute to character or plot development.
On a similar note, I felt like the amount of detail provided was unbalanced between things that aren't important (eg, the color scheme of Corie's friend's client's home) and things that are important (eg, I would like to know more about what made Corie fall for her husband in the first place, not just what was dissatisfying to her now).
Proofreading is needed for lots of typos/grammar and a few minor continuity errors, as well as clearer section breaks within chapters. Since the copy I read is an ARC, I hope much of that will be cleaned up before the official release.
Overall, I'm satisfied with having read the book, although I wouldn't highly recommend it *as is*.